John Locke's influence can be seen throughout the creation of the United States 

     A good government guarantees and maximizes your rights. A bad government does not guarantee your rights. An evil government is one who intentionally assaults your rights. Locke's social contract says that all citizens consent to be ruled by a government elected by the majority for just as long as that government protects the natural rights. But a tyrannical government is illegitimate and ought to be revolted against. Britain was an evil government, so according to Locke, they should be revolted against. Locke's statement about revolting against an evil government is what guided John Adams and other congress men to persuaded the rest of the congressmen with rhetoric techniques to go into war and risk their lives for freedom from Britain.

Video explaining the creation of the United States: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zEVPSfJIQ84&feature=player_detailpage

All about the American Revolution: http://www.theamericanrevolution.org/ 

 Language can be used to manipulate people's beliefs and actions (rhetoric)

   Patrick Henry used intentional rhetoric in his Give Me Liberty Or Give Me Death Speech. Countless times he used rhetorical questions, illusions, metaphors, similes, diction, repetition, and of course his sound byte: give me liberty or give me death. He used analogies to slavery to show how bad Britain is treating them. Just by using intentional rhetoric in a speech, it can change people's thoughts enough to want to risk their lives because of how you said your ideas. Rhetoric can be used to transform a country, or to convince fish to leave the tank.

Give me Liberty or Give me Death Speech: http://www.barefootsworld.net/libertyordeath.html  
                                                                                                                                  Partick Henry ^
                                                                 

                                                                                                                        
 Geography's impact on culture, industries, agriculture, and the infrastructure can divide a nation

    Different geography offers different opportunities. In the North, the weather is typically colder than the South, and the soil can be very dense. This climate and geography is not ideal for agriculture. It is however perfect for an industrial boom to take place, making the North centered around it's industries. Meanwhile, the warm climate and rich and soft soil are the ideal geography for agriculture, so perfect that they do not have enough field hands to make use of. This leads to slavery. Both the North and South agree that slavery is wrong, but the South continues to use slaves and claim that it is a "necessary evil", and try to blame North for giving industry workers worse conditions than their slaves, calling them "wage slaves". This feud between the North and South was all due to the difference in geography between them.

Slave Narratives: http://www.moadsf.org/salon/exhibits/slave_narratives/flash.php










Our rights and freedoms today are based on the ideals expressed in the Constitution and its Amendments

   Today, we free to decide what religion we want to follow no matter what. This right started because of the 1st Amendment, "Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof,...". This amendment was made established in 1791, and 213 years later it still gives us the freedom to practice the religion we chose to. A recent case questions what actions are protected and what are not under the Constitution. Joseph Frederick, 18 from Alaska, help up a home made 14 foot long sign reading, "Bong Hits for Jesus" in 2002 at a school trip to the Olympic Torch Relay. Frederick's principal than ripped the sign down and suspended him from school. Even though Joseph's sign promoted illegal drug use, his 1st Amendment right protects his freedom of speech, and therefor his actions were acceptable.

Bong Hits for Jesus Video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6x5hLOd-vUU

Link to Constitution and it's Amendments: http://www.usconstitution.net/const.html

SOS! Save Our Sharks

Until recently, humans used to view the ocean as a vast body of water with infinite amount of resources. Its vast depth and size made is seem as if it were invulnerable and excepted from over exploration. We are now realizing how wrong we are. According to marinebio.org, the populations of many species are decreasing at an unsustainable rate, and the number of species listed as endangered from marine life families such as whales, dolphins, manatees, salmon, seabirds, sea turtles, and sharks to name a few, are on the rise. Currently there are at least 5,000 species listed as endangered, but more are added every day (HumanSpot). Extinction is a natural process, but the current rate is about 1,000 times faster than is healthy (WildEarth). The main reasons more and more animals are going extinct is because of their top predator, humans. Habit destruction, over fishing, pollution, hunting, global warming, and exposure to chemicals are just some of the ways we are harming species everywhere. One species man has always feared, now fears man, because it is at the top of the endangered list: the shark.

According to The Shark Foundation, more than 1 out of 4 species or shark are currently endangered. This isn't because of natural selection; this is simply because of selfish human acts. Some sharks, like the great white, are capable of traveling 16,000 miles in 1 year. Even though they are considered the top of the food chain underwater, they are not safe. During their travel, an average of 38 million will be killed each year (Discover). Some of those deaths could be natural, but almost all of them are due to pollution, habitat destruction, global warming, exposure to chemicals, over fishing, and being killed for their fins. Take the Great White Shark for example, one of the most feared creatures on the planet, but because of careless humans, their population has decreased to 3,500 (DailyMail). The Whale Shark is one of the largest sharks, but also one of the most docile and friendly creatures. Unfortunately for the Whale Sharks, they can’t reproduce until age 30, but in those 30 years many will be killed by being hit by boats or getting caught in fishing nets. Because of this, the Whale Shark population is decreasing at an unsustainable rate. Sharks are purposefully killed by humans for numerous reasons, whether accidentally or intentionally. Fishermen hunt all shark species for their skin, fins, meat, and oils. Their skin is unlike many others because it is so smooth and thick, which is very popular for leather products. The oil in their liver is significantly less dense than water, which is a shark’s main source for buoyancy. This oil is valuable for its mineral content, and its uses. However, these uses can be replaced with vegetable oil and work just the same. The most valuable part of a shark, however, is its fins. When caught, their fins are cut of and used for shark fin soup in China, or for trading purposes. One of the biggest problems for sharks is when they are accidentally caught in nets.

There have been many incidents when fishermen cast their nets hoping for it to be full of a specific fish when they pull it up, but instead, it’s full of all the poor marine life that happen to be swimming in that area and got caught by accident. Fishing nets work well, because when they fish swim in, they get entangled in the nets, struggle until exhaustion, and then their bodies eventually collapse into their organs, causing death. It is a very effective strategy for catching fish, but the same thing happens when dolphins, sharks, whales, and other unintended sea life swim into the nets. One of the worst cases was of the coast of Japan in the late 1980’s. 32 fishing boats embarked on an excursion to capture 3 million squid in Japan. However, they accidentally killed over 58, 000 Blue Sharks, 52 Fur Seals, 914 dolphins, 141 porpoises, 25 Puffins and 22 marine turtles (Sharks). According to the World Wildlife Foundation, over the past 18 years, 89% of Hammerhead sharks and 80% of Great White sharks have disappeared from the Northeast Atlantic Ocean (SmartGear).

“We may rightfully ask whether they will be allowed to survive long enough for us to understand the role they play in the marine environment” (pacfish.org). Sharks are going extinct at an unsustainable rate. The depletion of sharks will cause in unbalance in the food chain, and the marine ecosystem, which could affect all the other ecosystems. 3 sharks die every second. That means that by the time you have read this post, over 600 sharks died because of finning, loss of habitat, exposure to chemicals, pollution, global warming, and fishing nets. It’s time to make a difference.
This Graph shows the decrease in population of 4 different species of sharks in just 14 years.

If you want to make a learn more and change, visit these websites to donate.

• http://www.wildearthguardians.org/site/PageServer?pagename=priorities_wildlife_ESA_listing&AddInterest=1262www.wildearthguardians.org&gclid=CNzO-YKC1q0CFeYSNAodKATm5g

• http://wwf.panda.org/how_you_can_help/support_wwf/donate/


Resources:
http://marinebio.org/oceans/threatened-endangered-species.asp

http://www.wildearthguardians.org/site/PageServer?pagename=priorities_wildlife_ESA_listing&AddInterest=1262www.wildearthguardians.org&gclid=CNzO-YKC1q0CFeYSNAodKATm5g

http://ecos.fws.gov/tess_public/pub/boxScore.jsp

http://www.humanespot.org/endangered?gclid=CPj_rZGj160CFaMQNAod6T9cGw

http://www.shark.ch/index.html

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-1252237/Great-White-Sharks-endangered-tigers-just-3-500-left-oceans.html

http://www.iucnssg.org/index.php/faqreader/items/how-many-sharks-are-killed-annually-each-year

http://www.sharks.org.za/killing-of-sharks.html

http://www.smartgear.org/smartgear_bycatch/bycatch_problem/

The Beginning of the End

The banquet scene is the beginning of the end for Macbeth. It was the end for him because this is where he first starts to go mad with the guilt, and it is when the lords start to notice that Macbeth is not himself, and may be piecing the evidence together. (III. 4. 92-94) “Avaunt, and quit my sight! Let the earth hide thee. Thy bones are marrowless, they blood is cold. Thou hast no speculation in those eyes which thou dost glare with”. This is a great example to show Macbeth’s madness, because he is yelling at the ghost, telling him he is no longer living and should be back in his grave. This proves his madness by showing that he is driven so mad with guilt and worry from the murder of Banquo, that his mind is playing tricks on himself, and he thinks he is seeing Banquo’s ghost. Part of his madness is comes from the sleep deprivation he has ben having becuase he isso ridden with guild, he cannot rest. When Macbeth is yelling at the ghost is when the lords start to notice that Macbeth is going mad, and may draw conclusions about how innocent he really is. (III.4. 115) “What sights my lord?” Ross is questioning what Macbeth is talking about when he says that his cheeks are blanched with fear when he beholds such a sight. This is the moment when the lords are getting very confused about Macbeth’s strange actions during the dinner. Talking to the ghost, and the lords noticing his madness and drawing conclusions is "the beginning of the end" for Macbeth becuase he has finally made it to the top as King, but these 2 things will possible destroy him.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=klf9sSRcEvc

In 1523, Niccolo Machiavelli wrote the book, “The Prince” as a gift to Lorenzo di Piero de’ Medici. The thesis of his book is “the ends justify the means”, meaning, it doesn’t matter how you get to the end, as long as you get there. In Machiavelli’s book, “the end” really means staying in power, so his book to Lorenzo di Piero de’ Medici explains the steps he should take in order to maintain his power.

In his book, one of Machiavelli's main points in “politics have no relation to morals”. An example of this is his quote, “It is not essential for a Prince to have all good qualities, but it is most essential that he should seem to have them.” In translation: you can trick your people into thinking that you are a good leader, if you can fake that you are a good leader.

This quote is a good example that shows the characteristics of a leader, and of their people. A leader is sneaky, a liar, and sometimes heartless. It explains that leaders are heartless in the quote “men ought to be indulged or utterly destroyed, for if you merely offend them they take vengeance, but if you injure them greatly they are unable to retaliate, so that the injury done to a man ought to be such that vengeance cannot be feared.” In other words, it is easiest to control your people if you treat them right, but if need be you need to completely destroy them, whether that is mentally or physically, because that is the only way you will keep control of them.

An example that a leader is a liar is the quote, “A prince never lacks a legitimate reason to break his promise.” What this means is that a leader will always have a reason to go back on his word, so there for he can lie to his people, because he will have a reason to do so no matter what. This quote also explains the characteristics of people. People are unaware, gullible, and sometimes stupid. This is shown when their leader lies to them. Under an intelligent leader's reign, people will always believe what he has to say, even if he lies to them multiple times and goes back on his word.

This specific quote makes me appreciate leaders more. It explains that as long as you can come up with a reason, you can always lie and always get away with it. It seems like a simple thing, but only a true genius can pull of constantly going back on his word, and keeping all his lies from destroying him, at the same time controlling thousands of people.

I agree with Machiavelli's points, but at the same time I disagree with them. I disagree with them because it is against my personal morals to go against what is politically correct, just to maintain power. However, I agree with him because, like with the cannibal story from Harvard, sometime you have to do whatever it takes to maintain power, or stay alive.

Elizabeth: The Golden Age, is a movie about the Queen of England, Elizabeth. Elizabeth has to lead England to victory, when Phillip of Spain sends the Spanish Armada to destroy them, because Elizabeth sent for the execution Mary Stuart, who Phillip wanted to marry when she took throne, so he could control Spain, England, and Scottland. At the same time, she had to deal with the drama of the man she is falling in love with, Sr. Walter Raleigh.

I enjoyed this movie because I had heard of Queen Elizabeth, but I had never heard of the story before, so it was very interesting to learn about her life. I also enjoyed it because I like learning about things set in the 1500s.

The first aspect form the previous cycle I saw was religion being a motivator. In the movie, the justice system executed Bess's cousin and father, simply because they were Papists, who are against Catholicism. An example from the previous cycle is with gold, gold, and glory. One of Spain's motives for exploration was to spread the religion of Catholicism.
The second example I saw was the idea of expanding empires. In the movie, Phillip of Spain main reason for marrying Queen Mary Stuart of Scotland when she took thrown of England, was so he could not only have control over Spain, but Scotland and England as well. An example from the previous cycle was how Spain and Portugal went exploring to the New World, hoping to gain land and access.
The third aspect from the previous cycle I saw was gun powder. In the movie, the Spanish Armada's and England's ships both used gun powder for firing cannons. They were able to use gun powder because the Mongols were the first ones with gun powder, and when they invaded part of Europe, but left right away, Europe reaped the benefits of gun powder and other items, so they were able to use gun powder in battles, like the one against England.

Her top three leadership qualities were her confidence, her bravery, and her determination. She was very confident when she was on her horse, giving her army a speech before they went to battle. This part also showed her bravery because even though she is the queen of England, and a woman, she herself was fighting in that battle, risking her own life for England.
She is very determined, and is able to stay on track. Her country is being attacked by the Spanish Armada, which will not give in, and the man she is in love with, loves another woman. She is very determined because she does not let these factors get to her head, which is one of the reasons England was victorious.
Her greatest downfall was her love for Sr. Walter Raleigh. Because Mr. Raleigh loved another woman, Bess, Elizabeth became so jealous, that she resulted in hitting Bess, who has been like a sister to her.
Overall, she was a very effective leader for England. She was the smartest leader they could have had. England needed someone to take control and decide what is best for England. Elizabeth was perfect for this, because she knew that her country needed her to be strong, and to prove that the Virgin Queen can lead them to victory, which she did.

Sir. Walter Raleigh demonstrated great leadership qualities. He has the amazing skill and knowledge to make decisions for a group. When they were in the ship, firing back and forth with the Spanish Armada, he was the one who decided that they would have to break up their formation in order to stop them from proceeding. This decision helped to defeat the Spanish Armada, and save England.

1. Between the years 500 and 1500, Europe was considered one of the worst places to be because of the corrupt justice system, violence, and disease, but after year 1500 it became one of the best places to live because of the advancements in technology and innovations.


2. During the Dark Ages, Europe was a very dangerous place to be because the violence within witch hunts, trials, and entertainment.


3. During the Dark Ages, the feudal system was very corrupt, because 90% of people were peasants and worked for the Nobles, and in return the peasants received protection.





4. The legal system was very unfair, because the Nobles would be the only ones to decide if someone was guilty or not, and they would decide with very unethical tests, like drowning someone and if they survive, they are guilty.


5. Many innovations helped Europe transition out of the dark ages, the most successful of them being the gun because it was so powerful and intimidating compared to the common sword that they had been using for many years.

The Pencil.

Everyone uses a pencil in their life. Students just like myself constantly use them in class, and we can all thank the residents from a small village in Cumbia, England for this invention. The villagers discovered graphite when they wondered upon a graphite deposit in the mid 1560’s.
They did not patent the pencil right away; instead they used the graphite to mark sheep and cattle. After that, they started to wrap the graphite in a wood casing, which was more convenient for them to carry around. It wasn’t until the 1700’s for the pencil to be perfected and equipped with an eraser.

Before pencils, people would use miscellaneous items for writing, but the most common was a quill and ink, which was invented in 700 A.D. Life was much more difficult using ink and quill, because people could not carry around them easily, like they can with pencils now. Quill and ink was also more inconvenient because there was no eraser, so they had to be careful not to make mistakes the first time writing, which is difficult because it is human nature to make mistakes. The eraser is what completed the pencil and made it better than a quill and ink. Other than the fact that it was more portable, it had the advantage that if you made a mistake, you could erase it and start over. Pencils are also the cheaper option. 1 pencil today cost around $0.14, while a quill and ink averages out to be around $11.50. Today, we are facing companies going bankrupt, stock market crashes, and a recession. Pencils have help changed our money obsessed world because on average it saves someone $11.35 just to write an essay.
The pencil was the first step to be taken before pens, lined paper, ect. could be invented. Then original pen was invented shortly after the pencil had been perfected, and the ballpoint pen was invented in 1880. These types of inventions stemmed the idea, so in later years, like 1964, the Sharpie could be created.



Recourses:
•Bellis, Mary. "Who Invented the Pen?" Who Invented It. 29 Apr. 2010. Web. 08 Oct. 2011. .
•"Who Invented the Pen?" Who Invented It. 18 Oct. 2008. Web. 09 Oct. 2011. .
•"Sharpie® | About Us." Global Landing. Web. 09 Oct. 2011. .