Border Security- Mexico Project

My group researched Mexican/U.S. border security. The members of this group were me, Kirsten Kyburz, Sarah Pattisall, Travis Nelson, and Quasay Multani.

http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Flag_of_Mexico.svg 

The G-20 Conference!

My country was Germany, or Deutschland for the conference.

Answers to Human Geo Test

My test score was a 36/50.

Human Geo Test

Map Practice Test

I got a 36/50 on the practice test for the human geography map quiz today.

Food Reflection Essay

     This food project has made me more aware of what I put into my body every day.  It’s puzzling to find out that half of the food we buy is shipped hundreds of miles to reach our local supermarkets.  Journaling about how much and what I eat has opened my eyes to continue my healthy diet.  I found it really interesting when we watched the movie, Food Inc., and learned about our food system.  It has made me more aware of what I am putting into my body when I eat food.  Being an athlete, I try my best to make healthy choices but sometimes the choices I made weren’t as healthy as I thought.  I had no idea what the word organic meant.  Our food system has been altered so we will buy things, like fast food, that is inexpensive and “unhealthy.” Then those companies will make a lot of money.  We have to make wiser food choices so our society doesn’t fall into a deep pit of obesity and consuming “fake food.”

    I am a runner, so I want to make the best food choices for my body so I have enough energy to perform well.  I drink a lot of Gatorade, and I eat many fruits and vegetables to sustain my diet.  Once and a while, I will have a little treat.  I know that it is not healthy to eat foods with a lot of preservatives or hormones in them.  I want to keep my diet up because I am in great shape and my body feels really healthy as well.  One thing that really opened my eyes was the fact that buying healthy food is expensive.  Many people will choose fast food over shopping for good, organic fruits and vegetables.  It is hard to choose feeding your family for one low price than spending the same amount of money for a few fruits and vegetables.  I want my family to be aware what they are eating so they can sustain a healthy diet as well.  If we start a chain reaction, we can help all Americans reduce serious levels of obesity.  One way we can get Maryland into a healthy diet is by informing John Carroll about the effects of obesity so the community can start making better food choices.

     I would like to go organic, but it is hard to fit it in a family budget.  When I went to Safeway, I bought organic vegetables.  In the summer, my family and I grow a variety of vegetables in the garden we have in our backyard.  When I eat organic food, I feel confident that what I am eating is safe.  Even going to the farmer’s market is a great way to find local, fresh fruits and vegetables.  My mom went to the store today and she told me that eggs were one dollar.  Organic eggs were four dollars, and that is one example why buying organic food can be difficult to buy.  If the prices of organic food went down, then many people would make better choices when buying food at the supermarket.  I think that America would be a healthier country if organic food was more affordable.  We break the bad habits of the food system by going back to the days were cows ate grass, and tomatoes were picked off the plant when they turned red, not when they are still green.  Many chemicals are used to boost vegetables taste and size.  That proves that hormones are used when growing fruits and vegetables.  Not many people know that the vegetables put on the store shelves are fully “farm fresh.”

     The thing that surprised me the most about this unit was learning about how meat is put in the supermarket.  Cows are forced to eat corn instead of grass because it makes the cows larger faster.  I was disgusted to find out that cows are forced to stand in their own manure.  I was truly appalled to find out how E. coli can contaminate our meats and poultry.  An E. coli scare can really scare shoppers when a meat product is recalled.  I think that Kevin’s Law should be passed and put into effect because it helps consumers understand that daily tests are not being performed to check for E. coli food poisoning.  It really concerns me that the meat that I’m buying could be infected with E. coli.  I want to know what I’m eating has been inspected and certified “safe” to eat.

     Learning all this information about our food system, it has inspired me to consider becoming a nutritionist when I grow up.   After finding out where my food comes from or how it is made, has made a more conscientious consumer.  I want the whole world to see what is really hiding behind the curtains and who is controlling our food system.  If all the consumers in the U.S. found out the truth beyond the supermarket, I believe it would change the way people eat and live their daily lives.  If adults are telling me that it is up to my generation to stop global warming and end obesity, then why can’t we change the food system as well?  I want to spread awareness of the fact that we live in world where when we look at ingredients on a box of food, we have no idea what half of the words mean.  We can reverse what has been done and start a healthier living, starting with a good diet and exercise.  We live a society where there is a big fast food restaurant around almost every corner.  Why not go back to basics and grow a garden and use the fresh food grown and incorporate it everyday meals?  I want to challenge my family and help them make a healthy step into a better diet.  I want to help all of Bel Air make a better step into eating, starting with helping grow an organic garden at John Carroll.  Together, we can make a difference in the way we eat.

My Food Google Map

My Food Map:
http://maps.google.com/maps/ms?hl=en&gl=us&ie=UTF8&oe=UTF8&msa=0&msid=114927487255892865180.0004925889abcf734796d

The mileage that my food traveled is in each description box.
*Note: If there are multiple placemarkers of the same product on the map, then the mileage and fuel cost will only be in ONE of the boxes.

My Food Journal

Monday 10/4:
Dinner: Roast beef from Shoprite, potatoes, Allens Steam-in-a-Bag green beans, Lipton Citrus Green Tea, Pillsbury sugar cookie

Tuesday 10/5:
Breakfast: Quaker Life cereal with 1% Shoprite milk, Tropicana orange juice
Lunch: Turkey sandwich: Shoprite turkey, Hellmann's mayonnaise, Shoprite American cheese, bread, Pepperidge Farm goldfish, Lemon-Lime Gatorade, sliced gala apples (grown in U.S.), vanilla La Yogurt, Archer Farms Sunny Cranberry Trail Mix
Dinner: (I went to a cross country pasta party some of the food brands are unknown.) Deer Park water, cesar salad, lasagna, cheesecake square

Wednesday 10/6:
Breakfast: Kelloggs Smart Start with 1% Shoprite milk, Tropicana orange juice
Lunch: Shoprite Turkey sandwich, Lemon-Lime Gatorade, Dole banana, Planter's Berry Almond Trail Mix, Quaker Oatmeal Rasin snack bar, Nabisco Oreo Crisps, Blue Diamond almonds
Snack: Dole banana, Panera Bread cinnamon crunch bagel
Dinner: White pizza from Italian Sensations, Minutemaid Lemonade

Thursday 10/7:
Breakfast: Kelloggs Smart Start with 1% Shoprite milk, Tropicana orange juice
Lunch: Tuna sandwich with Thomas' Plain Bagel Thins and Starkist tuna, Dasani water, Swiss Miss Chocolate Pudding, Lays chips, sliced gala apples
Dinner: Pre-Seasoned Perdue Chicken, brocoli (Southern California), Pennsylvania Dutch egg noodles, Pepperidge Farm Whole Grain White Bread, 1% Shoprite milk
Snack: Turkey Hill Party Cake ice cream, Lipton Citrus Green Tea      

Indo- European Languages

PRI's The World Show: a Podcast

     Patrick Cox reports about the Iranian president using a cheap insult, the Inuit dialect, how movies in a foreign language reach the American audience, and driving directions in Urdu.

     Iranian president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad used a slang in one of his speeches that is usally an insulting phase.  He said, "the boogeyman snathched the boob."  It's an old Persian saying when women are trying to feed thier babies. In America, it usally means to deal with it and move on.  One man was upset and said it was't very professional to say in a presidental speech.  One New York Times reporter seemed to think he thought very high of himself during an interview.  The Iranian president aslo seemed to use this phase a lot when he was "dissing" the United States.  If I were him, I would watch what he says.

     Linguistic anothropolgist Stephan Leonard is spending a year in Northwest Greenland to study the Inuit language.  It is spoken by the Polar Inuit.  Leonard knows other languages spoken by the Polar Inuit, but he's only gooten as far as a word list for the Inuit language.  The Northwest people are endangered by global warming because a glacier chuck is dangerously close to their hunting grounds. The Polar Inuit people's culture is rapidly changing as well. Will they survive? Only time will tell.

     Many foreign movies have made it big in the states. Most of them have made a lot of money, sometimes with the help of Hollywood. If the movie has a lot of action or just good in general, then there will be a lot of tickets sold!

     In the Urdu language, driving from one place to another can be difficult to say in Urdu. Goceda means go right or straight. There are a lot of roundabouts on Durbi so it's hard to tell a driver to go right or straight. If I went to Durbi and took a taxi to where I needed to go, I would probaly get lost!   
  

September 11th Report

How 9/11 Effected Air Travel 

A Report by: Amanda Spaeth, Erika Lipford, and Sarah Pattisall
   
    September 11, 2001, not just a date in our past but a date in history, a date that would forever live in infamy. The events of this particular day effected mankind forever. Smoke and ashes fell to the ground of New York City along with masses of bodies, dead. Monstrous amounts of tears shed from families, lovers, friends, and even enemies. Not only did this effect humanity, but it influenced the economy, air travel, security measures, and even racial disputes. What we never knew is that other people, just like you and me, were capable of this sort of destruction and hatred. The U.S. had just about lost the once exceptional pride in the strength and safety they were so well-known for.

     The attacks on the buildings had an immediate impression on traveling through air. More travelers from across seas began to use other methods of transportation to certain destinations, instead of flying to the US. The US had a significant drop in visitors from across seas, and there was a global minor recession due to the drop in demand for airline travel. A negative impact on the US was the lack of luster that traveling to the US and its image (the country’s) was tarnished.

     Though the whole country suffered in a great loss of tourists, Hawaii was hit the hardest with the drop in tourism since the US had been attacked. The economy before 9/11 had not been a significant worry before the towers fell, and then with the fall in tourism and airline demand, the economy dropped drastically, causing a minor recession that was spread through the entire planet. The trepidation of flying shook through the world, and with it the economy crumbled. As said by John Ashcroft, “This intelligence-gathering initiative only serves to underscore the obvious: September 11 changed us and changed the way we do our jobs.” Even though 9/11 was over nine years ago, we are still feeling the aftershock of the loss today.

     During the madness and confusion on 9/11, our country’s leaders had to protect the American people by cancelling all flights from coast to coast to prevent further damage. In order to assure people they were safe during air travel, many new strict policies were implemented in the airport security. Many changes like carrying visas, checking carry-on items, and using metal detectors to detect bombs were put into action to keep travelers safe. The government took more steps in improving airport security by having people go through stations in order to inspect their belongings and the travelers. The technology now used at airports is more advanced than before the 9/11 attacks, so it takes longer to get past security and then walk to the flight gate. Right after the 9/11 bombing, many people who looked Middle Eastern were stereotyped and were questioned at the airport. Not many security guards question travelers now, but it proves how cautions our country was about letting outsiders in.

     After the 9/11 attack, many people decided to use different sources of transportation other than air travel. The prices of airline tickets went up and many travelers were disgruntled about how much it was to fly. It has been reported that during August 2008 to July 2009, many adults and families flew on airlines for vacations. That’s 42 percent more people than citizens who travel for business. Many people were afraid of flying after the Twin Towers fell. In 2001, roughly 3.75 million people entered the United States. It has taken years to reach almost 7 million people entering the U.S. every year. The United States airlines want to ensure safety to traveling passengers so airport security has impacted how people travel. Flight passengers now arrive earlier to have their baggage checked before they board the plane. Tighter airport security has protected people from future disasters, like shoe bombs, but has been an obstacle for people to pass security to get to the airline gates. In order to keep our country’s citizen’s safe; we must take precautions to prevent further attacks on the United States.

     September 11, 2001 not only left the U.S. suffering a tragic loss but left half the world with economic changes. Aside from the emotional response there was a clear response in airline procedures. As showed earlier, there was a loss in airline travelers. People are now questioned more thoroughly because of their race when traveling, could this be considered discrimination or just further measures to ensure safety? Could the outcome of 9/11 possibly leave us with a better airline system then before? After all, the security in airports is so much tighter now and has been able to prevent more bombings and attacks on the U.S. No matter how much we wish we can’t go back in time and prevent 9/11. What we can do is prevent events such as terrorist attacks and bombings from happening. "We will not tire, we will not falter, and we will not fail" -George W. Bush.

"George W. Bush Quotes - The Quotations Page." The Quotations Page - Your Source for Famous Quotes. Web. 08 Sept. 2010. http://www.quotationspage.com/quotes/George_W._Bush/).

H.R. Rep. No. RL31617 (September 27, 2002). Print.

"John Ashcroft Quotes." Find the Famous Quotes You Need, ThinkExist.com Quotations. Web. 08 Sept. 2010. http://en.thinkexist.com/quotation/this-intelligence-gathering-initiative-only/609634.html.

United States. Homeland Security. The 9/11 Terrorist Attack and Overseas Travel to the United States:Initial Impacts and Longer-Run Recovery. By Derekh Cornwell and Bryan Roberts. Working Paper. Mar. 2010. Web. 8 Sept. 2010. http://www.dhs.gov/xlibrary/assets/statistics/publications/ois_ni_911_wp.pdf.

Wikimedia Commons. Web. 08 Sept. 2010. http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Main_Page.

2013, By. "Travel Facts and Statistics
U.S. Travel Association." U.S. Travel Association. Web. 08 Sept. 2010. http://www.ustravel.org/news/press-kit/travel-facts-and-statistics.

Notes on Project

Question: What was the effect of 9/11 on air travel?
http://www.jchumangeo.blogspot.com/
http://www.faa.gov/air_traffic/briefing/
http://www.ustravel.org/news/press-kit/travel-facts-and-statistics
http://www.fas.org/irp/crs/RL31617.pdf
http://www.dhs.gov/xlibrary/assets/statistics/publications/ois_ni_911_wp.pdf

Ideas for Project
1.Talk to parents about 9/11
2.How we felt when it happened/ how much we know now.
3.Flight cancellations
4.Fear of flying
5.Security
6.Change in flight
7.Wars in Iraq & Afganistan
8.Economy
9.Effects: before, after, present day
10.2011: 10 years later
11.symbolism, World Trade Center, Penatgon, Crash outside of Philly, $10 bill
12.steryotyping
13.Progress/ negative effects

Honors Human Geography Vocabulary Assignment

Honors Human Geography


Vocabulary Definitions and Quotes

1. Globalization- To extend to other parts of the globe; make worldwide. http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/globalization

“Radical changes in world politics leave America with a heightened responsibility to be, for the world, an example of a genuinely free, democratic, just and humane society.” – Pope John Paul II
http://www.afterquotes.com/great/quotes/globalization.htm


2. Culture- The quality in a person or a society that arises from a concern for what is regarded as excellent arts, letter, manners, scholarly pursuits, etc.
http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/culture

“Culture is the name for what people are interested in, their thoughts, their models, the books they read and the speeches they hear, their table-talk, gossip, controversies, historical sense and scientific training, the values they appreciate, the quality of life they admire. All communities have a culture. It is the climate of their civilization.” –Walter Lippmann
http://www.famous-quotes.com/topic.php?tid=283


3. Civilization- An advanced state of human society, in which a high level of culture, science, industry, and government has been reached.
http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/civilization

“Civilization is a movement - not a condition; a voyage - not a harbor” – Arnold Toynbee
http://www.famousquotesandauthors.com/keywords/civilization_quotes.html


4. History- The record of past events and times, esp. in connection with the human race.
http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/history

“Never forget the importance of history. To know nothing of what happened before you took your place on earth, is to remain a child for ever and ever.” –Anonymous
http://en.proverbia.net/citastema.asp?tematica=561


5. Progress- Developmental activity in science, technology, etc., esp. with reference to the commercial opportunities created thereby or to the promotion of the material well-being of the public through the goods, techniques, or facilities created.
http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/progress

“Progress is impossible without change, and those who cannot change their minds cannot change anything.”- George Bernard Shaw
http://thinkexist.com/quotations/progress/