tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36751195173825905692024-03-04T21:44:07.280-08:00Write to be understood, speak to be heard, read to grow...Sunskruthihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02913010582002541533noreply@blogger.comBlogger21125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3675119517382590569.post-63103631760040585662011-05-29T20:58:00.000-07:002011-05-30T17:38:13.429-07:00The Beginning of The World Movie Trailer<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">I created a Hindu creation story movie trailer for an upcoming movie, "The Beginning of the World".<br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Here it is - <object class="BLOGGER-youtube-video" classid="clsid:D27CDB6E-AE6D-11cf-96B8-444553540000" codebase="http://download.macromedia.com/pub/shockwave/cabs/flash/swflash.cab#version=6,0,40,0" src="http://i.ytimg.com/vi/KZX3TiUcMwU/0.jpg" height="266" width="320"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/KZX3TiUcMwU?f=user_uploads&c=google-webdrive-0&app=youtube_gdata"><param name="bgcolor" value="#FFFFFF"><embed width="320" height="266" src="http://www.youtube.com/v/KZX3TiUcMwU?f=user_uploads&c=google-webdrive-0&app=youtube_gdata" type="application/x-shockwave-flash"></embed></object></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">If you would rather watch it on YouTube, here is the link:</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KZX3TiUcMwU">http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KZX3TiUcMwU</a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><span id="goog_1510074855"></span></div>Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3675119517382590569.post-87558295266564816462011-05-21T22:24:00.000-07:002011-09-08T17:08:41.064-07:00"Don’t cry because it’s over. Smile because it happened."- Dr. Seuss :)<div style="text-align: justify; color: rgb(51, 51, 255);"> <!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <o:officedocumentsettings> <o:allowpng/> </o:OfficeDocumentSettings> </xml><![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <w:worddocument> <w:zoom>0</w:Zoom> <w:trackmoves>false</w:TrackMoves> <w:trackformatting/> <w:punctuationkerning/> <w:drawinggridhorizontalspacing>18 pt</w:DrawingGridHorizontalSpacing> <w:drawinggridverticalspacing>18 pt</w:DrawingGridVerticalSpacing> <w:displayhorizontaldrawinggridevery>0</w:DisplayHorizontalDrawingGridEvery> <w:displayverticaldrawinggridevery>0</w:DisplayVerticalDrawingGridEvery> <w:validateagainstschemas/> <w:saveifxmlinvalid>false</w:SaveIfXMLInvalid> <w:ignoremixedcontent>false</w:IgnoreMixedContent> <w:alwaysshowplaceholdertext>false</w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText> <w:compatibility> <w:breakwrappedtables/> <w:dontgrowautofit/> <w:dontautofitconstrainedtables/> <w:dontvertalignintxbx/> </w:Compatibility> </w:WordDocument> </xml><![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <w:latentstyles deflockedstate="false" latentstylecount="276"> </w:LatentStyles> </xml><![endif]--> <style> <!-- /* Font Definitions */ @font-face {font-family:Cambria; panose-1:2 4 5 3 5 4 6 3 2 4; mso-font-charset:0; mso-generic-font-family:auto; mso-font-pitch:variable; mso-font-signature:3 0 0 0 1 0;} /* Style Definitions */ p.MsoNormal, li.MsoNormal, div.MsoNormal {mso-style-parent:""; margin:0in; margin-bottom:.0001pt; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:12.0pt; font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-ascii-font-family:Cambria; mso-fareast-font-family:Cambria; mso-hansi-font-family:Cambria; mso-bidi-font-family:"Times New Roman";} @page Section1 {size:595.0pt 842.0pt; margin:1.0in 1.25in 1.0in 1.25in; mso-header-margin:35.4pt; mso-footer-margin:35.4pt; mso-paper-source:0;} div.Section1 {page:Section1;} --> </style> <!--[if gte mso 10]> <style> /* Style Definitions */ table.MsoNormalTable {mso-style-name:"Table Normal"; mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0; mso-tstyle-colband-size:0; mso-style-noshow:yes; mso-style-parent:""; mso-padding-alt:0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; mso-para-margin:0in; mso-para-margin-bottom:.0001pt; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:12.0pt; font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-ascii-font-family:Cambria; mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-theme-font:minor-fareast; mso-hansi-font-family:Cambria; mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font:minor-bidi;} </style> <![endif]--> <!--StartFragment--><span style="font-size:85%;">"I was fed up. I had tried to open my locker ten times and all attempts had failed. It was the beginning of middle school and I had to be at class in five minutes. My locker, I bet, hated me. It did not open and everyone was so busy opening their own lockers, that they turned down my request to open my locker. The locker, by now, was so confused.<span style=""> </span>The bell rang and my heart skipped a beat. Surely, the teacher would excuse me for being late, right? I caught a passerby, a 7<sup>th</sup> grader, by the arm and pleaded her to open my locker. She bent down and grabbed the door and suddenly I was looking at the inside of my locker. I thanked the girl and locked my locker. Then I flew down the corridor to my Humanities room. Peeking through the door I glanced at the classroom’s interior. Everyone was staring wide-eyed at the teacher. They looked as if they thought that they were going to be eaten by the smiling teacher who stood at the front of the room, writing on the white board.<br /><br /></span> <p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family:arial;"><span style="font-size:85%;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p> <p style="color: rgb(204, 51, 204);font-family:arial;" class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:85%;">I sat down, quickly, and sat in anticipation as the teacher finished writing something on t</span><span style="font-size:85%;">he board. She spun around and then I could see her face and blond hair<i style="">. This must be Mrs. Narsiman, </i>I thought.<br /></span></p><p style="color: rgb(204, 51, 204);font-family:arial;" class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:85%;"><br /></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family:arial;"><span style="font-size:85%;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p> <p style="color: rgb(51, 51, 255);font-family:arial;" class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:85%;">'Welcome to Middle School! I hope you can open your locker. If you cannot, no worries, you will get it soon. All the teachers will be fine if you are late for the first couple of weeks,' Mrs. Narsiman reassured.</span></p><p style="color: rgb(51, 51, 255);font-family:arial;" class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:85%;"><br /></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family:arial;"><span style="font-size:85%;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p> <p style="color: rgb(102, 0, 204);font-family:arial;" class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:85%;">From that day on I felt better. I realized I was not the only one who could not get the locker combination or could not cope with the 6<sup>th</sup> grade schedule on the first day of school. I was one of many and I knew that I would adjust, just like everyone else. Today I feel like I have been in Middle School for ages and I really am enjoying my first year in Middle School."</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family:georgia;"><span style="font-size:100%;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family:georgia;"><span style="color: rgb(204, 51, 204);font-family:georgia;font-size:100%;">That was what I felt about my first day of middle school. I had wrote that piece of writing on my first week of middle school. Reading that now and remembering how I was scared to even step on the middle school grounds, I find being afraid of middle school ridiculous. What I would of written and felt if I knew then what I know now...</span><span style="font-size:100%;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: rgb(102, 0, 204);"><br /></span></p> <!--EndFragment--> <span class="Apple-style-span">Throughout this year I have not only accomplished achievements, but also confronted challenges. I have taken part in Malaysia Week and other field trips, learning outside of my usual environment at school. I have completed projects like Literature Circles, math and science iMovies, ancient Egyptian diaries, a P.E Dance video, a card for Japan for Art class, an ancient Egyptian song and iMovie, a Roman comic and song and travel itinerary, blog posts that encompass a wide variety of topics, and too many other assignments to list, but all have been a part of my fantastic journey, all the way to the end of 6th grade. </span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify; color: rgb(102, 0, 204);"><span class="Apple-style-span">My work represents the growth and learning that I experienced this entire year. I am certainly proud of all the work I completed and I am glad I can reflect upon previous pieces of work and examine what I could improve on in these and use this information for the future projects. An assignment that I am especially proud of is my blog. If you look at my past blog posts, from the very beginning, and then see the last ones, you can see the constant development in the structure and content of the blog post. I have learned to double check my grammar and spelling for blog posts and I also gained knowledge in providing my thoughts on the assigned topic with clarity that invoke interest among the readers. I am immensely proud that I was able to direct my hard concentration and time to accomplish the successful final product that are my blog posts. My blog is definitely an example of how I have grown this year, through each and every blog post. </span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify; color: rgb(204, 51, 204);"><span class="Apple-style-span">A continual challenge throughout this year was organization and time management. Since we have a variety of classes taught by different teachers, we often found ourselves with an assortment of assignments that we had to remember to complete. In order to meet the teacher's expectations we had to have a orderly schedule for doing homework. Multiple times I would forget to finish a specific homework assignment and end up only remembering right before school starts. Those times require quick-thinking and really do raise the stress level as you are hurrying up to quickly complete the assignment before the class where you were assigned to do that homework. Middle school strengthens your organization skills, because usually in elementary school you are not expected to take on much responsibility and time is often provided, even if you do not finish by the due date. Writing down homework or checking Moodle helped me remember about forgotten assignments and are extremely useful. Managing your time and confirming that you evenly give enough time for each homework is an essential tip. Even though organization and time management were challenges this year, I was able to overcome them as the year continued. In due time my organization and time management skills were bettered. </span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify; color: rgb(51, 51, 255);"><span class="Apple-style-span">This year I was able to learn about myself as a learner. Participating in finding our Learning Profiles assisted us in discovering our styles of learning. This year I found out that I learn best through verbal or written instruction. A teacher who tells me the directions or gives me written directions will be easier for me to follow. I also learned that when I am under stress I have difficulty seeing, hearing, or remembering details, so its better if I do not get stressed at all, otherwise it will affect my learning substantially. From obtaining an understanding of my learning profile, I found that I should sit in a particular position in a classroom to learn my best, for I prefer to use my left ear and eye. This year I have learned so much about what type of learner I am and can definitely use this to my advantage. </span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: italic; font-weight: bold; line-height: 18px;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify; color: rgb(102, 0, 204);"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: italic; font-weight: bold; line-height: 18px;">Behavior</span></div><div style="color: rgb(102, 0, 204);"><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 18px;"><br /></span></span></div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 18px;"><div style="text-align: justify;">Could be improved</div><div style="text-align: justify;">Satisfactory</div><b><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;"><b>Perfect - the model student</b></span></div></b></span></div><div style="text-align: justify; color: rgb(102, 0, 204);"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 18px;"><b><br /></b></span></div><div><div style="text-align: justify; color: rgb(102, 0, 204);"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 18px;font-family:georgia;font-size:medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span">I think that in class my behavior is controlled and polite. I pay attention during class and I try to be as respectful as possible. It is beneficial to have good behavior in class, because listening to the teacher and being respectful is not only required in any environment and situation. but also since it enables a more enhanced learning. In the future having excellent behavior is essential anywhere and all the time, so practicing it now is worthwhile for later.</span></span></div><span class="Apple-style-span"><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 18px;"><br /></span></div><span style="line-height: 18px; font-style: italic; color: rgb(204, 51, 204);"><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;">Participation</span></div></span><div style="text-align: justify; color: rgb(204, 51, 204);"><span class="Apple-style-span"><br /></span></div><span style="color: rgb(204, 51, 204);" class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 18px;"><div style="text-align: justify;">None</div></span><b style="line-height: 18px;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal; line-height: normal;"><b style="line-height: 18px;">Satisfactory</b></span></div></b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 18px;"><div style="text-align: justify;">Actively participate in class</div></span></span><div style="text-align: justify; color: rgb(204, 51, 204);"><span class="Apple-style-span"><br /></span></div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 18px; color: rgb(204, 51, 204);"><div style="text-align: justify;">I believe that my participation in class is satisfactory. I do try to actively take part in class discussions and provide inputs that can be advantageous for the class to know, if they had not realized it before. I ask questions whenever I truly am not sure what to do and know that I cannot solve the problem or answer my own question logically by myself. I think that I can participate more in class, for sometimes I can be silent. But, I honestly think that I participate enough to improve my understanding and participate in relation to my learning style and myself.</div></span></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 18px;"><br /></span></div><div style="color: rgb(51, 51, 255);"><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: italic; font-weight: bold; line-height: 18px;font-family:georgia;font-size:medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span">Organization</span></span></div><span class="Apple-style-span"><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 18px;"><br /></span></div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 18px;"><div style="text-align: justify;">Needs serious help</div></span><b style="line-height: 18px;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal; line-height: normal;"><b style="line-height: 18px;">Satisfactory</b></span></div></b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 18px;"><div style="text-align: justify;">I'm super organized</div></span></span></div><div style="text-align: justify; color: rgb(51, 51, 255);"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 18px;"><br /></span></div><div><div style="text-align: justify; color: rgb(51, 51, 255);"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 18px;font-family:georgia;font-size:medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span">My organization skills have certainly been bettered over the past school year. At the beginning of they year I was not sure how to stay organized and often forgot to bring in homework assignments or left homework to the last minute. As the year progressed, however, I became accustomed to the load of homework and was able to work out a schedule to complete it all in a neat and well thought out manner. </span></span></div><span class="Apple-style-span"><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 18px;"><br /></span></div><div style="line-height: 18px; text-align: justify; color: rgb(102, 0, 204);"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: italic; font-weight: bold;"><span class="Apple-style-span">Effort</span></span></div><div style="text-align: justify; color: rgb(102, 0, 204);"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 18px;"><span class="Apple-style-span"><br /></span></span></div><span style="color: rgb(102, 0, 204);" class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 18px;"><div style="text-align: justify;">Needs serious help</div></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 18px;"><div style="text-align: justify;">Satisfactory</div></span><b style="line-height: 18px;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal; line-height: normal;"><b style="line-height: 18px;">I always go above and beyond what is required.</b></span></div></b></span></span></div><div style="text-align: justify; color: rgb(102, 0, 204);"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 18px;"><b><br /></b></span></div><div style="text-align: justify; color: rgb(102, 0, 204);"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 18px;">I always go above and beyond when it is required for every assignment. I can truthfully say I try my best all the time and believe that everyone should attempt their best, if they want to accomplish their goal. </span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 18px;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify; color: rgb(204, 51, 204);"><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 18px;">Two personal goals that I have set myself for 7th grade are-</span></span></div><div style="text-align: justify; color: rgb(204, 51, 204);"><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 18px;"><br /></span></span></div><div style="text-align: justify; color: rgb(204, 51, 204);"><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 18px;">1. I plan to maintain my organization skills and make sure they become better. Organization is very important and having great organization skills will enable me a better learning experience. </span></span></div><div style="text-align: justify; color: rgb(204, 51, 204);"><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 18px;"><br /></span></span></div><div style="text-align: justify; color: rgb(204, 51, 204);"><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 18px;">2. I plan to make loads of new friends next year. Since I am moving to a different place, I will have to make friends as well as keeping in touch with the ones I moved away from. I hope that I will be able to establish friendships with new, nice people. </span></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 18px;"><br /></span></span></div><div style="text-align: justify; color: rgb(51, 51, 255);"><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 18px;">For grade 7 I want my teacher to know specific information about me. I want them to know that I usually take time to finish off assignments and do not finish very quickly, but usually on time. I also want my future teachers to know I am a visual and kinesthetic learner, so I learn best with the aid of a visual or with activities that allow me to participate effectively. Those are the main details that I wish my future teachers in 7th grade to know.</span></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 18px;"><br /></span></span></div><div style="text-align: justify; color: rgb(102, 0, 204);"><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 18px;">The advice that I would pass on to the 5th graders coming into 6th grade next year is to stay organized. That is an exceptionally important advice to follow. There is definitely enough homework to keep you busy in 6th grade for a while and it is good to divide it up and make sure you do not overwork yourself. The future 6th graders should schedule some time for what they want to do and not let homework take up their entire day. Organizing when they do their homework will help them have time for themselves and their own hobbies. Though it will be hard at the beginning to handle the work load, I know it will gradually get easy to manage your time and organize your homework and projects. Trust me, I have been there. ;)</span></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 18px;"><br /></span></span></div><div style="text-align: justify; color: rgb(204, 51, 204);"><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 18px;">6th grade has been amazing! I have been able to accomplish and achieve so much this year. I am proud and happy that I could complete this year of school the way I did. And if I could go back and change something that I did along my journey, I would not, because even though I did make plenty of mistakes this year and had to face the consequences, that is what assisted my progression in my learning and I was able to enhance my life skills from experiencing the consequences I had to confront. For once in my life, I am glad I made those mistakes that aided in the constant construction of my learning. Y</span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 18px;font-family:georgia;font-size:medium;">et, I am nowhere near done. Nowhere near finished. There are still more obstacles ahead of me to conquer, more tears to shed, more ideas to contribute, more laughs to be had, new problems and accomplishments, more work to do, more people to meet, more places to go... And there are people I need to leave, and places I have to say goodbye too, but I will not forget about the times I have had this year.</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 18px;font-family:georgia;font-size:medium;"> I created memories, here, that I certainly will cherish forever. One day I am going to look back and say, "Yeah, I remember that. That was one of the very moments of life that went on to make me who I am. today" It surely has been a unique and wonderful experience that I will never forget and is imprinted in my mind and will stay there no matter what happens. :) </span></span></div><meta charset="utf-8"><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 18px;"><br /></span></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(51, 51, 255);"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 18px;">And here ends my last post on this blog. Here's hoping that next year will be even better than this year, if that is possible! </span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 18px;font-family:georgia;font-size:medium;"><span style="color: rgb(102, 0, 204);" class="Apple-style-span"><span style="color: rgb(51, 51, 255);">:D</span><br /></span></span><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: rgb(102, 0, 204);">“Celebrate endings – for they precede new beginnings.” — Jonathan Lockwood Huie</span><br /></div></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: rgb(204, 51, 204);">♥</span> <span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 18px;"><span class="Apple-style-span"><span><span style="color: rgb(51, 51, 255); ">S</span><span >.</span></span><span style="color: rgb(102, 0, 204);">K</span></span><span class="Apple-style-span"> </span></span></span><span style="color: rgb(204, 51, 204);">♥</span><br /></div><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 18px;"><span style="color: rgb(204, 51, 204);" class="Apple-style-span"><br /></span></span></span><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-6Avaygc4wmg/TdkhzcI5-wI/AAAAAAAAAH0/1RPfUK76L6c/s1600/0601movingonup.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 239px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-6Avaygc4wmg/TdkhzcI5-wI/AAAAAAAAAH0/1RPfUK76L6c/s320/0601movingonup.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5609551978477255426" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:78%;"><a href="http://whatsyourbirthday.blogspot.com/2010/10/moving-on.html">http://whatsyourbirthday.blogspot.com/2010/10/moving-on.html</a><br /><br />Source for quotes- <a href="http://quotes-aboutmovingon.com/">http://quotes-aboutmovingon.com/</a><br /></span></div><br /><img src="file:///Users/sudhakrishna/Desktop/0601movingonup.jpg" alt="" /><img src="file:///Users/sudhakrishna/Desktop/0601movingonup.jpg" alt="" /></div>Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3675119517382590569.post-19355626541701022572011-04-06T02:21:00.000-07:002011-04-24T23:29:55.416-07:00The Giver Blog Post Discussion 5<div><p class="p1" style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;font-size:85%;"> </span></p><img src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-eMmZTfmYsm4/TZ9Nttf4CaI/AAAAAAAAAHs/3oImi9uY0uw/s320/giver.jpeg" style="text-align: justify;display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; cursor: pointer; width: 210px; height: 320px; " border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5593274709920188834" /><p class="p1" style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"></span></p><h3 style="text-align: center; font-family:Georgia, serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" font-weight: normal; font-family:georgia;font-size:small;"><a href="http://thebookbugbooksfortweensandteens.blogspot.com/2010/05/review-giver-by-lois-lowry.html">http://thebookbugbooksfortweensandteens.blogspot.com/2010/05/review-giver-by-lois-lowry.html</a></span></span></h3><h3 style="text-align: center; font-family:Georgia, serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" font-weight: normal; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><br /></span></span></span></h3><h3 style="text-align: center; font-family:Georgia, serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" font-weight: normal; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">Dear Mother and Father,</span></span></span></h3><p></p> <p class="p1" style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">My life has been a constant roller-coaster ride filled with surprises an</span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">d the learning of important knowledge ever since I became the Receiver. I never knew so much could change just by being appointed my job, just like all the other children. Then again, I never knew I would be given the job of Receiver, a most unusual and distinct occupation. I feel like I have been isolated for the last few weeks and I have not been apart of your lives as much as I used to be. But today marks the starting point of my permanent isolation from you, Mother and Father. You will not see me again and I am writing this letter as to clear up the confusion I may cause you once you find me gone.</span></span></p> <p class="p1" style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">First, let me explain to you why I had to leave. My job of the Receiver is a very complicated one, as the Chief Elder told you that fateful day that transpired mere days ago, even though I feel like it has been ages. As a Receiver you are to receive, hence the name, memories from the Giver. And now I must elaborate the complex reasons that drove me to leave the community. These memories are much like experiences that the Giver has gotten from the previous Giver and are of times long ago, before the community transitioned into Sameness. How glorious some of these memories are! One was of a day where elder people, called "grandparents", were sitting with their family, no not a family unit, but a family that was able to share pleasurable moments together and they were all by a fire and there was this tree that was shining with lights of different colors of red and green and yellow and underneath it children were unwrapping boxes to discover toys (Page 122-123 of The Giver by Lois Lowry). But, you do not know what colors are, do you? They add variety to the world and they are… It is very hard to explain, but everything in that memory was so warm and calming and it introduced me to love! Love is definitely a word that should be used more often and is such a nice word for it describes that feeling... It is not enjoying someone else's presence, but a sense that you care for them deeply. The memory, in fact, was the Giver's favorite memory. The kind of pleasure and love I felt had a stronger depth then what happiness you, Mother and Father, feel. This was more powerful and more… How do I explain it? It felt good, to say in but simple words.</span></span></p> <p class="p1" style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">Although, not all memories were delightful as that one. Another memory, the Giver was pained to watch me receive it, was of a distressing event of a kind of grief and pain that you have never even breached the surface of. In the memory, the air of the land was blanketed with smoke and smog. There were injured men groaning around the expanse of land and a creature called a horse, similar to the elephant toy Lily has except leaner, muscular and it has a shorter snout and a mane of hair, was running around in panic. A boy asked for water. He was about my age and he was streaked with blood and dirt. In the memory I experienced, my arm was coated with blood and I felt pain. Not like how I crushed my finger in a door last year, but more immense and there was no medication to ease it. When I handed the boy water, he drank, eagerly. But then he closed his eyes and did not open them again (Page 118-120 of The Giver by Lois Lowry). I know you, Father, will know what happened to the boy. He died. In our community we would call it release to kill someone and therefore cause their death. You had to release that twin baby and that is another thing I need to get out of the way (Page 149-151 of The Giver by Lois Lowry). I do not like the idea of release and how you released that poor innocent baby. But, that is part of the community life and is needed in order to have organization, normality, and regularity in the community and is one of the multiple roles that you, Father, must carry out as you are a Nurturer.</span></span></p> <p class="p1" style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">And this leads me to the reason of why I have to leave. The memories I have described to you express both pleasure and comfort, but also pain and sadness. The community, in which you live, has never had exposure to feelings like that, other than the occasional surge of weak feeling that powers our discussions at dinner. These powerless approaches to feeling, is what empowers Lily to shake her fist in the air, because of the boy from the other community and how he did not follow the rules (Page 5 of The Giver by Lois Lowry). This anger that Lily had towards to boy was insignificant and could be dealt with easily, for she could discuss it and it would soon fade, because it was not true emotion that influences your actions and is purely uncontrollable. The people of the community have only infrequent and short encounters with emotion. Nothing like how I have felt in the past few days. I have learned so much from the Giver as his Receiver, including the fact that our community has an absence of these intense emotions, which can be a con or a pro, depending on what you think. There is also a lack of freedom, color, expression, music, all these beautiful things! No choice is available in our community, our ideas are influenced by the Committee, and we have no ability to choose what we want in life and how we should live! Like I once told the Giver, I want to be able to decide what color tunic I wear (Page 97). Even if I make the wrong decision, I will learn from my mistakes. My experiences and my mistakes and my choices will form my identity and create the person that I am. I do not mind being different, because I want to be the person that my choices mold me into. I want to run my own life, not a life that the Committee has generated for me and I want to call the life I live </span></span><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">my</span></span></i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"> life! I know that if I want pleasure, I will have to have misery, because I cannot appreciate happiness without grief, but the joy is, certainly, worth the sorrow. I want to create my own memories to share with my own family and grandparents. I want to have a tree with colorful lights and a day where I feel warm and happy inside! But, I also want you, Mother and Father, and Lily, Asher, and Fiona to enjoy these things also. I want the whole community to change for the better. To have freedom, color, weather, expression, grandparents, and emotion. And this is why I had to leave the community I lived all my life in and walk away from the family and friends I have come to love. Once I do leave, all the memories that I have acquired will be bestowed upon the people of the community, including you, my dear parents. And then you will gain the knowledge of everything I have come to know and the community will advance into a brighter and more free future and in the course I will be saving Gabriel from the dismal death that been set for him, because he has been unlike the others and held back the order of the community. </span></span></p> <p class="p1" style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">A better future for the community and the protection Gabriel from his death that I wish will be fulfilled comes with only one sacrifice: I must leave. I have to be out of the boundaries of the community, in order for you to obtain my memories. As you are reading this letter, I will be well on my way to my destination that is a different community, where they hopefully have everything I yearn for, freedom, expression, emotion, weather, and color. And there Gabriel and I will begin anew and become accustomed to a brand new way of living, and probably we will like this new life. But, I promise that I will forever remember you and love you. With the memories that you will soon be given, you will need the Giver's help. It will be a horrifying and exciting experience, trust me I know. These memories will cease the dishonor you might have labelled me with and will open your eyes to a whole, diverse world that you have never even noticed before. I think that if I was just a normal boy, not the Receiver, then you would not receive the memories if I were to die or leave the community, therefore you would just chant my name repeatedly and eventually forget about me completely like the boy who died in the river sometime ago. I would only be a vague image in your brain, terminated from the community and possibly even looked upon as a disgrace. But since I am indeed the Receiver, it is an entirely different line of events. This way I would make a very prominent imprint in the history of the community and I hope you, Mother and Father, and Lily, Asher and Fiona, and the rest of the community do not remember me as solely Jonas. No. I believe I am much more than that. I want to be recalled as someone who led the development and improvement of the society in which I used to live and where you currently reside. Will you please remember me as a…a… </span></span><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">hero</span></span></i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">? Yes, that is the word! A hero! Jonas the hero of the community, the boy who gave up his familiar life in his only home for the rescue of a special and pure baby and for the enhancement of the future of the community. Jonas the Hero…</span></span></p> <p class="p1" style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">I must be going now. I will miss you, Mother and Father. Please tell the Giver that I love and thank him for what he has done for me. Tell Lily, Asher, and Fiona I love them and miss them, too! I really have to go now. </span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">Best of luck.</span></span></p> <p class="p1" style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;font-size:85%;">Love,</span></p> <p class="p4" style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;font-size:85%;"><b>Jonas the Hero</b> <b>;)</b></span></p><p class="p4"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;font-size:85%;"><b><br /></b></span></p><p class="p4"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;font-size:85%;"><b><br /></b></span></p></div>Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3675119517382590569.post-83215529008502185002011-03-28T04:07:00.000-07:002011-04-08T11:13:35.908-07:00The Giver Blog Post Discussion 4<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-zJXCwi_ZCng/TZHxms1dXDI/AAAAAAAAAHk/g5O84GdkAsM/s1600/conditional-freedom.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 266px; height: 320px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-zJXCwi_ZCng/TZHxms1dXDI/AAAAAAAAAHk/g5O84GdkAsM/s320/conditional-freedom.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5589514259716201522" /></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(51, 51, 255); "><div style="text-align: center;"><b>Freedom <span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#6600CC;">and</span> <span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#CC33CC;">Choice</span></b></div></span><meta charset="utf-8"><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#3333FF;">
<br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#3333FF;">
<br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#3333FF;">Time and again in human history numerous wars have been fought and lives have been lost due to struggles for freedom and choice. People have sacrificed their lives for the freedom of expression, speech, freedom to live, among other basic rights. Freedom has worked for society and at times has worked against it. Too much freedom can destroy a community by giving the people a sense that they have the right to break even the most needed and fundamental rules and thus would cause disruption to the law and order of everyday life. If there is no freedom in a society, then the people are deprived of creativity, change, individuality, expression, and the ability to advance in life based collective opinion of the general people. Freedom has to be balanced wisely. </span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#3333FF;">
<br /></span></div><meta charset="utf-8"><div style="text-align: justify; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#3333FF;"><span class="Apple-style-span">Freedom is such a strong word in our current society. Freedom is a strong force to deal with. It is supported by its allies and therefore is not something to be reckoned with. The argument of freedom is a prominent theme in </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse; font-family:'Times New Roman';font-size:medium;"><u><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" line-height: 18px; border-collapse: separate; font-family:georgia;">The Giver</span></u></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse; font-family:'Times New Roman';font-size:medium;"><u><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" line-height: 18px; border-collapse: separate; font-family:georgia;"> </span></u></span><span class="Apple-style-span">by Lois Lowry. </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse; font-family:'Times New Roman';font-size:medium;"><u><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" line-height: 18px; border-collapse: separate; font-family:georgia;">The Giver</span></u></span><span class="Apple-style-span"> revolves around Jonas and his community, whose wings of freedom have been clipped. Whether the people's lack of freedom contribute in the success of their community or their failure, is a tough question. When thinking of this so many observations have to be considered.</span><span class="Apple-style-span"> The Committee destroyed a huge part of the lives of the people of Jonas's community. They had to control emotion, memory that can trigger emotion, opinion, weather, color, and choice, in order to ensure that the community had no freedom at all. And when Jonas is given memories of weather, color, choice, feelings, and opinions, he develops an idea of freedom and he questions why no one else has this choice and freedom. Throughout chapters 16-18, we have been given a moment to ponder on the subject of freedom and multiple quotes have influenced our thoughts on this matter. Multiple times in these chapters the author emphasizes the fact that freedom is an issue in Jonas's community. Since freedom and choice are such vast subjects, it takes a steady exploration to truly explain this concept through writing. There are various quotes in the book that express the importance of freedom and choice.</span></span></div><div><div><div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#6600CC;">
<br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 18px; color:#6600CC;"><div style="text-align: justify; font-family:Georgia, Utopia, 'Palatino Linotype', Palatino, serif;font-size:13px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" ;font-size:medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" ;font-family:georgia;"> "Gabriel's breathing was even and deep. Jonas liked having him there, though he felt guilty about the secret. Each night he gave memories to Gabriel: memories of boat rides and picnics in the sun; memories of soft rainfall against windowpanes; memories of dancing bare-footed on a damp lawn.</span></span></div><div style="text-align: justify; font-family:Georgia, Utopia, 'Palatino Linotype', Palatino, serif;font-size:13px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" ;font-size:medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" ;font-family:georgia;">
<br /></span></span></div><div style="text-align: justify; font-family:Georgia, Utopia, 'Palatino Linotype', Palatino, serif;font-size:13px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" ;font-size:medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" ;font-family:georgia;">'Gabe?'</span></span></div><div style="text-align: justify; font-family:Georgia, Utopia, 'Palatino Linotype', Palatino, serif;font-size:13px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" ;font-size:medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" ;font-family:georgia;">
<br /></span></span></div><div style="text-align: justify; font-family:Georgia, Utopia, 'Palatino Linotype', Palatino, serif;font-size:13px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" ;font-size:medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" ;font-family:georgia;">The new child stirred slightly in his sleep, Jonas looked over at him.</span></span></div><div style="text-align: justify; font-family:Georgia, Utopia, 'Palatino Linotype', Palatino, serif;font-size:13px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" ;font-size:medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" ;font-family:georgia;">
<br /></span></span></div><div style="text-align: justify; font-family:Georgia, Utopia, 'Palatino Linotype', Palatino, serif;font-size:13px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" ;font-size:medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" ;font-family:georgia;">'There could be love,' Jonas whispered.</span></span></div><div style="text-align: justify; font-family:Georgia, Utopia, 'Palatino Linotype', Palatino, serif;font-size:13px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" ;font-size:medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" ;font-family:georgia;">
<br /></span></span></div><div style="text-align: justify; font-family:Georgia, Utopia, 'Palatino Linotype', Palatino, serif;font-size:13px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" ;font-size:medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" ;font-family:georgia;">(Page 128 and 129 of </span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse; line-height: normal; font-family:'Times New Roman';font-size:medium;"><u><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" line-height: 18px; border-collapse: separate; font-family:georgia;">The Giver</span></u></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" ;font-family:georgia;font-size:medium;"> by Lois Lowry)</span></div><div style="text-align: justify; font-family:Georgia, Utopia, 'Palatino Linotype', Palatino, serif;font-size:13px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" ;font-size:medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" ;font-family:georgia;">
<br /></span></span></div><div style="text-align: justify; font-family:Georgia, Utopia, 'Palatino Linotype', Palatino, serif;font-size:13px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" ;font-size:medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" ;font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 22px; ">The next morning, for the first time, Jonas did not take his pill. Something within him, something that had grown there through the memories, told him to throw the pill away."</span></span></span></div></span><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#3333FF;">
<br /></span></div></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#3333FF;">Now that Jonas has experienced memories of freedom and choice, he is starting to apply expressions of freedom to his life and does not take his pill as an act defiance of the rules. Jonas begins to wonder why his community lacks of the freedom he yearns. Why can't everyone have emotion, color, and weather that can influence their choices? Why can't they make decisions based on their previous experiences and their feelings?</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#3333FF;">
<br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><div style="text-align: justify; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#3333FF;">The Committee took away freedom and choice, in order to create a safe and orderly community. But was it really worth the losses? The people of the community were deprived of so much when they transitioned into Sameness. What is life without freedom? Is it worth living, if you cannot decide how you want to live? Does life have meaning without the ability to make choices on your own? Without choice it is not your life that you are living, it is someone else's. If the life we are living is not our own then what is the point of living it? If you take choices away, what are you left with? A life with no aim, but to fulfill other people's decisions. Freedom is can be a gift that shapes a person's personality and thoughts. </span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#3333FF;">
<br /></span></div></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#3333FF;">When you read the quote displayed from the story, you can see that Jonas's community does not have love, which the Committee demolished. Withdrawing love is taking away one of the most important emotion in our lives. Love is so connected with freedom and choice, that extracting love was also abolishing a huge part of freedom. We have the choice to pick who to love and who to hate and the freedom to love whoever we want. Love affects our choices builds relationship and makes a community . It puzzles Jonas why people cannot have love, which leads us to believe it is so because love can encourage freedom.</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#3333FF;">
<br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#3333FF;">The quote from the story also expressed Jonas's new understanding of freedom. Now that he has been in contact with memories, emotion, color, and weather, he has a knowledge of what freedom is. Through the memories, like the one of the war he witnessed, he is able to find out more about the people who lived before him, when Sameness was not incorporated. Jonas has seen how people can make choices and have the freedom to express them. This leads Jonas to make his own choice of not taking the pill, which goes against everything he has been taught, and this showcases the true greatness of freedom. It had the power to change Jonas's mind, even though Jonas ha<span class="Apple-style-span">s lived in an environment that does not support freedom. </span></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="white-space: pre;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#6600CC;">
<br /></span></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><div style="line-height: 18px; white-space: normal; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#6600CC;">" 'There are so many good memories,' The Giver reminded Jonas. And it was true. By now Jonas had experienced countless bits of happiness, things he had never known of before.</span></div><div style="line-height: 18px; white-space: normal; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#6600CC;">He had seen a birthday party, with one child singled out and celebrated on his day, so that now he understood the joy of being an individual, special and unique and proud."</span></div><div style="line-height: 18px; white-space: normal; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#6600CC;">
<br /></span></div><div style="line-height: 18px; white-space: normal; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#6600CC;"><span class="Apple-style-span">(Page 121 of </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse; line-height: normal; font-family:'Times New Roman';font-size:medium;"><u><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" line-height: 18px; border-collapse: separate; font-family:georgia;">The Giver</span></u></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" ;font-family:georgia;font-size:medium;"> by Lois Lowry)</span></span></div><div style=" line-height: 18px; white-space: normal; font-family:Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif;font-size:13px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" ;font-family:'trebuchet ms';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" ;font-size:small;color:#3333FF;">
<br /></span></span></div><div style="line-height: 18px; white-space: normal; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#3333FF;">Jonas is exploring how being an individual can be a joy. To be an individual requires difference, which Jonas's community does not include in their systematic way of life. Individuality also involves freedom, for you need the freedom, in order to be able to express your individuality. <span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: normal; ">Making choices helps in the growth our identity and makes us who we are and how unique and different each individual is. Without freedom we cannot make choices and without choices, how can our identities advance? How can we learn from our mistakes and thus become better people? How can you prompt talents and advancements in life, if you are being held back by the obliteration of freedom? People cannot express their identity if there is lack of freedom. By deducting freedom the Committee discouraged individuality a</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: normal; ">nd without individuality in Jonas's community there is a stunt in the improvement of the society. </span></span><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: normal; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#3333FF;">A great thinker, Albert Camus, once said,</span> </span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" line-height: normal; font-family:georgia;font-size:medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#CC33CC;">"Freedom is nothing else, but a chance to be better."</span></span></div><div style="white-space: normal; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#3333FF;">
<br /></span></div><div style="white-space: normal; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#3333FF;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" ;font-family:georgia;font-size:medium;">As Jonas progresses through his training as Receiver, he learns more and more about how freedom and choice can affect daily life and contribute in the enhancement of the society. As I read through the book I am able to compare and contrast my world to Jonas's and often I find evident differences. One of those being the magnitude of freedom. </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse; font-family:'Times New Roman';font-size:medium;"><u><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" line-height: 18px; border-collapse: separate; font-family:georgia;">The Giver </span></u></span><span class="Apple-style-span">provides us the opportunity to explore the words freedom, rights, emotion, and choice. </span><span class="Apple-style-span">This book gives us a way to appreciate what our world has that Jonas's does not and also examine the good characteristics of Jonas's community that we do not have.</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" ;font-family:georgia;font-size:medium;"> </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse; font-family:'Times New Roman';font-size:medium;"><u><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" line-height: 18px; border-collapse: separate; font-family:georgia;">The Giver</span></u></span><span class="Apple-style-span"> by Lois Lowry is a moral guide of positive and negative enforcement of freedom in </span><span class="Apple-style-span">community. In our world today freedom is desired and this is seen through unrest caused by people craving for their rights across the globe in countries like Egypt and Libya. </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" ;font-family:georgia;font-size:medium;">Freedom is a treasure that we should all cherish, because we are lucky enough to be presented with the right for freedom. </span></span></div><div style="white-space: normal; "><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" ;font-family:georgia;font-size:medium;color:#3333FF;"></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span"><div class="t" style="margin-bottom: 5px; white-space: normal; "><span class="Apple-style-span">
<br /></span></div><div class="t" style="margin-bottom: 5px; white-space: normal; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#CC33CC;">"Liberty is the right to choose, freedom is the result of that choice." Unknown Source</span></div><div class="t" style="margin-bottom: 5px; white-space: normal; font-family:'Trebuchet MS', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">
<br /></div><div class="t" style="margin-bottom: 5px; white-space: normal; font-family:'Trebuchet MS', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#3333FF;">Sources:</span></div><div class="t" style="margin-bottom: 5px; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#CC33CC;"><a href="http://en.proverbia.net/citastema.asp?tematica=492">http://en.proverbia.net/citastema.asp?tematica=492</a></span></div><div class="t" style="margin-bottom: 5px; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#CC33CC;"><a href="http://quotations.about.com/cs/inspirationquotes/a/Freedom1.htm">http://quotations.about.com/cs/inspirationquotes/a/Freedom1.htm</a></span></div><div class="t" style="margin-bottom: 5px; "><div class="t" style="margin-bottom: 5px; "><a href="http://umattr.info/">http://umattr.info/</a></div></div><div style="color: rgb(34, 34, 34); font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; white-space: normal; ">
<br /></div></span></div></div></div></div></div>Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3675119517382590569.post-25814943189645256812011-03-22T03:43:00.000-07:002011-04-08T11:14:42.638-07:00The Giver Blog Post Comments Discussion 3<meta charset="utf-8">I commented on Dhabitah's blogposts for The Giver Reflections 1 and 2.
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<br />Her blogpost is amazing, so you should check it out- <a href="http://dzailani17.blogspot.com/">http://dzailani17.blogspot.com/</a><div>
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<br /></div>Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3675119517382590569.post-39296117231320298012011-03-14T02:35:00.000-07:002011-03-15T08:18:29.273-07:00The Giver Blog Post Discussion 2<div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" ;font-family:georgia;font-size:medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#6600CC;">Of all God's gifts to the sighted man, color is holiest, the most divine, the most solemn.</span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" color: rgb(102, 0, 204); font-family:georgia;">~John Ruskin</span></div><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" color: rgb(34, 34, 34); font-family:'Trebuchet MS', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;font-size:medium;"><div class="t" style="text-align: justify;margin-bottom: 5px; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:Georgia, serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'Trebuchet MS', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#000000;"><br /></span></span></span></span></div><div class="t" style="text-align: justify;margin-bottom: 5px; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:Georgia, serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#3333FF;">High in the sky, arching above me, was a long, strip of color.</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#000000;"> </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#FF0000;">Red</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#000000;">, </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#FF6600;">orange</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#000000;">,</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#FFFF66;"> </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#FFCC66;">yellow</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#000000;">, </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#3366FF;">blue</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#000000;">, </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#6633FF;">indigo</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#000000;">, </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#3333FF;">and</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#000000;"> </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#6600CC;">violet</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#000000;"> </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#3333FF;">were all streaked in that line across the sky. Serving as a magnificent background, was the vast </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#000099;">blue</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#000000;"> </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#3333FF;">sky, dotted with fluffy,</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#000000;"> </span><span><span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#C0C0C0;">white</span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#C0C0C0;"> </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#3333FF;">clouds. And there below it was what seemed to be an endless meadow of green grass, speckled with</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#000000;"> </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#FF99FF;">pink</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#000000;"> </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#3333FF;">flowers. There were a few dark green leaved- trees that were supported by</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#000000;"> </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#993300;">brown</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#000000;"> </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#3333FF;">trunks.</span><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#000000;"> </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#FF0000;">C</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#3366FF;">o</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#FFCC33;">l</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#33CC00;">o</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#6600CC;">r</span></b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#000000;">. </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#3333FF;">What was before me was a colorful landscape. It would not be as fascinating without the color. </span></span></span></div><div class="t" style="text-align: justify;margin-bottom: 5px; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family:Georgia, serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#6600CC;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><br /></span></span></span></div><div class="t" style="text-align: justify;margin-bottom: 5px; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:Georgia, serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#3333FF;">Imagine a world </span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#3333FF;">without </span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#3333FF;">color... What could that mean? What would be the advantages and losses?</span></span></span></div></span><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#3333FF;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#6600CC;">Color brightens our world. It engulfs us every day in our lives and has immense psychological impact on our minds. Color can provoke our emotions and they cause our brains to stimulate and process what we are seeing, so we are able to identify the sights we glance at. Multiple colors can catch our eye and can make the environment around us more appealing. Color compliments our sensitivity to our surroundings. Our reactions and perceptions of life are influenced by color. </span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#3333FF;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0); "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(204, 51, 204); "><br /></span></span></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#3333FF;">Having no color is normal for Jonas, a boy who lives in a constricted community, but as he explores the numerous abilities that comes with being the Receiver, he begins to question why his world does not have color. He has grown up in a world devoid of any color all his life and this new look of life is overwhelming. All these different hues popping up in various places excites Jonas. </span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#3333FF;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:Georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 18px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#3333FF;">"The Giver told him that it would be a very long time before he had the colors to keep.</span></span></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:Georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 18px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#3333FF;"><br /></span></span></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:Georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 18px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#3333FF;">'But I want them!' Jonas said said angrily. 'It isn't fair that nothing has color!' "</span></span></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:Georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 18px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#3333FF;"><br /></span></span></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:Georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 18px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#3333FF;">(Page 97)</span></span></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#009900;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#3333FF;">This statement of Jonas's was provoked by his opinion and thoughts. Jonas says this for a myriad of possible reasons.</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#CC33CC;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#6600CC;">Jonas's community does not have freedom of expression or emotion, both of which are evoked by color. Several unique colors are in contact with our emotions and have the ability to make us feel a certain way. Non-primary colors are more calming than primary colors. Yellow invokes cheeriness and orange has a calming sense about it. People have different opinions to go with different colors. Every individual color has its own set of evident influences and meaning, which can be used to help better understand our world and our behavioral patterns. </span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#CC33CC;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#3333FF;">Jonas must have a liking for colors for they enable him to express himself, something he is not very familiar with, because of the rules of the community where he resides. When the Committee took away color, they removed an essential part of people's expression. Color forms the pathway for expression to follow. They are only a limited number of ways to express yourself and when the Committee diminished color, they withdrew one of these few ways. </span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#6600CC;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#3333FF;"><br /></span></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#6600CC;">Colors can provide choices. In our world, you can pick what sort of color you want to wear or single out a color you particular like such as shade of blue, red, etc. Jonas realizes this in the story: </span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#6600CC;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#6600CC;">" 'Well...' Jonas had to stop and think it through. 'If everything's the same, then there aren't any choices! I want to wake up in the morning and </span><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#6600CC;">decide </span></i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#6600CC;"> things! A blue tunic, or a red one?</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#6600CC;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#6600CC;">He looked down at himself, at the colorless fabric of his clothing. 'But it's all the same always.'"</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#6600CC;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#6600CC;">(Page 97)</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#6600CC;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#6600CC;">I could feel the pain in Jonas's tone. He is not able to make choices for himself, because they are all predetermined by the Committee in Jonas's community. Jonas wants the responsibility of making his own decisions and I would to. No choices means no freedom. What is a life without freedom? Taking away color was the Committee's way of manipulating the thoughts of the people in the community. Along with color they also extracted their freedom of choice and opinion. </span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#3333FF;">Just as colors can be pleasing and nice, they can be used for negative purposes. For example, people have associated black or dark colors with something mysterious or evil. White is often portrayed as a pure, angelic, or virgin color. In some instances around the world, people were treated differently by the color of their skin. For example, ancient India had caste system based on color or varna. The Committee in Jonas's community decided to diminish color, because it created differences. And when there is a difference, people usually disagree, because they do not think the same way. Although in our current society, people have learned not to use color as a negative tool against others.</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(204, 51, 204); "><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#6600CC;">In Jonas's community, I suspect, that their surroundings are no longer beautiful. Color creates the effect of beauty. Diverse colors make the world pretty. Colors give character to life. The serene</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#3333FF;"> </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#009900;">green</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#3333FF;"> </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#6600CC;">of the trees, the thrilling</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#3333FF;"> <span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#33CCFF;">blue</span> </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#6600CC;">of water, and the fiery</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#3333FF;"> </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#FF0000;">red</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#3333FF;"> </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#6600CC;">of the sun burning in the sky. All of these are exquisite colors that we usually see everyday. Picture all that gone. What is left is a world that has been sucked of all its choice, opinion, expression, attractiveness, and beauty. Jonas does not want that, because he has experiences seeing color and how it could affect his opinions, choices, expression, and the beauty to the world and this is why he states that it is unfair that his world does not have color.</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#CC33CC;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#3333FF;">Color is around us so often, that most of the time we do not appreciate the true significance of color. We take it for granted, for we are born with the ability to see all the colors around us. Color should be valued for it is one of our pathways to connect with our emotion and expression. The ability to see color is a gift and everyone should cherish it.</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" -webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 1px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 1px; font-family:Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;font-size:small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#6600CC;">The </span><a href="http://www.artquotes.net/subjects/world-quotes.htm" style="background-color: transparent; letter-spacing: normal; font-family: Verdana, Arial; font-weight: bold; font-variant: normal; font-size: 10pt; font-style: normal; text-decoration: none; text-transform: none; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#6600CC;">whole world</span></a>, </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" -webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 1px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 1px; font-family:Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;font-size:small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#3333FF;">as we </span><a href="http://www.artquotes.net/subjects/experience-quotes.htm" style="background-color: transparent; letter-spacing: normal; font-family: Verdana, Arial; font-weight: bold; font-variant: normal; font-size: 10pt; font-style: normal; text-decoration: none; text-transform: none; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#3333FF;">experience</span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#3333FF;"> it visually</span>, </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" -webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 1px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 1px; font-family:Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;font-size:small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#CC33CC;">comes to us through the </span><a href="http://www.artquotes.net/subjects/mystery-quotes.htm" style="background-color: transparent; letter-spacing: normal; font-family: Verdana, Arial; font-weight: bold; font-variant: normal; font-size: 10pt; font-style: normal; text-decoration: none; text-transform: none; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#CC33CC;">mystic realm</span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#CC33CC;"> of </span><a href="http://www.artquotes.net/quotes-color.htm" style="background-color: transparent; letter-spacing: normal; font-family: Verdana, Arial; font-weight: bold; font-variant: normal; font-size: 10pt; font-style: normal; text-decoration: none; text-transform: none; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#CC33CC;">color</span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#CC33CC;">.</span> </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" color: rgb(102, 0, 204); -webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 1px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 1px; font-family:Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">~Hans Hoffman</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" -webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 1px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 1px; font-family:Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;font-size:small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#6600CC;"><br /></span></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" -webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 1px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 1px; font-family:Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;font-size:small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#6600CC;"><br /></span></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" -webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 1px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 1px; font-family:Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;font-size:small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#6600CC;"><br /></span></span></div><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 234px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-qU16t8zwU3g/TX9bMxwq_iI/AAAAAAAAADs/ZSXRA9S23jU/s320/exp-rainbow-main.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5584282338036743714" /><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;font-size:85%;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 1px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 1px;"><br /></span></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;font-size:85%;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 1px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 1px;"> </span></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;font-size:85%;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 1px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 1px;"><br /></span></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;font-size:85%;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 1px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 1px;"><br /></span></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 1px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 1px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#6600CC;">Picture from:</span></span></span></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 1px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 1px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"></span><a href="http://express.howstuffworks.com/exp-rainbow.htm"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">http://express.howstuffworks.com/exp-rainbow.htm</span></a></span></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 1px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 1px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><br /></span></span></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 1px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 1px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"> </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#3333FF;">Quotes from:</span></span></span></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" -webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 1px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 1px; font-family:Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><a href="http://thinkexist.com/quotations/colors/"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">http://thinkexist.com/quotations/colors/</span></a></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><a href="http://en.proverbia.net/citastema.asp?tematica=202"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">http://en.proverbia.net/citastema.asp?tematica=202</span></a></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';"><a href="http://www.artquotes.net/quotes-color.htm"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">http://www.artquotes.net/quotes-color.htm</span></a></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;font-size:85%;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 1px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 1px;"><br /></span></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;font-size:85%;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 1px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 1px;"><br /></span></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;font-size:85%;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 1px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 1px;"><br /></span></span></div>Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3675119517382590569.post-39814949934420677972011-03-06T01:55:00.000-08:002011-03-12T23:47:13.364-08:00The Giver Blog Post Discussion 1<div><br /></div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-pXrP-Xr4HuQ/TXRgveXpdwI/AAAAAAAAADU/SgmNYsUJFuQ/s1600/200px-The_Giver_Cover.gif"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 303px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-pXrP-Xr4HuQ/TXRgveXpdwI/AAAAAAAAADU/SgmNYsUJFuQ/s320/200px-The_Giver_Cover.gif" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5581192206941255426" /></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#FF0000;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#6600CC;"> http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Giver</span></span></div> </span><!--StartFragment--><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><u><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#6600CC;">The Giver</span></u><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#6600CC;"> by Lois Lowry is a fascinating book that deals with views on freedom and this invokes my interest. This science-fiction novel revolves around a world where people are bound to a predetermined future, confined to a specific lifestyle, and trapped in an emotionless state without knowledge of anything, but the rule of their utopian society. It is a complex concept to grasp, but I am beginning to understand, just as Jonas is starting to realize that everything is not what it seems. In our world we have much more freedom than in the community Jonas lives in, although we still have rules that set us in order. Multiple questions are brought forth from this book such as the one I am willing to answer: Why is interdependence fostered in this community?</span></p><div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#3333FF;">From a young age people of Jonas's community are taught to depend on one another. Everyone looks out for each other. For instance, in this community, children button each other coats and jackets from the back gaining a confidence that they have someone who would aid them when they were in need. No one is to point out differences that they notice and they cannot brag about their accomplishments and skills, thus not provoking problems. The Ceremony of Twelve is when the people are beginning to feel a little more independent, as they are given various occupations and welcome their sole talent, although they still feel dependent with others. The job of the Receiver is solitary and is the one position where the person is to be independent. Everyone else is of a mutual understanding that they remain supporting each other.</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#6600CC;">This sense of interdependence is fostered in this community, probably because the Committee enforces this. If everyone depends on each other, then there is less chance of wars and disruption. Everything would remain the same and thus be balanced and organized. No one would turn against another, or disagree, and peace would reign. A bond of trust is created between everyone and there is a feeling of reassurance. If the community trusts and respects the Committee then the Committee is able to do whatever they please to ensure a successful community and the society would go along with this. The community would feel safer, for you would know that anyone would offer their protection and defense. Younger children would hold adults in high regard, and have faith that whatever they do is right and will behave identically. The people of this community respect and depend on the Committee. This interdependence establishes a stable, trusting community who would respect the Committee in time of need. </span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#FF0000;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#3333FF;">Though interdependence should be fostered in a society, so should a comprehension of individuality and independence. For if the Committee were to make a wrong decision, then the community would unquestioningly follow, also making a mistake. If everyone depended on one leader in charge, then there would be no choice and no opinion. The voice of the people would not be heard. The people just go by their schedule and what the Committee tells them to do, because they have formed an interdependent relationship with them. These people do not have the liberty of exploring and inventing new ways to enhance society, because they are restricted by the predetermined future the Committee has set for them. Their futures would be predetermined and set by the leader, without any say in what will happen to them. Even if the leader does choose a fair future, there would be no alteration if the person did not like the decided future. Being independent and having the freedom to make your own decisions is not available in this community, due to its strong dependence with the commanding person and confinement in rights. People should have the right to decide what they think is justified and be able to help themselves if there was no one they could depend on and they should in turn respect each other's differences, as others, too, have rights. The Committee itself depends on the people of the community. If someone were to step out of order it would disrupt the run of the society, for everyone has a specific job that assists the community in some way. Independence should be treasured, for it is an advantage and enables you to be able to make your own decisions and not have to depend on someone, entirely. </span></div></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#6600CC;">This question drew me to ponder about our current society. In </span><u><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#6600CC;">The Giver</span></u><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#6600CC;"> the community depends on each other. In our world, people depend on our elected presidents or people to finalize decisions, but only after taking the opinions of the community. We have the right to vote and speak against situations that we do not agree with</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#6600CC;">. In most places there is a freedom of opinion, which I think is essential in a community. If it was not f</span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#6600CC;">or our freedom of opinion, there would be no positive change brought to the world from great people like Martin Luther King and Mahatma Gandhi. </span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#6600CC;">In this way we do have our independence and are able to make our own choices. Although an interdependence between the community has its advantages, I am glad that in my world, for the most part, we are not completely dependent on someone, because I am an individual person and deserve to have my say in what happens to my world and so does everyone else. </span></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#CC0000;"><br /></span></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#33CCFF;">C</span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#33CCFF;">hange starts with an independent ripple, which evolves into an interdependent wave that can improve humanity and all its worth.</span></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#3366FF;"><br /></span></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#3366FF;"><br /></span></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#3366FF;"><br /></span></span></div>Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3675119517382590569.post-79596053417403965912011-02-07T20:56:00.000-08:002011-02-16T04:32:35.784-08:00Ancient Egypt iMovie Reflection<div style="text-align: justify;">Ancient Egypt was a great civilization and thrived for thousands of years. They enabled various opportunities that we have today. Ancient Egyptian civilization was built on strong foundation. They flourished under the able rule of their pharaohs. Through the process of making our iMovies we were able to learn about how these rulers were able to lead Egypt to success or failure. I, and my partner, Nick, had the lucky experience of doing our iMovie on the last pharaoh of Ancient Egypt, Cleopatra XIV. We were able to appreciate what accomplishments Cleopatra achieved and when and how she affected Egyptian history when she reigned.</div><div><div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Throughout her reign, Cleopatra constructed various monuments, like other pharaohs of Ancient Egypt. But why did pharaohs, much like Cleopatra, create these? Probably, because they wanted to leave an imprint on history, or showcase their superiority and resemblance to different Egyptian gods through their monuments. Cleopatra in particular used monuments to display that she was the reincarnation of Isis, the Ancient Egyptian mother goddess, and created several monuments depicting her as Isis. Other pharaohs have tried a similar strategy to gain their subjects' trust and adoration. Some of the monuments may have been made to praise and applaud a pharaoh, by putting them up high on the pedestal and their egocentric attitude can be helpful for convincing the people they are great. Numerous constructions could also be built to represent the benchmarks and important events of history. Multiple monuments were created for religious purposes. Any monument makes an impact on the people living in the same society.</div><div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div></div><div style="text-align: justify;">In our current society we have similar monuments that were made for similar purposes. The monuments today are iconic for the city or country of its birth. Famous constructions such as the Great Wall of China, the Taj Mahal, Big Ben, the Eiffel Tower, the Sidney Opera House, the KL Twin Towers, Statue of Liberty and endless others represent their city for one reason or another. These constructions are known across the world and have made the city of where they are located popular and recognizable. Even though some of the structures that were built long ago were for purposes of religion, protection, or any other reasons, they have been maintained for the main motive of being renowned and drawing tourists and investors. People look up at these constructions and immediately know where they are from and their story, proud of their city or country's accomplishments.</div><div>
<br /></div><meta equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html;charset=UTF-8"><img src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_P0orao1w0gE/TVP0ghsS2iI/AAAAAAAAACc/mF3Fs7Nvotg/s320/Taj_Mahal_in_March_2004.jpeg" style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 264px;" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5572066003624581666" /><div style="text-align: center;"> The Taj Mahal, India</div><div style="text-align: center;"> <a href="http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Taj_Mahal_in_March_2004.jpg">http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Taj_Mahal_in_Marc</a><a href="http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Taj_Mahal_in_March_2004.jpg">h_2004.jpg</a></div><div>
<br /></div><meta equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html;charset=UTF-8"><meta equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html;charset=UTF-8"><meta equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html;charset=UTF-8"><img src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-6H6I3f42HQE/TVP1HP6HRJI/AAAAAAAAACk/rOcjdOswBZk/s320/liberty.jpeg" style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 240px; height: 320px;" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5572066668865602706" /><div style="text-align: center;"> The Statue of Liberty, U.S.A</div><div style="text-align: center;"> <a href="http://wirednewyork.com/landmarks/liberty/">http://wirednewyork.com/landmarks/liberty/</a></div><meta equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html;charset=UTF-8"><div style="text-align: center;">
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<br /></div><img src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_P0orao1w0gE/TVP3dWBhg7I/AAAAAAAAAC8/8sfoSpPxslk/s320/chinawallarge.gif" style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 214px;" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5572069247487673266" /><div style="text-align: center;"> The Great Wall of China, China</div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.crystalinks.com/chinawall.html"> http://www.crystalinks.com/chinawall.html</a></div><div>
<br /></div><div><img src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_P0orao1w0gE/TVP4BDnuKpI/AAAAAAAAADE/ju9vc_S0KS8/s320/Sydney_Opera_House_Sails_edit02.jpeg" style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 211px;" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5572069861022902930" /></div><div style="text-align: center;">The Sidney Opera House, Australia</div><div style="text-align: center;"> <a href="http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Sydney_Opera_House_Sails_edit02.jpg">http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Sydney_Opera_House_Sails_edit02.jpg</a></div><div style="text-align: center;">
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<br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Using Google Docs definitely aided us in our collaborated process of finishing this assignment. We were able to both complete our project, piece by piece, together establishing success. If the need arises, we could communicate from our houses and discuss on the Google Doc itself, about what information we could add. Knowing that someone else could check over your work, through the Google Doc, gave me a sense of comfort, for I had someone to lean on when I needed assistance. The Google Doc guaranteed a less mass of work to do. We were able to organize our work schedule and have a specific person to a do a section of the project, while the other worked on something else. It was nice to see that our notes and script on Google Docs benefited our project and that Google Docs was a reliable support for any collaboration assignment.</div><div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">This assignment, though based on a single pharaoh, gave us an insight on what all pharaohs strove for or what drove them to their fall. We were able to examine how an excellent society had control and comfort in their midst, by learning about the leaders of that society. Also, we could redirect this information on stable or instable civilizations and compare them to others, knowing what makes a developed community. We identified how the pharaohs' war plans, tactics, influence, relationship with others, and leadership affected a civilization, immensely.</div><div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">The challenging part of this assignment, for us, was distributing the work load, even with the aid of Google Docs, for though you can communicate through the document, it does not always ensure the carrying out of what you discuss, because that depends on your partner. In any collaboration communication is key, but I think that my partnership lacked this. We did not fully discuss what we were supposed to do and worked independently for the first half of the assignment. Although, along the way we learned to depend on each other for the completion of this project and I gained a trust for my partner to be able to finish what was needed. So, this assignment proved a learning experience and strengthened my skills in group work activities. </div><div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">There were a few school-wide learning results that would apply to this type of project such as Collaborate Constructively and Communicate Effectively. These two were essential in my partnership and I think if you established this while working on your project, you would do well. Both of these key SLR's are important to the contribution of work and organization of your project. If you communicate effectively with your partner, then you have a better idea of what you are going to do and how the project is going to be done. Collaborating constructively and using your time wisely will assist you in the challenging process of finishing the project. I think having these two SLR'S are necessary for this project.</div><div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">This iMovie was an excellent experience and I was able to learn so much about Ancient Egypt, one of the greatest civilizations of all time.</div><div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Here is our (my partner and I) iMovie:</div><div>
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<br /><iframe title="YouTube video player" width="640" height="390" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/ad4IyVAUnrE" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen=""></iframe><div>
<br /></div><div><a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ad4IyVAUnrE">http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ad4IyVAUnrE</a></div><div>
<br /></div><div>We graded our own iMovie, including 4 others. Check it out-</div><div> <a href="https://docs.google.com/a/iskl.edu.my/Doc?docid=0Af5HdL2M9LylZGc0NWpkNWZfMTg1Z3B3aDJjZ2c&hl=en&authkey=CKXh9scG">Sunskruthi and Nick's iMovie Rubric</a></div><div>
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<br /></div>Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3675119517382590569.post-90097707817724111682011-01-25T22:12:00.000-08:002011-02-11T20:22:33.040-08:00My Reflection On My City Connection<div><br /></div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_P0orao1w0gE/TUWA_EAuijI/AAAAAAAAAAc/vpD-4XkMCaY/s1600/Bangalore24764.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 230px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_P0orao1w0gE/TUWA_EAuijI/AAAAAAAAAAc/vpD-4XkMCaY/s320/Bangalore24764.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5567998335210392114" /></a><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"> The City of Bengaluru</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"> <a href="http://www.oyunlab.com/5-City-resimleri/liste-320.html">http://www.oyunlab.com/5-City-resimleri/liste-320.html</a></span></div><div style="text-align: justify; "><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify; "><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify; ">Bengaluru is a well-developed city in the state of Karnataka and is a leading IT exporter. The population being more than 5,000,000 and the average age being 26, the people of Bengaluru have certainly aided their city in it enormous growth over the past few decades. Environmental factors have also played a role in the establishment of Bangalore and historical factors of the past have definitely influenced the present. Throughout the years I have seen Bengaluru's fast changes in society and this made me wonder how a place can develop at a rapid rate in the right direction and how it reflected in people's lives. Bengaluru is a familiar city to me, as my parents are from there. I wanted to understand these developments and how Bengaluru became so global. These were the multiple reasons I chose to do my City Connection project on Bengaluru; it was a haven of new interesting knowledge that I never knew before. Several of my questions were already answered at the beginning of my research, but my study of Bengaluru also raised additional questions to ponder over. The final product of my City Connection is a success and it is now time to reflect upon my work.</div><div><div><div style="text-align: justify; "><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify; ">1. What do you believe you did well on the project?</div><div style="text-align: justify; "><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify; ">I believe I worked hard on my presentation and the final presentation was quite informative. I shed light on the environmental and historical factors of Bengaluru and I shared statistics that would spark interest for the audience. The pictures of my presentation enhanced and made the presentation attractive for others to see. Also, the slide design and font color of the text were pleasing to the eyes. My presentation had all the needed criteria. Though, my presentation was a rewarding accomplishment, improvement was welcomed.</div><div style="text-align: justify; "><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify; ">2. What would you improve for future projects/presentations?</div><div style="text-align: justify; "><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify; ">I think that my actual presentation in front of the class was okay, but could be better. Due to my nervousness, I skipped some of my information and was in a hurry to finish up. Now looking back there was no reason to stress or be nervous, for everyone was going to present. Next time I should not be tensed, because when I feel under intense pressure I usually blank out. I could have practiced more and memorized a little of the content or used notecards, instead of reading off the presentation, which withdrew my eye contact with the viewers and made my voice bounce off the wall, when it should have been directed to the listeners. I should have spoken in a louder voice and maybe even have used a bit of tone and facial expression, so my presentation would be exciting. My main goal of improvement should be focused on my presentation skills.</div><div style="text-align: justify; "><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify; ">3. What did you learn from you preparation (for your presentation) in addition to the presentation of others?</div><div style="text-align: justify; "><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify; ">This whole project was to learn more about the place where you or your classmates call home and I did just that. I never knew the history of Bengaluru and did not think of finding out about it, but this presentation drove me to do this. The history of Bengaluru appealed to me and I am glad that I was able attain so much knowledge of it. The advancement of Bengaluru which was once a small place, but now a major city housing most international fortune and more than 500 successful companies, was riveting to read about. Bengaluru presence in the global economy proved to be something worthwhile to know. I was able to learn of the environmental resources in Bengaluru, such as the Vrishabhavathi, a minor tributary of the Arkavathi River, which I had seen before. My understanding of how education and liberalization can affect the people and their country was elevated. I was amazed at how many of us are from two or three places and this project gave me the opportunity to discover more about these places.</div><div style="text-align: justify; "><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify; ">4. What is your analysis of your performance?</div><div style="text-align: justify; "><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify; ">My performance was good, although my presentation skills could be better. I think the product matters more than the presenting itself, for it displays the learning of the people who are not the greatest presenters. My presentation contained everything that was supposed to be included and had intriguing graphics. Since I worked immensely hard on this presentation the achieved project was quite nice. Overall, I think my performance was well done.</div><div style="text-align: justify; "><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify; ">To see my presentation click on this-</div><div style="text-align: justify; "><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify; "><a href="https://docs.google.com/a/iskl.edu.my/present/edit?id=0Af5HdL2M9LylZGc0NWpkNWZfMTQ5djJiOWt2Y3M&hl=en&authkey=COPH35kH">Sunskruthi's Bengaluru Presentation</a></div></div></div>Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3675119517382590569.post-10979295605625973062011-01-11T05:38:00.000-08:002011-03-30T03:08:35.211-07:00New Year Resolutions and My Christmas Break<div style="text-align: justify;">1. Write 2 resolutions and goals for the coming year ~ Be sure to include rationale/ explanations to support your ideas.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">New year resolutions are made when a person looks back on previous years and wants to change their lifestyle and habits for the better. People must keep to their word and carry out their resolutions throughout the new year. I tend to break my resolutions quickly when they are small changes to my lifestyle, but when they are important I do try my hardest to fulfill my goals. The problem is I do not make important resolutions any more, so this year I made two resolutions that I think I should complete, because these resolutions will prove useful in the future.<br /><br /></div><div><div style="text-align: justify;">My first resolution is to spend more time with my dog. My dog is more like my brother and he is close to me, because I grew up with him. I do not know why, but something about animals makes me happier and I think they have the same effect on other people, too. Spending time with my dog strengthens my bond with him and also makes me cheerful, but these days I do not have enough time to play with him, because I have loads of work and other jobs to finish. My mom often reminds how important it is to play with him, because he is quite lonely. I am going to fulfill this resolution by playing catch with my dog, taking him on long walks, talking to him, and making sure he feels appreciated and loved. This year I am going to accomplish this for not only me, but also for my dog.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">The second resolution that I have set for myself this new year is to enhance a life of an under-privileged. This is usually the goal of my family and I and we have strongly beliefs in it, because there are so many lives that are less fortunate and every child has a right to a bright future. People that are in needy situations require our assistance. I am going to carry out this resolution by sponsoring a child and paying for the child's health benefits using programs such as this one: Sparsh Vachana. This group works in helping children with physical disabilities. For more information go to this site:</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><a href="http://www.blogger.com/goog_683832431"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: black;"><br /></span> </a></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><a href="http://www.sparshvachana.com/vachana/Default.aspx"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: black;">http://www.sparshvachana.com/vachana/Default.aspx</span></a></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Everyone has a right to health, food, and shelter and it is the responsibility of the people of the entire world to help each other for we are all one people, one family. And a family rejoices in success together, but also face problems together. </div></div><div><br /></div><div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijhVa7ooHfcfQzaq2TfmTGGKS-Ff-e5aaJx0digPyHoE5Ue0UpSiz8_qjt_mRgEc1GCnL8HNWz3_KjgEEeH7R9RE2XJmImd_CTqEuRgQmj5z8p86KoIROK5aPTW1TCDYG3Lrpg6t0kMsU/s1600/Picture+3.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: black;"><img border="0" height="79" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijhVa7ooHfcfQzaq2TfmTGGKS-Ff-e5aaJx0digPyHoE5Ue0UpSiz8_qjt_mRgEc1GCnL8HNWz3_KjgEEeH7R9RE2XJmImd_CTqEuRgQmj5z8p86KoIROK5aPTW1TCDYG3Lrpg6t0kMsU/s320/Picture+3.png" width="320" /></span></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div><div style="text-align: justify;">2. Write a snapshot from your holidays.</div></div></div><div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div></div><div><div style="text-align: justify;">The Arabian desert in Dubai was an ocean of golden sand that seemed to stretch endlessly into the horizon. We bounced on our seats in our car and screamed as we slid across hills of sand and rocketed to the tourist spot that included dune buggies to ride. Skidding to a halt, we held on tight to our seat belts and gazed outside. The sun was moving down in the pink and yellow colored sky, as the land welcomed dusk. When we were finally able to take our eyes off the beautiful sky, we were once more interested by what we saw. People were riding dune buggies in a large patch of sunlit sand. The bikers were wearing huge grins and were having the time of their lives.</div></div><div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div></div><div><div style="text-align: justify;">We trudged in the heavy sand to the man in charge of the dune buggies and my brother and I hopped upon a dune buggy as my parents paid the man. The engine whirred as we started it up and I beamed. The tires that were specially used for riding across sand rotated as we began our journey across the restricted circle of sand that we were to ride around. I felt the wind in my face and my heart pumping rapidly. We traveled across the sand quickly and I could tell my brother, who was driving the vehicle, was making it go too fast for I was literally falling out of my seat. I gripped my seat cushion, in hopes that my hold was strong enough to save me from toppling on the the ground. Luckily, the dune buggy-man indicated my brother to slow down. The rest of the ride was a breeze and relaxing yet exhilarating at the same time. The dune buggy stopped abruptly in its fourth or fifth round of the sand-circle as the man told us our time was up.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">This ride was short and only lasted about 40 minutes, but in my mind minutes were hours, so it will always be a thrilling and memorable experience to share.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6o05flDdB05lw7f4nmVgIT292lThJNdqBHtE3TiYUTwMU1okQTOSF6mkXEw2mLvS32Num1vRFV0KZjexOWDyjOSBdv3OKNTo1_pjSMHqcQ_FNzL7qWbTJyKr38uMAtBYCecTv_1GXly4/s1600/Dubai+and+India+Trip+223.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: black;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6o05flDdB05lw7f4nmVgIT292lThJNdqBHtE3TiYUTwMU1okQTOSF6mkXEw2mLvS32Num1vRFV0KZjexOWDyjOSBdv3OKNTo1_pjSMHqcQ_FNzL7qWbTJyKr38uMAtBYCecTv_1GXly4/s400/Dubai+and+India+Trip+223.jpg" width="400" /></span></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">My dune buggy ride on the sand dunes. </div></div>Sunskruthihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02913010582002541533noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3675119517382590569.post-14965485481885839872010-12-16T07:43:00.000-08:002010-12-17T00:49:21.387-08:00Semester 1 Reflection Zeitgeist<object height="385" width="640"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/W2Tj33EsdKY?fs=1&hl=en_US"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/W2Tj33EsdKY?fs=1&hl=en_US" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="640" height="385"></embed></object><br />
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This is my reflection of my first semester of 6th grade. This year has been AMAZING! I hope you enjoy my video. :)Sunskruthihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02913010582002541533noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3675119517382590569.post-48351386150406057732010-12-02T07:14:00.000-08:002011-02-11T20:10:51.615-08:00Learning Profile E<div style="text-align: justify;">Each person has their own unique identity and trademark. Everyone is created the same way, but function and think differently. No person is the same as another. We were able to embrace this fact when we completed a test to see what Learning Profile we had. There were various Learning Profiles that are based on how you do on the test. This test discovers what your learning style is and how you process information. People were grouped into categories that centered around their way of learning. This test gave me an insight to how I learn and how I could preform better. According to my Learning Profile test I am Learning Profile E. </div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">"Learns best by analyzing and communicating (either verbal or written), the details of information. These learners will benefit by being a part of a cooperative learning group that has the freedom to talk and learn." </div><div style="text-align: justify;">I learn best when someone explains through verbal or written communication. I understand verbal/written information, for I am able to process it more efficiently. I am quite aided, because most of the assignments my teacher gives us are on written/online documents or sites. This is comfortable for me, because if I misunderstand the instruction or want to recall the it I can always refer to it, easily. A discussions will assist me, for I am able to gain a better understanding with varied aspects and opinions. If I have doubts, I can clarify these in a verbal discussion and thus enhancing my learning. Verbal and written communication are critical to my learning. </div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">"Under stress or new learning may have difficulty seeing, hearing and remembering the details."</div><div style="text-align: justify;">I agree with this, because usually when I am under pressure I start to forget what I need to know and often make silly mistakes. Even if I know the facts, say for a test, I tend to stress out and suddenly I cannot remember the essential. I learn best when I am not under pressure and am calm and relaxed. I need to improve on being at ease for if I do so I will succeed. I can accomplish this task of improvement by calming myself before a test and preparing the days before. This way I will know the crucial facts and also be able to remember these facts, for I will not be stressed. I am a perfectionist and have the desire to have everything just right. Though being a perfectionist empowers me to work hard and put the utmost effort into everything I do, it can also lead to stress. </div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">There are certain ways that I prefer to learn, though they may differ from other people's preferences. I want my teacher to know that I am serious about my work and always do my best. My grades are important to me and I value having good grades, because if I earn high grades then I feel rewarded and satisfied and that my completion of various assignments have been appreciated. Often if I do not have good grades, I work hard to improve them. I believe I am a hard worker and want to succeed. No matter what I will aim for accomplishment and never falter in my task to achieve high grades.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">This Learning Profile test will aid students and teachers. When students complete this test they are able to identify how they learn and how their learning skills can improve. They can work to develop their weaknesses and maintain their strengths in learning. Though the downside of this test is it may not be accurate to what the student thinks of him/herself. This test is a wonderful opportunity to discover what is the best way for you to learn and how you can improve on your learning skills.</div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOoI8GqoeXqol9R8GKq6S1BBw0Aj356V9oWHWNFS9yYojUjcpKlPiGbVJ2WOy0wM8xVZRjErqddPE2OtoZ6yv-RTQvSNhaLol0l89fJb2RcDeg-bbRVG9I2G6Vr5INvUV8SjVBtjXKeww/s1600/Photo+789.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOoI8GqoeXqol9R8GKq6S1BBw0Aj356V9oWHWNFS9yYojUjcpKlPiGbVJ2WOy0wM8xVZRjErqddPE2OtoZ6yv-RTQvSNhaLol0l89fJb2RcDeg-bbRVG9I2G6Vr5INvUV8SjVBtjXKeww/s320/Photo+789.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">This is my Learning Profile!</div>Sunskruthihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02913010582002541533noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3675119517382590569.post-32594277011425737052010-11-18T05:56:00.000-08:002010-11-18T05:56:07.763-08:00Working Together Is Success<div style="text-align: justify;">A collaborative Lit. Circle enables us to work together. One of the main benefits of working in a partnership for Literature Circles is that the work is divided equally between the two partners . This way there is a decreased workload for both people and more time to focus on making your half of the Lit. Circle the best it can possibly be. A partner can also give you feedback, allowing to edit and revise your work, so you do not have silly mistakes to weigh down your grade. A cooperative partner listens to your ideas and contributes their own. They do not mind if one idea may be dismissed for another. Even though the work is less, you should not slack off, because if one person does not do their work it will affect their own and their partner's grade. When working with my partner I realized that we finished the Lit. Circle very early and before the due date. Usually it would have took longer for me, alone, to be done with the whole Lit. Circle. Since we completed early, we were able to check our work and spotted errors that we had not seen before. I think collaborative Literature Circles have various advantaged benefits.<br />
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</div><div style="text-align: justify;">Though doing a partnership Literature Circle has its benefits, it also has its difficulties. The problems that my partner and I encountered were minor, but nonetheless situations that we had to overcome. There was a moment where we both had run out of ideas and were not doing much work, but soon enough we snapped out of it and worked vigorously to finish the Lit. Circle. An obstacle that we faced was we both picked the same passage. We searched the book for a different passage and eventually found one. I found that working with a partner, though with a few challenges, was a stress-free experience. I realized there is no I in teamwork and that two heads are better than one. </div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">Having a partner for Literature Circle was interesting, for I was able to gain a better understanding of the novel. My partner opened my mind to new possibilities and additional information and we were able to write this on our Lit. Circle, making it a mixture of unique thoughts and ideas. Some of her thoughts were so contrasting from mine, that first I had the conception that they were wrong, but once I thought logically I realized that they made sense. This will aid me when I do an individual Lit. Circle for my mind will try to think of other views on the story. I completed a Lit. Circle, with my partner, on a set of chapters in the story, <u>The True Confessions of Charlotte Doyle</u> by Avi. One of my conclusions concentrated on the negative: it was Charlotte's fault that Zachariah and Mr. Cranick died. My partner, however, had the idea that it was not completely Charlotte's fault, for it was Captain Jaggery that was the one who was killing innocent people directly. I discovered that I agreed with this, also, but I had never really thought about it. </div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">Collaborative Literature Circle is a benefitial opportunity to work together and understand the story, thoroughly. With obstacles included, Collaborative Lit. Circles, I believe, are easier. In life you will need to cooperate with different people and this is a way for us to practice this, so we have improved collaboration and communication skills. I enjoy the less stress and the feeling of having a job accomplished before the day it is due. The ability to work in team will prove valuable when I work in a job later in life. The synergy of us two working together made this Literature Circle successful.</div><div><br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbak0rZRyqAdu6YagRGLqXceqs8F0FeqlyizF5gF6rTN5tWHh3ZWCO3rPEud3DYO5PK8zUNzRDL4iDiwn5O1IAaPdU737C7RpoWtQ0KemLOD7io8T4JVZCzzc8nm4HwBMVUYJWXxRIwpY/s1600/ideas.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbak0rZRyqAdu6YagRGLqXceqs8F0FeqlyizF5gF6rTN5tWHh3ZWCO3rPEud3DYO5PK8zUNzRDL4iDiwn5O1IAaPdU737C7RpoWtQ0KemLOD7io8T4JVZCzzc8nm4HwBMVUYJWXxRIwpY/s1600/ideas.jpg" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.ideashelper.com/">http://www.ideashelper.com/</a></div>Sunskruthihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02913010582002541533noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3675119517382590569.post-67827457313458688862010-11-04T08:42:00.000-07:002010-11-17T04:36:33.075-08:00Literature Circle Charlotte Doyle Reflection<div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', -webkit-fantasy;">In sharing knowledge comes the power of understanding. A Literature Circle is an efficient way to share your ideas, thoughts, and predictions. Everyone has individual understanding and<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', -webkit-fantasy;"> viewpoints of a book, so to get another's thoughts on the book is interesting. </span>During my Literature Circle discussion we talked about the book, </span><u><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">The True Confessions of Charlotte Doyle</span></u><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"> by Avi, which is an exciting and mysterious book that prefers to give the slightest hints of what is to happen in the future. This magnificent book has many hidden meanings, complex characters, and heart-stopping moments around each corner. Avi has portrayed this novel from the standpoint of a girl named Charlotte, who faces intense moments, without knowing the truth of everything she sees. Each of my group members gave me inferences and thoughts on the book that were dissimilar from my own. I was awed by how differently our minds think, but that was the beauty of the Lit. Circle discussions. </span></span></span></span><br />
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</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-align: justify; text-autospace: none;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">My understanding of the book was elevated a step higher by the other's comments. Before the discussion, I had the idea that Zachariah was a bad person and nothing else, but afterwards they shed light on an idea that I did not think of: he could also be trying to help Charlotte when he offers her the knife and be a reliable, kind person. I started to understand the hidden meaning of the author's words and that some answers we need to look and ask for. Understanding of the true effect the ship and its crew has had on Charlotte came to me. Charlotte will have to live with the crew and adapt to their way of life, even though it will be tough because she comes from a higher class society. With the help of the others, I was able to gain a clearer understanding and a mind that Reasoned Critically for each page. I felt that if we Collaborated Constructively then we can understand the novel, thoroughly.</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-align: justify; text-autospace: none;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-align: justify; text-autospace: none;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">It was fascinating to see that people in my group had similar questions about the story and together we were able to get answers using evidence from the story and our combined thinking. Individual thoughts and opinions brought new questions to the surface, each begging to be answered. We found out that many of our interests were identical, for we picked the same passages. To hear each other's answers to questions was a great experience for we were able to discover that there was information that we could have added to our Lit. Circle Assignment and that we could improve upon these faults in the next Lit. Circle Assignment. We were all able to connect with each other through our similar questions and favorite passages, proving that although minds can think differently, they can also think alike.</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-align: justify; text-autospace: none;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-align: justify; text-autospace: none;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Everyone was jittery with excitement of what might happen next to Charlotte. We spent some time speaking of our predictions. There are so many predictions you can make, but you must review the story's words before creating any. My group members kept enlightening me with predictions that I never even thought of like maybe Charlotte murders Zachariah or maybe Charlotte is really a murderer and is not framed after all. All of us could not wait to read more of the story. Each page unraveled another question to answer, another mystery to solve, another piece of the puzzle to put together. The other's predictions seemed to open a door to numerous other thoughts.</span><br />
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</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-align: justify; text-autospace: none;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', fantasy;">Literature Circles bring forward varied opinions, multiple ideas, understanding, and predictions and this opens our minds to ideas and observations that we did not notice before. Each new thought from a fresh mind is like a undiscovered pathway that we can tread. Distinctive, personalized ideas and opinions is what make our world so advanced. A collaborated activity is important for it serves as a way to communicate with other people effectively. Lit. Circle enables all of us to work together with people who each have contrasting backgrounds and minds and come together as a group. These discussions give us the opportunity to see what other people think and appreciate the fact that we are all not the same and have unique ideas and concepts. As the story starts to make us increasingly puzzled the need for Lit. Circle Discussions becomes greater.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', fantasy;"><br />
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</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiilp7NR4ArOOxKfTODeruJpj8V7UVggZ3emD_nWaAbc7-RumU78cIB43EKgDcUkaVjkYxw9y6nK-Yn90Glag1JJdPLm5gKAfAsABOr7MO47OHmlqqVAfpyCSEzMJu4ZK_Zt2GxoOSxwvA/s1600/TrueConfessionsofCharlotteDoyle.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiilp7NR4ArOOxKfTODeruJpj8V7UVggZ3emD_nWaAbc7-RumU78cIB43EKgDcUkaVjkYxw9y6nK-Yn90Glag1JJdPLm5gKAfAsABOr7MO47OHmlqqVAfpyCSEzMJu4ZK_Zt2GxoOSxwvA/s320/TrueConfessionsofCharlotteDoyle.jpg" width="215" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">My Lit. Circle book</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: arial; font-size: 13px; line-height: 15px;"></span></div><div class="il_r" style="color: #228822; line-height: 15px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; max-height: 1.2em; overflow-x: hidden; overflow-y: hidden; padding-bottom: 1px; word-wrap: break-word;"><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.sunprairiepubliclibrary.org/SunPrairiePublicLibrary-HistoricalSurvivalStories.html"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">http://www.sunprairiepubliclibrary.org/SunPrairiePublicLibrary-HistoricalSurvivalStories.html</span></a></div></div><ul class="il_ul" style="list-style-image: initial; list-style-position: initial; list-style-type: none; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 1em; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"></ul><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDo2x1h9rfj4URzhaV4Ks32yeJkO2I4yP6VIZbAd-WeZ-KnakclUNwdMOXMrgj6yXd3aJMkc7cfyUQOhL8gl_pNHMdrz-C89LvdWzMLDWoBsTP3SZ-iAG_cr6OdpVmTkJx4VlRZ7X2M6E/s1600/Picture+3.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="241" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDo2x1h9rfj4URzhaV4Ks32yeJkO2I4yP6VIZbAd-WeZ-KnakclUNwdMOXMrgj6yXd3aJMkc7cfyUQOhL8gl_pNHMdrz-C89LvdWzMLDWoBsTP3SZ-iAG_cr6OdpVmTkJx4VlRZ7X2M6E/s320/Picture+3.png" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This is my group and I discussing our Literature Circle Assignment.<br />
<a href="http://www.slide.com/r/Uqwu6Sam5j8xG-BsA1ycZOhYtd-pJc_w?map=2&cy=bb">http://www.slide.com/r/Uqwu6Sam5j8xG-BsA1ycZOhYtd-pJc_w?map=2&cy=bb</a></td></tr>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', -webkit-fantasy;"><div><span id="goog_1466418966"></span><span id="goog_1466418967"></span></div></span></div></div>Sunskruthihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02913010582002541533noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3675119517382590569.post-75811775971226309072010-10-28T08:14:00.000-07:002011-03-08T05:57:54.057-08:00Reasons For Advancement<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#3333FF;">History took different paths for different people because of the environment, not due to biological difference among people. I think there is no such thing as a superior race or superior country. The food production, domestication of animals, availability of land, trade, and colonization was the key to a successful civilization. The countries that seem to be developed today are above the the Tropics of Cancer. We can support this argument with examples of various countries like America which is a vast country with a variety of resources that are useful such as a large amount of water and vacant land and in Euro- Asia there is flat land and a variety of natural resources, like oil, that have helped them become technologically and economically better. On the other hand in Papua New Guinea people have tried to domesticate wild, ferocious animals and failed and cannot plant many useful crops on their land. </span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#3333FF;"><br /></span></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#3333FF;">The countries above the Tropics of Cancer are wealthier than others because of the species of animals that can be domesticated there, like goat, sheep, and cattle. When the people from England defied the British rule and came to America, they brought with them cattle, which turned out to be a very useful resource. In England the abundance of sheep made them dominant in the wool industry. In Middle East oil available makes them a wealthier country. Large land and more crops help growth of population. Successful farming is dependent on dirt that is fertile. This was a conflict for people who did not live in a land that was fertile. Americans grew tobacco, sugar, cotton, rice, sugar cane, and coffee with the use of slave labor, in its vast, fertile and vacant land. European countries grew crops such as potatoes, wheat, and barely. In countries where there is less agricultural land they cannot grow staple crops. For example in Papua New Guinea, the people eat sago for it is plentiful in their land, but has less protein and is not as nutritious as barely and wheat. Advanced culture developed in areas where there was flat, fertile land as in Mesopotamian civilization or any other early civilizations. The location of these countries above the Tropic of Cancer gave rise to many trade routes and made exchanging of goods between different countries easier.</span></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#3333FF;"><br /></span></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#3333FF;">The other reason for these nations to become wealthier was colonization. Colonization increased the pace of advancement of European countries. New land discoveries made by explorers like Columbus added to the wealth and advancement. European countries became powerful from the Middle Ages to the 20th century, because of money, natural resources, and slaves from colonies. England colonized most of America, India, West Indes, and Africa. Slave trade in America led to more production of agricultural goods and market revolution. Also technical advancement and wealth of these nations made it easier for them to colonize other countries and use their natural resources.</span></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#3333FF;"><br /></span></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#3333FF;"> In conclusion, civilization developed not because of intelligence but due to chain developments that was made possible by certain conditions. The biological difference was irrelevant to the rise of power from the countries above the Tropics of Cancer. The conditions of the countries from the same region of the top half-hemisphere of the world ensured a better survival and a convenient way of life. My hypothesis is the key to advancement was the geographical location and the abundance of natural resources both animal and plant life, colonization, and slave labour that enabled more productivity and wealth.</span></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#3333FF;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="text-decoration: underline; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#3333FF;"><br /></span></span></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2zYQe0vfUGxdIPHv7aj-1eJGPV-mH-2JFVGdWQ3Hjri2UlUxyzjGjWqwNWyUJnaOmTQezlL-DzFlKMmua2l11Yxe6lf48Cqadz8KSEaaFrgVSMDa-dwqMemOOABuyAgRcTEqJCmXwltw/s1600/World_map_with_tropic_of_cancer.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#3333FF;"><img border="0" height="164" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2zYQe0vfUGxdIPHv7aj-1eJGPV-mH-2JFVGdWQ3Hjri2UlUxyzjGjWqwNWyUJnaOmTQezlL-DzFlKMmua2l11Yxe6lf48Cqadz8KSEaaFrgVSMDa-dwqMemOOABuyAgRcTEqJCmXwltw/s320/World_map_with_tropic_of_cancer.jpg" width="320" /></span></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#3333FF;">The Tropic of Cancer<br /></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><div class="a" id="imgi" style=" ;font-family:arial, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#3333FF;">www.worldsbestbeachtowns.com/bea...-bahamas</span></div></span></td></tr></tbody></table><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#3333FF;"><br /></span><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBW72ZLxZF1I4tvhNasdh9lXj3zwFGRKarmR-ybkCK4BcoFZmPovGc1kiWYvfcIHiGatbfbr_KqRJAmh3TmUFbAhyphenhyphen6FT3bWFrRW5d2QkFYnSJxfPW_Y2LEpjwlUn-VqTmx1lUx4PMOC78/s1600/blockson_slave_trade_sm.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#3333FF;"><img border="0" height="223" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBW72ZLxZF1I4tvhNasdh9lXj3zwFGRKarmR-ybkCK4BcoFZmPovGc1kiWYvfcIHiGatbfbr_KqRJAmh3TmUFbAhyphenhyphen6FT3bWFrRW5d2QkFYnSJxfPW_Y2LEpjwlUn-VqTmx1lUx4PMOC78/s320/blockson_slave_trade_sm.jpg" width="320" /></span></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#3333FF;">Slave Trade<br /></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><div class="a" id="imgi" style=" ;font-family:arial, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#3333FF;">www1.american.edu/ted/slave.htm</span></div><div class="a" id="imgi" style=" ;font-family:arial, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#3333FF;"><br /></span></div></span></td></tr></tbody></table><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9pyyHCPGFqaENpkWR_NlarNipuX0ZvS3wkQ2DnlyJyHwLAscCn4T08Urz1CCuqtoZ_dMA888i4yDseD3cojrF1S2MqqOXaSYXLJVmklYGMrzorWDDAgzK8MbUvxrSYqWzY376bsuKmWs/s1600/mesopotamia0.gif" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#3333FF;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9pyyHCPGFqaENpkWR_NlarNipuX0ZvS3wkQ2DnlyJyHwLAscCn4T08Urz1CCuqtoZ_dMA888i4yDseD3cojrF1S2MqqOXaSYXLJVmklYGMrzorWDDAgzK8MbUvxrSYqWzY376bsuKmWs/s1600/mesopotamia0.gif" /></span></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#3333FF;">Mesopotamian Civilization<br /></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><div class="a" id="imgi" style=" ;font-family:arial, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#3333FF;">history.howstuffworks.com/asian-...amia.htm</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#3333FF;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#3333FF;"><br /></span></div></span></td></tr></tbody></table><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#3333FF;"><br /><br /></span><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#3333FF;"><br /></span><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#3333FF;"><br /></span></div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#3333FF;"><br /><br /></span><br /><br /></div>Sunskruthihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02913010582002541533noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3675119517382590569.post-34848809797088197782010-10-18T07:35:00.000-07:002010-10-18T08:04:32.770-07:00He who plants a tree, Plants a hope. ~Lucy Larcom :)<div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">I trudged up the crumbled side-walk, thinking of how refreshing it would be to lay flat on my bed with a bottle of cold water... Cold, cold water...</span></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><br />
</span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"> </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"> </span></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">"Come on guys! We are almost there!" Mrs. Smith exclaimed over the small rustlings that our feet made on the dead leaves of the trees.</span></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><br />
</span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"> </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"> </span></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">Hot Malaysian air was thick around me. The trees made it a little cooler, each time we walked under it's umbrella-like branches, blocking out the sun. Oh, the sun. It was blazing its overpowering rays upon me and I could not think straight. I organized my thoughts and tried to think of the postives. </span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: italic;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">I am doing this for everyone, for nature, for Mother Earth. This will be worth it in the long run. </span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">I thought about the park ranger's words and suddenly I realized that this job of planting one mangrove could affect the environment around it immensely.</span></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><br />
</span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"> </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"> </span></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">Each tree should be thought of as a breath of air. If we run out of trees, we run out of good, clean air. The environment depends on these trees. The branches that reach to the sky balance the environment. But say if these trees were cut down, demolished to make buildings and golf courses, then wouldn't the environment be destroyed? Trees serve for many purposes, so what would happen to the Kuala Selangor Nature Park if the over 200 trees there were to be gone? Animals would be killed and the park would be nothing. Keeping these trees is our duty as the most intelligent race in the world. </span></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><br />
</span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"> </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"> </span></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">In my mind I think of a tree as a guardian and a role</span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"> model. It unselfishly lends its branches, trunks, and leaves for protection against winds, rains, and floods from reaching the uplands. It also provide safe nursery areas for crustaceans, fishes, and other marine life. The mudflats of Kuala Selangor are home to mudskippers, mud lobsters, and mangrove crabs who wade in its muddy pools. Otters are seen on the water's surfaces. Mangroves are also a source of food for marine life like shrimp. It's roots and branches are s</span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">helters for animals. Birds from around the world, like </span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 2px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 2px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">kingfishers, pond herons, bee-eaters, and water cocks</span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 0px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"> migrate and take rest in the mangroves.</span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 2px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 2px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"> </span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 0px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">At the Kuala Selangor </span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">N</span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 0px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">ature Park over 140 species of birds have been spotted, such as the especially rare ones, Nordman Greenshank and Mangrove Pitta. Species of monk</span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 0px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">eys, such as the Silver Leaf Monkey, are also found across the mangrove trees. Mangroves are important to the ecosystem and the world. Without these Mangroves many ani</span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">mal species would die.</span></span></span></span></span></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><br />
</span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"> </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"> </span></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">Planting one mangrove, only sacrificing one day of your time, can change the way of life for hundreds of animals that depend on these trees. Keeping these trees alive ensures the survival of animals and the safety of the towns near Selangor River, for they would be flooded without the mangroves. Marine life and wildlife alike of Malaysia and other countries feed here. We should be the warriors for our ecosystem and environment. We should save nature for future generations. We should aid the world when it is at its weakest, because we take the world for granted. Our Earth </span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">has always been our resource, our home, and our way of life, so when its in trouble, shouldn't we be there to nurture it? If we work together we can bring the world out of crisis and save millions of lives, just by simple acts of kindness, like planting a mangrove tree.</span></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><br />
</span></span> </div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">I took a deep breath and looked at all the mangroves we planted, 80 or so mangrove samplings, so far. Tomorrow another 40 kids would come, endure the torture, complain, ask why we are planting these mangroves, and finally realization will come to them. One day those samplings will be big enough to fulfill its purpose and help the environment around it. One little mangrove sapling can make a huge difference.</span></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br />
</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Sources</span></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><a href="http://www3.leegov.com/dcd/Environmental/Mangroves.htm"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">http://www3.leegov.com/dcd/Environmental/Mangroves.htm</span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"> </span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><a href="http://hydec.com/ksnp/"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">http://hydec.com/ksnp/</span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"> </span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><a href="http://www.blogger.com/goog_1163459316">http://www.wildeyeview.com/places/?p=128</a></span><a href="http://www.wildeyeview.com/places/?p=128"><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqt7GMOlNfps4shpzGU4NGwfa5vm4XarNLEPa4wWFz-x8FUgJaIr7CFO8P8Q8JBHpSo6rvTTq0TwOUwOmo8u3yBZN-lqFuyEFGH8vhGb1kHTO1o8M8woXCskTEE2CzNxZtXmOdSdNkzWE/s1600/GreyHeron700.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="222" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqt7GMOlNfps4shpzGU4NGwfa5vm4XarNLEPa4wWFz-x8FUgJaIr7CFO8P8Q8JBHpSo6rvTTq0TwOUwOmo8u3yBZN-lqFuyEFGH8vhGb1kHTO1o8M8woXCskTEE2CzNxZtXmOdSdNkzWE/s320/GreyHeron700.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Grey Heron<br />
http://www.maleisure.com/k_selangor.htm</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEio9C35As7E1j9B2Yu3k7v3be-hiiSy721peY-5QI3j0Kso1OZxOAfsmtmRAiACcfMMT7K8e1kzw4CeuxFJjdTM_IXBM6THjA8hQCArmv-dqsN76xsYGygnMFsDeJEEOr1scBlDZWoDchE/s1600/skipper-1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEio9C35As7E1j9B2Yu3k7v3be-hiiSy721peY-5QI3j0Kso1OZxOAfsmtmRAiACcfMMT7K8e1kzw4CeuxFJjdTM_IXBM6THjA8hQCArmv-dqsN76xsYGygnMFsDeJEEOr1scBlDZWoDchE/s1600/skipper-1.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Mudskipper<br />
<a href="http://hydec.com/ksnp/">http://hydec.com/ksnp/</a> </td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjokXcSKr1OAXnn2hJHhy_N6xzc-ZZ1HWHU6juMwuZbyowW_1pY_f5TNfWkn3o3tJ5llhx5aXO875JhL8e5q0gwrukExGKWVRzOPTStVbC8g6abw66X_RraIp0B3LrfhrPwmp9qz5ncBjE/s1600/Kuala-Selangor-Mangroves_2303_160-492x348.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="282" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjokXcSKr1OAXnn2hJHhy_N6xzc-ZZ1HWHU6juMwuZbyowW_1pY_f5TNfWkn3o3tJ5llhx5aXO875JhL8e5q0gwrukExGKWVRzOPTStVbC8g6abw66X_RraIp0B3LrfhrPwmp9qz5ncBjE/s400/Kuala-Selangor-Mangroves_2303_160-492x348.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Kuala Selangor Nature Park<br />
<a href="http://www.wildeyeview.com/places/?p=128">http://www.wildeyeview.com/places/?p=128</a> </td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEieVQ2ZeYy0Y8mJptBbRVORaHSRsce6nbyi-TwoFVm0nzcdetoJSnOPrr-kUevc_ObIiB19j9FIBILMgYmDEBVYdApIkSoDzNhT3wadzNxmBQXiJApRp-FAn5waLAX2ACcxbrKGAV9KTmQ/s1600/Long-Tailed-Macaque_0743_180-491x348.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="226" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEieVQ2ZeYy0Y8mJptBbRVORaHSRsce6nbyi-TwoFVm0nzcdetoJSnOPrr-kUevc_ObIiB19j9FIBILMgYmDEBVYdApIkSoDzNhT3wadzNxmBQXiJApRp-FAn5waLAX2ACcxbrKGAV9KTmQ/s320/Long-Tailed-Macaque_0743_180-491x348.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Silver Leaf Monkey<br />
<a href="http://www.wildeyeview.com/places/?p=128">http://www.wildeyeview.com/places/?p=128</a><br />
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</div></div>Sunskruthihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02913010582002541533noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3675119517382590569.post-29190059639425655632010-09-23T05:56:00.000-07:002010-09-23T06:16:06.712-07:00Treat People The Way You Want To Be Treated :)<div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: italic;">What do I do? </span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">There I was standing in the middle of the hallway, looking quite dumb with my mouth gaping and my eyes wide. In front of me was a girl my age crying into her hands, her eyes red as fire. I could tell that more than sadness, anger blazed in her heart and that would not go away unless I did something. I wanted to help, but I did not know what to do. </div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">The girl's name was Kathy and she was a shy, quiet girl, who always was kind to everyone. She was always to herself and she had moved to this school a month ago. Her only friend, Mary, was the first friend she met that year and now Mary had hurt her with the words, "You are so totally ugly! No one will ever like you!" Mary had nicknamed Kathy "Ugly Duckling" and when ever Kathy passed by she would say, "Hey, Ugly Duckling!" The whole time Mary was thinking that Kathy did not mind and that it was all a joke. Even when Mary laughed after that, Kathy took it seriously. Was this bullying? The girl had been insulted in a "friendly" way by her only friend in her new school. Now, she was curled up in a ball, wailing, next to her bag. Her best friend did not know how it hurt her, how it pierced through her heart like a bloody arrow... But bullying can be that way: harsh, sad, and the bully oblivious that she is a doing something wrong.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">I felt like a dying duck, just staring at her. No one was in the hallway and Kathy was lonely. She glanced up at me with swollen eyes. I knew I should have done something that second, something that would turn this terrible day of hers around. But, it was none of my business, right? What if people who were friends with Mary start to not like me? Mary had a gang of friends, what if Mary and her gang started to bully me on purpose? The bell rang. Suddenly kids were everywhere and Kathy was lost in the crowd. My heart was filled with sadness and for the rest of the week I regretted not helping her that moment, because she would remember that day forever. </div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">All through the week I just... did not feel right. Even though I was not the one who insulted Kathy, I was somewhat responsible. In a silent way I was supporting a bully. To this day I remember that moment and I wish I could have sat down with Kathy and watch her face light up with happiness, as I try to cheer her up, or, even better, went and told Mary how Kathy was hurt and that it was not a very nice joke. I could have made a difference, but I stood there selfishly thinking about my well-being, when all I had to do was be a friend to Kathy. From then on, I feel that if I stand up for every kid who is bullied I will be correcting the sin that I did to Kathy and saving a heartbroken kid from being mentally scarred. </div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">This morning, as I walked down the hallway and watched as kids from around the globe talked and laughed together in satisfying harmony, I thought about what ISKL (International School of Kuala Lumpur), my school, could do to make it more welcoming and happier, so that bullying would not exist. <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: italic;"></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: italic;"><br />
</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: italic;">We at ISKL can comfort the person being bullied and we could tell the teacher about the bullying. ISKL students could stand up for the person being bullied and, thus, stand up for all those kids being bullied across every school. ISKL can be the best school and we could be role models to students from ever corner of the world and show them that bullying is a crime and should be ceased, immediately and as soon as it starts. <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;">Us, students at ISKL, should treat each other the way we would want to be treated</span>. We as a community can communicate effectively, think creatively, reason critically, collaborate constructively, learn enthusiastically, live ethically, and stop any kind of bullying, big or small, in our school. </span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: italic;"><br />
</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;">I walked happily into the classroom. I knew <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;">we</span>,<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;"> ISKL</span>, could accomplish this.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPaTw0l7rx9sKMr5Q1UpQVXV_2RLxsMmLyPcGmMUS9GxMmM_uQjdl3vGnLwCyGorjGNEhmebK1PNvg0SG8KJZhss1j9Hy3Vx4rThPFZktFcURCwqafgEGPHPpo-gd9xEfneawp_HdvP0o/s1600/header.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPaTw0l7rx9sKMr5Q1UpQVXV_2RLxsMmLyPcGmMUS9GxMmM_uQjdl3vGnLwCyGorjGNEhmebK1PNvg0SG8KJZhss1j9Hy3Vx4rThPFZktFcURCwqafgEGPHPpo-gd9xEfneawp_HdvP0o/s320/header.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">STOP BULLYING!<br />
http://www.cknw.com/EndBullying.aspx</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgU4Lh81lZ7hkdxXeWR3T5QWCrehmOMl_p7oYexPhEo0X7T0X93prWuvYliBXEaE5LpLO5VjGMMTxFKurvuydyr231DXFHQwoMaG1S3TcB7SEf3czRpqOQAi_mmwQpWM9iBn6mZD1BsA0/s1600/images-5.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgU4Lh81lZ7hkdxXeWR3T5QWCrehmOMl_p7oYexPhEo0X7T0X93prWuvYliBXEaE5LpLO5VjGMMTxFKurvuydyr231DXFHQwoMaG1S3TcB7SEf3czRpqOQAi_mmwQpWM9iBn6mZD1BsA0/s320/images-5.jpeg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">http://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/love-in-time-homeschooling/201003/mean-girls-and-homeschooling-moms</td></tr>
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</div>Sunskruthihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02913010582002541533noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3675119517382590569.post-14828750726145509292010-09-13T07:03:00.000-07:002011-03-08T05:58:25.615-08:00Run Away Horse<div><div style="text-align: justify; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#3333FF;">Fear and courage are linked with a bridge. To reach courage, the haven of accomplishment, this bridge must be crossed. But crossing this bridge is a hard and painful task. You would have to jump over the holes of failure and disappointment. Courage lies in the smallest things you accomplish and the award for overpowering the tyrant of fear is immense; it is something that you can never take advantage of, never use to hurt anybody, it is something that comes with generosity, honesty, and kindness. And it is a memory for a lifetime that you learn from and never forget about, just when I discovered my courage.</span></div><div style="text-align: justify; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#3333FF;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#3333FF;">My courage began with fear. I clutched at my mom's warm jacket and kicked at the arms that were trying to grab me.</span></div><div style="text-align: justify; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#3333FF;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#3333FF;">"I don't want to!" I screeched so high that even the horses looked at me annoyed. The horses... Oh, how they scared me and riding one was just too much for me to take. What if I broke an arm? My friend, who was eight-years old, just like me, used to ride horses, until one bucked her off and she was left with a broken arm, an unpleasant memory, and an unforgiving attitude to all horses. I was afraid and I had come terrified to the grasslands where the Mongolian horses grazed. My parents had said how enjoyable the site-seeing vacation would be and how it would be a wonderful opportunity if I rode a Mongolian horse. But it would be a life scar if I broke something.</span></div><div style="text-align: justify; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#3333FF;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#3333FF;">"I don't want to!" I screeched again. This time I could almost see the anger in the horses' eyes as they all glared at me.</span></div><div style="text-align: justify; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#3333FF;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#3333FF;">"You will never get another chance to!" my parents exclaimed.</span></div><div style="text-align: justify; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#3333FF;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#3333FF;">And before I could argue any longer the Mongolian man had plopped me on the back of a dark brown horse. I shivered in the cold Mongolian winter and studied the horse that I thought held my life. He was not like the rest of the big, brown-eyed horses. His hair was all over the place, his eyes were bright with giddiness, and if I put my hand on his chest I could feel it heaving and his heart racing. He stomped his hooves impatiently on the ground, leaving a deep dent in the mud. What if I fell down and he used those sharp hooves to trample me? My teeth started to chatter and it was not because of the cold.</span></div><div style="text-align: justify; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#3333FF;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#3333FF;">"My name is Arban and I will be your guide today. Now come, let me show you the beautiful land of Mongolia," he had an accent and unclear English, but I managed to make out what he was saying.</span></div><div style="text-align: justify; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#3333FF;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#3333FF;">He led the way and slowly, one by one, the horses followed. First my confident, care-free brother, Sunkulp, on a black horse walked behind Arban. Sunkulp was showing off, not even holding the horse's reins, with his hands on the back of his head and a content smile on his face. Sunkulp's eyes looked closed, but I knew that they were really half-open, watching me struggle to sit upright on my horse. I knew once the tour was over he would boast about how balanced he was on his horse and how I was close to falling off. Next my mom followed, giving me a reassuring smile, but even she was not very comfortable on the horse. Then my dad came, looking wildly about taking in all the scenery and turning his head to the different sounds so many times, that by the time my horse started tagging along behind his horse, I was kind of giddy from watching him.</span></div><div style="text-align: justify; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#3333FF;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#3333FF;">My horse's hooves hit the ground fast and hard. He was moving at a much faster pace and I knew this horse should have been ridden by a trained professional. His eyes darted from side to side, his head swung right to left and back, and his nostrils flared.</span></div><div style="text-align: justify; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#3333FF;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#3333FF;">It felt like I was flying. For a few seconds I did not realize what was happening. One moment I was looking at my dad's black horse, the next moment the wind blew in my face and my horse was running away from the guide. He was crossing the grasslands and going off the trail that he was supposed to go on. The Mongolian wilderness that lay in the distance was getting closer and closer with each heartbeat. Tears were dotting my eyes and my head began to hurt. I glanced desperately around, where were my parents? Everything was so blurry and the only sound that I could hear was my own heart beating in my ears. Blood rushed to my face, even when it was so cold.</span></div><div style="text-align: justify; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#3333FF;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#3333FF;">I could hear shouting far away, "Someone save the girl!" I could tell it was the Mongolian man speaking, for it was coated in a thick accent.</span></div><div style="text-align: justify; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#3333FF;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#3333FF;">My thoughts were racing and my breath was coming out in rasps. I had to focus, what would stop this horse? The horse tried bucking me off and sweat dripped from my forehead at trying to stay on, as the wilderness seemed to be coming to envelope me into darkness, danger, and the unknown. In my head I was hating this horse with fury. This horse was going to be the cause of me getting lost or hurt and it was all his fault. It was not my fault that he started running, foolishly, into the wilderness when his job was to follow the guide! Now I was stuck in this dreaded mess that this dreaded horse made! What was I supposed to do?</span></div><div style="text-align: justify; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#3333FF;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#3333FF;">I realized that the heels of my boots were digging into the horse's side and my hands were gripping his hair roughly. Ripping the boots off my legs and letting them crash to the ground and releasing my nails from the horse's hair was enough to make him stop. I gasped as I saw the mark that my boots had left on the horse's skin. It was red and if my feet had been piercing any harder, than the horse would have probably started bleeding. I was very close to injuring him. When I stroked his rough head, he nuzzled the palm of my hand. Courage and realization flooded into me and I was enlightened.</span></div><div style="text-align: justify; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#3333FF;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#3333FF;">The reason the horse had been going so fast and running away from the guide was because he was in pain, confused, and was trying to get me off. I was hurting it. It was my fault, not the horse's. I had ignorantly blamed the horse just because I had thought it was a dumb animal. I had thought it's job was to follow the guide, but doesn't it have a right to be free, like us? Why does it have to spend its life lugging us around on its back? I pulled at it with reins and tugged at it's hair, when really it was a beautiful animal that deserved to run on its own, when it wanted to. I had thought that this horse was wild and untamed, when in real fact it was just trying to survive, to stop the pain, which was just a natural reaction. I was wrong. The human race is wrong to use these animals for riding when we do not need to. We have cars, trains, and planes, we do not need this transportation. Then what is this joy we get from riding animals? Don't they get rights too? They are living things just like us, they are not inanimate objects, so, why do we treat them that way?</span></div><div style="text-align: justify; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#3333FF;"><br />Courage is not only conquering your fear, but learning from it. Courage is the ability to understand something pure that others are scared to. Courage is part of life, because no one is born courageous, you climb to reach that point. Courage is like a path with many milestones that you must face. Courage is worth more than any materialistic prize, because with courage comes knowledge.</span></div><div><div style="text-align: justify; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#3333FF;"><br />I gained courage that day. I had the courage, the open-mindedness, to understand these intelligent animals and see them for who they really are. Animals are not supposed to be used for betterment of human life, they should be treated equally with love. I surpassed my fear and replaced it with a kindness towards all animals. Now, I have joined PETA (People for Ethical Treatment of Animals) and have supported numerous campaigns and generous charities for animals. My ignorance that day was the ignorance of our world today, just like my 8-year old friend. We must inform people that not all animals are what we see them as. This discrimination we can diminish. We can give animals the rights that they deserve. We can all be courageous.</span></div><div style="text-align: justify; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#3333FF;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify; "></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center; "><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjV-xvvNiXnGKjk13gzkFjK1MHeaNwxfskQhltkbY1GdfGEmeDWXZrZDnvcldvuvc8pp4mIoiNfkgz3PEvUOEifgMEAvwhIQx2ECeC7Es5PrFAetzmbHu8nIpjTLwXNs1kaDSlpc5GEX4c/s1600/guide-mongolia.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#3333FF;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjV-xvvNiXnGKjk13gzkFjK1MHeaNwxfskQhltkbY1GdfGEmeDWXZrZDnvcldvuvc8pp4mIoiNfkgz3PEvUOEifgMEAvwhIQx2ECeC7Es5PrFAetzmbHu8nIpjTLwXNs1kaDSlpc5GEX4c/s320/guide-mongolia.jpg" /></span></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#3333FF;">Mongolian wilderness<br /></span><a href="http://www.private-guides.com/guide-in-mongolia/pipi-430/index.php"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#3333FF;">http://www.private-guides.com/guide-in-mongolia/pipi-430/index.php</span></a></td></tr></tbody></table><div style="text-align: justify; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#3333FF;"><br /></span></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center; "><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXJZawNHCbNN9sUplWMFWJJp0Q-h8aolGfjB-Utk94VUNpL5mYd055psiMWH4f2L99_LcAu8a7YlwavFfGFjzGdlfjRU4XnfZmUQdvrP58DYm1UmY8qLGq1O-juS-ERbCVrSF3JAakXkM/s1600/44150195-peta-logo.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#3333FF;"><img border="0" height="201" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXJZawNHCbNN9sUplWMFWJJp0Q-h8aolGfjB-Utk94VUNpL5mYd055psiMWH4f2L99_LcAu8a7YlwavFfGFjzGdlfjRU4XnfZmUQdvrP58DYm1UmY8qLGq1O-juS-ERbCVrSF3JAakXkM/s320/44150195-peta-logo.jpg" width="320" /></span></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#3333FF;">PETA logo<br /></span><a href="http://www.allvoices.com/contributed-news/4793514-peta-tells-monks-stop-unchristian-chicken-breeding/image/44150195-peta-logo"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#3333FF;">http://www.allvoices.com/contributed-news/4793514-peta-tells-monks-stop-unchristian-chicken-breeding/image/44150195-peta-logo</span></a></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#3333FF;"><br /></span></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#3333FF;"><br /></span></td></tr></tbody></table><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center; "><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiC3Ll0HDOjZoJUpCLrUZFVkskWxT45aQaESGtdlDDeVbAYc0XFAdcT8fttyPnvXUUPDUNIy3gVE2YuR3LO64TveAb5AbfN40AE6nta4pKc9D6MsWmvuLkOz8b8lzzm0DLi_BtO_rD9dCc/s1600/56255258-horse-eating.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#3333FF;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiC3Ll0HDOjZoJUpCLrUZFVkskWxT45aQaESGtdlDDeVbAYc0XFAdcT8fttyPnvXUUPDUNIy3gVE2YuR3LO64TveAb5AbfN40AE6nta4pKc9D6MsWmvuLkOz8b8lzzm0DLi_BtO_rD9dCc/s320/56255258-horse-eating.jpg" /></span></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#3333FF;">This Mongolian horse is much like the one I rode.<br /></span><a href="http://danny.oz.au/travel/mongolia/khovsgol-lake.html"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#3333FF;">http://danny.oz.au/travel/mongolia/khovsgol-lake.html</span></a></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#3333FF;"><br /></span></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#3333FF;"><br /></span></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#3333FF;"><br /></span></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#3333FF;"><br /></span></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#3333FF;"><br /></span></td></tr></tbody></table><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#3333FF;"><br /></span><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center; "></div></div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#3333FF;"><br /></span><br /></div>Sunskruthihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02913010582002541533noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3675119517382590569.post-83280512083375522862010-09-01T06:09:00.000-07:002010-09-01T06:09:21.963-07:00How did early humans use art to express their prehistoric culture?<div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
Art is not just a mere mark on a cave, or paper, or material, it's a mark on history. It can be anything that depicts your emotions. It could be a piece of writing, a drawing, or a painting. Today we use paper and pencil and blogs on computers to express our feelings. But how did prehistoric people show expression? They had no paper or pencil or computer. All they had was the environment, the plants, the animals, and each other, so they made use of what they had. They used the inner walls of the caves as a canvas and crushed minerals and plants to create colors, which showed that they had a vast knowledge of plants, dyes, colors, wax, oil, charcoal, and composition. They invented crude paint brushes made out of fur, moss, and human hair and made carving tools out of rock. With all these tools prehistoric men and women created sculptures and cave paintings. Even a simple cave painting of a hunting scene can be a glimpse of the past. A basic hand print on a cave wall can determine just how big or small these early humans were and how we evolved and how they used their fingers as tools to do tasks and communicate.Some paintings depict hunting and death scenes which tell us that people, long ago, had an understanding of life and death and had respect for nature and other fellow beings. Dwellings in caves enforce the fact that these humans were adaptable to even the hardest of environment and changes. Over time they became smart and strong and innovative and were able to adjust to different changes, as there brain and physical form developed.<br />
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Cave paintings are not just primitive scribbles on cave walls, they have a much deeper meaning. They are snapshots of life before filled with hidden meanings and riddles that we, as the current holders of the future, should solve and make sense out of. Each cave painting was important to the different tribes or groups of prehistoric people and each painting was made precisely by the artist to reflect his thoughts and the culture of his society. There are paintings in France and Spain that represent a hunt scene. Analyzing these paintings help us figure out what tools prehistoric people used to hunt with, what animals they hunted, what their diet was, what animals existed then, and how the prehistoric people worked in groups and communities. Scientists think that back then paintings were said to have special powers and that artists were spiritual beings. Some scientists believe cave paintings were painted to worship or please the gods, so many of the cave paintings looked magical. The paintings in the Ajanta Ellora caves in India depict everyday life, family values, and what clothes and jewelry people wore at that time. We can study the cave paintings in Ajanta Ellora caves and learn about the men long ago and their life style, beliefs, heroes, and religion. The paintings of the Minoan civilizations on the island of Crete, from the 27th century, show natural disasters such as volcanoes and earthquakes. Egyptian tomb paintings show the different gods that the Egyptians worshiped. Cave sculptures can represent the different tribes or could have been used in traditional celebrations like the clay sculptures in France.</div><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; text-align: left;"><tbody>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Egyptians gods</td></tr>
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</div><div style="text-align: justify;">Through the ages people have used art to express their feelings and prehistoric people have done this successfully. If they had not painted on the cave walls or sculpted statues out of rock and mud, we would not have had known about the prehistoric history of man, of how they evolved over time into what we are today, or of how they survived without the technology and conveniences that we have now. We would not have known what prehistoric people thought or believed in. We would not have known what animals lived at that time. We would not have known the culture of our ancestors. Without emotion, art, creativity, and culture we would not have come this far today. The prehistoric people through their art have left an everlasting impression, so that mankind can trace back to their ancestors and move forward by learning from the past. </div></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
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</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><a href="http://www.buddhisminindia.com/ajanta-ellora.html">http://www.buddhisminindia.com/ajanta-ellora.html </a></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><br />
</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><a href="http://www.millenniumschools.net.au/stannies/?id=2881&month=70">http://www.millenniumschools.net.au/stannies/?id=2881&month=70</a></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><a href="http://www.blogger.com/goog_1379214717"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><br />
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</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><a href="http://isklrewired.blogspot.com/">http://isklrewired.blogspot.com/ </a></span></div>Sunskruthihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02913010582002541533noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3675119517382590569.post-42641707260933237752010-08-16T19:50:00.000-07:002011-03-08T06:03:23.032-08:00“History is a guide to navigation in perilous times. History is who we are and why we are the way we are.”<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><br /><div class="MsoNormal"><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; text-align: justify;">When archaeologists dig up ancient artifacts, when they run their fingers across an old statue, a clue that there had been Gods and Goddesses long ago, when they wipe off their dusty hands and they haul the broken pottery from the endless pit of time, do they know the full story of the items they are handling? Geographers study the land and find clues from the past, but do they connect the window of the past to the window of the future? Do archaeologist or geographers get a perspective of life that started it all and enable us to accomplish more? Do they watch as the words on the historical sheaves of paper flow into the air and morph in to a tale no one alive has ever heard? Do their fingers move to command, translating old languages that are barely used by the people today, into modern languages, so that the young, eager readers of the future can open their minds to the history of civilization? These were the very fascinating facts that persuaded me to be a historian.</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">A historian is a multi-dimensional job. A historian has multiple faces:</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal"></div><ul><li style="text-align: justify;">A historian is a teacher who answers questions about the past, yet he is a student who questions the past. I believe I could be a good teacher when others are in the amidst of confusion because I have always been able to help people when they were having trouble and I can be a student who creates answers by making mistakes because I learn from the past, like a historian, who learns from studying the past. I can instruct others, but I leave the realization for them to discover. I believe I have the patience and attention span to be a good student. </li></ul><div class="MsoNormal"></div><ul><li style="text-align: justify;">A historian is a writer who records the past events and discoveries, yet he is a reader who opens his mind to possibilities and impossibilities. I believe I can be a writer who can preserve memories for the coming future, for I love to write and record my life in a diary and write stories. I unlock new gates that lead to creativity whenever I write. I believe I can be a reader who molds new worlds, but never strays afar from reality because I have a vast imagination and I can read anywhere and anytime. </li></ul><ul><li style="text-align: justify;">A historian is a detective who finishes the story that has forever been a mystery, yet he is an explorer who reaches the ends of the earth in his mind. I believe I can be a detective when there is problem to be solved and when everyone is afraid to step into the vague unsolved situation because in any difficulty I search and do not stop till I find the answer, no matter how distant and hard it is. I can think of different strategies and find the path to my solution. Like a historian I believe I can be explorer because of my adventurous attitude and my thirst for new places and knowledge.</li></ul><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />I believe I can be a historian.</div></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; text-align: justify;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbBDBMz2Ufq0KUfIYsiINbMHVfrbaKxQsxS0tufI1Kej2L0a_fIHffQOneg0qCnp99r_em4mIrJ5DRwFhcIMHRgPLuYF5-GSWuPv6y0E9QVfifBtBYxs3PmKMjGDtOqE_tlj-5c6lvvtk/s1600/images-4.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbBDBMz2Ufq0KUfIYsiINbMHVfrbaKxQsxS0tufI1Kej2L0a_fIHffQOneg0qCnp99r_em4mIrJ5DRwFhcIMHRgPLuYF5-GSWuPv6y0E9QVfifBtBYxs3PmKMjGDtOqE_tlj-5c6lvvtk/s320/images-4.jpeg" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A historian at his work. <span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: green; font-family: arial;"><a href="http://dynamicearthwebquest.com/process.htm">dynamicearthwebquest.com/process.htm</a></span></td></tr></tbody></table></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; text-align: justify;"><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg00YOSU9pKPtsMLjqAUMKSw7aT1LehpNonvmUtGxuyuxhEN9E7murWpoi-lZMxRfHEcymOBLVq2rH9Z-rw7sMw0JH9lpCloux9xjoAM3hJ-eyCBHO6kjE7mxMBHRUwJis5AlBNQBYITW8/s1600/6912B-historian.gif" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg00YOSU9pKPtsMLjqAUMKSw7aT1LehpNonvmUtGxuyuxhEN9E7murWpoi-lZMxRfHEcymOBLVq2rH9Z-rw7sMw0JH9lpCloux9xjoAM3hJ-eyCBHO6kjE7mxMBHRUwJis5AlBNQBYITW8/s320/6912B-historian.gif" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A historian is a teacher, a student, a writer, a reader, a detective and an explorer.<br /><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: green; font-family: arial;"><a href="http://www.thefreedictionary.com/historian">www.thefreedictionary.com/historian</a> </span><br /><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: green; font-family: arial;"><br /></span></td></tr></tbody></table><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Courier New';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-large;">15 years later</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 26px;">...</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times;"><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-large;"> </span></span></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; text-align: justify;">I gasped with a mixture of excitement and surprise. I had finally finished translating the early writings from Greece and now before me was the completed story. All the little facts, that I thought were not important, had been knitted into a quilt of tales. Sifting through the translated papers and then looking out the musty window to see the Parthenon in Athens, Greece I wore an expression of awe, so much had changed. I smiled. I knew that this was the job for me, ever since I was 11 years old.</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgG0isibVysnAX2_LNgUEEJsXg0JFWVw4_FMBzswYvdRe_9VrkwRZSQIWkuKCJG6gcOKv2xyAxZKynMdEtxmK_fsuvxZetGCIrCVoqjXlXdj3zJQAglANnWtDX2dWytV7D0W6Ph9vIGLIk/s1600/historian.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgG0isibVysnAX2_LNgUEEJsXg0JFWVw4_FMBzswYvdRe_9VrkwRZSQIWkuKCJG6gcOKv2xyAxZKynMdEtxmK_fsuvxZetGCIrCVoqjXlXdj3zJQAglANnWtDX2dWytV7D0W6Ph9vIGLIk/s320/historian.jpg" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">My fellow co-worker. Ha, ha. Just kidding. It's actually Mark Ritts. <span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: green; font-family: arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><a href="http://www.insmogandthunder.com/historian.html%C2%A0">www.insmogandthunder.com/historian.html</a></span></span><br /><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: green; font-family: arial; font-size: 16px;"><br /></span><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgXwXauwkkRG9ym0W8tghG1KyvrQzdW_PuLbGBln9eGnBCQ4hui3C5SKSBwtPLqXwGpdiNeBxhBmKe7bT5KIY5l48ECF940DYuRHvSKvZPj38FuKB7p8e6A3O4vcUXcBGMZX_I2l0qQKc/s1600/partheon.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgXwXauwkkRG9ym0W8tghG1KyvrQzdW_PuLbGBln9eGnBCQ4hui3C5SKSBwtPLqXwGpdiNeBxhBmKe7bT5KIY5l48ECF940DYuRHvSKvZPj38FuKB7p8e6A3O4vcUXcBGMZX_I2l0qQKc/s320/partheon.jpg" /></a></div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: arial;">The Parthenon in Athens, Greece</span><br /><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: green;"><a href="http://picsdigger.com/keyword/partheon/">picsdigger.com/keyword/partheon/</a> </span></span><br /><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></td></tr></tbody></table><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><br /></div><br /><br /><br /><span class="Apple-style-span" style="text-decoration: underline;"> </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="text-decoration: underline;"> </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="text-decoration: underline;"> </span><br /><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #003399; font-family: Arial; font-size: 12px;"> </span><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div>Sunskruthihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02913010582002541533noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3675119517382590569.post-76303241696420859462010-08-06T20:31:00.000-07:002011-02-11T20:12:06.125-08:00Hey, I'm Sunskruthi!<div style="text-align: justify;">Hello, hello! I'm Sunskruthi. I am from Arizona, U.S.A, the Grand Canyon State. I am an animal lover and activist. I have a dog, a Lhasa Apso, who is so cute and obedient. He actually understands so many English words and it surprises me how he can fit so many vocabulary words in that little furry head of his. Well, this blog post is about me, so let's get back to me! I love to draw and write poems, novels, and short stories in my free time. Tennis is my favorite sport because I love to swing the racket with the wind in my face. Super supportive parents are for a super smiley girl (me)! I have one big brother in 11th grade, which means I get to embarrass him in front of his friends, since we are on the same campus, now! Just kidding.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">My main hobby is reading. You can't catch me without a book on a Friday night. I adore fantasy books because I love how fictitious and impossible it gets, yet the author makes it seem so real. My imagination soars to new heights while reading every new book. </div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">The last three books I have read are: </div><ul><li style="text-align: justify;">The Skeleton Key of the Alex Rider Series by Anthony Horowitz</li></ul><ul><li style="text-align: justify;">Ptolemy's Gate of the Bartimaeus Trilogy by Jonathan Stroud</li></ul><ul><li style="text-align: justify;"> The Alchemyst by Michael Scott (currently reading now)</li></ul><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Lucida Grande'; font-size: 11px; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span><br /><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Lucida Grande'; font-size: 11px; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span><br /><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Lucida Grande'; font-size: 11px; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span><br /><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Lucida Grande'; font-size: 11px; white-space: pre-wrap;"><div id="ShelfariWidget144266"><div id="ShelfariWidget144266"><br /><a href="http://www.shelfari.com/">Shelfari: Book reviews on your book blog</a><script language="javascript" src="http://www.shelfari.com/ws/144266/widget.js" type="text/javascript"></script><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><noscript>Find new <a href="http://www.shelfari.com/books">books</a> and literate friends with Shelfari, the online <a href="http://www.shelfari.com/">book club</a>.</noscript></div><br /><br /><br /></div></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;">The Skeleton Key is about Alex Rider, a teenage spy in a world of danger and secrecy and it is a very exciting book. Ptolemy's Gate is about a wizard named Nathaniel, who finds himself in the need of the genie, Bartimaeus, once again. The Alchemyst is about Nicholas Flamel, an alchemyst (if you watch Harry Potter he's mentioned in Philosopher's stone), that has finally been found by his enemy, Dr. John Dee in the modern world in California.<br /><br />The last movie I watched was 'How To Train Your Dragon'. The movie is about a boy named Hiccup (I know it is a funny name), who lives in a world full of dragon-killing vikings. When he finally does knock-out a dragon he does not have the heart to kill it. Thus, begins his research into the world of dragons and his loving friendship with a once known enemy. I know it is kind of an old movie, but I had not watched it, so I watched it on the Singapore Airlines flight to Europe over summer vacation.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Speaking of vacations, my most memorable vacation was in Europe and Turkey this summer. Sure, the trip was busy and hectic, visiting London, France, Italy, Germany, and Greece and seeing the London Bridge, the Eiffel Tower, the Roman Colosseum, the Berlin Wall, and the Athens Acropolis, but the best and concluding part was when we relaxed on a wonderful cruise across the Aegean Sea from Greece to Turkey. Ah, so peaceful watching the sunset and the beautiful Greek Islands.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />My academic goal is to excel in all my classes and to not be tardy to classes. This year I'm going to focus on being organized. My social goal is to make friends with people I never even knew, or knew much about.<br /><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Here are four adjectives that describe me:</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">1. Simply Sweet</div><div style="text-align: justify;">2. Shockingly Smart</div><div style="text-align: justify;">3. Sensitively Serviceable</div><div style="text-align: justify;">4. Super Silly<br /><br />Definition of Sunskruthi: Girl who is almost always, SMILING! :)</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Well, I think that's all there is to this blog post. It's a brand new year and, boy, I'm excited! New classes, lockers, teachers, and people! Well, one of those new classes is Humanities and this happens to be my blog for Humanities. I love Humanities because it includes two of my favorite subjects: Language Arts and Social Studies. The teachers are so nice and understanding, especially my class teacher. Enjoy my blog and keep up with my exciting new edition posts! :)<br /><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg36EkxTv2di5slfimrcO5brTd1ocAiGCL6UmO4hT6IK72ck9qHy_QJ0rwZ6iTVPniZt1bZP6NcJQsxmG834Dk3n-9QZDiEvvWiSBAgiQ7bUbvGxrWEzAZ3mVzyjU_EnyTQpMvK_pB4DtM/s1600/grand_canyon_23.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="265" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg36EkxTv2di5slfimrcO5brTd1ocAiGCL6UmO4hT6IK72ck9qHy_QJ0rwZ6iTVPniZt1bZP6NcJQsxmG834Dk3n-9QZDiEvvWiSBAgiQ7bUbvGxrWEzAZ3mVzyjU_EnyTQpMvK_pB4DtM/s400/grand_canyon_23.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Grand Canyon in my home state, Arizona! </td></tr></tbody></table><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #0000ee; font-size: 13px; text-decoration: underline;">http://www.astrofoto.ca/stuartheggie/Grand_Canyon/GC_23.html</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /><br /><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: -webkit-monospace; font-size: 12px; white-space: pre-wrap;"><object height="385" width="640"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/qHUhygdAZIw&hl=en_US&fs=1"><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/qHUhygdAZIw&hl=en_US&fs=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="640" height="385"></embed></object></span></div>Sunskruthihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02913010582002541533noreply@blogger.com0