Guns Grems and steel chapter 5 response.

image from http://www.traveljournals.net/pictures/l/1/16994-rice-field-takayama-japan.jpg
picture of rice field where rice comes from


"These days you can travel to just about any country in the world and find a McDonald’s or a Pizza Hut. Not that you’d want to, but you could. We live in a highly diversified global economy, and the accessibility of a wide variety of foods is consistent across most parts of the planet. However, this was not always true. In the recent past the part of the world you lived in would dictate what foods were available in your diet. According to the table on page 100 - and your general knowledge about the world - what part of the world would you have wanted to live on if you were alive 1,000 years ago?" page 100 in Guns Germs and Steel Written by Jared Diamond.

My Response:

Well, for me this was an extremely hard decision. My first choice was Andes and Amazonia. This immediately stood out to me because it reminded me of Andes mints. But i soon realized that 1000 years ago, those defiantly did not exist. DANG! I also realized that they eat guinea pig and llama. First of all, guinea pigs are pets, NOT FOOD, and they smell bad, but then again, what animal does not? But second, llamas spit at you and are mean, so i understand how people could get mad enough to eat them, but i can't see llama tasting too great. Also, a bonus was that here they had potato, but i decided it wouldn't have been worth the llama thing.

Next i thought that Mesomerica because they have corn and beans. Two of which don't taste bad at all and i quite like them both. But the only animal the ate was turkey. I do not like turkey and thanksgiving is not an exception. Yea, the corn and beans would be good, but not worth it to have to eat the turkey. I also thought i could live here and be vegetarian, but naww. It would be nearly impossible for me to never eat meat. I think i would die without meat. (not literally)

My final decision where i would want to live because they had the best food would be China. Come on, they have rice! I can live with rice even though i am not chinese. I don't know if i can eat it every-night like Krista, but i could get used to it. Also, china had pork. I know i like pork and i could basically live on it. Pork and rice. Thats all id need. But the also eat silkworms, worms are not for me to eat, and millet, millet sounds like that stuff you feed to birds. I think i would stay away from the worms and millet and stick to pork and rice. But based on food, i would have liked to live in China 1000 years ago.

Guns Germs and steel chapter response

We where living what we thought was a normal day. For me that means sitting on my royal throng. All of the sudden i heard a loud screaming outside my palace. Being a good ruler, i went to see what it was. My city was being attacked! There was nothing i could do. My people are kind and gentle, no need ever to fight. We had never been in a situation like this before, so we did not know how to respond. We lost many people that day. Because we are peaceful, we did not want to fight back. We have never had to fight for our lives before and did not know how.

Before i could give any commands, my people thought of their own ideas. They thought that if they put themselves in one huge pile(s) their problems would be solved. They thought that they would protect each-other. This was obviously not the case. Those on the bottoms of the mounds where suffocated or crushed by the weight. Those on the outside of the piles where killed. It was a loose loose situation. The only person that was fighting us who got injured was he who was next to one of the piles when one of the men fell off and landed on him. Now this man was LARGE. The man below him clearly had no chance.

That was what happened that tragic day my people where attacked.

Guns Germs and Steel Chapter 1

1. Describe the “fluke colonization theory” (pages 41-42). What evidence challenges this theory?

Ok, at first this concept was extremely confusing to me. So i just hope i comprehend it. So, there where islands that where uninhabited by humans at one point. Over a hundred miles of ocean away. No record of water-craft or boats was thought to exist. But i guess they where wrong. Then it was thought that a pregnant lady got stuck there. But the final answer was that there where other islands nearby that people could have traveled from their nearby islands to that one.

2. What lesson have we learned from the animals on the Galapagos Islands, and how do they apply to our thinking of the apparently quick mass extinctions of megafauna (giant animals) extinctions in New Guinea and elsewhere? (pages 42-43)

From the mass extinction on the Galapagos island and in New Zealand we have learned that people coming onto the island did in-fact cause their extinction. There are many reasons that these mammals and birds could have been lost. They could have been over hunted or they could have even lost too much of their natural terrain. It is a shame that these magnificent creatures are now extinct. I would have liked to see them. Imagine a 400 pound Ostrich.

3. In what ways is the travel of Clovis descendants from North America to Patagonia (southern edge of South America) in only 1,000 years impressive? In what ways is it not impressive? (Consider page 45 and the map on page 37 to guide your thinking)

What is amazing is that these people had no way of easy travel like we have now, yet they traveled over 8000 miles. But what makes this a little less interesting is that they did this in 1000 years. But back then 8000 miles was a lot and that distance would have extremely different terrain and a whole adaptation would have to be made to they way they had been currently living their lives. But i think that 1000 years is plenty of time to adapt to some new area. What is also kind of amazing is that while they where doing this, the population was growing. Imagine dealing with a crying baby while migrating to a new place!

4. Jared Diamond talks about “The Great Leap Forward” throughout the chapter. What is this? Is it a biased perspective to paint it so positively? What are your thoughts?

I do not think that this is bias at all. It truly was a great leap forward. People began to take "bigger steps" and travel beyond where anyone had gone before. People began to leave what they knew as home and start life in new, unknown places. To me that is pretty amazing. Would life be any different no if that wold not have happened?

subtle

I used a picture of a road to show the opposite subtle. There is no way that the toll roads that want to be built in the San Onfre area will be a subtle change. Four lanes in the middle of a place that should be left alone? That's defiantly NOT subtle.

site used:
http://www.rural-roads.co.uk/minor_road.jpg

forte

Soccer is my favorite sport. You can say that its my forte. I like to play it and its "my thing" That is why I used this picture for the word forte

site used:
http://www.soccerballworld.com/images/historic_Soccer_Balls.jpg

blatant

To me a whale is huge. You just cant miss it. I mean its HUGE! If you where walking on the beach and saw a beached whale how could you miss that? Its so out in the open and obvious. That is why I used this picture for the word blatant.

site used:
http://www.all4humor.com/images/files/big-beached-whale.jpg

aggravate

To express the word aggrivate, i decided to use something that agrivates me. WHEN PEOPLE CONSTANTLY CLICK THEIR PENS! That is one of the most annoying things and it agrivates me.

image from:
http://www.promo-pen.com/economy/value%20click%20pen.jpg

Starbucks Railroad

Me and my fellow construction workers where on our way to what we thought was going to be out everyday routine of building railroad tracks. When we arrived at the place where we left off, we where astonished and unbelieving of what we where seeing. What seemed to be a giant coffee cup had appeared overnight in the exact place where we needed to lay the new track.

The three of us tried to roll it out of the way but it was hopeless. Our size and strength was far too little to make it budge. All we could do was tire ourselves out. So we started to brain storm ideas of what we could do.

We had two options, we could build around the cup, or build through it. Because building around it would take more track hence more time, we decided to build through it. That is how we solved this tragedy. Also, now you know how the eighth world wonder of the giant coffee cup was created. But, Where did it come from?

image from: https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgry9BOIKnpeW5aeYBGOd_iBLRfP3gEScBUUAzIaWh-mZvL0N0QoZudDhALtOG-CWj4567kH6jwmsyQX6J__MuthFm_JYfrrZHg3ZqL-Daav7XFSS9_n-Vjxb80Qgh5MiZO2lmL0J2TwQ/s1600-h/nuart+17+-+blog.jpg

Scenario

" One day, you wake up in hospital. In the nearby bed lies a world famous violinist who is connected to you with various tubes and machines.

To your horror, you discover that you have been kidnapped by the Music Appreciation Society. Aware of the maestro’s impending death, they hooked you up to the violinist.

If you stay in the hospital bed, connected to the violinist, he will be totally cured in nine months. You are unlikely to suffer harm. No one else can save him. Do you have an obligation to stay connected?"
- www.ross-ed.org

I think that in this case, i would definatly help this person. To me, it does not matter who the person is, but i would help them. Part of this may be because i like to help people, buut another part may be beacuse i would not want to live knowing that i was the only person who could have save someone's life, then decided not to. The only think that i would absloutly hate about this would be sitting in a bed for nine monts watching T.V. All i would be able to do is watch T.V., talk on th ephone, and eat. By the end of those nine months i bet i would gain a LOT of weigft. But that would not change my decision about helping someone live, because i can always loose the weight. Also, if the procedure did not effect me at all and afterwards i would be totally normal (but bigger) then that would be somthing that is not bad. I wouldnt care if it was a musician or somebody i dont even know, i would held them because if i didnt i would feel bad.
Also, if i was already connected when i woke up i would definatly stay there and help the other person stay alive. (Hey, that would be nine months that i would get to miss school, and that sounds like a good reason to me.) When already connected, i know that i could not disconnect and watch that man or woman die, so i would stay connected.
If you can not tell, if i was put in this scenario, i would definatly help this person out by staying connected to them.

The Outsiders Book Review

The Outsiders. Amazing book. During school, most classes had the chance to read this book, but mine did not. So, I made the decision to read this book on my own. Now I am glad that i decided to read this book.
This literally has it all. It has something for everyone. Humor, drama, action, death, and yes, romance. If you like any one of those aspects in a book then this book is for you. Trust me, you will not regret reading this legendary book.So, if you are at all considering reading this book, i highly advise that you do. I promise you that you will not regret the decision you make by reading this. READ IT!

-Brett

image taken from http://www.eastchester.k12.ny.us/schools/Ms/teachers/burke/images/outsiders_000.jpg

Reflection for Mr. Ross's class

If a perfect student has a score of 100 out of 100 points. I think that i would score around 90-92 points out of 100. There are many reasons why i would score this. One of these reasons is because i do my best to listen and to contribute to the lesson and try to be involved in the activity we are working on or learning. Also, i put my effort into my work and am usually proud of what i did and like to share my work. Also, i enjoy how in class we are given the opportunity to express our opinions on a topic and i like to take advantage of this. I do not think of myself as a perfect student but i do not see myself as a bad one either. I think of myself as a "good" student, to my definition that is pretty good. That is why i score myself a 90-92. Also, i ask questions to ensure that i understand when i am not sure on one of the assignments.
I think that have changed since we started school in September. One thing for example, i am now more willing to speak in front of others and share my opinion. I think that is a good aspect to overcome because that can help in many different situations. Also, when we first started school i wanted to go to my other high school more than High Tech High. But now that i know how this school works and all of the experiences we have had and Will have, i am now glad that i am going to High Tech High. I think that that is a big deal because i will be at this school for the next four years, so it probably a good thing that i at least like the school.
This is why i think of myself as a good student "scoring" 92 out of 100 "points".

Rough day at work?

Jim and his co-workers where all sitting at their desks in their small offices thinking about how much they didn’t working. All they wanted was some fun, some excitement. Jerry, being the strange one in the group, had and idea! (he did not get these often) He thought it would be “fun” to put boxes over their heads and run around on the side of the freeway where there was a grassy field. The other workers where so bored that they where stupid enough to agree, and off they went. They soon arrived with their large boxes. Embarrassed, they reluctantly placed the boxes over their heads. “How stupid”, they murmured to themselves. They had no idea what was yet to happen. Now the “fun” would start.

A few minutes after they had put the boxes over their heads, the wind began to blow quite fiercely. The wind was so strong that one mans box actually flew off his head into the sky! Amazing. By now many people saw this strange act and began to watch, after all, I would too. And with how we are today, people began to take pictures thinking, “This would make a great myspace background.” (They had no idea that their dumb act would end up on Mr. Ross’s webpage.) One of the men could hear all of the spectators and tried to run away. Of course he would not take off the box because he did not want to be seen. This made it very difficult to run, so as you can see, he fell onto the floor. The only thing that they could do was wait for the people left. The picture does not show this but after it was taken, they all sat down until everyone was gone. Then they got into their cars and drove home to their families trying to forget about it. That was until their kids made jokes about the men in boxes on the freeway and all they could do was laugh along…

tumult

image taken from http://libraries.mit.edu/music/img/musicnotes223.gif

I used this picture to represent the word tumult because that means kaotic sound. Music notes are a sign of music which is a sound. This is why i chose this picture.

tundra

photo taken from http://images.usatoday.com/news/_photos/2006/12/27/polar-topper.jpg

I used a picture of a polar bear to resemble the word tundra. I did this because polar bears live in the tundra.

tariff

Taken photo from http://www.politicaldogs.org/uploaded_images/boston-tea-party-762868.jpg

I used this image of the boston tea party to represent the word tariff. I did this because the boston tea party was a cause of a tariff on tea.

Joke

If ignorance is bliss, you must be the happiest person alive!!

(Fifth one from the left)

http://www.3situations.com/BillSullivanWorks/MT3.html

Sarah. That is her name. She was on her normal routine except for one thing. It was not normal. This is how it began:
Walking onto the subway, she was ready for her long day at work. But after she took her seat something very abnormal happened. The man sitting next to her began to speak. She had seen him before. Sarah had also heard stories about him. People say this man is CRAZY! But she decided that she would decide for herself. When he said hello to her she replied politely saying hi. So far he seemed pretty normal to her. The two of them began a small conversation. This conversation lasted longer than she expected. It lasted the whole 20 minutes of the sub ride. S he did not see any obvious symptoms of craziness except for a strong lisp and constant twitch in his hand. They continued their discussion about the senators voting for each other. Once the ride was over, the two of them said goodbye and walked off the train. Right as she walked through the door, she found why he was crazy. As loud as ever, he shouted I LOVE YOU! This startled the woman as it would any girl. The shock showed on her face. Immediately after this photo, she ran out of the subway. That is why she had such an extraordinary look on her face.

Library Of Dust

Edward Phillips
I grew up as what I thought of as a normal kid. I had a family, friends and relatively good grades. I always knew that I was different, but not THAT different. I grew up thinking I was happy, but apparently others thought differently. When I was about twelve years old, a man came to my house and took me away. My parents hugged me and told me I was better off. I never saw them again. A few hours later I arrived at this giant building with no knowledge whatsoever about what it was. As I wandered to the door I read the sign “Asylum” I knew where I was. I recalled all the kids at school making fun of the people that where sent here, and I would join in. Now I realized that I was pointing fun at myself. As I wandered into the building I saw many people walking around and talking to themselves, this was the last place I wanted to be, I wished that I were back home. A creepy looking man showed me to my room, I had three roommates. As I walked in they began to tell me the story of the Library Of Dust where they claimed that the ashes of all the people who die here where kept. I knew that this would never happen to me because my parents would claim my body. Or so I thought. I spent the next ten years of my life in this place. I became bored out of my mind and wanted to get out more than anything. I had countless records of trying to escape, but security was as tight as it possibly could be. I tried running, climbing out windows and fighting my way out, but it was no hope. I would never be able to escape. I was stuck here…for the rest of my life. I began to understand that I was stuck here and decided to finally make friends. This was not easy because many of these people like to be alone. I finally met a man who would talk to me. But he was 85 and I was 23. And two days after I met him he passed away. His family never came for him so I wondered what they did with his body. As I began to wander around this strange building I noticed things that I have never seen before, strange objects. One day I began to walk into a room with the door labeled “Library”. When I opened the door I saw nothing but hundreds no- thousands of jars aligning the wall. This couldn’t be possible, but it was. O man! Now there was nothing I wanted more than my family to rember me. So that when I die they will come for me and take me to a proper burial, not a burning. As I looked closer, I recognized that these people where not labeled by name, but by number. These unlucky men and women had nothing, no memories, they where just left behind to be forgotten. Forever. Many years went by, I began to meet new people and make friends. But I could only imagine what life would be like out of the Asylum. We would be free to roam and breathe fresh air. How nice that would be? But just like everyone else, my day came. I was eighty-six years old and it was time to move on. I died in my sleep. I watched as no one I knew came for my body as I had hoped. I was cremated and but in a jar. I was a member of the library of dust. I now am rembered not, except by number 5,023.

The split in my can can rember when my life was split in two. The day I was sent to spend the rest of my life in an Asylum.

Written By: Brett M.

check out this site:
http://www.davidmaisel.com/works/picture.asp?cat=lod&tl=library%20of%20dust

Dear Mr, Legislator

First, watch this video:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eG6X-xtVask

Dear Mr. Legislator,
I think that the way laws are being made is simply stupid. I think this because senators are putting their votes for other senators who are not even there to vote, These senators are so blockheaded and want their vote(s) out there so bad they will cheat. As you should know, some senators are voting for as many as four people when there is only one person voting. Some senators can sit in one spot and make four votes off of it. I think this is atrocious. Yes, you have to admire them to think that their idea is important, but they need to find other ways to get that point across. The way that the senators are doing it now is wrong, they should not be voting for those who are not there to vote. To me, i think less of them by voting for others than i would if they just voted for themselves but the law was not passed. Also, this is some what scary because for all we know one of these people could be running around the room pushing buttons for other senators for a law he wants. This is scary because that is a lot of votes and they may be towards a dumb law that we do not want passed. I believe that there is a better way for these senators to get their point across, but the senators are yet to find it.

your disappointed friend,

Brett M.

Man vs. Beast

I think that man and animal are very similar but at the same time extremly differant. For example we both are all in "cages". For animals this can be taken more literally, think of all of the animals in cages in Zoo's and in peoples homes. Compare this to the animals who are happier in the wild with unlimited space. We humans are also in cages. We have to be in certain places at certain times and if we are not, there are coniquences. These places are like school and work. If we do not show up at these places when we are supposed to, this will result in either detention or even being fired. Also, another way that we and animals are alike is that we both have prison. For us it is differant though, we almost have the choice not to go to jail. We have to break laws and be proven guilty before we can be sent to jail. But to many animals they have no choice. Pets, for example, have the choice made for them. If a person wants a pet, they take them home and stick them in a small, cramped cage. I would imagine that bieng stuck in a cage like most of our pets would be very similar to jail. These are just a few ways that humans can be related or compared to animals.

Road Killer

Jack and Jill where driving on the interstate highway. A radio warning came on "road killer- hit and run, interstate highway" Before they knew it, they where on a wild chase. BAM! CRASH! They found themselves helplessly screaming as they plummeted off of the bridge....

*image used from http://www.badfa.org.uk/walks/images%20and%20photopages/2001/thames_2_for_web.jpg

plagiarize

I used this image from http://images.jupiterimages.com/common/detail/34/30/22663034.jpg

This image can represent plagiarism because the boy is copying another student's anwser and calling it his own

paradigm

I took this image from http://mooreslore.corante.com/archives/images/earth%20from%20space.gif

This is a view of the earth that we do not get to see everyday. This can be used to resemble the word paradigm because the definition is the way you personally see the world. Your own interpretation of the world. This is because no two people see the world the same way. We all have our own opinions, dislikes and likes.

accord

i took this picyure from http://www.thelensflare.com/large/stream_2500.jpg

I chose this picture to represent accord because it is a very relaxing scene. Everything seems to be at harmony.

incognito

I toook this image from http://users.skynet.be/aloube/images/cameleon.jpg
I used this image to describe the word incognito because chameleons are almost always incognito. This is because of their ability to change color to their surroundings.

First Post

This is my first post.