Urbanization Reflection

This response should be your longest so far.....and will be your longest of the project.

Mentally go through your typical day and think of all the ways you use energy and how your life would be affected if you no longer had access to energy.  Specifically, how would your life change without access to energy?

Now, think about the population in your neighborhood.  What problems will increase if more people move into the Portland Metro area?  

Finally, think about the urbanization and population articles.  You read three and learned about one more.  Were there parts that surprised you?  Were there parts you didn't understand?  By 2050, the world is projected to have 10 billion people.  You will be approximately 50 years old (scary, I know)  What problems do you think the world will be facing with that many  people?

Your response should be around 2 paragraphs (10 or so sentences.)  Use standard Geography and the Human Experience labels.  Yes, an image would be nice....

http://www.geography.learnontheinternet.co.uk/images/popn/world_pop.gif
https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYXiPbUPw8wrx8vR7y30BW6vVPMGQSfXDGErv74xpd8Y-JumTSVjyv8G_M-M0fbvjAybSpG5GgodiJRrxY2Kn6Z9zLHntQCzTk7ExpMEv59-GkBibYdf_wRO8o4o6ahV1vqSBO1unHxB-N/s1600/images.jpg

What Shutdown?

While I normally don't post to this blog, this topic is directly related to the primary users of the blog, World Cultures students, and they deserve to read what is being written and commented about them.  We are currently studying natural disasters as they relate to humans and geography.  Using primary data sources, students often access USGS sites.  They are, quite honestly, the most accurate in the world.  Since the Republican-led Congress decided to shut down the Federal Government, USGS sites have been inaccessible to students.  As a class, we brainstormed what to do, decided we would just move on, and return to USGS sites once the Government was funded and running again.  For a couple of seventh graders this was not an ideal solution.  In less than three hours, they were running up to me eagerly let me know they had found not one, but two workarounds that would allow them to continue accessing most USGS data.  Using Google's cache link, they were able to access most of the NationalAtlas site.  Also, a couple of students showed me the WayBack machine at web.archive.org.

Between the two sites, students could access enough information that our discussions, presentations, and curriculum could continue.  I'm sure there are bloggers, among them Will Richardson, who would smile at this post.  I'm humbled that my students wanted to continue learning even though their Republican adult role models are doing their best to insure the students would have to dig extra hard for the information they needed.  I wonder which party my students will be more sympathetic towards in the next Mock Election?

Environment Reflection

Now that you have researched and presented on how humans interact with their environment, please reflect on what you have learned.  You may include information from your two presentations on invasive species and environmental disasters.  Be specific when referring to places, plants, and environments.  Include a picture or two in your post.  Your post should be around two paragraphs (5-7 sentences each) long.  Use ghe, cultures, environment, presentations, learning, technology as your labels (tags)  In your reflection please include the following:

• How did using technology help you understand the problem/situation?
• Why do humans make changes to the environment?
• Are these changes justified?  Why or why not?
• How can a single change in the environment affect other aspects of the environment?
• How do you interact with your ecosystem or environment?  How do your actions affect your environment?

Sources:  http://www.federalheath.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/03/Environment-logo.jpg

http://img.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2006/05/yellowriverSWNS190506_450x350.jpg?maxWidth=500

Miriam-Greece Trip

This is my trip to Greece

Elliott in the UK

This is my swag trip to the UK

Tour Post Test

Tour Post

Trip Planning Test file

This is an attempt to post a kml file

link to my video

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s4nEUrsirmk&list=UUVwTvEd85gtV78tRIlW9Obw&index=8

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s4nEUrsirmk&list=UUVwTvEd85gtV78tRIlW9Obw&index=8

Scientific Revolution

The Scientific Revolution was a time era where people started to advance their knowledge when it came to science. They started doing sciences that weren't just alchemy and the literal bare basics, they started mathematics, thinking of the earth's shape, and  doing chemistry. The brilliant minds this this revolution had come up with were just outstanding. They came up with inventions that changed our perspective on us, the earth, and beyond. Machines of knowledge came to stand, teaching us about the stars and sky and the things below our feet. The Scientific Revolution was a time when people saw themselves, the world, and much more in a new way.

The world was advancing, sciences that we use today dawned. People like Kepler, Galileo, and Newton built the sciences and theories that we follow and study today! The list of sciences, that came to be, during the revolution, is very long. Their sciences advancing and growing left and right, like alchemy, astronomy, chemistry, mathematics, ecology, and alchemy had advanced largely during the revolution. Without the revolution we wouldn't have had any of these sciences.

The brains it took to make these inventions, sciences,and theories were people that had dedicated their lives to find the answers to significant questions. When the set of words major scientists, are said, a few people come to mind like Kepler, Galileo, Aristotle, Newton, and tons more. These people all lived some time in scientific revolution, and  they came up with things like Newton’s three laws, Copernicus’s heliocentric universe model, Galileo’s flying machine, and many more. The Scientific Revolution was chalk full of amazing ideas, geniuses, and revolutionary theories.

The Scientific Revolution was a time for inventions for scientific advancement. Today looking thru a telescope is a fun little activity, but in the Scientific Revolution looking thru a telescope was like a revolutionary thing, it was new, it was like the ipad, but more important. Copernicus made a model of our solar system that said that earth was not the middle of the solar system.  What if Copernicus did not make that model of the solar system, then we would still think that we were the middle of the solar system. Isaac Newton telescope created a type of telescope that we still use today! All threw the revolution machines that we still use today were made and without them we would not have very important science information.

Without the people, the sciences, and the inventions in the Scientific Revolution we would not have very basic information on all the things around. The sciences that were discovered in the revolution are a vital part to our everyday lives. The names that built or theorized the things from the Scientific Revolution are people that developed things that stayed with mankind for over hundreds of years and its outstanding what they've done. The machines made in the revolution are not people nor whole sciences there just machines that we use everyday, but there uses were once new and without them we would not be able to do many things. The Scientific Revolution was a time when people saw themselves, the world, and much more in a new way.

Audio test for Spanish

This is a test post for my Spanish colleague who would like students to read their work and upload the audio files into their blog.   Testing....testing....

Napoleon’s Great Retreat from Russia

      The Patriotic War of 1812 was a land mark in Napoleon’s military career because it was his first loss. Before the retreat from Russia, Napoleon’s record was flawless, he was a cunning military mastermind. Napoleon could manipulate the battlefield to his advantage, but The Patriotic War ruined his unbeatable persona. France had a weak truce with Russia, the French nor the Russians abided by their truce, and Napoleon did not want Russia to attack Poland. These led to the Patriotic War of 1812.          

        Napoleon marched with over 500,000 French soldiers with the intent of destroying 3 major cities in Russia. The Grande Armee was one of the biggest European army’s assembled to that point. The French marched into Russia in 3 gigantic fleets,  General Marshal Nicholas Oudinot and his French fleet were stopped in there direct path to St. Petersburg by a small Russian fleet. This tactical move by the Russians led to an inevitable battle in Moscow that would decide the fate of the Patriotic War of 1812.

         The Russians attacked the French in small cavalry units while their main army retreated for 3 months, the French were not used to the fierce Russian climate. The Russian main army, and the French Grande Armee, led by Napoleon himself, met in the battle of Borodino, right outside of Moscow, the Battle of Borodino was one of the largest and most brutal battles of the Napoleonic wars. Over 250,000 troops were involved it led to over 70,000 fatalities.                                                                                  

        The Russians retreated once more, Russia could replenish their army whereas the French could not, Napoleon marched into Moscow with the Grande Armee and destroyed most of Moscow, but Napoleon could see no victory in sight, Napoleon decided to retreat, this was a disastrous retreat. After Napoleon realized they could not win he tried to reach Kaluga but they were blocked by a replenished Russian army, in the battle of Maloyaroslavets.  

         Napoleon and the Grande Armee were forced to retreat the same way they had come through the completely destroyed roads of Smolensk, they took catastrophic blows from peasants through guerrilla warfare and the absolutely devastating Russian winter pounded on them, Killing many French troops. When Napoleon entered France there were only one twentieth of the fit soldiers left, the Patriotic War of 1812 was a fierce war with a huge impact on European history. This was the beginning of the end for Napoleon, he was exiled only 2 years later, and his status as an unbeatable tactician was shattered.

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

http://www.geographia.com/russia/rushis05.htm

http://www.history.com/news/napoleons-disastrous-invasion-of-russia-200-years-ago

http://www.napoleonguide.com/campaign_russia.htm

Child Labor In The Industrial Revolution By Ethan Stahl

Child Labor

By Ethan Stahl

Child labor in the industrial revolution was asinine. Just one of the many reasons was just simply conditions that perfectly good kids worked in. Thank god for the great people and movements challenging these absurd factories. Finally, child labor laws have improved drastically and kids were treated like proper human beings.

In the heat of the industrial revolution child labor was preposterous. Firstly, Innocent children often worked for more than 15 hours a day with just a half hour break. Second, Large, heavy, and dangerous equipment was very common for children to be using or working near. Many accidents occurred injuring or killing children on the job. These conditions were absolutely incongruous. Lastly, The atrocious people who the children served would beat them, verbally abuse them, and take no consideration for their safety. These are children. The thought of doing these things to them is most definitely overwhelming to say the least.  

Finally, bold men and women stood up for these poor children. The owners of factories, of course, loved children working for them because they could get away with under paying these kids and giving them conditions that were not even close to being up to par. Then in 1833, the factory act passed by parliament. This added laws such as  Children ages 9–13 must not work more than 8 hours with an hour lunch break. It also Outlawed the employment of children under 9 in the textile industry and it added the law that Children under 18 must not work at night.

Nowadays, Child Labor is a bit more tolerable. In general, for non-agricultural jobs, children under 12 may not be employed, although it differs in states and children between 12 and 16 may be employed in allowed occupations during limited hours. Lastly, children between 16 and 18 may be employed for unlimited hours in non-hazardous occupations. But, Hundreds of thousands of children are employed as farm workers in the United States, often working 10 or more hours a day. They are often exposed to dangerous pesticides, experience high rates of injury, and suffer fatalities at five times the rate of other working youth. So child labor is better nowadays but still not quite superb. 

Child labor has definitely improved since the dark days of the industrial revolution. Yet, it is not perfect and I believe it should be vital to protect the children because they are the future of this country. I think it is important we remember the great movements and people that took a stand for what it right due to the awful conditions these kids worked in back then like the factory act of 1833. All in all. We simply need to protect the future. Which in this case, is the innocent children. 

Sources: 

 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Child_labour
 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Industrial_Revolution
 http://www2.needham.k12.ma.us/nhs/cur/Baker_00/2002_p7/ak_p7/childlabor.html
 http://eiu.edu/eiutps/childhood.php

Glass blowing

Glass Blowing

Emily Livingstone

I recently went to a museum entirely focused on the makings of glass and different glass art pieces. It was incredible what people made with glass and how the process was completed. As I watched the professionals mold the glass, I was in awe at what they were dealing with. Glass makers have come such a far way from what they started with.The way I see anything made of glass is from a completely different perspective now that I know how it’s made. When I see a wine glass, for example, I never used to stop and think how much time, effort, and money went into making such a simple object.

The history of glass blowing dates back to approximately 3500 years ago, as a art brought to us from the Romans. The art of glass blowing built up from different techniques of making glass pieces. It started out with a mold made out of clay. Roman glass makers would shape the mold to what they wanted to make. The objects that were made out of glass were called vessels. Although at the time, glass making was not very popular in a variety of places, there were a lot of glass fusing in Mesopotamia and Egypt. In these areas, the glass was very hard and expensive to make, so only members of the higher classes could own such a beautiful item. Trade started to expand the knowledge of glass making throughout the world.

Finally, the process of glass blowing was invented when someone discovered that you were able to blow into the glass to make the shape of the vessel you wanted in 50 BC. Because of this fascinating new discovery, glass blowers had a much wider range on what they had the ability to make with glass. Glass vessels became more of a household object, and because glass blowers could just blow into the glass, making these vessels became easier to do, and easier to handle financially. In effect to glass becoming easier to make, there were more glass pieces to give out, which meant more of the lower class members could have glass vessels as well as the upper class.

The population and demand of glass vessels quickly increased when the industrial revolution started. people made factories, so that the glass blowing again became easier for people to make. Still, the process took a lot of work. Otto Schott, a german scientist, and Ernst Abbe studied the chemical makings of glass, and contributed immensely on the mass production of glass blowing from their research. Soon people started inventing new things to help the process of glass blowing, such as the tank furnace which was invented by Friedrich Siemens. This made Friedrich Siemens very famous, replaced the old pot furnace, and helped keep the glass at a high enough temperature that it stayed as molten. Then there was the invention of kerosene lamps, and suddenly the demand on glass lamps went up instantaneously.

Until the Glass lamps were made, glass was pretty much only used to make things such as different shaped vessels and bottles. Glass started being used for so much more, that glass started to be part of everyone's daily routine. Once there was more population of coal, people had the fuel in order to maintain glass factories in more areas around the cities. Soon after, there was the invention of the glass bottle blowing machine which was made by Michael Owens. After he invented this, there were many other machines inspired by it. All these machines made glass blowing more and more easier and helped make the process cheaper.

There is more to it than just the history, like the actual step by step making of all the different things made out of glass. When I take one good look at something made out of glass, I couldn't see how something of such simplicity, could be made.

After studying about the history and process at glass blowing I was all the more amazed at what glass blowers had the skill to do.

SOURCES:

http://www.glassblowing.com/hotglass/history.php
http://mirakkulglassware.com/blog/history-of-glass/industrial-revolution-and-glass-making/
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O1xb48Y6EdA

The Power of Mindsets

Mindset is a state of mind. Mind sets can make a huge difference, because they make things easier or harder depending on how you use them. They might affect whether you can get the Snickers challenge, how many pirouettes you can do, or what score you get on a test. When someone thinks“I can’t do that,” he or she normally can’t do it. An example of a good mind set, where you think to yourself, “I can do it,” appears in one of my little brother’s books, The Little Engine That Could “Puff, puff, chug, chug, went the Little Blue Engine. ‘I think I can- I think I can- I think I can- I think I can- I think I can- I think I can - I think I can -I think I can- I think I can’ Up,up,up. Faster and faster and faster the little engine climbed, until at last they reached the top of the mountain.”

Carol Dweck, who discovered mindsets, teaches psychology at Stanford University. She wrote a book called Mindset. Mindset describes and demonstrates mindsets in sports, education, and relationships . Dweck’s book is the product of a decade of research on how people learn and perform. She identified two types of mindsets.

The two mindsets are growth mindsets and fixed mindsets. If you have a growth mindset you understand that abilities are things that can be developed. Fixed mindsets , by contrast, are a static idea of what can be achieved. Growth mindsets have been proven better for learning and achieving hard goals. A study with 7th graders showed that the ones with growth mindsets were more motivated than the others. After the period of two years a significant gap in math scores developed between the children with growth mindsets and the children with fixed mindsets.

           In PE, John had us do a Snickers challenge for hockey. A Snickers challenge is when we are presented with a challenge, if we can do it, everyone in the class gets a Snickers. This Snickers challenge was to hit the hockey ball into the soccer goal on the other side of the gym. The people who were more confident seemed to hit it in more often. At the end of that class John talked about mindsets and how important they are. John’s comments are what gave me the idea for this blog.

In ballet, I use mindsets all the time: when I’m about to do a pirouette, when I’m learning a new step, or even when my feet hurt. It’s helpful to picture the ballet step being done perfectly. One of the company artists at OBT is my idol. Trying to picture her doing a step and then telling myself I can do the same thing, normally makes ballet easier.

Mindsets can also help with school. Studying is important but it is not enough. Mindsets are vital, because they can make you more or less confident. Fixed mindsets can make it hard to think. Growth mindsets help with learning.

These examples demonstrate how mindsets can change lives. By helping sports, arts, and education, growth mindsets have a huge influence on performance.  Fixed mindsets, however, only make learning harder. I hope after reading this blog you will be more aware of how you think.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

works cited:

http://www.mindsetworks.com/webnav/whatismindset.aspx, http://mindsetonline.com/,http://en.wikipedia.org, http://community.mindsetworks.com/blog-page/home-blogs/entry/carol-dweck-receives-distinguished-scientific-contribution-article-award, http://www.thoughtfullearning.com/blog/cat/Creative%20Thinking

http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/mind-set

Evolution of the Telephone

by: Maggie Craven

A major breakthrough during the industrial revolution was Alexander Graham Bell's invention of the telephone. Bell's mother and and wife were both deaf so that encouraged his research in hearing and speech. He first invented was the microphone which later turned into the "speech machine" more commonly known nowadays as the telephone. Bell was awarded the first ever patent for the telephone in 1876. Thomas Watson worked alongside Bell throughout the invention. They used reeds, vibration, magnets, currents, and more to make the invention possible.

After they had made the first ever practical telephone Bell and Watson started their own telephone business. They kept advancing their business with inventions like the rotary-dial telephone (the one where you rotate the circular dial to put in the number you wish to call). Bell died August 2nd, 1922 at the age of 75, but his invention lives on and continues to evolve. 

Telephone Timeline

                                   

 In the 1940's cellular telephone started being put into action. Inventors started with the "hand-held radio transceivers" and continued with devices people could use in their automobiles. In 1947 AT&T commercialized the MTS (mobile telephone services). This service however was nothing like what we have now. The equipment itself weighed about 80 pounds and customers were a rarity. 

The advancements in telephones is probably one of the most astonishing inventions of all time! It's amazing to see what our phones can do now compared to back when they first started. Also the popularity of phones has increased tremendously and so has the need. We use our phones for social purposes and many work purposes as well.  I wouldn't doubt that about 99% percent of the people in america know someone who owns an iPhone or smartphone never the less probably owning one themselves. 

sources

http://inventors.about.com/od/bstartinventors/a/telephone.htm
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Invention_of_the_telephone
http://sln.fi.edu/franklin/inventor/bell.html

http://www.history.com/photos/inventions-communication/photo5

http://www.biography.com/people/alexander-graham-bell-9205497

http://www.greatachievements.org/?id=3625

Child Labor in the Industrial Revolution

Child Labor in the Industrial Revolution

Have you ever worked in a factory with almost no breaks for 12 hours a day, and it was a possibility you wouldn’t be paid? These are just some of the the horrible working conditions child laborers faced during the Industrial Revolution. In England in 1750, 14% of factory workers were children. If child workers failed to reach the quota required by their supervisors, they would be punished severely, and their supervisors would make sure their fellow child workers saw what happened. It was very surprising to me that children under the age of nine were allowed to work in factories in Britain until 1833, when Parliament passed the Factory Act which banned them from working. Factory owners could opt to not pay their child laborers if they provided essentials such as shelter, clothing, food, and water. Children were sometimes dragged semi-conscious and naked from their ragtag bedding early in the morning as to assure they wouldn’t be late. Some children working in the fields instead of factories would work 14 hour days in extreme temperatures. Perhaps the strangest fact to me is that the labor laws stopping such maniacal behavior were not supported by many parents of the child workers, and this was true because the children received barely ample supplies for living. Many orphaned children were siphoned into factory jobs, and therefore government funds wouldn't be used on orphanage supplies. The children working in factories for a few extra coins for their families were labeled "free labour children", and factory owners were eager to employ them. Multiple child workers have testified over the years, and one 8 year old testified that he once tried to run away from the mill he worked at, but his parents had sold him to the mill owner for 15 shillings for six years. He stated that he tried to run away twice, and both times one of the supervisors whipped him without mercy. Some of the causes to limit child labor came from doctors, and they said that epidemics could easily spread through children miners working dirtily in close quarters. The Ten Hours Bill of 1847 stated that children over nine and women could only work ten hours, and another act called the Regulation of Child Labor Law paid inspectors to patrol mainly the textile factories in search of underage workers or children and women working more than 10 hours. These were eventually compiled under the Factory Act. This picture 

shows just how hard the laboring was back then. When asked, the mill owners justified their malevolent actions by saying that they were "building the children's character". The newspapers and news outlets always found a way to avoid blaming the wealthy mill owners, and by doing this they extended the period of time over which child labor was allowed. In the United States, wages and working conditions were only barely better than the environment facing the children of Britain. The United States children were paid anywhere from 40 cents to 2 dollars. Unlike the British, laws of the United States and Europe on child labor did not change until the 1900's! That's over 70 years after the British made a major change. During the Industrial Revolution, many families came to the cities because they heard of many job opportunities, and higher pay. When they realized these were empty promises, they scrambled for money whenever they could. This made it even easier for the selfish mill and factory owners to manipulate those lower class families into putting their kids to work. On the other hand, commoners argued that it gave young men and women valuable skills they could use for future jobs. They stated this although many children ruined their futures by injuring themselves on the job. The Industrial Revolution had many changed many aspects of common living for the better, but Child Labor is certainly not one of them.

Works Cited:

"Child Labor in Factories During the Industrial Revolution." Child Labor in Factories During the Industrial Revolution. N.p., n.d. Web. 13 Feb. 2013.

"Child Labour." Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation, 02 Dec. 2013. Web. 13 Feb. 2013.

"Eastern Illinois University Homepage." Childhood Lost. N.p., n.d. Web. 13 Feb. 2013.

"Industrial Revolution." Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation, 02 Dec. 2013. Web. 13 Feb. 2013.

"Child Labour." Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation, 02 Dec. 2013. Web. 13 Feb. 2013.

Declaration of Rights of Man and Citizen

For my blog post I will be writing about the declaration of rights of man. This was written by a man named Marie Joseph Paul Yves Roch Gilbert (Zhill-bear) du Motier, Marquis de Lafayette. The declaration of rights of man is not to be confused with the declaration of independents, they are very similar because the rights of man was based off the declaration of independents.

The writer Lafayette went to join george washington's army when he was 19. After a while he became very close friends with george and they became almost father and son. While in the States he grew very fond of the declaration of independents and decided to make his own with the help of his friend Jefferson. They worked long evenings secretly to make the Independence of Rights of Man.

When it was finished Lafayette first called it The “First European Declaration of the Rights of Man and Citizens,” On July 7th, 1787, Lafayette proposed his "Declaration of the Rights of Man," and it got approved on August 26th to be the “Declaration of Rights of Man and Citizens."
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Declaration_of_the_Rights_of_Man_and_of_the_Citizen
http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20100113201158AAarXF8
http://www.thirdworldtraveler.com/Human%20Rights%20Documents/French_RightsofMan.html

 Tea party? More like tea war declaration!

Written by Silas Godlee-Campbell 

           "The distinctions between Virginians, Pennsylvanians, New Yorkers, and New Englanders are no more. I am not a Virginian, but an American!"
 This statement was made by Patrick Henry (an orator during the movement for independence) shortly after the Boston Tea Party.

          The reason  that this "tea party" was so historically  important was not that Mr. beary actually showed up (he didn't)  it was that during the Boston Tea Party  English settlers dumped 12 million dollars worth of tea into the Boston harbor. That's 27,180,000 cups! Now the English settlers didn't do this out of celebration or boredom they did this to get back on England, because England was taxing them for things that they didn't tax the rest of England for such as tea or beans. Now the English settlers were a little ticked by this but what really got their knickers in a twist was that they didn't get a say in how they were taxed and they couldn't try to change the previous taxes, this is called taxing without representation.

           This event was one of the major turning points in American history. If the English settlers didn't get so fed up the country might be a completely different place maybe we would all be English or maybe our land would be sold and America would be controlled by 17 different countries. So next time you're enjoying the hearty taste of a Big Mac be thankful that the English settlers had the back bone to fight back against their English depressors.

 Sources
 http://wiki.answers.com/Q/What_came_first_Boston_massacre_or_Boston_tea_party
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/No_taxation_without_representation
https://docs.google.com/a/catlin.edu/document/d/1L2IsJucS_2BMw8Bb8B_jP7rcF6SW-tZIhPX3JAZxD4g/edit?pli=1