Humanities 8 Jemima

What is Power?

2009-05-17T23:22:00.000-07:00

When I looked at the definition in the dictionary for power it stated that power was “the ability or authority to control people or nations”. From my studies during this year I feel I am able to conclude that this definition is far too concise to encompass all forms of power. When you think of power you think largely of political and military power but there are several other forms of power including personal power and economic power. In this essay I am going to talk about these three forms of power and how together they make up the definition of power. To provide a text to world context I will also include how each form of power is seen today or has been seen in history.

History is dotted with political struggles for power and the use of military to achieve this power. During the Cold War the West (America, Britain, and France) competed with the East (Soviet Union) for the control of Germany. The West wanted to control the East as they wanted to destroy communism which believed in shared ownership of property and equality. The East wanted to control the West as they wanted to destroy capitalism which believed in the production of wealth by individuals to benefit themselves. Both sides disagreed with the way that power was held and controlled in the opposing side. So in an attempt to correct the wrong they wanted to re-establish power as was established in their own countries. The Cold War though a good example of a political struggle is only an ok example of using military to achieve their goals. This is largely because there was no hand combat during the War but only threats of atomic weapons. A far superior example of military power achieving countries goals can be seen during Imperialism. When colonizers were able to enter countries and to a large degree take over because of the superiority of their weapons. When power is talked about you largely thing about political and military power but there is also economic power which fuels military power.

Without economic power a country would not be able to fuel the growth of their military. Without military power a country is unable to have the opportunity to voice their opinion on world issues and be involved in resolving a problem if it arises. That is why throughout history and even today you see countries investing large sums in the growth of their economy. The Industrial Revolution would be a good example of this with countries such as America and England experiencing large economic growth. This large economic growth was due to new technologies which allowed earlier processes to be completed on a far shorter time period increasing productivity. To be able to sustain the Industrial Revolution countries had to leave there own borders in a search for resources and new markets to sell their produce in. This is how Imperialism came about with world powers finding to be able to continue to prosper had to undermine more underdeveloped countries such as Africa and India. Economic power can be found to be more important than other forms of power.

The last form of power is personal power which gives an individual power to decide on their own future. This form of power is only seen largely in democratic lead countries. An example would be people able to vote for the leader of their country and if the leader is unsuccessfully being able to remove them from power. Personal power is vital for the economy to prosper as if people are undermined it is less likely they will be productive while working. This could lead to the decrease in the quality of political and military power. Overall to be able to understand power you have to look at all these factors.

Control in Hunger Games

2009-05-14T20:49:00.000-07:00

I see the theme of control in the Hunger Games in several occasions. The most relevant example would be the 12 districts not being allowed to communicate with each other meaning people create false pretenses about the other districts seen on page 202 when Katniss and Rue are talking. “I’d have thought, in District Eleven, you’d have a bit more to eat than us. You know since you grow the food,” “Oh no we’re not allowed to eat the crops.” Another example of control is when the districts are forced to compete in the hunger games seen on page 12 when Katniss is giving her opinion on the purpose of the Hunger Games. Whatever words they use, the real message is clear. “Look how we take your children and sacrifice them and there’s nothing you can do. If you lift a finger, we will destroy every last one of you. Just as we did in District thirteen.” I believe this part of the novel illustrates how the people of district twelve are completely at the capitols mercy. The other main example I see as control in the novel is once Katniss and Peeta have one the Hunger Games and they are taken from the compound of the Games but are still under the capitols control seen on page 347. Petrified, I lunge for him, but I’m caught and thrust back into another room, and a glass door seals between us. I pound on the glass, screaming my head off. Everyone ignore me except for some Capitol attendant who appears behind me and offers me a beverage. This proves that even though they are the hero’s of the game and went against the capitol they are completely still under their control of the capitol no more than two little weak contestants. I think control is evident throughout my novel and is one of the main themes.

Population Project Feed Back

2009-05-04T00:58:00.001-07:00

The three most valuable things that I learned during the population project were how to examine data for possible trends and how to write a proper data analysis with the information gained from the analysis. Secondly how to undertake research in an ordered manner in terms of citing sources and taking down major points which could later be used in a research paper. The third major thing I learned was how to conduct a proper interview with a professional and the proper procedures to follow before and after the interview had taken place. Population Project will help me in the future with understanding how to complete a data analysis, research paper, interview and research. It also had provided me with knowledge about a problem associated with India's growing population.

Net Effect of Globalization:

2009-05-01T04:10:00.000-07:00

"Globalization is the growing integration of economies and societies around the world" (World Bank). The net effect of globalization has been debated throughout the world; with leaders, doctors and the average men all having different stand points. Globalizations impact on the world has been both positive and negative. On a national scale, it has created jobs in 3rd world countries such as India; seen in the movie 30 days. For people who are hired for these jobs the income that is earned is substantially helpful in their fight for survival. With a constant increase in jobs over time Globalization is going to be helpful in reducing poverty. On a business scale, it has decreased the cost of employment making productivity higher and overtime boosting the economy. Secondly it has improved the efficiency of services such as referrals which improves customer service. Due to outsourcing an increase in the following of western habits and traditions can be seen worldwide. Lastly it has improved products such as the Google Search Engine, Facebook and Hotmail that connect people worldwide in the sharing of ideas and concepts.

Globalization has also had a negative effect on the world economy. On a national level, places such as America are experiencing a decrease in the availability of jobs due to them being outsourced oversees. A good example of this would be Chris's job in the technology business was outsourced to the TATA Company in India as it was profitable. It is also creating larger gaps in classes with the rich companies in American becoming richer while the poor peasants in India are becoming poorer. As well a change in cultures in India and China are being seen with people working in out sourced jobs experiencing westernized cultures which influence their own traditional eating, dressing and behavioural habits. Both these reasons are causing conflict and aggravation between classes worldwide. On a business scale, the reliability of products is less due to them being manufactured oversees without proper supervision of their production. Lastly the growing dependency on technology such as Hotmail and Google is shrinking our world from a size large to a size tiny described in the “World is Flat”. In short Globalization is essential to the growth of the economy in today’s decline but its negative effects need to be evaluated.

Technology and the Future

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

What are the main visual elements? The main visual elements are the parents and the son at the dinner table.

What issue is this cartoon about? I believe this cartoon is addressing the issue of technology becoming a everyday item used in schools and how it is taking over old processes such as discussing your day over dinner.

What is the cartoonist’s opinion on this issue? I believe the cartoonist opinion is negative towards technology believing that it lowers the level of communication and rather prefers traditional practices.

What evidence in the cartoon supports your opinion on how the cartoonist feels? The dads dismay at the idea of reading the blog rather than talking to his son is one piece of evidence the second is the irony the cartoonist uses in writing the comment underneath.

Why is this cartoon ironic? The cartoon is ironic as the whole family is together and discussing their days but the son would rather not speak and just show them his blog.

How does this cartoon relate to our study of technology and the future? I believe it illustrates technology taking over normal practices and reducing the level of communication as well as having other negative effects on the future.

What other techniques could the cartoonist have used to make this cartoon more persuasive? I think if the cartoonist made the father's face rather angry at the prospect of looking at the blog and the son's face more annoyed or uncaring about how its such a big issue for the dad the cartoon would of been more persuasive.

Population Project in Humanities Plan

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

Monday:
Class: Create Outline
Start background paragraph
Get background paragraph edited
Home: Finish first draft of background paragraph

Tuesday:
Class: Start on pro paragraph
Get pro paragraph edited
Home: Finish first draft of pro paragraph

Wednesday:
Class: Start on con paragraph
Get con paragraph edited
Home: Finish first draft of con paragraph

Thursday:
Class: Start on alternative paragraph
Get alternative paragraph edited
Home: Finish first draft of alternative paragraph

Friday:
Class: Start on personal position and reaction paragraph
Get personal position and reaction paragraph edited
Home: Finish first draft of personal position and reaction paragraph

Technology

2009-03-23T01:52:00.000-07:00

Technology is a more developed item which usually runs of electricity that makes life processes easier.

In my opinion the five most important forms of technology are:
- Computer
- Car
- Cellphone
- Light bulb
- Clock
In my opinion the five least important forms of technology are:
- Christmas lights
- Electrical toy
- Baby vacuums
- Coffee Makers
- Speakers for ipods

I feel that AES has a lot of regular technology use in the terms of laptops and smart boards. I feel that these technologies are not classified as unimportant as they have regular use that allows education to be at another level. Smart boards allow visual presentation more interesting as well as having better sound systems. Laptops allow people to use the internet and search ideas and talk to people online. So all in all I feel the level of technology at AES is good.

Evalutating 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.” I believe that Kurt Vonnegut's opinion that he expresses in this quote is exactley correct; technology has created many awful weopens of war as well as computers and televisions which make life far easier; causing people do less work . I think what Kurt Vonnegut hasn't experienced is the brilliant opportunitites that technology creates; such as connecting the world and allowing people to travel as a few examples. As Kurt Vonnegut is a Luddiet he has a biast view and will not look at all the positives to compare them with the negatives; as if he did he would see that technology has many down points but all together is vital to our life and has brought us forward to the 21st centurary. As Kurt Vonnegut expressed in Harason Bergeron if we let technology get out of control and use it for bad uses we could end up with a society similar to the one in the story. Today though the world in many places is tense due to technolgy being used for evil for example Israel where many guns are used for fighting as well as in the Middle East. Another example today is google a search engine which allows people to connect and learn about other cultures as well as to gather more information on a world level. So overall I think Kurt Vonnegut is correct but he has to also except that there are many positive effects to technology.

Quarter 4:

2009-03-16T01:55:00.000-07:00

I feel I have partly my quarter 3 goals which were:

-To improve my grammatical errors and to proof read my pieces. I feel I have reached this goal as I now out loud read through my writing listening for where commas should be added and for miss spelling. Also the exercises we did in class helped with this too.
-My second for third quarter was to learn the states in America and the bodies of water in the region. I have not reached this goal as I still do not know the states in America but I feel I have learn't about some of its history in relation to the bombing of pearl harbor.

- My third goal for third quarter was to learn more about the countries in Europe and where they lie according to the rest of the world. I feel I have partly reached this goal as I learnt a lot about the History of Europe in relation to WWI and WWII as well as the countries in the region that were involved .

My goals for quarter 4 are:

- To develop a well written research paper which completes all the components and gets a relatively good goal.
- To read on a regular basis to expand my knowledge of books as well as to expand my vocabulary.
- I want to improve my knowledge of American History.

“Holy War” an oxymoron or not?

2009-03-08T22:02:00.000-07:00

I believe that Holy War is an oxymoron. "Holy" meaning specially recognized as or declared sacred by religious use or authority and "War" meaning a conflict carried on by force of arms, as between nations or between parties within a nation. They are opposites in definition and concept, with Holy being something sacred and special, and War being something horrific and violent. Though "Holy wars" have been declared there has never been any war in history which was sacred as such. I believe many wars today, that are declared because of religion, are largely to do with the difference in beliefs and the idea that there God is the only God. The religion may condemn killing, but as the people they are killing are not part of the religion there actions are justified. Often the people who do kill may say they are killing for there religion but truth be told they are killing because of a personal choice and beliefe.

WWIII

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

In my life time I believe there will be another world war but not to the same extent as WWI and WWII. WWI and WWII was based around the concept of trench warfare and blitzkrieg and was over land and the choice of economic systems. If there was to be another war I would guess that it would either be about religion or the fight for natural resources such as oil and water. The major players in the war in my opinion would be countries with a European based system as well as china as it is the growing super power agaisnt largely Asian and african countries. Most likely though I belive it will be US and Europe agaisnt the middle east to try and stop fighting there for water or agasint them to lower prices in the shippment of oil to America. So I believe if there was another WWIII it would be fought in Middle eastern soil and as technology is far more developed these days would likely consist of less men used in the battle but rather more developed technology which could be run by computers or sadly possibly the use of bombs. I think it would likely devastate the Middle eastern economy which then in turn would effect the world economy with the diamond and oil production ceasing.

Anne Frank's Diary

2009-02-17T00:20:00.000-08:00

In The New York Times the writer Anna Quindlen asked, “Would our understanding of the Holocaust be quite the same if Anne Frank had not taken a small plaid diary into hiding with her?” I do not believe children's education would be as detailed of the hollacust if it wasn't for Anne Frank's diary. I believe this as the diary adds emotion to the hollacust making it more than a number but rather representing the numbers of people and there life who had died and there injustice and story. I also believe that Anne Frank's diary is a constant record of what happened and educates people so they will know not to allow history to repeat it self again. This is why I belive Anne Frank's diary adds depth to the hollacust.

WWII Letters

2009-02-14T23:27:00.000-08:00

123 Little Lane

Maryland, Berlin 11234

September 3, 1939

Dear Abbie,

We marched into Poland two weeks ago flanks and flanks of frightened men with one purpose to conquer the Polish. We had been prepped before we left and given our food rations a scare amount not enough to feed a bird let alone a grown man. We attacked from three fronts East Prussia in the North, Germany in the west and Slovakia in the south. We had double the tanks and planes then they did but they held out longer than we thought. Causing many causality on both sides. For my life I pray that they are through.

We did not only conquer the polish but destroyed them to a pulp. The sky the day of the attack was orange full of smoke and flame as if God was enraged by our actions. The roaring of planes overhead were a constant drone and the firing of a cannon or rifle were as repetitive as a blink of an eye. Many polish tried to escape but they were slaughtered with all routes of escape being destroyed instantly. We are now in full control of all there transportation systems and what other buildings that are still holding strong. The men found this a joyous victory but it curdled my heart.

The men are now different with a fiery glare in their eyes for revenge they are more like animals these days’ then fellow soldiers. I have no one to declare my feelings to so this letter explains how I feel. This war is not justified we are going to far. If this letter is intercepted before it reaches you my dear I could be executed but I must tell you this if there is a chance I may never see you again. Hitler's ambitious are not possible and the Aryan race will never be achieved the Jews are people just like me and you but still out of fear I am here fighting for a cause I do not believe in. Next time you hail Hitler remember the injustice.

My dear I do not want to worry you but the British and French are making a comeback they have declared war on us. I may never see you again but I want you to tell our daughter that I loved her very much and that I love you very much hold strong my dear we will meet again in heaven.

Your loving husband forever

Abelard L. Pukall

P.S I am so sorry to hear our dear friend Melinda and her husband Lucas’s house was raided and they have been sent to a concentration camp as they were hiding Jews. All this news saddens me deeply.

Recipe Poem for World War II

2009-02-10T04:56:00.000-08:00

Melt a failure of the treaty of Versailles,
In a bowl of fascism,
Knead in the powerless League of Nations,
And add a pinch of Hitler, Mussolini and Stalin,
Spread Europe with a thick layer of an appeasement,
And blend slowly,
Until brimming with German aggression,
Garnish with a declaration of war,
And sprinkle with a pinch of Japanese aggression,
Bake until golden to have WWII.

Critique of Animal Farm.

2009-02-09T03:30:00.000-08:00

I believe the movie was a compact version of the book with simpliar dialogue but wtih the same story line. Both the film and the book in my opinion where adeguate but wether you read the book or watched the film was depending on the depth you wanted to view the story. With the book going into more depth while the movie more skimmed the surface. I thought the cartoon effect in the film took away from it in some senses as it made it more difficult for a viewer to make a comparison between animal farm and the russian revolution. It also made the story feel more like a cute animal cartoon then the cruelty of the russian revolution. Though the graphics of the movie in several occasions allowed you to feel more emotion as well as the fear and misunderstanding of the animals which wasn't seen in the book an example being when Boxer was being taken to the knackers.

The movie did miss out several major points or important details which added to the book. An example being when old major spoke to the animals he taught them the song "Beasts of England" which added to the excitment of the meeting while in the movie the animals already knew the song and the meeting was rather dull in comparison. An another example being when the seven commandments were written which in the book was strongly emphasised and before the battle of the cowshed while in the movie it was after the battle and it wasn't a large occasion. Thirdly the hoisting of the animal farm flag which had been a green table cloth in the story and was the first symbol of the united animals was in the movie a yellow shirt of one of the attackers from the battel of the cowshed. Forthly Benjamin throughout the book was portrayed as far more cynical character and was not boxers companion. This leads to my point of several characters not being included including Clover and Mollie. Lastly in the book the animals did not unite to over through Napolean but rather realized for the first time how life was no better than when they had been dictated by Mr Jones while in the movie the animals united and overthrowed Napolean to a sweet little ending.

Animal Farm - Identify

2009-02-01T19:17:00.000-08:00

To begin with I believe I most closely identify with Snowball the pig because I like to take control of situations and voice my opinion. I also like to go by the rules as well as creating the rules as Snowball played a major role in creating the seven commandments seen on page 17. I am also motivated and like to prove to people I can complete a challenge " Now, comrades" cried Snowball " "to the hay field! Lets make it a point of honor to get in the harvest more quickly than Jones and his men could do" seen on page 18. I also am a problem solver like Snowball seen on page 18 when he problem solves along with the other pigs how to milk the cow. In conclusion I feel I most closely relate to snowball because of his leadership, motivation and problem solving skills.

Reflection Relating back to Animal Farm

2009-01-26T23:19:00.000-08:00

During chapter four through six in Animal Farm tyranny, injustice and self determination are seen during the lead up and after the revolt of the animals. Tyranny which is unrestrained or excessive rein of power is seen through Mr Jones the owner of Manor farm who had control over the animals and is able to work, feed and treat them as he pleases. He was not restrained in any way as the animals were unable to retaliate to the same extent and as he was the owner of the farm no other worker could question his judgment. Quoted from Major the pig "Let us face it: our lives are miserable, laborious and short. We are born, we are given just so much food as will keep the breath in our bodies and those of us capable of it are forced to work to the last atom of our strength" You can see that major believes that Mr Jone is a tyrant. Injustice which is violation of the rights of others can also be seen through this same quote on page 5 as major questions his life and his right as a basic human being/animal. It is for shown though out the chapter that the animals feel they are unjustly treated by Mr Jones on several occasions when they talk about being whipped and being born only for death. The animals show self determination which is determination by one self without outside influence when they revolt against Mr Jones and overthrow him as the owner of the farm. Self determination is seen most vividly when the animals set down there laws by which they are going to govern the farm which are as follows 1. four legs good two legs bad 2. No animal shall wear clothes 3. No animal shall sleep in bed 4. No animal shall drink alcohol 5. No animal shall kill any other animal 7. All animals are equal pg 18. As seen throughout these chapters the animals show many human characteristics through these three actions, tyranny, self determination and injustice.

Who is it that lies buried here?

2009-01-22T03:57:00.000-08:00

Who is it that lies buried here?
I fear there are lots of men who we hold dear
Enemies and fellow soldiers lie shoulder to shoulderWhilst breathing - mortal enemies - but death draws them near

What good can come of this, I do not know?
Was it for the greater good - the leader’s mighty chess game?
Was their death justified - perhaps only time will let us know
If nothing more this hallowed ground provides a sad and tragic base for poppies to grow

If only each poppy could take away the grief
Of those back home
Mothers, fathers, sisters, brothers, wives
And let them hold dear the cause these men fought here

They are now in God’s grasp
No longer suffering but at peace
The gun shot over head no longer touches these men’s ears
Nor does the setting of the sun or the cool winter breeze
Is this fair, I ask myself?

A life stolen, a life lost
What might have been, had they lived
We will never know
But I wonder as I walk and mourn by each mounded grave

Citation -
First Picture – http://www. freepages.military.rootsweb.com/ ~hoddy/kit.jpg
Second Picture – http://www.rawe.info/images/photogallery/photo_75.jpg
Third Picture - http://blog.familytreemagazine.com/photodetectiveblog/content/binary/editUnknow%20soldiers%20WW1.jpg
Fourth Picture- http://images.google.co.nz/imgres?imgurl=http://www.oucs.ox.ac.uk/ltg/projects/jtap/rose/trench3.jpg&imgrefurl=http://www.gamespot.com/pages/forums/show_msgs.php%3Ftopic_id%3D26422213%26page%3D0%26prev_button%3D1&usg=__qLfS_6k9920iDcqoDEG7jZYysIc=&h=416&w=628&sz=32&hl=en&start=1&tbnid=gnPPCjzKXAMssM:&tbnh=91&tbnw=137&prev=/images%3Fq%3Dgun%2Bfire%2Bww1%26gbv%3D2%26hl%3Den
Fifth Picture - http://www. img.dailymail.co.uk/.../ battleDM2606_468x326.jpg

Army Recruition

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

Army recruition means that a person has to serve time in the army with no choice the length depending on their country of birth. New Zealand does not have army recruition so I am not required to serve in the army at all in my life. The only time I would join the military would be for army assistance during college which would mean I have my courses payed for plus an extra allowance if I served a certain time each year or for several years at the end of my degree. The only other time I would serve in the army would be if I felt the country needed me in a war and that our men were dying unjustly and that the cause was just. I would not join the army for a careear unless I had no other job opourtunities. I belive army recruition with no choice is wrong becuase it is not giving a human basic human rights.

Political cartoon great powers game

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

1. The main visual elements in this cartoon are the linked arms shaking hands between several people also with certain people having more arms then others. Also the colors, flags and animals associated with certain countries.

2. I believe the issue this cartoon is cornering is certain countries having alliances with other countries some having more and others having done during the 1st world war.
3. I believe the cartoonist opinion on this issue is that Germany and Austria/Hungry have the most alliances and are the key people in the war and do not have alliances with each other.
4. Germany and Austria/Hungry not shaking hands at all throughout the picture.
5. He could of shown more clearly Austria/Hungry and Germany not shaking hands because it is a bit confusing I also think if they had put a war torn background the viewer would of understood the background.
6. This relates to the great power game with certain countries having many alliances e.g the two main powers with the two main powers not having alliances with each other and in competition this was not seen in our great power game though. It also shows how our alliances were sealed over a hand shake.

Great Power Game Debrief

2009-01-10T00:16:00.000-08:00

My empire was Russia which was a relativley significant country in the exstent of the game but was not one of the main two in the beginning. Great Britian and the Usa which where the main two which had the greatest advantage at the beginning of the game because there buying power was larger. My empire was a relativley important empire but compared to some of them I was insignificant. At the beginning of the game it was more important to buy industries so your economy and buying power could grow but later on when other countries started invading it was important to have a solid army and navy. I did well becoming a more important player in the game next time I would be less cocky because the more cocky you were the more you became a threat to the larger countries. My allicances were helpful as they allowed me to gain industries from invading other countries. I knew the whole time that my allicances where going to be broken so I was not surprised when it turned agaisnt me. I could trust them but only to a certain extent in the game. I learnt in the game that you should keep your friends close but your enemies closer as well as it is just as important to invest in industry as armies as with out one or the other the country can not grow and lastly I learnt that allies is only a mere word sometimes.

Goals for quarter three!

2009-01-05T21:06:00.000-08:00

I feel I have partly meet my goals from quarter two, my first goal was to improve the flow of my reading I feel I have achieved these goal as most nights on a regular basis I have read for a period of time out loud. My second goal was to improve my spelling in work I feel I have partly meet this goal as I know more closely proof read my work but there are still many errors.My third goal was to improve on my geography of the world I feel I have meet this goal with learning a lot this semester about the continent of Africa.

My Goals for third quarter are as follows:

1) My first goal for third quarter is to improve with my grammar especially with commas so my sentences are not run on. I want to improve this goal my setting a side some time every second night and working with them.

2) My second goal for third quarter is to learn the states in America and the bodies of water in the region.

3) My third goal for third quarter is to learn more about the countries in Europe and where they lie according to the rest of the world.

Feed back - Imperialism positives and negatives

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

The positive effects of Imperialism where:

- European education was introduced to the population which allowed Africa after independence to develop greatly and was the first building block to a successful continent.
- It brought new technology and ways of doing things which helped natives in their day to day tasks especially in the area of agriculture with new concepts of crop rotation being introduced.
- In many occasions the colonizers destroyed the worst extremes of the excess leaders.
-They set up a stable government which in a sense decreased blood spread between neighbouring tribes.
- The built extensive infrastructure which after independence was vital to the economy.
- The introduced new crops which today are the largest exports in many countries of Africa.
- They introduced a new religion and form of God.

The Negative effects of Imperialism where:

- On many occasions they violated human rights in the form of slavery and women being taken advantage of.
- They destroyed native tribes and killed leaders if they were not willing to step down from their positions as ruler.
- They destroyed the culture in many sense not allowing the natives to do typical day to day tasks.
- They brought disease.
- They destroyed native religions and forced them into Christianity.
- They took their natural resources.

Region of West Africa

2008-11-19T03:48:00.000-08:00

The people and government in West Africa is largely based upon the conflict between ethnic groups and there natural resources. Different place in West Africa are more wealthy and this is largely based upon whether the government is stable as well as the natural resources they have to sell and the conditions of the land which allows farmers to grow crops to supplement the need of the growing population. Nigera was caught in a civil war in 1960 after the Igbo ethnic group tried to sucede from the country which lead to the capital being changed to a less populated area with less different ethnic groups. Nigera natural resources is oil which brings in large amounts of money. Senegal and Gambia's main resources are peanuts and tourisum both countries are relatively poor. Guinea, Guinea Bissau are both relatively poor with there main resources being bauxite or undeveloped. Cape Verde is the most stable government and largely relies on tourisum. Liberia and Sierra Leone are both traditional dumping spots of slaves which caused conflict between slave arrivals and the natives who traidtionally lived there this lead to a civil war. Both countries main resources is diamond and at this time both countries are trying to slowly rebuild their economies. Togo and Benin main resources are palm products, cacao and coffee. They both have unstable governments and for long periods of time have been run by the miliatary. Sahel has had large problems with providing food for its people with the expanding desert. Mauritanis, Niger, Chad also are having problems with the expaning Sahara causing farmers to have to travel further to gather crops. There has been alot of tension between africans and arabs living in the area which has lead to famine. Mali, Burkina Faso like many other countries located around this area have a food shortage and are poor. There main resources is cotton and tourisum. Many farmers not making enouggh income have come to the cities and have moved to other countries to try and find work to supplement there families back home. All in all large parts of West Africa has been effected by Civil war between ethnic groups or the new and the old.

Current Events Africa 3

2008-11-18T02:32:00.000-08:00

This artical is about the sudden death of General Gnassingbe who had ruled Togo for 38 years and the uprising his death caused. During his funeral his military co-office workers announced his succesor as his son Faure Gnassingbe. This was followed by such an out cry by the local people as well as by people oversees that they had to back down and follow the rules for a government enstalled by democracy. The elections were held 60 days later as it was stated in the law but during the voting, boothes were stormed by armed officers and votes were stolen and so a large amount of votes were not able to be counted. At the end of the election period Faure Gnassingbe was elected president but many people believe the election was fraud as a large amount of the opposing voters votes were not counted.

This artical is news worthy because it shows how money can corrupt a government with one man able to control a whole country with enough men to pay to do his dirty work. It also shows emotion with people being deprived of their right to vote and their right to a democracy becasue of this corruption in the system.

Political Cartoon

2008-11-17T00:02:00.000-08:00

The main visual effects in this cartoon is the 3-d black image of Africa with the white foot print stomped right through the middle. I believe the cartoonist is trying to address the issue of European colonization of Africa without considering the native people. I believe the way the cartoonist has illustrated this cartoon that he believes that this is wrong. The evidence to support my opinion is the way it is illustrated as if the Europeans are just walking all over Africa like it is a doormat. I also believe the way the illustrator has illustrated Africa as so perfectly shaped and defined as well as not illustrating things such as the resources that the Europeans were colonizing for suggests that he believes that their reasons are not a worthy excuse. To make the cartoon more effective the illustrator could of made the shoes sole more white to illustrate that the shoe was that of an European.

West Africa History

2008-11-16T23:45:00.000-08:00

The history of west Africa was largely shaped around the colonization of the European's as well as the conflict between neighbouring countries. The Great Kingdom changed hands several times during its history from Ghanna to Mali and thirdly Songhai which developed the area greatly introducing schools and universities as well as a religious theme with many mosques. The city was called Timbuktu and was the cultural center of the Great Kingdom. The Great Kingdoms main trade was Gold and Salt which was traded with traders from the North in the Sahara desert. This soon came to a halt after Europeans became trading with the west along the coast this was profitable for both sides for awhile. But as the demand for labor increased greatly the Europeans started kidnapping and enslaving local people into slavery to meet the demand. This split many families up and destroyed communities. In 1974 all the West African countries were independent. All in all West Africa was largely shaped by the Europeans as well as the conflict between neighbouring countries.

The culture of West Africa is largely based around religion and the resources they have around them. The region of West Africa is littered with many different languages and ethnic groups.The main three religions are Animism is when people believe that bodies of water, animals, plants and other natural objects have spirits. The other two religions are Islam from the traders in the North and Christianity from the Europeans. The clothing found in West Africa can vary from traditional to modern. Traditional clothing is made from cotton and is made from colorful fabric, because of the heat most of the clothing is loose fitting. The traditional houses in West Africa are made with tin or straw roofs and walls are made form mud brick or straw. In one house a whole extended family may live. All in all the culture of West Africa is largely based around religion and the resources it has around it.

Scramble for Africa

2008-11-14T02:49:00.000-08:00

Germany's first strategy was to take countries that had the resources of coal, iron and zinc. After the first round we realized that this was not an effective goal as we had an suspicion we would have to fight the other countries after some time so we started to group our controlling countreis together. We also made alliances with the Great Britian which was one of the largest controlling powers on the board after we realized their intention was never to truce with us we moved to all the smaller powers to gain their suppourt. The factors I considered in gaining land was where it was stradtegically placed on the board and what German land masses where backing it up as well as what resources it had. I belive either Great Britian or Germany won the scramble for Africa by far. I belive Spain lost the scramble for Africa because it was provided with less resources e.g. the number of dice it could role each turn so it had less of a chance to succed.

Current Events artical.

2008-11-13T04:47:00.000-08:00

This artical is about a nigerian man called Mr Bello Abukar who has 86 wives. On wednesday the 12th their was a raid at his house and he was arrested for tressain and told to realease all but four of his wives. He was arrested because suppousedly officals said it was against the Islam religion to have more than four wives. Mr Bello Abukar lawyers disagree with this and argue that no where in the law or in the koran does it state that a man can only have four wives.Mr Bello Abukar says that Muhammed the prophet appeared to him and told him to marry as many wives as he could. He also states that he treats all his wives equally so he has broken no laws. The Supreme court has not made a final judgement yet on what they are going to do.

This argument is news worthy because it shows a competely different life style to a western life style in several examples including the laws that are stated about marriage and the number of people a man in allowed to marriage. It also shows how some countries government are largely based around one religion and breaken the law is the same as breaking a rule in the koran. It also shows large amounts of emotion when the man states that he has breaken no rules and he has been unfairly prosected.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/africa/7725413.stm

Physical Geography of West Africa.

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

The region of West Africa has plentiful resources with a small variety of landforms. Its main physicals features are plains and rivers. Plains cover most of West Africa stretching out for miles, the coastal plain is where most of the population is housed while the interior plains provides land where people can grow crops and allow animals to graze. The main river in West Africa is the Niger River which is issential to the life of many people who cultivate land by its shore. It provides fresh water as well as food in the form of fish. It is also an important transportation route. West Africa is divided into four zones. The notherest part is within the Sahara where hardly any vegetation grows and it is extremely dry. South of this zone is the sahel which is strip of land that divides the deserts from the water ways. This area has enough vegetation to suppourt life. To the south of this zone is the savanna which is largely populated with tall grasses, trees and shrubs. This is the best region for farming in West Africa becasue rainfall is plentiful. The fourth zone is along the coasts of the Alantic and golf of Guinea. This zone has a humid climate but large amounts of rain suppourts the tropical forests. West Africas main resources are cacao, coffee, cocounts, peanuts, diamonds, gold, iron ore, bauxite and oil which is the most valuable resource bringing large amounts of money to the region after its sale. All in all West Africa does not have very diverse physical forms but it is plentiful in resources.

To be a slave

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

I believe we can trust the truthfulness of "To Be a Slave" because during each persons account of the days of slavery the author Julius Lester has cited and credit where he got his information and who told him the story or which book he took the information from. I also believe as most of the stories are similar it makes you believe that the author has most likely not twisted the facts. Julius Lester did have ancestors who where slaves which is why I believe that he is telling the truth because the idea of slavery really effects him and he would want to tell the truth about this tragic topic. This is why I belive that "To be a Slave" is relevant and truthful.

Africa Current Event

2008-11-09T23:21:00.000-08:00

This article is about the theft of oil from the Nigeria Delta into European and American markets for large amounts of money. The group who is carrying out these illegal activities are able to safely sell this illegitimate oil into European markets with out difficulty. As the government in Nigeria has been going through many difficulties it has not realized what these men have been doing.The men have been able to steal this oil through pipes which have been constructed illegally into oil companies and pumping the oil into cargo ships which are set for America. The shipis are heavily guided by local men who wihtout any jobs are desperate for any money they can get so will do anything to earn any.

This article is news worthy because it talks about the conflict in the country of Nigeria with the corrupt government the local people are willing to do illegal activity to earn money as the corruption in Nigeria has left them with out any job or provisions.

Link to article: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/africa/7519302.stm

Five themes of Geography

2008-11-06T21:54:00.000-08:00

The five themes of Geography are seen in this picture. The first theme movement is seen in different teams traveling to other countries to compete in rugby it is also seen in the crowd coming from different countries of the world to watch the game. The second theme is region is seen in the field and the clean environment and the cultural aspect is seen in the players performing the haka the cultural war dance of New Zealand. The third theme environment is seen in the players using the earth to play the game as well as them effecting the earth by ruining the grass with their shoes. Location the absolute location is New Zealand Wellington in the Cake Tin Rugby stadium the relative location is in a sports stadium with a lined field and green gradd. The place has special characteristics with pacific island men who are wearing western sports kit which is black and white, the stadium is full and circular.

Violence Feedback

2008-11-03T01:07:00.000-08:00

“Violence leads to more violence.” I believe a perfect example of this quote is seen in the Shakespeare play Julius Caesar. The main occasion it was seen in was around act III when Caesar was killed by the conspirators this was the first act of violence. It was later followed by several other acts of violence such as Cinna the poet being killed by an angry mob of people because he was believed to be Cinna the conspirator. Another act of violence was when Portia committed suicide after she heard how strong Antony's army was. The larger act of violence which happened after Caesars death was Mark Antony, Octavius and Lepidus going to war against the conspirators which lead to the death of many soldiers as well as Brutus and Cassius who killed them selves after realizing that the battle was lost. So I believe this quote is true that when an act of violence is committent several others largely follow because of the first act of violence.

Brutus

2008-10-20T00:14:00.000-07:00

If I was in Brutus situation I would kill Ceasar because I belive the greater good is more important than a single life no matter how great it is. Even though killing Caesar may not be for the greater good if I pretend to only see Brutus perspective of the story and what imformation he is told the stories Cassius tells about Caesars weekness seen on page 21 act 2 would convince me that maybe he wasnt man enough to rule rome as a democracy. As well as him now being the only ruler of Rome after defeating Pompey where was he going to stop was he going to take the money of the people for himself and ruin rome. I also belive that after hearing Cassius say that even the gods wished for this to be done this was seen on page 39-41 act three verse 65 that that would likely make up my mind.

Leadership

2008-10-13T00:39:00.000-07:00

I believe the qualities a leader needs to have is experience in the field of work they are trying to work with so they are able to handle situations with a positive attitude and are able to solve the problem in an unstressful atmosphere. I also believe a leader needs to be able to motivate people and listen to peoples problems. The last things I believe a leader needs is to be able to divide tasks between people equally as well as being able to work with people in group situations as well as individually.

The leaders in our grade I believe are Morgann who is able to connect with people and work in a fun environment as well as being able to get people to their share of work. I also believe Lena is a leader as she works efficiently and fast and talks to others when she is making a decision so when she makes a decision it is a while rounded decision.

Imperialism

2008-10-13T00:38:00.000-07:00

The motivation for European countries to conquer other countries were the economic benefits that the other countries could provide such as raw materials, as well as the opportunity to enrich these people about god and his beliefs. The last main reason was the glory of being the first to visit a new place as well as other countries not being able to take advantage of the country if they already controlled it. An example of glory was Africa which was divided up between the European countries after they realized it offered many advantages including its large supply of gold.

The methods the Europeans used to conquer other countries were using their innovations that were more effective then old methods like spears compared to guns which gave them a advantage even though they didn’t have as many people. They also used medical understanding of diseases and their cures to help people.

The changes that occurred after countries were conquered were largely the same; the main changes were religion which was seen in India with Hindu and the Middle East with Muslim. The other main changes were that there was less food for the people and in India they even starved in situations. The good changes were that better schooling systems were created as well as the introduction of technology which boosted their economy which was largely run by Europeans after invasion.

Goals for quarter two!

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

I feel I have partly meet my goals for quarter one, my first goal was to improve my spelling and grammar I feel I have stepped towards this goal as I now spend more time proof reading my work and looking specifically for spelling and grammatical errors. My second goal was to improve my understanding of the world and where great lakes and capitals are, I feel I have partly reached this goal as I have done a little work around this in two minute tune ups but I feel i need to work on it more.

My goals for second quarter:

1) My first goal is to read regularly to improve the flow of my reading and to work on effects and catching the audiences attention when I read out loud. I feel I can work towards this goal by reading out loud for a little while each night.

2) My second goal is to once again improve my spelling and grammatical errors and to see my own mistakes with my writing pieces. I would also like to improve my creative writing pieces so they flow more easily and have a stronger effect.

3) My third goal is to once again improve my knowledge of where bodies of water are placed as well as capitals of countries and major cities. I think I can reach this goal by looking at an atlas now an again.

Political Cartoon

2008-09-22T00:54:00.000-07:00

The main visual elements of this political cartoon is the large man wearing a sash across his chest saying capitalism and the scrawny boy wearing a tag saying child labor. In the background there are large sacks of money with labels that say profits from child labor. I believe the main issue of the piece is capitalism and how it is using child labor for production. I think the cartoonist’s opinion on the piece is that it is disgraceful that children are being used to produce more goods just so people can become wealthier. I think the cartoonist tries to displace this by having the large man who represents capitalism who seems slightly out of control shaking out every last penny from the boy as if he is nothing better than dirt. Also with the echo of the bags of money I think he is trying to say we already have plenty do we need more. I think to make this more effective he could have had the large man beating the boy with a large grin on his face or something that represents the issue more blatantly.

Goals!

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

I do not feel that I have fully meet my two goals that I set for myself at the beginning of the year. Though I do feel that I have achieved part of my goal for my improvement in grammar and spelling in my writing pieces as I have taken time with my pieces to proof read them aloud and to try and listen for any grammatical errors. While I used to only skim read my piece after completion and miss spelling mistakes and fragments and comma splices ect.. I don't feel I have progressed with my geography largely because I have not been having to work with it on a day to day base allowing me to become lazy and unfocused with its completion.

1870 Stock Market

2008-09-04T04:17:00.000-07:00

The stock market game was an interesting insigt into the way the stock market operated with out the pressure of actually investing. It allowed me to understand in more depth how investers entrepenurs had to be careful where they invested there money and that it was wise to do background reaserch about the bussiness in our case read the news flashes to try and understand the way the market was moving. It was important to do this so you could invest in bussiness when the market was in a bust or an economic decline and the stocks were cheaper an then sell the stocks when the bussiness was in a boom or an economic growth and the shares where worth more so you earnt a profit which was able to be re - invested which is an example of capital. This whole paragraph could be summerised in four wise words buy low - sell high.

Net Effect

2008-09-02T02:11:00.000-07:00

The positive and negative reactions that the industrial revolution had on the economy where when a machine was invented and it created new job opportunities for people and made the production of a product more efficient and as they were now able to be produced in a commodity it made the production cheaper allowing business to sell them more cheaply to consumers. The production of new machines allowed consumers to have more choice when buying products. The negative reactions the industrial revolution had on the economy was it put people producing cottage industries out of business. To earn a living people had to move to work in factories which made people work long hours in hard conditions for low pay. Another negative reaction of the industrial revolution it caused natural effects such as pollution as well as the large interest moving from agriculture production to industrial production.

Image from http://gdl.cdlr.strath.ac.uk/springburn/springwor/springworleg03.jpg

Industrial Revolution Factory Game!

2008-08-22T06:10:00.000-07:00

I found my part as the gluer in the factory game extremely stressful as I was pressed for time and I had to glue the parts of the toy together in as similiar style as possible even though the original was complicated. I thought it might of been easier if each person glued and coloured a persefic piece of the toy so that there wasn't a hold up at one point in the assembly line because more people were in that section rather than another. As the line was only broken up into three section; cutter,gluer and colourer the final product varied alot with around 5 out of the 45 being able to be sold at full price with several having to be throwen away as they were not up to standard. All in all though I found the game extremely fun with everyone working together to try and make as many quality products in the space of time we were given.

Industrail Revolution

2008-08-21T04:28:00.000-07:00

I found creating the toy supposedly for a younger sibling out of the utensils we were provided difficult because of the limited supplies and the effort and time we had to put into creating it as well as being careful about the colouring and gluing and being imaginative at the same time. Today when you have an occasion when a present is needed it is likely that you will purchase a gift from a shop though you may make the card and decorate it yourself there is still a relatively large difference. I also found it difficult as the paper was flimsy and trying to work with it as well as imagining someone playing with it was difficult for me when I was used to seeing a soft, fluffy teddy bear in its place.

Roller Coaster Ride!

2008-08-20T06:14:00.000-07:00

The cart trembled beneath my feet like an angry volcano about to erupt as we neared the first corner. My hands gripped the handle bar as if it was a pound note absent mindly given to a street begger. My heart was beating so fast it seemed it might get up at any moment and sprint away. A woosh of air escaped my lungs as I was thowen into the air. The cart looped the loop and the air piercing screams of the passengers filled the air. My hair was flung behind me as the cart screetched across the flat track it seemed that it was clawing to go backwards to the safety of the ground. The smell of candyfloss and hotdogs wofted in the air around me making my tummy rumble with tremendous force. I looked to the end of the ride like an athelet looks for the finish line. One more corner I repeated to myself. My hands were sweating making it as difficult to hold on as it is to hold on to a wet bar of soap. The cart growled like a hungry moster awaiting its prey as it screetched around the final corner to stop in a standstill at the ticket desk. The clang of the handlebars were lefted and I jumped out like a prison inmate might do if an oppourtunity of escape was presented to them.

Necessity is the mother of invention

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

"Necessity is the mother of invention" I think this quotes mean that if we need an invention that can improve the daily life of mankind whether it is by speed or the man power needed to power it with a lot of investment and time it will lead to the birth of it. I think an excellent example of that would be the telephone which allows people to contact each other without having to physically going and talking to one another. Another good example would be the airplane which allows people to travel to other countries with out having such a long journey as it would be on a boat. The last example is the lamp which is a replacement for the sunlight which allows people to be able to see into the evening and early morning and into dark corners with out straining their eyes. To summarize I believe this quote means that when the need occurs for an improvement in a utensil that is regular used with the devotion and investment of a person or persons it will lead to its birth.

Image from -http://www.wichitaphotos.org/graphics/wsu_tms353.0.0.1.jpg

How I learn best!

2008-08-17T20:13:00.000-07:00

I learn best by having a material in front of me that I can physically see and am able to do something with meaning I am strongly a kinesthetic learner. I find listening to a concepts being explained to me confusing but if it's written down for me whether it is on the board or on a sheet in front of me I am more able to grasp the concept. I like to see things in front of me because I am a very straight forward person and like the facts and reasoning and not having to imagine things. I also like things put in front of me so I am able to find my own logic within the material. It would be helpful for my learning if you were able to visually show things to me or put things in front of me on paper.

Feedback!

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

What where two highlights from the first week of school? The two main highlights of the first week of school for me would of been seeing my friends again after a month an a half apart with very little contact and trying out for the swim team which was a new activity I was going to try.

What was your first impressions of humanities? My first impressions of humanities were largely based around beginning reading the outsiders as well as doing our first socratic seminar. I was interested in the topics and themes we would be covering this year in humanities as well as the reading materials we would be using. So summing it up my first impressions of 8th grade humanities was a class which would be fun but at the same time we would get our work done with an interesting and well balanced year ahead of us.

What are two goals you have for this quarter in Humanities? My first goal for 8th grade quater 1 humanities is to understand in a geography sense where bodies of water and borders lye in relation to other countries. My second goal is to improve my grammer and punction in my day to day writing.

My Gang

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

The people in my gang are Morgann because we can talk for hours about absolutely nothing and love the same things, Lena because we get on really well and I can trust her with any secrets, Chloe because she is a really bubbly person and its easy to be myself around her, Katie because we have known each other for most of our lives and we know nearly everything about each other, Sophia because she is so lively and can keep a secret, Elizabeth because she is funny and so easily to get along with, Maelys because we have the same interests and she is funny and lively, Indigo because she is always there for me.