Humanities 8 Arushi

Mr. Coyle!

2009-09-14T22:53:00.000-07:00

We miss you Mr. Coyle, come back!!
:)

What is Power?

2009-05-17T22:41:00.000-07:00

Power was a main theme that we covered this year in almost all the topics we studied.
First, during the topic of imperialism, we covered power because some countries had the power, while the other countries, in Africa for example, had no power whatsoever. The Europeans achieved the goals of gold, god, and glory. There was nothing positive for the Africans who were basically turned into slaves to accomplish European needs. This would probably go under political power, because politics basically has to do with governments. Later on, power was shown in both the World Wars. In WWI the Kaiser had power over all of Germany, and wanted to expand that power throughout the world. Unfortunately for him, the countries on the opposing side, like England and France, had much more power and were able to overcome Germany and its allies in the war. Political power was also shown during the Russian Revolution. The Russians revolted because they weren’t treated properly; as a result, the Bolsheviks took the power. Under the rule of Stalin, the Russians were even worse off than before the change of political power.
The World Wars are examples of economic power, because the countries with a greater economy won the war. They could afford better weapons and rations for the soldiers. As a result of this war, all the financial power shifted to New York, in the United States. The countries in the war lost most of their power because they owed money to lots of countries, of, in Germanys case, had to pay reparations for all the damage that was caused. After the wars, the two super powers were the USSR and the US. With all their power, both believed that their ideologies were the best. They tried their hardest to bring down the other countries economy, and in the end, the US won because Russia went bankrupt. Basically, higher economies have more power because they can achieve their goals much more efficiently.
The last type of power is personal power which was also shown throughout the year. One example is in the book Animal Farm. The pigs were the smarter animals, so, as a result they could control the environment around them and make everything work to their personal benefit. Because the book was an allegory of the Russian Revolution, it shows how Stalin took the power for himself and became dictator. Another example of personal power is from the book The House of the Scorpion. El Patron has all the power and makes everything around him work to his personal needs. He even lived 8 lives, because that’s what he wanted, and he was able to achieve it because of his power. Not all personal power has to be bad though. Matt had power, and made it work toward the good of society. I thought that power meant complete control over everyone, but then I realized that many times, people with power don’t always have control. This is why revolutions start, and why power is always shifting. And, this is why I think power is the ability to achieve a certain goal or purpose.

Quick Write- Power

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

In the House of the Scorpion, there are a lot of examples of power. The person who has more power than anyone else is El Patron. Because of this, he has control over them, but only to a certain extent. What he doesn't know is that there are people who he can't control all the time. An example of his power is when Celia is talking to Matt she says "Once El Patron decides something belongs to him, he never lets it go." (139 Farmer). Since Matt is El Patrons clone, he also has power over people, but this doesn't mean he has control because there is no one who listens to him. Instead, he's treated like livestock, but he still has power. This is showed when El Patron says "Anyone-anyone- who messes with Matt will be dealt with severely. Do I make myself clear?" (63 Farmer). In this way, Matt can do whatever he wants, and no one can stop him or get in his way unless they want to be turned into eejits. Later on Matt realizes he only has power because people are afraid of El Patron and no one want's to be a living robot. When El Patron dies though, Matt has to escape and has no power whatsoever. This is because there is no El Patron to protect him, and no one knows who Matt is. The Keepers at the Plankton Factory have power too. That is, until Matt comes and proves to be smarter than all of them. They get mad at him and try to control him. "I think the aristrocrat needs to understand why his behavior needs to be controlled." (318 Farmer). But, since Matt used to be the one with the power, he got out of everything the Keepers tried to do, including kill him. When Matt gets back to Opium, Ceclia says "We all belonged to him- the Alacrans, the bodygaurds, the doctors, Tam Lin, me, and you. Most of all, you." (372 Farmer). This shows how people had power throughout the book, but not always control. Matt got away.

Population Project

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

While doing the Population Project, I learned a lot of things. Since I spend 3 months just researching malaria, I know plenty of information on the disease. But the information I learned while doing this project wasn't as important as the other skills I learned. Usually while doing long term projects, I leave it all until the last minute. This project taught me that it is better to spread your work out over time, so it doesn't all pile up at the end. This way, the workload isn't as much, the project isn't as stressful, and most likely, the results are better. This will probably help me a lot in high school where there are many projects, from all the classes. Another thing I learned from this project was time management. I would always get my homework done, but I would usually leave it till the end after I went on facebook, played the piano, went outside, etc. With the Population Project, I had to learn to keep my priorities first or else, there was no way I would get any work done. Lastly, I learned how to write a research paper. The first time I wrote one, it wasn't very good, because I had no prior experience. This time, I learned not to keep repeating information (which is something I tend to do a lot) and keep my paragraphs concise. I also learned to use better words, and how to in-text and MLA cite. This will also be really useful in high school.
This is why I think I learned a lot during this project.

The Net Effects of Globalization

2009-05-03T03:07:00.000-07:00

There are both positive and negative sides to globalization. Basically, globalization is the spread of cultures, ideas, technology, and economies making everything worldwide. One of the positives of globalization is better communication throughout the world. This helps in lessening fights and wars between countries. On the contrary though, weapons, bombs, and other items of mass destruction all go under technology. Because of globalization, third-world countries are able to get out of their shell and build a better economy. People are starting to get jobs because of off shoring and outsourcing. Then again, people in countries such as America are losing their jobs because of this. Globalization also disrupts traditional values and cultures because western culture spreads to countries changing their way of life. This isn't always bad though, it helps many people so they can live a better life. Because of globalization we have so many items such as TVs, cars, i-pods, computers, etc. People all around the world can eat food, wear clothes, and talk in languages from different countries. The world's shrinking so that people from all around the world can communicate with each other.
In my opinion the the net effect of globalization is positive. It is probably a matter of opinion, or and what age you are. It might not be such a good thing to my grandparents, for example, but for people my age, it's a great thing. In our generation, nobody could live without their i-pod, TV, cellphone, and Internet. Globalization is good because the world has been brought so much closer. I can go to an American school in New Delhi, and go out to dinner at a Japanese restaurant with my European friends. People from different countries can share ideas and technology so they can be even farther improved for the costumer, which is us. We can have friends from all around the world and talk to them on a daily basis because of technology.
This is why I think globalization is a good thing.

Image: http://www.cuc.ca/youth/socialjustice/globalization.jpg

Technology and Schools

2009-04-20T00:15:00.000-07:00

The main visual element is the parents talking to their little son, while eating dinner around a table. Then main issue is that the parents want the son to tell them about his day, but instead, he tells them to read his blog. The cartoonist probably feels that we use too much technology now, and that lowers the amount we communicate with people. Some evidence that supports this is how there's not much conversation going on, instead, the son wants them to read his blog. This cartoon is ironic because usually, kids are really talkative, but this shows that now, kids as little as the one in the picture have blogs, and he isn't telling his parents about his day. Instead, he tells them to read his blog. This relates to our study of technology because blogs can only be made on the computer, which is a form of technology. This shows how technology intervenes in a lot of day to day activities, which include talking to you parents. The cartoonist makes this persuasive by showing the blank look on the boys face, and nobody is talking. You get the feeling that they're all just sitting there and eating, unlike normal dinner tables where everyone is talking.

PoP Project Week

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

Monday:

Take notes to help me write the research paper
Start the first part of the outline

Tuesday:

Use the notes to finish outline
Start writing the first paragraph of the research paper

Wednesday:

Write the first draft of the 2nd and 3rd paragraphs for the research paper

Thursday:

Write the last 2 research paper paragraphs
Look over the whole paper and edit

Friday:

Finalize paper

What is Technology?

2009-03-23T01:49:00.000-07:00

In my opinion, technology is the use of inventions that deal with science. These include TV's, computers, i-pods, and even bombs. All of these inventions use some sort of science.
There are a lot of technologies used today. One of the most important technologies are computers. Many people use computers and laptops all over the world. They are really helpful because they get work done faster and easier than usual. Also, they store a lot of work in them. Another really important piece of technology is the phone. Without phones, we wouldn't be able to contact people around the world and it would take a long time to get in touch with anyone. I also think cars are very important, because without them we would hardly be able to go anywhere. They help us go around in a short period of time. Another important piece of technology is the TV, because although they can be really bad, they also help in getting news around. Lastly, vehicles such as rockets, and airplanes are very important. We have found out so much about outer space by the space ships we have. Airplanes help us get across the world in just hours.
I think blow dryers are pretty useless. People could just dry their hair by going out in the sun, or by waiting for it to dry on their own. Vacuum cleaners are also pretty unimportant because people could use brooms just as easily. Bombs are also very stupid because they only help in killing people. They are not important. Electrical toys aren't very important because children should spend their time going outside or doing something else. Lastly, i-pods are pretty unimportant because we could get on perfectly fine without them.
AES uses a lot of technology, but it's mostly for a good use. We could cut down on some technologies like smart boards, but other than that, our laptops and computers are for a good use.

Kurt Vonnegut

2009-03-19T22:33:00.000-07:00

The 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's point of view. He thinks that computers and other technology stops you from showing what you can actually become. I think that technology actually lets us show our potential. The very fact that we can make TV's, computers, phone's, spaceships, and other pieces of technology gives us the chance to show how great we can actually become. It is true that nuclear weapons, missiles, bombs, and other war technology are really bad, but there is also a lot of good to technology. Instead of looking at all the bad that technology can do, we should also realize all the good it has done for us. Now, because of our superior technology and communication systems we can actually stop these bad weapons from being used. Before, because of bad technology there would be wars with lots of war technology, but now we can stop something like that from happening. The computer can actually help us become what we can. It doesn't do any bad, it's just a faster way of doing work. When we get work done faster, and easier, we can get more of it done. This will help us show even more potential. Without technology, we would never have discovered half of what we know today, including a lot of science. This is why I think we should always look at the good side of technology. It doesn't have to be bad unless you view it that way.

End of Quarter 3 Feedback

2009-03-16T01:53:00.000-07:00

Out of the three goals I made last quarter, I think I met all of them. Firstly, I wanted to participate more in class and I think I did that. Before, I wouldn't really say much unless asked by the teacher, but this quarter, I felt like I participated more in class without the teacher asking me. Secondly, I wanted to get to know more about places in the world other than North America. We did a lot of projects on places other than America when we learned about the Cold War and World War II. Also, when we read the 43rd War, I got to know more about Central America. My last goal was to improve on grammar, and this was also met. This quarter, for the first time, we did grammar worksheets which helped me in my grammar. I learned about sentence combing, appositive phrases, sentence fragments, etc.

This quarter, my first goal is to work on UBD, especially on the research paper. I did okay on my first research paper, but I really want to improve on the next one we do. In high school we will be writing a lot of them, so I think it will be really helpful to know how to write a good research paper. My second goal is to improve on debated and Socratic seminars. I don't do very good on the Oral Communication part of class, so I want to improve on that.
My last goal is to improve on reading and vocabulary because my vocabulary isn't very good.
These are my three goals for next quarter.

Holy War

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

I think the term "Holy War" is an oxymoron. This is because holy means peace and no fighting. War is all about fighting and killing. The two terms don't belong together because they mean opposite things. I don't think there could ever be a holy war because there is no way to have a war without killing and violence. Holy is basically following God's ways, or something declared as sacred. All religions condemn killing, and state that violence is not the answer so I don't think following God's ways should ever result in a war.
In my opinion, the reason why we have holy wars is because there are fanatics in each religion who believe that their religion is the best. People tend to believe they are superior because of beliefs, nationality, religion, or ethnicity. In this case, the fanatics probably think their religion is better than the rest. In order to "serve God" and show how devoted they are, those people will try to get rid of the other religions. Other people will join because they all want to serve God. There is nothing in any religion that states it's okay to go to war or kill anyone. Most religions probably do state that their religion the right way. The people who are really religious may interpret the message differently, and take the whole thing to a higher level where they kill people of a different religion. This is why I think we have holy wars.

WWIII?

2009-02-22T19:09:00.000-08:00

I don't think there will be a WWIII in our lifetime. There are lots of wars going on and there will be lots of wars in the future, but I don't think there will be a war as large as WWI and WWII. There hasn't been a world war in over 60 years so I don't see any reason for one to break out now. The United Nations is now a big organization which is doing its best to keep peace. During the first two world wars there was no such organization keeping peace and the League of Nations was just a failure because there weren't too many countries that joined. The United Nations plays a big part in keeping the peace and tying together the countries so that they can talk over problems and not go to war. Nobody likes war and I'm sure if a war did break out, it would end quickly before too many countries joined.
Also, now, unlike 50 years ago, people keep traveling and moving to different countries. Before, there weren't many nationalities in one country and if there were, they all wanted freedom. Now it's different because if people move to a country other than their own country, it is because they want to. People from all different parts of the world are friends now. There isn't a high chance that many countries will go to war on a large scale. Before, countries all wanted power, colonies, fame, etc. but now they get money and power by building their economy, and not trying to take over other countries. We don't have people like Hitler who want to take over the world. Lastly, if some countries were having a problem, they wouldn't go to war to fix it because now we have technology much better than the technology we had before and communication is much better. This is why I don't believe there will be a WWIII in our lifetime.

Anne Frank Roundtables

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

4) Anne Frank wrote: “I don’t believe the war (World War II) is simply the work of politicians and capitalists. Oh no, the common man is every bit as guilty; otherwise, people and nations would have rebelled long ago!” (May 3, 1944.)The Nazis needed Dutch collaborators to carry out their fascist decrees. What would have influenced someone to become a collaborator? 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?

I agree with Anne Frank and I think that the common man is also guilty for the actions taken during WWII. Politicians did play a much bigger role, Hitler was by far the worst, and it was his fault, but I think that if the common man hadn't allowed it, Hitler wouldn't have gotten so much power. People might have been influenced to help the Nazis because they were scared of Hitler, and scared of dying. Many of them were also desperate and wanted their economy to be boosted and be able to live a better life. They also wanted money and a job, so they joined the Nazi party. At the beginning, I don't think they really knew what was happening too much. As the war started going on, they must have known what was happening though. If they quit their jobs, it wouldn't have allowed Hitler to kill so many people. The people who mainly joined the resistance were probably Jews, and other people Hitler was seeking to kill. They were people who didn't fear their lives as much as the people who joined Hitler. They knew he was wrong in what he did and that is why they stood their ground and did not join him.
This is why I think Anne Frank was right in what she said.

World War II: A Letter from the Battlefront

2009-02-15T22:40:00.000-08:00

Wolburgsweg 36c, 10825 Berlin

October 15, 1939

Dear Mom,
Today, I am sitting in one of the multiple recovery rooms of St. Peter's Hospital. I am slowly recovering from the several injuries I received during the German invasion of Poland which I was a part of. We, the Germans, won the battle, but as a person, I can't say I won. Bombs were dropped on helpless towns killing the screaming women and children in seconds. Tanks were coming in from every side of Poland leaving no one to know what was coming next. The Polish were greatly outnumbered with their 180 tanks, and 240 aircraft compared to our 2,600 tanks and 2,000 aircraft. They were not prepared for an attack like this and had no chance to win against our 1.8 million troops. I had been excited for war, but now I can hardly live knowing that I have killed so many innocent people for the good of Hitler. I try to assure myself that its the good of Germany and the rest of the Germans, but how can anyone obtain good from murdering and slaughtering people like you would chickens?

We invaded Poland from 3 fronts. East Prussia from the north, Germany from the west, and Slovakia from the south, forcing the Poles to retreat to the east. About two weeks after we started the invasion, on September 14, Warsaw was completely surrounded by our troops. This is when, on September 17, the Soviet Union attacked from the east leaving Poland completely surrounded by enemy forces. (Just a week before the attack, we signed the Molotov–Ribbentrop Pact, a treaty of non-aggression between us and the Soviets which allowed us to attack Poland.) In order to get the rest of Poland under our control, we started using our "Blitzkrieg" tactics and also bombed many villages and towns which left the air black with smoke and the ground orange with fire.

By early October, Poland had surrendered to the German forces, but not without doing enough damage to us. They lasted twice as long as we had suspected killing about 50,000 men, and destroying 697 planes and 993 tanks. This wasn't the only damage the attack of Poland cost us though, on September 3, just 2 days after our attack, Britain declared war on us followed by France, and many other countries. Here I am at the hospital, getting better from these injuries while I think of all the people we killed, people who can never get better. People just like us, who won't get to live the rest of their life, and the people who are getting into war as I write, many who will die as young men. It is a requirement that I go into war again when I recover, but I hope to be home soon, and I hope this war ends soon before too many more lives are taken.

Your son,

Albrecht

http://pro.corbis.com/images/NA002785.jpg?size=67&uid=%

Recipe Poem for World War II

2009-02-11T03:02:00.000-08:00

Ingredients:
-1 cup of a failure of the Treaty of Versailles
-2 cups of the failure of the League of Nations
-5 cups of fascism
-1 pint of Hitler
-1 teaspoon of Mussolini
-1 table spoon of Stalin
-5/8 cups of aggression from Japan
-3 cups of aggression from Germany
-4 teaspoons of appeasement
- 1 cup of an invasion of Poland and Czechoslovakia
-1/2 cup of anger

Directions:
In a large bowl of hatred, mix the 1 cup of a failure of the Treaty of Versailles with 2 cups of the failure of the League of Nations until smooth.
Blend in 3 cups of aggression from Germany with 5/8 cups of aggression from Japan.
Combine with 5 cups of fascism, 1 pint of Hitler, 1 tablespoon of Stalin, and 1 teaspoon of Mussolini. Stir the mixture with spoonfuls of power.
In a separate bow of regret, for the icing, mix together 1 cup of an invasion of Poland and Czechoslovakia with 1/2 cup of anger.
Bake for 10 minutes while the mixture slowly starts changing. When it's ready, add the icing which will be just enough to complete this blend of emotions.
Now you'll have a well done World War II.

Animal Farm Critique

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

I think the movie Animal Farm was a pretty good adaptation of the book. When I found out that it was a cartoon, and that the animals didn't speak much, I didn't think it would be too good, but it was. I didn't find too many important ideas in the book that were missed out in the movie, or many ideas in the movie that were not originally in the book although there were differences. One difference was how characters such as Clover, Moses, Muriel, and Mrs. Jones were not clearly identified in the movie. The movie did do a good job in showing characters such as Napoleon, Boxer, and Squealer though. They also showed Benjamin in the movie, although he seemed much more cynical and negative in the book compared to the way the movie showed him. The one major difference I found was the ending. The novel ends when Clover, Benjamin, and some other animals watch as the pigs and humans take advantage of them and learn how Napoleon was only thinking of himself and was no better than Farmer Jones. At the end of the movie, there were no humans, only pigs, and there was a glimpse of another revolution where the animals would get rid of the pigs.
I liked the novel and the movie, but I think the book was better. It's hard to pick one, because they were both good, but I did think the book was better. First, although the movie might have been visual, the book described everything much better. Secondly, the animals actually talked in the book which made it easier to understand while the movie was rather vague because no one said anything. It was kind of annoying when the narrator kept coming in, too. Lastly, the characters were better shown and described in the book than in the movie. Also, there would be no movie without George Orwell's book, so I think the book was better.

Which Animal Are You?

2009-02-01T19:19:00.000-08:00

The character that I am most like in this book is Clover. This is because she is like me in many ways. First of all, she is a very supportive friend. When Boxer was sick at the end, she stayed by him the whole time. She not only loyal to her friends, but to all the animals on the farm too. She's a hard worker and she doesn't let them down. Also, she knows somethings wrong when Napoleon takes over, and she knows that things aren't going right, but she doesn't really know what to do about it. She has difficulty speaking out for herself sometimes, although she knows somethings wrong for fear of the pigs and dogs. I am similar in a way because sometimes I know what to do, but I won't always speak out about it. She doesn't give up because she knows that everyone has to work in order for the farm to run correctly. When anyone's sick, she stays to help them and she also comforts the younger animals from the dogs. I share these characteristics with her too, and this is why I think I'm most like Clover.

Tyranny, Injustice, and Self-determination

2009-01-26T23:15:00.000-08:00

Tyranny is an unfair rule or dictatorship and one group or person has absolute power, usually by means of violence. Injustice is when someone is being treated unfairly or unequally. Self-determination is the want to rule oneself without any outside interference or influence.
In the book "Animal Farm" these three things are shown many times. The farmer Jones is a tyrant to the animals because they never get to do what they want. He treats them cruelly, makes them work till they have to energy, and forgets to give them food.
It shows injustice because the animals are treated unfairly with no time to rest, no food, lots of work, and for payment, they get killed for food.
Self-determination is shown because the animals are tired of the way they are being treated. They want freedom to do things they normally couldn't under the rule of the humans. When the farmer forgets to feed the animals one day, and the cow tries to get food from the house, the farmer gets really mad. The animals are fed up with the farmer and his workers and revolt against them. Once the farmer goes away, the animals are free to live the way they want. This is how the book shows examples of these terms.

World War One Poem

2009-01-22T03:28:00.000-08:00

The Great War

He stands in the trench
Motionless, he will wait
For the whistle to be blown
And decide his fate

The screaming, the blood
The sounds of the gun
The misery, the horrors
Part of World War One

He listens and looks
Hears the agonizing shouts
This is not what he signed up for
But it’s what war’s about

A nauseating smell fills his nose
Harsh shouts, a dreadful cry
Quickly, he puts on his mask
While near him, so many die

Bullets fly everywhere

Their throats are dry, bodies sore

They can't stop, they have to fight

Because the guns never cease to roar

He came to war, exuberant

Excited like never before

Now he leaves, wounded

Lucky to live, one day more

Sources:

www.army.mil/asianpacificsoldiers/Images/wwi.jpg

z.about.com/d/history1900s/1/0/O/3/wwi16.gif

z.about.com/d/history1900s/1/0/M/3/wwi15.gif

www.chemical-corps.org/history/images/GasAtta

schools.4j.lane.edu/churchill/library/classes

Military in Your Future?

2009-01-19T00:55:00.000-08:00

It is not compulsory for a citizen of the United States to join the army. So, this means that I don't have to join the army when I grow up, but I do have the choice to. I wouldn't want to join the army, though. Even if it is for defending the country, I don't believe in violence and I could never stand to be a part of a war or know that I am responsible for killing or injuring a person. As for military training, I could do that. I just wouldn't want to be part of the actual fighting. I want to be a doctor when I grow up, so if I could be a doctor for any wounded soldiers, I would do that. I think that would be just as important as being out on the battle field because I would be helping in saving peoples lives. Also, there are many people joining the army, so it wouldn't really make a difference to me or the country if I didn't join. I'm not really brave and if it means risking my life, I would rather do something else to help my country.

Reflection

2009-01-12T01:30:00.000-08:00

The main visual elements of this cartoon include a British man handing out treaties. There are other people next to him receiving the treaties and passing out more treaties. It might also be shaking hands. There is a woman crying on the side and a man who hasn't received anything. All of the people represent different countries. The point is that everyone is making alliances. The issue is that these alliances can't be kept because everyone except the woman and one man have made alliances with each other. It's too complicated because if 2 countries get in a fight, the others don't know what to do because they all have alliances. This also shows that some people have more hands reaching out to them than other countries. The cartoonist is trying to show that only richer countries get alliances. The cartoonist doesn't think this is a good idea because these alliances aren't going to always be kept. Even though countries that don't like each other may not have made alliances, they're still tied together by the other countries who've made alliances with both of them. I also think he's trying to show that the wealthier countries such as the UK have more allies because they have more to trade. The man on the outside is Turkey and doesn't have much to trade so he has no alliances. The woman crying is probably a poor country because she has no allies. This relates to the great powers game because just like them, most of us made alliances with most countries. When there was a war, the countries wouldn't know what to do because they were friends with both sides. In the end, the alliances had almost no effect because they were almost all broken. Also, the wealthier countries got the most allies. The cartoonist could have made his point more clear.

Great Powers Game Debrief

2009-01-10T20:38:00.000-08:00

In the Great Powers game, I was Germany. We were one of the luckier countries at the beginning because we had a spending power of 3 . The countries with the most advantages were the ones with a spending power of 4 though. Another advantage for some countries were the allies the already had. For example, the U.S. had a lot of allies at the beginning along with the fact that it was a strong country so a lot of people wanted to make allies. Germany, on the other hand, didn't have many allies so before the game even started, we had countries that hated us. In the long run, it wasn't important to buy navies and soon everyone figured that out and didn't spend much money on that. I think it was important to buy industries and colonies first so that we had money to buy armies. In the beginning of the game, France declared war against us and took all we had except for one colony. After that, we were the one country behind everyone else and we had to build our way up from there. I think we did well in gaining our spending power again so we weren't the lowest country. Next time, I would spend more money on army. Even though it was important to buy industry, there's no point if we don't have any army to defend it.
In the long run, alliances didn't make much of a difference for us. We had most countries sign our paper, but in the end, half those countries declared war against us, or were on the opposing side. I learned that the way you spend money is very important, alliances often don't mean much, and sometimes you'll start with a disadvantage. That doesn't mean you can't work your way around it.

End of Quarter 2 Feedback

2009-01-06T02:57:00.000-08:00

Out of the three goals I made last quarter, two were met and the other partially met. I wanted to learn about Africa and imperialism, get better at Socratic seminars, and study more for tests and quizzes. The first goal was met because we spend a lot of time learning about Africa. I had never learned about Africa before, so I was glad to learn about it. For the second goal, I wanted to be better at Socratic seminars which we didn't do this quarter, so that goal wasn't met. Although we didn't have Socratic seminars, we had debates which are like those. I prepared for those and so I think my goal was partially met. Lastly, I wanted to study harder for tests and quizzes and I met that because I studied harder for the tests and quizzes we had this quarter and it showed because I got better results.
One of my goals for the third quarter is to participate more in class. I usually don't talk much in class on my own account, so I want to improve on that.
I also want to learn about other parts of the world that don't always do with North America. I want to learn about places like Central America which I haven't spend much time learning about.
Lastly, I want to do some work with grammar because I like writing but grammar and punctuation are some of my weak points.
These are my three goals for quarter 3.

Positives and Negatives of Imperialism

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

Positives:

The colonists brought Africa to the New World.
Africa became modernized and colonized.
Lots of new machines and inventions were brought to Africa.
Colonists helped the Africans discover valuable natural resources.
They helped boost Africa's economy.
Schooling and education was brought to Africa.
Tribal wars were put to and end.
Stable government was made.

Negatives:

Millions of Africans were killed.
Many were made into slaves and forced to work.
Culture was destroyed and many were converted to Christianity.
Many Africans were given no freedom.
They were cheated out of their money, land, and resources.
When the colonizers left Africa, wars started breaking out because no one knew who was meant to be in charge.
They were whipped and chained.
Colonizers spread diseases.
Treated like property, not people.
Not given proper shelter, food, or clothing.

Africa Current Event 3

2008-11-19T07:01:00.000-08:00

There have recently been some bombings in Sudan, in an area north of Darfur. This was just after some reports that there was a truce between the government and the rebels. This was to try and stop violence and the suffering of humans. About 300,000 people have been killed in Darfur in the past 5 years and about 2.7 million have had to flee from their homes. This is all because of the constant fighting that has been going on between the Sudanese government and the rebels. Today, Haroun Lual Ron, the Government's Humanitarian Affairs Minister, announced facilitating humanitarian assistance in Sudan until 2010. This is meant to help the homeless refugees and give relief to the people. This plan will start in early 2009.
I think this is a good article to read because refers to news that is happening right now. It talks about the bombings and the fighting that has been going on in Sudan for the past 5 years. It also talks about hope, which is always good. It talks about how the UN has decided to extend their programs to ensure more safety and help to the people of Sudan.

East Africa Today

2008-11-19T05:16:00.000-08:00

Although the Europeans had left much of East Africa in a mess, modern day East Africa is doing a lot to improve. Kenya and Tanzania have a big industry that relies on tourism and agriculture. The Serengeti Plain lies there and about 2 million tourists come each year to see the wildlife there. Kenya also relies on geothermal energy which is basically the produced from the heat of the Earths interior. It also transports tea and crops by its well connected railway systems. In Burundi and Rwanda, a while ago, there a was a big genocide, which is the intentional destruction of a people. The Hutu tribe tried to wipe out the Tutsi, killing thousands of people. Sudan, the largest country in Africa, relies majorly on coffee and tea exports for income. Somalia relies on livestock, Eritrea relies in cotton exports, and Ethiopia relies on agriculture, livestock, coffee, and oilseed. The port in Djibouti is their only source or income, most of their economy relies on the French government. Sudan has suffered lots of religious, and ethnic conflict. Thousands of people have been killed and millions have fled to refugee camps. Even after all these disasters in these countries, they are finally managing to make a stable economy and make some money.

Imperialism Cartoon

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

The visual elements of this picture are the map of Africa, and the giant footstep over it.I think it is also significant that Africa is in black and the footstep in in white. I think this shows that Africa was always under the footsteps of the Europeans. The Europeans just stepped into Africa and took what wasn't rightfully theirs without caring what the natives thought. The cartoonist obviously thinks that Africa was completely taken over by other nations and that this was wrong. He's showing Africa as a place where the people had no rights. I think the the giant footstep over Africa is enough to support my opinion. That shows how Africa was taken over by other countries. You can tell that the other countries are places in Europe because the footstep is white. They had taken over the natives of Africa because the continent is black. The picture is also quite gloomy which makes it more persuasive because it shows that the author thinks this is a bad thing. He didn't make it all colorful and he hasn't given it a very happy effect. This is the evidence I have to support what I say.

image from:http://img.photobucket.com

The History of East Africa

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

East Africa was colonized and ruled over by many different people. There were the British, the French, and Arabic's just in East Africa alone. Other parts of Africa were controlled by many more countries. Christian missionaries from Egypt were in East Africa by as early as 300 AD It soon spread to other countries too. By 700 AD, Islam was a major religion in North Africa. It soon spread to countries like Sudan and Somalia, in East Africa, which are now majorly Muslim. The slave trade in East Africa dates back to more than 1,000 years ago. By the 1700's, places in East Africa, like Zanzibar, became international slave trading centers. In the 1800's, most European countries ended slavery, but as a result, they decided it was better to dominate Africa itself. By the 1880's, most of Africa was divided by the European nations. Some places like Ethiopia were never colonized because of the high mountains that surround it on all sides.

By the 1960's, most African countries were free, but the culture that the Europeans had left still remained in those countries. For example, even though the french left, it is still the major language of Rwanda, Burundi, and Djibouti. English is the major language of Uganda, and most of Sudan speaks Arabic. The original languages of the natives are still spoken in some places, though. People on Somalia still speak Somali and people in Ethiopia still speak Amharic. This shows that when the Europeans left, what they did to colonize the nations of East Africa still remained.

Scramble for Africa Debrief

2008-11-15T03:29:00.000-08:00

1) We first looked on the internet to see which areas in Africa had the most of the supplies that we needed. Then we wrote those areas down so that when our turn came we could color those squares in. We made friends with the countries that owned land near ours so that they wouldn't attack us. We didn't end up with much land though, I think it was because we went last and had the least dice.
2) When we were thinking about which areas to take, we had to first make sure they had the supplies we needed. We took the atlas and then searched African countries that were rich in the minerals we needed. There is no point in claiming an area that only has agricultural products of we need something like coal and oil. We also had to make sure no one else had taken the area we wanted.
3) I think Great Britain won the scramble for Africa because at the end, they had the most land. They also had major areas that are rich in things like oil and coal.
4) I think Spain lost because they didn't have much land at all. Also, they went last so they didn't claim any good areas because a lot of people had taken the area they wanted. Their areas were spread out and not just clumped up in one place which is also good.

Africa Current Events 2

2008-11-13T03:34:00.000-08:00

The people of Somalia are facing many problems with an Islamist terrorist group called al-Shabab. Just recently Islamist militants have taken control of the port of Merka. This is very significant because Merka is an important place where delivery for food aid arrives in Somalia. According to the UN, more than 3 million nationals of Somalia ( almost half the population) are in need of food and medical aid. This is why Merka is a very important port. Just a while ago, more than 850,000 people were fed from food arriving from Merka. Al-Shabab has also taken over port of Kismayo in August. Al-Shabab has recently rejected a peace agreement with the Somalian government. Many parts of the country have been lost to Islamist groups like these.
I think this is a good article, I think it is timeliness which means it is current news that will be interesting to readers. This is an interesting article which is why I picked it. I think people will like to read this to see whats going on in the world right now. It isn't some boring article about nothing, this is actually a big thing that could affect many people. This is why I think this is worth reading.

Link from: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/africa/7724156.stm

Physical Geography of East Africa

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

East Africa has a vast range of physical features that vary from rift valleys, plains, and rivers, to mountains. Some people have the misconception that all of Africa is very hot and is all desert. This is not true, because East Africa alone has a lot of different physical features. The equator runs through East Africa making some of it hot. South of the equator, the landscape changes to Savannah making the weather quite tropical. Other parts though, like areas north of the equator are highland areas with dense forests and are rather cool. Places on the coast of the Indian Ocean are quite warm and are made of deserts. East Africa also has the highest point on the whole continent. Mt. Kilimanjaro is located in Tanzania and is covered in snow. Much of East Africa lies at high elevations, but Tanzania also has the Serengeti Plain which is one of the largest plains in Africa. There is also the Great Rift Valley which is the largest rift on Earth. There are also many lakes and rivers in East Africa like Lake Victoria which is Africa's largest lake. Other lakes there are so hot that no human can swim in them. This is why I conclude that East Africa had a great variety of physical features.

Can We Trust?

2008-11-10T19:18:00.000-08:00

Yes, I think we can trust what's written in To be a Slave. This is because the author has used information from people, books, and letters. You can't always trust what people say, but the people he got information from have actually been through slavery. They wouldn't just make up lies. Also, everyone has similar stories, and it's not like they're all making up lies. The fact that everyone is telling similar stories proves that what they're saying is true. He put the names of the people and the names of the books that he got information in the book, too. This means he is sure of the information. He wouldn't just write something he knew wasn't true and then put the name of the book in it. He is African-American, and his ancestors were slaves, so he might take sides with the slaves. But this doesn't mean that just because he could take sides he isn't writing truthful information. So, I still believe that the information, or at least most of it is truthful.

Africa Current Events 1

2008-11-10T03:19:00.000-08:00

Since Obama has now become president, this could mean a lot of good change for Kenya. Some possible changes are that there will be more trade between the U.S and Kenya now. The Kenyans also hope for better cooperation between the two countries. More Kenyan goods will probably be sold in America and they expect more American tourists in Kenya now. They can hope for better cooperation between Kenya and America. There is another side to this though. Barack Obama is the president of the United States and not the president of Kenya points of Kenyan prime minister. He says that just because Mr. Obama can trace roots to Kenya does not mean he will go out of the way to give charity to Kenya. He says that having an African-American as president is a source of pride for all humanity. He's very happy that the racial barrier has been broken and feels that if something like this can happen, almost anything can happen. The Kenyan prime minister, Mr. Odinga, has actually played a role in getting Barack Obama to the white house. He was a consistent supporter of Obama and had personally helped to block a campaign that was meant to smear Obama.
I think this is a good news story to read because is shows that Kenya might actually benefit from Obama becoming president. It is progress which means it shows news of hope and improvements. Obama will hopefully work together with Kenya to fight terrorism. This article doesn't end here though. There is more about how the anti-Obama campaigners were trying to bring the prime minister of Kenya down and how they were making false stories about the two of them. This is why I think this article is worth reading.
Link:
http://allafrica.com/stories/200811080003.html

5 Themes of Geography

2008-11-06T21:48:00.000-08:00

I think this picture shows movement because there are people from all over the place here. None of these people live at the Kidney Bean, they've obviously come from somewhere else, so this shows movement. This shows region because it's sunny here and by the buildings and environment you can tell this is in America. This shows human and environmental interaction because this Kidney Bean and all the buildings weren't here a long time ago. Someone had to make them. This shows location because this is in Chicago right next to a lot of famous buildings. This Kidney Bean is special because there is nothing like this anywhere else in the world. This is how it shows the 5 themes of geography.
Image from: media-cdn.tripadvisor.com/.../17/kidney-bean.jpg

Violence leads to more violence

2008-11-03T01:12:00.000-08:00

I agree with this quote. If someone does something violent to someone else then the other person will want to do something violent back. For example, in Julius Caesar, the conspirators killed Caesar and to get revenge, Mark Antony and Octavius come up with a scheme to kill the conspirators. This lead to a war and in the end, basically everyone dies. Everyone wants to get even and if they get hurt or are at a loss because of someone else, they aren't just going to sit there and do nothing about it. They are going to want revenge and will do something to get back at the person. An everyday example of this is the way my friend and her brother used to fight. She would say something and he would get mad and her. Then she would want to hit him back, but then he had to get her. So in the end, it all lead to more violence and they both ended up unhappy. Another example is WWII. When Japan attacked Pearl Harbor the US had to get back so they went and dropped 2 bombs in Japan. In the end, thousands of people were killed and no one was satisfied.
The whole thing just lead to more and more violence.
If anything happens, so one will settle for that and not do anything. This is why I think violence will lead to more violence until in the end someone is just so bad off that they will just have to stop.

Brutus' Dilema

2008-10-20T00:25:00.000-07:00

I would be loyal to Caesar. Caesar has been my friend longer than Cassius. Caesar may not be thinking of the good of Rome, but Cassius isn't thinking of the good of Rome either. All Cassius wants is to get Caesar out of the way so that he can take over. He never really wanted Brutus and he was never going to make Brutus the head. Cassius was making Caesar look bad by telling stories about him that make him look like he has no power or strength. I could never live with the memory of killing one of my friends who had helped me get so far. Caesar is powerful, but that might not be a bad thing because Brutus is one of Caesars good friends. Killing Caesar would end up in a big mess. Sometimes is good to have someone making the decisions. Caesar expanded the area of Rome, defeated Pompey, was a good general, and was good to the common people. So, it isn't a bad thing that Caesar is in charge. I would rather tell Caesar to change so he can try to rule better. Killing Caesar is way to drastic and something I could never do because I'm a loyal friend. Having Caesar as a ruler is a lot better than killing him and then having total chaos. Cassius isn't someone I've known for that long either. Caesar has been a friend longer than Cassius and I would side with Caesar rather than someone I don't know too well.

Leadership

2008-10-13T00:29:00.000-07:00

A good leader can take control over something and be in charge without being bossy and overpowering. They can take ideas from others and voice them. They have good ideas and can stand up for what they think is right. They are able to take control over something but not completely take over and not let others voice their ideas. Another quality that a leader should have is experience. Good leaders know what they're doing and can help others.
I think that some good leaders in 8th grade are Aysha, and Jonathan. This is because they have some of the qualities a good leader should have. I think they are good at taking control but they don't overpower everyone. In Socratic seminars, for example, they can speak a lot and also invite others into the conversation.

Imperialism

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

The main people who controlled other nations were the Europeans. There were a lot of similarities in the ways and motives they had to dominate the other countries. All European nations would come for the natural resources the weaker countries had. They would take the materials, make them into something in their own country and then sell them back to the weaker nation at higher prices. All countries wanted the glory of having many colonies around the world. Each thought having colonies was a measure of their greatness. A lot of times god was a reason. In some cases like in Southeast Asia there weren't any religious reasons. In other places like Africa, god was a big reason and excuse they had to control other areas. The stronger European nations had military power which the waker countries didn't have and had never seen before. This was how they took control. They were also more advanced than the weaker nations which enabled them to go deep into the weak country and still be in touch with their own country. They would set up plantations in the foreign country and take over businesses. These were the methods and motives the European countries had in common.

End of Quarter 1 Feedback

2008-10-06T22:31:00.000-07:00

I think my two goals for humanities first quarter were met. I wanted to get some more words into my vocabulary and I wanted to learn to write better. I did get more vocabulary words this quarter, especially words about capitalism. Now I know a lot more words that I did before I came to this class. My second goal was also met because we did a lot of writing activities this quarter. Something that really helped me was the descriptive writing. I had to show instead of tell for that and that helped me.
One of me three new goals for the second quarter is to learn about Imperialism, especially in Africa. I have never really learned about Imperialism before because I've done mostly American history. I also want to learn about this because I know basically nothing about Africa. I've learned about all continents except for Africa, so I want to learn about Africa.
My second goal is to get better at Socratic seminars. The worst grade that I got in this class is from the Socratic seminars. I want to get better at those because they really got my grade down. I think I could start talking more and prepare better for the next Socratic seminar we have.
Mt third goal is to study more for quizzes and tests. I think the test was another thing that got my grade down a bit. I don't think I started studying early enough and then about a day before the test I had to cram a lot of studying in. As a result, I didn't do so well on the test.

Political Cartoons

2008-09-22T00:45:00.000-07:00

The main visual elements is this cartoon are the big man with a ribbon that says capitalism, a small man with a tag that says labor, and a big bag of money that says product from child labor. This cartoon is talking about how the big boss is just holding the man that says labor and is squeezing all the money out of him. This means that the bosses of companies wouldn't do much work and the labor would do all the work, but the boss would still get all of the money for his own pocket. The cartoonist obviously doesn't like capitalism because he feels the labor would do all the work, but then in the end they wouldn't get much money.
What leads me to believe this is the way the author drew the boss that says capitalism as a big, bad person and the man he is holding has a scared look on his face. It also shows that the worker's money is going to the boss and he has no money for himself. To make this cartoon more persuasive, the author could have used writing to show people what the cartoon was exactly about. He also could have made the facial expressions a little more clear.

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

Reflection

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

One of my goals for this quarter was to improve my writing. I think thats going pretty well because I have already learned some new writing tips. One of them was to show instead of tell and that really helped me because I think that my writing has improved since when I first came to this class. I've already improved my writing a bit, so I'm sure that by the end of this quarter, it will be a lot better. My second goal was to get better vocabulary and not to use ordinary words. This goal hasn't exactly been met yet, but I think on the last couple of pieces I wrote, I used better words. The showing vs. telling helped for my second goal to because instead of just using ordinary words to describe experiences, I used more visual words. I have learned some new words too. I also used similes and metaphors. Overall, I think that mostly, my goals were met.

Mr. Coyle’s Investment Tips

2008-09-04T04:26:00.000-07:00

I think that the tip that worked the best for me is "You must spend money to make money". This is because before I got that tip, I was trying my best not to spend too much of my money. I wasn't spending money, but at the same time I wasn't earning money. After a couple of rounds I tried to use that tip and it worked much better for me. Even though I started spending more money, I earned even more money then before. As a result, I actually earned a lot of money and I didn't lose too much. I learned that you must spend money and take some risk in order ot earn any money.

Net effectsof the Industial Revolution

2008-09-02T02:12:00.001-07:00

Net effects of the Industrial Revolution

Positive:

Factories were built for increasing manufacturing
Means of transportation other than walking were invented
The lives of people were improved and became easier
Medicines were invented and people lived longer
More goods to chose from

Negative:

An increase in pollution
Children and women did all the work
People got low payment for long hours or work
An increase in population

Factory Game Reflection 2

2008-08-25T07:46:00.000-07:00

I was sick so I couldn't do it.

Factory Game Reflection 1

2008-08-21T07:34:00.000-07:00

As our factory game today, we had to make a present for our younger siblings with nothing but paper, glue, and markers. It wasn't hard, but it didn't turn out to be too attractive as a factory made product. This showed us that it is a lot harder to actually take the time and make a gift, like people did before the Industrial Revolution. Now, we can just go to a store and buy a factory made gift and no one takes the time to make a gift. The paper toy wasn't as neat of nice as a product sold in a store would be because my coloring, glueing, and cutting isn't that great. Overall, the activity was fun.

Roller Coaster Ride

2008-08-20T06:11:00.000-07:00

There it was right in front of me, the most enormous, scariest, contraption I had seen. A roller coaster. How could anyone expect me to get on a 50 meter tall ride that would take me through hundreds of twists and turns even making me go upside down? I looked up at the people already on the ride screaming and shouting and the butterflies that were already in my stomach doubled. Then I felt someone pull at my arm, it was our turn to ride the roller coaster. I slowly trudged up to the ride and got in my seat, unaware of all the people around me, feeling more and more nervous every second. Suddenly with a sickening jerk, we started to move and with all the wind screaming in my ears I could hardly hear my own shouting. We were going so fast that I thought I would fall off any minute and I tightened my grip on the handle until my hands felt sore. Now, we were going over millions of twists and turns, up and down, left and right, until finally we jolted to a stop. I felt half sick as I stumbled out of our cart and walked on to the ground. My hands still ached and my head felt so dizzy that I was surprised I hadn't fallen down yet.
"Well, how did you like that?" My friend asked, bringing me back into focus.
I looked at her for a while, and then smiled, " That was fun, lets do that again!"

Necessity is the Mother of Invention

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

Necessity is the Mother of Invention

Necessity is the need of something, an invention is a creation, and a mother gives birth. So, this quote states that the need of something is the birth of creations. This basically means that when we need something, it is created for our pleasure. When humans need something, we can just create it.

For example, Wilbur and Orville Wright created the plane so that we could travel long distances in a shorter amount of time. Now, because of them, we can go across countries, continents and even oceans in less than a day. Another example is Alexander Graham Bell who created the first telephone. He created a telephone so we could communicate with people without actually talking to them in person. It’s because of these great inventors, and the necessity humans have for creations that we now have the pleasure of getting work done in a faster and easier way.

How I Learn Best

2008-08-17T20:27:00.000-07:00

I learn best visually, when I can see something happening. When I can see something in front of me or I can read it, it sinks in better than when I listen to something. Usually when I do something, or listen to something I'll remember it for a while then probably forget it. I can remember information and learn best by visually looking at something. I think for me to learn most effectively I just need to read something or have it in front of me so I can see it. Pictures, videos, reading, and showing are all ways that I will learn best and retain the information.

Quarter one feedback and goals

2008-08-13T10:01:00.000-07:00

1) What were two highlights from the first week of school?
For me, one highlight was to get to meet all my friends after a long time, and also to get to meet my new teachers. The other highlight was that I had a lot of fun and I have great classes and teachers.
2) What was your first impression of Humanities?
My first impression was that it was going to be a fun class because I have a lot of my friends in the class and I'd had Mr. Coyle before and I know he's a really great teacher. I also like humanities, so I knew it would be a good year.
3) What are two goals you have for this quarter in Humanities?
I want to learn to be a better writer because writing is something that I like and I really want to learn how to improve. I also know that this year there will be a lot of writing assignments in my classes, so I think improving my writing will help. I also want to get better vocabulary or learn how to use better, less ordinary words because that is something I'm not very good at.

My Gang

2008-08-12T02:16:00.000-07:00

My gang consists of six people. First of all are my best friends, Neha, Deepika, and Nikhil who live America. Their in my gang because I've known them my whole life and they have always been there for me. We do everything together and we can tell each other everything. All of them have been with me through the ups and downs of my life and I can always count on them. They really know how to make me laugh.
I have three gang members in India. First is Niki, she's in my gang because she's a great friend. She really knows how to make me laugh and can really brighten my day when I feel down. Next is Tara V, she is always there for me and I know I can tell her anything. My third gang member in India is Sarah, she's in my gang because she is a great person to be with and has an awesome sense of humor. I can go to her when I want someone to talk to and we can have conversations for hours. These are the six people in my gang that I know I can always count on.