Monday, February 28, 2011

science fair and latin


culture
-identify and explain the significance of five of these
-retiarii
-murmillo

-superlatives
Pulchra – pulcherrima
Fortis – fortissimus

Derivatives -

Verbs -

Translation
-main point- how nucerians and roman senator
Odormit – they fell asleep (remember the they fell asleep)

Words-
Agitat
Consumit


 -----------------------
 
when yeast ferments: it creates ethanol and CO2
 there are 3 controlled variables: temp, pH level and glucose level, that can control the output (ethanol and CO2)
 thats pretty much wut he's saying
 and if u want to improve that

fermentation - breakdown of sugar into an acid or an alcohol
------------------
Background
           

Purpose
The purpose of our experiment is to see how different pesticides and herbicides and pH levels affect the activity of baker’s yeast.

Method
           
Apparatus
            -baker’s yeast
-12 balloons
-12 empty glass bottles
-3 pesticides
-3 herbicides
-lye (sodium hydroxide)
-vinegar (acetic acid)
-pH level indicator test strips
-measuring cup
- (____ mL) water






Saturday, February 5, 2011

A Journal Response to ‘A Long Way Gone'

A Journal Response to ‘A Long Way Gone’


A Long Way Gone was a very different perspective of a child’s life as it does not deal with a blissful and innocent childhood an average child may have, but rather, the horrifyingly opposite. This memoir details Ishmael Beah’s life in the war-torn country of Sierra Leone. Ishmael tries to escape from village to village with various friends, including his brother, Junior. However, because of the war in Sierra Leone between the terrorist group, the RUF, and the government, he and his brother never saw each other again.

Ishmael’s perspectives at the beginning of the book were quite different compared to the later parts. At first, his overall attitude and knowledge of the war was very apathetic and ignorant. This is not surprising because of his age and lack of experience through the horrors of war. In fact, the first chapter clearly demonstrates his ignorance on the subject as he even admits he only knew about wars in movies, such as Rambo: First Blood. However, this childlike innocence of him quickly fades away as the horrors of the war come to him, Junior, and the other children. They immediately see the suffering of victims from neighbouring villages fleeing to theirs, and experienced these same sufferings for themselves. These sudden increasing descriptions of the bloody events he suffered made it very apparent that his personality would be changing from an innocent child into one who greatly understands that his fragile life may be cut short at any point. This rapid change of his personality seems to emphasize and support the general fact of how war can bring such a great deal of agony onto people.

Another interesting aspect of Ishmael is how he copes with the perpetual oncoming danger of the war. The constant scenes of dead bodies, the fear of dying, and the grief of his lost family has succumbed the boy into a depressed state in which he tries to cope with along with all of his other troubles. This sadness of Ishmael’s is clearly demonstrated when he was alone in the forest at one point. He talks about his desire to talk with another person so as to not indulge within his own thoughts on the frightening memories which has happened in such a brief period of time. To maintain his sanity, Ishmael tries to talk and play with the many children he encounters throughout his travels, despite the dark reality of their situation. These methods of how he struggled with these emotions in the time of a crisis have certainly helped him in his journey to survive this war.

These two prominent characteristics of Ishmael have helped me enjoy this book because they add insight to him – the main character. This certainly makes this book more interesting to read. The change in his personality quickly establishes a new dark mood for the book which makes you cling to each chapter and read on about the difficulties of the life in Sierra Leone for a child like Ishmael. In addition to that, the way he copes with this never-ending suffering he is forced to be put into is astonishing to say the least, because of the sheer quantity of these sufferings. Many people like me have never experienced such a hell as this boy did. Because of our lack of knowledge, this book entices you to read more and find out about just how this hell of his was like.

This memoir of Ishmael’s life surviving war is certainly a book that is well worth reading. It’s truthful and cruel reality of the conflict in Sierra Leone makes this a remarkable firsthand account of war. It gives an in depth perspective on these issues and emphasizes the effects that war has done to an innocent child. The reality of the memoir and the issues it pertains upon must be remembered for ages to come.

Friday, February 4, 2011

a long way gone - crappy summary


-parents divorced
-little brother
-visiting the little brother’s school
-omg a war is coming but he doesn’t care
-went to visit to dad’s place
-after, omg people are coming
-people are trying to run away, burnt houses
-we’ll try to get some food from those houses, but they had to go run and hide from the war
-living in a forest (the boy, and his three friends)
-they were starving
-decided to go back to their village to get food and money
-the soldiers were there but they got away
-they went back into the forest
-saw old man
-‘oh they all left me behind because I’m old because im useless and old and they just left me here to die’
-he gave him his food and old shelter, and he dies
-they went back to the same village because they thought “oh I can do this again. I can escape again”
-they didn’t make it, they got caught
-one of the main soldiers saw the boy’s older brother who was slow at sneaking (was trying to sneaking to get food)
-were chained in a line
-many people from previous villages captured, and the rest were dead on the ground
-picking who to kill first
-raiders picked who was fit to train as a soldier
-Raiders = RUF = bad soldiers
-the ones that weren’t picked were going to be killed just to show the ones who got picked how fun and good killing people are, just to show them
-one person that died was another old man, and he was like “plz don’t kill me” and he ran up into a tree and they stabbed his head
-something happened which distracted those soldiers, and that’s how the boy and his three friends escaped
-sierra leone had soldiers to fight the RUF but their soldiers ran away before the war started
-boy + friends ran to a forest nearby
-everyone separated to run away for their own lives
-soldiers were searching in the forests for the boys
-the two brothers happened to hide beside each other
-they stuck together
-the bigger brother started getting depressed because of all the killing
-after the soldiers left them alone, the guy and the three friends found each other again
-somewhere in here, they lost each other again
-from here on, the story doesn’t talk about the older brother or the other friends agin*
-boy had to live in a forest area
-basically eating wild animals and stuff
-was getting all alone until he found seven other boys
-he recognized them
-they were from his school
-him and those seven people ran to the village
-ran to another village which did have soldiers (Sierra Leone Armed Forces)
-Sierra Leone Armed Forces didn’t let them in
-they thought they were in disguise/spies from the RUF
-once they got there because they were exhausted
-yet they got kicked out because they were accused for being ^^^^
-closest they can go to the village was where the coast was
-feet were all bloody and scarred because of walking so much
-they found a house near the beach and so they decided to stay in it because they were all tired and their feet hurts
-they slept in it
-when they woke up, a fisherman came and he helped them by giving them some food + medicine from the village
            -fisherman wasn’t supposed to though cuz of ^^^^^^^
-after that, when they were getting better, they decided to go to the village again to persuade the village to let them in
-one of the boys had a relative that was in that village
            -proves that the boys are innocent because the relative knows them
-they got into the village
-they got care
-in return, they had to become a soldier / guard a mountain place
-somehow, they were separated (forgot) the boy was separated from the three friends

Tuesday, November 30, 2010

The Geographical Events Leading to the Waterloo Region

The Physical Events Leading to the Waterloo Region
May 25th, 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 12th, 2006). Quaternary Geology of the Grand River Basin. From Geoscape Grand River. Retrieved June 2nd, 2010, from http://www.geoscapegrandriver.ca/

Morgan, Alan V. (not specified). Geo Time Trail. Retrieved June 2nd, 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 2nd, 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 2nd, 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 2nd, 2010, from http://www.graac.ca/admin/sources/editor/assets/RegionColourMunicipalities.jpg

Figure 2: Iapetus Ocean [Artist’s representation]. (not specified). Retrieved from June 2nd, 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 2nd, 2010, from http://sixtydegreesbelowzero.files.wordpress.com/2008/08/rodinia_750b.jpg

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

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

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

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

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

Tuesday, November 23, 2010

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?

Saturday, November 13, 2010

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 16th, 2010, from

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

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

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

Tuesday, November 2, 2010

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 24th, 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. .