Environmental issues research notes

Environmental Issues – Mini-Project

Your task is to research the following topics and give the issue a ranking from 1-10 based on the severity of the issue.   (1 being a minor concern – 10 being the most serious concern)   You must have a paragraph explanation of why you ranked each where you did.   It should also include the impact on humans.

1.  Nuclear disaster/accidents- Nuclear power plants are not considered a large threat to the environment. When large scale accidents do occur, they can cause severe property damage, small mutations of organism, mostly plant life, along with contamination of water sources. In the U.S there have been 56 nuclear power plant accidents, but only a small portion of them have resulted in fatalities. The most disastrous nuclear disaster occurred in Chernobyl, which killed 31 people, and caused wide spread evacuation in the Ukrainian town and the areas surrounding it.  

2.  Air pollution – Acid Rain- Air pollution typically refers to the release of carbon dioxide or other types of smog or smoke released into the air. The 2 main gasses being emitted into the air are carbon dioxide, which is heavily released by cars and other vehicles  and methane, which is produced by animals and swamps. These gasses have dissolved sections of the earths o-zone layer, which allows much more heat to enter the earth; one of the main factors of global warming. Acid rain is an effect of what happens when power plants and other factories burn minerals, like coal and their gas flows upwards into the sky. The resulting rain comes down like normal, but the gasses leftover in the water can poison and kill crops, and even cause damage to humans over long periods of time.

3.  Global Warming/Climate Change- Global warming refers to what happens as the earth's atmosphere increases in temperature. Although global warming in refuted by some, science has shown that the effect is noticeable. For example, the entire planets temperature has risen by 1.4 degrees Fahrenheit since 1880, due the burning of fossil fuels, and gasses released into the air by them. Another major concern of global warming is the melting of ice caps, specifically the ones in the antarctic. Ice caps in the antarctic are melting at an astonishing rate, and the area is expected to have its first ice free summer by the 2040.

4.  Water Pollution/Fresh Water- Dirty, polluted water is a very severe problem in the world today. This problem not only is created by the obvious throwing trash, food, etc. into water, but also by melted snow. The snow that is on the ground melts, and when it moves downwards to the nearest water source, it picks up dirt and chemicals along the way, before depositing itself in rivers or streams. This leads to a contaminated supply of drinking water. Although this problem can be easily remedied in advanced countries like the U.S, other countries are not so lucky. 11% or 783 million people world wide do not have the luxury of clean drinking water, which results in diseases like cholera, fluorosis, and even death. 

5.  Invasive Species- Invasive species are species which are brought to places that are not their land of origin. One the most famous examples of this is the Australian rabbit plague. Rabbits were brought to Australia from England by Thomas Austin in the 18th century, who requested them for hunting. The rabbits soon began to breed and today, outnumber humans 15 to 1, with over 300 million rabbits inhabiting Australia. Rabbits are now the number 1 cause of plant and animal extinction in the continent, along with causing 600 million dollars of damage annually, due to mass crop eating and soil erosion.

6.  Extinction of plants, animals/Deforestation- Deforestation occurs mainly due to the logging and wood producing business, but also has other reasons, such as farming, city building, and large scale fires. Deforestation occurs in many of the worlds largest forests, such as the Amazon rain forest. When trees are cut down, they cause many of the local species to lose their homes and decrease biodiversity by rates of up to 80%. Animals also suffer from increased soil erosion and disrupted water cycles, which can cause rivers to either run dry or flood. Lastly, trees being cut down also severely heightens the amount of greenhouse gasses being released. Deforestation results for 15% of the worlds greenhouse gas emission. 

7. Mining and drilling /Oil Spills- The 2 largest concerns of oil drilling are fracking and oil spills. Fracking is process where oil companies shoot high pressure air or water streams down into rock formations in order to open up more room for drilling. This has sparked disapproval and banning of the process across the nation, although most companies are unaffected. The primary concern behind fracking a fear that the liquid will emit toxic fluids which will be released in to the local water supply. Oil spills are also an important issue in the drilling business. The most recent and largest oil spill occurred on a BP oil rig in the gulf of Mexico in 2010. This had a catastrophic effect on the surrounding environment. The 170 million gallons of spilled gas caused wounding or death in over 8000 sea creatures in the area. Due to damaging of sea life, many seafood businesses, including the capturing and selling of sea food were forced temporarily stop business for months until the water was deemed safe again. An estimated 250,000 were lost during the oil spill.

8.  Land Contamination/Loss of usable land- Soil contamination is typically caused by land pollution. Land contamination refers to when chemicals are deposited into the the ground by trash and garbage stored in landfills, or just simply left around everyday urban areas. In Europe, land contamination has accounted for a loss of 30% of the countries agricultural land. Agricultural land is damaged from hazardous wastes, such as those from oils, greases, and chemicals. Pollution has many short term effects, like death and decay of crops, but it also has long term effects, such as seeds getting contaminated and producing weaker, less nutritious, and sometimes even infertile offspring.

         

4 points for each topic

3 points for evidence that supports reasoning

1 point for multimedia presentation

renaissance notes

Michelangelo 1475 - 1564 Italian painter who sculpted the statue of David and painted the Sistine chapel
Leonardo da Vinci 1452 - 1519 Painted the Mona Lisa and created many inventions
Lorenzo de Medici 1449 - 1492 Ruled Florance, brother was assassinated
William Shakespeare 1564 - 1616 Famous playwright who wrote Romeo and Juliet, along with Hamlet
Niccolo Machiavelli 1469 - 1527 Avery cruel leader of Florence, who wrote the book "The Prince"
Thomas Aquinas 1225 - 1274 A theologist who studied in Paris and was an important member in the church
Thomas More 1478 - 1535 A saint and chancellor of England who invented the word "utopia"

Political cartoon 04-12-13

http://www.cagle.com/news/north-korea/page/8/#.UWaiB9Pjl8s

Muslim scholar notes

Muhammad ibn Musa al-Khwarizmi 780-850 (Baghdad) 

Translated foreign scientific studies. Created the math system known as algebra. Did most of studying in the house of wisdom in Baghdad.

Time: Muslims conquered more land, house of wisdom opened

Al-Ma'mun 786-833 (Baghdad)

Leader of the muslims. During his reign, he created to house of wisdom, a library that held books and knowledge on nearly every subject known to man. Many scholars traveled from across the world to visit it.

Time: opened the house of wisdom

Al-Razi 865-925 (Iran)

Contributed in the field of medicine. Found the difference between measles and smallpox, sweetened medicine for patients, and discovered how your body fights viruses.

Time: No wars, rebellions are crushed

Al Hazen 965-1040 (Spain)

Considered the "Father of modern optics". Lived most of his life in Spain. Developed a large list of things: Scientific method, analytical geometry, and the first scientific explanation of the eye and its parts, along with how it functions.

Time: Muslims gain more land, begin spreading islam in Africa

Avicenna 980-1037 (Iran)

Called "The father of modern medicine". discovered contagious diseases and how to quarantine them. first descriptions of bacteria on organisms. Known to have discovered momentum in physics.

Time: Same as above

Averroes 1126-1198 (Spain-Morocco)

Lived in western Europe. Banished from politics and his home because of his political views. He translated The philosopher, Aristotle's writings. HE is said to have created the idea of separation of church and state.

Time: Egypt conquered by the muslim army

Ibn Khaldun 1332-1406 (Egypt)

Traveled a lot, and lived his final years in Egypt. Wrote books about the rise and fall of human civilizations. He emphasized the important environmental and social aspects of it. His works inspired the science of sociology.

Time: Islam expands their religion to the Phillipines

Universal health care

For

pros/cons of the US Health Care system and Universal Health Care

US health care:

Pros-One of the most advanced healthcare systems in the world, with a low mortality rate. Can't refuse anybody medical treatment.


Cons- Doctors are payed more for the amount of work, not the efficiency of it. High taxes due to people not being able to pay for their own procedures. It is a life saving business, but the only one that costs money, unlike policemen and firemen.Insurance is expensive, and many people can't afford it.

Universal health care:

Pros- free health care will allow people to be motivated to ask for help before the incident becomes serious. Much less money will be spent by businesses and people on healthcare.

Cons- Health care will still be payed for by taxes. Healthy people will have to pay for unhealthy people. Since the government could possibly be blamed for health problems, they could increase prices on unhealthy items. Government could change policies depending on who has power. People could be subjected to long waits for treatment.

Current event 03-21-13

http://www.cnn.com/2013/03/21/politics/obama-mideast-visit/index.html?hpt=hp_t2

5 worst pandemics in history

5. Swine flu
4. AIDS
3. Smallpox
2. Spanish Influenza
1. Black Death

Cold war notes activity

Brief notes outline:

Berlin Blockade-  (24 June 1948 – 12 May 1949) Soviet Union blocked off the allied forces railways and canals. Their aim was to make the allied forces stop giving Berlin food and supplies. This way, the Soviets could take over that duty, effectively giving them control over the entire city.

Korean War- (25 June 1950 – 27 July 1953) A war between North and South Korea due to the splitting of the county by the allies.

Sputnik- 4 October 1957A soviet union satellite that was the first satellite launched into space, and triggered a rivalry between the soviet union and the United States.

Bay of Pigs- 17–19 April 1961The landing site of the United States attack on Cuba to overthrow its dictator, Fidel Castro in 1961.

Cuban Missile Crisis- October 16–28, 1962The soviet union was weak compared to the U.S, so they shipped nuclear warheads to Cuba which fostered them because they were angry at the U.S for the failed pay of pigs invasion. Although the U.S and Cuba were both threatening  to wage nuclear warfare, no missiles were actually fired. The U.S also had missiles kept in Turkey and Italy.

Berlin Wall- 13 August 1961 A wall set up by Germany splitting up the city of Berlin. The wall was built to stop massive emigration from Germany.

Vietnam War- 1 November 1955 – 30 April 1975 Vietnam is no longer controlled by the French, and is divided into north and south sections. When the communist north attacks the south, the U.S enters and leaves several years later. All of Vietnam is converted to communism.

Iranian Hostage Crisis-November 4, 1979, to January 20, 1981 52 American hostages were held in a U.S embassy in Iran, while 6 secretly escaped due to help from the Canadian government. The others were released after 444 days of being held hostage.

Soviet invasion of Afghanistan- December 24, 1979 – February 15, 1989 S.U invaded Afghanistan and waged war against Afghanistan to gain natural resources and access to the Indian ocean. They justified it by telling their soldiers they were saving the Islamic "extremists" from their own ignorance.

Star Wars- 1984-1993 A defense initiative by president Reagan that would protect the U.S from missiles by shooting them down with space satellites.

 Fall of Berlin Wall- November 9, 1989 East Germany mad a decision to open barriers, and eventually the wall was torn down

Soviet Union dissolves- 1991 political, economic, and social structure was rapidly dissolving. Along with this, many countries in the Soviet Union were declaring their independence from the Union, eventually causing it to dissolve into separate countries. With a weakened government, the Soviet Union was no more.

What is the cold war?

The U.S was under the threat of nuclear weapons being fired at them from either Turkey or Russian warheads in Cuba i believe. There was no actual warfare, and it was all either reconnaissance or spying on other countries.

Political cartoon analysis

Cartoon #2- I believe that the cartoon represents that the U.S. is giving their leader too much power. The cartoon shows the president, who I believe is Theodore Roosevelt, wearing luxurious clothes and smiling, while looking at an even fancier crown, labeled "imperialism". The cartoon likely symbolises that the president is taking a liking to British forms of government, where the government is ruled by a king. He also doesn't pay any attention to the older hats, like Abraham Lincoln's, showing that he is disregarding what the U.S. government is already being ruled by, democracy.

http://www.brainpickings.org/wp-content/uploads/2012/08/drseusswartime16.jpg

This cartoon shows a creature, drawn by Doctor Seuss, who is wearing a star spangled hat to represent the U.S, who is reading a book on respectful fighting. It seems to be confused or injured, which means that it has taken a beating from the bricks thrown at it by stereotypical Japanese and German people. These bricks have notes on them which are named after attacks by the Germans and Japanese, like Pearl harbor. The caption above the picture says that the U.S should stop being hesitant, and take action to fight against the attackers, so it will stop being abused by the other countries.

World War 1 DBQ answers

1.- The countries are France, Germany, and Great Britain

1. B- With countries spending more and more money on weapons, they probably sparked suspicion and distrust between them and their neighboring countries.

2. Triple entente- Russia, France, and Great Britian
Triple alliance- Germany, Austria-Hungary, and Italy

2. B- The alliance system made other countries turn on each other and join others. With this, if one country was attacked, not only would they retaliate, but they would also have backup from the allied conutries, resulting in a much larger and widespread battle, leading to war.

3.- The Austria-Hungary government said that the Serbian government allowed their citizens too much freedom of speech, as they used it to speak negatively about the government

3. B- The Austria-Hungary government demanded Serbia limit their citizens freedom of speech and also to and to allow Austria Hungary representatives to enter Serbia and stop the citizens from spreading anti-government propaganda.

4. - The treaty says Germany is responsible for starting the war.

4. B- Germany had caused a lot of damage in the war, and their was a unanimous agreement by other countries to blame Germany, especially since they feared it could start another war.

5.- The president of Germany said that it alone was not responsilble for the war, but did play an active part in it.

5. B- He blamed the leader of the Austria-Hungary empire for starting the war, because he had no regard for international relations.

6.- The author believes that all the European countries were responsible for world war 1.

6. B- He believes that all the leaders of the countries did things to start the war, and didn't do things to stop the war.

7.- Archduke Van Ferdinand's death acted as a martyr for people, and gave countries someone to blame for previous

7. B- The alliance system allowed certain countries to band together, but with this, certain groups felt excluded or distrusted from other. This also meant, as shown above, that when one country attacked another, the attacked country would have backup to fight the opposing country, leading to much more widespread battles.

 8. I belive Serbia was responsible for the beggining of World war 1. A serbian terrorist assassinated Archduke Van Ferdinand. This caused Austria to declare war on Serbia. Although Austria declared war first, they were tempted to do so by the Serbians. When Russia joined Serbia, Germany declared war on them, which most people believe to be the start of the war, but it was already in progress at that point in time.

Significant history

How do you determine what is "significant" in history?- Look at the changes it had on the world and what the history would've been like had that event not happened. For example, if Nagasaki and Hiroshima had not been bombed, the war would've lasted longer, and we could be living in a completely different world at this time.

current event 02-15-13

http://www.cnn.com/2013/02/15/world/europe/russia-meteor-shower/index.html?hpt=hp_t1

Top 10 battles in history

10. Battle of Marathon: 490 BC - Proved that Greek battle tactics were superior. If the Greeks had lost to the Persians, many of their of advancements wouldn't have happened.

9. Battle of Waterloo: 18 June 1815- Ended Napoleons rule of Europe along with the end of the french revolution.

8. Battle of Hasting: 14 October 1066- Normans conquered England and changed the language along with centralizing the government.

7. Battle of Poltava: 27 June 1709- Allowed Russia to conquer a lot of land and become an empire.

6. Battle of Gettysburg: 27 June 1709- severely weakened the Confederates political and military power, While beginning the Union victory of the Civil War.

5. Invasion of Normandy (D-day): 6 June 1944- Allied forces victory over Normandy ended the Nazi rule over Europe.

4. Battle of Tours: October 732- If the Franks had lost the battle to the Islamic forces, they would have conquered many parts of Europe, and caused much of it to convert to Islam, rather than Christianity.

3. Invasion of Poland:1 September 1939- Hitlers forces invaded Poland, and the resulting battle,would be known as the start of World War 2, the largest war in History.

2. Battle of Yorktown :October 19, 1781- Known as the end of the Revolutionary war, and the battle that freed the 13 colonies from England, creating the U.S, which would become the worlds most powerful superpower.

1. Bombings of Nagasaki and Hiroshima: 6 August 1945- The U.S bombings of these 2 cities effectively ended World War 2, and were also the 1st and only use of nuclear weapons in warfare.

Honors world history test 02-13-13

Austin Remer

02-13-13

1st hour

1. D

2. A

3. A

4. B

5. B

6. D

7. A

8. D

9. B

10. C

11. A

12. A

13. E

14. D

15. A

16. C

17. B

18. A (c)

19. Control of the media/use of propaganda
Use of secret police
Having a single-party government
Changing national laws to allow the dictator more power
Developing a 'cult of personality"

20.
Jean Jacques Rousseau- 6. "Law is the expression of general will". Rousseau believed that all people should be the ones to create and follow laws based on their desires, which means that if they have negative consequences, it is the people's problem, and they should work together to fix it, as a group, not just several individuals.

Baron De Montesquieu- 16. "Separation of powers defined". Montesquieu Believed in the separation of government power, with each section having equal authority. His ideas eventually shaped the government like we have in the U.S today with the executive, judicial, and legislative branches of government power.

John Locke- 2. "These rights are liberty, property, security, and resistance to oppression". Locke believed that people had inalienable rights which the government could not oppress, and that you would always have these rights, as they were bestowed upon form birth.

Voltaire- 11. "Every citizen may, accordingly, speak, write, and print with freedom". Voltaire believed that every citizen had the right to freedom of speech and press, and was heavily against the oppression of these rights. He told his ideas using comedy or writing to reinforce that people should be able to publish whatever they want, without being charged for any crimes.

JA 02/11/13

a.  Where are the newest countries in the world located?- In developing regions like Russia and Africa, with the newest country being South Sudan in Africa.

     

 b.  Is there a connection between the type of government a country has and the freedoms of its citizens?- In countries with dictatorships, citizens tend to have less freedoms, such as freedom of speech and press.

     

 c.  What questions do you have about these maps?  (Did you question anything?)

When were these maps made, and could they have had more recent data?

Obama dictator checklist

Poor economic conditions in the country- No, our economy is still stable enough.
Control over the media- No, some news stations are against him.
Developing a cult of personality- No, not everybody likes him.
Used schools or educational systems to spread ideas- No, schools are not forced to teach about him.
Got laws changed to add power- Somewhat, but he needs congress to approve them.
Eliminating other political parties- No, he is in one of many different parties.
Used propaganda- Yes, although to a small extent, like commercials.
Isolated or killed potential rivals- No, it's illegal.
Censored free speech- No, follows the constitution.
Secret police- No, it's also illegal.
Developed a scapegoat for the countries problems- Sometimes blames people or countries for issues.
Used nationalism (pride in your nation)- Yes, appeals to the U.S to get votes.
Used religion to their advantage- No, as some people don't follow his religion.
Powerful or motivating speakers- Yes, he delivers inspiring speeches to sway peoples opinions.
Pursued territorial expansion- Somewhat, as the U.S sets up embassies in other countries.
Promised change or better times- Yes, one of his most popular slogans.
Rose to power legally- Yes, he was elected by the people who voted for him.
Military background- No, didn't serve in the army.
Didn't grow up in a wealthy family- No, his family was middle class.
Educated, but not successful in school- No, he was very successful in school

Current event 02-07-13

http://www.cnn.com/2013/02/07/opinion/sutter-china-air-can/index.html?hpt=hp_c3

Obama dictator

The arguments that Obama is a dictator or is becoming one are very one sided. Many republicans are saying that he is a dictator with too much power, typically using his executive order to change gun laws an example. I believe that Obama is not becoming a dictator because he still needs the power of congress.

JA 02/07/13

teach propaganda to children
military background
control of media
lived in a country with economic instability
used religion to theit advantage
changed laws in their favor
elected legally
very intelligent, but didn't do well academically
secret police
grew up in a poor household
allowed only one political party
eliminated potential rivals
powerful speakers

Totalitarianism leaders

Adolf Hitler

Joseph Stalin

Benito Mussolini

Current event 02/01/13

http://www.cnn.com/2013/01/31/world/meast/israel-syria-strike/index.html?hpt=hp_t2

Examples of kings gaining power (Revised)

1. Common set of laws- Henry the 2nd created a set of laws.

2. Tax collection done by the central government.- Philip Augustus appointed bailiffs to collect taxes

3. Have a standing army loyal to the king.- Philip Augustus had a loyal army.

4. Central government that enforces laws.- Philip Augustus kept a check on the people's power with a law enforcement force.

5. A court system for centralized justice.- Henry the 2nd created a system to punish people for their crimes.

6. Use religion to approve of the king.- Philip the 4th was backed by the church.

7. Get people who a threat to your power be part of the government.- Parliaments were an example of this in every society.

Are humans good or bad by nature?

01-25-13


I believe humans, by nature are good. Even though there are many bad temptations, humans have more willpower than anything else, and that is what prevents us from giving in to those temptations. People typically have good in them from birth, and if left that way, it will become their personality, but if they grow up in a bad environment, it heavily influences who they become. People's first reaction to a problem of another person, is usually sadness for that person, and eventually finding a way to help.

Rebuilding a Nation for Dummies

1. Developed small armies stationed in towns.

2. Add more taxes to products being imported or exported.

3. Attempt to limit the power of the church.

4. Appointed bishops some power over the people.

5. Starting and winning wars.

6. Conquering territories while gaining land and resources from them.

7. Appointed bailiffs to cities to collect taxes from the citizens.

8. Created a monarchy system that unified the territory and gave him more power above common citizens.

9. Religious facilities provided military for the king's purposes.

10. Forced people to pay money to become an official citizen.

Revised list

1. Common set of laws

2. Tax collection done by the central government.

3. Have a standing army loyal to the king.

4. Central government that enforces laws.

5. A court system for centralized justice.

6. Use religion to approve of the king.

7. Get people who a threat to your power be part of the government.

History quiz

1. The united states has a democratic government since the people participate in the government and help make political decisions, making the leader not have all the power.

2.In times of crisis the Romans elected a dictator who could only rule for sevreal months before losing power.

3. The plebeians were common citizens of Rome, who were typically in the lower class.

4. Some believe the U.S. is an oligarchy because they believe that the U.S. political leaders use their power and money only for their own corrupt benefit.

5. The Romans had a law that did not give equal rights to non-roman people. This law included putting them to jail without any jury or ruling from a judge. If a Roman citizen was subjected to this, it would be against the law. People who wanted to escape the unfair treatment had to pay a large sum of money to become an official roman citizen. 

History Definitions Homework

Bureaucracy- A government system where political officials are ranked in a pyramid system.

Aristocracy- A government of officials that are said to be the best or most noble

Constitutionalism- A system of government where power is distributed and limited by a law that leaders must follow.

Autocracy- A government where one leader has absolute power.

Monarchy- A government system where power is held by a king or another political figure.

Dictatorship- the government is ruled by one dictator who enforces all rules.

Totalitarianism- The belief that citizens should have no power in a government.

Absolutism- The belief that all power in government should be held by a single authority.

Democracy- A government where the people have a say in what decisions are made politically.

Oligarchy- A government where a select few officials control power, usually for selfish purposes.

01-21-13

J.A. - What is the purpose of Government?

The government exists to create and enforce rules for the people. The citizens also rely on these rules so they can have equal rights and other freedoms that are guaranteed by the government. This leads to a system where people are given the same political and economic opportunities.