The Pearl: Moral

The Pearl is definitely an amazing story to read. The author John Steinbeck keeps it short and sweet. It shows how something that most people would think as a treasure could lead you to your downfall or maybe like in the book, it could bring evil to others too.
Kino found the Pearl of the World in the beginning of the story and the rising action is mainly what happens after he found the pearl, how all this neighbors are suddenly very interested in it, and how thieves are coming in the middle of the night to try and steal it.

Since the beginning, Juana, Kino’s wife has always knew of how the pearl would cause great evil upon their family. She was looking ahead and she knew that Kino would be overcome with greed once the pearl took up such a big part of his life that he wouldn’t notice the evil it came with. He didn’t know when to stop being so greedy because he merely thought that this was a great blessing from the gods.

How could Kino have been so blind? Not only has attackers been coming from the outside of his family, but he himself is the “attacker”. When Juana tried to throw the pearl back into the ocean, how could he have not listened to his wife and tell himself that the pearl was causing him to go insane. He was thinking too positively and wasn’t looking at the effects that the pearl has caused.

Nearing the climax of this parable, Kino tries to run away with his family to try and go to the city and sell the pearl for a good price. By doing this, he led his family into great danger. Trackers were sent to find him because he had killed a man that had tried to attack him and steal the pearl. After dodging the trackers for a while, Kino eventually tries to get rid of the,. He attacks them and kills them without second thought but because he had become so insane, he accidently killed his own son.

That is the point where Kino finally realizes what evil the pearl has caused him. When he goes back to his village with Juana and their dead son, he looks into the pearl. On the surface of the clear, precious stone, Kino sees all the evil that it has caused and finally throws it back into the ocean.

The moral of this story is to not to be overwhelmed by greed. It tells us to be careful of our blessings because they just might be a curse in disguise. Kino had to find out that the pearl was evil the hard way; the death of his own son while trying he was to protect his family and more importantly (to him) the pearl, which had become his soul. It also teaches us not to grow too attached to something because you never know when it can suddenly disappear or turn its back on you. That’s when it hurts the most...

Earth Day

On April 22nd, the world celebrated Earth Day, a whole day dedicated to appreciating the planet we live on. On this day, many of our classes didn't turn on the AC and even in French class, Kader didn't allow me to even charge my computer. We were very green-- just for that day though.
But being green is perhaps the only thing that is keep our future generations alive and happy. In a few more decades, many densely populated areas will be covered in water due to global warming. Our planet is dying as we speak. So how can we be more green? In school? Outside of school?

- Turning off the AC: In a classroom, the AC uses the most energy and electricity. We live in Hsinchu, the windy city, open a window or two if you feel uncomfortable in the heat.
- Don't charge your computer if you don't need it: If you're not using your computer, put it to sleep or shut the whole thing down
- Don't turn on all the lights: Our classroom's use fluorescent lights which saves more energy than normal lightbulbs, but this doesn't mean they still don't take up energy. It's summer! Open the blinds and let the natural light in!
- Carpool/Walk/Ride a Bike to school: Many of our teachers ride their bikes to school and a couple of students carpool. You don't need a personal car to get you to and from school. Why be a loner when you can call up a nearby friend to drive you?
- Don't use too many electrical devices: This may be pretty hard as most of us at least use our cellphones, mp3s, computers, etc.,
- Stop Cows & Sheep Farts: This is almost close to impossible but here are the facts: Cow and sheep farts produce more greenhouse gases then our car exhaust. This does not mean that we should nuke Wales and New Zealand...

Reduce, Reuse, Recycle

The Pearl Blog #1

1. How would you change if you had a lot of money? Would your personality be different?
I think I would. Of course I would spoil myself a little bit more due to the significant amount of money increase and my view of life would change but I don't want the people to treat me different or vice versa. I have no right to lower my respect of others just because I'm rich. But even though I know that is the wrong thing to do, I think I have no control against my self and would become a little bit snotty and my expectations will be raised, even though I will try not to.

2. Would you ever take a risk to reach a goal?
Knowing me, I don't really think too much before I take action. I guess that it depends on how big the goal is and what risks I have to take. If the risk is only self-inflicting, I would take it. But if it involved hurting others, I wouldn't take it. As said above it all depends on the goal and the risk I have to take to reach it.

3. Would you ever hurt member of your family just so you could be accepted by friends?
I really don't want to but I know that I always hurt my friends and family even if I don't realize it. If wanting to be accepting by my peers meant hurting my family and one's I love, then it's not worth it. If it meant protecting the ones I love in danger, I would take the risk but if it was only for my worth, it's not that important.

Passenger Lands Plane After Pilot Mysteriously Dies

Just recently, a passenger is forces to land a plane with it's pilot becomes incapable to. Luckily this passenger had a pilot's license and had already flown 130 hours before. On April 13, Doug White and his family were passengers on a small plane with one pilot flying them to Jackson, Mississippi from an island off the Florida coast. Just as the plane was going over 9,000 the pilot mysterious becomes unconscious and dies. So Doug had to take over, however, he had never flown this type of plane before. He radioed with the air traffic controllers and they helped guide him to land in a nearby airport. Though he did not know who to land that plane model he still knew generally how to land a plane and some buttons to push. After all this, the cause of the pilot's death is still unknown.

"Passenger land turboprop plane after pilot dies" CNN.com. Apr 13 2009. Apr 14 2009.

The YouTube Ban

Everybody know YouTube, a video-streaming site owned by Google. But today China banned the Web site and didn't explain the reason. Some people think that the ban might have been caused by some videos of abuse of Tibetans on YouTube.
When you're in China and try to access the site, all you get would be an error message saying "Network Timeout. The server at youtube.com is taking too long to respond."
This however is not the first time YouTube has been banned in China. In March 2008 during the riots in Tibet, China also blocked YouTube. This led to protests and vehicles and shops burned down. 18 civilians died just from a ban of one of the most important web sites in the world.
But the question is, why now? Why ban it again?

"YouTube blocked in China" CNN.com. Mar 25 2009. Mar 25 2009.

Image link

Dragon Attack

In Indonesia, a fisherman trespassing in the Komodo National Park was attacked by a Komodo dragon. A Komodo Dragon is the heaviest lizard in the world. It could grow up to 3 meters and they have a toxic bite that they use to kill their prey. These lizards can eat big animals like buffalos.
Fisherman, Muhamad Anwar, bled to death on the way to a clinic after he was biten by a komodo dragon while looking for a sugar-apple, a type of fruit. The area was closed because of the wild Komodo dragons.

Neild, Barry. "Komodo Dragons kill Indonesian fisherman" CNN.com. Mar 24 2009. Mar 25 2009.

Culture of Living in Scotland

In Scotland, most of the poorer people lived in little "huts" that was built out of mud and stone with a thatch roof. This means that whenever it rains (which is very often), you would have to change the roof because it's so wet.
For the people, they are very unhygienic. Since there's no place for baths or a sink to wash their hands, these people are almost always dirty. Their faces are always covered in grime and dirt. The men's hair are mostly long because they don't have time or equipment to cut it properly. Since they don't bathe, have long hair, and almost always working, their hair is matted and knotted.
Their clothes are just as worse. Poor people can't afford silk and satin clothing so most of their clothes are just rags sewn together. Clothes weren't used for fashion, but just to keep warm and to cover their bodies.

There was one scene where there was a marriage celebration going on in the Scottish village. The villages were dancing and singing and drinking. Some food was available and games were happening. Then soon the English "knights" interrupted and took the bride away to the lord where she would spend her first of her married life with the lord of the manor or they would kill the husband. This shows how much little power the poor people had against the lord of the manor.

Reading Resonse Journal

Reading Journal: A River Runs Through It
Jen Quan

Journal 001: March 11th 2009
Quote #1: “In our family, there was no clear line between religion and fly fishing”
Quote #2: “Although Paul was three years younger than I was, he was already far ahead of me in anything relating to fishing..”

I have two sisters and a little baby brother. I don’t mean to brag or anything, but I’m almost better at everything artistic than my older sister. I find that maybe Paul at first was trying to hard to live up to his older brother that in the end he was better and didn’t need to feel better anymore because he brother didn’t care. It’s the same thing for me. When I was younger it seemed that my older sister was good at everything she did. I tried so hard to live up to her and find something I was good at and when I was finally better at her at something (art, being artistic) I realized that she didn’t care about beating me at something. I’m sure she’s proud at me for being better at something, but she will always be older than me and better at everything then me and now, finally, I accept that.

[No questions so far... :) ]

Journal 002: March 11th 2009
Quote #1: “She was a beautiful dancer as he was a fly caster”
Quote #2: “It is like a rattlesnake striking, with a good piece of his tail on the ground as something to strike from.”
Quote #3: “At sunrise everything is luminous but not clear”

Norman had to get up in the middle of the night to pick his brother and his brother’s girl from jail. Norman is like the person who picks up the mess that his brother leaves. I guess I could say that I can relate to both Paul and Norman. With Norman, I can say that I am sometimes left to deal with the mess that other people create. When I was reading the part where Norman picks up Paul and Paul’s Native American girl that I found it very coincidental because this reminds me-- and in a very exact way-- of my everyday life. I guess I could also say that I related to Paul because I usually leave a mess behind me as well, metaphorically...

What is the Indian girl’s real name? Because Norma gave her a name but it’s not her birth name...

Journal 003: March 13th 2009
Quote #1: ““Brother,” he would say, “there are no flying fish in Montana. Out here, you can’t catch fish with your flies in the air.””
Quote #2: “His flies were in the water at least twenty percent more of the time than mine”

At the part when the weather changed and many fish started jumping I can relate to how when the weather changed, someone else happens, especially my mood. There are many people out there that love it when it rains. I hate it. I hate being wet and when the sky is dark. I hate it when it’s snowing really hard too. I only like light flutters. For me, snow is frozen rain and rain is wet and I don’t like to be wet. When it rains or there’s a blizzard my mood changes almost immediately from content to sad and moody. Just like the fish suddenly jump out of the water when the weather changes, so does my mood.

Why is fly fishing so important to everyone?

Journal 004: March 16th 2009
Quote #1: “That's one trouble with hanging around a master–you pick up some of his stuff, like how to cast into a bush, but you use it just when the master is doing the opposite”
Quote #2: “In death it had its pattern, and we can only hope for as much”

The two brothers had buried their beer bottles in the stream to keep cool but couldn't find it later. I find this a connection to my life because I always live thing behind me. Not necessarily objects but ideas and feelings. Later on when I come back to them, I can't feel them again because I've lost it and have forgotten how it's like to have that emotion. I would resort to just having a feeling that is like the feeling I lost but it would never be the same. Just like the brothers having to drink stream water instead of beer to quench their thirst, anyone would have wanted the beer instead.

[Questions]


Journal 005: March 17th 2009
Quote #1: “It's like the auto-supply shop over town where they always say, 'Sorry, we just out of that part'”
Quote #2: “Whenever we had a family reunion, Mother and Paul were always the central attention”

Most of the school knows that my older sister had relationship problems. Most of the time when she cries, it's weird because she doesn't like me comforting her, yet allows my best friend to do it. It's like my best friends are more closer to my sister than I am. Just like my first quote, my sister doesn't accept help from me. Later, my friends would ask me, accusingly, why I'm not helping and comforting my sister. My friend and her sister and close and both sisters accept help from each other.
I guess my sister's ashamed of me because I'm not ashamed of myself. I'm not afraid of what people think of me because it's always my life to live. I want to live my last few months of freedom in this school with fun and with my friends- not sulking around because I'm moving. I guess you could say that I'm immature, but I don't want to be mature all the time because before long, you realize that you missed you chance of being a kid. I want to be a kid until I'm 27 because after that, life really starts calling you.

I would want to give help to my sister, but if she doesn't want it, and I shouldn't waste my time.

How can someone get burned from head to toe when they're wearing clothes?

Medieval Life after the collaspe of the Roman Empire

The time between the fall of the Roman Empire and the Renaissance Era was the Middle Ages. But what were the affects on life in the medieval ages after the collapse of the Roman Empire?
Most of the cities and states between isolated because the European trade had been destroyed. The stone road system between prosperous cities were abandoned, segregating the cities. If people tried to trade, they were usually stopped by bandits living in between manor states. Because of all the cities and states breaking away from each other, communication slowed down and if there was an attack, there was no way to warn other cities in time. At around the 9th century, most of the western Europe was divided into large manor estates ruled by landlords.
While inside, people who did not farm or were artisans were forced to leave the manor and moved alone and unprotected in the country-sides; this was because they couldn't afford to barter off money and protection.
Since there was no trading business, whatever the manor estate they needed they had to get it within their walls. The manor was supported only by its inhabitants.
Later on, the schools close and education and cultural activities became forgotten because it was so hard to get by. Many people were illiterate the arts were almost forgotten.
There was almost no order. The coin system was not really used and people fell back to trading and bartering. The times were harsh and unhygienic. Many people died young, from sickness or by murder (there was no "officiers" to maintain peace and protect people). Even the knights, who were supposed to be the protectors turned rogue and used their authority in the wrong way.

On the good side, slavery slowly and gradually died out.
___
"Medieval Times: The Basics" 42explore.com 10 Mar 2009.

Blog #6: My Favorite Place

Since I move around a lot I haven't really found my favorite place. For my family, we haven't stayed in a house for more than a year; always moving, house-to-house, country-to-country.
But so far I've found my favorite place to be wherever my family and friends are. That's where my real home is. There isn't a day that ends where I find myself wanting to run away from my favorite place.
My family and friends are what keep me sane. Wherever they are, I feel safe and free because they are the ones that make the atmosphere feel comfortable. I could do whatever I want around them. There are no physical walls around me. But my friends and family are the four walls that will move and change whenever.
With them, I there are no limits. If I wanted to suddenly play basketball, my friends and I could go to the basketball court and that would be where my favorite place is. I could be just hanging out with my friends in the student lounge and that would also be my favorite place.

Nitrogen Passport Reflection Questions

1. There are so many choices that a nitrogen atom will go in a nitrogen cycle. Each of us would roll a number each time and it will lead us to different places. There were about three options at each station, when we rolled the die, it would tell us which of those three options to go to. No one (unless in a weird coincidence) would go in the same cycle because we rolled to a different option each time.

2. Cycles are not just "once-you-go-to-one-place-you-can't-go-back". Nitrogen cycles are not all the same. It just shows that all the different situations are connected whether you were animal waste of surface water.

3. Yes, I think that the atmosphere station was pretty popular. This is because evaporating into the air is more "common" for a nitrogen atom because evaporation is pretty quick.

4. Probably the main point of this activity was to show that the nitrogen cycle is all connected. You could be in animal waste then turn up in the atmosphere then somehow back to animal waste. Also I teaches use where nitrogen atoms can turn up.

The Sun Also Rises: Behind the Title

What does the title of the story mean?


Well to me, the title shows that everything is a cycle. Just like the sun rising is a constant cycle, so are the lives of characters like Jake and Brett. For Jake, his life is basically helping Brett with get another man and keep him, then saving Brett from herself and falling for her. For Brett her life is all about playing with men's hearts; She attract them like magnets, then she goes off with the guy, and then finally rejecting them. "The Sun Also Rises" shows that there is a cycle in life, just like the run rising and setting.

The "also" part of the title, however, makes me think that even though there's bumps along the way of the cycle, the sun will always rises and it will continue again. Lady Brett falls for someone then runs away with them or does something crazy. But in the end, she would always reject them. It's like she's just a trip, but not a vacation. However, "the sun" will also come up no matter what. Life goes on, it's crappy, but it goes on. C'est la vie...

Image Source: http://daskull.deviantart.com/art/The-start-of-the-sun-rise-27328966

Feudalism

Feudalism- Widespread in Europe

Feudalism was the dominant form of political organization in Europe during Middle Ages. The system was mostly used in western Europe. In the feudal life, a noble lord(who can also can be a King or Queen) will grant a fief to a vassal (who was any free man who receives a part of land). In return, the vassal provides military and other services. Later the vassal can still grant parts of the fief to other free man; The lord can give a land grant to serf farmers (they were semi-freemen) to grow crops and also provide protection and then the lords get crops, livestock, and also military service from his vassal.

But though that is what the simple definition everyone has been studying, on technical terms, the feudal system wasn't the "dominant" form of political organization (classing people into different groups). Feudalism was not what connected everyone in the society together. All that stuff said about the serf farmers working for the lords in return for protection is called manorialism (or seignoialism); this was not part of feudalism. The kings and queens did not use the system to exert control over their subjects, during their challenges and weaknesses.

So if this is saying feudalism never existed, where did the idea come from? In my opinion, all the little connections, like the serf and the lord, etc., where called different things and all were different types of politial organization, but the general idea of giving and taking something back is feudalism. Sure you could say that is never existed because it wasn't the dominant form of political organization but just the way that they did it. I think that the definition of feudalism should be revisited and to be tuned out.

Image Source: http://web000.greece.k12.ny.us/SocialStudiesResources/Social_Studies_Resources/GHG_Documents/European%20Feudal%20System%20Chart%2006.03.jpg

Snell, Melissa. "The F-Word" About.com. 4 Mar 2009.

Benjamin Button TED talk

The Science of Benjamin Button
The film The Curious Case of Benjamin Button features a lot of special effects to create a very genuine idea of who this person is. Their purpose was that they obviously didn't want this person took look so fake so they put in a lot of effort into making sure this character looked truly old; they spent a lot of time in the lighting and the face, making the cheeks and muscles move like they should in real life.
Their hypothesis for this was probably: "If the put in a lot of effort (time, money) into making this look real then will it look truly genuine to everyone?". They managed to put a lot of facial markers into a form or make-up so that the computers and cameras would be able to detect the facial expression of the actor.

It's pretty obvious that their procedure took a long time; 2 years, did they say? All this just for that one hour of the movie that the actor had to look 40 years older. First they had to do a lot of research and find ways to create the face. Then they had to get the equipment and do many tests. After bringing in the actor, they still had to do all the scenes and put it together with the special effects. With all the faces done, they had to settle the lighting so that the face looked like it was still in the scene. When they were all done they had to work with the people for the movie and put it all together so it would be the great film.

Their analysis for was probably to go through the whole movie and to check whether it looks real by showing it to people who haven't seen it before and know what they were doing. Once the testing audience approves that it looks real, then can they show it to the public.

The First Crusade

To me, the First Crusade was just a death trap from the very beginning. It was all about trickery and death. More people died in just the journey rather than the fights along the way.

The First Crusade's point was to recover the Holy Land from the Muslims in the Middle East because the place where all events of Jesus Christ was happening, happened in Jerusalem. Then the religion was overtook by the Muslims. In my opinion, I think that they should not have started a crusade for it was useless and because different religions will spread whether you like it or not. Then again, it was the Holy Land, where Jesus Christ was supposedly crucified on a hill but cultures and religion will always be shared and changed. People have their own opinion of who to worship.

Spreading Catholicism became pointless not only through the journey but already from the start! Most of the people that joined the crusade only hopped on the wagon for riches and a free card to heaven. Tricking the people into a trap that will lead more that half of the people to their ends. Is killing another and sinning truly the way to walk with God? Did the Bible tell them to go on a long journey and end lives so you could reclaim religious land? Why did people take the risk of life of death with riches and wealth in the Middle Ages just because the opportunity popped up? When what they wanted was the be more Christian they became what they were trying to fight from the very beginning.

The Pope and the Emperor of Byzantine were the minds that brought death to thousands so why weren't there people to oppose them. Was everybody so convinced by the Pope and the Emperor that they were completed blinded to what they have been believing in for so many years?

Interesting stuff about "Blood Red Horse

Blood Red Horse is a story was William's road to becoming a knight. He has just gotten a horse that is not necessarily the giant war horse he was expected to get. Hosanna is the blood red horse that seems to fit William's personality. Both of them seem to get on really well.

I find the character Gavin, the older brother of William, a nice feature in the story. In every story whether in movies or novels, their has be that annoying character that brings out the worse in everybody. In this case, it is Gavin. He rode Hosanna to death just for a hunting trip and wasn't even concerned for something that isn't his. I'm amazed that Ellie even like Gavin before for his selfishness and rude attitude. I enjoyed the part when Ellie told Gavin off for almost killing William's horse.

Medieval Simulation Blog Post

Greetings. The name's Joan. I'm the local blacksmith here in this city; well there's the other old, fat blacksmith on the other side of the village but he hates me 'cause I'm of the female society. Oh boo, you Henry! Female blacksmiths are so in right now! And to think I studied the art of making things from metal from him!
Anywho, as a blacksmith, I'm pretty important to the society. I make all these types of weapons and armor for the knights and soldiers. I get a lot of customers from the noble lot, all wanting shiner swords and this and that. I make the fine swords used by the good and brave knights of our city. I also make keys if anyone wants to keep closets locked or doors barred. Also chains for the prisoners; the guards usually come in with a whole lot of orders 'cause their chains from the con-man Henry keeps rusting and bending. Heh.
As an artisan, I sell and make for my town and also support my family in our house above my shop. I must say, they complain so much about the "banging" and "clanging". But that "noise" is merely the sounds of my best friends hard at work.
You can probably already guess that because I'm so busy, I ain't got real friends. That's pretty true but I don't like people much; they talk a lot, complaining all the time. My friends are the anvils, hammers, rasps, files, chisels, and pincers. I absolutely love my hammer 'cause I made it myself. They help me get on in life and support the people I love. The hammer helps me flatten and shape metal. I bang it on hot metal when it cools a little after coming out of the furnace. My anvil is used as a template to shape the metal. I use the file to smooth out rough edges. I like this tool quite some too, but as my usual orders are swords, I can't use them.

___
"Blacksmiths" 11 Apr 2003. 18 Feb 2009

Blood Red Horse

Two Main Characters of this story are Will and Gavin. Will is the younger brother of Gavin. He is the one that is trying to prove to everyone that he is prepared and a candidate for knighthood. He doesn't like this older brother, Gavin, but he likes Ellie. Gavin, Will's older brother, is the teasing type. So far, not much has been told about him, but we can tell that he too likes Ellie. Both sons are candidates or being knights because they are sons of a lord.

Will and Gavin are part of the nobles' society. Because they are the sons of a noble/lord, they live in a manor. The have a nurse that takes care of them, sort of like a baby-sitter. She probably belongs in the servants group.
If a lord/noble's son does not get picked for knighthood, they head off to to be monk or a bishop. Gavin hints to Will a lot about the local monks that are trying to build a monastery (where monks live and have scheduled times to learn and pray...etc) that he should go hang out with them to get used to the daily life in the future. Here, Gavin is simply competing with his brother and teasing him that Will will become a monk and not a knight, because Gavin will...


Author's Note: Doesn't that last line confuse you? Will will become a monk and not a knight because Gavin will...

Blog #5: Bull Fighting- Humane or Inhumane?

Do you think Bull fighting is a humane or an inhumane sport? Why do you feel that way? Please explain....

Bull fighting is a dangerous sport, true. There are many other sports that are dangerous like racing cars, or skateboarding, or gymnastics. But unlike those dangerous, I think that bull fighting is an inhumane sport. Bull fighting is in my opinion, a derivative from the gladiator fights in Ancient Rome. In the Gladiator fights, they put people in a "ring" to kill each other, just to see who is the strongest.
Bull fighting is similar except that they kill the bull at every fight. This is actually such a waste of bulls because nothing actually happens to the bull after it dies. Also, it is also not respecting animal rights because they bring a bull into a ring, anger it and kill it for entertainment. Would we consider it humane and a sport if bulls suddenly took over the world, use us in a fight? Waving a red cape in front of us, get us frustrated and angry and then eventually kill us while the herd of bulls celebrated around us? No. This is totally barbaric; playing with your food before ending its life.

Blog #4: The Clock of Life

"The clock of life is wound but once, and no man has the power to tell just when the hands will stop, at a late or early hour. Now is the only time you own. Live, Love, toil with a will. For the clock may soon be still." - Robert H. Smith

This quote basically tells us that you only have one life to live, therefore you have to life it as it's fullest.
The first line where it says "The clock of life is wound but once, and no man has the power to tell just when the hands will stop at a late or early hour" is a metaphor. The clock symbolizes our life and no one knows when our life will end, whether you will die at a young age or live many decades. The second line, " Now is the only time you own. Live, Love, toil with a will," means that you have to do what you want in your life and take risks because now (meaning your life) is the only time you'll get to experience many things. The last sentence basically tells us why we should "Live, Love, and toil with a will," and that is because the clock will soon stop. This means that life is short and yours might soon end.