It is possible that a hypertext society could make the world more accepting of cyclic history, because it would be easier to look at the details of events as they happen. It is often found that in major events, it's the small details that really make the difference. Because textbooks aren't editable, it made it very difficult and expensive to revise information as details from certain events in history were better clarified for society to study and understand. A world that is more enhanced by hypertext would mean not only that smaller details of historic events could be edited and perfected more easily, but that the details of current events that would later turn into historic events could be recorded almost immediately. If these details are shown accurately, it would be easier to identify instances of repetition in certain aspects of the events, which could possibly show more of the possibility of cyclic history theory. This could make it easier to show to society that cyclic history is a very relevant and possible concept.
Sunday, January 30, 2011
Daily 3 Week 1
Don't our traditional forms of information communication, notably "the book" and especially "the textbook" contribute to our belief in linear history?
Books in general seem to be very supportive of the linear history theory, because this is a theory that is as simple as listing events in chronological order. Most novels start out with a beginning setting, or sort of starting point, and move forward in time as the story progresses. It is very rare that you could read an entire novel on one event, and the novel would just be explaining this event to the reader. Many books will include other theories of history, such as cyclic, but normally these theories are represented in a more linear style, as opposed to just representing the cyclic theory through events. Textbooks in particular are very linear, especially when they are focused on history. History textbooks will list important events in sequential order, to attempt to point out a "domino effect," which is a main component of the linear theory of history. The modern world, though quickly switching to electronic devices for many researching opportunities, still very much supports the use of textbooks, because they make it easier for students to understand concepts in history. This is a big clue that today's society finds it easier to understand linear history, and there is probably a much bigger belief system shown in linear history than any other theory.
Books in general seem to be very supportive of the linear history theory, because this is a theory that is as simple as listing events in chronological order. Most novels start out with a beginning setting, or sort of starting point, and move forward in time as the story progresses. It is very rare that you could read an entire novel on one event, and the novel would just be explaining this event to the reader. Many books will include other theories of history, such as cyclic, but normally these theories are represented in a more linear style, as opposed to just representing the cyclic theory through events. Textbooks in particular are very linear, especially when they are focused on history. History textbooks will list important events in sequential order, to attempt to point out a "domino effect," which is a main component of the linear theory of history. The modern world, though quickly switching to electronic devices for many researching opportunities, still very much supports the use of textbooks, because they make it easier for students to understand concepts in history. This is a big clue that today's society finds it easier to understand linear history, and there is probably a much bigger belief system shown in linear history than any other theory.
Thursday, January 27, 2011
Daily 2 Week 1
Is modern life "always" better than it was in the past?
The word "always" in this question makes the answer an obvious no. There are many issues and conflicts in today's society that are all being caused by modern technology and lifestyle. For example, obesity is being considered a very large issue in the U.S., and that is mostly because it is more common for an American child to know the storyline of a television show than it is for that child to know the rules of a sport. Television is one part of modern society that has changed many lifestyles, sometimes for better, and others for worse. Things like cell phones and computers make it easier for people to communicate when they're short on time, but it's also easier to pretend to be someone else over a text conversation. You can think about your words a lot longer before they reach the other person, and sometimes it becomes easier for people to just hide behind their emails and text messages, rather than meet someone in person or even give them a simple phone call. The overall lifestyle for modern society is another thing that can be considered both good and bad. It's more common for children in America to have both parents working, which was not common about 100 years ago. This is a great advance in women's equality, however some kids end up getting themselves into trouble without a parent always being around to monitor their behaviors. There are many people who blame the increase of teens using drugs on the fact that both of their parents work, so no one is around to keep that child out of trouble when it comes to things like drugs and violence. The average American family has less time to spend together as well, which can mean an emotional separation between a parent and a child. While advances in technology and lifestyles can be seen as convenient and helpful, even groundbreaking at times, there are plenty of disadvantages to each of these situations, which makes putting the word always in this question a deal-breaker of sorts. Nothing is always good, as is the case with this topic of the modern lifestyle.
The word "always" in this question makes the answer an obvious no. There are many issues and conflicts in today's society that are all being caused by modern technology and lifestyle. For example, obesity is being considered a very large issue in the U.S., and that is mostly because it is more common for an American child to know the storyline of a television show than it is for that child to know the rules of a sport. Television is one part of modern society that has changed many lifestyles, sometimes for better, and others for worse. Things like cell phones and computers make it easier for people to communicate when they're short on time, but it's also easier to pretend to be someone else over a text conversation. You can think about your words a lot longer before they reach the other person, and sometimes it becomes easier for people to just hide behind their emails and text messages, rather than meet someone in person or even give them a simple phone call. The overall lifestyle for modern society is another thing that can be considered both good and bad. It's more common for children in America to have both parents working, which was not common about 100 years ago. This is a great advance in women's equality, however some kids end up getting themselves into trouble without a parent always being around to monitor their behaviors. There are many people who blame the increase of teens using drugs on the fact that both of their parents work, so no one is around to keep that child out of trouble when it comes to things like drugs and violence. The average American family has less time to spend together as well, which can mean an emotional separation between a parent and a child. While advances in technology and lifestyles can be seen as convenient and helpful, even groundbreaking at times, there are plenty of disadvantages to each of these situations, which makes putting the word always in this question a deal-breaker of sorts. Nothing is always good, as is the case with this topic of the modern lifestyle.
Daily 1 Week 1
Does history progress? Is an elephant really "better" than a mammoth?
In some ways, one could say that history does progress. In others, it regresses. With the elephant and the mammoth, it's all about environment. Mammoths lived in during the ice age, where fur was pretty much essential for survival. However, elephants tend to live in warmer climates, where fur would be a disadvantage. The history mentioned in this question is more of a concept of evolution, which would then show how things change to better fit the time and/or environment. If you were to talk about history in general, which is more of a concept of time moving forward, then yes, it does progress, otherwise it would not be history. Over time, technology upgrades, humans gain more knowledge, climate and environment change, and things just become generally different. Not all of this change is positive, in fact, many of it is contributing to things like a lack of fossil fuels or extreme climate change. The question of weather man kind's progression in technology and society is a good thing that should continue is very controversial, and has grown to be more of an opinion question. Some of the results are extraordinarily beneficial, and others are just factors that are adding to the growing fear of the end of our planet. However, history (or, time in general), does progress in that everything is moving in a direction that we as mankind cannot say we've been before.
In some ways, one could say that history does progress. In others, it regresses. With the elephant and the mammoth, it's all about environment. Mammoths lived in during the ice age, where fur was pretty much essential for survival. However, elephants tend to live in warmer climates, where fur would be a disadvantage. The history mentioned in this question is more of a concept of evolution, which would then show how things change to better fit the time and/or environment. If you were to talk about history in general, which is more of a concept of time moving forward, then yes, it does progress, otherwise it would not be history. Over time, technology upgrades, humans gain more knowledge, climate and environment change, and things just become generally different. Not all of this change is positive, in fact, many of it is contributing to things like a lack of fossil fuels or extreme climate change. The question of weather man kind's progression in technology and society is a good thing that should continue is very controversial, and has grown to be more of an opinion question. Some of the results are extraordinarily beneficial, and others are just factors that are adding to the growing fear of the end of our planet. However, history (or, time in general), does progress in that everything is moving in a direction that we as mankind cannot say we've been before.
Friday, January 21, 2011
Exam Question 7
Part 1:A regional food hub is a sort of transitioning/processing point for farmers and distributors to exchange what they have to offer. The farmers from that area drop off their products, and the food hub processes and packages all of it so that distributors can pick up and ship the products to different areas across the country. These food hubs are essential to food distribution systems, because it saves time and money when you have a large group of farmers from one area who all need to give products to the same distributor. Instead of having each individual client come and exchange their products, everything is done in mass production, so it takes less time for everyone to get their profit.
Part 2: These are the closest locations to find USDA approved food for John Carroll:
Poultry: Andy’s Eggs: 2601 Harford Road Fallston, MD 21047
Beef: Deer Meadow Farm: 1725 Tower Road Aberdeen, MD 21001
Vegetables: Andy’s Eggs: 2601 Harford Road Fallston, MD 21047
Part 3: Dear JC cafeteria staff,
I'm writing this proposal for a "JC sustainable food day," because I am concerned about the health of the food in the cafeteria. We learned in our food unit in human geography that some of the food used in the lunches here at JC have to come from all the way across the country, which would cost us more money for food that isn't necessarily organic or healthy in any way. However, doing research in the Harford Farms Organization, I've found that there are plenty of locations (in some cases, up to 10 farms) that sell USDA approved products like poultry, beef, and vegetables at an affordable price. It costs a little more than the food that you might get from across the country, but there are better health benefits involved, and its more local, so it could end up costing less in the long run. If we acquire foods from local farms like Andy's Eggs in Fallston, or Deer Meadow Farm in Aberdeen, maybe once a month we could have a day where all the food sold in the cafeteria is sustainable, which would lead to possible better health choices in the student body. Along with selling organic food, we can also use that day to educate the student body here at JC when it comes to where their food comes from. If students were to know the "farms," that some of their beef comes from, they might never want to eat a hamburger again. This education is important if we want the health of people in our school to improve.
Part 2: These are the closest locations to find USDA approved food for John Carroll:
Poultry: Andy’s Eggs: 2601 Harford Road Fallston, MD 21047
Beef: Deer Meadow Farm: 1725 Tower Road Aberdeen, MD 21001
Vegetables: Andy’s Eggs: 2601 Harford Road Fallston, MD 21047
Part 3: Dear JC cafeteria staff,
I'm writing this proposal for a "JC sustainable food day," because I am concerned about the health of the food in the cafeteria. We learned in our food unit in human geography that some of the food used in the lunches here at JC have to come from all the way across the country, which would cost us more money for food that isn't necessarily organic or healthy in any way. However, doing research in the Harford Farms Organization, I've found that there are plenty of locations (in some cases, up to 10 farms) that sell USDA approved products like poultry, beef, and vegetables at an affordable price. It costs a little more than the food that you might get from across the country, but there are better health benefits involved, and its more local, so it could end up costing less in the long run. If we acquire foods from local farms like Andy's Eggs in Fallston, or Deer Meadow Farm in Aberdeen, maybe once a month we could have a day where all the food sold in the cafeteria is sustainable, which would lead to possible better health choices in the student body. Along with selling organic food, we can also use that day to educate the student body here at JC when it comes to where their food comes from. If students were to know the "farms," that some of their beef comes from, they might never want to eat a hamburger again. This education is important if we want the health of people in our school to improve.
Exam Question 6
1. Climate change is caused by the release of greenhouse gases into our surroundings. When these gases rise up into the layers of the atmosphere, they absorb the heat in the air, and trap the heat down in the lower layers of our atmosphere. While some of this activity is good, and keeps climates from becoming too freezing, there can be too much buildup, which causes certain climates to overheat and have extreme changes in climate. So, in a sense, the greenhouse effect is the cause and prevention of climate change.
2. Because humans are constantly releasing large amounts of carbon dioxide into the air when we use coal, oil, and any other fossil fuels, we are a large contributor to the greenhouse effect. This is what is essentially causing the climate change, so this leads us to believe that humans are one of the largest contributing factors when it comes to the global climate change.
3. For the most part, the global climate is heating up. Over the past 200 years, the overall climate has increased by about .74 degrees Celsius, and even in the past 50 years, it has gone up about .13 degrees Celsius, which is even more rapidly than in years past.
4. Even though the general climate of the globe is heating up, the warming isn't all at the same time, or in the same place. In areas like the east coast of the U.S. and the North Atlantic, the climate is actually cooling. This change, however, is still due to the greenhouse gases, or lack thereof, in our atmosphere.
2. Because humans are constantly releasing large amounts of carbon dioxide into the air when we use coal, oil, and any other fossil fuels, we are a large contributor to the greenhouse effect. This is what is essentially causing the climate change, so this leads us to believe that humans are one of the largest contributing factors when it comes to the global climate change.
3. For the most part, the global climate is heating up. Over the past 200 years, the overall climate has increased by about .74 degrees Celsius, and even in the past 50 years, it has gone up about .13 degrees Celsius, which is even more rapidly than in years past.
4. Even though the general climate of the globe is heating up, the warming isn't all at the same time, or in the same place. In areas like the east coast of the U.S. and the North Atlantic, the climate is actually cooling. This change, however, is still due to the greenhouse gases, or lack thereof, in our atmosphere.
Exam Question 4
There are so many names for "Soda Pop" in New Mexico because it's an area where there are lots of military families in the U.S. who come from all different places around the country. Each part of the country has its own way of speaking, with different terms for words. Because this is such an integrated part of the country, many people are going to have lots of different terms for different items, like "Soda Pop."
Exam Question 3
According to the Korean Times, Los Angeles is the most unfriendly city in the U.S.
Article found at: http://www.koreatimes.com/article/639588
Article found at: http://www.koreatimes.com/article/639588
Exam Question 2
1. The car parked in front of 30 Vesey Street is bright blue.
2. The time on the clock is about 2:20pm.
3. The church is St. Paul's Chapel.
4. 8 people are wearing sunglasses.
Exam Question 1
Part A: The sudden dip in the graph shown takes place in 2001. This is the same year that the attacks on the Twin Towers in New York City took place. When these attacks happened, there were numerous results, both immediate and eventual. One of the biggest immediate causes was that all airports in the country shut down for the day of and the days after the attacks. This caused a huge loss in money when it came to America's air travel system. This prevented numerous flights to be running at the same time, so for a short amount of time afterwards, international air travel to and from the U.S. was extremely limited. It was also limited because after the devastation of all of the deaths caused by these attacks, the U.S. government made the decision to enforce safety precautions when it came not only to international air travel, but just traveling in and out of the country in general. New laws were issued and enforced, and many people were denied the opportunity to enter the country, because of their background, history, or associations with certain people or organizations.
Part B: Looking at data from any graph can be very educational and helpful when it comes to drawing conclusions about historical events or conditions. Sudden changes in data can make people question about events that happened in that span of time, and what caused the alteration on the graph. When we studied country development on the gapminder in class, we saw that there was a point where many countries became richer and healthier in a short amount of time. Looking at the year, and using prior knowledge, we determined that the sudden boost in health and income was because of the industrial revolution, which created many jobs for people all over the world. To many people, the industrial revolution is a significant event. However, when you see the changes it brought to the world on a physical display, the changes become more real and important, making any issue or event seem more serious and significant than it would have if numbers were given with no comparison.
Part B: Looking at data from any graph can be very educational and helpful when it comes to drawing conclusions about historical events or conditions. Sudden changes in data can make people question about events that happened in that span of time, and what caused the alteration on the graph. When we studied country development on the gapminder in class, we saw that there was a point where many countries became richer and healthier in a short amount of time. Looking at the year, and using prior knowledge, we determined that the sudden boost in health and income was because of the industrial revolution, which created many jobs for people all over the world. To many people, the industrial revolution is a significant event. However, when you see the changes it brought to the world on a physical display, the changes become more real and important, making any issue or event seem more serious and significant than it would have if numbers were given with no comparison.
Monday, January 17, 2011
Wednesday, January 5, 2011
Poland: Sights and Tales...
I have just come back from a fairly long stay in Poland, as a part of my exploration of Europe, our eastern neighbor. Poland was probably one of the most interesting countries I've visited so far. Cecylia, my roommate and guide for my time there, came to pick me up right at the train station, and we took a cab to the apartment where we stayed for two weeks. Ceci told me that taking a cab was very rare for her, and I noticed that there were a lot fewer cars on the road, even when we got on a big highway.
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| Cecylia's appartment is that red one in the middle |
After unpacking, the first thing we did was go out to eat. I'm not exactly sure what it was, but I ordered something called kotlet schabowy. It was.... interesting, but the rest of the time I spent there, I decided to stick with the pb&j that Ceci always seemed to have handy for me when I was hungry.
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| This is what my dinner looked like on my first night! |
I decided to ask her about some of the people around Poland, to get a better idea of what it would be like to live there. She told me that it's very easy to get a job in most places, and the pay is very good, even if the hours are a little bit longer than back in America.
Cecylia also told me about the normal age of death in her country, and it was around 75 years old, which is a little younger than the US, but not by much. I also found out that there is a higher infant mortality rate in Poland, because overall, families do not have as much money to take care of their children, like the people in the U.S. do.
The apartment I stayed in was pretty small, but very cozy. I had a great view of a busy street in Gdańsk from my bedroom window. I also noticed that there were very few lights in the appartment, nothing at all like America. There was perhaps a lamp in each room, but nothing more than what was absolutely needed.
While I was there, I was lucky enough to catch a big event in Poland's boat racing season, which is a huge part of their culture. The race is called the Tall Ships' Race, and it's held at this huge dock in Szczecin. There were so many lights that night- it was so beautiful!
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| I got really great overhead shots of the boats at the race! |
Poland was my final country to visit in Europe, and it feels great to be back home. Though I loved being able to explore wherever my heart desired, it's much warmer here in America. There were days in Poland where I wished that I had brought my fuzzy jacket, and it was the middle of July! But I think that the thing I'll miss most about Europe is the friends I've made on my journey. Specifically Cecylia. She was such a nice girl, and such a great help with giving me some interesting facts on her homeland! Not to mention her adorable kitten kept us company those two weeks! What a wonderful experience this was. I know I will take the whole thing with me, wherever I go.
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| A big, "witam!" to my roomate and friend, Ceci! |
*all images from wikimedia.org
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