In 1920 national prohibition had begun. All liquor stores and saloons had been closed done. Having alcohol became illegal. Even with it being illegal many people still distributed it. Moon shining became popular, which was a way to make alcoholic drinks, and people were being taken to jail. Moon shiners made a lot of money selling their drinks. Some in Virginia turned out about one million gallons of whisky a year. Much of the nation’s law enforcement joined together to catch these criminals. Some law enforcers starting moon shining because they made more money selling this illegal drink instead of actually stopping them. Speakeasies also became popular. Speakeasies were saloons where alcohol was sold. They were usually underground and hidden. Bands usually played in them while people were being social. A lot of people enjoyed themselves and were excited to go to different speakeasies. Boats used to slide under restaurants to sneak in booze. Clubs hid liquor so uniquely that sometimes I was hidden behind walls. Moon shiners started not to care what they put in their drinks. There was very little maintenance. People even created drinks in their own homes in bathtubs. This led to some people dying of disease. During the first year of prohibition many deaths were caused by poisonous liquor. Within about five years the number quadrupled. Bartenders tried to mask the poison by pouring in fruit juices to make it look and taste better. About 75 percent of all the alcohol smuggled was in Detroit. Since Canada is so close they exported alcohol to make a lot of money. People went from Detroit to Canada and back to obtain liquor. People tried to do anything to get liquor.
JOURNAL 19
When someone of significance passed away the Egyptians believed in preserving the body. First they would take out all of the internal organs from the body so bacteria cannot decay the body. They would store these organs in jars called canopic jars for protection. They didn’t remove the heart because they believed everyone thought from their heart, thus meaning the brain was taken out. Next the Egyptians would dehydrate the body, to also prevent decay, by putting in a salt like substance called natron. Natron figuratively soaks up the moisture from the body. The Final step is wrapping the body with linen. They would place amulets for protection within the linen wrappings. This process took the Egyptians about seventy days to complete. After the mummy has been mummified, it is placed into a wooden coffin. I found it interesting that the coffin was also sealed into a stone sarcophagus. That sarcophagus was found within the burial chamber inside the tomb. The tombs are hidden with giant pyramids. Many explorers wanted to find these burial chambers to look for mummies. There was only one thing that was in there way. There was usually a barricade of solid stone inside a narrow shaft to keep anyone from stealing from the mummies.
JOURNAL 18 In “Miraculous Survivors: Why They Live While Others Die,” John Blake discusses various survivor stories. John Blake concludes that many survivors share the same attributes. A survivor named, Deborah Kiley, survived in the Atlantic Ocean without food or water for five days. Kiley kept a sane mind through prayer. She describes surviving as “keeping your wits,” which was why those who didn’t died. John Blake states that survivors tend to be independent thinkers. For instance, during the 9-11 attacks workers inside the building were told to stay put and wait to be rescued. Some people went against the rules and made it out safely while most of those who stayed inside died. Survivors paying attention to their intuition is also another point John Blake stressed. A man was offered to fly with a colleague to Los Angeles and he declined the offer. That same plane he was about to board, crashed during takeoff and everyone on board died. Survivors do seem to share common traits. They all think for themselves and do what they believe is right in order for them to survive.
JOURNAL 17
Guns were one of the biggest positives to the Europeans. African tribes were using weapons that one may even call a little primitive. They had probably never been exposed to this new type of combat. The Europeans were able to keep a distance from the Africans whereas the Africans type of combat required them to make their own physical contact. The Europeans available distance from the enemies got even greater when they created an automatic gun. This gun itself took down many tribes. European diseases may have been the greatest factor on the European side of things. Being exposed to many livestock, the Europeans developed diseases unknown to Africans. When African tribes were exposed to these diseases their immune systems were not previously “educated” about the certain disease. This European domination of germs eventually fired back when they started to get malaria. Colonists lived near water where mosquitoes thrived. Guns, germs, and steel were mainly on the side of the Europeans. They were extremely dominating anyone who dared to get in their way. Even though the germ advantage had switched sides Europeans still had better war strategies which helped them conquer most of the continent.
JOURNAL 15
At first Henry Ford wanted to produce really fast racing cars. Before his interest in that he had a revolutionary idea that would soon spark the car industry. He wanted to make a car that could be sold at a cheaper price. The Ford Motor Company was founded in 1903 in order to make a car to spark a competition with Oldsmobile. Henry Ford designed a car that was put into market called the Model T which was “cheap”, durable, and efficient to run. It went from about $800 to $1,000. In 1916 many cars were being turned down because of the high pricing. Around 730,000 cars were turned down. Ford didn’t develop the assembly line but simply made it better. Each person on the line would have a specific part to place on the car and at the end the car would be complete. This lowered the price to $345. It was now affordable for normal families. This also helped produce a huge spike in the sales.
JOURNAL 14 For as long as our history can go, we (humans) have always engaged in battle. The most important factor that usually determined the outcome of these battles was the weapons that were used. During the Iron Age, barbarians used very strong weapons to overcome various enemies. The Celts were the master of the sword. They dominated most of Europe before settling in Great Britain. Their swords were made from iron, bronze, steel, and even glass. For defensive purposes, the Celts lived on top of rock fenced land similar to hills. This enabled them to look out into the distance for any unusual activity. If enemies tried to make move towards the Celtic land, the Celts would simply throw various things such as stones down the steep hills at the enemy. The only people successful in invading the Celts were the Romans. As the Roman Empire started to degrade a new barbarian tribe came into power. They were called the Huns. The Huns’ weapon of choice was the bow and arrow. Even though they were not the firsts to use the bow and arrows, they made it a lot stronger. Instead of using only one tree limb to make the bow they used many, which increased its speed and power. Under the rule of the famous Attila the Hun, the Huns controlled much of southern Europe with their “Hit and Run” battle technique. While traveling on horseback they took down their enemies quickly and from a distance. Similar to the Celts they were taken out by the Romans. These two barbarian tribes we among the strongest and most powerful in all of Europe. Unfortunately they were both taken out by the Roman Empire. Even though the Roman Empire was weakening they were not able to hold them off. The only people successful in handling the Romans were the Goths. The most interesting fact that I learned from watching this program is how similar the fighting techniques were between the Huns and the Mongols. Both Mongols and Huns rode on horseback using bow and arrows. They both dominated much of the area they lived in and were both led by famous rulers. The Huns had Attila the Hun and the Mongols had Genghis Kahn.
JOURNAL 13 (monster cont.) There were many differences between the creature and the people that I had used to create my creature. The most obvious one was that the creatures face was uneven because everyone’s face has a different shape, so the creature does not have a definite face shape. Also this is not as noticeable with black and white ink, the skin tones of the people I used are different as well, so there are just random shades of color for different features. After I had created my being I looked at it with surprise. I laughed at how ugly it turned out to be. It looked like I had created a new type of species because it definitely did not look like a human being. It almost looks like a bird with Owen Wilson’s nose and the afro just looks ridiculous. Once completing my creation I now know how Mary Shelley was trying to get the reader to comprehend from reading Frankenstein. There are two lessons that I had learned. One, no one should have the ability to create another creature because that should only belong to God and second, the perfect body parts create the ugliest things. Everyone’s body features are unique to them and to them only. So for intense my nose would not look good on anyone else because God had specifically given that nose for me.
JOURNAL 12
Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein is a story about a creator and his creation. The creator, Victor Frankenstein, had hopes of creating the perfect being. He searched for all of the perfect aspects of the human body such as arms, eyes, legs, and much more. After he creates his monster which he wants to be beautiful, he discovers that he had actually created a horrifying creature. Our assignment in class was to find the perfect eyes, nose, hair, and other facial features and mesh them together to create our own creature. What we eventually created might not be what we had originally intended. I wanted my creation to look beautiful by finding various facial features I thought were beautiful. I searched all over the internet for my selections. For eyes I chose actress Tina Fey’s, her brown eyes caught my intention and I knew that my creature must have those eyes. I was hoping to give my creature a unique feature on his/her face, so I gave it Owen Wilson’s nose because I believe his nose has a unique and original shape. For the lips I chose my celebrity crush actress Angelina Jolie. The forehead belongs to Tyra Banks and the chin belongs to John Travolta.
JOURNAL 11 (AIR POLLUTION CONT)
Children
are much more susceptible to airborne pollutants than adults, especially at school because since children’s’ metabolisms are much higher, they require more oxygen. Unfortunately, one of three U.S. public schools are considered an “air pollution danger zone” ( Many U.S. Public Schools in ‘Air Pollution Danger Zone’). Also, schools are one of the leading causes of children under eighteen to have double the chance of getting asthma. The same pollutants in households can be found in school such as nitrogen dioxide, carbon monoxide, formaldehyde, and radon (School Air Quality). Garages are very polluted because automobiles give out a lot of pollution. Starting a car in the garage can result in higher concentration of pollutants like carbon monoxide (CO). Driving a car into the garage and closing the door results in emissions of various chemicals over the next several hours as the engine and its fluids cool down (Attached Garages and Indoor Air Quality). In a survey of houses in Minnesota, 74 percent of homes with carbon monoxide detectors that went off were triggered by carbon monoxide leaking in from the garage (Top Garage Fumes from Polluting Indoor Air).
JOURNAL 10
For our group’s science fair project, we decided to do it on the pollution of places we go. We plan on going to four different places to test air pollution, a house, an auto-mechanic’s garage, a nail salon, and a school. We plan on doing three trials of each place. To test the air pollution of these places, we are going to use a gas chromatograph mass spectrometer. The gas chromatograph mass spectrometer separates chemical mixtures (the gas chromatograph component) and identifies the components at a molecular level (the mass spectrometer component). It is one of the most accurate tools for analyzing environmental samples such as air pollution (Gas Chromatography/Mass Spectrometry (GC/MS)). The gas chromatograph separates chemicals based on their ease with which they evaporate into a gas. The Mass spectrometer is used to identify chemicals based on their structure (GCMS - How Does It Work?). On average we spend about 90 percent of our time indoors - out of that 90 percent, 65 percent is spent at home.In houses, inadequate ventilation in the houses can increase pollution in homes (IAQ in Homes/Residences). The process of cooking, as well as heating and cooling our homes, can also add to indoor pollution. The most major indoor air pollutants include nitrogen dioxide (NO2), which can contribute to eye and respiratory tract irritation and lower resistance to respiratory infection, carbon monoxide (CO), which can disrupt coordination, worsen cardiovascular conditions, and produce fatigue, headache, confusion, nausea, and dizziness and can even cause death, formaldehyde (HCHO), which can cause headaches, dizziness, lethargy, rashes, nausea, and irritation of the eyes and upper respiratory tract, and radon (Rn), which is estimated to be the second leading cause of lung cancer (Air Pollution and Your Home).
Journal 9 Analysis of Results The estimated population of Washington D.C. in 2009 is 465,932 people. The 2009 according to census.gov was 599,657 people. There was an increase in population rather than a decrease. Another conclusion that I came to was that there are many different factors that can change the population of a city and nothing follows a complete trend. My estimate was off by over 100,000 people so there was definitely a factor in that decrease in population. City developers need to use population projections so that they can account for everyone’s needs and wants. Things that are affected by population include the city’s budget, jobs, housing, and even simple things such as garbage companies. Population estimates help others become aware of what and how much needs to get done.
Validity Many factors besides the mathematical calculation errors can lead to a difference in the real life population from the estimate. If there was something to attract many people to live in D.C. such as a decrease in housing costs, that could lead to an increase in population total. A major spread of a disease or even an unkempt look in the area can lead people away and decrease total population. To get a more accurate estimate on the population I could have obtained information regarding the rate of which people move in and out of the city. If a city planner were to use my estimates for the population they would have had incorrect estimates which would lead to a mass over production of goods for the city. This could have also put the city in debt because they would be buying a lot more than needed. With the actual estimates it would prevent a city wide debt and needs and wants would be better accounted for
Journal 8
In the year 3000, the sport of basketball has been replaced by other crowd-pleasing sports that generate greater profits. My grand-father used to tell me all of the great memorable moments that excited the basketball world. He told me about all of the legends that had changed the game. I told him I wished I were alive during basketball’s most prosperous time to see all of this happen in person. My grand-father told me that we could relive that point in time by going to the basketball hall of fame museum in Massachusetts on the weekend.
JOURNAL 7 Here at the University of Ingolstadt there has been abundance of gossip regarding student Victor Frankenstein. Rumors say that Victor has been working on a big scientific breakthrough but no one truly knows what it is. Luckily Frankentimes was able to get an interview with the man himself Victor Frankenstein. How did Victor’s love for science even begin? He stated that his “love for science began when I was a little boy.” Frankenstein used to read many books about various alchemists. “My father tried to discourage me from reading all of those books by saying that they were full of nonsense, but that didn’t stop me. Even my college professors told me the same.” Victor mastered his science in college and had an idea that will change his life forever. “I have discovered the secret of life,” but that wasn’t just all that he has planned. “I plan on putting life into a being that I have created!” Victor hasn’t thought of a name for his future creation. Victor had gathered many different body parts from various places such as the slaughter houses. He “wanted to get the best and most beautiful body parts that were available so that the monster would be as beautiful as those who originally had those parts.” Frankenstein looks forward to this experiment. He wouldn’t reveal how he would conduct the experiment because he believes not everyone should have this ability or knowledge of creating life.
JOURNAL 6
Is anyone else excited for this NBA season because I know I am? This year is going to be so exciting. Especially for the completely renovated Miami Heat because of their additions of Lebron James and Chris Bosh. A lot of people think that they will win the NBA championship because the team is completely loaded with talent but I think that they won’t. In my mind I believe that the Los Angeles Lakers are still the best team in NBA. I mean they just won the NBA championship two times in a row! I honestly believe that they have the ability to win it again which hasn’t been done in a long time. Will there be another team on the rise this season? The Oklahoma City Thunder seem to be coming back this season with maturity and power. The shocked the NBA world last season as they gave the Lakers a hard time in the playoffs. But as everyone predicted the Lakers prevailed and won the championship. The team I want to keep a close eye on is the Denver Nuggets. Carmelo Anthony is my favorite player in the NBA and he might get traded to a new team before the half way mark of the season. I really don’t want him to get traded because he has a good contending team in Denver. They just need to learn how to win in the post season. With the season getting under way this week I’m pumped to see what happens.
JOURNAL 5 Weaknesses of the Articles of Confederation
After the colonists had declared independence from Britain a permanent constitution for was needed to govern their new nation the way they believed was right. Thus the Continental Congress created the Articles of Confederation that established a government where the states had most of the power because of their fear of a strong central government. With the Articles in place “the Confederation became a league of sovereign states.” (Billias) The reason why delegates wrote the Articles of Confederation was to fix the problems they dealt with while under Britain’s control. Yet this league wouldn’t be able to last very long because of the many problems that arose due to the lack of a solid national government. These problems under the Articles were that the national government did not have the ability to tax nor could easily create laws, and there was no national commerce. The only way to fix these issues was to create a new constitution that has the ability to maintain a “healthy” nation. One of the many disagreements the colonists had with Britain was “Parliament's efforts to tax the colonies for revenue.” (Greene). They were taxed on many things ranging from tea to legal documents. Knowing this makes it easy to understand why the Continental Congress would prefer a government that did not have the right to tax people. Under the Articles, the government would have to request money from the states, but the states rarely provided the national government with money. Without the ability for the government to tax, there is no way for the government to be able to provide for the country. The government was essentially broke which means there would not be a standing army for the country. While the Articles were in place, “the country faced a postwar depression and serious threats to its security from Britain and Spain.” (Billias) Since the government was broke and did not have an army, the country was in jeopardy.
JOURNAL 4 If I had to describe the meaning of character, I would say that it is someone’s moral standards. I have always felt that I have high moral standards because I have been raised to do the right thing at all times though it might get me into trouble. It’s never better to make wrong choices. I am a very honest and loyal person that is very committed to achieving my goals. In class I am an energetic learner and I love to interact with my peers. I feel having a positive attitude or character is the best way to learn and interact with others. Some people describe the world as being divided into two groups of people, those who lead and those who follow. Yet when people refer to that statement they think of leadership as being a hierarchal position when it really is not. Being a leader is being that person who lifts up others’ spirits when they are down, a leader helps others in need, and a leader is one who is not afraid to step up to a challenge when others do not. I have displayed qualities of a leader in my first year of being a high school student. I was the team captain of my basketball team where my role was to be able to communicate and help lead my team to victory. Helping out by volunteering for your community is essential, in my opinion, to life. Where ever or whoever that community is, it’s always great to do your part to help out. It helps to develop a lifelong bond between you and the service that you did and it also builds character. Though I am a supporter of working the community, the past year I was not as involved as I would have like to have been due to a heavy travel AAU basketball schedule. Over the summer I was very busy traveling, practicing, and playing with my basketball team. From this experience I have learned that the summer time isn’t the only time where I can do community service. During the school year I plan to be involved in performing various services through the Reston Association to help better my community and balance with my other commitments I have during the summer. I also plan to participate in the Readers are Leaders program with the South Lakes Basketball program. This is something will I commit to in order to achieve my goals for community service.
JOURNAL 3For the personal IB MYP project, I had a couple of ideas. The idea that stuck out the most was doing a "scrapbook" of memories. I would title it "What Goes Around Comes Around." It would contain stories from various people about a times when they has either good or bad karma. IN order to get a lot of different stories easily, I would send out emails requesting people to reply back with an interesting story. It would be nice to read and display these stories for people to read. I would hope that these stories can entertain various audiences. People may even learn from someone elses mistakes from these stories or someone may be inspired to go out and "do some good" for the community. This idea is something that really interests me and i look forward to doing it. It definetely won't be a project that I rush through just to get it done. JOURNAL 2If I were to wake up at a different time in a different place i feel that I would still be the same amicable and benevolent person. If the time period turned out to be a holocaust maybe I would have to change my character to a more belligerent one so that I could become more impervious to the destruction going on around me. Maybe if I retrogressed to the times of the civil rights movements, I would have to be more stolid to endure the repid looks I would be given. Yet im pretty sure if i were to be scrutinized meticulousl in whatever time period, I would still be my same self deep down. The only things changing would be my daily routines. If I still were to have a memory of the time period i used to live in, I would probaly have a sense on nostalgia. I am happy with the time that I am in. I wouldn't want to leave it for any reason. I have witnessed some historically significant times in our country from 9-11 to the first African-American president becoming president. I can't wait to be a part of the future, but right now im enjoying the present.
JOURNAL 1 (quote response)
“ ‘Stories have to be told or they die, and when they die, we can’t remember who we are or why we’re here.’ ” --The Secret Life of Bees by Sue Monk Kidd The quote highlighted the truth about the importance to tell "stories" in order to educate the people arounf us. Telling others stories has helped spread knowledge of who we are as a people. This has been going on since the beginnning of human civilization. That is how we know today about who we are and why we are here. Sometimes we cant tell stories from the word of mouth. Writing is key to preserve the stories and the thoughts of our minds. That is why writing is so important, you can share your thoughts with the whole world and your precious memories will never be forgotten. Stories should be forbidden for being able to die. For if they die we "die". Even though it would not be physical death, we would retrogress in time. we would have to start from the beginning again. All of our knowledge from earlier in time would be lost. We would no longer be able to move forward. Thats really what stories do, they move us forward. From stories we can learn from our mistakes, know what is right and what is wrong, and we can also discover new things we have never known before. Stories are extremely important for "stories have to be told or they die, and when they die, we can't remember who we are or why we're here."
In 1920 national prohibition had begun. All liquor stores and saloons had been closed done. Having alcohol became illegal. Even with it being illegal many people still distributed it. Moon shining became popular, which was a way to make alcoholic drinks, and people were being taken to jail. Moon shiners made a lot of money selling their drinks. Some in Virginia turned out about one million gallons of whisky a year. Much of the nation’s law enforcement joined together to catch these criminals. Some law enforcers starting moon shining because they made more money selling this illegal drink instead of actually stopping them.
Speakeasies also became popular. Speakeasies were saloons where alcohol was sold. They were usually underground and hidden. Bands usually played in them while people were being social. A lot of people enjoyed themselves and were excited to go to different speakeasies. Boats used to slide under restaurants to sneak in booze. Clubs hid liquor so uniquely that sometimes I was hidden behind walls.
Moon shiners started not to care what they put in their drinks. There was very little maintenance. People even created drinks in their own homes in bathtubs. This led to some people dying of disease. During the first year of prohibition many deaths were caused by poisonous liquor. Within about five years the number quadrupled. Bartenders tried to mask the poison by pouring in fruit juices to make it look and taste better.
About 75 percent of all the alcohol smuggled was in Detroit. Since Canada is so close they exported alcohol to make a lot of money. People went from Detroit to Canada and back to obtain liquor. People tried to do anything to get liquor.
JOURNAL 19
When someone of significance passed away the Egyptians believed in preserving the body. First they would take out all of the internal organs from the body so bacteria cannot decay the body. They would store these organs in jars called canopic jars for protection. They didn’t remove the heart because they believed everyone thought from their heart, thus meaning the brain was taken out. Next the Egyptians would dehydrate the body, to also prevent decay, by putting in a salt like substance called natron. Natron figuratively soaks up the moisture from the body. The Final step is wrapping the body with linen. They would place amulets for protection within the linen wrappings. This process took the Egyptians about seventy days to complete.
After the mummy has been mummified, it is placed into a wooden coffin. I found it interesting that the coffin was also sealed into a stone sarcophagus. That sarcophagus was found within the burial chamber inside the tomb. The tombs are hidden with giant pyramids. Many explorers wanted to find these burial chambers to look for mummies. There was only one thing that was in there way. There was usually a barricade of solid stone inside a narrow shaft to keep anyone from stealing from the mummies.
JOURNAL 18
In “Miraculous Survivors: Why They Live While Others Die,” John Blake discusses various survivor stories. John Blake concludes that many survivors share the same attributes. A survivor named, Deborah Kiley, survived in the Atlantic Ocean without food or water for five days. Kiley kept a sane mind through prayer. She describes surviving as “keeping your wits,” which was why those who didn’t died. John Blake states that survivors tend to be independent thinkers. For instance, during the 9-11 attacks workers inside the building were told to stay put and wait to be rescued. Some people went against the rules and made it out safely while most of those who stayed inside died. Survivors paying attention to their intuition is also another point John Blake stressed. A man was offered to fly with a colleague to Los Angeles and he declined the offer. That same plane he was about to board, crashed during takeoff and everyone on board died. Survivors do seem to share common traits. They all think for themselves and do what they believe is right in order for them to survive.
JOURNAL 17
Guns were one of the biggest positives to the Europeans. African tribes were using weapons that one may even call a little primitive. They had probably never been exposed to this new type of combat. The Europeans were able to keep a distance from the Africans whereas the Africans type of combat required them to make their own physical contact. The Europeans available distance from the enemies got even greater when they created an automatic gun. This gun itself took down many tribes.
European diseases may have been the greatest factor on the European side of things. Being exposed to many livestock, the Europeans developed diseases unknown to Africans. When African tribes were exposed to these diseases their immune systems were not previously “educated” about the certain disease. This European domination of germs eventually fired back when they started to get malaria. Colonists lived near water where mosquitoes thrived.
Guns, germs, and steel were mainly on the side of the Europeans. They were extremely dominating anyone who dared to get in their way. Even though the germ advantage had switched sides Europeans still had better war strategies which helped them conquer most of the continent.
JOURNAL 15
At first Henry Ford wanted to produce really fast racing cars. Before his interest in that he had a revolutionary idea that would soon spark the car industry. He wanted to make a car that could be sold at a cheaper price.
The Ford Motor Company was founded in 1903 in order to make a car to spark a competition with Oldsmobile. Henry Ford designed a car that was put into market called the Model T which was “cheap”, durable, and efficient to run. It went from about $800 to $1,000.
In 1916 many cars were being turned down because of the high pricing. Around 730,000 cars were turned down. Ford didn’t develop the assembly line but simply made it better.
Each person on the line would have a specific part to place on the car and at the end the car would be complete. This lowered the price to $345. It was now affordable for normal families. This also helped produce a huge spike in the sales.
JOURNAL 14
For as long as our history can go, we (humans) have always engaged in battle. The most important factor that usually determined the outcome of these battles was the weapons that were used. During the Iron Age, barbarians used very strong weapons to overcome various enemies. The Celts were the master of the sword. They dominated most of Europe before settling in Great Britain. Their swords were made from iron, bronze, steel, and even glass. For defensive purposes, the Celts lived on top of rock fenced land similar to hills. This enabled them to look out into the distance for any unusual activity. If enemies tried to make move towards the Celtic land, the Celts would simply throw various things such as stones down the steep hills at the enemy. The only people successful in invading the Celts were the Romans.
As the Roman Empire started to degrade a new barbarian tribe came into power. They were called the Huns. The Huns’ weapon of choice was the bow and arrow. Even though they were not the firsts to use the bow and arrows, they made it a lot stronger. Instead of using only one tree limb to make the bow they used many, which increased its speed and power. Under the rule of the famous Attila the Hun, the Huns controlled much of southern Europe with their “Hit and Run” battle technique. While traveling on horseback they took down their enemies quickly and from a distance. Similar to the Celts they were taken out by the Romans.
These two barbarian tribes we among the strongest and most powerful in all of Europe. Unfortunately they were both taken out by the Roman Empire. Even though the Roman Empire was weakening they were not able to hold them off. The only people successful in handling the Romans were the Goths. The most interesting fact that I learned from watching this program is how similar the fighting techniques were between the Huns and the Mongols. Both Mongols and Huns rode on horseback using bow and arrows. They both dominated much of the area they lived in and were both led by famous rulers. The Huns had Attila the Hun and the Mongols had Genghis Kahn.
JOURNAL 13 (monster cont.)
There were many differences between the creature and the people that I had used to create my creature. The most obvious one was that the creatures face was uneven because everyone’s face has a different shape, so the creature does not have a definite face shape. Also this is not as noticeable with black and white ink, the skin tones of the people I used are different as well, so there are just random shades of color for different features.
After I had created my being I looked at it with surprise. I laughed at how ugly it turned out to be. It looked like I had created a new type of species because it definitely did not look like a human being. It almost looks like a bird with Owen Wilson’s nose and the afro just looks ridiculous.
Once completing my creation I now know how Mary Shelley was trying to get the reader to comprehend from reading Frankenstein. There are two lessons that I had learned. One, no one should have the ability to create another creature because that should only belong to God and second, the perfect body parts create the ugliest things. Everyone’s body features are unique to them and to them only. So for intense my nose would not look good on anyone else because God had specifically given that nose for me.
JOURNAL 12
Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein is a story about a creator and his creation. The creator, Victor Frankenstein, had hopes of creating the perfect being. He searched for all of the perfect aspects of the human body such as arms, eyes, legs, and much more. After he creates his monster which he wants to be beautiful, he discovers that he had actually created a horrifying creature. Our assignment in class was to find the perfect eyes, nose, hair, and other facial features and mesh them together to create our own creature. What we eventually created might not be what we had originally intended.
I wanted my creation to look beautiful by finding various facial features I thought were beautiful. I searched all over the internet for my selections. For eyes I chose actress Tina Fey’s, her brown eyes caught my intention and I knew that my creature must have those eyes. I was hoping to give my creature a unique feature on his/her face, so I gave it Owen Wilson’s nose because I believe his nose has a unique and original shape. For the lips I chose my celebrity crush actress Angelina Jolie. The forehead belongs to Tyra Banks and the chin belongs to John Travolta.
JOURNAL 11 (AIR POLLUTION CONT)
Children
are much more susceptible to airborne pollutants than adults, especially at school because since children’s’ metabolisms are much higher, they require more oxygen. Unfortunately, one of three U.S. public schools are considered an “air pollution danger zone” (
Many U.S. Public Schools in ‘Air Pollution Danger Zone’). Also, schools are one of the leading causes of children under eighteen to have double the chance of getting asthma. The same pollutants in households can be found in school such as nitrogen dioxide, carbon monoxide, formaldehyde, and radon (School Air Quality).
Garages are very polluted because automobiles give out a lot of pollution. Starting a car in the garage can result in higher concentration of pollutants like carbon monoxide (CO). Driving a car into the garage and closing the door results in emissions of various chemicals over the next several hours as the engine and its fluids cool down (Attached Garages and Indoor Air Quality). In a survey of houses in Minnesota, 74 percent of homes with carbon monoxide detectors that went off were triggered by carbon monoxide leaking in from the garage (Top Garage Fumes from Polluting Indoor Air).
JOURNAL 10
For our group’s science fair project, we decided to do it on the pollution of places we go. We plan on going to four different places to test air pollution, a house, an auto-mechanic’s garage, a nail salon, and a school. We plan on doing three trials of each place. To test the air pollution of these places, we are going to use a gas chromatograph mass spectrometer. The gas chromatograph mass spectrometer separates chemical mixtures (the gas chromatograph component) and identifies the components at a molecular level (the mass spectrometer component). It is one of the most accurate tools for analyzing environmental samples such as air pollution (Gas Chromatography/Mass Spectrometry (GC/MS)). The gas chromatograph separates chemicals based on their ease with which they evaporate into a gas. The Mass spectrometer is used to identify chemicals based on their structure (GCMS - How Does It Work?).
On average we spend about 90 percent of our time indoors - out of that 90 percent, 65 percent is spent at home.In houses, inadequate ventilation in the houses can increase pollution in homes (IAQ in Homes/Residences). The process of cooking, as well as heating and cooling our homes, can also add to indoor pollution. The most major indoor air pollutants include nitrogen dioxide (NO2), which can contribute to eye and respiratory tract irritation and lower resistance to respiratory infection, carbon monoxide (CO), which can disrupt coordination, worsen cardiovascular conditions, and produce fatigue, headache, confusion, nausea, and dizziness and can even cause death, formaldehyde (HCHO), which can cause headaches, dizziness, lethargy, rashes, nausea, and irritation of the eyes and upper respiratory tract, and radon (Rn), which is estimated to be the second leading cause of lung cancer (Air Pollution and Your Home).
Journal 9
Analysis of Results
The estimated population of Washington D.C. in 2009 is 465,932 people. The 2009 according to census.gov was 599,657 people. There was an increase in population rather than a decrease. Another conclusion that I came to was that there are many different factors that can change the population of a city and nothing follows a complete trend. My estimate was off by over 100,000 people so there was definitely a factor in that decrease in population. City developers need to use population projections so that they can account for everyone’s needs and wants. Things that are affected by population include the city’s budget, jobs, housing, and even simple things such as garbage companies. Population estimates help others become aware of what and how much needs to get done.
Validity
Many factors besides the mathematical calculation errors can lead to a difference in the real life population from the estimate. If there was something to attract many people to live in D.C. such as a decrease in housing costs, that could lead to an increase in population total. A major spread of a disease or even an unkempt look in the area can lead people away and decrease total population. To get a more accurate estimate on the population I could have obtained information regarding the rate of which people move in and out of the city. If a city planner were to use my estimates for the population they would have had incorrect estimates which would lead to a mass over production of goods for the city. This could have also put the city in debt because they would be buying a lot more than needed. With the actual estimates it would prevent a city wide debt and needs and wants would be better accounted for
Journal 8
In the year 3000, the sport of basketball has been replaced by other crowd-pleasing sports that generate greater profits. My grand-father used to tell me all of the great memorable moments that excited the basketball world. He told me about all of the legends that had changed the game. I told him I wished I were alive during basketball’s most prosperous time to see all of this happen in person. My grand-father told me that we could relive that point in time by going to the basketball hall of fame museum in Massachusetts on the weekend.
JOURNAL 7
Here at the University of Ingolstadt there has been abundance of gossip regarding student Victor Frankenstein. Rumors say that Victor has been working on a big scientific breakthrough but no one truly knows what it is. Luckily Frankentimes was able to get an interview with the man himself Victor Frankenstein.
How did Victor’s love for science even begin? He stated that his “love for science began when I was a little boy.” Frankenstein used to read many books about various alchemists. “My father tried to discourage me from reading all of those books by saying that they were full of nonsense, but that didn’t stop me. Even my college professors told me the same.”
Victor mastered his science in college and had an idea that will change his life forever. “I have discovered the secret of life,” but that wasn’t just all that he has planned. “I plan on putting life into a being that I have created!” Victor hasn’t thought of a name for his future creation.
Victor had gathered many different body parts from various places such as the slaughter houses. He “wanted to get the best and most beautiful body parts that were available so that the monster would be as beautiful as those who originally had those parts.” Frankenstein looks forward to this experiment. He wouldn’t reveal how he would conduct the experiment because he believes not everyone should have this ability or knowledge of creating life.
JOURNAL 6
Is anyone else excited for this NBA season because I know I am? This year is going to be so exciting. Especially for the completely renovated Miami Heat because of their additions of Lebron James and Chris Bosh. A lot of people think that they will win the NBA championship because the team is completely loaded with talent but I think that they won’t. In my mind I believe that the Los Angeles Lakers are still the best team in NBA. I mean they just won the NBA championship two times in a row! I honestly believe that they have the ability to win it again which hasn’t been done in a long time. Will there be another team on the rise this season? The Oklahoma City Thunder seem to be coming back this season with maturity and power. The shocked the NBA world last season as they gave the Lakers a hard time in the playoffs. But as everyone predicted the Lakers prevailed and won the championship. The team I want to keep a close eye on is the Denver Nuggets. Carmelo Anthony is my favorite player in the NBA and he might get traded to a new team before the half way mark of the season. I really don’t want him to get traded because he has a good contending team in Denver. They just need to learn how to win in the post season. With the season getting under way this week I’m pumped to see what happens.
JOURNAL 5
Weaknesses of the Articles of Confederation
After the colonists had declared independence from Britain a permanent constitution for was needed to govern their new nation the way they believed was right. Thus the Continental Congress created the Articles of Confederation that established a government where the states had most of the power because of their fear of a strong central government. With the Articles in place “the Confederation became a league of sovereign states.” (Billias) The reason why delegates wrote the Articles of Confederation was to fix the problems they dealt with while under Britain’s control. Yet this league wouldn’t be able to last very long because of the many problems that arose due to the lack of a solid national government. These problems under the Articles were that the national government did not have the ability to tax nor could easily create laws, and there was no national commerce. The only way to fix these issues was to create a new constitution that has the ability to maintain a “healthy” nation.
One of the many disagreements the colonists had with Britain was “Parliament's efforts to tax the colonies for revenue.” (Greene). They were taxed on many things ranging from tea to legal documents. Knowing this makes it easy to understand why the Continental Congress would prefer a government that did not have the right to tax people. Under the Articles, the government would have to request money from the states, but the states rarely provided the national government with money. Without the ability for the government to tax, there is no way for the government to be able to provide for the country. The government was essentially broke which means there would not be a standing army for the country. While the Articles were in place, “the country faced a postwar depression and serious threats to its security from Britain and Spain.” (Billias) Since the government was broke and did not have an army, the country was in jeopardy.
JOURNAL 4
If I had to describe the meaning of character, I would say that it is someone’s moral standards. I have always felt that I have high moral standards because I have been raised to do the right thing at all times though it might get me into trouble. It’s never better to make wrong choices. I am a very honest and loyal person that is very committed to achieving my goals. In class I am an energetic learner and I love to interact with my peers. I feel having a positive attitude or character is the best way to learn and interact with others.
Some people describe the world as being divided into two groups of people, those who lead and those who follow. Yet when people refer to that statement they think of leadership as being a hierarchal position when it really is not. Being a leader is being that person who lifts up others’ spirits when they are down, a leader helps others in need, and a leader is one who is not afraid to step up to a challenge when others do not. I have displayed qualities of a leader in my first year of being a high school student. I was the team captain of my basketball team where my role was to be able to communicate and help lead my team to victory.
Helping out by volunteering for your community is essential, in my opinion, to life. Where ever or whoever that community is, it’s always great to do your part to help out. It helps to develop a lifelong bond between you and the service that you did and it also builds character. Though I am a supporter of working the community, the past year I was not as involved as I would have like to have been due to a heavy travel AAU basketball schedule. Over the summer I was very busy traveling, practicing, and playing with my basketball team. From this experience I have learned that the summer time isn’t the only time where I can do community service. During the school year I plan to be involved in performing various services through the Reston Association to help better my community and balance with my other commitments I have during the summer. I also plan to participate in the Readers are Leaders program with the South Lakes Basketball program. This is something will I commit to in order to achieve my goals for community service.
JOURNAL 3For the personal IB MYP project, I had a couple of ideas. The idea that stuck out the most was doing a "scrapbook" of memories. I would title it "What Goes Around Comes Around." It would contain stories from various people about a times when they has either good or bad karma. IN order to get a lot of different stories easily, I would send out emails requesting people to reply back with an interesting story. It would be nice to read and display these stories for people to read. I would hope that these stories can entertain various audiences. People may even learn from someone elses mistakes from these stories or someone may be inspired to go out and "do some good" for the community. This idea is something that really interests me and i look forward to doing it. It definetely won't be a project that I rush through just to get it done.
JOURNAL 2If I were to wake up at a different time in a different place i feel that I would still be the same amicable and benevolent person. If the time period turned out to be a holocaust maybe I would have to change my character to a more belligerent one so that I could become more impervious to the destruction going on around me. Maybe if I retrogressed to the times of the civil rights movements, I would have to be more stolid to endure the repid looks I would be given. Yet im pretty sure if i were to be scrutinized meticulousl in whatever time period, I would still be my same self deep down. The only things changing would be my daily routines. If I still were to have a memory of the time period i used to live in, I would probaly have a sense on nostalgia. I am happy with the time that I am in. I wouldn't want to leave it for any reason. I have witnessed some historically significant times in our country from 9-11 to the first African-American president becoming president. I can't wait to be a part of the future, but right now im enjoying the present.
JOURNAL 1 (quote response)
“ ‘Stories have to be told or they die, and when they die, we can’t remember who we are or why we’re here.’ ” --The Secret Life of Bees by Sue Monk Kidd
The quote highlighted the truth about the importance to tell "stories" in order to educate the people arounf us. Telling others stories has helped spread knowledge of who we are as a people. This has been going on since the beginnning of human civilization. That is how we know today about who we are and why we are here. Sometimes we cant tell stories from the word of mouth. Writing is key to preserve the stories and the thoughts of our minds. That is why writing is so important, you can share your thoughts with the whole world and your precious memories will never be forgotten. Stories should be forbidden for being able to die. For if they die we "die". Even though it would not be physical death, we would retrogress in time. we would have to start from the beginning again. All of our knowledge from earlier in time would be lost. We would no longer be able to move forward. Thats really what stories do, they move us forward. From stories we can learn from our mistakes, know what is right and what is wrong, and we can also discover new things we have never known before. Stories are extremely important for "stories have to be told or they die, and when they die, we can't remember who we are or why we're here."