The Geographical Events Leading to the Waterloo Region

The Physical Events Leading to the Waterloo Region

May 25^th, 2010

(Figure 0) Waterloo

1.0 Table of Contents

Table of Contents......................... 1.0

Introduction.................................. 1.1

Events of the Precambrian........... 2.2

Events of the Paleozoic................ 3.3

Events of the Mesozoic................ 5.4

Events of the Cenozoic................. 6.5

Conclusion................................... 7.6

Bibliography.................................. 8.7

Legend-

1.1 (page one, paragraph/part 1)

Formation of the Waterloo Region

1.1 Introduction

Our present home in the Region of Waterloo ^{(figure 1)} has an immense and complex landscape on which all living things thrive on. However this piece of land was not always in such favorable condition. What we now know was the Waterloo region today is the result of movement in the tectonic plates over millions of years. This enormous process of how the Waterloo Region came to be is a fundamental and crucial knowledge we should all know.  Some important questions we should all ask are: “How have the events shaped the region?” and “What forces are responsible for the formation of Waterloo Region?” Only by asking these questions and learning the answers from them, will one understand more about our beautiful environment in which Mother Nature created.

(Figure 1) Waterloo Region

2.2 Events of the Precambrian

The formation of the Waterloo Region began in the Precambrian Era. In this era, our beautiful home was vastly different from its present landscape. The events occurred in this period began the reformation of the Waterloo Region. The Precambrian period is marked from 4600 million to 543 million years ago. At the time the region was located in the southern hemisphere where many volcanic activities took place, resulting in an immense deposit of igneous rocks and ultimately forming the Laurentia Shield.

On a more continental scale, this plate of which North America resides on during the era, the Laurentia Shield, collided with all of the rest of the shields of the Earth completing Rodinia ^{(figure 3)}. Rodinia was called by some as a “super continent”, since it was made up of all of the continents together. The formation of the “super continent” caused the folding of the places to the west side of the Waterloo Region and resulted in the formation of Grenville Mountains. Rodinia stood the test of time for a long duration. However, since the convection currents of Earth always kept the plates in motion, Rodinia began to split apart into smaller continents once more approximately 550 million years ago. When the plates fully separated from each other, the sea level covering the earth surface was at a tremendous height. By this time, the Iapetus Ocean ^{(figure 2)} had been formed and continued to grow bigger. Yet, the Waterloo Region, including other areas close to it, were covered in shallow seas. In addition, the Grenville Mountains ^{(figure 4)} to the west of the Waterloo Region has been eroding for some time, and has eroded its surface to the east, onto Waterloo. All of these abiotic variables that have occurred during this time have heavily impacted upon our region’s formation. Because of this, the Precambrian Era was an essential page to the book of the history of the Waterloo Region.

(Figure 2) Iapetus Ocean

(Figure 3) Rodinia

(Figure 4) Grenville Mountains

3.3 Events of the Paleozoic

Although the Precambrian period may have been the earliest time period in which the Waterloo Region first formed, the Paleozoic Era has also impacted our region by a substantial amount. The Grenville Mountains eventually eroded away into the Iapetus Ocean. After, the carbonates in the Iapetus Ocean had replaced the sand deposits from the Grenville Mountains. [put it in Precambrian] The carbonates then were pressed tightly and moved to the edge of the continent with clay and sand. Additionally, the Iapetus Ocean then took over 100 million years for itself to close, and formed Pangaea ^{(figure 5)}, the ‘second’ super continent. As it closed, its intense folding, faulting and monumental pressure created another mountain chain. As a result of this process, called the Taconic Orogeny, the Appalachian Mountains were formed. This creation of the mountain chain caused a compression into the ground, called the Michigan Basin. Also, this mountain chain had eroded and its deposits accumulated into our region, developing the Ordovician Queenston Shale.

505 million years ago preceding the Late Ordovician period was the Middle Cambrian period. The Waterloo Region today still has the ancient rocks from the Middle Cambrian period. They stand approximately 2 metres thick in the ground, just above the Precambrian rocks.  

The sub-era of Late Ordovician period occurred 450 million years ago. This period had numerous major occurrences that adjusted the shape our region. For example, during this period, the uplift of North America had dwindled away the ocean to the more shallow water bodies.

In the Late Silurian period the shallow oceans our area of North America mostly dried up and huge amounts of salt were deposited. These salts can even be found near Windsor. The Silurian rocks formed the top of the Niagara Escarpment, can be seen in the Elora and the Rockwood bedrock beside the Grand River.

The last period was the Early Devonian Period which held many surprising secrets at the mouth of the Grand River. Many fossils formed during this time period. Unfortunately, the rocks of the same period were eroded from this area in the past.

The Paleozoic Era had one of the most abundant sub-eras containing information about the Waterloo region. Thus, the Paleozoic Era is an important piece of the formation of the Waterloo Region as a whole.

(Figure 5) Pangaea

5.4 Events of the Mesozoic

All of the features in the Paleozoic Era still remain in the Mesozoic Era. In addition to that, as with the Paleozoic Era, this geologic time period continued to change the Waterloo region, ‘replacing’ the role of the Paleozoic Era. An important aspect was that it was the time of the dinosaurs ^{(figure 6)}, and other ancient animals. It was also the same time when these colossal dinosaurs became extinct. Some of these organisms, such as the Pterodactyl, inhabited our area during the Jurassic period and until the Late Cretaceous period.

However, it was also a great time because of the physical changes of the Earth that affected our region from this era. Most of the rocks from this age were unfortunately not present in our beloved Waterloo. Instead, they are in the James Bay Lowlands. One of the most exciting things that happened during this time, particularly in the Cretaceous period, was that the super-continent Pangaea broke up and started to form into the continents we can see today, and the Atlantic Ocean. In addition to the Atlantic Ocean, North America was still covered in seas, including the Michigan Sea. The Michigan Sea played a key part in forming our Waterloo Region, since the end result of the sea from differential erosion was the Niagara Escarpment ^{(figure 7)}.

As with many of the major eras, the formation of the Waterloo region cannot be told in complete detail without the major events that occurred during the Mesozoic Era. Therefore, the Mesozoic Era held many important events, which helped create our region.

(Figure 6) Dinosaur

(Figure 7) Niagara Escarpment

6.5 Events of the Cenozoic

The Waterloo Region during the Mesozoic Era was almost to its present shape. However, there is still the Cenozoic Era, the Ice Ages, and the finishing formation of our Grand River. This final period is the one in which we reside in currently. A lot has happened, even though our period is small compared to previous eras.

Even though there weren’t any super-continents there was the Quaternary period. This period is the period of the Ice Ages, with eskers, drumlins, glaciers and kames.

The ice sheets ^{(figure 8)} that covered almost all of the land had given a tremendous amount of influence on the topography on the continents, including our continent. Glaciers had advanced very far down near the United States around 18 000 years ago and carved the shape of the land, which is a process known as “glacial erosion”. Around 14 000 years ago, these massive glacial ices retreated and its geological impact formed depressions, which were soon to be filled with water and be what we now call the Great Lakes. Once these massive ice sheets retreated, they created erratics, which were bedrock carried by the ice, carved eskers into the land, formed the many drumlins which are near Waterloo, and also made meltwater, which filled the Great Lakes with fresh water.

            The Great Lakes is a crucial water form in our region; but the Grand River is also another important water form. The large Quaternary moraines and the deep, buried valleys from the Grand River are both are our dominant drinking-water supplies. In addition to that, deposits from the glacial till from the Quaternary period can still be found today in the Grand River.

            In recent history, a biotic factor has influenced the land on a grand scale, compared to some of the abiotic ones. This biotic factor is us. We humans have changed the shape of the land in such a huge way and in such a short time, that today; we can see how much the land is different because of mankind’s intelligence. There are many roads, many highways, huge buildings, and other various man-made structures.

            The Cenozoic Era had many interesting and unique events which is completely different from the other eras. This era is the one in which the land is mostly influenced by, since the Cenozoic Era was the most recent of all. The most probable and major event which happened was humanity’s influence upon the land, and the Ice Ages. Therefore, the Cenozoic Period was an essential part to know about in the history of the Waterloo Region.

(Figure 8) Ice Sheets

7.6 Conclusion

Many changes have influenced with each other throughout the four major Eras which include; the Precambrian Era, the Paleozoic Era, the Mesozoic Era, and the Cenozoic Era. These changes connected with each other in such a way so that our present Earth, including our very own Waterloo Region, can exist. This region has endured two super continents, many ice ages, and of course, us humans. Without these important events from the four major eras, we would not have this area in which we can thrive upon.

Because of all of these important aspects which influenced the current shape of our region, I conclude that the Waterloo Region would not be the same without these physical events leading to the present form of our area.

8.7 Bibliography

Research

Morgan, Alan V. (March 12^th, 2006). Quaternary Geology of the Grand River Basin. From Geoscape Grand River. Retrieved June 2^nd, 2010, from http://www.geoscapegrandriver.ca/

Morgan, Alan V. (not specified). Geo Time Trail. Retrieved June 2^nd, 2010, from http://wci.wrdsb.on.ca/geography/uploads/Geo_time_trail.pdf

Not specified. (not specified).Formation of Waterloo Region Info Text. Retrieved June 2^nd, 2010, from http://wci.wrdsb.on.ca/geography/uploads/Formation_of_waterloo_region_infotext.doc

Photos

Figure 0: Waterloo [Map]. (not specified). Retrieved from June 2^nd, 2010, from http://www.city.waterloo.on.ca/Portals/57ad7180-c5e7-49f5-b282-c6475cdb7ee7/CS_EDM_images/proximity.gif

Figure 1: Waterloo Region [Map]. (not specified). Retrieved June 2^nd, 2010, from http://www.graac.ca/admin/sources/editor/assets/RegionColourMunicipalities.jpg

Figure 2: Iapetus Ocean [Artist’s representation]. (not specified). Retrieved from June 2^nd, 2010, from http://image.absoluteastronomy.com/images/encyclopediaimages/b/ba/baltica-laurentia_caradoc_en.svg.png

Figure 3: Rodinia [Map]. (not specified). Retrieved from June 2^nd, 2010, from http://sixtydegreesbelowzero.files.wordpress.com/2008/08/rodinia_750b.jpg

Figure 4: Grenville Mountains [Diagram]. (not specified). Retrieved from June 2^nd, 2010, from http://www.jamestown-ri.info/grenville_exposure.gif

Figure 5: Pangaea [Artist’s representation]. (not specified). Retrieved from June 2^nd, 2010, from http://www.nsf.gov/news/mmg/media/images/pangaea_h.jpg

Figure 6: Dinosaur [Artist’s representation]. (not specified). Retrieved from June 2^nd, 2010, from http://domz60.files.wordpress.com/2009/05/dinosaur.jpg

Figure 7: Niagara Escarpment [Photograph]. (not specified). Retrieved from June 2^nd, 2010, from http://brucetrail.org/images/0000/0055/niagara_escarpment.jpg

Figure 8: Ice Sheets [Illustration]. (not specified). Retrieved from June 2^nd, 2010, from http://www.learner.org/courses/essential/earthspace/images/show6_ice_age.jpg

Presentation order for Consumerism & Abundance

PRESENTATION ORDER

SKIT

Hannah walks in with shopping bags, and freezes

Slide 1

-introduction

-explain how “shop ‘til you drop” will be a main concept of the gist of consumerism and its effects throughout the presentation

-ask the question “Does anyone know what consumerism or abundance means? You can even guess!” (Great interaction with crowd)

Slide 2

-recite the definitions on the slide

-recite in your own words about what they mean to the common layman

Skit for slide 2

Natalie puts a bunch of stuff in Hannah’s shopping bags, symbolizing consumerism and abundance while I explain the slide

Slide 3

-first picture, flapper, talk about how women could work which partially helped the economy, women’s rights

-talk about each point and go in depth

-WWI ended, and because of this there was a short recession

-after the economy boomed; people had money, soldiers worked or had pensions, women were working during the war so had money

-‘everyone bought everything’, everyone was buying more, even things which weren’t necessary. A.K.A. luxury items

-ended with stock market crashing; hence SHOP ‘TIL YOU DROP

-consumerism was one of the important causes of the stock market crashing. It was caused by American economic gains made after WWI. The significantly reckless luxury directly caused the global economic crisis in modern history.

-the stock market crashing is the Great Depression OCT. 1929

-many historians believe that the 1920’s gave birth to modern consumerism. Why? Because there were many new things being implemented into society that hasn’t happened before, or that the happenings were increasing. Such as more posters advertising things, the economy booming, people had higher wages, and the general gist of consumerism itself.

Slide 3 Skit

During slide 3, when we say “shop til you DROP”, she falls down + drops the bags, symbolizing the crash of the stock market. (Hannah symbolizes the economy in general)

Natalie in the background shouts and points to Hannah “OMG LOOK THE STOCK MARKET IS CRASHING!”

Slide 4

-consumerism was a major factor during the twenties

-called “roaring twenties” because:

-good economy, which led to consumerism

-consumerism is SO BIG, and we are going to support that later on, and since this consumerism is so big, it is practically the roar of the twenties itself. That’s what the roar IS

-talk about how the further slides ahead explain about the roar

Slide 4 SKIT

Natalie and Hannah both ROAR like "ROARRR!!" and then say "this symbolizes that the Roaring Twenties was called the "Roaring" Twenties, BECAUSE of consumerism!

Slide 5

-not JUST Canadian

-originated in north America (primarily U.S.) because they didn’t participate much in war, hence they didn’t waste money in the war, hence more money, hence better economy right at end of war, hence consumerism originated there

-soon spread to Europe and Canada

-an echo in some sense, as in, it originated from America and went to Canada and other parts of Europe, BUTTTT

-global in a sense BECAUSE every nation had its own consumerism

-it just ORIGINATED from America. Canada, as a NATION, had its own consumerism movement. Canada had its OWN UNIQUE CONSUMERISM AS A NATION

Slide 5 SKIT

SOMETHING. PLEASEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE GIVE ME SOMETHING GOOD TO PUT IN HERE. LOOK IN FACEBOOK MSG. TO SEE THE THING I WANT.

Slide 6

-explain what industrialization is: industries developing on a huge scale

-means more products being mass produced (e.g. for an example, talk about how everyone in class has a wardrobe of clothes, pencils, backpacks, books, etc. They are all mass produced)

-helps consumerism; (consumers buying more, so mass production makes more products available to general public, meaning more people buying)

-connect this to how capitalism is like in the world right now (and talk about how capitalism may have derived from roaring twenties)

-talk about basically – industrialization, abundance of number of products being produced, helped consumerism, and consumerism directly caused the great depression

-therefore, abundance of producing products indirectly caused the great depression (win!)

Skit Slide 6

Natalie, Julie, and Hannah assemble in a line pretending to manufacture goods in an assembly line

Slide 7

-movies; black and white, exponential amount of people went there more

-automobiles; 300 000 registered vehicles in 1918 compared to 15 million by 1927 of the same Ford Model T

-talk about how some products MAY not be that much of a necessity; more like a useless luxury (hand out portable shower sheet)

Skit Slide 7

Natalie, Hannah, and Julie show the collage and points out some products on the poster

Slide 8

-the movie (example of products during the 1920’s)

Slide 9

-advertised products in numerous medias and ways; films, radio, catalogues (magazines), and posters

-connection: we still use these ways for marketing products

-talk about how everyday nowadays we see an average of 3000 ads everyday (fact)

-connection: these numerous ads are CAUSED by consumerism and HELPED consumerism, which helped the roar of the twenties

-THE SIGNIFICANCE IS, more ads FURTHER consumerism, which helped cause the great depression

Slide 9 Skit + handout

Hannah walks around and stops and looks at every ad (we put them on the blackboard by magnets), with her shopping bags. Then at each ad, she stops and Janice talks about each ad and what is represents, connection, etc.

Natalie throws/showers the rest of the ads in her hands in Hannah’s face and Hannah is mesmerized from every single ad. She picks one up and says “OMG A PORTABLE SHOWER!”

Slide 10

-learning facts about history is important and all; but what is more important is the significance of the events. What caused one thing, what effected one thing, the cause and effects, how we can learn from it, etc. we must apply the knowledge we know from history and connect to them, relate them with each other, and see how they fit together.

-explain how this is going into the real in depth stuff instead of just the commercials, movies, etc. and why it’s important.

-twenties roared because of consumerism

-originated from America

-canada’s “roar” of consumerism may have been an echo of america’s in one sense

-mostly, Canada’s “roar” was a part of international “roar”, since each NATION had a roar of consumerism

-Canada as a NATION had its OWN consumerism

Slide 11

Cause and effects

Slide 12

-consumerism partially caused by industrialization and mass producing (because the industrialization and the mass producing made products in more numerous numbers, more efficiently, cheaper, and quickly, so that more people can access and buy these goods)

-new technologies (radio, cars ß not invented during then, but mass produced more, movies, electrical appliances, anything from sewing machines, to bread makers, etc.

Slide 13

• Because of the vast development of many new technologies

• Because of the wealth of most people of the time; more income (not all people)

• Because of the staggering amount of people investing in the new technologies

• Create more, buy more, repeat

Slide 14

-consumerism in the 1920’s caused the Great Depression in the 30’s. The same thing happened around the recession that was majorly caused by America’s unregulated extreme capitalism

“History is doomed to repeat itself” is a good quote for this case because in some sense, history did repeat itself (great depression, recession).

How can we learn from this?

We should learn by preventing these economical meltdowns. One good reason to learn history is to see how things caused other things, like consumerism caused the Great Depression, and how we can learn from these mistakes that we’ve made and preventing them from happening again

We don’t want the second coming of Hitler

-consumerism in 1920’s also can help us understand some philosophies and try to explain our morals and values. Such as, is a person defined by their possessions?

We don’t need so many things. A person is defined by their morals, values, personality, etc. not material items. Hence there is a movement going on during modern times that is anti-materialism. A good example of this that was written during the 1920’s (a.k.a. during when all of this was happening), a novel was written about the consumerism called “The Great Gatsby” and questioned about society and consumerism

-although it may not seem like they are related; the truth is is that they are related. As more electrical products are produced and bought because of consumerism, there is an increasing need for energy to supply these products to consumers

In modern times, we see that this problem has gone up so much that we are even seeing environmental impacts like global warming and climate change

Energy consumption soared in the 1920s due to the electric appliances replacing manual labor in many homes. Plants and car exhaust emissions exerted an increasingly heavy toll on the environment. However, pollution and the diminishing wildlife seemed distant threats to most Americans.

-consumerism still effects us, we can see it (as already stated) everywhere. Especially America with their extreme unregulated capitalism

Slide 15

Rule:

You will be split into your presenting groups

You will be given a question, and if you answer it correctly, you will be able to choose 2 squares to flip over.

If your squares match, you get a point!

The group with the most points wins a yummy prize! (=

Questions-

What is consumerism?

What happened at the end of the 1920's?

WAS THE ROAR OF THE ROARING TWENTIES ONLY CANADA’S? (Definitely ask this. It’s our thesis)

Why was the roaring twenties called the “roaring” twenties? (definitely ask this. It’s our thesis)

During the skit, Hannah fell down. What did that symbolize?

Name one cause and one effect on consumerism.

Name three things that we can learn from consumerism during the 1920's.

BONUS: What was George Bush doing in slide 12 in our presentation? And what did it symbolize?

WHY do we have governments? should government exist?

Should Government Exist?

Short Answer

Yes

Introduction to Long Answer/Essay

Having a government implemented in almost all of the countries on Earth with a lot succeeding in the furthering and progress of themselves clearly indicates that a government should exist and beneficially effects society. However, there are many other points as to why a form of government should exist; as well as which specific type of government is the best compared to others.

Why? Why not?

Simple Answer

Government is needed to protect law and order, to protect property rights, and defend civil rights.

Long Answer/Essay

One point in which supports the statement “governments should exist” is the underlying fact that without a kind of authority, people can do anything- even the morally incorrect. People can kill someone and loot money by stealing without anyone stopping them. No one would want this, which is why the conclusion is that without a government, chaos will occur.

Furthering the argument before, without some sort of organization, libraries, schools, hospitals, and other essential public places will not be able to go on. People will not run these crucial social locations and in turn will make future generations ignorant; many people will die, etc. As a result, there would be no one to help run these necessary buildings and because of that, negative impacts will occur.

The next piece of evidence is the fact that without a government, no one would pay taxes, and no one would want to fund services every month. We would have to learn how to perform operations on ourselves, fight our own crime, put out our own fires, and grow our own food. Even the smallest coincidence can have a devastating effect upon us, such as a drought or being unable to grow our own food because of a broken leg. Therefore, not only can a government help us in our time of need, they help us progress.

Many people might ask, “How can a government help society progress?” The scenario earlier stated is similar to how people in the Stone Age used to be, which brings us to the next point; governments help progress our society. With government, we can enforce morality, logic, and reasoning in which everyone can abide which indeed further the progress of society. A great example of this is human history. Throughout history, we have started from the simplest types of a civilization, from owning slaves, to monarchies, to world domination, until we get to our present time.

The Free Rider problem is also a main reason as to why a government is beneficial.

An example of this would be,

"A common example of a free rider problem is defence spending: no one person can be excluded from being defended by a state's military forces, and thus free riders may refuse or avoid paying for being defended, even though they are still as well guarded as those who contribute to the state's efforts. Therefore, it is usual for governments to avoid relying on volunteer donations, using taxes and, in some countries, conscription instead.”

-Wikipedia

Government is indeed the primary mechanism by which societies address free rider problems. In addition to fiscal measures noted above, regulation is another form of collective action taken by governments to resolve free riders problems such as environmental degradation or excessive resource use. Therefore, having a government will immediately eliminate the free rider problem.

Possibly the most fundamental reason as to why we need a government is to have all of the privileges we have today. With the help of a government, we funded the research for science and technology, leading up to Einstein’s famous equation of E=mc^2, we funded the preservation of priceless artifacts, paintings like the Mona Lisa, and everything else we can see and acknowledge. We can even see that the civics teacher is teaching our class because of the help of the government.

Conclusion

At the surface level, a government should, without doubt, exist to help evolve our population. Yet at a deeper level, the government affects an exponential amount more than most people think; even to the extent where it greatly affects our day to day lives. The government helps protect law and order, property rights, defend civil rights, morals and ethics, funds the tools of logic and reasoning, helps every individual by giving them a way out of a crisis, and helps avoid the common free rider problem. Because of these evidences, the righteous conclusion to be made is that governments should exist.

What’s The Best Type of Government?

Short Answer

Democracy

Table for Reference

Authoritarian (communism, monarchy, etc.)	Anarchy (no government)	Democracy (republic, social democracy
Pros: In times of crisis a strong central government is necessary. E.g. FDR during the Great Depression.	Pros: You’re free to do anything	Pros: Everyone has a say
Cons: Only a few people have a say	Cons: you’re free to do anything	Cons: Everyone has a say, propaganda can mislead people

Long Answer/Essay

Introduction

Democracy is defined as “the government of the people”, by the people. All other branches of government types have failed in where democracy has triumphed; though it may not be the perfect system, it is surely the best type of government.

However, many people think an authoritarian government (such as communism and monarchy) may be the best choice. They say that “in times of crisis, a strong central government is necessary”. The fallacious misconception of their argument was that they have yet to acknowledge the fact that an actual crisis may not even occur. In addition to that, an authoritarian government isn’t the best type of government mainly for the fact that only a few people have a say, compared to a democracy (which is where everyone has a say). There is also a high chance that the few people who have these rights mainly take advantage of them. Some good examples of this particular scenario are the USSR (Soviet Union), and North Korea. Furthermore, some may say communism (a type of authoritarian government) is better, however what they have missed is that in the long run, an eventual economic disaster will spew out because of the end result that communism does not reward the people who do more work, thus making people only doing the minimum requirements. Because of all of the aforementioned points, the profound conclusion is that an authoritarian government is not the best type of government.

The next option is the option in which there is no government at all – anarchy. As earlier stated in the earlier essay, having no government will deliver chaos within our society and will not help us progress in anyway.

The final type is the one which should be the best type of government in peoples’ eyes; democracy. Democracy is the best because of the reasoning that everyone can have a say and no one’s voices will be left out. However, there are some cons to this kind of governing system. For example, one might say that when everyone has a say, the peoples’ popular choices may not always be the best. Others might also say that propaganda can mislead a vast number of voters’ votes. What they fail to mention is that with proper educational resources built into our society with a democratic government, the popular vote will stay on the right plane and will not meander down a bad choice. Some good examples of prosperous democratic countries are the United States and Canada. Therefore, the supposed counterarguments of democracy are debunked and democracy remains as the best type of government.

Conclusion

The huge and controversial debate about “which type of government is the best” is an ongoing and perpetual process which may never stop. However, due to the vast number of successes and the benefits of a democratic government, the unifying conclusion is that a democracy is the best type of government.

NOTE: I did not include the sub-categories of democracy, such as republic, social democracy, etc.

Bibliography

Not Specified. (not specified). List of Forms of Government. Retrieved from September 16^th, 2010, from

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_forms_of_government

Andy Su, “Pwnage” at Politics, September 16^th 2010

Not specified. (not specified). Free Rider Problem. Retrieved from September 16^th, 2010, from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Free_rider_problem

John Tuzo Wilson - A man of the Earth - Literally (Science SHORT Essay)

John Tuzo Wilson – A Man of the Earth - Literally

John Tuzo Wilson was an extraordinary man who revolutionized how we thought of our Earth’s surface. This fascinating man stood out among the rest of the Canadian scientists, and has awed many of the scientific community.

J. Tuzo Wilson was born on October 24^th, 1908, in Ottawa. He attended the University of Toronto, and was the first student in Canada to take geophysics. From 1946 to 1974, he studied at the university, and during the middle period of this time (around the 1060’s), he “refined” the theory of Plate Tectonics. Plate Tectonics is how the Earth’s crust is divided into “plates”, like a huge jig-saw puzzle. During that time, the theory was not taken into consideration within the scientific community.

This man has been a very fundamental contribution to the scientific world. He presented the thought of how hot spots (produced by convection currents), which are underneath the moving plates of the Earth, produced islands (e.g. Hawaii and Japan). He also presented the type of faults called “transform faults”, which are the “borders” of plates. However, unlike other faults, transform faults slide against each other. Wilson additionally found the patterns of faulting and the structure of the continents.

By refining the almost abandoned theory of Plate Tectonics, John Tuzo Wilson has done what most people will never achieve in their short lifetime. He has done the seemingly impossible, and has been successfully rewarded because of it. Overall, John Wilson’s life was a remarkable and inspirational journey which numerous people have aspired to be, and I am one of them.

Reference

Particle Physics. John Terning. Web. 17 May 2010. .

Encyclopedia Brittanica. Encyclopedia Brittania. Web. 17 May 2010. .

Encyclopedia Brittanica. Encyclopedia Brittanica. Web. 17 May 2010. .

Orsino - A Man of Love (Orsino Twelfth Night Essay)

Orsino – A Man of Love

“Love is life” many would say, and within the play of Twelfth Night resides many forms of this feeling. One of the most unique varieties of this beautiful emotion is Orsino’s. I have seen that his entire role is regarding about love, and the tragic inadequacies of it. However, Twelfth Night would lack its compelling and rich plot without him.

Always attempting and failing at getting Olivia’s heart and soul, Orsino can be called by some as a hopeless romantic. For example, in the beginning of the play, he recited a mesmerizing poem, and saying how lovely love is. This reciting of a poem implied that he dreamed of love like those in fairy tales. Believing in these things are what makes a hopeless romantic. “Oh, when mine eyes did see Olivia first, Methought she purged the air of pestilence. That instant was I turned into a hart, And my desires, like fell and cruel hounds, E'er since pursue me.” (1.1.17) In this quote, he was talking about how beautiful and wondrous the woman is, describing her just like a hopeless romantic. The reason why he sounded like a hopeless romantic was because only a hopeless romantic would talk about love so often. This quote from Orsino proves that he talks about love, as if it was the most special thing in the world, and a hopeless romantic thinks exactly the same about love. Another fine example would be near the end, when he was talking about how he was so desperate, that he would kill Cesario, since Olivia loves him. (5.1.114) “I’ll sacrifice the lamb that I do love, To spite a raven’s heart within a dove.”. This confirms how his love is so “tremendous” and “frightening”, and how he is so hopeless at love, he will do anything to get it. This reason is much more horrendous than the first one. Since these evidences in this play support my opinion, I believe that this character fits the definition of a “hopeless romantic”.

Orsino's misery over his perpetual, unrequited love for Olivia drove him into a deep depression.“Methought it did relieve my passion much, More than light airs and recollected terms, Of these most brisk and giddy-paced times”. (2.4.1) This quote was from Orsino, and demonstrated how he is depressed, and wanted to listen to some music to help him forget about his troubles for a short while. The whole purpose of him wanting to hear music was to escape his depression. In conclusion, I believe Orsino is depressed, since he cannot get Olivia’s heart.

However, this kind of depressive thinking comes at a price. He thinks he is so miserable, he pronounces himself as the center of the world, and is cocky by doing so. I believe he expresses this arrogance in a term of love “There is no woman’s sides… and that I owe Olivia”. . (2.4.94) In this paragraph, he is degrading people, particularly women, saying how no woman can feel such intense love as much as men (specifically him). What he said proves that he thinks of himself highly above others. When Orsino was conversing with Cesario about how Olivia was mourning for the death of her brother and father, Orsino was cocky enough to tell Cesario how Olivia will love him and make her forget all of her troubles. “O, she that hath a heart of that fine frame, To pay this debt of love but to a brother, How will she love, when the rich golden shaft, Hath killed the flock of all affections else” (1.1.32) The duke was inferring that he was better than Olivia’s brother and father combined. Therefore, I conclude that Orsino’s love has affected his depressive thinking, making him terribly arrogant.

This earlier quote I will mention also proves how he is an ego-centric person, and how he thinks of himself so highly compared to others. What he said then was a perfect example of him being a hopeless romantic, and a conceited person. “O spirit of love, how quick and fresh art thou, That, notwithstanding thy capacity, Receiveth as the sea, nought enters there, Of what validity and pitch soe'er, But falls into abatement and low price, Even in a minute.” (1.1.1) In this quote, he described love as if he knew all about it, and acted wise upon the subject. This passage is a paradox, since he implied he knew so much about love, even though he failed to get Olivia’s heart. Since he is contradicting his words from his actions, we can tell he is just arrogant, since a real wise person would be able to say what he does, while an arrogant person boasts about things, even if he doesn’t know too much about the topic. Therefore, because of this form of wisdom he has acquired that was formed from love, his depression has affected his overall attitude, making him arrogant and thinking highly of himself than others.

Being an arrogant person, Orsino is also quite persistent. When Orsino privately talks to Cesario, he requests a favor. “Therefore, good youth, address thy gait unto her; Be not denied access, stand at her doors, And tell them there thy fixed foot shall grow Till thou have audience.” (1.4.12) This extraction of Orsino’s lines indicates that he wanted to make Cesario keep waiting in front of her property until Olivia talks to him. This line shows just how the duke is so determined to have the woman. As a result, I believe that the duke relentlessly perseveres, attempting to get Olivia.

Orsino is a person with multi-dimensional traits of love, which makes anyone intrigued and entertained by his character. Throughout the play, I have seen that his entire role is regarding about love, and the tragic inadequacies of it. His type of affection is truly unique. Full of intense and original emotions, such as depression and love, Orsino has a vital role in Twelfth Night, and cannot be replaced.

Isaac Newton and the Scientific Revolution – Journal Response II

Isaac Newton and the Scientific Revolution – Journal Response II

After finishing the book, ‘Isaac Newton and the Scientific Revolution’, I still think of one thing; how this book really shows Newton’s accomplishments throughout his life, and how it helped benefit humanity as a whole, even to this day. The author, Christianson, had implemented an extended amount of quotes compared to the first half of the book, which is a very nice addition to his writing. This new input was probably done so because of the new events in Newton’s life, which were the constant rivals and academic relationships. In addition to that, the author has a unique writing style which gives the reader a feeling like they knew Newton personally. Furthermore, the author used very emotional and inspirational writing during the final pages to conclude Newton’s death and how greatly the great scientific figure went down in history. I have greatly enjoyed this book because of these reasons.

A defining accomplishment which made Newton famous during his times (but not so necessarily nowadays) was how he was put in charge of minting the queen’s coins in 1699. Since many fraudulent coins existed and people wanted to change that, and how the overall secrecy and importance of the making of the coins were important for Britain’s economy, Newton’s job of protecting the coin-manufacturing formula becomes a highly regarded one. Newton’s high placing and rank in the job of the ‘master of the mint’ was quite an important task to him and furthered his already huge fame. He was even reported to have been working for the mint more than his scientific studies which have made him so famous. However, the irony of this accomplishment of Newton’s is how no one in modern days remembered Newton for his promotion to ‘the master of the mint’, and how much wealth he attained from this prestige job. Instead, the credits that millions have given him were for his scientific discoveries.

This is a great example of how the success of one in terms of monetary value cannot compete with the succession of their gifts to humanity as a whole. Newton gave us an important asset. It wasn’t because of his profits and duties from minting Britain’s coins. It was how Newton gave us the practical knowledge that every person can learn, cherish, and build from his discoveries in the scientific realm. Newton has given us so much from his law of gravity, from his work in light optics, and his mathematical invention of calculus. Without him, we would not have been able to make man land on the moon from his theory of gravity. Without him, we would not have been able to calculate some of the most advanced mathematical problems without calculus. This is also why calculus has been regarded as one of the fundamental tools for many scientific applications. This brings us to the conclusion that Newton has made many good accomplishments in his lifetime, like being appointed to the master of the mint. However, it was not those monetary and political accomplishments that made him famous; it was his contribution to society as a whole through his scientific discoveries and accomplishments.

One of these scientific discoveries, which was probably the best in which Newton was and is still known for, was his theory of gravity and his basic laws of motion. These discoveries were all published in a single work called “Philosophiae Naturalis Principia Mathematica”. A direct quote from the book on page 77, commenting on this work was: “A book nobody understands”. This quote is indeed true as many people found it too sophisticated to understand the language Newton’s book was written in and to further digest his complex mathematical ideas. A great supporting example of this was on page 83: “After it was published, Newton was passed on the street by a student who is said to have remarked, “There goes the man that writt a book that neither he nor anybody else understands.” Christianson, among many others have repeatedly wrote about this because of the implication it gives; about how Newton’s calculations and mathematics were immensely complicated and how this furthers the consensus of just how the great man was so intellectual. A good connection of this accomplishment by Newton would be with Einstein’s work on the Theory of Relativity. A similar number of individuals have remarked about the comprehensiveness of Einstein’s work. I distinctly remember how a science teacher lectured about how only three people understood Einstein’s math when Einstein had first introduced his Theory of Relativity to the public. It was not surprising that both the renowned intellectuals, Einstein and Newton, had trouble with people trying to understand their great work.

Newton had many great accomplishments, though we must give credit to Christianson for his excellent style in writing. As I read the second half of the book, I have begun to notice how he has incorporated and increased the amount of quotes within each chapter. This was because he was writing about Newton’s relationships with his fellow academic scholars and academic rivals. There were many disputes and important conversations between them and Newton, which was why Christianson put so many quotes from everyone. This was a good writing technique that the author used because of the fact that he was talking about the relationships between Newton and his colleagues. The quotes made all of the connections and ties with Newton’s relationships easier to understand as a whole and created a great grounding in which readers can see more into Newton’s general personality and him as a person.

In the final chapter, ‘Like a Boy on the Seashore’, Christianson’s writing changed somewhat and had an emotion which made my heart sadden because of his change in style. It was expected for the last chapter to have an overall sad mood though, because of the fact that it was talking about Newton’s last days. Some good examples of Christianson’s writing in this sad mood were on page 144: “On March 23 the following entry, simple yet touching, appeared in the Journal Book of the Royal Society: “The Chair being Vacant by the Death of Sir Isaac Newton there is no Meeting this Day.” The author’s description of the entry being “simple yet touching” strengthens the grieving emotions that he has bonded with his writing. This overall dark mood helps the reader feel like they knew Newton personally by reading about all of his adventures and accomplishments, from the day he was born, until the final moments before his death, and makes the reader remorseful because of this. It allows the reader to actually step into Newton’s life, allowing the reader to savour every moment. This creates a very nice concluding effect to really grasp Newton’s great life, which is why I like this biography.

This book, ‘Isaac Newton and the Scientific Revolution’, by Gale E. Christianson was an interesting read and effectively demonstrated the accomplishments in Newton’s life from the author’s writing style, which included many devices such as the implementation of numerous quotes, and the setting of a dark mood towards the end of the book, along with the actual achievements Newton has accomplished during his lifetime. There were many connections that could be made from Newton’s life, such as the similarity between him and Einstein, and how his scientific work benefited all of humanity. I have greatly enjoyed this book because of all of these reasons.

The Main Theme of "To Kill a Mocking Bird"

To Kill a Mocking Bird

Harper Lee

April 14^th 2010

“Why reasonable people go stark raving mad when anything involving a Negro comes up, is something I don't pretend to understand.” This quote is from Atticus, explaining how the inequality of African Americans is not right. The people that Atticus described can even be called immoral and irrational by some. This is why I believe the theme in this book is about the morality and the rationality of humans.

The hatred of Boo Radley among the citizens of Maycomb clearly proves how morality and rationality are the fundamental ideas of this book. The irrational part of this point was that the children were quick to assume about Boo Radley. A good example of this was how they thought Boo was a monster. Validating your assumptions with biased rumours is irrational, since an opinion or assumption should be based on credible references. This leads to prejudice, ignorance, and even hatred upon poor Boo. In addition to that, the morality aspect of Boo’s victimization is that Jem, Scout, and Dill should not have judged or ridiculed Boo, by thinking he was a monster, since no human deserves that. If I were in the story, I would ask “How would you feel if you were criticized, like Boo?” to Jem, Scout, and Dill. In conclusion, I feel that people have ridiculed Boo irrationally, and have immorally shunned him, even to the point where people were afraid to mention him.

Another similar case is evident in the story, which relates to how Boo Radley was criticized, and this individual’s name in this book was Tom Robinson. This piece of evidence leads to my point, on how rationality and morality are a vital idea in this novel. The townspeople in this story were again, prejudiced and assumed without any evidence of Tom raping Mrs. Ewell in the first place, just like how they blatantly accused Boo Radley. This is a great example of the failure of reasoning and the ability to rationalize among the non-African American population of Maycomb. Morality also comes into play in this event. From a Christian point of view, the bible depicts that pride is wrong. I am not a Christian; however, I know that most people during that time period in the States practised Christianity. Because of this, I can safely hypothesize that those people, being Christians, were being proud of their race since they think of themselves highly compared to the blacks, and that is presumably wrong. (This also technically makes them hypocritical.) For example, in the book, many characters have looked down upon Tom Robinson’s case, even though he was clearly innocent. Another good example is how people shunned Atticus and his children because Atticus was defending a black man. In a more universal, ethical perspective, it is morally wrong to make a hierarchy of races in a species, and criticizing them just because of the color, or any other feature of their physical appearance. From the modern democratic view, physical characteristics are clearly insubstantial to judge a person. It is what’s underneath the skin that determines the nature of that person. That is why the popular phrase, “It’s not what’s on the outside. It’s what’s inside” is so used. It gives good ethical and even rational points upon this subject. Therefore, the case of Tom Robinson also proves how rationality and morality of humans is a reoccurring theme in this book.

Tom was being criticized for being black; however, he was not the only one since racism is a controversial matter inside this book. Because of Tom’s case, Atticus, and even his children, Scout and Jem, have been ridiculed by the others because they are defending a black man. Another example of racism is when Jem and Scout entered the African church. The author described the church as if it were literally going to fall apart, since it was that old. The reason why the black people were in this church was because that was all they could afford. The racism towards them closed their door of freedom, and made them less wealthy compared to the white people. I think of racism as a term used to discriminate against another person because of their color of their skin. As we see in the incident of Tom Robinson, it is the inside of a person, which counts. From a more rational or logical view, an individual’s mind or intelligence is not affected by their skin color. The genetics, the opinion, the personality, and everything else inside of the person, are what makes them, them. From the biological view and Darwin’s theory of evolution, it is a fact that all humans evolved from a common ancestor. Because of these biological facts, we can presume that all humans are equal. This means, having hierarchal levels of humans is illogical and morally incorrect. Clearly, only by analyzing the novel from a moral and rational perspective, can we understand the workings of discrimination evident in the novel.

At the surface level, the novel seems to revolve around the good and evil within people. Yet, at a deeper level, the whole idea of good and evil originated from peoples’ rationalities. All of this criticism, ostracism, and racism have one thing in common – people simply do not reason and make rational opinions. They unrightfully assume without credible information, and thus, “judge a book, by its cover”. And because of this ignorance, people have immorally judged, and punished others who were innocent. Because of all of these facts, including; the case of Boo Radley, the case of Tom Robinson, and the racism towards the general black people in this novel, I conclude that the main theme is about the morality and the rationality of humans.