Quarter 3 Blog #15

In many instances, people everywhere are determined to overcome hardships, even when the odds are stacked against them. On www.mayinstitute.org, "Eight-year-old Jeff, who has autism, was recently honored by Georgia’s Council of Exceptional Children as one of the most improved students in his suburban Atlanta school. His mom, Mimi, marvels at the progress he has made and credits the professionals of May South for helping to change Jeff’s life. “May South has simply opened up many doors for our family,” she says." Here, a boy with autism improves greatly academically, although it was mainly due to his parents determination, Jeff became successful. The determination of his parents and his willingness to overcome his disability eventually lead to success. This idea of overcoming obstacles can be related to the novel, Breaking Dawn, by Stephanie Meyer. Within the novel, the main character, Bella Swan, lives her dream of becoming a vampire. Although odds are against both her survival and ability to be around mankind are against her, miraculously, she survives and gains the ability to have the self control to be around humans. This was only accomplished by the determination of both Bella and Edward. Bella wanted to become a vampire and Edward wanted to protect Bella, so as the story progressed, their bond to each other became each others strength. Overcoming odds can be very difficult, but in the end, it is worth the effort.

Works Cited for Quarter 3 Blog #15 :
"Overcoming the Odds". Success Stories. April 3, 2006. www.mayinstitute.org. March 25, 2009. http://www.mayinstitute.org/success/overcoming.asp

Quarter 3 Blog #14

Love makes the world go 'round. A short simple and to the point statement that can often be not so simple. According to an article by Caitlin Ascolese, "On the other hand, 'If someone’s attracted to you but they get the sense that you’re attracted to lots of other people, they’ll tend to dislike you.' The upshot? Prove you’re picky — and that this person fits your high criteria — and you’re well on your way to making this potential amour pick you, too"(Caitlin Ascolese). Here, the author explains a "strategy" to finding your true love. This just goes further to say that love is not as simple as people think it to be. This idea of love and misconception of the overall idea of love can be related to the novel, New Moon, by Stephanie Meyer. Within this novel, the main protagonist, Bella, is struggling with the fact that she has lost her one and only true love; as the story resolves, she is again reunited with her eternal love, Edward. Based on the events that take the reader through the novel, a misconception of love comes into play, and that is what creates and moves the plot along. Love conquers all, ha.

Works Cited for Quarter 3 Blog #14 :
"Win anyone over". Caitlin Ascolese. May 17, 2008. msn.match.com. March 25, 2009. http://msn.match.com/msn/article.aspx?articleid=10039&menuid=1&lid=429&ap=1

Quarter 3 Blog #13

Throughout history, war has been a common element for nations to expand, prosper, and conquest. A particular characteristic of war is the need or desire to stop it. An article by David Cole states, "But while the new rules reflect a significant retreat by the administration from its initial torture policies, they are anything but “clear,” come far too late in the day, and in any event are unenforceable"(David Cole). Here, this quote is referring to the torture ban that President Bush approved in 2007. According to the remainder of the article, the author explains how although President Bush is doing the right thing by approving the ban in Iraq, it won't do any good. This idea of a "desire" to end war is a recurring idea in almost every view of any type of war. For example, in the novel, Eclipse, by Stephanie Meyer, there is a constant battle near the end of the novel between two distinct groups of vampires; Victoria and her newborns, and the traditional Cullen and werewolf gang. Throughout this battle, there is a want for the complete stop of the war especially by Bella, the main protagonist. When this battle has concluded, peace is thus again reestablished. War leads to destruction, and makes way for a better, brighter future.

Works Cited for Quarter 3 Blog #13 :
"Bush's torture ban is full of loopholes". David Cole. July 23, 2007. www.globalissues.org. March 25, 2009. http://www.globalissues.org/article/734/bushs-torture-ban-is-full-of-loopholes

Rough Draft For Research Paper - Body Paragraph 3

The entire western hemisphere was completely hidden from history until the late 15th century when exposed to the exploration of and colonization of European nations. The Americas were mainly populated by indigenous civilizations that did not experience the age of industrialization. Due to the impact of European influence on the western societies, indigenous civilizations were able to experience rapid population growth, an increase and diversity of crops and foods, and both livestock and manufactured goods from Europe. From a World History course website, "A variety of breeds of livestock, such as cattle, sheep, and swine, which formed the crux of a stable food supply in a land previously marred by protein deficiency, arrived to the Americas via Eurasia"(Willams Scott). From this quotation, readers understand that before the colonization of the Americas, nutrition wise, the indigenous people were not getting enough protein. This shows that the colonization of the Americas via Europe really helped the indigenous people. Another example from the website, "Crops, goods, and livestock in both continents fueled a population explosion at the onset of the Industrial Revolution as, for the first time in human history, famines, shortages, and commercial isolation were the exception, not the rule"(William Scott). Here, readers discover that due to the colonization of the Americas by the Europeans, both sides benefited; both experienced rapid population growth, surpluses in food supply, and healthier people. The European colonization of the Americas affected the indigenous people positively and allowed for the development and prosperity of the Americas later in history.

Research Project - Notes (Effects)

Works Cited

Williams, Scott. "World History." World History course and essays in Biblical perspective. 24 Sept. 2002. 20 Mar. 2009 http://www.hyperhistory.net/apwh/essays/cot/t4w25spanishcolonization.htm.

"A variety of breeds of livestock, such as cattle, sheep, and swine, which formed the crux of a stable food supply in a land previously marred by protein deficiency, arrived to the Americas via Eurasia."

"Wheat, barley, rice, and oats, staple foods in the European diet, were now rendered available to Native Americans as well. Citrus, peach pear, and banana fruits, as well as grapes, coffee, and sugar were introduced from Africa with which Spain and Portugal had been conducting an active trade since the days of Henry the Navigator."

"Crops, goods, and livestock in both continents fueled a population explosion at the onset of the Industrial Revolution as, for the first time in human history, famines, shortages, and commercial isolation were the exception, not the rule."

"Even the scalding criticism of colonization on the behalf of men like las Casas was a matter of serious consideration for Ferdinand’s successor, Emperor Charles V, whose government in 1542 devised the New Laws of the Indies, outlawing Native American slavery, forbidding the Natives from being laden with burdens beyond their range of comfort, further reforming the encomienda system, and dispatching Audiencias, bodies of investigation and enforcement of said laws, to the New World."

Research Project - Notes (Causes)

Works Cited

Matusevich, Melissa. WWW Server for chumby.dlib.vt.edu. 27 May 2004. 20 Mar. 2009 http://chumby.dlib.vt.edu/melissa/posters/ReasonsEnglandColonized.pdf.


Notes from this source -


England wanted to establish an American colony to increase her wealth and power.

England hoped to find silver and gold in America.

An American settlement would furnish raw materials that could not be grown or obtained in England.

England wanted to open new markets for trade.

Research Project Multi Flow Map

Quarter 3 Blog #12

The colonization of the Americas began around the 16th C.E. A major player in the process of colonization of the Americas was Spain, who was able to almost fully colonize South America. Colonization refers to the migration of a mass of people into a new area to inhabit, culitivate, and place laws, religion and culture onto the people of that area. From publicbookshelf.com, "Colonies were established on the coasts of South and Central America, and in 1519 Cortez began that memorable expedition which soon subjected the Aztec empire of Mexico to his sway. From this region the Spanish dominion extended south throughout Central America, and northward to California and New Mexico, which Coronado invaded in 1540." The article goes further on explaining how the colonization of Spain in South America made way for the current status of South America being a primarily spanish continent. This idea of colonization can be compared to the novel, When Things Fall Apart, because later in the story, the Umoufia clan is constantly invaded by white people. For example, when the Abame tribe is completely destroyed by the white people because the villagers killed one white man. I haven't got that far yet, but I'm sure that these small encounters with the white men will further lead to the colonization of the Umoufia.

Works Cited for Quarter 3 Blog #12:
"The Colonization of America". Hubert H. Bancroft. The Great Republic by the Master Historians. May 1912. http://www.publicbookshelf.com. March 12 2009. http://www.publicbookshelf.com/public_html/The_Great_Republic_By_the_Master_Historians_Vol_I/colonizati_cb.html

Quarter 3 - Blog #11

The Global Financial Crisis is sweeping across the world and is affecting economies all over the globe. According to Anup Shah, the author of the article, "The global financial crisis, brewing for a while, really started to show its effects in the middle of 2007 and into 2008. Around the world stock markets have fallen, large financial institutions have collapsed or been bought out, and governments in even the wealthiest nations have had to come up with rescue packages to bail out their financial systems." Here, readers understand that this is a global crisis because it certainly affects governmental systems around the globe in a negative way. The idea of a global crisis or a global issue for that matter can be related to the idea of suffering around the world. The issue with a global financial crisis is that it affects everyone around the world because our world is very interconnected. Its a pretty simple concept, a problem with the economy poses a threat to the people involved in that economy, this refers to us, people under the governmental control of our individual country. We are affected by our worsening economies because we can't afford to pay for our rent, groceries, etc. This requires the governmental systems around the world to fix this problem, and in my opinion, they better do it quick.

Work Cited for Quarter 3 Blog 11:
"Global Financial Crisis". Anup Shah. March 02, 2009. www.globalissues.org. © Copyright 1998–2009. March 8, 2009. http://www.globalissues.org/article/768/global-financial-crisis

Quarter 3 - Blog #10

Halloween, the time of year where anyone can be whoever or whatever they choose to be. It's a time of gathering, tricking and treating, and celebration. Although many of us celebrate this festive time of the year, most of us do not know the origin of this celebration. According to an article on allaboutpopularissues.org, "The Celts of Ireland, Britain, and France divided their year into halves: the “light half,” roughly consisting of the spring and summer months when days are longer and nights are shorter, and the “dark half,” roughly consisting of the autumn and winter months when days are shorter and nights are longer. Celts celebrated the end of the light half of the year with the festival of “Samhain” (pronounced sah-wen), which they observed during the October/November lunar cycle." So from this article, readers understand that this whole "holiday" gig was based on a celebration centuries ago on the difference in seasons in a year. This idea of a holiday, or festive yearly celebration, can be related to the novel, The Giver, written by Louis Lowry. In the novel, a utopian like society celebrates the promotion of 12 year old children into their jobs/roles in society every year. The celebration is very festive gathering for the people of the society. Holidays/celebrations are great ways for masses of people to bond.

Works Cited for Quarter 3 Blog 10:
"Origin of Halloween-Through the Years". May 13 2004. www.allaboutpopularissues.org Copyright © 2002 - 2009 AllAboutPopularIssues.org. March 9 2009. http://www.allaboutpopularissues.org/origin-of-halloween.htm

Quarter 3 - Blog #9

The origin of Bollywood is a very interesting concept. Who created the term and how did it gain its popularity around the world ? Well, according to "The Origin of Bollywood", by Sabeen, "Bollywood is the informal name given to the popular Mumbai-based Hindustani language film industry in India. The term is often incorrectly used to refer to the whole of Indian cinema.The name is a portmanteau of Bombay (the former name for Mumbai) and Hollywood, the center of the American film industry." According to the article, a women by the name of Bevinda Collaco first coined the term "Bollywood". From the text, "I got into film journalism by pure accident and knew nothing about Hindi films… I was given a studio beat to do. I was not happy with the name of the column Studio Roundup and thought of `Flipping around Follywood’, but it sounded too harsh. I settled for `On the Bollywood Beat’ instead" (Origin Bolly.). As interesting as it is to know how the famous film industry in India got its name, its really fascinating to understand how ideas become cemented into an area of interest, and then is built up upon to become something that no one would ever imagine later on. I found it interesting that the term "Bollywood" is now commonly used in a lot of places, it even has a spot in the Oxford English Dictionary. How cool is that ?

Works Cited for Quarter 3 Blog #9 :
"Origin of Bollywood". Sabeen. April 15, 2007 4:03 PM. Desi Galaxy. 3/02/2009. http://desi-galaxy.sabza.org/2007/04/15/origin-of-bollywood/

Quarter 3 - Blog #8

Culture shapes many societies around the world. Centuries ago, Africa's diverse culture helped shaped the cultures of many other nations around the world. From www.shivaunnestor.com, "Almost three times the size of Europe, Africa is a huge continent. It has 54 countries, hundreds of languages and many different cultures. Most African Americans were originally from West Africa, which has had a huge influence on many cultures around the world, including cuisine." Africa, in a sense, was a very diverse and beautiful continent, full of outstanding relics, numerous languages, and amazing architecture. So technically, Africa's culture came from these differences it had compared to the rest of the world. It's culture was very significant because it made an impact on other parts of the world. For example, when slaves were sold and shipped to the Americas, the slaves would bring along their culture; their language, their crops, their ways of life. Unfortunately I can't really relate this specific cultural diversity to any specific book I've read, but I can examine the effects of the the spread of African culture. If you look at our nation today, we have definitely integrated masses of people and assimilated them into our country, and because of that fact, we have a abundance of different cultures. I think its really interesting to learn about different cultures, especially when there are so many within accessible range.

Works Cited for Quarter 3 Blog 8 :
"West African Culture". Background on West African Culture. 3/02/2009. http://www.shivaunnestor.com/archives/telehealth/food/index.html