Model UN Post 4--Wrap up

Model United Nations Simulation Debrief 

Answer the questions as fully as you need to. The following questions are about your role/feelings/ participation in the model United Nations simulation activity you just completed.

1. What was your country delegation like? Give a concrete example or two.

2. In your own words, what world problem were you looking at? How much did you know about this problem prior to the simulation?

3.Was it easy to solve the problem? If not, why did it seem so difficult to reach a compromise?

4. How did you feel during the activity? Did you ever feel frustrated? How do you feel about the ability of the UN to deal with problems now?

5. Was this activity helpful to you? Why/Why not?

6. The simulation consisted of 4 activities, learning about your country, researching the issue, writing resolutions, and participating in committee session. Which was your favorite? Why? Which was most difficult? Why?

7.  Was this activity fun?  As you answer, explain what you learned through this simulation.

Oh, yeah....image and labels, please....7th grade, cultures, Learning, mun, simulation,

Model UN Simulation--Day 2

Congratulations on a successful first day of our MUN activity.  Now that you have been assigned both your country and learned what your topic is, you are probably thinking, "now what?"  Here's the topic for today's reflection...

1.  What is your topic?  What world issue are you trying to address?  How does this issue affect your country?  If you don't know, how will you find out?  How do your personal feelings differ from the way your country views this problem

2.  What do you think of the simulation so far?  How is your group functioning?  Are there any solutions or possible resolutions that you are thinking of?

3.  Don't forget to include an image.  Use the same labels as yesterday....7th grade, Learning, cultures, mun, simulation

Model UN Simulation--Day 1

Welcome to Day 1 of the Model United Nations Simulation.  Each day, for the next week (B-F days), you will be asked to reflect in your blogs how the simulation is proceeding.  Your post will consist of three parts:

1.  Something assigned that you must write about
2.  An opinion prompt that will reflect your role in your group
3.  An image reflecting your country or the topic assigned to your group.

Posts will be 2 paragraphs long......5 sentences per paragraph = 10 sentences

Your first prompt

1.  What is your country?  What continent is it on?  Doing no research, what do you know about your country already?  Again, doing no research, what is your initial reaction to your country?  Finally, do a bit of research....how do people greet each other in your country?

2.  What is your understanding about the simulation?  That is, what do you think your group needs to do on days 2 and 3 in order to be ready for day 4?

3.  Use these labels:  7th grade, Learning, cultures, mun, simulation    and don't forget an image!

Model UN Simulation--Day 3

Wow!  Time is flying.  Day 3 already!!!!  You have researched your country's culture, know how to say hello in the language, and know a bit about the issue before your discussion group.  Here is today's post:

1.  How would your country address the problem?  Would they just ignore it?  Would they side with a powerful country such as the US or China?  What are possible solutions?  What would it take for a solution to work?

2.  What is your country's top resolution?  How will you present it? How will you defend it?  Will all countries agree to it or are there likely to be countries that disagree with you?  Who do you think will vote with you?

3.  Don't forget image and labels.  7th grade, Learning, cultures, mun, simulation

Image Credit

WorldMapper Activity

Click on http://www.worldmapper.org/. Click on Maps. Choose any map by clicking on it. In your blog post, explain why certain countries are depicted as larger or smaller. Compare this projection with any map projection from your Ways to Draw the World chart. How are they different? The same?  Finally, imagine that you are from a country or area that is depicted as being smaller than what a map used in class (including yours) indicates.  How would this make you feel?  Why?  Alternate question-How would you feel if your state/country were in someone's geographic blind spot and forgotten on a map? Use the labels cultures, g&he, geography,maps,worldmapper.  Please include a Worldmapper  image in your post. Image Source: https://worldmapper.org/natures-heartbeat/

Restricted Mode VS. the People

HEY, YOU!

I made a video talking about YouTube's restricted mode and how it's limiting LGBT+ content! You should definitely watch it - it's right below. Just click on the thumbnail and cozy up under a blanket. It's like reading an opinionated article minus the reading... aren't you stoked?! (Yes, yes you are.)

Here's my major source, in case you want to read up on the topic: https://techcrunch.com/2017/03/19/youtube-lgbt-restricted-mode/ (but watching my video is much more fun.)

Thanks!

- Fri

Life In the Upper School, and What That Does to the Rest of My Existence

I'm a middle schooler in an upper school class.  How does that work?  I'm going to tell you.
Be forewarned:  I may sound self-important as I write.  Know that this is purely a product of chance (perhaps not, seeing that I do have math talent) and that I do not mean to sound arrogant (but then again, this is the difference between trying and doing).  Anyway, here goes.

I guess it all starts in sixth grade, when I took an upper school math class (Algebra II, to be exact) for the first time.  That was when I officially became part of the Upper School community- in math, at least.  Have you ever moved?  You're in one comfortable place, and then you pack up and you have to settle down elsewhere, or at least try.  It's hard just to move to a new part of the city, let alone moving to a new country (otherwise known as immigration).  But this is kind of the same thing.  If you're in one classroom situation, and you move to another, how is that going to work out?  But it did, in my case, and I successfully became a cross-dimensional explorer (by which I mean a cross-division student).

And yes, this is just last year, so what about now?  Well, new teacher, new students, and a new class.  Precalc is less fun than Algebra II, although that may have something to do with both the teacher and the subject.  Additionally, I've only been through half of the year.  Maybe something great will reveal itself after I get past trigonometry.

The Art Of Ballet

         Ballet is an art form. Men and women have been doing traditional ballet pieces since the 15th century, and is still a huge part of today's dance world. Ballet is thought to be the core of all dance, hip hop, jazz, and tap all originated from it. And a huge part of ballet is pointe.

         Pointe shoes are the pink satin shoes you see female dancers wearing. They allow you to go up on the tip of your big toe to give the appearance that you're floating. The end of the shoe is called the box, it is made of cardboard and cloth hardened by glue, it is completely flat on the end so that you can stand straight up.

Pointe was invented in 1832 when a dancer wore leather ballet slipper with reinforced sides so that she could go up on her toes for just a few seconds. Now two hour long ballets will be done completely on pointe. As you can imagine it is very painful, so to ease some pressure dancers will but wool and gel toe pads in to prevent blisters. But some girls who go on pointe to young can end up damaging their feet permanently.

Now even men are starting to wear pointe shoes. They have been around for 200 years and are part of an extremely traditional art form. Ballet will always be around.

          

Lax

Lacrosse was first played as early as the 12th century. It was was codified in 1869. The objective is to score a goal into the other team's goal. The goalie is the last line of defense. Defense’s job is to stop the other team of gaining possession of the ball or letting them score. Lacrosse was first played mainly by Iroquois people. Then a lot more in the east coast. Especially Maryland. I am happy to say this, lacrosse is currently the fastest growing sport in the United States. Lacrosse was started and first played by Native Americans. Their games were national events and several people played in them.

This is New York lizards goalie, Drew Adams.

I enjoy playing lacrosse because I forget about all the bad things. I always feel calm and excited while on the field. I am also a goalie. Now that I have gotten a lot better and trained a lot more it is so much more fun. I play rec for Lincoln Lacrosse, the youth team of Lincoln High school district. I play club team for a team called 3D. Lacrosse means so much to me. I put every single day into working on getting better. I hope that one day that I could play division 1 lacrosse at a great school. During a regular practice i am usually pretty excited because i get to be with all my friends doing what i like. In a game I have to be mentally prepared for anything and patient and not give up because being a goalie it can be real easy to lose all hope.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2cNcRGsvPt0 - D1 lacrosse championship goalie saves

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lacrosse

http://filacrosse.com/origin/

Death by Guillotine

Anacharsis Cloots was beheaded on March 24, 1794. Ten years before his death, Anacharsis Cloots had left France to travel through Europe, and returned to France five years later, just after the French Revolution had started. He quickly became an ardent democrat and leader of 34 individuals, his own "embassy of the human race". He then attended the National Assembly and declared to the whole world that they follow the democratic ideals of the revolution. He then titled himself "Orator of Mankind" and adopted the name Anacharsis, then declared himself "the personal enemy of Jesus Christ". He soon became a Naturalized French Citizen and was elected to go to the National Convention. There, he advocated that the French liberate the rest of Europe. The Convention backed his idea, and soon, France was at war with most of Europe. At the National Convention, Cloots also voted in favor of the Capital Punishment for King Louis XVI, saying that he was justifying the human race. After King Louis XVI was executed, the Jacobins took control of the government in June, 1793. Cloots identified himself with the right-hand man of the Jacobins', under the rule of Jacques Hébert. In December, the Jacobin Leader had Cloots expelled from the Jacobin Club for Cloots' support in the Hébertist dechristianizers, who attempted to destroy the church's power and all catholic institutions. When the Committee of Public Safety, under Robespierre's direction, levelled accusations of treason at the Hébertists, they also accused Cloots of treason. Although his innocence was a manifest, he was condemned, and soon guillotined on March 24, 1794. He followed Vincent, Momoro, Rosin, and the rest of the Hébertist leadership, in front of the largest crowd ever assembled for a public execution. 

So, why was Anacharsis Cloots such an interesting man? And why did I choose to pick him? Well, I was wondering what to write about, so I looked at a list of people who were part of the French Revolution. I found the name Anacharsis Cloots and thought that it was an uncommon name. I started doing research on him, and realized that he was an interesting man. I thought that during the revolution, he really spoke for the people, and tried diplomacy before resulting to violence, which is a thing that not many people during the French Revolution would have been able to accomplish. Anacharsis Cloots was also nicknamed "speaker of mankind","citizen of humanity"and"personal enemy of God."

Here's a link for a really cool website that explains guillotines and brings up interesting points!

http://www.history.com/topics/french-revolution/videos/coroners-report-guillotine





Sources:
https://www.britannica.com/biography/Jean-Baptiste-du-Val-de-Grace-baron-de-Cloots
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anacharsis_Cloots

Alexander Hamilton: From Immigrant to Broadway Play

Alexander Hamilton, one of the founding fathers of our country has gained mass media popularity since the release of the Broadway musical Hamilton in spring of 2016. Hamilton is known for being a founder of our nation's financial system, the Federalist Party, the United States Coast Guard, and The New York Post newspaper.

Alexander Hamilton was born on 11 January 1755 or 1757 (the exact year is unknown) in Charlestown, the capital of the island Nieves, located in the Leeward Islands. Hamilton's father, James A. Hamilton, abandoned his wife, Rachel Buck Faucette, and his two children, James Jr. (Alexander's older brother by two years), and Alexander himself. Shortly after the disappearance of his father, Alexander and his mother got influenza, which unfortunately killed Rachel. Alexander and James Jr. were sent to live with their thirty-two year-old divorced cousin, Peter Lytton, living alongside his African-American mistress, Ledja. However, this tale doesn't have a happy ending. One day, Alexander and James Jr. returned home to find their cousin in bed, soaked in his own blood. He had committed suicide. After the death of Lytton, Alexander and James Jr. went their separate ways. James Jr. decided to apprentice an aging Christiansted carpenter named Thomas McNobeny, whereas Alexander clerked for the mercantile house of Beekman and Cruger, the New York traders who had supplied his mother with provisions for her shop. Soon after receiving his job, Alexander was taken to the home of Thomas Stevens on King Street. Stevens was a well respected merchant who lived with his wife, Ann, and his five children. Of the five children, Hamilton shared a bond like no other with Edward, who was born just a year before Alexander. Both were extremely quick and clever, fluent in French, knowledgeable about classical history, disgusted with slavery, and mesmerized with medicine. Not only were their personalities similar, but so were their resemblance. Some say it was even uncanny. Most also were in disbelief when the boys told people that they were in fact, not related.

Young Hamilton

Hamilton worked closely with Aaron Burr, the second vice president of the United States (under Thomas Jefferson's rule), and Hamilton soon became the Secretary of the Treasurer, which is responsible for direct oversight over the U.S. Mint, the Bureau of Engraving and Printing, and Fort Knox. They are also a key liaison with the Federal Reserve. In addition, the Treasurer serves as a senior advisor to the Secretary in the areas of community development and public engagement. In honor of everything he did for our country's financial system, he became the face of the ten dollar bill. Coincidentally, in the soundtrack, the song Alexander Hamilton has a lyric that says "The ten-dollar founding father without a father..."

Ten-Dollar bill

Alexander Hamilton married Elizabeth 'Eliza' Schuyler, and had seven children; John, Eliza, James, William, Alexander Jr., Angelica (named after Schuyler's sister), and Phillip.

Hamilton was killed in a duel with Aaron Burr, after a long, bitter history between the two men. Hamilton's  son, Philip Hamilton, was killed in a duel two years before his father's death with George Eacker, a New York lawyer and Freemason.

A portrait of Alexander Hamilton

Lin-Manuel Miranda (writer, director, and lead) as Alexander Hamilton in Hamilton

Currently, his story is being told through the form of a Broadway musical, with tickets at over $1,000 a piece. I would recommend listening to the music, if you haven't already. Alexander Hamilton's story is an inspiring one, teaching you that sometimes the greatest people rise from virtually nothing. 

Complete Hamilton Soundtrack (YouTube Playlist)

Sources: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alexander_Hamilton

               https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aaron_Burr

               https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Burr%E2%80%93Hamilton_duel

               https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL8KQXy_mAmdfKIuWqiFHe-kFo_OKlNaaB

              

Old Cars Vs New Cars

We all know those super expensive comfy nice cars with those cool sliding doors. We know those cars that can go over a 211 miles per hour. And we know those cars that those mini TV's in the backseat. Yep, we all know those.

But let's go back in time. What do you think cars would look in mid 1900's?. I can tell you this, it will not look anything like those Ferrari, a Lamborghini, or even a nice comfortable Lexis. You would be shocked at the appearance.

First of all the wheels are thin, like a bike. Just think about that. Would you like to drive around with those wheels. I certainly won't. In fact, these cars don't have a roof. What if it rains? Would you like that?. These cars don't even have windows!. With all of this information, imagine this type of car?. Shocking right?. It's fascinating that technology has improved at such a rapid rate. Before, we had appalling cars, but now we have some of the stylish and fascinating cars that have ever set road. And yet, there is still more to come!. What if these cars could fly?. I certainly bet that these new cars in the future would have a much greater capacity to do certain tasks then some of these cars now!.

Troubles of the first car:
Steam powered egine:
The first car was the steam car. This car was powered by a steam engine. "A steam engine is an external combustion engine (ECE) where the fuel is combusted away from the engine, as opposed to an internal combustion engine (ICE) where the fuel is combusted within the engine" One of the greatest technological challenges to the steam car is focused on it's boiler. A boiler is,  is a device used to create steam by applying heat energy to water. The boiler represented a lot of the car's mass making the car very heavy, and it forced the driver to be much more careful when driving the car.

Fuel cell and electric cars:

This invention has been fairly recent. A fuel cell is a device that converts the chemical energy from a fuel into electricity through a chemical reaction of positively charged hydrogen ions with oxygen or another oxidizing agent. As most of you know, a fast paced  problem has occurred recently in the past decade. The temperature of our atmosphere has drastically changed through a process called global warming. These new efficient cars don't produce harmful gases like carbon dioxide. These cars are completely safe. The only byproduct that a hydrogen fuel cell produces is water. Another fairly recent invention also is completely safe for the environment. Electric cars or as most people call them (smart cars). Hopefully we can continue to use more of these types of cars!

Hidden figures:
Ok let me ask you this question. Who fist invented the car?.
Even though most people don't know who invented the first car, if you typed these exact words on to your serach engine, it would immediately come up with Karl Benz.
But wait.
Did Karl invent the car by himself?
Is he just getting all the credit for doing it by himself?
And guess what...
There where some hidden figures (people who help, but don't get credit as much) that helped him.
Some of the hidden figures are....
Leonardo Davinci created models and designs for automobiles. This impacted Karl to further expand on some of his ideas. Even though he might of created the first automobile.
Even though Karl was said to invent the first car, other scientist have created automobile's before Karl that used a combustion engine, and a steam powered engine. This shows that it really wasn't Karl who invented the fist automobile

How this ties into revolutions:
This invention ties into revolutions, because with this new invention it caused movement, more population and much more efficiency.

Image citations:

https://s1.cdn.autoevolution.com/images/news/car-door-types-whats-that-a-butterfly-and-why-does-it-commit-suicide-43632_10.jpg

https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhz78a-MVvzWzBhqcQ_5QO92UGBgVjl0wTga7QVzihgVK8UI7QAkfK5Lln-j5vZ9_xC9sduvlYABaxUaik38VSGfd-R9pS2vowceIHLoT9v9g90XU71MuD9SqFkyXaRVPAOPRVnHE2V7zqe/s1600/most+expensive+luxury+cars+in+the+world1.jpg

https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbX6uK5P-pklliDanjA7Urw414uHE6jywrZzssg2QVjTQFt7ahvtNrqp2PY2NRqoA1DGJ4IKVCyqcOGs1XQFW_7M3CKijKcRBMVNmtTkwwmwlq_fEurSvXpemqCDNh05ZwgZutO7M5Rqq3/s640/first+car+ever+made+2.jpg

Sources:
http://science.howstuffworks.com/transport/engines-equipment/steam1.htm

http://www.loc.gov/rr/scitech/mysteries/auto.html

https://www.slideshare.net/robinzon25/internal-combustion-engine-vs-electric-engine

How Beauty Standards Have Changed

      My whole life there has been stereotypes on how people should look, and what is considered "beautiful."As we all know, today in society the standards of beauty are very high. The stereotype is that women must be skinny and pretty, and men must be muscular and strong. But how have these stereotypes came to be, and how have beauty standards have changed over the years?

     Although high beauty standards may have been around for a longer, this began getting serious in the year c.1292 in Ancient Egypt. From c.1292 to 1069 B.C., the body that was considered perfect for women back the was to have narrow and thin shoulders, long legs, a high waist, and a symmetrical face. This went until in Ancient Greece in the year of C.500 to 300 B.C. In this time period the must have body and face was to have a plump body, be full blooded and have pale skin. Back then many countries had different opinions on the perfect women's body. After many years of body image changing to fit the role of the perfect body, it still goes on today with women and men, and even kids.

    Like Women, men also have unrealistic body and facial expectations. Over the years the ideal male body has gone from being tall and thin to muscular and short. Between the years 1930 and 1950 men were supposed to be slinder and toned, although around the late 1800's the look was to be short and plump.

   As you can see there has always been body image stereotypes whether its male or female. This proves that there is no such this as "the perfect body" and the ideal body image right now will probably change in the future. Overall, this is a serious issue in the United States today because of the social media in our generation. People need to worry less about having the perfect body and worry about more important issues, because it may seem that body image is a huge deal, but that is only because of what society makes it. Don't contribute to what society wants you to look like, stand against it.

Astrology: Magic or Myth?

When I ask you when you were born, you can tell me the date and the year, and you might be able to tell me the time. But can you tell me how the planets and stars were aligned when you first popped into the world? Probably not!

A woodcut of the original zodiac signs

Astrology is the study of how the planets affect people and events. The way planets were arranged when you were born can give you insight into your personality and your inner self, much like the moon affects the tides. You've probably heard of zodiac signs like Aries and Pisces, which are determined by the month you were born in. Each sign has its own personality and character type associated with it. For example, Aries people are usually boisterous and fiery while Pisces people are usually spacey and creative. Though astrology hasn't been scientifically proven, many people believe in it and use their astrological charts to gain more insight into themselves.

Looking into the astrological aspects of the night sky

Though people didn't have daily horoscopes in the newspaper a few thousand years ago, people still looked up to the skies to predict future events and to answer their questions. For example, Tycho Brahe said "suspiciendo despicio", which means "by looking up I see downward". In fact, people have been using the stars for thousands of years, and not just for directions. The Babylonians are often credited for birthing astrology, and they valued astrology just as much as they valued scientifically backed astronomy. During the time period between the classical period and the scientific revolution, astrology was used to further mathematical, scientific, and psychological knowledge. When the scientific revolution swung around, however, people began seeing astrology and astronomy as different - astronomy was seen as more scientific, while astrology was seen as more absurd and superstitious. Though great figures in astronomy like Kepler and Galileo saw them as separate studies, they still practiced both equally.

So is astrology real, or is it just one big placebo? As stated above, astrology isn't scientifically supported, but there's an overwhelming amount of anecdotal evidence that points towards the fact that astrology isn't just myth. To find some evidence, you can take a look at your own zodiac sign and see if there are any similarities! Just use this handy chart:

My natal chart

My grandma is very interested in astrology - if asked, she can name all 12 zodiac signs, their traits, and the

planet they're associated with in the blink of an eye. The last time I visited her, she helped me make a natal chart, which is a more in-depth zodiac tool that includes all of the planets and how you're related to them based on your birth month. It seemed very complicated at first, but we dissected it and I found nearly all of the connections to be startlingly true! I've been using my zodiac to make decisions and know myself better for a long time.

So, what do you think? Is astrology actually a magical force, or is it all just one giant coincidence?

Expensive Tech, An old transistor and a revolution.

Many of you readers would agree with me that technology is really a revolution. It has changed SO much in the last few years. Take storage for example.  In 1991, (26 years ago), a hard drive (Photo on the right) held a grand total of 1 GB. Nowadays, you can get a 10 TB drive (10,000 times more data can be stored) that's half the physical size of the 1GB Drive!

Hard drives are really not that interesting, so I have another example. 70 years ago, in 1947 the first transistor was invented. Transistors are electronic components that direct the flow of electricity. They run your computer, router, microwave, tv, pretty much anything that is more complicated than a lamp. In 1947, a transistor looked like the big clear thing on the top left. Of course one of those isn't in your microwave. The transistor on the bottom right is a modern day version of what the giant transistor was in 1947. One of the transistors on the left would cost about 25 cents today. What about transistors in computers? Is my computer filled with little black components with three wires sticking out? Well, no. The device on the right is a modern-day CPU (Central Processing Unit) In fact this is the one that is in my computer right now. This package, while larger than the single transistor on the right, this component has 1.75 Billion transistors inside! This chip costs around $300, but the number of transistors inside is insane. If you're willing to pay a little (a lot) more, $1700 to be exact, you can purchase the Intel 6950x, a CPU with a whopping 3.4 Billion transistors!

So what? Why does it matter how many odd-looking clear plastic things are in a computer? Why does it matter that they are smaller now? The answer is speed. My old computer had 1.3 Billion transistors, and while not even half a billion might not seem like a huge difference, the new machine feels so much faster. And it really is! In terms of raw speed, measured in Gigahertz (The more GHZ the better) the 0.45 transistor difference makes my current computer 145% faster than the old one. Transistor count doesn't mean everything however, my CPU beats the $1700 one by 25% in raw speed.

Now on to how the technology revolution has affected me. One example of the technology revolution is again, my computer. The 1.3 Billion transistor CPU came out in 2013. I built my current one over winter break, 6 (almost 7) years difference, and the chip is 145% faster? Thats amazing! (Both computers cost roughly the same at the time when I got them) The speed has changed so much in the span of just a few years! Another example of something that has changed a ton in the last few years, is cell phones. The first iPhone was released in 2007. Apple doesn't really like to tell anyone how fast their products are, aside from the possibly false claims about their products being "Light years ahead" (Check out Kamran's article for more on that) They really don't give me a lot of technical details that I can actually compare to their newer devices. One thing that they do give us is the storage capacity. The first iphone came in 4, 8, and 16gb versions. The newest iPhone comes in 32, 128, and 256gb options. If you don't have a reference of what a gb can actually hold, A 2 hour movie or or 345 songs is about 1.5gb.

I sure hope that technology keeps improving as fast as it has, because I sure am excited when the day comes where I can hold 10 Billion transistors in my hand.

Innovations Of The Chicago's World Fair 1893

The Fair Of The Future

The Chicago's World Fair of 1893 celebrated the 400th year since Columbus made his first voyage to the new world. This world's fair was famous because it was not only a huge celebration, but it also produced many firsts to the world.

Over 26 million people visited the fair over 6 months time, and enjoyed sights and experiences that they had never seen before or experienced before. This fair was the first time that foreign countries from all over the world could have their own pavilions that displayed their cultural arts, industry, etc....

The fair was futuristic and many inventors all over the world displayed their inventions. The tourists were awed by new technological advances that they had never seen before, such as neon lights, electric railway, washing machines. Another wonder that impressed them was the fact that the city of the fair was completely electrically light at night and this was something that they had never seen before.

This fair had the worlds first Ferris Wheel which was invented by George Washing Gale Ferris Jr. It was 60 m tall and the rides lasted 12 minutes. People rode in capsules that could hold several passengers. This was considered a very daring ride and some of the passengers would panic and crawl at the walls screaming. The Ferris Wheel ride was so popular, that was how the fair made so much money.

Besides being famous, the fair is infamous because murders happened there. A man named Patrick Prendergast assisnated Chicago's new mayor on closing day (the celebration had to be canceled). More shocking is during the fair a serial killer named Dr. H.H Holmes, lured unsuspecting guests to his hotel, The Castle. His hotel was littered with traps to kill and torture people. After the fair police found lime pits filled with skeletons and parts of bodies in the furnace. Police confirmed 9 kills, he confessed to 27 but, it is suspected that he killed up to 200 people in his hotel.


https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/World's_Columbian_Exposition

The evolution of fashion

Today, fashion is all over the world with famous designers, Coco Chanel, Marc Jacobs, Givenchy etc. Have you ever wondered who the first fashion designer was? His name was Charles Frederick Worth. He founded the House of Worth, one of the most famous fashion houses back in the 19-20th century. If it wasn't for him, fashion wouldn't be this famous today or might even be unrecognizable.

Charles Frederick Worth grew up in Bourne, Lincolnshire, England in 1825. As a young man he worked for London textile merchants, just long enough to know enough about fabrics and dress supplying. Most of Charles Frederick Worth work was to produce dresses for shops in Paris. Some of his first work was inspired by paintings he saw at The National Gallery.

He later became a leading salesman, and opened his own tiny dressmaking shop. He later became a professional dressmaker. His award winning designs were later displayed in the Great Exhibition in London (1851). This success leaded him to opening his own firm with business partner in 1855.  Charles Frederick Worth work opened up people's eyes to Paris with his fashion, which made it a showpiece of Europe.  If it wasn't for Charles Frederick Worth Paris wouldn't be the huge hit for fashion it is today.


Over the years fashion has evolved hugely. With new company's coming into the market, new ideas start emerging. Especially the clothing lines for teens. Every year the company's who design clothes for us are competing to think what will get the most attention/appeal. Certain trends may start in a weird way as well. Maybe someone that a lot of people look up to starts to wear a certain brand/clothing line and other people like the way it looks. More people will buy it and all of the sudden its a huge trend that everyone seems to wear. More and more people will buy it till everyone has it. But then all of the sudden the huge amount of popularity for that item drops. Company's then again have to find another idea that will appeal/get attention. This is how trends start and stop. Over the years you can imagine how many trends have come and gone, and how fashion was like back then and how it is now.

Fashion interests me a lot. I enjoy shopping and designing, and I want to become a designer when I grow up as well. I always thought how people came up with trends was so cool and I wanted to be able to do something like that one day as well. My uncle is a designer for Nike, so I get to work with him on designs that i'm interested in, and he helps me through the process of designing something. The process is much more complex then you would think and the tiny detail in every step is very important. Im so glad that Charles Frederick Worth lived out his passion, otherwise I wouldn't be able to live out mine.

Sources:
http://www.metmuseum.org/toah/hd/wrth/hd_wrth.htm

How Chess has Changed Over the Years

When people first started playing chess is was a game of style rather than a competitive game like has been in recent years. A great example of this is one of the most famous games ever played in chess history. The game nicknamed The Immortal Game because Adolf Anderssen, playing with the white pieces, sacrificed his queen to win the game with style rather than a safer and more straightforward approach to winning. This is what people tried to do back in 1851 and it's good for an exciting game to watch but is not a safe option to win.

People didn't only play differently, they also had different rules. One of the most noticeable ones is how people promote their paws. How do you promote a pawn? How you promote a pawn is pushing it all the way to your opponent's back rank. What this does is now you can turn it into any piece in the game, but how it used to be was it would only turn into the piece who's file its on. If you promoted a pawn on the side of the board, it would turn into a rook because the rook starts on the side. Another promotion change was you used to be able to promote to your opponents pieces. You would usually not want to do this but it was useful in some situations like this one.




This position has white mating black in one move before the promotion rule change.

The answer is pawn to b8 promoting to a black rook checkmate.

Many rules are local rules. In India, it used to be that pawns could only move one square at a time, and in some other places, pawns could only move by capturing your opponent's pieces. Rules only became universal when people from different regions played each other competitively in 1834.

When I first started to playing chess, all I would do was attack and try to find ways to break my opponents position down. This is how people first started playing chess in the 1700s and for some of the 1800s. They played simply by attacking and trying to charge in and break their opponents pawn structure and attack head on. It makes sense that they would play this way and develop better strategies over generations because a single chess game can have over 288 billion different possible positions after only four moves each so it would take many years for people to find the best moves. The fundamentals have stayed the same for the most part but it is a relatively new thing to keep your king safe early on in the game.

Let me give you an example of one of the games I've played:
https://en.lichess.org/Hxvcr0Hu5z98

This is a game I played online and I played an opening called the stonewall attack. This is where I control the center of the board so I have the option to attack either side of the board. I messed up in the mid-game when I left my queen hanging on b4. Because I made this mistake, I have to take some chances or I'll eventually lose the game to his superior pieces. I attack with my rook on the queen's side which distracts him so my knight can then get a fork on his king and rook with my knight on the king's side on move thirty-four. Because he had sacrificed three pawns and a bishop for my queen, I am now up three pawns and can just push them down the queen's side and win the game.

Sources:
http://io9.gizmodo.com/how-chess-has-changed-over-the-last-150-years-1707692642
https://www.google.com/search?q=how+many+moves+in+a+chess+game&oq=ho&aqs=chrome.0.69i59l3j69i61j69i60j69i61.1457j0j7&sourceid=chrome&ie=UTF-8
https://www.google.com/webhp?sourceid=chrome-instant&ion=1&espv=2&ie=UTF-8#safe=active&q=immortal+game&*

Basketball

Basketball

        Basketball is my favorite sport. I have been dribbling and shooting since I was three. Basketball is a fast and quick sport. When you play you have to be energetic, quick, and aware of everything around you.
        Basketball is usually played in the fall. I play year round so I can get better. I play for a club team named Maeko. We have won multiple tournaments but have also lost some too. My favorite teams in the NBA (National Basketball Association) are probably the Oklahoma City Thunder or the Golden State Warriors. Basketball is a sport played all across the world and is the third most played sport in the world.
        In my opinion, I would say the US is the most competitive for basketball. We have the best players from across the world. Basketball is very competitive in our age group. In the sport, you will get hit and tossed around but you learn to toughen up. You also learn to flop. Flopping is a key part of the game for some people. If you are good at it then you could get some pretty unfair calls made in your favor, but you do not want it to be obvious.
        If you are one of the best, then, like plenty of other sports, you will get a scholarship. Scholarships are very good but you need to really show the team that you are worth it. If you do then you might get drafted to the NBA. It has been my dream since I was in 3rd grade to get drafted into the NBA, and I have been working towards this dream of mine ever since.
        Basketball is my favorite sport. I have been dribbling and shooting since I was three. Basketball is a fast and quick sport. When you play you have to be energetic, quick, and aware of everything around you.

Think Like A Revolutionary, Act Like a Citizen

Somewhat lost in the transition from the Obama to Trump administrations was President Obama’s positive call-out and clarion call to our generation, Generation Z. Toward the end of his farewell address in Chicago, he said,

This generation coming up – unselfish, altruistic, creative, patriotic – I’ve seen you in every corner of the country.  You believe in a fair, just, inclusive America; you know that constant change has been America’s hallmark, something not to fear but to embrace, and you are willing to carry this hard work of democracy forward.  You’ll soon outnumber any of us, and I believe as a result that the future is in good hands.

President Obama knows a thing or two about our generation, having two Gen Z daughters. I’ve spent the last four years studying the attitudes and attributes of Gen Z and believe he’s nailed what makes our generation different and better. In fact, I see our generation as a group of 21^st century revolutionaries and the next “Greatest Generation.” The reason for my optimism relates to the intrinsic values of our age cohort and the amazing tools at our disposal to be change-makers. Think of us as super-citizens.

Born beginning in 1996, Gen Z has been shaped by the times into which we were born. The great recession hit just prior to our teenage years and the iPhone debuted when the oldest members of our generation were 10. I see our generation as clearly different from the Millennials that came before us. Most importantly, we are much more optimistic, and that’s what gives us the opportunity to feel bullish about changing the world. I see Gen Z’s key attributes as follows:

•       We are technology natives. We’ve never known anything but a high tech existence and we are at ease with technology, putting it to work for us effortlessly to make us super-creative and super-productive.
•       We are an entrepreneurial generation. Powered by technology and hubris, we are creating businesses and nonprofits at an unprecedented rate.
•       We have a high level of community consciousness. Ours may be the first generation that was required to do community service, but that requirement has morphed into legions of young people setting out to change the world.
•      We are non-partisan but pro-world. If you grow up in a world of sharp partisan divides, you take refuge in focusing not on parties but issues. Gen Z engages seriously with the world, not stopping to argue about whether climate change is real, but looking for how to play a role in finding a solution to the problem.
•       We crave experiences. We are bad spectators – we like to be where the action is, in fact, we like to be in the action. Our interest in experiential activities grows out of our commitment to community and to problem solving.
•       We are post-race and post-gender. The battles that adults, much to our regret, are still fighting seem silly to us. We matured and live in a world where sticking to the socially constructed binary is no longer the norm and where gender fluidity and racial diversity, tolerance, and acceptance are celebrated.

If you put all of those attributes together, you have a powerful amalgam poised for revolution, which is clearly what President Obama was anticipating and calling for from all of us. The good news is that having an impact has never been easier. There are amazing tools for identifying issues and figuring out how to have voice where it matters.

One emerging enabler of civic engagement and activism is the Indivisible movement. Using the techniques employed by the Tea Party movement in 2010, Indivisible sprung up in reaction to the election of Donald Trump. Thousands of Indivisible chapters have sprung up, all using a handbook created by 30 current and former Congressional staffers. Indivisible chapters target issues and elected officials and seek to have their voices heard.

The work of Indivisible has been greatly enhanced by the work of Nathan Harrison, a Portland-based political activist, and his Town Hall Project. Harrison and his grass roots team created, almost overnight, an easily accessible list of elected officials and a constantly updated, highly searchable list of town halls and public appearances planned by those politicians. Armed with the information generated by Harrison and his team, Indivisible has facilitated face-to-face encounters between elected officials and their constituents.

The work of Indivisible and the Town Hall Project extends the tradition of two centuries of political activism and civic engagement in the United States. Existing organizations, like Portland’s Bus Project, have long been providing a means for interested young people to work on issue-based politics, voter registration, and get-out-the-vote campaigns. In the words of President Obama,

Ultimately, that’s what our democracy demands.  It needs you.  Not just when there’s an election, not just when your own narrow interest is at stake, but over the full span of a lifetime.  If you’re tired of arguing with strangers on the Internet, try to talk with one in real life.  If something needs fixing, lace up your shoes and do some organizing.  If you’re disappointed by your elected officials, grab a clipboard, get some signatures, and run for office yourself.  Show up.  Dive in.  Persevere.  Sometimes you’ll win.  Sometimes you’ll lose.  Presuming a reservoir of goodness in others can be a risk, and there will be times when the process disappoints you.  But for those of us fortunate enough to have been a part of this work, to see it up close, let me tell you, it can energize and inspire.  And more often than not, your faith in America – and in Americans – will be confirmed. 

Now is the moment for Gen Z to rise to the challenge issued to it by President Obama – to use its commitment to community, its skill with technology, and its interest in issues to tackle the major problems facing our country. If Gen Z does so, it can be America’s next “Greatest Generation.”

Image Sources:

https://www.gfs.com/sites/gfs.com/files/how-to-manage-the-gen-z-workforce.jpg

https://www.alltruckjobs.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2016/08/TruckDriverRecruitmentGenZ.png

http://www.mrctv.org/sites/default/files/uploads/Monica/May/Screen%20Shot%202016-05-26%20at%2011.34.48%20AM.png

https://cbsboston.files.wordpress.com/2017/01/obama-wave.jpg?w=628&h=353&crop=1

http://www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files/styles/cd_large/public/headlines/trump_protest_2.jpg?itok=HDYL4IAI