Lacrosse

Lacrosse

        Lacrosse is my favorite sport. A combination of basketball, soccer and football, the aggressive game is played with finesse, agility, and strength.
        I've played lacrosse since 3rd grade and loved it ever since. I was fascinated by how a sport could be played differently for every participant. It can be played with stick skills and soft hands, or it can be played with brute strength and speed. As you can probably expect, the best players have a combination of all four attributes.
        I can guess that some of you may know little to nothing about the sport of lacrosse, so it may be surprising just how competitive the sport is at the junior level. Every weekend, club teams from all over the country fly in to play at massive complexes with 40+ fields. The best players will attend camps and showcases to hone in their skills and gain attention from college coaches. While most competitive players play all year round, I find that I have the most fun in the spring.
     

       Lacrosse is a spring sport. This means that the spring is when college and professional lacrosse takes place. I can watch high level games and follow scores which doubles the fun. Another great part of the spring is the recreational and low level select lacrosse that I participate in. With very little pressure compared to off season club lacrosse, I can relax and just play.
        In the spring, because my school doesn't have a team, I play for Lincoln lacrosse. Lincoln is the public high school of the district that I live in. I play for their youth division select team. Lincoln, and most other teams, have both select and recreational teams. While you have to try out to make the select team, anyone can play on the recreational teams. Last year, in 6th grade, I played select. It was my favorite season of lacrosse that I have ever played.

        Lacrosse is my favorite sport. A combination of basketball, soccer and football, the aggressive game is played with finesse, agility, and strength.

Is Technology good or bad for school?

       Technology can do many good things, and help with education. On the other hand, there are many bad side effects to tons of screen time. So the big question is, is technology good or bad for education?
       Technology at Catlin is everywhere. In almost any classroom there is a class set or 2 of computers, a projector, and maybe some I-pads. Technology is great for learning. There is stuff like Haiku for knowing what the homework is. Also many other things online to help make it easier for teachers to make assignments like Big Ideas Math or Google Classroom. Also there is less paper being wasted. Technology can help teachers and students a ton if you don't use it a ton.  

No Pencils anymore!

       Technology helps me a ton. I have bad handwriting, so I can just type and I don't have to worry about good handwriting and can focus on the content. I also get access to tons of information. For example, if I was studying Saturn, instead of buying a ton of books I could look up Saturn and it comes up with 12 million results. Out of that I could gather way more information then going to get a few books. It also helps me keep track of everything. Instead of keeping stuff I write in my binder where it could get lost I could just go in google drive and store all my documents. I can also just go onto Haiku to know my homework. Teachers also can make a class more fun by showing us a video of the information that we are learning. Over all technology has revolutionized Catlin Gabel and made class more fun.
       The stuff above is great, but screens also have their downsides. Screens leak some radiation that causes DNA fragments, and other health concerns. The amount that a person under 18 should spend at max is 2 hours(http://kidshealth.org/en/parents/tv-habits.html). Now think about how much we spend on a screen a day at Catlin Gabel. About 1/2 of the day in the middle school is spent on a screen. For a full school day, it is from 8-3:15, so 435 minutes. That means we spend 3.6 hours on screens in a regular school day. At home I usually have 45 minutes of homework, and spend 45 minutes doing other stuff on a screen. That means on average, I personally spend 5.1 hours on a screen a day. Over two times the recommended amount! over 4 of those hours were not my own choice. We spend way too much time on a screen at Catlin Gabel.
       In conclusion, technology can help a ton, if you don't spend too much time on it. It helps teachers to teach and students to learn. It helps give tons of information and saves trees. If you use it too much it can cause DNA fragments though. If we don't spend too much time on it, technology is useful and makes class extremely fun.

The Misunderstood Shark

                Sharks of all kinds are feared by the human race. Personally as a person that loves sharks is worried for the future of sharks. I first discovered I liked sharks when my family brought me to the Natural History Museum in New York City. Mostly I was bored until we got to the ocean exhibit, thats when my eyes widened. I started running around looking at all the different plastic creatures and the I turn around and I see this massive jaw filled with razor sharp teeth. Im sure I tried to touch it and my parents quickly stopped me from getting a nasty cut but who knows. From that point on I new I loved the ocean and I especially loved sharks. 
               Right now there are approximately 470 known species of shark in the world, but it's impossible to count the exact number of individual sharks on the planet.World Wildlife Fund estimates that more than 100 million sharks are killed each year for their fins. An d guess how many humans are killed each year… 26 was the most reported deaths in 2010. A vending machine is more likely to kill you that a shark. 
              Sharks live everywhere, they rang from Antarctica to Australia. They are everywhere. Now I don't mean to scare you but almost everywhere you go that is near the ocean, theres a shark. And you shouldn't be scared anyway, if I were to ask you right now why you were afraid of sharks, more than half of you will say something along the lines of "They eat people" or "they are blood thirsty flesh eating demons. or somewhere in that zone. But really they aren't hostile creatures.
             Sharks of all kinds have pretty common diet. they are all carnivores, But people have actually found some pretty wired things inside of a sharks stomach. here is a small list of things scientist have found in side a sharks stomach; Polar Bears, Reindeer, Licenses plates, Tires, Chicken coop complete with chickens, A full suit of armor, a fur coat, rubber boots, porcupine, video cameras, a horse head, and a bag of money. Now thats just a few things. You can probably imagine what else they eat. I guess they eat anything except for their veggies.
            Sharks have bad reputations because of movies and stories. The one movie that you always think about is… you guest it JAWS. Jaws was the first movie that really set off the whole flesh eating shark craze. Jaws is about this 25ft shark that is thirsty for blood and the main character, Brody, to save his town from this "monster" I won't say much more but there were sequels that just increased the fear with sharks.       
             Due to movies like this sharks are facing extinction. Over 1 million sharks are killed each year. People will either kill them for sport or some ail kill them for a tasteless soup made with their fins. It is a tradition in some countries to eat shark fin soup but is it really worth it? How they do it: First they catch the shark, cut off its fins and throw the animal back into the water to die slowly while bleeding uncontrollably. They leave the poor thing on the bottom of the ocean to die. 
       My goal is to make shark finning illegal all over the world. They have already done this in a few places fro example it is Illegal to shark fin in that state of hawaii. If sharks keep getting killed at this rate they will be gone in the next few decades. We need to stop this. You can help by going to here and donating even just $10 to help them stop this. I have done this, WWF is an great foundation to help. I hope you will learn to love sharks just as I did.

Thanks,
Sophie

How to Get Your Mind Off of HW

How to Get Your Mind Off of HW

         Cracking the two eggs into the bowl I notice a fleck of orange-brown shell in the sticky, chocolatey mess. Sticking my fat fingers through the oily goop I close my fingers around the shell and pull it out of the mix. Brownies are my all time cooking masterpieces, chocolate, double chocolate, chocolate chip, all my masterpieces. Taking the shiny silver whisk I stir it through the sludge like food. My arm grows tired but the tiredness fades away, pushed out by my excited mind as I poor the sugary heaven into a glass tray. Grabbing the handles, my hand slipping slightly I open the oven and stick it in the oven. Immediately I get blasted with a gust of hot air, putting the timer on for about half an hour, my work  is done.
         Mouth watering, I take the perfectly cooked brownies out of the oven and let it cool. Fifteen minutes later my family and I attack it, sticking the gooey and extremely chocolaty mess in my mouth my tastebuds go crazy.
All of these reasons is why cooking is one of the best things to do if your hungry, stressed, or bored of sitting at a desk at school. This is why cooking is one of the best ways to pass time.
           Ever just wanted to get messy? If you do this is how. Cooking is one of the best things you can possibly do besides reading. For one it is a great stress reliever, its educational in a fun way, and the most important, you get to eat it! Baking and cooking relieve stress by taking your mind off of the work at hand and give you something fun and enjoyable to explore. It is so much fun especially working with other people. It creates a fun environment and really brings out the creativeness in people. Getting messy? Awesome! Baking brownies, cookies, cake, biscuits the possibilities are nearly endless. Creating new dishes as you go along.
         Who knew that chocolate cheesecake would taste so much better inside a dish of cookie dough? Learning boring knowledge at a desk might not be fun but when you are cooking you can discover different chemical reactions, and things you never knew. For example who knew their was a cane sugar called jaggery? I bet you certainly didn't. Learning so many new ingredient recipes you can enjoy an easy experience of awesomeness. Eating it is the best part. Sure you can feel proud about the work but just imagine putting a forkful of chocolate cake into your mouth. Feeling the flavor flood your tastebuds as the rich frosting explodes in your mouth. Bite after bite of the rich, sugary heaven.

https://www.google.com/search?q=jaggery&espv=2&biw=1330&bih=812&site=webhp&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwiumsiMs_LRAhXIi1QKHZS3DgQQ_AUIBigB#imgrc=IPs9m9wtUVyREM:

https://www.google.com/search?q=chocolate+cake&espv=2&biw=1330&bih=812&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwiKztyBtfLRAhXjjFQKHZRMDhkQ_AUIBigB#imgrc=1nghjtT9bHdOfM:

How Sneakers Can be Insanely Profitable

Sneakers. Everyone owns a pair, whether they’re for exercise, wearing around, fashion, or a combination of the three. Or you own 2,500 pairs.

Source: 

http://iqbkkd2tcm3u6mnv1c41azk6.wpengine.netdna-cdn.com/files/2014/07/Sneaker-Collection-16-700x357.jpg

Introducing sneakerheads. The sneaker fanatics who campout for releases days in advance. The ones who spend $1,200 on a pair of sneakers they will never end up wearing. I know what you’re thinking. Why would they do this? Why buy another pair of Adidas Yeezy Boost 350’s instead of paying rent? Some do not do it for the sneakers, though. Some do it for the money.

    The largest corporations, such as Nike, Adidas, and Puma to mention a few, control the entire market.

Source: 

https://si.wsj.net/public/resources/images/MK-BR353_JORDAN_G_20111228163651.jpg

When releasing sneakers, these corporations control the supply of the sneaker, therefore controlling the demand of it. The fewer pairs being made, the more exclusive the pair, the more people want the pair, the higher the resale price. Strategies like supply and demand decide the amount of ¨hype¨ surrounding a release. When a release is ¨hyped,¨ everyone wants them. This is an image of people lined up outside of a Foot Locker, waiting for an upcoming Air Jordan sneaker release. This happens every weekend! With more limited releases, such as the Adidas Yeezy Boost 350, pictured below, people line up for days in advance. Days in advance! They take the week off from work just to buy a new sneaker. Why?

Source: 

http://static.highsnobiety.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/06/instagram-stars-with-adidas-yeezy-boost-350-0.jpg

Source: http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2016/11/24/11/3AB0E30A00000578-0-image-m-34_1479986386104.jpg

This is a graph I created showing the performance of three things over the last two years. One, the Adidas Yeezy Boost 350, a highly coveted Adidas sneaker made with musical artist Kanye West. Two, Amazon’s stock (AMZN,)  and three, Apple’s stock (AAPL.)

The end product is incredible! If you had bought a share in Apple stock two years ago, you would be down $9. June 2015- June 2016 was a bit of a rough time for their stock. This graph was created before Apple announced 2017's Q1 earnings, which shot the stock up 6%. Amazon, on the other hand, would have earned you almost $400. This is a dollar value most people would be happy with, especially the fact that the price nearly jumped 200%! This is good, but when you look at the shoes it just blows your mind! If you had purchased a pair of Yeezy Boost 350 ‘Turtle Dove’s’ when they released in 2015, paying the retail price of $200, you would now have a sneaker worth just over $2,000! That means the price for them has grown 1000%. Selling them now, you would walk away $1,800 richer. For just a pair of shoes!

    Numbers like these draw lots of people to the sneaker game, intrigued by the $1.2 billion, yes $1.2 billion, unregulated resale market. Although it is harder to get your hands on 500 pairs of sneakers compared to 500 shares of stock, the returns from sneakers can be much higher.

      The idea of getting rich of sneakers is neat, but it’s also important to remember that sneakers are just footwear. There have been tragic incidents involving people being killed over their sneakers, and it is important to remember that your life is higher than your sneakers.

Source: 

http://cdn-s3.si.com/s3fs-public/2015/12/13/sports-illustrated-your-sneakers-or-your-life-inline-vault.jpg

To wrap things up, the sneaker resale market is a very intriguing and cool thing, with the opportunity for huge returns. Amidst all this excitement, it’s important to keep priorities straight and know what’s important.




















Picture Credits:

Yeezy Boost 350:
 http://static.highsnobiety.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/06/instagram-stars-with-adidas-yeezy-boost-350-0.jpg

People Lining Up for Sneakers:
 https://si.wsj.net/public/resources/images/MK-BR353_JORDAN_G_20111228163651.jpg

Sneaker Collection:
http://iqbkkd2tcm3u6mnv1c41azk6.wpengine.netdna-cdn.com/files/2014/07/Sneaker-Collection-16-700x357.jpg

People Lined up for Yeezys:
 http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2016/11/24/11/3AB0E30A00000578-0-image-m-34_1479986386104.jpg

SI Cover:
http://cdn-s3.si.com/s3fs-public/2015/12/13/sports-illustrated-your-sneakers-or-your-life-inline-vault.jpg

Why I do sports.

Why I Choose To Do Sports

              Sports are a significant part of America's culture and I choose for them to also be a part of my life. I have always wondered how some people decide not to play sports, because for me, it is an outlet where I can let go of what I'm feeling and do what I love. After I am done playing, I always feel incredibly good and accomplished. I play three sports and I love them all equally: tennis, cross country, and track.  


                When I say sports are an outlet for me, I mean that I can put my emotions into what I'm doing and, not only does it make play better, but it also helps me manage my feelings.  For example, in tennis, if I am angry for whatever reason, I can keep that thought in my mind and it will make me swing harder. I take my emotions and kind of convert them into energy. Studies show that exercising can help decrease mild depression, anxiety, stress, and can even help relieve trauma. After I am done with my lesson, I feel less worked up about the situation and it becomes easier to resolve. 

           

                   Another reason I do sports is because I feel better about myself and my body when I consistently commit to doing it. If I am on vacation and I choose not to run, during the day I will feel lazier and not want to do many things. According to Heart.org: "Without regular physical activity, the body slowly loses its strength, stamina and ability to function well." I think this is because of the lack of moving around and getting out of that stage where you don't want to get out of your home.

           



                 After I'm finished doing a sport it makes me more focused at my next activity and also makes it easier to get enough sleep. Sometimes when I am doing homework or learning in class I feel really energetic and I don't know what to do with the energy. That makes it hard to process the information I am getting. This is one of the reasons we have PE, lunch, and break. The Spark PE website declares that having PE can lead to "enhanced concentration and attention as well as improved classroom behavior." So we can get out all of our energy and become able to learn. I can also get more sleep from playing sports because I am drained of energy so I can fall asleep right away.

     
                   I asked my mom if she played sports when she was younger and she said no. She said that not exercising made her feel disconnected from her body and less strong. "After I discovered exercising, I had more energy, I felt confident and strong." This is why I choose to do sports and I would encourage others to do the same. Playing sports and exercising helps you interpret your emotions, feel better about yourself and and your body, focus in school and home work, get more sleep, and just to be a happier healthier person in general.

"Run often, run long, but never out run your joy of running." - Julia Isphording

Sources:

• https://www.helpguide.org/articles/exercise-fitness/emotional-benefits-of-exercise.htm
• http://www.heart.org/HEARTORG/HealthyLiving/PhysicalActivity/StartWalking/Physical-activity-improves-quality-of-life_UCM_307977_Article.jsp#.WI5hhDtlmi4
• http://www.sparkpe.org/blog/how-physical-activity-affects-academic-performance/

Music inside the Industrial Revolution

The Industrial Revolution was a time of making improvements, and was a "complete and radical change." Primarily, the Industrial Revolution was about replacing hand tools with machinery. But there was another, smaller revolution alongside this Industrial Revolution.

For many years, a period of music known as the Classical era thrived, featuring famous composers such as Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart and Joseph Haydn. From symphonies to solo concertos for stringed instruments, these prolific prodigies eventually became some of the most recognized composers in the classical music world. But during the start of the 19th century, compositions started displaying more emotions and expressiveness. With these new additions to music, the Romantic era had begun. The Romantic era brought forward many widely known composers who continue to have their masterpieces played all over the world.

A portrait of Mozart composing music

Recently on the cello, I played a piece by Frederic Chopin (1810-1849) that contained many characteristics from the Romantic era. These characteristics included more lyrical melodies, wider contrasts of dynamics, technically virtuosic passages, and more freedom in the structure of the music. Pieces can really reflect on the composer's generation, but, after they pass away, they are not present to tell the story of the music. It, therefore, becomes the performer's job to portray a story, be it the story that the composer imagined while writing the work, or a story far from that of the composer. The important thing is to convince the audience of moods and characters, which is similar to convincing the audience in theatrical plays.

These two revolutions were important, transformational events that helped shape the modern world.

Frederic Chopin

Here is a recording of cellist Yo-Yo Ma, and pianist Emanuel Ax playing a piece by Frederic Chopin:
Yo-Yo Ma and Emanuel Ax- Chopin Polonaise Brillante in C Maj.







Thank you to the following sources:
Industrial Revolution Image Source
Frederic Chopin Image Source
http://www.gramophone.co.uk/feature/top-10-romantic-composers
http://www.rpfuller.com/gcse/music/romantic.html

La La Land: How I Relate

   

 I have always loved movies. Watching them with my parents, friends, and relatives has always been fun. I saw a lot of good movies in 2016. I really loved the dark humor and charm of Deadpool and the intense action of Rogue One. One movie really stuck out for me, though. La La Land was probably not my favorite movie of 2016, but definitely my 2nd favorite and favorite drama.

    

       La La Land is about Mia and Sebastian, both aspiring artists in Los Angeles. Mia wants to be an actor, but while her friends drag her to parties with more people who dream to become famous, she longs for something more. Sebastian is a failing jazz musician who feels like jazz is dying off, and wishes to make his own club. They meet, and at first find nothing in common, but slowly grow close. This was a very believable plot, and another great thing about the movie is the music.    
             I've always also loved music. Just like Mia in the film, I thought jazz was only elevator music, and that it sucked. I was proven wrong by this film's music. While the music is just a deviation on the four main songs of this movie which are all accompanied with beautiful dance numbers, the way the musicians twist it makes all of the songs special in their own way. All of the dance numbers are done amazingly and I have now danced many times in my kitchen to this soundtrack.

        I could relate to how Mia and Seb felt because one of the movie's big points is that you sometimes have to give things up for something else you want. I won't spoil the movie, but that ties in big. I could relate because when I came to my new school, I gave up most of my old relationships with other classmates. I had to trade in these people I knew so well for complete strangers. In the end it all worked out, and I made new friends, but I feel like a stranger when I say hi to old classmates on the street. 
       La La Land was a uplifting film that has complete potential to be a classic. It was definitely a love it or hate it movie, though. Its resemblance to old Hollywood musicals had me hooked all the way through. While this movie is a romance, it isn't inappropriate for younger audiences. I would give this movie a 9 out of 10, with its sweeping soundtrack, beautiful dance numbers, and relatable story.  
        

Sources:

https://open.spotify.com/album/3GU8BzFEAdFSRjc8jZkL3S

http://www.ign.com/articles/2016/12/02/la-la-land-review?watch

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/La_La_Land_(film)

Is it Okay for Computers to Grade Your Essays?

Is it okay for computers to grade your essays?

Many people have different opinions. Grading essays can take a long time and be stressful for teachers. With new technology, some computer programs can grade your essays. The problem, of course, is the accuracy. If computers could grade essays better than teachers, every school would have computers grade essays. Computers can’t beat the comments that teachers make in the margins. Computers could be harsh for vocabulary and for how long a paragraph is. Teachers, however, can tell if a student is doing something cool or having a style when making an essay. An obvious pro for computers is the fact that it can grade essays instantly. For teachers, it can take a long time.

If a computer is grading a class’s essays, they would get them back the next day. If their teacher grades them, it could take a while. If students know that they're being graded by a computer, they could find out how it grades tests. If they do that, they could learn how to get an A on their essay. It’s good and bad. They learn the good qualities of an essay, but find out how to do good with a computer grading their test. Computers grade essays faster. If you’re making a draft, you can get a response in seconds. That leads to more writing, which ultimately leads to a better finished essay.

Now, the pros and cons. A big pro of a teacher grading essays is the accurate response. A computer can’t beat the notes teachers make in the margins. A con of teachers grading essays is how long it takes. The biggest pro of computers is the time it takes. It gives a score seconds after you copy in the essay. Compared to humans, computers are much faster. The biggest con of a computer is the accuracy. It just can’t beat the notes and edits teachers make. Computers have trouble sensing any kind of style in an essay. If a teacher has time and isn’t stressed, he should grade the essay. If a teacher doesn’t have much free time on his schedule or is stressed or needs a break, let a computer grade the essays. Also, if the essays need to be back soon, a computer would be the best fit. Overall, humans grading essays and computers grading essays both have their own pros and cons.

Sources

https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/answer-sheet/wp/2013/04/25/can-computers-really-grade-essay-tests/?utm_term=.2738de0d3987

http://www.npr.org/2012/06/07/154452475/computers-grade-essays-fast-but-not-always-well

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jo5QblSn4gc

https://thetartan.org/2012/4/23/scitech/computer-grading

http://nancyebailey.com/2014/09/29/computer-essay-grading-v-student-journals/

Embedding a Google Map

This is how a Google Map is embedded into blogger.


And here is a super cool patch of grass....

You Throw I'll Hit

Cricket

Rounders

Sports has changed a lot over the years, but one in particular called Baseball. Baseball is one of my favorite sports with a bunch of different rules than when it was invented. Baseball was based off sports like Cricket or rounders. Before the sport got it's name it was called "Goal Ball", "Round Ball", "Base", "Base Ball", and now baseball. In one version of baseball you had to pitch to yourself and run the opposite way. Players could also be out by getting hit with the ball on a throw. But you still can get out by hitting the ball but only on a hit. But in some versions of the game you still only got 3 strikes until the batter was out. Baseball was an early England folk game, since it was a folk game it had no official or documented rules. The game was never well documented only because it was a peasant's game or a more of a children's game.  But also because people wanted to pass time if the were prohibited from their Church or the State. The first recorded game of baseball was in November 1748 by a family of royalty who lived in Wales. By 1796 the rules were established the game was mentioned to the German's who was a popular place at the time. Baseball was first introduced to America in March of 1786, or even earlier in the 1760's. In the 1850's and 60's American baseball was played with 8 players (mainly boy's or men) and one hitter as shown in the diagram below.

The old Baseball field

Early Baseball game played at
Elysian field

Jackie Robison Stealing a base

Branch Ricky And Jackie Robinson
Sign the Deal

It was a unique style of baseball but only played in Massachusetts. The field was changed into the diamond shape in 1845 when the Magnolia ball clubs had designed their own field to play on. On October 21st 1845 the New York ball club had played their second of their 3 games against a Brooklyn team which was recorded as the 1st inter-club baseball game. After 1845 in 1848 the Knickerbockers had published the rules of baseball. In 1855 the first organized league had started to form with 5 New York teams and one Brooklyn and New Jersey team. But in 1857 16 New York clubs sent delegates to standardized the rules. For example there was a rule on only to get limited amount of runs but now is to have 9 innings instead. Or force outs could happen at any base, also the bases were changed to 90 ft apart from each other and specified 9 men on the field at once.The following year, 25 clubs established an ongoing governing body, constitution by law. But the National Association of Baseball Players are conventionally meeting in 1857. It governed through the 1870's but scheduled no games. The game of baseball in America was for the white men of America until a man named Branch Ricky who was a civil rights activist because he signed the first African American person to ever play in the MLB (Major League Baseball). One reason for Branch Rickey to sign Jacky Robinson was because he didn't care about the color of your skin and what race you were. Branch just wanted good baseball so he helped Robinson through the rough times and broke the color barrier in the MLB. And if it wasn't for Branch Ricky and Jacky Robinson I wouldn't be able to play baseball with the people I play with now



Sources

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

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

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

http://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/jackie-robinson-breaks-major-league-color-barrier

Pictures

http://theviewspaper.net/cricket-an-overrated-sport-in-india/
Cricket
http://www.workplacechallenge.org.uk/competitions/tags/Rounders
Rounders
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Origins_of_baseball
Elysian Field
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Origins_of_baseball

Old baseball field 

http://www.nytimes.com/2013/04/07/movies/jackie-robinson-the-hero-in-42.html?_r=0

Jackie Robinson

http://www.britannica.com/sports/baseball/images-videos/Jackie-Robinson-shaking-Branch-Rickeys-hand-after-signing-his-first/113946

Branch Ricky And Jackie Robinson

Pioneer to City Girl

I often forget my own privileges of living in 2016. If I were to go back in time, how might my life be different? What things would I lose? What things would I gain? Well, if I were a young pioneer girl, my life would very different from how it is now.

To start, I would not be typing on my laptop right now. Or my phone. Or any electronic device. My entertainment would most likely come from doing chores, telling stories, and singing songs. Maybe drawing, or writing, provided I could read and write. That brings up another difference. I might not be writing this, because I might have no school. Or, at the least, my life would not be very school focused as it is now. My school would be a tent at most, and the rest of my time would be devoted to chores like sewing up clothes, or whatever my mama and papa asked of me.

Another thing that might change is my relationship with nature. Without my house or internet, and with the consistent state of being outside, I would expect to be more connected to nature. I would know the names of almost all the trees I passed along my journey. I would know the best way to start a fire, and how to care for a wagon. And maybe, instead of looking at my watch for 3 to 4 numbers to represent the time, I might look at the sky, guess based upon the sun’s position, and call it sunrise instead of 6:30 AM. Little details like that might change.

I also might have a different connection with my family. Instead of locking myself in my room to do homework at night, I might tend to livestock with my father, or sing and sew dresses with my mother. I might be able to cook up delicious concoctions over a fire with my family at dinnertime instead of making a box of mac’n’cheese. I might know them a little bit better if I rarely left them, and they might know me a little better as well.

Another less-thought-about thing that may change are my dreams and aspirations. Instead of dreaming to be a famous musician, a poet, an author, or a youtuber (that would change the most), I might dream on a smaller scale. Maybe I'd want to know the forest and the trail better than anyone else, or maybe I'd want to become an adventurer. Maybe I'd want to start a town for myself. That would be considered a big dream, especially for a young pioneer girl.

One more thing to add to the list is attire. My normal outfits consist of jeans, a graphic tee-shirt, and boots. Believe it or not, I would not be wearing any of those things in the 1800s. First: none of them had been made; and second: a girl would not be wearing pants in the back then, especially blue jeans. Another fun thing to think about, or else very odd, is that people who wear glasses probably wouldn’t be, had they been living in the 1800s. Glasses had been invented, but they weren’t popular at all, and pioneers probably had other things to focus one.

Lastly, I’m not sure if I would be more carefree or more stressed had I been born back then. Yes, school wouldn’t be an issue, but I would have many chores and a lot of hard work put in front of me each day. I would have to be up early if that’s when I was needed, and I would have to eat what I was given or what I made, because that’s all there was.

To conclude, life as a pioneer girl would be very different in comparison to mine, although it would be fun to go back in time and try it, but it also makes me appreciate the little privileges in life I rarely stop to think about. It makes me remember how easy it is to just go home and listen to music on my phone, when a hundred years ago, that was unthinkable. It makes me want to travel back in time, but it also reminds me to love my own home. I don’t have to be a pioneer to be in touch with nature or my family, I can do those things with just a little extra effort in my day.

(Photo from: https://thereaganwing.wordpress.com/2011/03/20/fraudulism-and-the-new-american-pioneer/)

The Printing Press

The Printing Press

Have you ever had to write a really long essay by hand?  In the year 1420 most people had to write long books by hand.  This all changed once the printing press was invented sometime between 1440 and 1450.

The early printing press, while very basic, made many more books published and it also made many more people literate.  The early printing press was very basic, it basically was a bunch of letter stamps fastened into a board and they were all dipped in ink and then lowered onto a page of a book and they would make that page.  This made it much easier to publish books and the rising amount of books encouraged more people to become literate.

This early, very basic printing press still affect things today.  It soon became more popular to read books after the printing press was invented so the demand for printing presses went up.  This demand for more printing presses made many inventors wonder if there was a better way to print books so they started inventing new ways to print things.  All thin eventually turned into a appliance that many people might have in their house and that is really useful even for printing this article right now,  if you haven't guessed what it is yet I’ll tell you, it is simply known the printer or printing machine.  Now you might be thinking, “Well I don’t print books on my computer,”  if you are one of those people then you should know that there are huge factories that print books now.  We can now even print 3-D things using printers.

Now you might be wondering why I like the print press enough to write two pages about it.  The answer is I love to read.  If the printing press wasn’t invented about 566 years ago then we might not have as many books now and many people, including me, might be illiterate today.

http://www.mosesavalon.com/wp-content/uploads/printing-press.jpg

http://www.wired.com/wp-content/uploads/blogs/wiredenterprise/wp-content/uploads/2014/03/Factory-2.jpg

http://i1.tribune.com.pk/wp-content/uploads/2013/10/617241-Books-1381638164-211-640x480.JPG