Saturday, December 22, 2007
Friday, December 21, 2007
Happy holidays, dear students and parents and those taking the class who are not registered students or parents
Over the holidays, take a break from videos, video games, MySpace, mindless munching, aimless muttering, random randomness, etcheterra, by . . .
Shooting a photo essay or video or writing descriptive notes on sorties such as (worth indy points for next semester, too) -
* Meadows Museum, Centenary College (they close early; call before you go)
* MultiCultural Center of the South, Tex St
* Norton Art Foundation Gallery, South Highlands
* Artspace, 710 Texas (my wife, Talbot, and I have art in the current show, Deck the Halls)
* Southern Univ Museum of Art, Tex St
* SciPort
* Red River Waterway Center (across the lot from SciPort)
* Metropolitan Museum of Art, NYC
or
* Art and map projects to be given as gifts (photograph or scan and email the image to me)
* Practice yoga / read more about it; teach your friends and family. It is
an effective antidote for holiday stress.
See you Jan 7, terrific ones.
Shooting a photo essay or video or writing descriptive notes on sorties such as (worth indy points for next semester, too) -
* Meadows Museum, Centenary College (they close early; call before you go)
* MultiCultural Center of the South, Tex St
* Norton Art Foundation Gallery, South Highlands
* Artspace, 710 Texas (my wife, Talbot, and I have art in the current show, Deck the Halls)
* Southern Univ Museum of Art, Tex St
* SciPort
* Red River Waterway Center (across the lot from SciPort)
* Metropolitan Museum of Art, NYC
or
* Art and map projects to be given as gifts (photograph or scan and email the image to me)
* Practice yoga / read more about it; teach your friends and family. It is
an effective antidote for holiday stress.
See you Jan 7, terrific ones.
Tuesday, December 18, 2007
The arrival of winter: Dong Zhi
DONG ZHI£¨¶¬ÖÁ£©
Dong Zhi is the thanksgiving of the Chinese calendar. "Dong Zhi" literally means "arrival of winter". Coinciding with the winter solstice, it is an occasion for the family to get together to celebrate the good year they have had. Tang Yuan (ÌÀÔ²) is cooked and eaten to symbolise unity and harmony within the family. Dong Zhi occurs 6 weeks before Chinese New Year and would normally fall between 21st Dec and 23rd Dec.
ORIGIN
Winter solstice signifies the beginning of winter. The sun is at the Tropic of Capricorn and this results in the longest night of the year for those living in the northern hemisphere. The festival began as a farmer's festival to celebrate year-end harvest.
CELEBRATION
Dong Zhi is a time for family reunion. Tang Yuan, sweet soup of glutinuous rice flour balls, is indispensible during this festival. "Yuan" (literally meaning "round") signifies "yuan man" (complete / Ô²Âú ) and Tang Yuan means "tuan yuan" (family reunion / ÍÅÔ² ). Eating Tang Yuan is symbolic of family unity and family prosperity.
For good luck, families prefer to have some pink tang yuan to mix with the white ones.
Dong Zhi is the thanksgiving of the Chinese calendar. "Dong Zhi" literally means "arrival of winter". Coinciding with the winter solstice, it is an occasion for the family to get together to celebrate the good year they have had. Tang Yuan (ÌÀÔ²) is cooked and eaten to symbolise unity and harmony within the family. Dong Zhi occurs 6 weeks before Chinese New Year and would normally fall between 21st Dec and 23rd Dec.
ORIGIN
Winter solstice signifies the beginning of winter. The sun is at the Tropic of Capricorn and this results in the longest night of the year for those living in the northern hemisphere. The festival began as a farmer's festival to celebrate year-end harvest.
CELEBRATION
Dong Zhi is a time for family reunion. Tang Yuan, sweet soup of glutinuous rice flour balls, is indispensible during this festival. "Yuan" (literally meaning "round") signifies "yuan man" (complete / Ô²Âú ) and Tang Yuan means "tuan yuan" (family reunion / ÍÅÔ² ). Eating Tang Yuan is symbolic of family unity and family prosperity.
For good luck, families prefer to have some pink tang yuan to mix with the white ones.
Monday, December 17, 2007
Yay: students were issued new point sheets in geography classes today; exams begin Wed.
Point sheets and review: student work is certainly apparent this week.
Indy work will be accepted via email through Tuesday night / Wed morn.
See topics in the following post.
Exam:
1. Hand-sketched map (not an open-notes section) of the Mississippi Valley: 10 states and 4 principal cities, plus borders.
2. Multiple-choice, open notes test of 100 questions. See prior pages on web site for relevant old tests.
2. Brief essay of comparison on topic of student's choice. Notes may be prepared in advance.
Indy work will be accepted via email through Tuesday night / Wed morn.
See topics in the following post.
Exam:
1. Hand-sketched map (not an open-notes section) of the Mississippi Valley: 10 states and 4 principal cities, plus borders.
2. Multiple-choice, open notes test of 100 questions. See prior pages on web site for relevant old tests.
2. Brief essay of comparison on topic of student's choice. Notes may be prepared in advance.
Red River Waterway Visitor Center: compare the improved Red to the Erie
Find material at the RedRiverWaterway.com and compare the upgraded Red to the Erie Canal, especially during its heyday, the 1800's.
More topics for indy work:
DeWitt Clinton and Thomas Jefferson
Empire State Building and the Walt Disney Concert Hall, Los Angeles.
More topics for indy work:
DeWitt Clinton and Thomas Jefferson
Empire State Building and the Walt Disney Concert Hall, Los Angeles.
Carrying water jugs: typical daily work for most of the world
The world faces a massive crisis. About one fifth of our fellow human beings on Earth do not have daily, immediate access to the most basic of necessities: safe drinking water. Think about this for a moment, says the site Blue Planet Run.
Imagine if, instead of just going to a tap in your kitchen, or to a water cooler, anytime you were thirsty, you had to hoist a heavy vessel onto your head and walk, up to two hours, to a well, where, after filling your vessel—now really heavy—you had to carry it up to two more hours back home.
After your trek, how much more time and energy would you hope to have to farm, cook, take care of your family, especially the sick ones; clean, work to make money outside the home or go to school to get ahead?
This is the dilemma facing hundreds of millions of women and children in
Africa,
Afghanistan,
India and other parts of
Asia,
Central and
South America each day.
They live in communities where water is scarce or contaminated or both, and, 9 times out of 10, it is their responsibility to find a safe source, whatever the distance or terrain. They are among the 6,000 who die every 24 hours, because the need for safe drinking water outweighs adequate supply. But, with your help, they will see a way out of their cycle of poverty, disease and death.
People with waterborne illnesses occupy half of the world’s hospital beds. 2.2 million die each year.
Imagine if, instead of just going to a tap in your kitchen, or to a water cooler, anytime you were thirsty, you had to hoist a heavy vessel onto your head and walk, up to two hours, to a well, where, after filling your vessel—now really heavy—you had to carry it up to two more hours back home.
After your trek, how much more time and energy would you hope to have to farm, cook, take care of your family, especially the sick ones; clean, work to make money outside the home or go to school to get ahead?
This is the dilemma facing hundreds of millions of women and children in
Africa,
Afghanistan,
India and other parts of
Asia,
Central and
South America each day.
They live in communities where water is scarce or contaminated or both, and, 9 times out of 10, it is their responsibility to find a safe source, whatever the distance or terrain. They are among the 6,000 who die every 24 hours, because the need for safe drinking water outweighs adequate supply. But, with your help, they will see a way out of their cycle of poverty, disease and death.
People with waterborne illnesses occupy half of the world’s hospital beds. 2.2 million die each year.
Sunday, December 16, 2007
Time for the the pilgrimage called the Hajj - millions journey to Mecca
Among many changes in Russia today is a growing acknowledgment of the power of Islam.
Says the NY Times of Russian Muslims in 2007, "Islam, like Orthodox Christianity, is in a state of revival here after years of confinement to the kitchens and basements of the Soviet Union, which severely restricted the open practice of all religions.
Russia has about 4,000 mosques now, compared with about 90 in the waning days of the Soviet Union. In Moscow, Muslim groceries and other stores selling Muslim fashions have appeared, and the first hospital catering to Muslims opened this month.
Fourteen million to 23 million Muslims live in this country of about 140 million people, making Islam the largest minority religion. They live mostly in the Caucasus and in two autonomous republics, Tatarstan and Bashkortostan; there are also about two million Muslims living in Moscow.
The Kremlin has worked to facilitate the pilgrimage, part of a strategy to ward off potential unrest among the country’s Muslims and monitor their activities, while also improving ties with Saudi Arabia, where Russia has budding economic interests. When President Vladimir V. Putin visited Saudi Arabia in February — the first Russian leader to do so in decades — his lobbying efforts helped persuade the Saudis to raise the quotas for Russian Muslims this year."
Some 26,000 Russian pilgrims will be allowed into Saudi Arabia for the Hajj this year.
Says the NY Times of Russian Muslims in 2007, "Islam, like Orthodox Christianity, is in a state of revival here after years of confinement to the kitchens and basements of the Soviet Union, which severely restricted the open practice of all religions.
Russia has about 4,000 mosques now, compared with about 90 in the waning days of the Soviet Union. In Moscow, Muslim groceries and other stores selling Muslim fashions have appeared, and the first hospital catering to Muslims opened this month.
Fourteen million to 23 million Muslims live in this country of about 140 million people, making Islam the largest minority religion. They live mostly in the Caucasus and in two autonomous republics, Tatarstan and Bashkortostan; there are also about two million Muslims living in Moscow.
The Kremlin has worked to facilitate the pilgrimage, part of a strategy to ward off potential unrest among the country’s Muslims and monitor their activities, while also improving ties with Saudi Arabia, where Russia has budding economic interests. When President Vladimir V. Putin visited Saudi Arabia in February — the first Russian leader to do so in decades — his lobbying efforts helped persuade the Saudis to raise the quotas for Russian Muslims this year."
Some 26,000 Russian pilgrims will be allowed into Saudi Arabia for the Hajj this year.
Week of Dec 17: Prep for semester exam / India reports / guideline review on comparison essays
Digital reports on topics regarding India, from the Taj Mahal to Bill Gates: please bring your report on India to class if you did not hand in your script when I gathered the written part of the report.
Students who submitted the written part on India received a 15. Those who submitted a note saying that the script was recorded or that the presentation was entirely on computer or flash drive, please bring it Tuesday so your points can be added.
A review of the Guidelines on comparison essays -
1. Snaqqy title
2. Explanatory subtitle
3. Colorful opening
4. "according to ... " / informal documentation in the first paragraph.
5. Blend topics in each paragraph; do not write a paragraph on one topic and follow it with another paragraph on the other topic.
6. Use details (numbers and examples, placed in parentheses) to bolster your generalities.
7. Proofread for grammar, awkward construction and spelling.
Students who submitted the written part on India received a 15. Those who submitted a note saying that the script was recorded or that the presentation was entirely on computer or flash drive, please bring it Tuesday so your points can be added.
A review of the Guidelines on comparison essays -
1. Snaqqy title
2. Explanatory subtitle
3. Colorful opening
4. "according to ... " / informal documentation in the first paragraph.
5. Blend topics in each paragraph; do not write a paragraph on one topic and follow it with another paragraph on the other topic.
6. Use details (numbers and examples, placed in parentheses) to bolster your generalities.
7. Proofread for grammar, awkward construction and spelling.
Friday, December 14, 2007
World's Tallest Buildings: Malaysia, China, US
Comparison of Al Hamra Tower with Some of World's Tallest Buildings
Originally uploaded by Thamerium
In 1996, as a response to the dispute as to whether the Petronas Towers or the Sears Tower was taller, buildings were ranked in four categories: height of structural or architectural top; height of highest occupied floor; height to the top of roof; height to top of any part of the building, says Wikipedia.
Currently Taipei 101 tops all categories except highest point, where the Sears Tower is highest.
Empire State Building remains a powerful architectural symbol 75 years later
The Empire State Building is a 102-story Art Deco skyscraper in New York City, New York at the intersection of Fifth Avenue and West 34th Street. Its name is derived from the nickname for the state of New York, says Wikipedia. It stood as the world's tallest building for more than forty years, from its completion in 1931 until the construction of the World Trade Center North Tower topped out in 1970. The Empire State Building has been named by the American Society of Civil Engineers as one of the Seven Wonders of the Modern World.
The present site of the Empire State Building was first developed as the John Thomson Farm in the late 18th century. The block was occupied by the Waldorf-Astoria Hotel in the late 19th century, and was frequented by The Four Hundred, the social elite of New York.
The Empire State Building was designed by Gregory Johnson and his architectural firm Shreve, Lamb and Harmon, which produced the building drawings in just two weeks, possibly using its earlier design for the R.J. Reynolds Tower in Winston-Salem, North Carolina as a basis.[8] The building was actually designed from the top down.[
The project involved 3,400 workers, mostly immigrants from Europe, along with hundreds of Mohawk iron workers.
The construction was part of an intense competition in New York for the title of the world's tallest building. Two other projects fighting for the title, 40 Wall Street and the Chrysler Building, were still under construction when work began on the Empire State Building.
The building was officially opened on May 1, 1931.
The building's opening coincided with the Great Depression in the United States, and as a result much of its office space went unrented. In its first year of operation, the observation deck took in over a million dollars, as much money as its owners made in rent that year. The lack of renters led New Yorkers to deride the building as the "Empty State Building".[11] The building would not become profitable until 1950.
The building's distinctive art deco spire was originally designed to be a mooring mast and depot for dirigibles. The 102nd floor was originally a landing platform with a dirigible gangplank. A particular elevator, traveling between the 86th and 102nd floors, was supposed to transport passengers after they checked in at the observation deck on the 86th floor.[2] However, the idea proved to be impractical and dangerous after a few attempts with airships, due to the powerful updrafts caused by the size of the building itself.
At 9:40 a.m. on Saturday July 28, 1945, a B-25 Mitchell bomber, piloted by Lieutenant Colonel William F. Smith, Jr., who was flying in a thick fog, accidentally crashed into the north side of the Empire State Building between the 79th and 80th floors, where the offices of the National Catholic Welfare Council were located. One engine shot through the side opposite the impact and another plummeted down an elevator shaft. The fire was extinguished in 40 minutes. Fourteen people were killed in the incident.[13][14] Elevator operator Betty Lou Oliver survived a plunge of 75 stories inside an elevator, which still stands as the Guinness World Record for the longest survived elevator fall recorded.
Perhaps the most famous popular culture representation of the building is in the 1933 film King Kong, in which the title character, a giant ape, climbs to the top to escape his captors.
Andy Warhol's 1964 silent film Empire is one continuous, eight-hour shot of the Empire State Building at night, shot in black-and-white.
The Discovery Channel show MythBusters tested the "urban myth" that claims that if you drop a penny off the top of the Empire State Building, it could kill someone or put a crater in the pavement. Outcome: by the time the penny hits the ground it is going roughly 65 miles per hour (105 km/h) (terminal velocity for an object of its mass and shape), which is NOT fast enough to inflict lethal injury or put a crater into the pavement.
The present site of the Empire State Building was first developed as the John Thomson Farm in the late 18th century. The block was occupied by the Waldorf-Astoria Hotel in the late 19th century, and was frequented by The Four Hundred, the social elite of New York.
The Empire State Building was designed by Gregory Johnson and his architectural firm Shreve, Lamb and Harmon, which produced the building drawings in just two weeks, possibly using its earlier design for the R.J. Reynolds Tower in Winston-Salem, North Carolina as a basis.[8] The building was actually designed from the top down.[
The project involved 3,400 workers, mostly immigrants from Europe, along with hundreds of Mohawk iron workers.
The construction was part of an intense competition in New York for the title of the world's tallest building. Two other projects fighting for the title, 40 Wall Street and the Chrysler Building, were still under construction when work began on the Empire State Building.
The building was officially opened on May 1, 1931.
The building's opening coincided with the Great Depression in the United States, and as a result much of its office space went unrented. In its first year of operation, the observation deck took in over a million dollars, as much money as its owners made in rent that year. The lack of renters led New Yorkers to deride the building as the "Empty State Building".[11] The building would not become profitable until 1950.
The building's distinctive art deco spire was originally designed to be a mooring mast and depot for dirigibles. The 102nd floor was originally a landing platform with a dirigible gangplank. A particular elevator, traveling between the 86th and 102nd floors, was supposed to transport passengers after they checked in at the observation deck on the 86th floor.[2] However, the idea proved to be impractical and dangerous after a few attempts with airships, due to the powerful updrafts caused by the size of the building itself.
At 9:40 a.m. on Saturday July 28, 1945, a B-25 Mitchell bomber, piloted by Lieutenant Colonel William F. Smith, Jr., who was flying in a thick fog, accidentally crashed into the north side of the Empire State Building between the 79th and 80th floors, where the offices of the National Catholic Welfare Council were located. One engine shot through the side opposite the impact and another plummeted down an elevator shaft. The fire was extinguished in 40 minutes. Fourteen people were killed in the incident.[13][14] Elevator operator Betty Lou Oliver survived a plunge of 75 stories inside an elevator, which still stands as the Guinness World Record for the longest survived elevator fall recorded.
Perhaps the most famous popular culture representation of the building is in the 1933 film King Kong, in which the title character, a giant ape, climbs to the top to escape his captors.
Andy Warhol's 1964 silent film Empire is one continuous, eight-hour shot of the Empire State Building at night, shot in black-and-white.
The Discovery Channel show MythBusters tested the "urban myth" that claims that if you drop a penny off the top of the Empire State Building, it could kill someone or put a crater in the pavement. Outcome: by the time the penny hits the ground it is going roughly 65 miles per hour (105 km/h) (terminal velocity for an object of its mass and shape), which is NOT fast enough to inflict lethal injury or put a crater into the pavement.
Erie Canal Review
“15 Miles on the Erie Canal” quiz (not to be counted on the quiz test)
1. The Erie Canal created a connection between four of the Great lakes and the Atlantic Ocean. T / F
2. The Erie Canal is associated with a) James Clinton Erie
b) Tim Berners-Lee c) Edwin Edwards d) DeWitt Clinton
3. The Erie Canal runs some 364 miles - from Buffalo to NYC. T / F
3. President Thomas Jefferson called the plan for the new $7 million canal “a little short of madness.” That statement seems a) believable b) unlikely.
4. Today, there are several ways in which the Erie Canal and the Red River are similar. T / F
5. Tim Berners-Lee is an alumnus of a) Harvard b) Stanford c) Oxford, Queen’s College.
6. The world wide web, with its http addresses and html writing, went live in a) 1971 b) 1981 c) 1991 d) 2001.
7. While the British founded New York Colony, the Dutch soon took over. The Dutch called it New Amsterdam. T / F
8. Among the earliest groups of Europeans to migrate to America were the a) British & Germans b) Greeks & Italians c) Russians & Chinese d) West Africans & Jamaicans.
9. George Washington was inaugurated in NYC in a) 1776
b) 1781 c) 1789 d) 1799.
“15 Miles on the Erie Canal” quiz
1. The Erie Canal created a connection between four of the Great lakes and the Atlantic Ocean. True / F
2. D The Erie Canal is associated with a) James Clinton Erie b) Tim Berners-Lee c) Edwin Edwards d) DeWitt Clinton
3. False The Erie Canal runs some 364 miles - from Buffalo to NYC. T / F
4. President Thomas Jefferson called the plan for the new $7 million canal “a little short of madness.” That statement seems a) believable b) unlikely.
5. Today, there are several ways in which the Erie Canal and the Red River are similar. True / F
6. Tim Berners-Lee is an alumnus of a) Harvard b) Stanford c) Oxford, Queen’s College.
7. The world wide web, with its http addresses and html writing, went live in a) 1971 b) 19 81 c) 1991 d) 2001.
8. While the British founded New York Colony, the Dutch soon took over. The Dutch called it New Amsterdam. T / False
9. Among the earliest groups of Europeans to migrate to America were the a) British & Germans b) Greeks & Italians c) Russians & Chinese d) West Africans & Jamaicans.
10. George Washington was inaugurated in NYC in
a) 1776 b) 1781 c) 1789 d) 1799.
Answers
1. True 2. D DeWitt Clinton 3. False (Buffalo to Albany)
4. A Believable - Big ticket construction is usually controversial; opposition to major projects is commonplace. 5. True - locks and dams is one similarity.
6. C Oxford; Tim Berners-Lee is British. 7. C - 1991.
8. False - The Dutch were first, the British second.
9. A British & Germans - the British being the first of the Euro immigrant groups in the USA.
10. C 1789 - from the notes.
Thursday, December 13, 2007
Four-term La governor Edwin Edwards brought riverboat gambling to the state
In a move that resembles the economic development energy created by NY governore DeWitt Clinton's Erie Canal, La gov Edwin Edwards pushed riverboat gambling. I think that on balance it has done the state more good than harm.
Edwards lack of ethics as governor led to a 10-year term in prison for racketeering, says Wikipedia.
In a move that more closely resembles the Erie Canal development, US senator J Bennett Johnston promoted billions in spending on locks and dams for the Red River. The idea was to stabilize the river waters, promote barge traffic and the buidling of warehouses and factories alongside the Red. The spending has been called a boondoggle by Time magazine.
Edwards lack of ethics as governor led to a 10-year term in prison for racketeering, says Wikipedia.
In a move that more closely resembles the Erie Canal development, US senator J Bennett Johnston promoted billions in spending on locks and dams for the Red River. The idea was to stabilize the river waters, promote barge traffic and the buidling of warehouses and factories alongside the Red. The spending has been called a boondoggle by Time magazine.
Wednesday, December 12, 2007
Does any one person get credit for developing the world wide web? Hmm: British computer scientist Tim Berners-Lee, maybe?
While an independent contractor at CERN, Switzerland, in 1980, Berners-Lee proposed a project based on the concept of hypertext, to facilitate sharing and updating information among researchers, says Wikipedia. While there, he built a prototype system named ENQUIRE. After leaving CERN, in 1980, he went to work at Image Computer Systems Ltd., but he returned to CERN in 1984 as a fellow. In 1989, CERN was the largest Internet node in Europe, and Berners-Lee saw an opportunity to join hypertext with the Internet: "I just had to take the hypertext idea and connect it to the TCP and DNS ideas and — ta-da! — the World Wide Web."[3] He wrote his initial proposal in March of 1989, and in 1990, with the help of Robert Cailliau, produced a revision which was accepted by his manager, Mike Sendall. He used similar ideas to those underlying the Enquire system to create the World Wide Web, for which he designed and built the first web browser and editor (called WorldWideWeb and developed on NEXTSTEP) and the first Web server called httpd (short for HyperText Transfer Protocol daemon).
The first Web site built was at CERN[4][5][6][7] and was first put online on 6 August 1991. It provided an explanation about what the World Wide Web was, how one could own a browser and how to set up a Web server.
Berners-Lee's parents, both mathematicians, were employed together on the team that built the Manchester Mark I, one of the earliest computers. They taught Berners-Lee to use mathematics everywhere, even at the dinner table.
He is an alumnus of The Queen's College, Oxford, where he played table tennis for Oxford, against rival Cambridge. While at Queen's, Berners-Lee built a computer with a soldering iron, TTL gates, an M6800 processor and an old television. During his time at university, he was caught hacking with a friend and was subsequently banned from using the university computer. He graduated in 1976 with a degree in physics.
The first Web site built was at CERN[4][5][6][7] and was first put online on 6 August 1991. It provided an explanation about what the World Wide Web was, how one could own a browser and how to set up a Web server.
Berners-Lee's parents, both mathematicians, were employed together on the team that built the Manchester Mark I, one of the earliest computers. They taught Berners-Lee to use mathematics everywhere, even at the dinner table.
He is an alumnus of The Queen's College, Oxford, where he played table tennis for Oxford, against rival Cambridge. While at Queen's, Berners-Lee built a computer with a soldering iron, TTL gates, an M6800 processor and an old television. During his time at university, he was caught hacking with a friend and was subsequently banned from using the university computer. He graduated in 1976 with a degree in physics.
The Erie Canal and the internet: any comparison?
In 1825 the advent of the Erie Canal made a huge impact on NYC and much of the US. Suddenly goods could cheaply flow across the Northern states - from, say, Chicago to NYC harbor.
Enormous wealth was created by the existence of the Erie Canal, for it connected a vast farmland (providing timber and produce to the city) and the consumer products (ploughs, pots & pans, fiddles, etc) being manufactured in the cities.
When goods and investment money reached NYC it connected to the world via ships on the Atlantic.
Compare the impact of the Erie Canal (365 miles from Albany to Buffalo) with that of the world wide web. Both have produced effeciency in communication and wealth via trade.
For more on the birth of the web, see the bio of British mathematician Tim Berners-Lee.
Enormous wealth was created by the existence of the Erie Canal, for it connected a vast farmland (providing timber and produce to the city) and the consumer products (ploughs, pots & pans, fiddles, etc) being manufactured in the cities.
When goods and investment money reached NYC it connected to the world via ships on the Atlantic.
Compare the impact of the Erie Canal (365 miles from Albany to Buffalo) with that of the world wide web. Both have produced effeciency in communication and wealth via trade.
For more on the birth of the web, see the bio of British mathematician Tim Berners-Lee.
Crepe Myrtle project to be completed in Jan; funding needed now
Parents are encouraged to send a $10 (or more) donation to help defray the cost of the Crepe Myrtle Project. The plan was conceived by social studies teacher Ken Lerchie and aided by Mrs. Jo Holliday of the Class of 2011 Parent Group and myself. In January students will take a break from regular classes to plant the small trees along the fence line bordering Viking Dr and Stoner Ave.
In the original plan for the planting of the crepe myrtles the trees were to surround the new E Wing. Alas, when time for the planting arrived, we learned that the school board and the construction company were in litigation and that no changes can be made to the landscaping at this point.
More info: CMHS 221-2501
In the original plan for the planting of the crepe myrtles the trees were to surround the new E Wing. Alas, when time for the planting arrived, we learned that the school board and the construction company were in litigation and that no changes can be made to the landscaping at this point.
More info: CMHS 221-2501
Monday, December 10, 2007
NYC: a brief unit on the Big Apple
NYC history notes -
1. Give the popular name for the tribe of native peoples indigenous to Manhattan. a) Cherokee b) Algonquin
c) Choctaw d) Pueblo.
2. Giovanni di ____, an Italian sailing for the French government, was the first major European explorer.
3. In 1619 a Dutch ship brought enslaved workers from across the Atlantic to the Manhattan colony. The laborers were from the region of __ __.
4. In 1624 the Dutch named their colony New ______ .
5. The colony’s name was changed to New York in 1664
by the ______.
6. The Continental Congress met here and in 1789 the nation’s first inauguration was held for a general named __ __.
7. From the 1830s to the 1920’s NYC was a center of immigration. Germans, Irish, Italians, Russians and, from the Far East, __ people arrived in large numbers.
8. In 1825 the city was supercharged by a new connection with the Great Lakes via the Hudson River. The connection was called the __ Canal.
9. NYC’s turn-of-the-century traffic problems were made a bit easier by the advent of the __ system in 1904.
10. In the 1920’s there was an artistic Renaissance in an ethnic Manhattan neighborhood called __.
11. In 1911 the crowded and dangerous working conditions and dilapidated housing of the labor class were spotlighted by a __ in the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory.
12. In regards crime, racial tension and finance, the city had an a) upturn b) downturn in the 1990’s.
13. In the 9/11, 2001 attacks, almost __ people perished.
1. Give the popular name for the tribe of native peoples indigenous to Manhattan. a) Cherokee b) Algonquin
c) Choctaw d) Pueblo.
2. Giovanni di ____, an Italian sailing for the French government, was the first major European explorer.
3. In 1619 a Dutch ship brought enslaved workers from across the Atlantic to the Manhattan colony. The laborers were from the region of __ __.
4. In 1624 the Dutch named their colony New ______ .
5. The colony’s name was changed to New York in 1664
by the ______.
6. The Continental Congress met here and in 1789 the nation’s first inauguration was held for a general named __ __.
7. From the 1830s to the 1920’s NYC was a center of immigration. Germans, Irish, Italians, Russians and, from the Far East, __ people arrived in large numbers.
8. In 1825 the city was supercharged by a new connection with the Great Lakes via the Hudson River. The connection was called the __ Canal.
9. NYC’s turn-of-the-century traffic problems were made a bit easier by the advent of the __ system in 1904.
10. In the 1920’s there was an artistic Renaissance in an ethnic Manhattan neighborhood called __.
11. In 1911 the crowded and dangerous working conditions and dilapidated housing of the labor class were spotlighted by a __ in the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory.
12. In regards crime, racial tension and finance, the city had an a) upturn b) downturn in the 1990’s.
13. In the 9/11, 2001 attacks, almost __ people perished.
Sunday, December 09, 2007
Last quiz on Gandhi and the Independence and Partition of India, 1947
Gandhi Quiz / geography
1. Gandhi studies to be a barrister, which is a Britishism for a
a) lawyer b) professor c) business man d) clergy.
2. South Africa is a European colony at the turn of the century. It is part of the empire built by the a) British b) Dutch c) Hindus d) Muslims.
3. In all his pronouncements, Gandhi encourages ethnic unity. That would be between the a) castes b) major religions c) armies d) governments.
4. Gandhi declares that being raised in a crossroads region gave him an unusual perspective on religion. He lived near a) Pakistan
b) Bay of Bengal c) Himalayas d) Arabian Sea.
5. What is the great social taboo of India that Gandhi wanted to change?
a) Hindu vs. Muslim b) the caste system c) the class system
d) British vs. Indians.
6. Gandhi felt that the Western religion of Christianity promoted racism. T / F
7. Gandhi understood poverty and accepted it as inevitable in India.
T / F
8. Gandhi was not assasinated; he was assassinated. T / F
9. The massacre of Indian people at Amritsar was ordered by the British Viceroy through the brutal General Dyer. T / F
10. Gandhi recommends that the people of India boycott a) Chinese mouthwash b) British textiles c) Pakistani products d) British cricket.
11. Gandhi used an unusual form of communication with the people of India in times of crisis: a) neighborhood newspapers b) short news films shown in neighborhood theaters c) word of mouth d) hunger fast.
12. His wife of some 50 years: a) Pandit Nehru b) Mohamed al Jinnah c) Kasturba “Ba” Gandhi d) General Jan Smuts.
13. One of the additional religions of India: a) Sikhism b) Christianity
c) Zoroastrianism d) Judaism.
14. The lowest caste of India: a) Brahmins b) Musicians c) Untouchables.
15. Gandhi wanted to defy British rule and called for the overthrow of their government in India. That was called a) criticism b) sedition c) non-violent resistance d) boycotting.
Answers -
1. Gandhi studies to be a barrister, which is a Britishism for a
a) lawyer
2. South Africa is a European colony at the turn of the century. It is part of the empire built by the a) British
3. In all his pronouncements, Gandhi encourages ethnic unity. That would be between the b) major religions
4. Gandhi declares that being raised in a crossroads region gave him an unusual perspective on religion. He lived near d) Arabian Sea.
5. What is the great social taboo of India that Gandhi wanted to change? b) the caste system
6. Gandhi felt that the Western religion of Christianity promoted racism. False; he knew that Christianity espoused equqal treatment of all men.
7. Gandhi understood poverty and accepted it as inevitable in India. False; he knew that poverty was pervasive but also knew that most Indians were capable of being educated and rising up from the worst levels of impoverishment.
8. Gandhi was not assasinated; he was assassinated. True; this was a spelling item.
9. The massacre of Indian people at Amritsar was ordered by the British Viceroy through the brutal General Dyer. False; Dyer acted independently.
10. Gandhi recommends that the people of India boycott b) British textiles
11. Gandhi used an unusual form of communication with the people of India in times of crisis: d) hunger fast.
12. His wife of some 50 years: c) Kasturba “Ba” Gandhi
13. One of the additional religions of India: a) Sikhism
14.The lowest caste of India: c)Untouchables. (Brahmins were the upper caste.)
15. Gandhi wanted to defy British rule and called for the overthrow of their government in India. That was called b) sedition.
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