Adbeard human geography: January 2011

Thursday, January 27, 2011

My Own History Theory Xtranormal Video

Link for video- http://www.xtranormal.com/watch/8295891

Daily Question #4

Will a "hypertext" world make us more accepting of cyclic history?

The world we live in today is drastically changing. More people are going from printed sources to the computer to find sources and information. One reason behind this is the evolution of the internet. More and more people are using the internet more daily than ever and it is has more users than ever. Information on the internet is so abundant that you can find things on the smallest of topics. With the internet, we can accept cyclic history since we can find events that cause history in a click of the mouse. The internet is also popular with the creation of hypertexts. Hypertexts are links that you can follow directly with a click of the mouse. Hypertexts are usually underlined in blue so they are easily identified. With hypertexts, we can directly find information in a flash. So this means that hypertexts would let us know more about cyclic history since we could just follow links to see what events impacted other events that go in a cycle. Hypertexts would let us see one event, then another event, and so on. Hypertexts make it so easy to follow cyclic history since we can read event by event without just searching it on the internet. The information is right there in the hypertext to view historic events like in a cycle. So I think hypertexts and the internet contribute a lot to our knowledge of cyclic history since we can actually view information about history in a cycle of hypertexts. I also think hypertexts allow us to view history in such an easy way because with a click of the mouse, historic information is right in front of us on the computer screen. The internet and hypertexts are doing so much to improve our knowledge of history in a cycle.

Wednesday, January 26, 2011

Daily Question #3

Don't our traditional forms of information communication, notably "the book" and especially "the textbook" contribute to our belief in linear history?

The book and the textbook contribute a lot about our belief in linear history since most history books mainly teach history in this kind of fashion. Many textbooks that I have used in the past have mainly used timelines to express linear history. The timeline has a range of dates in the past that have major events at a specific date to express history in a linear fashion. Textbooks are probably the most notable source of linear history that I have seen so far in my life. Textbooks and other books use linear history so much that you often forget about the other types of history. History is now mostly seen in a line thanks to the textbooks we used for school. Even the television and the computer are starting to use timelines of events to show history in a line too. With timelines starting to become more popular in textbooks, more students are using them for history papers if they have to summarize a series of events or in projects where they have to model specific events in a time in history. More timelines are being used to model history and we often forget that history does not always happen in a line. History can happen from another smaller event or from a combination of two events. This saying represents another theory in history with the Hegelian theory. But with textbooks teaching linear history more often with timelines, this is the type of history that will be known to students as the main theory used in history. Linear history is becoming more popular in society from the influence of textbooks and it is becoming the best way to learn history over a series of dates.

Tuesday, January 25, 2011

Daily Question #2

Is modern life "always" better than it was in the past?

Modern life is “better” than past life in a lot of different ways. First of all, there is more technology that helps humans succeed in today’s world than there ever was in the past. The technology that is accessible to us today has helped us humans learn about today’s world and what it is like everywhere in the world through online newspapers and encyclopedias. This was not the case in the past where you mostly learned about the world through words. Another way that modern life is better is that all humans have a wide selection of things they can choose from whereas in the past, your selection was very limited with very few of each item to choose from. Now, humans can choose from several different types of things, like cars and cell phones. In the past, there were fewer cars to choose from and there weren’t even cell phones to buy. Humans have so many things to choose from now that we don’t realize how good we have it in this country in these modern years. But in some ways, the past is better than modern life. In the past, kids made up their own activities and had fun with them. Kids back then were rarely bored like kids in today’s world, where kids rely on technology to be amused. Also in the past, parents were stricter where if their children got in trouble, they would learn never to do it again through a big smack on the head. Parents in today’s world are much laid back I think since they don’t do things to their children that would make them think about their decisions. Overall, the modern world beats out the past but there are some things in the past that make time back then better than today.

Monday, January 24, 2011

Daily Question #1

Does history progress? Is an elephant really "better" than a mammoth?

History does progress in the world and has been for many, many years. History progresses through little and minor events that transform into major events that shapes up history. History can progress through someone starting something or through a very small event with an even bigger event occurring from that, which can make history. This process can be explained by the vortex theory where a small event goes in, and then a big event comes out. This process keeps going, which can explain history in the vortex theory. History also progresses in a cycle where when one event happens, another occurs from that, and then another occurs from that, and so on. This theory explains how history keeps going through a cycle of events. It is known as the cyclic theory. History can also progress in a line of events, like a timeline. The line contains a range of dates with a different number of events with each date that shows how history happened. This line can be expressed by the linear theory where history progresses in a line with major and minor events at a different date. History also progresses when two minor events can result in one major event, with the three events making up one level. Then, it continues with the major event combining with another small event, resulting in another major event. This theory can be expressed by the Hegelian theory where history can happen from a combination of two other events. So history progresses in a variety of aspects, but it is progressing an humans can see it happen. Humans can see it happen through different changes in our world, such as the creation of big cities and through the different types of technology being invented. History has influenced the human race to change things in our world, and we can see things being changed in our every day lives. History has also changed the ways humans think and the choices we make. One event was the Great Depression, that limited the choices we made on food and water and made you think about how you would spend your money. So history can not also change our world but it can change the ways of human beings.

The mammoth is better than the elephant in many aspects. First, the mammoth is very large and can weigh up to eight tons. The adjective “mammoth” reflects the mammoth since it is so large and massive. Because of its size it can fight of a lot of predators and fight for itself. Also, a mammoth has a little more strength than its relative the elephant. The mammoth could practically throw small predators with their tusks or their mouth. Also, mammoths were usually found protecting themselves in the wild while elephants are mostly found in the zoo in today’s world. Back then, the wild was rough and the mammoth used its strength to protect itself and stay alive. Now, elephants can be found in the zoo where people feed them and give them water, helping them survive. This makes the mammoth look much tougher and superior than the elephant. The elephant can survive in the wild but they are not found too often there.

Friday, January 21, 2011

Final Exam #14

10 Step Plan- I am working with Connor Diday

1. Talking about peace with other classes across the globe

2. Become a sponsor or youtube to donate money to lesser people.

3. Create programs to help kids learn better in school

4. Broadcasting about political issues

5. Commenting on socail Injustice

6. Creating a vlog that teaches people how to save a money

7. Create murals on the intetrnet which promote peace and happiness.

Final Exam #10

1. I think the topic Putting Quality Jobs at The Heart of the Recovery is important, because it is essential that more jobs are made for the unemployed so that they can support themselves and their families. I think the topic Energy Security and Climate Change is important because we need to save our energy in case we really need it and we need to protect our environment. The topic An Open Global Economy is also important because everyone should be allowed to do what they want to do in our economy and do the job they feel they would be successful in.

2. Putting Quality Jobs at the Heart of the Recovery- The New York Times and BBC
Energy Security and Climate Change- U.S. Department of State and World Resources Institute
An Open Global Economy- BBC Business and National Public Radio (NPR)

Final Exam #9

The French President says that France and the United Stated are determined to be allies in the topic of terrorism so that they can find all of terrorists and fight back at them together. He also says they will work together to fight terrorism, especially with the two recent tragedies of two young French men murdered by terrorists in France.
He and the U.S. will be allies and work to end terrorism.

Final Exam #7

1. A regional food hub is a facility where food products are processed, stored, distributed, and sent to a local market. It is also a place where farmers can drop off their crops that they grow and it is a pick-up place for shoppers who want to buy local food products. They are essential to sustain agriculture because crops can be stored there to preserve them and keep their freshness an it is a place where farmers can depend on to store their crops and sell them to shoppers. It is essential to food distribution because they are the perfect place to send out crops to local markets.

2. You can find USDA approved meat, poultry and vegetables at Broom's Bloom Dairy 1700 South Fountain Green Road Bel Air, MD 21015, which is closest to John Carroll.

3. John Carroll Cafeteria, you can acquire various organic foods at Harmon's Farm Market in Churchville. They have various organic vegetables such as strawberries and green beans right in the market. These USDA foods are very healthy and good for you. We can help this school on this agriculture by having an assembly where we discuss various healthy foods and why it is important to eat them every day. This will help people understand the importance of good agriculture.
3. 171700 South Fountain Green Road Bel Air , MD 210151700 South Fountain Green Road Bel Air , MD 2101501700 South Fountain Green Road Bel Air , MD 210150 South Fountain Green Road Bel Air , MD 210151700 South Fountain Green Road Bel Air , MD 210151700 South Fountain Green Road Bel Air , MD 21015

Final Exam #6

1. Climate change is caused by the warming of Earth's temperatures where certain gases in the atmosphere trap in heat and then the gases radiate that heat towards Earth's surface. This effect is known as the greenhouse effect that is warming Earth's temperatures. Also, human activities enhance the greenhouse effect, helping to raise the Earth's average temperature.

2. Human activity is contributing to climate change by affecting the greenhouse effect and by burning fossil fuels, which releases, which is the emission of greenhouse gases. Human activity has released a lot of carbon dioxide into the air, increasing the concentration of greenhouse gases.

3. Climate warming is when the global surface temperatures increase because of many reasons such as the greenhouse effect and indirect reasons, such as snow cover and glacier recession.

4. The East Coast has been affected by these blizzards because temperatures are slowly, slowly rising in the world but that does not mean it can not get cold in the winter where you can have major snowstorms. Global Warming exists, but it is a very slow process that is rising the average temperature very, very slowly. This means that is can still get cold and there can be snowstorms.

Final Exam #4

There are so many names for soda pop in New Mexico because many Mexican citizens have migrated into New Mexico, where they carry another name for soda pop and that there have been many different types of culture living in New Mexico that each carry a different name for soft drinks. Also, migration into New Mexico from other countries has resulted in many different names for soft drinks.

Final Exam #3

The most unfriendly city in the United States is Los Angeles, California.

http://www.koreatimes.com/article/639616

Final Exam #1

The sudden dip in the graph was because of the 9/11 terrorist attacks in 2001 because after that event, there were less and less oversea arrivals coming to the U.S. since planes were not allowed to fly into the United States. Statistics can help explain historical events because if a number went down in the graph, you would know that some historical event influenced that drop in the graph. Or if something increased dramatically on the graph, we know that a past historical event caused that increase on the graph. So statistics can help human geographers know what past events happened to influence the statistics. One example that we discussed in class is when CO2 emissions went up in Trinidad and Tobago, the oil rise in that country led to the increase of more CO2 emissions .

Friday, January 14, 2011

Hurricanes Expert Group

Josh Mannion, Andrew Tran, and Adam Beard were in our group and our topic was hurricanes

Sunday, January 9, 2011

Language and Experience Interview

Adam Beard

Mr. Wojewodzki

January 9, 2010

I decided to interview Ho-Jin Hong, a freshman student at John Carroll. He came over from the United States from his homeland of Korea. I interviewed him, asking him about his experience here in the United States and how he has transitioned from his former language to the main language spoken here in the U.S., English. I also asked him about what made the United States different from his home country and what he likes more about living in this country than from his former country.

Q: How do you like living in the United States so far since you have been here?

What things here interest you?

A: It has been okay so far and the distinctive cultures here in the United States interest me. The different kinds of food also interest me because you can eat so many different kinds of things instead of just American food. Also, there are many fun things you can do in this country that I cannot do in my native country.

Q: How has your daily life changed since you have started living here?

A: One thing in my daily life that changed is that instead of going to the academy and staying there until 12 in Korea, I stay at my home after the normal school day ends. So instead of going somewhere when school ends, I just mainly stick around at home. I also leave for school at a different time here then for school in Korea.

Q: How hard do you think it is to learn school subjects in English instead of your main language?

A: When I am learning these subjects in English, sometimes it is hard to understand what the teachers are saying while sometimes I can understand them easily. It usually depends on the accents of each teacher.

Q: What is your native language and how much less do you speak it since you go to school in this country?

A: My native language is Korean, and I have spoken it much less often then when I lived in Korea. With school, I have to start speaking English so all of the people around me can understand me. I also have to speak English when I am in the mall or in a restaurant. So I am speaking Korean much less in this country.

Q: What makes the United States more interesting than from your native country?

A: I think the United States and Korea are equally interesting since I have lived here in the U.S. Nothing makes each of these countries more interesting than other.

Q. What made it the hardest to leave your native country?

A: What makes my leave so hard is leaving my friends from my former school behind but especially my family since I was so close to them in Korea. I will really miss my family and my other friends in Korea very much.

Q: How hard is the transition to the English language from your native language?

A: The transition from Korea to English has been very difficult since it is hard to adapt to a whole new way of speaking. It has been tough so far and it has been very hard to get used to. But in a year or two, I know I can master the English language and speak it fluently all day long with everyone I see.

Q: Are the citizens of the United States different from the citizens from your native country and if so, how?

A: The citizens here in this country are different than Korean citizens by their cultures and the way they think. The United States culture consists of many different traditions that are not practiced in Korea and they think very differently from most Koreans in public places.

Q: What are some of the differences between schools in your former country to John Carroll here in the U.S.?

A: In Korea there is very little homework each night but we had two important tests each semester but in John Carroll, there is a lot of homework each night with only one big test each semester with midterm exams in the first semester and final exams in the second semester.

Q: Do you still speak your main language at home with your family or have you switched to all English?

A: I speak my main language all the time with my family and I very rarely speak English with them, only when they want me to practice my English. Other than that, it is all Korean with all of my family.

Q: Since you have learned English, has this been a tough language to learn or was it easy to learn?

A: While I have been learning English, at some times it has made me very confused. English is a very tough language to learn, I think, but it is a language that you have to practice at to get better with it and this is what I am doing to master this language.

Thursday, January 6, 2011

Exchange Student in Mozambique

I am an exchange student living in Mozambique. I have been living here for 3 months now and I have gotten used to some of main facts and customs here in this African country. Here in Mozambique, I am staying with the Okpara family. They have two boy children named Buzibi and Charbi. This family is very poor and they make very little to support themselves. My exchange family lives about 2 hours north of the capital Maputo. The house I have been living in is very small with objects scattered all around the house. Since we have very little money it is hard to buy food and water to eat and drink. It is also hard to find food to gather in these dry lands in the interior part of Mozambique, unlike the United States where we can just go to our local supermarket to get food. A popular food eaten in Mozambique that I learned about is called xima, which is made from ground up corn meal usually topped with a blend of sauces. Most nights though, we just had some kind of meals with rice. Electricity is also very limited here so my exchange family tries to save a lot of it for when it is needed. When I walk around, I have noticed that there are a lot of sick people living here which I have discovered that many people can’t afford health care in Mozambique. This is how many Mozambique citizens end up with AIDS or HIV. Mozambique is a very poor country with very little money per family with the average family making under $1000 U.S. Dollars where the average family in the U.S. makes over $46,000.

As for school, the public school nearest to our house is dilapidated and run down, where many kids don’t receive a good education. I am in the ninth grade and many kids even at this age cannot read or write and I can barely understand them. I did meet one boy named Khamisi who did very good in school and could speak English very well. As I got to know him better, the better I knew about this country. Portuguese is the official language of Mozambique but Emakhuwa is the top language spoken. Portuguese is the main language taught in school but they are also learning English, too. Not too many kids are actually in school because many families can’t afford to send their children to school. Many of the kids who don’t go to school pass the time by playing soccer, one of Mozambique’s traditional sports.

During my stay in Mozambique, I learned a lot about the country and what the people do here in their daily lives. I also learned about the schools here and the students that go there. Mozambique is a very interesting country but there is a lot of poverty and people here rarely live to the age of 50. It is very hard to receive a good education here, and the textbooks are all out of date. Mozambique interested me by seeing how other people live, but this is not the way I would want

to end up living.