Equality between Men and Women is the Way to Go

'You don't have to be anti-man to be pro-woman.'  ~Jane Galvin Lewis. This quote tells us that if you are proud of being a women then it doesn't mean that you have something against men, it just means that you believe in yourself. Women have been discriminated because of their gender in past years, this is because a lot of men think that that they are superior to women. But really this is not the case, we (as women) shouldn't be put down or judged because of who we are, we should be given the same chances and the same rights as men.  There are cases of when women were discriminated because on their gender all throughout history, even in our society today. I would be a disappointment to our race if in the future women are still being treated in the same way as they have been in the past and present years. We have to fight for our rights, as women. Equality between men and women is the way to go.

 Before, in the United States and in other countries, women didn't even have the right to vote. They were stuck at home as housewives, waiting until their husbands returned from work and they would then wait on their families needs. Though women fought for the right to vote for several years before, on the day of the elections of 1920 millions of American women exercised their right to vote for the president. This idea was called the Women's Suffrage Movement, it was all activities/protests to change laws that stated that women could not have the ballot or hold office. To this day there has been no female American President but then again Barack Obama was the first black president, so why is it so hard to believe that a women could be president? It is evident that women are being treated with more respect nowadays than before but that doesn't mean that women aren't being discriminated in present times. 

 In this day and age its upsetting to hear about how women in Saudi Arabia are being treated. They are not allowed to drive, in fact it is forbidden for women to drive. The only way they can get around town, other than walking, is if their relative, family or friend drives them. However, this relative must be a man. That means that they can't take taxis, buses or get rides from people they don't know. This year a women was found driving and was sentenced to be lashed 10 times, as you can see they take this law is taken very seriously and some believe that they take it a bit too seriously. I agree with these people. There is actually no written law stating that women can't drive its more of a religious view that if they give freedom of movement to women then they would be vulnerable to sins. But this is just an excuse for the government to stay in their regressive ways and not change for the better. I think that if we are to be moving into a more developed society then we have to give equality to all, no matter their race, gender or culture.

 Amelia Earhart is known to many as the Women's Rights activist, she believed that women should be treated equally to men. Earhart proved her point by showing America, and the world, that women could, as men did, handle machinery, other than the day-to-day house hold appliances. She first found her passion for flying at a flight show that her father took her to. She then had lessons and soon learned how to fly a plane alone. Though she wasn't the first women to fly a plane she was an inspirational women that took pride in her beliefs. As you could probably tell, she was doubted and shot-down by many, but she stood firm in her convictions and went on to bring change in society. She inspired others to take action and pursue their dreams and by doing this proving to the world that women are also capable of adventure, that they are capable of doing the things that only men, in that time, were doing. 

 In the future I imagine a society in which women are treated equally among men. They are given the same rights and are allowed to do what they want when they want to. They shouldn't be forced to live up to the expectations of society and go with the flow of things. As women, we need to take a stand for our rights. If we are to become a society in which men and women are treated equally we must respect each other and show the same amount of respect to both genders. But we can only do this if men and women and treated equally. Men are usually seen as the superior gender or the stronger gender, however, people are not seeing that it is a known fact that women can multi-task and men can't, so why should we be treated as we are being treated? The women in Saudi Arabia deserve the same amount of rights as any other man in that country. But still they are discriminated, we need to stop thinking in such regressive ways, we are always talking about moving forward in technology but we must also move forward as a society and the best way to do that is to collaborate with each other. We have to work together and women shouldn't be discriminated for being weaker or having less potential, our society is moving forward at an alarming rate and so we have to realize that equality between men and women is the only way to go. 

Reduce the Amount of Food Wastage

As a child my parents raised and taught to me never waste my food. My mother strongly believes you shouldn't waste food because think about all the children who are poor and left hungry. I am not allowed to simple ask if I can eat my dinner later or keep it for tomorrow and so I have grown accustomed to making sure all my food is eaten before I put my plate away. Some children, however, are brought up in a completely different way. They are raised by parents that have little to no appreciation for the food that they are given, this causes them to act in the same ignorant way that the parents have. After they have learnt the wrong way their future generations are affected as well. This continuous cycle will go on for several years unless they are taught and influenced by another to value the food that is placed on their plate and treat it with respect.




A news article that relates to this topic is Food Waste On Staggering Scale, BBC. Did you know that 3.6 million tons of food is wasted every year in England and Wales alone. The Waste & Resources Action Program (WRAP) discovered that the most common food that was wasted were fruits, breads and salads. However that was not the only interesting part, 60% percent of the all the dumped food was untouched. This was because they were either out of date or they were just unwanted. Liz Goodwin, the chief executive of WRAP was shocked by the amount of food wasted by the British, not only was this an environmental issue but it was an economic one too. Liz Goodman said "It highlights that this is an economic and social issue, as well as about how much we understand the value of our food." In this last part of the quote she describes how people are not respecting the food that they are paying for with well-earned money. This links back to what I said before about the value food in the Introduction. If people were more aware of how valuable food is then the amount of wasted food would decrease drastically.





                         Christopher Haskins


However, ignorance to the amount of food we waste on a day to day basis is not the only reason we end up wasting a lot of our food. Lord Haskins, the government advisor of food and farming, claimed. 'We are risk averse. We're obsessed with sell-by dates, so much so that we throw away perfectly good food which happens to be out of code.' Most families are cautious of food poisoning, this isn't bad, however, if we buy or cook too much food and don't eat all of it, we end up throwing away the either untouched food or leftovers. Sell-by date and best before dates only give the customer a better idea on when the food will stay fresh or taste its best. These labels are mandatory in most countries so that people aren't eating rotten food or buying it either. So if you see that there is a food in the supermarket that is 'out of date' do not be hesitant in buying it, just because it is out of code doesn't mean it's bad for you.



In July 2006 an article was written by Sean Coughlan named Food for Thought. This article explains ways out of wasting leftovers and untouched foods. The simple way would be to only buy or cook what you will eat. But most people can't gage the amount of food their family and they will eat. Coughlan explains to the reader that wasting food isn't so bad if you were to compost the leftovers. Millions of tons of edible food are thrown into landfills everyday. We can reduce this number by composting our food. You can compost your food in almost every country in the world, even in small towns it is possible. Last year Mr. Housego introduced to the families and staff of ISKL the idea of composting. He set up a system and it worked as follows; the family or staff member fills their compost bin and brings it to school, every week Mr. Housego would send the compost to a farmer that gave back, in return for the compost, soil. Mr. Housego then passed on the soil to the supplier and the cycle continued. But that is not the only thing that ISKL does to reduce the amount of wasted food, in the canteen you may have noticed the Waste Food bins that are placed near the trash can and where you put your dirty plates. This is yet another example of how ISKL is doing their part in reducing the amount of wasted food. If more schools and families followed this regime the millions of tons of food would be reduced.


So the next time your not hungry but you still have food on your plate consider any of the following solutions, composting, eating it later or asking someone else if they want it. We can also remind our friends and families not to waste their food, even such a small thing can go a long way. Remember, there is always a way out of food waste!



What is Composting?

The Forth Resource Management describes composting as '...a natural process by which organic materials are broken down by micro-organisms, effectively cooking and breaking down the ingredients. Many materials can be composted, for example grass cuttings, leaves and branches. When done properly, composting will kill harmful bugs and bacteria and produce a safe, sterile end product.'







Picture URLS:


http://palscience.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/10/food-waste-stop.jpg


http://www.bbc.co.uk/radio4/factual/media/Lord_Haskins_of_Skidby2.jpg


http://www.shetlandrealnappies.org/images/WRAP.gif

Taking A Stand

We strongly believe that you should go out on a limb.
We implore you to cleverly oppose society.
To challenge with determination the manner that has somehow tragically infected our generation.
We have walked with conviction, yet nothing has happened.
By actually talking we have noticed that somehow
the challenge of wisdom has aggressively frightened society
and disguised conviction.

By Rachel McKinley and Georgina Irvine

What is Worth Fighting?

Abolish Slavery.

Throughout history many brave notables have stood up against slavery. However, today I will only be telling of two. The first being Abraham Lincoln, who abolished slavery in America. Next I will be talking about is Harriet Tubman, who helped over 300 slaves escape from the United States to Canada. Noth of these people helped abolish slavery around the world.

Abraham Lincoln

Abraham Lincoln was the 16th President of the United States, who served from 1861 to 1865, when John Wilkes Booth assassinated him. In 1863 Lincoln abolished slavery. He once said ‘I have always thought that all men should be free; but if any should be slaves, it should be first those who desire it for themselves, and secondly, those who desire it for others.’ I think this quote implies that nobody should be forced to become a slave against his or her will. Those slaves should be given the chance to live freely among all other people, no matter what nationality, religion, rich or poor, skin colour, and others, everyone should be treated equally and have the same opportunities. However, if, for some reason, there had to be slaves, Lincoln believes that the slaves should be those who want the slaves purely for self-desire or for desire of others. They should have to go through what millions of other human beings suffered and worked hard for, just so people around the world can have appliances and products. People shouldn’t be able to use and control others for their own selfish reasons, and if they really need someone to work hard for them, they can either find someone who actually wants to work for them or they could just do it them self because it is unfair for others to have to do the tasks that you should be able to do yourself. Abraham Lincoln was a fair man and he died for trying to help all those poor slaves who were starving, tired, and poor because of others who treated them like animals, but people should all be given the same opportunities and chances, not just be working unnecessarily all their life for some other person who gets to relax and get paid for when the hard working people are basically getting nothing for all the work that they do.

Harriet Tubman

Harriet Tubman is recognised as the ‘Moses of her people’ because of her brave act against slavery. She was named this because from 1850 to 1858 she lead over 300 slaves from America into freedom. Harriet Tubman was born into a life of slavery in Dorchester County, Maryland, in 1820. In 1848 Tubman decided to runaway from her plantation, leaving her husband and the rest of her family behind. Later she decided to return to Maryland to free her family and friends. Tubman would free the slaves by transporting them through the underground railways. She would take them to St. Catherines, Ontario, Canada. This was the perfect place to take black slaves because in St. Catherines white and black people lived equally in comfortable houses. 
“If you hear the dogs, keep going. If you see the torches in the woods, keep going. If there's shouting after you, keep going. Don't ever stop. Keep going. If you want a taste of freedom, keep going.” This inspirational quote was said by Harriet Tubman. She believed that however hard things get, however difficult things may seem, don’t stop trying. Keep going. Tubman never gave in, she had so many chances to stop and live a comfortable life, to live in peace. She had hundred of chances to surrender, to let the people who enslaved her kind win. But she never let them. She stood firm in her convictions and went on to freeing hundreds of slaves in America.

  Harriet Tubman and Abraham Lincoln’s actions inspire us to fight for what we believe in. They stood firm in their beliefs and went on to bring change in their society. Because of Tubman and Lincoln many people have fought for what they think is or isn’t right, or what they think should or should not be happening. The actions that these significant and brave men/women have done has had an enormous impact on our world today. They have stood up against slavery and have inspired others to fight for what they believe in.

I believe in abolishing slavery because people should not be forced to work against their will for little pay. They should at least get a chance to be free and live normal lives. I think that it is wrong for people to be treated the way that slaves are being treated because they are ones doing the actual work, but they are ones being payed less and treated worse, when it should be the other way round. The slaves should be payed at a higher rate, they should be treated as equals and not as animals.

Picture URL's: 1) http://gonzoreality.files.wordpress.com/2011/05/slavery.jpg

                      2) http://thestudentreview.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2011/09/Abraham-Lincoln.jpg

                      3) http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/0/03/Harriet_Tubman_cropped.jpg

The Utopian Society

  Maurice Strong once said ‘After all, sustainability means running the global environment - Earth Inc. - like a corporation: with depreciation, amortization and maintenance accounts. In other words, keeping the asset whole, rather than undermining your natural capital. ’ I believe  that this quote by, Maurice Strong, means that in order for us to have a sustainable society we must value our resources, instead of trying to defy them. The Oxford Dictionaries describe the word sustainability as ‘conserving an ecological balance by avoiding depletion of natural resources.’ If I were to create a new world I would hope that it would be environmentally sustainable.  

 Sustainability is important for it allows for growth and development because it gives the new civilizations and generations a reliable future, allowing them to thrive in their natural habitat. In this day and age, the human race is multiplying at an alarming rate, and we are consuming more and more of our natural habitat. This may not seem as a problem to many, however, while the human population grows our natural resources are lessening. If we are to keep consuming at this rate, then in the future our supplies will be limited. What we do now has a huge effect on how our future will turn out to be.  

In my ideal world, everyone will value and encourage their children to sustain the environment and their natural habitat. People in this society will work towards reducing their carbon footprint. They will also seek to increase their positive impact on the environment, as well as decreasing their negative impact. Many societies have endeavored to achieve this characteristic, and unfortunately have failed. However, this does not mean that we should give up hope, sustainability is worth the effort.          

IMAGE URL: http://goldschmidt.info/2008/sustainability.jpg 

Hunger Games Assessment Blog Posts

Identity Charts:

 We chose to do the Identity Charts for our project because throughout the book they introduce many new characters that are very important to the book. We decided to do Cinna, Effie Trinket and Peeta Mellark. These characters are significant to the book because they had a vital part to Games. Peeta Mellark, helped Katniss create the 'star-crossed lover' effect on the Capitol, it helped her and Peeta get sponsors while they were in the arena. Without Cinna Katniss wouldn't have had so much of an effect on the Capitol, and the people who lived there, because Cinna made Katniss memorable. Effie Trinket helped Katniss, she told Katniss about what she should and shouldn't do, and if she wasn't here Katniss may have done something really bad. The book describes the personalities of the characters and we thought that the best way to show the personality traits would be through an Identity Chart. 

Here are the Identity Charts:

Cinna Above, Effie Trinket Bellow :)

Key Symbols:

We decided to include Key Symbols in our project because through out the book there are many repeating symbols. Some of they were significant to the story, but others were not. We chose to do the Mocking Jay Pin, which was considered a sign of rebellion and District 12. We also chose to do the Dandelion, which for Katniss represented Hope. Another symbol we chose to do was the Cannon. The Cannon blew when a tribute had died in the Games. The Tracker-Jackers, another key symbol, signified the fact that the Capitol will do anything to have control. We also chose to do Rue's flowers. These flowers were the ones that Katniss chose to do, it represented rebellion and Rue. Last but not least we chose to draw a banquet, food from the Capitol, it represents the Comfort and Wealth of the Capitol, and the difference between District Twelve and the Capitol.

Tickets:

We decided to do the tickets because we thought that it would be fun to and so we decided that we should make a ticket. 

The Luttrell Psalter

1.  What is the Luttrell Psalter?  What does it portray?


 The Psalms are 150 ancient songs, grouped together to form one of the Old Testament books of the Bible. During the Middle Ages, down to the present day, people formed a fundamental part of Christian and Jewish worship. They, the Psalms, were often written out separately from the rest of the Bible and was then preceded by a calendar of the Church’s feast-days and followed by various types of prayers. One of the volumes was called the Psalter. 

2.   What type of source is the Luttrell Psalter?


 The Luttrell Psalter is the primary source.

3.   Why is the Luttrell Psalter a unique document?


 It is a unique document because embellished with silver and gold and painted in rich. It has very interesting details and is very unlike virtually any other manuscript. 

My Learning Profile

A picture of my DOMI-KNOW :) 

I am profile 'I'

Have you ever struggles in class, feeling the need to move, or simply change seats so that you could listen better with your left ear or view the whiteboard from a different angle?
The amazing characteristic about understanding your Learner Profile is that it will help you and your teachers know more about the best learning situations for each student; that is your strengths, your preferences and areas that we can all work on and improve.
Today's blog post is a reflection on the Learning Profiles done in class today. In a well structured response (using the information you gained in class), please reflect upon and answer the following:

1. I learn best when....
2. I need to....
3. The strategies that would help me in my learning....
4. I would like my teachers to know this about me....

I learn best when I am not under stress or I am relaxed. When I am relaxed I can easily communicate the details and sequence of information. both verbally and written. When I am under stress I may move forward with caution feeling clumsy and stuck. I may also have difficulty communicating when under stress. 

I need to be able to see and hear the whole image/sound and its emotional elements to learn. I can interpret languages primarily from its tone, pitch and rhythm. My biggest challenge may be to access the pieces of information and be able to put them together into a linear logical manner that I can then communicate. 

Some strategies that would help me in learning are making lists and put them together in linear logical manner that I will then communicate. Also I should practice writing and drawing with my non-dominant hand, or do dancing, walking, playing soccer, cross crawling and drawing with my feet.

I would like to let my teachers know that I will benefit from sitting in the middle front on the room where so that I can access my dominant ear and eye.

Take A Stand

The reading "Taking a Stand" is located on moodle under "Boy in the Striped Pajamas" section.  Read it, and respond to the following:  Describe the choices that were made by Germans in response to Kristillnacht.  What choice might you have made?
 If I were asked to make this decision I would choose to leave the country. I would choose this because if I chose to stay and disagree with the Fuhrer then I would probably get sent to a concentration camp or they would execute me before my word was heard too much, but I would not want to support the Political Party as they are doing committing a terrible crime.

Analyzing Visual Images

URL: http://www.ncs-nj.org/teachers/svain/holocaust/pages/clipart/healthy.jpg

The Caption on the above poster reads "Healthy Parents Have Healthy Children". On your post please do the following:

1. Describe what you see in the picture. Consider color, placement, people and objects, and composition. Everything that you see.

 In the picture I see a 'healthy family'. They all look like they are, and have, lived a happy life, they look like they are enjoying themselves. I can see that the 4 children look happy and healthy, which is how it should be. The father looks strong and brave while the mother looks kind and caring, that is what Hitler thinks it should be and sure enough if people saw this poster then they would want to be a part of this too, they would vote for Hitler and that was Hitlers aim.

2. Interpret: Guess about the creator is trying to express through the caption and images. Why is this message being conveyed?

 I would guess that the creator was trying to show that if they voted for Hitler this is the life that a German citizen would lead. I would interpret that the message that is trying to be conveyed is that voting for the Nazi party would be better for the Nation, if you voted for this political party then more families is Germany would look like the one in the photograph.

Evaluate: What is the intended purpose of this image? The intended audience? Does the image achieve its purpose?

  The intended purpose of this image is to vote for the Nazis because if you do then your family will, in due course, start looking like this one. This poster is not to persuade the Jews to vote for Hitler but for the Germans to, because the family in the picture is supposed to be a German family not a Jewish family, the whole point is that a Jewish family will never look like that, ever. I think that the image does achieve its purpose because if I were a German I would take one look at that poster and say, 'Wow, I wish my family looked like that and I would soon end up voting for the Nazi Party, because Hitler did know how to use propaganda well. 

Propaganda and Analyzing visual Images

Today we studied some of the aspects of propaganda and its uses, particularly in regard to Nazi Germany. First of all, answer this question: What is the definition of the word propaganda? Next, why was it used so extensively by Hitler and the Nazis?

Propaganda- information that is spread for the purpose of promoting some cause.

Propaganda was used so extensively by Hitler and the Nazis because since Hitler was a failed artist he knew the power of propaganda. They wanted the German race to see that all the blame should be put on the Jews because he, Hitler, had personal issues with them. So he used visual propaganda to show why the Jews should be blamed. One way he showed this was by finger pointing. He had posters of a hand pointing at the a Jew with text saying the Jew is to blame for the war. Here is an example:

The text in this picture means- That is to blame for the war.

URL- http://cm1.theinsider.com/thumbnail/400/585/cm1.theinsider.com/media/0/354/22/ujeEekDs_odlw.jpg

Interesting facts:

For a long time the Nazi party was a joke in 1928 they had 12 seats in 1930 they got 107 seats. There were even more in 1932. Red colors, red because it was a way to provoke and engage people. Hitler wanted to become an artist and so he knew the power of propaganda. They used posters to show propaganda, they used the posters to show that Jews were a threat to the Nation. Hitler was very stereo typical.

Hinter den Feindmachten: der Jude!

Meaning:

Behind the curtain of evil lies: the Jew!

Where do they stand

Briefly describe the person that you represented in today's activity. Then, state the political party you think that the person would vote for in an election. Be sure to give specific reasons for this choice! Besides agreeing with what a political party stands for, what other factors might be involved in a person's voting decision?

My person- Karl Schmidt is unemployed, broke and has a family to support.

I think that Karl Schmidt, in an election, would vote for Nazi party. I have many reasons that support why I would, and do, think this. For one he is jobless because of the Treaty of Versailles and the Nazi party said, in rule #2, 'Abolition of the Treaty of Versailles.' He believes that if the treaty if abolished then Germany will not be in dept to the other countries. Since Germany is in dept it can't afford to pay workers so they just fire them, Schmidt was one of many that came face to face with that situation. This is why I believe Schmidt will vote for the Nazi party in the elections.

Read and annotate "Anger and Humiliation" with questions and comments. Make special note of the description of Adolf Hitler. Highlight any clues or statements on his personality, personal life, beliefs. In class on Tuesday we will be making an identity chart for him. Also, on pg. 124, carefully read the Nazi Party program. Choose two points of this program that you think are especially unfair. Why are they unfair? Which ones do you have questions about? Then, read "Voices in the Dark". Annotate with questions and comments. Then, answer this question: If you had been on the train, do you think you would have said or done anything? Have you or someone you know ever had a similar experience?

ANGER AND HUMILIATION

Choose two points of this program that you think are especially unfair. Why are they unfair? Which ones do you have questions about?

Unfair Laws:

4. 'German blood as a requirement for German citizenship. No Jew can be a member of the nation.'

This rule is completely unfair, how can someone just say because your a Jew you can no longer be a citizen of this country, but also we will take you in a torture you because of what your race did. They should be treated the same as any German is treated, they should be able to be a part of the nation if they choose to be.

5. 'Non-citizens can live in Germany only as foreigners, subject to the law of aliens.'

This law is not unlike the 4th rule in that they both deny the right of someone, not born and bred German, to become a citizen, they say that people of different blood will live as foreigners. What is this? Its nonsense, how can anyone judge someone on their race, because their different, because they believe something else? They denied anyone non-German the right to become a citizen because of their race. This rule is clearly very unfair in many different ways, some of which I have just stated.

Questions:

5. 'Non-citizens can live in Germany only as foreigners, subject to the law of aliens.'

What do they mean when they say 'law of aliens'?

3. Land and territory (colonies) for our surplus population.

What does that even mean?

7. The state insures that every citizen live decently and earn his livelihood. If it is impossible to provide food for the whole population, then aliens must be expelled.

When they say 'aliens must be expelled', what do they mean, do they mean foreigners must be kicked out of the country?

If you had been on the train, do you think you would have said or done anything? Have you or someone you know ever had a similar experience?

If I had been on the train and been listening to those men, then I, truthfully, would keep quiet and try to make sure they didn't hear or see me at all because they seemed pretty tough and strong and if it were me against them, then I think its obvious who would win and who would loose. So maybe in a fantasy we would all stand up to them but in reality, if we were really in his shoes, I think we would all pick to stay quiet.

By Georgina