Western Civilization

Today in class we continued to watch the video Guns, Germs, and steel. We learned about how wheat gave the Middle East advantages because unlike plants in Papua New Guinea, wheat was easy to find and easy to store for a long time. People then began to domesticate plants by planting them instead of them naturally growing. People started to control plants and when and where they would grow. This way they could always have food near them. Like they domesticated plants, they then learned that instead of killing animals like goats, they could domesticate them and use them to their advantage. With domesticating animals you could get milk, meat, coats out of their fur, and with bigger animals like donkeys or horses, you could use their power and muscles to farm and plow.

In class we didn't really do anything. We reviewed the video from yesterday for a few minutes then took a very easy six question pop quiz. Then we got our grades back from the quiz. Because Mr. Schick is so nice he is letting the people who don't do their blogs catch up today but he said he won't let us do it again so everyone needs to start doing their blogs. Now we are doing nothing and talking about how English and no red ink sucks.

In class on January, 23, we watched half of the video "Guns, Germs, and Steel" and took notes. The video is about a guy named Jared Diamond who is a author, professor, biologist, and a bird watcher. Jared Diamond spends time in Papua New Guinea watching birds. While in Papua New Guinea, Jared   gets to know people who live there. One of the people that lives there asked Jared a question that got him thinking. He was asked, "Why you white men have so much cargo and we New Guineans have so little?" Jared Diamond thinks that the people in New Guinea are very smart and resourceful while other people find that they are lacking cargo because of race and thats just how they are. People coming in to exploit New Guinea think that white people are superior.

Today in class we went over the rules and guidelines. We will have to blog every time we have class. Blogs are due by 12:00 that night unless class is on a Friday. If we have class on a Friday, you have an additional 24 hours to complete it (due Saturday at 12:00). You need a composition notebook to take notes in every single day. Blogs should have notes from class or will be an assignment. They are a minimum of 150 words. Blogs are worth 2 points but ad up to about 180 points total. They can help your over all grade. If you don't do blogs but get A's on test you will still most likely end up with a low B in the class!Do The Blogs!!