Sunday, August 24, 2008

Observing the anniversary of Hurricane Katrina


Eee pc: Cici Lau, CMHS
Originally uploaded by trudeau
This week we observe the anniversary of Hurricane Katrina. My goal is that all students will know the background of Katrina, including

* Chronology of the storm
* Reasons for the flooding
* Elevations in New Orleans
* Poverty in the Crescent City
* Map of NO
* Coastal deterioration factors
* Corps of Engineers and the Mississippi levees

Ex: compare the basic facts of Hurricane Katrina and the Galveston, Tx, hurricane of 1900.

This week in geography: how can we compare Facebook to the Mississippi valley?

Ni hau! That's Mandarin Chinese for "hello."

What city lies at 39N, 116E?
a) Seoul, S. Korea
b) Shanghai, China
c) Beijing, China
d) Denver, Co

This week: grids, coordinates and map projections.

While this is a week on the basics of geography, we will also look ahead to our unit on the US.

- The importance of the Mississippi valley network, a non-digital information and social connection system.

How is Facebook like a modern version of the Mississippi valley?

The art of comparison, a higher-thinking theme of this geography class

Typical comparison work in this class will comprise the following elements. Typically, this will be the format for independent work.

- Base your essay on no less than 3 factual items for each topic.
- Open with a colorful, descriptive sentence.
- Switch back and forth between topics, which is called integration of topics. Do not give the info in separate blocks and add a final integration.
- Cite your sources (Wikipedia.org, teacher Robert Trudeau, etc) by the phrase “according to.” Place it at the end of the first sentence of each paragraph.
- Top it with a a) smacky title and b) explanatory subtitle
- Proofread your paper for * legibility * speeling * grammar
- Name, date & hour in upper right corner!
- Proofread one more time.

Ex.: Compare the 2008 and 2004 Olympic Games in regards locations: Athens, Greece and Beijing, China.

Friday, August 22, 2008

Titling: an essential skill in social studies

On every paper you do for this class I will expect you to follow these titling guidelines:

a) Snappy title.
b) Explanatory subtitle.

- Snappy title ex: Roiling on the Red
- tweaks a phrase from pop culture
- uses alliteration

- Explanatory subtitle ex: Mapping the Course of the Red River
- longer and detailed.


Communication in a crowded, busy world is not easy; using vivid titling is a way to stand out from the crowd.

Thursday, August 21, 2008

Cartography . . .


Pythagoras
Originally uploaded by Black Box
Ancient advances in mapping seen in Babylonia, Mesopotamia, about 2,300 BCE (Before the Common Era). Use of geometry in mapping.

Egyptians use geometry in mapping for land ownership.

Greece: Strabo wrote the book Geographia about 63 BCE.
* Pythagoras was the first to offer proof that the earth is spherical.
* Greeks develop map projections and the grid system.

Cradles of Civilization, acc to A History of the World:
* Mesopotamia
* Nile Valley
* China's Huang valley
* Indus Valley of Pakistan / India.



1) Storms seem larger than usual in recent years. According to National Geographic, scientists largely attribute this to a) coastal erosion b) loss of barrier islands c) changes in ocean currents such as the Gulf Stream d) global warming.

Name the large city closest to:

2) 40N, 74W
3) 32N, 35E
4) 30S, 20E
5) 35S, 150E
6) 30E, 90W

7) The region associated with the earliest use of math and mapping: a) Babylonia b) Mesopotamia c) Egypt d) Greece.
8) Greenwich, England, is home to the a) equator b) prime meridian c) oldest section of London.
9) Pythagoras and the grid system are associated with a) Greece b) Egypt c) Mesopotamia.
10) This ancient region was not mentioned in notes on the history of cartography, but it is one of the regions designated a Cradle of Civilization. We may guess that their achievements in map making were also significant.
a) China b) Rome, Italy c) Aztecs, Mexico City d) Constantinople.
11) Called the Father of geography for his book Geographia, this scholar was an ancient Greek: a) Plato b) Herodotus c) Pythagoras d) Aristotle.
12) Called the most ancient city of the Western world: a) Babylon b) Cairo
c) Alexandria d) Ur.
13) Write the grid coordinates for Istanbul (formerly Constantinople).
14) Sometimes the world fights over ethnocentric concerns (ie, the Germans wanted to take over most of Europe because they deserved it, said Hitler) and sometimes it simply accepts them.
In one or two sentences describe a situation in which the world has quietly accepted an ethnocentric term and describe the non-ethnocentric alternative to that term. (2 pts.)



Answers: geography / cartography

1. d global warming
2. 40N, 74W: NYC; that single answer should be adequate to get you started on latitude and longitude.
3. __
4. __
5. __
6. __
7. d Greece
8. b prime meridian
9. a Greece
10. a China
11. b Herodotus
12. d Ur
13. __N, __E

One of the more brutal Cross Sections I can imagine

Cross section maps are fun.

Some people find cross sections of human anatomy interesting, too. Maybe this is your first test in regards medical school. So you think you want to be a doctor, eh?

Map art: the reds & blues of the world ocean currents map

One of my favorite maps is the world ocean currents map. It helps explain weather, crops, climates, sailing and trading.

Find one on p. 63 in the textbook. Or see physicalgeography.net.

- Render and label the continents and oceans.
- Sketch and color these currents:
1.California Current
2. N Equatorial Current
3. S Equatorial Current
4. Brazil Current
5. Gulf Stream / N Atlantic Current
6. Canary Current

hemi / sphere

Hemisphere (from Ancient Greek - hēmisphairion "half of a sphere") may refer to:

* Half of a sphere

As half of the Earth:

* Any half of the Earth or other planetary or stellar body
* New World
* Old World
* Western Hemisphere
* Eastern Hemisphere
* Northern Hemisphere
* Southern Hemisphere
* Land hemisphere
* Water hemisphere

As half of the brain:

* Cerebral hemisphere, a division of the cerebrum
* Half of the cerebellum, a smaller part of the brain


wikipedia.org.

Greenwich, England, lies upon the Prime Meridian


Greenwich England
Originally uploaded by dawgfanjeff
The Prime Meridian is the meridian (line of longitude) at which longitude is defined to be 0°, says Wikipedia.

The Prime Meridian and the opposite 180th meridian (at 180° longitude), which the International Date Line generally follows, form a great circle that divides the Earth into the Eastern and Western Hemispheres.

Unlike the parallels of latitude, which are defined by the rotational axis of the Earth (the poles being 90° and the Equator 0°), the Prime Meridian is arbitrary. By international convention, the modern Prime Meridian is one passing through Greenwich, London, United Kingdom, known as the International Meridian or Greenwich Meridian.

This is not the Prime Meridian


House of Prime Rib
Originally uploaded by amorimur
This may remind you of the Prime Meridian, but it is, in actuality, a cut of Prime Rib. It is a tender, flavorful cut of roast. Served au jus with a bit of horseradish and fried onion rings it is a sublime reminder of the imaginary line that runs through Greenwich, England.

One day I would truly like to consume a 12 oz. Prime Rib on the Prime Meridian. You, too?

Italian design: the 1950's shape of the Vespa motor scooter


Vespa
Originally uploaded by Nick_langor
How did we get to the graceful Vespa, whose name means "wasp?"

From Amerigo Vespucci, the explorer and cartographer (about 1500). Our continents are named for him.

How did we somehow integrate mention of Leonardo DiCaprio and the Isle of Capri (on the Italian, Mediterranean coast)? The island of goats?

Why, from the Tropic of Capricorn. Basic, my dear.

What are questions like on the open notes tests? A sample . . .

Queries that coordinate with your work in World Geography, pp. 5 - 11.
The basics!

1. Parallels are lines of a) latitude or b) longitude.
2. 40E is an example of a line of a) latitude b) longitude.
3. A line of longitude may also be termed a myrmidon. T / F
4. Tropic of Cancer: a) latitude b) longitude.
5. Prime meridian: a) latitude b) longitude.
6. Tropic of Capricorn: a) latitude b) longitude.
7. The equator: a) latitude b) longitude.
8. Map symbols such as cross-hatched lines, dotted lines, dashed areas, patches of color and shield-shaped items laden with numbers are explained in the __ __.
9. There are 4 pointed elements to this type of famous map graphic. Sometimes there are even more points. Additionally, this can be a colorful and decorative item. It is called a __ __ .
10. Pilots save expensive jet fuel by navigating a route called a __ __ __.
11. Another name for a map maker: __.
12. A slice or segment shaped in approximately triangular form - so that it can be fitted. It is called a __.
13. Most of the maps we encounter in daily life are probably in the category of: a) physical b) political c) so-called “breakfast” maps.
14. Sketch a cross-section map of CMHS, including the river. It will be rough, but OK for our purpose today.
15. Latitude and longitude of Shreveport: __, __.

Next project: colorful map of the toiling tributaries of the Mississippi valley.

Independent project: geographic and economic profile of the Old Navy and Gap corporate empire.

America's largest crop: corn


Dead Corn
Originally uploaded by joblow
America’s largest crop is corn, says Wikipedia.

Corn is a readily available, reliable, storable and versatile commodity. In the average American supermarket, corn derived ingredients can be found in one-fourth of everything on the shelves.[2]

This includes not only food items, but also cosmetics, toiletries, cleaning products and household goods. Aside from that, corn is also used for the feeding of factory farm animals, for the production of alcohol, and can be used as a fuel source for both heat production and vehicles. On top of being a versatile commodity, corn has been genetically modified in a way that facilitates industrial-agricultural harvesting and large yields.

Between the years 1920 and 1980, US corn yields increased 333 percent and continue to improve.[3] The strains of corn used for industrial farming are engineered to grow in a uniform, perfectly upright fashion that facilitates mechanical harvesting. Corn is also modified to thrive in crowded conditions; one acre of land can accommodate around 30,000 plants and produce roughly 180 bushels of corn, with each bushel weighing in at 56 pounds.[4] Genetic modifications have made it possible for certain strains of corn to be naturally insect resistant.

Cheap and readily available chemical pesticides and synthetic fertilizers have contributed greatly to high crop yields; corn has also been engineered to tolerate chemicals and to efficiently utilize petrochemical fertilizers.[5] Increases in the productivity of corn have helped to keep food prices low. America’s number one crop has an undeniably important place in both the economy and in peoples' diets.

Wednesday, August 20, 2008

Note-taking skills in social studies class

Recommended practice . . .

- Leaving generous space between items.
- Learning to shorten sentences and to use abbreviations.
- Using sketches to punctuate and illustrate items.
- Using color for accent.
- Underlining key words.
- Asking questions of the teacher when in doubt.

Rain hampers the local corn harvest; what are the implications?

This morning I talked with teacher Margaret Nance about her farm in Dixie. She said the August rains - ordinarily expected in September - were stopping the harvest. The harvester machines cannot work the fields when there is too much mud. She added that the farmers are under contract to deliver their crops at a certain time.

So I asked geography students to write a brief answer to the query "Rain hampers the local corn harvest; what are the implications?"

First, students wanted to know the definition of "implication." It is something that is not stated directly but something that is suggested.

The implications? The price of corn may rise. Many students smartly pointed out that supply and demand might cause the price increase.
Other students said that supplies of Ethanol, a fuel made from corn, might be affected. A few students pointed out that prices of beef and soft drinks and even ice cream might rise because these products are based partly on corn.

All things considered, it gave students a chance to use a higher level of thinking and their background in current events.

Implication? Studious, intelligent, careful


Joseph Yates, Shreveport
Originally uploaded by trudeau
The truth of the matter is that I don't know whether Joseph is studious and careful. He was placed in my class only today. But something about this photo of him implies those qualities.

To imply is to suggest. One must interpret to draw an implication.

Today's question was -
"Corn harvest in Caddo upset by rain. What are the implications?"
Thus we are looking for the things that will happen in the overall marketplace as a result of this slowdown in harvesting this important grain.

B&N, Amazon, Ebay: no problem getting a Rand McNally Quick Reference World Atlas

Barnes & Noble told me they're getting in a considerable quantity of the Rand McNally Quick Reference World Atlas, which is quite a bargain at $6.

Still, some students are ordering their copy from Amazon or Ebay.

Thanks for making this book a priority!

Under the cover of the book please print your name and phone and / or homeroom or E205/Trudeau. Losing the RMQRWA is not unusual; it can be returned efficiently if the student's name is there.

Tuesday, August 19, 2008

CMHS Class of 2012 activities begin Fri, Sept 5

With a team of parents, students and teachers we will plan a slate of activities that will help energize the first-year group. Here are the plans so far . . .

1. Speed Meeting Night: Fri, Sept 5. Fun and getting-acquainted games in the cafeteria as witty emcees move all through a sort of Speed Dating routine.
2. Freshman Talent Show: auditions on Oct 2 and 3. Rehearsals all week, Mon,Oct 6, to Fri, Oct 10. Performance on Fri, Oct 10. It is about singing, dancing, comedy and team-building. Parents will be involved, too.
3. Planting crepe myrtles on the Cmhs campus during the school day.
Date to be announced. We will raise the money, purchase the small trees, bring shovels and plant the saplings on the campus.
4. Homecoming dance and supper. To be announced.

Meeting for freshman committee activities parent group set for Mon, Aug 25, 7 pm

Mrs. Barbara Meyers is hosting a freshman committee activities meeting Mon, Aug 25, 2008, at 7:00 p.m.at her home, which is located at 660 Elmwood, Shreveport 71104. It is on the corner of Elmwood and Dillingham fairly close to Byrd High.

Barbara says, "The meeting should not last more than an hour but is important and if you know of ANY other freshman parents who can come to the meeting and want to volunteer please invite them. If you have any questions please call 422-4771 or email meyerstennis@bellsouth.net."

Recycling comes to Shreveport via the Red River


Paper recycling tricycle
Originally uploaded by supercamel
Pratt Industries has broken ground on construction of its third, 100% recycled containerboard mill, says the Pratt Industries web site. The facility, located in Shreveport, La., will open in late 2008, and will eventually produce more than 360,000 tons of recycled paper a year to supply the company's growing internal demand for more paper.

It will also create more than 115 full-time jobs on site, while state officials estimate almost 1700 new jobs, direct and indirect, will be created during the construction phase.

"This mill symbolizes our continued commitment to growth for our company, for our customers and for the paper/packaging industry," said Chairman and CEO Anthony Pratt. "This means quality manufacturing jobs for Americans."

The Shreveport machine, which will be arrive in June, is being designed by the Italian group, Overmechanica. It will be committed to using 100% post-consumer fibers as do Pratt's other two mills in Conyers, Ga., and New York City.

And Louisiana officials are thrilled the company is coming to the state. Outgoing governor Kathleen Blanco said: "Pratt's strong stance on environmental protection makes them a great fit with Louisiana. This 'green' investment will significantly enhance the conservation of our natural resources."

The new mill will make lightweight and medium line on a 220-inch trim, fourdrinier paper machine.

Pratt also plans to roll out a recycling program throughout the region to help supply the mill's fiber needs.

Donna Curtis, Shreveport Green, will speak to 8:30 geography class on Thurs, Aug 28 about recycling and Pratt Industries


Donna Curtis
Originally uploaded by trudeau
Donna Curtis, spokesperson for Shreveport Green, will speak to students and parents about Pratt Industries and Shreveport's recycling program.
She will speak in E205 Thurs a week, which is Aug 28.

Parents are welcome!

I will videotape the presentation for the instruction of my other geography classes.

View from teacher's laptop: student laptops in class are recomended


View from teacher's laptop
Originally uploaded by trudeau
Students are encouraged to bring laptops to class in this geography class. The typical work will be -

- taking notes.
- following my web site presentations.
- looking up vocabulary.
- referencing maps.
- composing answers to in-class questions.

Guidelines include
- stay on academic tasks or forfeit usage.
- angle screen toward teacher at all times.
- no quick switching of screens as teacher approaches.

Most of my students say they have high speed internet


high speed internet
Originally uploaded by jonorrhea
We seem to be an affluent community; some 93% of my students claim to have access to high speed internet.

Ask your parents about the cost of internet access per month, please.

What happens to you and your school work if your internet access is interrupted? We went over this in class.

The school library will be your savior.

We get the name of the month of August from Augustus Caesar

Thus part of our calendar is dominated by Mediterranean, Roman and latin cultures.

What was the state of the Red River in 1812?


Red River, Shreveport LA
Originally uploaded by roy.luck
The American rivers were still difficult to navigate, however, because of the presence of dead wood called snags, sawyers [1], or log jams, says Wikipedia.

Henry Miller Shreve was appointed Superintendent of Western River Improvements in 1826 and charged with finding a solution to this problem. He had been working on a design for a "snagboat" since 1821, and he finally had it built in 1827. This craft, the Heliopolis, had a steam-powered windlass used to pull large concentrations of dead wood from the water. As a result of the success of his design, Shreve was ordered in 1832 by Secretary of War Lewis Cass to clear the Great Raft, 150 miles of dead wood on the Red River.

Shreve successfully removed the Raft (despite inadequate funding) by 1839. The area of the Red River where the Raft was most concentrated is today his namesake city of Shreveport. Shreve helped to establish Shreveport via the Shreve Town Company. In 1841, Shreve was relieved of his superintendent's duties by the nominally Whig U.S. President John Tyler. He hence retired to his farm near St. Louis.

Red River valley sketch project due Friday

- Sketch a map of NM, Tx, Ar, Ok and La.
- Using color, draw the route of the Red River.
- Add a bit of the Miss R.
- Label the states.
- Label 3 cities: Amarillo, Spt-Bossier, Alexandria.
- Add a colorful title at the top of the page.
- 6 pts.

Dates such as 2008 AD being changed to 2008 CE


Memory Map - Cambridge
Originally uploaded by Jon Block
Anno Domini, "in the year of our Lord," is being phased out by many sources, to be replaced by the term CE, "in the common era." CE is seen as less culturally biased by people who are not Christian. The companion term will be BCE, "before the common era."

Pratt Industries Paper Recycling Plant enables Shreveport to have recycling collection

In 2007 one of the world's big paper recycling companies, Pratt Industries, located a plant at the Port of Spt-Bossier - on the Red River.

It is a contract w Pratt Industries that allows the city of Shreveport to have a curbside recycling program.

Pratt recycles the paper goods. It sells the glass, plastic and metal to other companies.

Pratt uses the Red River for cheap transport.

Maybe one day you will create a recycling facility. Either that or we'll end up like the people in the movie Wall-E.

Parent signature by Friday on web site address

Make sure your parents know the address of the class web site. It will be a great thing when we're all on the same page.

Mondo! the world of .. . Trudeau! your teacher . . .

Monday, August 18, 2008

Demographics: World Population


World Population
Originally uploaded by hugoahlenius
The demographics of first year students at CMHS, the Class of 2012, encompasses some 15 middle schools. While a large number of our students come from CMM, in many classes the majority of students are from many different middle schools.

Therefore, there's a great need for making new friends.

Demographics is the study of populations. How many students at CMHS are age 14? How many age 16?

The demographics of the city of Shreveport are currently painful. Shreveport's population is shrinking, according to Census reports as published in the Times. We have slipped below the 200,000 mark. Therefore, the student population of Caddo schools is shrinking.

When we look at demographics, we see statistics. But the key to using demographics is in the interpretation of those facts. The value lies in finding trends.

Create a personal history map


Shreveport, 1920
Originally uploaded by trudeau
Your teacher's personal history map includes
a) Fall River, Mass
b) Napoleonville, La (Bayou LaFourche)
c) Covington, La
d) New Orleans (University of New Orleans)
e) Shreveport


If you were born and raised in Shreveport, you must list the neighborhoods in which you've lived or the schools you've attended.
Your map of Shreveport should include the Red River, i-20, downtown, and CMHS.

Students who have lived in other states and nations should include simple maps of those locations.

Materials required for world geography / Trudeau at CMHS

Caddo Magnet High School / World Geography
Robert Trudeau / trudeau@earthlink.net / 861-1519

Welcome to World Geography at CMHS
Two sites for parents and students to follow:
* CaddoMagnet.net
* Mondotrudeau.blogspot.com

At mondotrudeau you will find class requirements, assignments, reviews and links to more detailed reading.
* Plan your week by viewing mondotrudeau each Sunday afternoon. You will see an outline of the week’s activities.
* Thursdays are the day for essays, tests and project deadlines.
** Required atlas: Rand McNally Quick Reference World Atlas ($6)
Easy to carry (bring it to class every day); inexpensive. Please do not substitute. Available at Barnes & Noble, other stores and also at Amazon.com.
** Fee: $5, payable to Caddo Magnet High School. Defrays cost of field trips and special materials.
** Scissors (small), colors (map pencils, crayons or pastel markers)
** Notebook must feature a) pages with perforated edges b) pockets for handouts.
** Please submit a standard-size sheet of paper with parents’ or guardians’ names, address, all phone numbers.

Monday, May 26, 2008

Surgery on Tues, may 27, St Luke's Episcopal Hospital, Houston

Your teacher is quite confident of a good outcome on Tues. The surgeon is the renowned heart surgeon Dr Joseph Coselli, the hospital is the highly-ranked St Luke's and Monsieur Trudeau is in good shape except for the celiac aneurysm (Coselli will also fix the less-threatening mesenteric aneurysm ).

If you want to send an email telling me of your summer plans, don't hesitate.

Quick, quick showers: students make a life out of planet-sustaining practices


Riverview fountain
Originally uploaded by trudeau
From the NY Times
At Oberlin College’s new sustainability house — SEED, for Student Experiment in Ecological Design — one observes a microcosm of a growing sustainability movement on campuses nationwide, from small liberal arts colleges like Oberlin and Middlebury, in Vermont, to Lansing Community College in Michigan, to Morehouse in Atlanta, to public universities like the University of New Hampshire.

While previous generations focused on recycling and cleaning up rivers, these students want to combat global warming by figuring out ways to reduce carbon emissions in their own lives, starting with their own colleges. They also view the environment as broadly connected with social and economic issues, and their concerns include the displacement of low-income families after Hurricane Katrina and the creation of “green collar” jobs in places like the South Bronx.

The mission is serious and yet, like life at the Oberlin house, it blends idealism, hands-on practicality, laid-back community and fun.

“It’s not about telling people, ‘You have to do this, you have to do that,’ ” Mr. Brown said. “It’s about fitting sustainability into our own lives.” And hoping, he added, “that a friend will come over, recognize that it’s fun, start doing it, and then a friend of theirs will start doing it.”

With their professors as collaborators, and with their own technological and political savvy, students are persuading administrators to switch to fossil-free fuel on campus — Middlebury is building an $11 million wood-chip-powered plant, part of its goal of becoming carbon neutral by 2016 — serve locally grown food in dining halls and make hybrid cars available for shared transportation when, say, the distance is too far to bike and there is no bus. Students are planting organic gardens and competing in dorm energy-use Olympics. At Oberlin last year, some students in the winning dorm did not shower for two weeks, officials said.

“This is a generation that is watching the world come undone,” said David Orr, a professor of environmental studies at Oberlin. Projects like the Oberlin house, he said, are “helping them understand how to stitch the world together again.”

More at How Green is the Campus?

Thursday, May 15, 2008

Semester exam review / condensed reading comprehension questions


urban meadow, Shreveport
Originally uploaded by trudeau
All answers added, for your convenience. But I will tweak some of these questions so you'll have to use your brain, not just your study guide.
Please be ready for map questions based on the RMQRWA.

An important item: the exam will be scored at 20% of your semester scores, acc to the CPSB rules. That could be disastrous to the unprepared. Grades usually take somewhat of a downturn at the end of the second semester, but going into this test without notes could be very disappointing to you and your parents. I'm going to ask my substitute to record students who arrive with notes and those who do not.


Semester exam review / world geography / Trudeau

1. In Chinese language the name Confucius would be rendered as a) Lao Tzu b) Master Kung c) Tai Chi
d) the Buddha.
2. Confucius should be classified as a a) social thinker
b) religious leader.
3. He lived about the the year a) 500 BCE b) 300 BCE
c) 300 AD d) 500 AD.
4. There was little or no difference between the philosophy of Confucius and Shi Huang Di. T / F
5. There was little or no difference between the philosophy of Confucius and the ancient guidelines of Taoism. T / F
6. Confucius occupation was a) governmental minister b) prince c) king d) wise pauper.
7. Confucius basically was in favor of a) democracy
b) monarchy c) oligarchy (rule by a small group of men) d) rule by tyrant.
8. He thought that aristocratic parentage was the key to a wise ruler. T / F
9. His ideal ruler was one who “would spread his own virtues to the people instead of imposing proper behavior with laws and rules.” T / F
10. “Never impose on others what you would not choose yourself.” a) Buddha b) Confucius c) Shi Huang Di.
11. Confucianism is about a) ethics b) ethnics c) ethnocentrism d) ethylism.
1. b 2. a 3. a 4. F 5. F 6. a 7. b 8. F 9. T 10. b 11. a

Qin Shi Huang Di quiz 1
1. The life of Shi Huang Di: a) 1200 BCE b) 200 BCE c) 200 AD d) fictitious.
2. Shi Huang Di’s version of the Great Wall was called a “precursor” to the later Great Wall. Precursor means
a) small version b) earlier example c) moveable pointer
3. Tomb: a) monument b) mound c) subterranean
d) mausoleum.
4. As an audacious autocrat the First Emperor burned and banned writing by __. a) Lao Tzu b) Tao c) Confucius d) Buddha.
5. The importance of his reign is intact after 2 millennium. That would be some a) 200 b) 2 thousand c) 2 million years.
6. Huangdi was a title created for the First Emperor based upon a) mythical greats b) ancient rulers c) his family
d) warriors.
7. When a youth becomes king he usually has a wise and powerful member of the court who acts as his guide to decision-making. That person’s title? a) proxy b) consort c) regent d) caretaker.
8. Shi Huang Di’s period of rule was preceded by the period known as a) Warring states b) Confucian c) Primitive d) Troubles.
9. Shi Huang Di unified China economically by standardizing the Chinese units of measurements such as weights and measures, the currency, the length of the axles of carts (so every cart could run smoothly in the ruts of the new roads). He was not able to upgrade the legal system. T / F
10. What was his most important reform, according to Wikipedia?
a) silk b) currency c) writing d) elephants.
11. Shi Huang Di seriously sought the elixir of life, a magical potion which reputedly would enable immortality.
What is an elixir? a) health-giving drink b) magical cape or hat c) a pool of magical water d) hallucinogenic drug.
12. The huge terra cotta army buried with Shi Huang Di lies near which city? a) Beijing b) Shanghai c) Xi’an d) Hong Kong.
1. b 2. b 3. d 4. c 5. b 6. 7. c 8. a 9. F 10. c 11. a 12. c

Washington to Hanoi: Vietnam review
1. Geneva is a city in the nation of a) Netherlands
b) Switzerland c) Germany d) Belgium.
2. The Geneva Accord was part of ending the war between Vietnam and __ . a) France b) England
c) Belgium d) Netherlands.
3. Appropriate order of the presidents: a) Eisenhower, Nixon, Kennedy b) Kennedy, Nixon, Johnson
c) Nixon, LBJ, Eisenhower d) Eisenhower, JFK, LBJ
4. Not a Senator from Massachusetts: a) John F Kennedy
b) Dwight Eisenhower.
5. Commander-in-chief of US during Vietnam conflict:
a) Nixon b) Truman c) JFK d) Eisenhower.
6. President associated with secondary escalation of troops in Vietnam: a) Nixon b) JFK c) LBJ .
7. Gulf of Tonkin Resolution: a) Nixon b) JFK c) LBJ.
8. Tet Offensive: a) Nixon b) JFK c) LBJ.
9. Great Society: a) Nixon b) JFK c) LBJ.
10. End of Vietnam war, ‘73 - ‘75: a) Nixon b) JFK c) LBJ.
11. Domino Theory: a) Nixon b) JFK c) LBJ d) Eisenhower.
12. Tet Offensive: a) Hue b) Hanoi c) Bangkok
d) Cambodia.
13. Viet Cong: a) US b) China c) Japan.
14. Australians: a) US b) China c) Japan.
15. Protest march in Washington, DC: a) 1966 b) 1969
c) 1973 d) 1975.
16. Sent US advisers to Vietnam: a) LBJ b) Nixon
c) JFK.
17. Ho Chi Minh: a) Hanoi b) Hue c) Da Nang d) Saigon.
18. Indochina: a) France b) Belgium c) England d) US.
19. “Goodnight, Irene”: a) Dylan b) Leadbelly c) Hendrix.
20. Civil Rights march on Washington, DC: a) 1960
b) 1963 c) 1969 d) 1971.
21. President who banned racial discrimination in the military: a) LBJ b) JFK c) Nixon d) Eisenhower e) Truman.
22. Vietnam’s population today is about one third the US population. T / F
23. Vietnam is a communist nation today. T / F
24. Vietnamese boat people: a) 1954 b) 1966 c) 1969
d) 1975.
25. Not an example of Vietnamese ingenuity: a) punji traps
b) tunnel system c) betel nut.

Washington to Hanoi: Vietnam review
1. b 2. a 3. d 4. b 5. a 6. a 7. c 8. c 9. c 10. a 11. d 12. a
13. b 14. a 15. b 16. c 17. a or d 18. a 19. b 20. b 21. e 22. F
23. T 24. d 25. c

Vietnam Conflict Review
1. "Those who don't learn history are doomed to ___ it." a) wonder about b) argue c) repeat d) study
2. 1950: Pres. __ sends advisers to help the French. a) Eisenhower b) JFK c) Nixon d) Truman e) LBJ.
3. 1954: Vietnam is divided by the document called the __ __. North is communist; South is democratic. a) Gulf of Tonkin Resolution b) Tet Offensive c) Geneva Accord d) Treaty of Versailles.
4. The French exit after almost 100 years of occupation of the 3-nation region called __. a) Indonesia b) LaoCamNam c) Vietnam and its neighbors d) Indochina.
5. __ __ __, leader of the communist revolutionaries, is triumphant in both 1954 and in 1975 (though posthumously). a) Gen. Da Nang b) Chaing Kai Shek c) Chairman Mao Zedong d) Hai Phong e) Ho Chi Minh
6. In 1954 Pres. __ sends advisers to aid the S. Vietnam Army (see answers in #2).
7. 1961; Pres. __ sends more advisers - some 15,000 US troops in 'Nam. (see answers above)
8. 1964; Pres. __ asks Congress for approval of direct military action. Bombing of N. Vietnam begins.
9. 1965; Doves make their opinions known in regards the war in Vietnam: a) conservatives b) liberals c) undecided d) veterans e) birds.
10. 1968; Peak US troops reach peak: a) quarter million b) half million c) million d) almost 2 million.
11. 1968: Communist surprise attacks on US-held regions, including the capital city: a) Da Nang b) Hanoi c) Bangkok d) Saigon.
12. Called the Tet Offensive, it is widely seen in the US as a) encouraging b) enraging c) discouraging d) inevitable.
13. 1969; Pres. __ reduces troop strength in Thailand and Vietnam. But he continues the bombing of N. Vietnam. (see answer choices in #2)
14. A massive protest demonstration in 1969 brings students and other anti-war groups from across the US to the city of a) Paris b) NYC c) San Francisco d) Washington e) New Orleans.
15. In 197_ a peace pact with the communists was signed in Paris. It signaled the end of the US’ longest-running war. The year was a) 1954 b) 1964 c) 1974 d) 1984.
16. The communist forces won victory over S. Vietnam in a) 1968 b) 1971 c) 1975 d) 1977.
17. During the cold war era the US goal was to stop communism across the globe. In regions such as Southeast Asia the US military felt a risk of a communist chain reaction. Therefore Pres. Eisenhower enunciated the policy known as the __ theory. a) Chain reaction b) Cold war c) Domino d) Chess.
18. The name for the communist guerillas living and fighting in South Vietnam:
a) Orangutans b) North Vietnam Army (NVA) c) Viet Tigers d) Viet Cong.
19. Principal US allies in Vietnam: a) England, Netherlands b) Canada, Australia
c) Japan, Mexico d) England, Germany.
Viet answers:
1. c) repeat 2. d) Truman 3. c) Geneva Accord 4. d) Indochina
5. e) Ho Chi Minh 6. a) Eisenhower 7. b) Kennedy 8. e) Johnson
9. b) liberals 10. b) half 11. d) Saigon 12. c) discouraging 13. c) Nixon
14. d) Washington 15. c) ‘74 16. c) 1975 17. c) domino 18. d) Viet cong 19. b) Canadians / Australians
1. c 2. d 3. c 4. d 5. e 6. a 7. b 8. e 9. b 10. b 11. d 12. c
13. c 14. d 15. c 16. c 17. c 18. d 19. b

Presidents / Vietnam quiz
Choose from these presidents -
a) Nixon b) LBJ c) JFK d) Eisenhower e) Truman

1. Resigned from presidency rather than face impeachment.
2. The most successful of the US generals in WW II.
3. Formerly a senator from Texas.
4. Once a senator from Massachusetts.
5. Defeated Richard Nixon for presidency in 1960.
6. Served as vice-president under Eisenhower.
7. Associated with Franklin Roosevelt.
8. Associated with the Watergate scandal.
9. Commander in chief of US military in WW II.
10. President associated with successful legislation on civil rights and Medicare; his program was called the Great Society.
11. President who ended the Vietnam war.
12. President who used the Gulf of Tonkin Resolution to escalate American troop strength in Vietnam.

Presidents / Vietnam quiz answers -
a 1. d 2. b 3. c 4. c 5. a 6.
e 7. a 8. e 9. b 10. a 11. b 12.

Presidents / Vietnam quiz
Choose from these presidents -
a) Nixon b) LBJ c) JFK d) Eisenhower e) Truman
1. Resigned from presidency rather than face impeachment.
2. The most successful of the US generals in WW II.
3. Formerly a senator from Texas.
4. Once a senator from Massachusetts.
5. Defeated Richard Nixon for presidency in 1960.
6. Served as vice-president under Eisenhower.
7. Associated with Franklin Roosevelt.
8. Associated with the Watergate scandal.
9. Commander in chief of US military in WW II.
10. President associated with successful legislation on civil rights and Medicare; his program was called the Great Society.
11. President who ended the Vietnam war.
12. President who used the Gulf of Tonkin Resolution to escalate American troop strength in Vietnam.

1. djembe, goblet-shaped drum.
2. dun-dun or tama or talking drum.
3. mbira, sansa, kalimba: thumb piano.
4. shekere, the gourd shaker with net skirt.
5. gong-gong, the double bells.
6. kora, the gourd-bodied harp-like instrument of the griot, or bard.
7. nyere, one of the African flutes.
8. marimba, balofon: the wooden, gourd-resonated xylophone.

Africa review
1. Name the famous type of ship sailed on the Arab-African coast. Unlike the sail on a European sailboat, the mast and boom rotate as needed.
2. Since colonial times, this religion has been the dominant religion of Tanzania and Kenya in East Africa: __.
3. Religion dominant on the Swahili coast?
4. The language of the Indian Ocean coast of Africa?
5. Dye used in decorative hand painting in India, Arabia and Africa?
6. East African word for “friend”?
7. This vegetable has green, bullet-shaped pods. It is used in both Louisiana and Africa for thickening the soup or stew. Its name in Africa is “gumbo.”
8. Name the purple vegetable that in French is called aubergine (the vegetable and the color).
9. Sharply-flavored spice harvested by the Tanzanian girl froma tree on her family land.
10. Spice gotten by cutting tree bark into strips.
11. Piper nigrum is the Latin name for this spice; in the ancient world is was a very expensive commodity.
12. Ancient bowl and pounder used in grinding spices.
13. A rice dish with spices and vegetable as prepared by the family of Zanzibar.
14. Tasteless, potato-like root vegetable of Africa.
15. Two ways in which the East African eating habits were different from those of the US.
16. The tower aside a mosque which is used to call the faithful to prayer.
17. A madrassah is a school that most students attend after they go to their regular school. It is associated with which religion?
18. In a madrassah, what is the language of the lessons ?
19. What do you call a resident of Zanzibar?
20. Sizzling food is available along the waterfront in the evening at a place called simply the __ __.
21. East Africans use the winds that accomapny the rainy season, the __, to send ships on long regional trading voyages.
22. The most distant region region of the world for trade by East African sailors: __.
23. In Zanzibar we saw a family of several generations under one roof. Was it a patriarchy or matriarchy?
24. The girl of Zanzibar has a goal in media work. What does she hope to do as an occupation?
25. What do we call the indigenous languages of Kenya?
26. What is the indigenous language of NW Louisiana?
27. The girl of Ghana lives in the capital. The name of that city?
28. For centuries the people of Ghana were ruled by Europeans from the nation of __.
29. Europeans gave this part of the coast of West Africa a name indicating a valuable commodity: the __ Coast.
30. The dominant tribe of Ghana?
31. Cooking on an outdoor stove in Ghana is done sometimes by propane and sometimes a more ancient fuel: __.

1. dhow 2. Christianity 3. Islam 4. Swahili 5. henna
6. rafiki 7. okra 8. eggplant 9. cloves 10. cinammon
11. black pepper 12. mortar & pestle 13. pilau 14. cassava
15. eating by hand; eating segregated by gender
16. minaret 17. Islam 18. Arabic 19. Zanzibari 20. night market
21. monsoon 22. India 23. patriarchy (grandfather) 24. TV "presenter" 25. tribal languages, such as Masai
26. Caddo language 27. Accra, Ghana 28. Britain
29. Gold - Gold Coast 30. Ashantih 31. charcoal

Jambo!
Swahili culture: mixture of Arab, Persian, Indian, African, European.
- architecture, cuisine, art, etc.
- dhow - Arab-based design of sailboat with mast and sail that rotates to catch the wind.
Dar es Salaam: "abode of peace," Arabic.
- 2.5 million people
- av income about $5 per week.
- influence from Portuguese, first Euro explorers of the African coast.
- influence from German colonial occupation.

The Medici dynasty of Florence.
- linear prespective - olive branch - minotaur - labyrinth
- acropolis - Parthenon
- Cosimo de Medici - Donatello -statue of David
- Brunelleschi - duomo of the Cathedral of Florence
- patronage - public art
- Greek era, 400 BCE
- Romans, 100 CE
- Renaissance, 1500 CE

Italy review -
1. Two mountain ranges: __, __ . 2. Are Italians seismic? Explain.
3. Italy’s climate type? 4. Italian deforestation?
5. 58 million ? 6. An example of creativity in Italian products?
7. Did the Christian religion spread before, during or after the Roman Empire? 8. Italy finally became a nation about the year __. a) 1661 b) 1761 c) 1861
9. In which alliance was Italy in WWII? 11. What is the great, rich river valley of Italy? 12. Because of this river’s fertility and profitability, what enterprises developed there?
13. What is subsidence? Name the famous city threatened by subsidence.
14. The greatest of the Italian cities in the medieval period. This city was a trading center for goods from the Middle East.
15. What is the Forum?
16. Two most famous buildings in the Vatican City?
17. Which city is associated with the art created during the Renaissance?
18. Why is it not a surprise that the textbook calls Naples one of the poorest cities in Europe?
1. Pyrenees, Alps 2. Yes; many earthquakes. 3. Mediterranean
4. Yes; small country, many people. 5. Yes. 6. Ferrari’s race-car styling. 7. During the Roman Empire. 8. 1861.

Tuesday, May 13, 2008

Review guide, second semester exam, world geography

Review guide, second semester exam, world geography -

Exam comprises 100 questions, multiple-choice, open notes, (sorry; because of my illness, no bonus points for a comparison essay) based on the following:

Web site notes begin in Jan, 08
1. Brief bio on Barack Obama.
2. Eurocentric society
3. Wheelbarrows & gunpowder: ancient Chinese technology
4. Confucius quiz (12 ques)
5. Shi Huang Di quiz (12)
6. Yin Yang
7. Tai Chi Chuan
8. Chinese cuisine and helathy life
9. Sketch map (Wacom Bamboo) of China
10. Not One Less movie summary
Feb. notes
11. Danes & Vikings quiz (10)
12. Washigton to Hanoi: Vietnam war quiz (25)
13. Notes on video Leopards of Zanzibar
14. 1963 & Amer History
15. Vietnam map
16. Vietnam conflict quiz (19)
17. US Presidents quiz (12)
18. Ash Wednesday (3)
19. Map of Japan
March notes
20. Lost Boys of Sudan notes (2)
21. Notes on Afriocan music
22. The Great Mosque of Djenne
23. Africa review, Zanzibar & Ghana (31)
24. Notes on Zanzibar & Tanzania
25. Vocab from NY Times on Jindal and ethics (see dictionary, please)
April notes
26. Notes on the Medici and Renaissance
27. Michelangelo, Leonardo, Donatello, Raphael
28. Map of Italy and Greece
29. Roman empire map.
30. Notes from the Roman Empire.
31. Notes from Macaulay’s show, Roman City.
32. L’Itlaia, n overview.
33. A Quiz on All Things Italian (18)
34. Downtown Houston: glamor & immigrants
35. The Trek of the Sudanese refugees

Advanced knowledge camps at LSUS, cheap

This just in from LSUS:

The College of Sciences will host four summer sessions in June to help high school students gain a better understanding of the nature and rewards of career opportunities in the fields of mathematics and science.
Any high school student entering ninth through twelfth grade may register for any or all of these sessions. The fee is $20 per session and pre-registration is required. Session dates, times and topics are listed below. For more information or to register by phone, call the LSUS Division of Continuing Education at 798-4177. Registration is also available online at www.ce.lsus.edu. The deadline for registration is Tuesday, June 3, 2008.

Computer Science – June 9 - 13, 2008 from 10:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m.
Topics: Software Development, Cyberspace and Cyber Command, Bioinformatics, Virtual Worlds and
Computer Games.

Mathematics – June 9 - 13, 2008 from 1:00 p.m. to 3:00 p.m.
Topics: Why Mathematics is Fun, Why Mathematics is Not Fun, Mathematical Art and Jobs in Mathematics

Chemistry/Physics – June 16 - 20, 2008 from 10:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m.
Topics: Astronomy, Astrophysics, NASA and Planetariums, Engineering & Robotics, Careers in Chemistry,
When a Bachelor’s Degree is Not Enough, Where Biochemistry Can Take You – Medical School and
Other Options

Biology – June 16 - 20, 2008 from 1:00 p.m. to 3:00 p.m.
Topics: Pre-Med and Medical Careers, Careers in Environmental Science and The Red River Watershed,
Biotechnology and the Electron Microscope, Organismal Biology (with a Field Trip to the Red River
Education and Research Park), Forensic Entomolog

Sunday, May 11, 2008

Unit: Germany, Hitler, WWII in Europe, the Holocaust and the US

Truly, it is painful to me not to be in the classroom with you these last two weeks. I love teaching and I have a great affection for you.

To re-cap my health situation:
the aneurysms with which I have been diagnosed, a celiac and a mesenteric, are rare, acc. to the Texas Medical Journal. But the word from my internist, Dr Alan Borne, is that they are reparable. And he expects me to be back at work for the 2008-09 year.

This week I'll see a Shreveport vascular surgeon, Dr Stephen White, for a consultation and I have, on May 21, an interview in Houston with the pre-eminent vascular surgeon, Joseph S Coselli.

In the meantime I am trying not to raise my already-high blood pressure. If there's a rupture of one of these aneurysms the mortality rate is exceedingly high.

So I shall be communicating via email and resting between sessions.

If principals Mrs Sheryl Thomas or Mrs Queen Snyder agrees, this week you will go to a computer lab or library to research the following:

- When did Hitler come to power? What was the name of that special era in US and European history?
- What were the 5 landmark events in his life prior to becoming Chancellor of Germany?
- How did he orchestrate his surprising rise to political leadership?
- What were the 3 chief points of his fascist program?
- How are fascism and communism different?
- How did Hitler present his anti-Jewish (anti-semitic) views and program?
- In what order of conquest did Germany take over most of Europe?
- What was the US attitude toward the outbreak of war in Europe and toward the Germans?
- What was the US attitude toward Jewish immigrants and awareness of the Nazi death camps?
- Who was the US President?
- What major steps were taken by the Nazis as they prepared to murder millions of Jews and significant numbers of political dissidents, Gypsies, Poles and other targeted groups? Ex:
a) excluding Jewish students and teachers from German schools.
b) Kristal nacht, a night in which citizens were given government approval in smashing windows in Synagogues and Jewish homes and businesses.
c) commanding that Jews relinquish their businesses.
d) Shipping masses of Jews to what were called "work camps." Prior to their deaths Jews were used as slave labor (see the book and movie entitled Schindler's List).

After those items have been established, you will watch a movie called Swing Kids. It is about German teens who were anti-fascist and how their lives were changed by the rise of the Nazis. There is a study guide to the movie and test, too.

Thursday, May 08, 2008

Map number 3 of Deutschland: important cities and the Rhine River


Berlin, Germany
Originally uploaded by Tobi_2008
Thurs students sketched a map of Deutschland that included

- Berlin, the capital. In the post WWI era, a city divided some 50 years into communist and democratic halves.
- Hamburg, the great port on the North Sea. Hamburgers? yes.
- Koln, or Cologne. A great city on the Rhine, it has a significant Karnival celebration.
- Bonn, also on the Rhine (or Rhein). It was the capital of Germany when it was a divided nation.
- Frankfurt, in the middle of the nation, is the transportation center of Germany. Name means "Germans' crossing place on the river. "
- Munich (Munchen) is the city of Oktoberfest and BMW.
- Rhine River is like the Missisippi of Europe. Flows from Switzerland to the North Sea.

"Ja?"
"Nein."

Indie work:
Make a Greek salata and photograph the ingredients: lettuce, onions, olives, feta cheese, olive oil, vinegar.

Salut!

Thursday quiz on the Pantheon and Parthenon is a comparison essay to be read by a parent next week


CMHS, Shreveport
Originally uploaded by trudeau
Pantheon / Parthenon comparison essay:

1. Use the notes from notebook, print-out, etc. Do not exchange notes or communicate with your neighbors in any way.
2. Base your essay on no less than 3 factual items that will be specified for each building.
3. Open with a colorful, descriptive sentence.
4. Switch back and forth between topics, which is called integration of topics. Do not give the info in separate blocks and add a final integration.
5. Cite your sources (Wikipedia.org, teacher Robert Trudeau, etc) by the phrase “according to.” Place it at the end of the first sentence of each paragraph.
6. Top it with a
a) smacky title
b) explanatory subtitle
7. Proofread your paper for
- legibility
- speeling
- grammar
8. Name, date, hour in upper right corner!
9. Proofread one more time.
10. 10 pts.
11. After it is scored, this essay must be read by a parent and a signature collected in your notebook.

Tuesday, May 06, 2008

Performance Day for geography students is Mon, May 12

Performance day: on Mon, May 12, each class will go to the PAC so the piano and stage is available to students who have been taking lessons in music, dance and other performing arts.

Students need not be stellar performers to partcipate in this informal event. If they simply feel confident enough to perform a simple, brief piece before their classmates, they will make me happy.

Performance day is inspired by Beethoven, Bach (the whole family, some 13 Bachs listed as composers), Mozart and the modern German composers who have proven that this nation is extremely musical.

Students may perform on more than one instrument and I encourage duos and trios. Rock guitar is welcome as is the performance of martial arts and gymnastic routines. One of my students has promised a video herself leading her horse in European dressage.

if parents would like to drop by to sit in the back of the PAC during the events, feel welcome. Some classes may have few performers; 5th hour seems to have the most committments.

Btw, the performers and audiences are limited to the students in that particular class.

The Parthenon and the Pantheon: quiz on Thurs


The Parthenon
Originally uploaded by tsak_d
Mondo notes quiz on these two architectural masterpieces on Thurs. .

Example:
Which one is considered a Doric temple?

Deutschland!

Deutsch's map . . .

Denmark
Netherlands
Belgium
Luxembourg
France
Switzerland
Austria
Czech Republic
Poland

Berlin

Wie sprechen auf Deutsch?
Nein, ich ne spreche auf Deutsch.

Bonus / Indie work:

a) Attend Sound of Music, Marjorie Lyons Playhouse
b) Research and compare Parthenon and Pantheon
c) " " " history of Mercedes Benz and Volkswagen.

Don't forget:

Project Talent Art Exhibit, LSUS
Reception Wed, May 8, 7 pm.

CMHS Graduation ceremony:
Sun, May 18

Monday, May 05, 2008

An Inconvenient Truth: inquiry into the collision between humans and their earth


Cross Lake, Shreveport
Originally uploaded by trudeau
From the movie An Inconvenient Truth (it began as Al Gore's book called Earth in the Balance), which we are watching in class this week:

The fundamental outline of the climate crisis story: the relationship between human civilization and the Earth has been utterly transformed by a combination of factors, including the population explosion, the technological revolution, and a willingness to ignore the future consequences of our present actions.

The underlying reality is that we are colliding with the planet’s ecological system, and its most vulnerable components are crumbling as a result.

In every corner of the globe — on land and in water, in melting ice and disappearing snow, during heat waves and droughts, in the eyes of hurricanes and in the tears of refugees — the world is witnessing mounting and undeniable evidence that nature’s cycles are profoundly changing.


An Inconvenient Truth discussion questions -

1.What in the film -- a fact, an image, a story -- triggered a strong reaction for you? What feelings did it evoke?
2. The film has lots of information. What was your overall feeling at the end of it, or as you think back to the full effect? How does that feeling shape what you want to do next?
3. What sort of world do you want to leave for future generations? How has the film shaped your awareness of the importance of the question?
4. Sen. Gore mentioned that it can be easy for people to jump from denial to despair. Where do you find hope that allows you to face this problem – in personal or community action, the rightness of the cause, affirmation from your friends, etc? )
5. What did you learn from watching the film that you didn't know before -- or that is more compelling for you now?
6. Why is the science important to you? Do you want proof that climate change is happening and that humans are having a decisive impact? Do you look to science for predictions about what might happen under different situations?
7. What information in the film made climate change more real to you? Or, why was it not compelling?
8. What made the information in the film trustworthy for you, or what made you question the information? What characteristics of the research, the data, and the people presenting it influenced your trust levels?
9. Not all people look to science as the ultimate authority. What sort of sources would be most compelling and trustworthy for you in considering the problem of climate change? Would testimony from business leaders or religious authorities have more credibility?
10. The story of "doubting Thomas" in the Bible tells of someone who had a hard time believing the "unbelievable" fact of the resurrection. Is some ways, climate change is as much of a challenge to our experience and thinking, with an event that we've never seen or imagined before. What sort of proof do you need to make the facts compelling and believable? (When Thomas finally believed, his life was changed. What does it mean for us when we accept the reality of climate change?)
11. In the US Declaration of Independence, the authors wrote, "We hold these truths to be self-evident …" Even though King George didn't accept that all people are created equal, the authors of the Declaration indicated that they didn't consider those "truths" to be open to debate. When is it appropriate to assert that the truth of climate change is "self-evident"?
12. What standard of evidence is necessary or appropriate before taking dramatic action on climate change? By way of analogy, should a hurricane evacuation be ordered only if it is absolutely certain that it will strike a city? When a sweeping economic policy is being launched, is there an expectation that there must be consensus among economic experts?
13. How do those of us who are not experts in climate science sort out the reliability of the research? How do we know who and what to trust?
14. Sen. Gore says that climate change is a "moral issue" as well as a technical and political one. What difference does it make if we approach it from a moral perspective?
15. Why should students, in particular, be concerned about climate change? Does the climate crisis have anything to do with our future and ethics?

Sunday, May 04, 2008

Parthenon, Doric temple atop the acropolis of Athens


Parthenon - Athens, Acropolis
Originally uploaded by Schumata
The Parthenon is a temple built for the Greek goddess Athena,the protectress of Athens, in the 5th century BC on the athenian Acropolis.

It is the most important surviving building of Classical Greece, generally considered to be the culmination of the development of the Doric order. Its decorative sculptures are considered one of the high points of Greek art. The Parthenon is regarded as an enduring symbol of ancient Greece and of Athenian democracy, and is one of the world's greatest cultural monuments.

The two pediments of the temple are decorated with mythological scenes: the east, above the building's main entrance, shows the birth of Athena, and the west, the fight between Athena and Poseidon for the name of the city of Athens. The Parthenon retained its religious character in the following centuries and was converted into a Byzantine church, a Latin church and a Muslim mosque.

The Turks used the Parthenon as a powder magazine when the Venetians, under Admiral Morosini, sieged the Acropolis in 1687. One of the Venetian bombs fell on the Parthenon and caused a tremendous explosion that destroyed a great part of the monument which had been preserved in a good condition until then.

The disaster was completed in the beginning of the 19th century, when the British ambassador in Constantinople, Lord Elgin, stole the greatest part of the sculptural decoration of the monument (frieze, metopes, pediments), transferred them to England and sold them to the British Museum, where they are still exhibited, being one of the most significant collections of the museum.

Friday, May 02, 2008

The Paper Parthenon Project / a direct comparison to the Pantheon Project


The Parthenon
Originally uploaded by esther**
Comparing two of the most famous and confusing historic buildings, the Pantheon of Rome and the Parthenon of Athens.

Pantheon: Pan - across - Theos - the gods.
Parthenon: Athena Parthagenesis (of a virgin birth)

Once housed 80 ft golden statue of Athena.

For 10 pts, include -
- Athens / Rome comparison of 5 items: population, cultural characteristics.
- small map of Italy and Greece.
- paper sculpture which includes -
- 2 pediments / one with sketch that indicates the relief sculpture.
- 8 columns, the second 4 being shorter so as to indicate linear perspective.
- representation in paper of the acropolis.
- " " " skyline of Athens.

Doric columns!

Paper Parthenon / comparison with the Pantheon

Paper Parthenon project . . .

a) Athens compared to Rome.
b) Roman gods to Greeks'.
c) Parthenon to Pantheon in construction.

Thursday, May 01, 2008

The Christian church is good to its adherents, but, heretics, beware


Get me to the church on . . .
Originally uploaded by trudeau
Galileo was a scholar with so many talents he could be called a
- polymath
- savant
- Renaissance man.

His discovery and development of the telescope led him to the heliocentric point of view of the universe. But because the Catholic church wasn't ready to change its thinking, he was called a heretic.

Heresy was punishable by the church court called the Inquisition by imprisonment or death.

Galileo was told to recant or die. He had to publicly give up his teachings, declare them false and then espouse the geocentric - so as to avoid death. He lived the remainder of his life under house arrest.

See bureaucrats. And dementors.

Rubric: guidelines (once written in red).
Sanguine: both blood (red) as well as healthy.

Are you orthodox in your thinking? Do you want to be more of a non-conformist?
Are you satisfied with the values of mainstream America?

One more word: lumen means "light." Lumenaria (candles whose light is diffused by a paper bag chimney) will be lighted at lee Hedges Stadium this weekend as part of the Relay for life celebration. It is a young person's fundraiser for the American Cancer Society.

May Day: ancient observances and traditions


Class of 2011
Originally uploaded by trudeau
The earliest May Day celebrations appeared in pre-Christian Europe, as in the Celtic celebration of Beltane, and the Walpurgis Night of the Germanic countries.

Many pre-Christian indigenous celebrations were eventually banned or Christianized during the process of Christianization in Europe.

May Day may be best known for its tradition of dancing the Maypole and crowning of the Queen of the May.

The day was a traditional summer holiday in many pre-Christian European pagan (means "country") cultures. While February 1 was the first day of Spring, May 1 was the first day of summer; hence, the summer solstice on June 25 (now June 21) was Midsummer, says Wikipedia.

Geocentrism, heliocentrism, Galileo and the Roman Catholic Church


Soap sculpture project, CMHS
Originally uploaded by trudeau
In our movie on Galileo, called the Father of Modern Physics, we've seen:

geocentrism, the ancient position espoused by Greeks such as Ptolemy and embraced as dogma by the catholic church.

heliocentrism, the new idea - that the sun was the center of the solar system - from a few astronomers about 1600 CE.

heresy / a heretic - person who speaks against or refuses to submit to the orthodox way of thinking.

Inquisition - from wikipedia:
In 1542, Pope Paul III established the Congregation of the Holy Office of the Inquisition as a permanent congregation staffed with cardinals and other officials, whose task was to maintain and defend the integrity of the faith and to examine and proscribe errors and false doctrines;[8]; it thus became the supervisory body of local Inquisitions. Arguably the most famous case tried by the Roman Inquisition was that of Galileo Galilei in 1633. Because of Rome's power over the Papal States, Roman Inquisition activity continued until the mid-1800s.

Galileo's bio -
- Pisa & Florence, in Tuscany
- physicist, mathematician, astronomer
- developed the telescope

patronage - the monetary support of an artist or institution from a wealthy source, usually a family or person.