Humanities 8 Kirenjot

What is Power?

2009-05-17T22:39:00.000-07:00

Power can be defined in many ways. My definition of power is when one person or group in a certain area that has more privileges than others and uses them to their advantage over everybody else. Over the course of this year, I have learned that power can be expressed through different actions. Three events in history that really defined and showed me what power really is were Imperialism in Africa, World War 2, and the Russian Revolution.

The Russian Revolution displayed a lot of power within it. My definition of power is shown a lot during this event and I can tell for a few reasons. One is that the upper class which was basically Tsar Nicolas II. During his rule he didn’t help Russia succeed in fact he brought it down. He gave the citizens of Russia bad living conditions and not many rights leading to inequality. The Tsar was influences by a man named Rasputin and under his wife’s control. This man with all the power over the country wasn’t doing anything at all. This lead to the Russian Revolution where there was lots of power in it.

Imperialism in Africa also displayed a lot of power during it. The British had all of the power while the Africans were under them. The British used their power to make the Africans their slaves and work for them. Since they had power, they were free to take any of the materials and important resources that they wanted. In return, however, they did give them school and jobs to help them survive.

During World War II, in Germany, the person with all of the power was Adolf Hitler. He started a group called the Nazis which was short for Nationalsozialists. World War II was from 1939 to 1945. Hitler and the Nazis used the technique OF Genocide during this time. First they used classification and discriminated the Jewish, gypsies, and other people by making them stand out wearing a star on the head. They dehumanized those people treating them like they were objects. After, they killed anybody who went against them, they used the process of denial so they wouldn’t get into any trouble.

So, altogether, I feel that power really is when one person or group in a certain area that has more privileges than others and uses them to their advantage over everybody else. Even though it may have its negative effects there are also positive effects that benefit others as well.

The Giver: Power or Control?

2009-05-14T20:51:00.000-07:00

Throughout the book, The Giver, I identified the main theme as control. I say this for many reasons. One is that everyone in Jonas's community is being controlled by the Chief Elders. Their whole lives are being controlled and they don't even know. The Elders choose everything; gifts they get each year, their Assignment(job), who they marry, and one other is when to be released (killed) from the Community. They have no say in anything, but the good thing about that is that they don't know that they are being controlled. The only people aside from the Elders who know what is going on are Jonas and the Giver. Jonas knows that everything is wrong and really wants to help. He is very mad about this situation and doesn't like anything. On page 144, Jonas is talking to the Giver about what is going on.

Net Effect of Globalization

2009-05-14T08:54:00.000-07:00

PROS:

companies get cheaper labor
more work gets done because of large population in poorer countries
more people have the opportunity to get a job

CONS:

people lose their jobs to others in a poorer country
when people lose jobs, they have less money
in order for some to get their job back, they must travel to apoorer country

So, overall, globalization has its pros and cons so it has good benifits and disadvantages.

Population Project: Thoughts

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

In my opinion, the three most valuable things I learned from The Population Project process are:

That due dates are very important and work needs to be turned in at a certain time or it is not graded. This can help me in the future because it will give me a stronger motivation to do work properly and on time.
How to write a proper data analysis, research paper, and create a digital story with information that says the same thing in a different way. This will help me in the future because I will know how to change my ideas around in a new and creative way.
That even though the population in India has been increasing, but at the same time diseases or otherwise my topic, infant mortality, has been decreasing. This will help me in the future because now I now that even a small contribution can help. This will motivate me more to help.

Overall, I can tell that the Population Project has really helped me understand the problems in India and how to solve them.

Technology and School

2009-04-20T00:22:00.000-07:00

What are the main visual elements?

The main visual elements are the family of three sitting eating dinner. The son is in the middle and his parents are asking how his school day was.

What issue is this cartoon about?
This cartoon is about how technology takes over kid's lives and is used as a substitution for speaking instead. The parents are asking the son how his day went and he obviously said something like this, "Instead of me telling you how my day went you can just read my blog and find out." The parents don't like how their kids are becoming lazy.

What is the cartoonist’s opinion on this issue?

The cartoonist's opinion is that us students should spend so much time on computers and other technologies when we should spend it on doing school work and playing outside or other sports. If a kid goes to the extent to say that my school day description is on my blog it means that computers are consuming us.

What evidence in the cartoon supports your opinion on how the cartoonist feels?

The evidence in the cartoon that supports the cartoonist's opinion is the look on the boy's parent's faces; they look dumbfounded. They are surprised that their kid has a blog to skip the retelling of the school day. They are also surprised that their child is very connected to the computer and have no other life besides it.

Why is this cartoon ironic?

The two main reasons that this cartoon is ironic are:

Kids that age don't usually have a blog; I am thirteen and I don't have a blog unrelated to school
If kids had a blog, then they don't usually tell their parent's to check their blog

How does this cartoon relate to our study of technology and the future?

This cartoon relates to our study of technology because it shows us how the people of this generation are overusing the internet for unneeded things like blogs about our school day. They could be used for reference, but the intention was not to make a person become lazy.

What other techniques could the cartoonist have used to make this cartoon more persuasive?

I think that the only thing that tell me about the cartoon are the words. To make it more persuasive, the cartoonist could have made the parent's expressions a little more surprised and have the son have his chin on his hands to show he is too lazy to tell his parents about his day.

Population Project: Schedule

2009-04-13T01:50:00.000-07:00

This week in Humanties class, we have time to work on our population project. So this is my outline plan of what I plan to do this week:

Monday:
Make outline of Data Analysis and draft first paragraph (with citations).
Write outline of research paper.

Tuesday:
Edit first paragraph of Data Analysis and draft second paragraph (with citations).
Draft first paragraph of research paper (with citations).

Wednesday:
Edit second paragraph of Data Analysis and draft third paragraph (with citations).
Edit first paragraph of research paper and draft second and third paragraph (with citations).

Thursday:
Edit paragraph of Data Analysis (with citations) and if possible begin fourth paragraph.
If time, edit second/third paragraph of research paper.

Friday:
Edit fourth paragraph and get a good start on fifth.
Draft fourth(or if worked on at home maybe fifth) paragraph of research paper.

Technology and the Present

2009-03-23T01:51:00.000-07:00

1. What is technology?
Technology is, objects being created for people or animals made to make processes quicker.

2. What are the 5 most and 5 least important technologies used today?
The five most important technologies used today are, computers, cell phones, iPods (mp3 players), television, and air conditioners. The five least important technologies today are Smart Boards, hair dryers, light up shoes, automatic sliding doors, and coffee makers.

3. How do you feel about the amount of and use of technology at AES?
I think that the technology at AES is overused because people use it even when not needed. They have the light on even when there is enough coming from the window.

Technology and Kurt Vonnegut

2009-03-19T22:34:00.000-07:00

“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 agree with this statement because technology is something that does stuff for you. I do agree that it is helpful and gets work done faster and neater. But, I prefer to hand write everything. And if you think about back in the day when people did not have or even know about computers and they were fine. So, if we did not know about technology, life would be different. And when you say, "I wrote this paper for my Humanities class," technically, you didn't; the computer. It was just your ideas and you pushing the keys, but the computer is the object making it all work. I would not consider myself a Luddite, because computers are helpful, but I say that we could do without them.

Quarter 3 Feedback/ New Goals- Quarter 4

2009-03-16T01:52:00.000-07:00

My goals for 3rd quarter were:

To do my homework the night it was assigned, so I wouldn't have a load the night before.

To add more detail and voice into my writing pieces. I would be able to know if I improved if I could picture what I was describing very clearly.

To improve my geography skills. I would know if I improved if in TMTU questions.

My goals for Quarter 3 were not exactly met. There were sometime I didn't do my HW on the night it was given. We didn't actually do writing this quarter so I couldn't tell. Also, my geography hasn't improve. I know this because in TMTUs I didn't improve the amount of right answers
My goals for quarter 4 are:

To make sure I do my homework on the night it's assigned. And if I have a project I should work on it during the course of several days
To learn how to paraphrase better
To make my writing pieces more descriptive and add imagery to them

Is Holy War an Oxymoron??

2009-03-08T22:12:00.000-07:00

An oxymoron is two words that don’t belong being used together. Why is the phrase “Holy War” an oxymoron? Why is it that so many conflicts in the world today are based upon religious differences yet all major world religions condemn killing?

I think that "Holy War" is an oxymoron the two words, holy and war, just don't go together. I say that war can never be holy it doesn't help anyone in any way shape or form, just destructs our economy and wonderful land. People think that war is the solution to all off of our conflicts with others. Some war world peace, but that can never happen with all this fighting going on. War also ends friendships between countries that may have been on good terms. So many conflicts are about conflicts, because many believe that their religion is the best and feel that it should be spread all over the world.

A World War III???

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

Do you think there will be a World War III in your lifetime?

I don't think that there will be another World War for a few reasons.

One reason is that many people would be against it. I know this because all around the world there have been "Peace, Not War" type of organizations started and they try to get others against war. So, if one country decides to declare war, then many petitions and riots may be started to stop the war. Some people who are for war may get persuaded to hate war.

My other reason that I feel there wont be a World War III is because many countries are aware of the reparations they might have to pay. They know that if they become entangled in the war, the situations that their country would face would lower their economy. This would make the country very poor and helpless. Also, even if you are a very rich country, allies may be made and broken so you could very well lose the war just as any other country could.

This is why I think there will not be a World War III.

http://www.metal-archives.com/images/5/9/7/7/5977_logo.jpg

Letter From the Battlefield

2009-02-17T09:00:00.000-08:00

How is everything back at home? How are Jamie and Marla doing? Hope they’re not causing you any trouble! In the last letter, I think you had mentioned that Jamie had gotten the flu; how is that going for him? Things here are going okay, I guess.

We just invaded Poland from three fronts; East Prussia, Germany, and Slovakia. Before you knew it, every inch of Warsaw was surrounded by our men. After our defeat of the Polish, there is no way that they could ever come back to power. We needed to make sure that no Polish man, woman, or child was left and we succeeded.I have worked my hardest and my best to help my country and in that too, I succeeded.

Right now, I am writing this letter in the clinic because as I was walking in to my camping tent, I tripped and fractured my foot. So, I must say my farewell for now, because I need to get this letter my the noon mail call.

Yours,

George

Anne Frank Roundtables

2009-02-17T00:22:00.000-08:00

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

I agree with Anne Frank when she says that it's twice as hard for us to hold onto our opinions. I think this because since we are young and our minds are still a little confused and not sure what is right and what is wrong. We are influenced by certain things that can change our minds into believing something totally opposite than before. Whereas, adults seem to have their minds fixed on a certain idea and never want to change their minds.

A Recipe for World War II

2009-02-11T08:51:00.000-08:00

A recipe for World War II,
Is all you’ll need to understand,
But, make sure you put enough Hitler,
Or your meal will taste just bland.

First, you warm up the oven,
Because the competition is heating up,
But, remember to put oil into the pan,
Or the damage will stick to your heart.

Now take out your bowl,
And get out your measuring cup,
Well you won’t actually need that,
Since everything was an overload in this war.

Next, get out your ingredients:
Add a glass of bitterness,
And a slab of greediness,
I’m sorry, I’m mistaken; a hunk of greediness.

Add a little Japan and Russia,
United States and France,
And North Korea and South Korea
Here and there.

Lastly, place your recipe,
Into a battlefield.
And as you do this,
The dish has no way out;
It is stuck in the pan forever,

Knowing,
That there is no way out.

Compare: Animal Farm Book and Movie

2009-02-09T03:57:00.000-08:00

I think that the movie directors did an overall good job on creating the movie Animal Farm by grasping most of the details and putting them together in new ways. They also, did a good job of adding some humor in the movie without changing the story.

An example of humor is the little duck that tried so hard to work, but couldn't because of his(her) size. Another good thing that they did was made some of the characters look different according to their personality (only if they look was not described in the book).

But, even though there were some really good things, there were some events or animals that were not included or said correctly in the movie.

One example of an event that was changed was Old Major dying during his speech about starting the Rebellion. I think that they should not have changed this because the movie should show that Old Major was there for three more days to help the animals (mostly pigs) plan the Rebellion.

An example of a character that was not shown in this film is Mollie. I think it was important to have Mollie in the story because it shows that some people did not support Animalism, even in the beginning. Without Mollie, viewers who haven't read the book think that everyone believes in this new form of government, which is actually false.

Another thing that is changed is the seven commandments written on the wall. Some of them were left out and some weren't really commandments, such as, "Four Legs Good, Two Legs Bad!" This never was really a commandment, it was a phrase that the sheep used to end any argument that could possibly start.

My last difference that I found in the movie was the twitch in Squealer's tail. This is important because it is part of his identity. But, even though it's not a big part of the story, it should stiil be there.

So, overall, the Animal Farm movie, had some good qualities to it and also some errors in it.

Animal Farm Reflection

2009-02-01T08:05:00.000-08:00

I think I can closely relate to Boxer in this book. I feel this because if something goes wrong, I always keep trying harder to work towards my goal. In the book, Boxer's motto is, "I will work harder," and my motto when I need to work towards something is, "I will try harder next time until I get it right." These mottoes are very similar. Also, if I need to do something, I will work at it and do whatever it takes to finish. In Animal Farm, Boxer wakes up much earlier that all the other animals to work on the windmill.

I also think I am identical to Boxer because we both have something that helps us stand out. For Boxer, it is the white stripe down his nose and for me it is my long hair.

Tyranny, Injustice, and Self-Determination

2009-01-26T23:20:00.000-08:00

Tyranny-when someone abuses their power
Injustice- when someone acts unfairly
Self Determination- to do an action without anyone else's opinion

In the book, Animal Farm, these three terms are used. Tyranny is used when Farmer Jones uses his power to torture the animals to do whatever he wants them to. He abuses his authority which leads to him being unjust (injustice). He acts unfairly by not giving the animals less food than they need and killing them when they become weak and cannot work anymore. Self-determination is used when the animals are determined to begin the Rebellion and overthrow Mr. Jones. The animals become strong and are determined to live better lives. This is how tyranny, injustice, and self-determination are used in Animal Farm.

I Sit Here In This Trench

2009-01-22T07:09:00.000-08:00

I sit here in this trench,

Because I have fallen,

To the ground.

I wonder,

“How did I get into this mess?”

“Why am I here?”.

One part of me says,

“You have to help your country,”

“And save your people.”

But the other part,

Is longing to go home,

And to take care of my parents and siblings in peace.

I am being pushed and pulled,

Like a tug-o-war,

My mates yell to me:

“Come on, buddy!”

“Get up,”

But then, even they go into hiding.

I hear a,

“Chk, Chk,”

And I knew I was next.

All my guns had been taken,

I was, helpless.

The enemy looked at me,

Aimed his gun… and boom!

I sit here in this trench,

Gone, forever.

I dedicate this poem to all the people who sacrificed their lives in WW1.

Citations:

http://weblogs.newsday.com/sports/watchdog/blog/question-mark.jpg

http://freepages.genealogy.rootsweb.ancestry.com/%7Egecase/images/BillieFamily.jpg

http://i184.photobucket.com/albums/x204/havokie/WW2/young-german-soldier-teen.jpg

http://www.2ndguards.com/Images/gallery%203/normal_NO6D8712.jpg

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

Is the Military in My Future?

2009-01-19T00:49:00.000-08:00

In some countries, joining the military is mandatory, in other countries, optional. In my country, the United States, applying for the army is not mandatory instead optional. According to the CIA World Factbook, you have to be 18 years of age (17 years of age with parental consent) for male and female voluntary service.

Since I am a girl, others (men) may not want females in their force. They might think that they make them lose the fight. If this did happen, and men said that girls cannot fight, I would join to prove that girls can do anything guys can. I would also join the army if it was mandatory for people my age. I would be against it, but I would know that I had no choice.

But, if none of this happened I would say no to war. I feel that people should not be forced to fight if they do not want to. Also, war is also just a path to world destruction and horrible economies. So, why begin one if you know that it's going to end nasty? My last reason why I would want to join the army is because, that would stop me from living my life like a normal teenager. I wouldn't be able to walk around and talk with my friends. Instead, I would be in a training camp, preparing for war.

This is why I would not want to join the army.

Great Powers Game Reflection

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

1.What are the main visual elements?
The visual elements in this cartoon are the different countries and how each person had a different amount of hands. The more hands they have, the more alliance they have.
2.What issue is this political cartoon about?
3.What is the cartoonist’s opinion on this issue?
I think the cartoonist's opinion on this issue are that when you make alliances,
4.What evidence in the cartoon supports your opinion on how the cartoonist feels?
5.What other techniques could the cartoonist have used to make this cartoon more persuasive?
6.How does this cartoon relate to the Great Powers Game?
We all had made alliances at one point of the game and in the cartoon almost everyone had at least one alliances/ treaty with someone at one point of time. Also, some countries have alliances with more countries than others do. Some countries are trustful while some aren't.

Great Powers Game Debrief

2009-01-11T04:48:00.000-08:00

1. Which country were you? How did it feel to build your empire? Which countries had the advantage at the start of the game? Why? How did you empire compare to other empires?

My country was the Ottoman Empire. I'd say that the US, France, Germany, and the UK were the countries that had the largest advantage in the beginning because they're amount of industries/colonies was larger than most of the other countries. My empire had been defeated by many of the countries ( Italy, France, UK, Russia, and Austria) before which is why we were also one of the few empires that had no real allies (just friendship with France).

2. In the long run was it more important to buy armies, navies, industries or colonies? Why?

I think it was more important to buy industries and colonies that way the money you have would increase which would lead to you being able to buy more armies and navies in the next year. And when you have stronger armies, you'd stand a better chance against any people that would want to start a war against us.

3. What did you do well? What would you have done differently?

I think we bought the right amount of industries each year and knew how to split up how much we should buy of armies, colonies, and navies. I also think that we didn't get in the way of the wars occurring each year and if we did help our allies we wouldn't be able to help ourselves considering we didn't have very strong industries and armies. I think we should have bought more industries in the beginning of the game so we could save up for even more armies.

4. How successful were your alliances? Did they help or hurt you? Could they be trusted?

Our country's alliances weren't really any use because we never got sent to war so we never needed their help. Our alliances were, France, Germany, Italy, the UK, Russia, and Japan. The only alliance that betrayed us was Italy. In the last round the US had declared a war against Japan and everybody but three countries joined which made it a Great War. All of the small countries joined Japan while Italy was undecided. The whole war really depended on Italy, who was the strongest of all. In the end, Italy joined the US and betrayed many of its allies.

5. What are three specific things you learned about conflict from this simulation?

I learned many things from this simulation:

You can't always trust your allies so don't depend on them.
Buy industries in the beginning instead of armies. Armies are no use in the start of the game because countries are trying to stay clear of each other and avoiding war.
Even though I didn't do this, don't start wars against people who have strong allies or else you will be left defeated and with nothing.
Lastly, I learned that don't always think you are the stronger country with lots of industries and armies because you never know when people with defeat you and leave you dead.

Quarter 2 Feedback/ New Goals- Quarter 3

2009-01-05T21:09:00.000-08:00

My goals last quarter were:

To have better study skills to study for test because my test scores could be better if I knew how to study better
To do my homework the night it was assigned so I wouldn't have load the day before.

To add more detail into my projects (writing wise) like I said in quarter 1.

I feel that my first goal partly met because my test/quiz scores had improved from last quarter and were usually in the range of an A or B. I think my second goal was partially met because I still did some homework the night before instead of the day it was assigned. I think my third goal was met because I saw an improvement to how specifically I describe things.

My goals for this quarter are:

To do my homework the night it was assigned, so I wouldn't have a load the night before.

To add more detail and voice into my writing pieces. I would be able to know if I improved if I could picture what I was describing very clearly.

To improve my geography skills. I would know if I improved if in TMTU questions.

Pros and Cons of Imperialism

2008-12-13T23:57:00.000-08:00

Pros:

the colonizers brought new languages
they built railroads
they built schools
they started new governments
they modernized the way the Africans were living in

Cons:

even though the Europeans brought new languages, they demolished the languages the Africans already had
some Africans didn't want a new government run by people who took over their home
also, some Africans didn't want their way of life to be changed
since some Africans didn't like what was going on, they protested. This led to them being put in jail or even killed
the Europeans enslaved the Africans and barely paid them
they also imposed high taxes and if the Africans couldn't pay them off they'd be forced to work as slaves
the European government gave all the black people less privileges than the whites
when the Europeans enslaved the Africans, they treated them very badly

So, overall, imperialism had a negative effect on Africa.

Current Events #3

2008-12-11T11:23:00.000-08:00

Lately in Southern Africa a disease called cholera has been passing around like the plague in Southern Africa (mostly Zimbabwe and South Africa). Cholera is an infectious disease, common in India and China and occasionally plague elsewhere, characterized by profuse diarrhea, vomiting, cramps, etc. (Dictionary.com) Nearly 800 people have died from this horrible disease, 660 people have been treated (not all survive though), and a majority of the victims (16,000 people) have been treated. So many things have been done to get to the end of this and we are all hoping they will succeed. Also, because of this situation, Zimbabwe’s and South Africa’s health services are about to collapse.

Citation

Current Events #1

2008-12-11T11:21:00.000-08:00

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/shared/spl/hi/picture_gallery/07/africa_rural_hardship_in_zimbabwe/html/8.stm

Lately in Zimbabwe, there have been some very extreme rural hardships going on. One big one is education for kids and how they are fed.

Zimbabwean children go to school five days a week just like we do and have weekends on Saturdays and Sundays. But there is a difference. These children really like going to school for two reasons. The obvious reason is that they want to get and education, go to college so they can find a good job to hold their roof. But the reason that you might not have thought of is that they get a decent lunch at the school (which is paid for them along with the school fees). Since they barely can afford food, they really look forward to their meal; even though it isn't much. The meal usually consists of sadza (a porridge made from corn) or a cup of mahewu (nutritious millet brew). But now it is vacation for the kids so they are going without.
This is important to know because even though we may hate the food we get in school, those children would gladly eat and not waste a bit of it. We are living great lives, and there they are just hoping for things to get better.

Current Event #2

2008-12-11T11:01:00.000-08:00

Johan Nel, an 18 year old a white teenager, pleaded guilty of killing four blacks and restarted racial tensions in post-apartheid South Africa.He was led away from court in January in Johannesburg, South Africa. He was pleaded guilty as his trial started Monday in Mmabatho, (185 miles/300 kilometers of Johannesburg). Many witnesses say that Johan began shooting at children in a poor black village on January 14. A few descriptions of the people who died were:

a 3-month-old baby who was being carried on her mother's back.
the 3-month old baby's 31-year-old mother.
a 10-year-old boy.
a 35-year-old man.

Prosecutors presented evidence that could influence the sentencing which is expected soon.

Citation is here

History and Culture of Southerrn Africa

2008-12-11T10:59:00.000-08:00

The history of Southern Africa began with the native Africans and then the Europeans came. At around the late 1400s, Portugal traders stopped in Southern Africa on their route to Asia for spice trading. Since the trip from Europe to Africa was long and tiring, they placed bases around the Southern African coast. After the Portuguese, there were the Dutch. These people came from the Netherlands and were the first ever Europeans ever to settle in the region. In 1652, they set up a trade station at a harbor around the Cape of Good Hope (at the tip of Africa). Even though the Cape lacked gold, the climates there were very similar to what they were used to back in the Netherlands. There were two main groups in Southern Africa; the Afrikaners and the Boers. The Afrikaners were the Dutch, French, and German and their generations after them and the Boers were the Afrikaner farmers who spread out from the original colony. In the 1900s, the South African government was taken over by the white Afrikaners. The government then created an apartheid, a policy that separated whites, blacks, Asians, and coloreds. The Asians and Coloreds usually got more than the blacks.

Physical Geography of Southern Africa

2008-12-11T10:51:00.000-08:00

The physical geography Southern Africa has many land features and diverse climates. South Africa consists of many plateaus. At the edge of plateaus, there is a steep face or a raised area called and escarpment. In eastern South Africa part of the escarpment is made up of the Drakensberg mounatin range. Many large rivers pass through Southern Africa. One river, the Okavango River begins in Angola and into a basin in Botwana. But, this river never actually reaches the ocean. Instead, it ends up as a swampy delta which is home to crocodiles, zebras, and hippos. Most of the region is placed on grassy plains, which the Drakensburg and Inyanga mountain ranges which separate them into different countries. Other animals living there are lions, tigers, elephants, and antelope. The climates in Southern Africa vary from place to place. Basically, South Africa is different in every country.

SQ3R Summary- Your Region Today

2008-12-11T10:50:00.000-08:00

There are many challenges that Southern Africa has had to face to make it the region it is today. Even though there are still many problems, it is still a big change from what it was before.

A few years ago in South Africa there was a system going on called the apartheid. The apartheid was a rigid policy of segregation of the nonwhite population. When South Africa was using this system, many people around the world protested against this. Examples of how they protested are:

· Many countries banned trading with SA

· Put up sanctions

· Some companies in the US and Europe refused to invest in the country

· Many sports and organization refused to let South Africans play in the meets

So, since the SA government didn’t want all this bad attention, they stopped the system immediately.

What happens in the future:

· They had a republic with an elected president

· People emphasized equality and human rights

· Helped create better jobs and working conditions for the blacks

· Most SA industries were owned by whites

· But sometimes when something went wrong, people were scared to stand up for their rights

So in conclusion, I’d say that overall Southern Africa benefited from these changes.

Footprint cartoon

2008-12-11T10:46:00.000-08:00

What are the main visual elements?

In this cartoon, there is a picture of Africa with a footprint stamped on top of it. The main colors are black and white.

What issue is this political cartoon about?

I think this cartoon is trying to show how when the Europeans, they left their own trademark on the country. They must have dominated the whole region and said, “This is our land and we claim it.”

What is the cartoonist’s opinion on this issue?

The cartoonist must have wanted to show that this topic was very serious and needed to be fixed. Like I said before, the colors used are black and white. I think this represents the fact that this cartoon must be serious. The edges of the cartoon also show that this topic is serious. If someone was doing a happy topic about Africa, the might have softened up the edges (still keeping the shape the same), but here the edges are sharp and rigid.

What evidence in the cartoon supports your opinion?

Now this may not have a big effect but the patterns and shape of the shoe prints shows that it was a European shoe because the Africans had shoes but not great shoes. This is just an opinion. Like I mentioned before, I said this topic is serious because of the color and shape.

What other techniques could the cartoonist have used to make this cartoon more persuasive?

I think the cartoonist did a good job, but I think he/she could have made the Africa map part 2-D and made the footprint a little thicker in the width and still give the 3-Dimensional look. If he/she did this, it would make the footprint stand out and make more of an effect.

Scramble for Africa

2008-12-11T10:43:00.000-08:00

1. What strategy did you use to claim land?

We searched the resources map and the atlas for the largest amount of resources. Our team was the first to roll and so we also got nine dice. So our first number was very high and we got first preference. This wasn't really a strategy, but it was an advantage. In the negotiations after every round people kept asking to trade Sierra Leone, but we said no. Later on, in round 3 we ended up trading with Belgium for a part of South Africa.

2. What factors did you consider in claiming land?

How much iron, copper, and zinc each part of Africa had.

3. Who won the Scramble for Africa?

Germany (my team) or Great Britain. I'm not really sure.

4. Who lost in the Scramble for Africa?

Spain lost. They could have improved their score though if we had time to finish round 4 so it's inaccurate.

TBAS-Trustworthy?

2008-12-11T10:41:00.000-08:00

I think that we can trust Julius Lester in To Be a Slave because all of his facts are supported with good evidence and different sources. Basically, the book isn't really a story it's just him asking different people what it was like to be a slave. He wrote To Be a Slave because he wanted to know what it was like to have been a slave and he couldn't find a book that really told him. He figured that if he couldn't find a book, he'd have to get the answers himself. Also, Lester’s ancestors were slaves. So, that is why I trust Julius Lester in the book.

5 Themes of Geography

2008-12-11T10:35:00.000-08:00

This is a ride called Lazy River at Splish Splash Water Park.

Movement: All the people on the ride are on a tube getting moved by the water current to the end of the ride.
Region: United States
Human Environment Interaction: The people used the space to make the water park. And the people in the water park are in the water ride.

Location: Absolute; Splish Splash Waterpark Box 1090 Riverhead, NY 11901-1090 United States. Relative; Near Calverton and Centerville.
Place: What makes it unique is it is a very large water park which is packed everyday. The ride is extremely long. Everyone is in bathing suits.

“Violence leads to more violence.”

2008-12-11T10:34:00.000-08:00

I think the quote, “Violence leads to more violence,” means that if you kill someone (violence), the people who cared about that person will get revenge (more violence).

In Act three, Scene 1, Line 85, Casca, the others, and then Brutus stab Caesar one by one. And then, in Act three, Scene 2, Lines, 215- 221, the citizens want revenge.

In my life when I pinch my cousin, she'll pinch me back and we have this whole fight which never ends well. So, "violence ALWAYS leads to more violence."

Brutus's Dilemma

2008-12-11T10:33:00.001-08:00

If I were Brutus, I wouldn’t side with the conspiracy because I would definitely want to keep my friendship with Caesar. Instead of killing him, I’d maybe want to help him rule Rome when he is crowned king. If anyone wanted to persuade me to stop siding with Caesar, I would try my hardest to not be convinced. I can see that because in Act One, Scene Two, lines 98-139, Cassius is telling Brutus a story that Caesar is weak and not fit to be king. This is why Cassius is going to try another way to persuade Brutus.

Leadership

2008-12-11T10:32:00.001-08:00

I feel that a leader is someone who takes charge and guides everyone with the activity we are given. They are confident about what they say and don't feel shy helping others out. When everyone is stuck with something or people are getting off topic, a leader will help them out and get them back on track. An example of that is in a Socratic Seminar and when people didn't know how to continue with the topic, the leader would bring up a question to ask to get their minds thinking again. I think that two people in our humanities class who show a great deal of leadership are Jemima and Jonathan. I feel this because they qualify for all the points of being a leader. They are very sure about what they are saying and definitely not shy about helping others out when they get stuck.

3 Reasons For Imperialism

2008-12-11T10:28:00.000-08:00

The three reasons for imperialism are gold, god, and glory. An example for gold is raw materials, an example for God is forcing people to convert people to the religion of your choice, and an example for glory is conquering colonies. So in India, South East Asia, and Africa, the British wanted raw materials. But in the Middle East, they just wanted natural resources, especially oil. For God, the British only aimed for India and Africa. Their goal was to convert all the Hindus, Muslims, and Africans, in those locations, to the Christian religion. For glory, the British conquered and gained colonies in India and Africa. South East Asia, they used violence and in the Middle East they conquered politically and economically.

Quarter 1 Feedback/ New Goals- Quarter 2

2008-12-11T10:26:00.000-08:00

My first goal was mostly met. It was that I put more detail into my assignments. I think it wasn't fully met because:

In the Outsiders project, my explanations could have described more about how each character related to the song.

For the IR project, my three pieces needed more facts and detail.

It was partially met because:

I feel my portfolio snapshots were detailed I think that I used all the detail from the news stories.

My second goal was to be more open-minded about projects. I think this was met because in the IR project, there were some ideas that my teammates didn't agree. I made a choice to not only have my decision.

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My goals for this quarter are:

To have better study skills to study for tests because my test scores could have been better if I knew how to study better.
To do my homework the night it's assigned that way I don't have a big load the night before.

To add more detail into my projects and writing like I said last quarter.

Capitalism Cartoon

2008-09-22T00:42:00.000-07:00

What are the main visual elements?

The main visual elements are:

The man who belongs to the Capitalism side
One worker who is being held up by the Capitalism guy
Money dropping from the labor
Bags below that say "Profits from Child Labor."

What issue is this political cartoon about?

I think this cartoon shows an angry man, who's probably not satisfied with the labor's work.

What is the cartoonist’s opinion on this issue?

I think the cartoonist's opinion on this issue show that the man is very self-centered and doesn't care about how the labor feels. This man seems to be very angry about how his buisness is doing and taking it out on the labor. Since the buisness is most likely privately owned, not by the government, it's harder to run it.

What evidence in the cartoon leads you to believe that the author feels this way?

The man seems to be greedy because he is very fat. I think he must have spent all the company's money and is now running out of it.

What other techniques could the cartoonist have used to make this cartoon more persuasive?

He could have had a nother labor in his other hand so we can se that he's really mad.

Positive and Negative Effects of IR

2008-09-18T08:01:00.000-07:00

Positives:

There production of products in the town got completed quicker because there were machines/ more efficient methods(like the spinning jenny)
They produced high quality products

There were not many cottage industries left(which produced high quality products, but in more time)

Negatives:

There were less jobs available
Some jobs required skill, and many immigrants didn't have that
The machines were dangerous(such as poeple could get their finger stuck in a machine and have to have it amputated)
The wages were very low, and on top of that, women got less pay than men
They had to work long hours in horrible working conditions

1870’s Stock Market simulation

2008-09-15T02:21:00.000-07:00

I was absent for this simulation so I can't do the feedback.

Evaluation of Feedback Goals

2008-09-07T22:10:00.000-07:00

I feel that my first goal: to put more detail into my assignments, has partially been met because I haven't done much writing yet so I can't compare it from last year. And my second goal: to be more open-minded about things, such as projects, hasn't been met yet either because we've only had one project so I can't tell if I was open-minded.

The Factory Game 2

2008-08-23T04:37:00.000-07:00

The setting of the second factory game we played was actually a factory, whereas last time we were just members of a family who were making birthday gifts. When we played yesterday, we were under a lot of pressure, from both the manager and the boss However, on Thursday, Mr. Coyle didn't talk to us as a boss, he talked to us as a teacher. But even though we were under the same pressure that workers in a real factory were, I felt that many of us wouldn't take the job seriously because we knew that our life really didn't depend on it. But if our life was depending on the job, then maybe we wouldn't have laughed much during work. But overall, it was a good simulation for helping us understand the Industrial Revolution.

The Factory Game

2008-08-21T09:33:00.000-07:00

In humanities class today, we study about the Industrial Revolution. After that we played a game called the Factory Game. Our task was to use all of the shapes given to us to make a birthday gift for our brother or sister. I felt that the game wasn't that hard, but I do think that if this weren't a game the pressure of creating a present would have been harder. I also think that the task itself was easy; meaning there was no right or wrong way that it was supposed to turn out(except for the fact that we had to use all the shapes). Even though we could only use markers, crayons, scissors, and glue, I thought this activity was a good idea. In the end, I made a snow angel.

A Messy Room

2008-08-21T08:33:00.000-07:00

Instead of having to describe a messy room from the top of my head, I could just go in my older brother's room.
As I walked into my older brother, Satwant's, room(to annoy him), I almost slipped on what looked to be an over sized shirt; you know the ones people keep for memory. Argh! He walked closer to me, and I wondered, for a split-second, he was going to ask me if I was alright. But then he passed me just to turn on the fan on level three. All of a sudden papers started flying thorough the air and blowing my hair into my face. "Hey, Kirenjot, could you turn that off for me?" He asked me me while he was picking up some of his essay paper.
Just as I was about to press the off switch, I decided , just for the heck of getting him mad, that I would turn the fan on level five. But too bad for me, I got shoved out of the room. I took one last look at the textbooks covering the bed and click. He locked the door.
One question:
When I'm seventeen, will I be like him?

P.S. I may have eggagerated a bit about his room.

Mother Necessity

2008-08-18T22:27:00.000-07:00

What do I think Necessity is the Mother of all Invention means?

I think "Necessity is the Mother of all Invention" means in order to make an invention you need all the necessary items for it. Instead of using horses for communication, we could use the telephone. And instead of having no light, the light bulb was created. It is written Mother instead of Father because mothers give birth so giving birth to an invention is like that.

How I Learn

2008-08-17T20:25:00.000-07:00

I feel that I am an auditory learner. I feel this because when I watch videos or actions I get confused. And when I put diagrams together I also get confused. But when I listen to the idea, it's easy for me to put all the ideas together in my mind after hearing it. Also I can relate what I hear to other things I know.

Quarter 1 Goals

2008-08-13T09:33:00.000-07:00

Two highlights from the first week of school was I got to meet new people and I got a variety of new classes. My first impression of 8th grade humanities was that it was going to be extremely hard and I was going to be way behind in everything.
One of my goals for this year's humanities to put more detail into my assignments. Last year, in humanities, my detail wasn't very grand, and that caused me to lose some points on my grade. I'll be able to tell if I've improved at the end of the quarter by comparing my work and asking others if they understand my story.
My second goal for humanities is to be more open-minded about things, such as projects. If we were given five choices (like we were for the Outsiders project), I shouldn't always choose the movie review type of option, but I should choose a harder or maybe a little more complicated one. I'll be able to tell if I've improved if if I look at all of my choices that I chose throughout the quarter and see if they all aren't very similar.

My Gang

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

My gang has various members; some are my family while some are friends.

The first members of my gang are my parents and my brother, Satwant, because they give me love and play board games with me when I'm bored. The last four other people in my gang are my favorite cousins, Tejan, Divia, Savneet, and, Prabhdeep because they take me shopping and play sports with me. Kaveen is another member in my gang because we are extremely close family friends and our parents have known each other before we were born.