All Things Supernatural

When we were assigned the iWeb Journey’s project, my very first thought was that it would be easy, since I had already done one before. However, the further I got into the assignment the more I realized that this was, in fact, much more difficult than I had anticipated. The reason for this is that we had to go above and beyond with this project and, to do so, I had use things I wasn’t use to. For example, the links and things. Before this iWeb assignment, I didn’t even know it was there in the fist place. I also learned a lot more about the program. Another thing this taught me was what people wanted from a website. They want it to be easy to read with pictures and other media to support it. They also want the colors not to be too bright. Not to mention the website has to be easy to navigate, with enough tabs and links and such. When I finished my iWeb, I was proud of what I had accomplished and what I had learned in the process of creating it. Over all, this project was a good learning experience and was also quite fun.

The planet Earth part of a solar system that spins around our sun along with other planets and celestial objects, such as Neptune, Mars, and Pluto. However, our solar system is only a tiny part of the universe. Beyond it there millions of other stars, some part of different solar system. There are also star clusters, dust, gas, star systems, etc. All of these combine to create our galaxy, the Milky Way. Our solar system along with countless others make up the Orion Arm of our galaxy. Orion is one of the six arms in the Milky Way. Some of these arms are the Perseus Arm and Sagittarius Arm. Our galaxy is among other galaxies and dwarf galaxies that seemingly orbit around one another. Further out there are other star clusters known as superclusters that are huge clusters of stars and such. All of these, planets, stars, solar systems, star systems, galaxies, star clusters and more are part of our universe. The reason there is even a universe is because of gravity. Gravity helps various celestial objects stay near one another and orbit stars and such. Gravity also has a big part in helping form planets. Gravity asteroids and comets form which, in turn, collide along with gases and such to form a planet. Because of gravity, the pressure that it puts on stars allows nuclear fusion to occur giving off light. This then helps create more planets and other celestial object. And all of this started with on big bang…

Two Good:

http://www.max-dan-wiz.com/

http://www.apple.com/

Two Bad:

http://www.ljanesmith.net/

http://www.imdb.com/

Part 1-Location

Observations: We are going Guangxi which is surrounded by Yunnan, Guizhou, Hunan, and Guandong. Also, Guilin is just one of the many cities in Guangxi. It is close to Chengdu, which is where a high magnitude earthquake occurred just a few years back.  You can see from the map of the city that it has a kind of main street, too.

Part 2-History

Source One:

1. What does the following quote tell you about the history of Guilin? Has it only recently been a destination for visitors? Guilin is only recently a place for visitors and the quote also shows that the people there really cared for the plantation and such.

Source Two:

1. How have Han Chinese ruled Guilin historically? What does this tell you about the ethnic groups that live in the Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region? This tells me that the people are independent and that they don’t a ruler to command.

2. When was the Ling Canal constructed? How did this canal influence the history and economy of Guilin? The Ling Canal was first constructed in the third century B.C.E. It influenced Guilin in many ways. One thing was that it helped transport appliances and other items (food and such) back and forth between Guilin and the rest of China. However, in present day, the transport costs are high so many factories moved to different locations. Therefore Guilin has a low economy.

Source Three:

1. Why were canals built throughout the city of Guilin?

The canal was built throughout the city of Guilin so that food supplies could be directly transported from the food-productive Yangtze plain to the farthest points of the Empire.

2. When was Guilin declared under the “protection of historical and cultural heritage?” Guilin was declared under the “protection of historical and cultural heritage” in 1981.

Why would this be important or significant for the city? It means that they get protection from the State Council and will get a lot of attention due to its history, culture, heritage and natural scenery. So that means they will get a lot of tourism helping their economy.

For the protection of the environment? It will help maintain nature as it used to be with all of its wonders and it will maintain a home for all the animals located there. It means that a little piece of the world will stay untouched and undamaged by us humans.

3. What are some of the local industries in Guilin? Some of the local industries in Guilin are pharmaceutical goods, tires, machinery, fertilizer, silk, perfume, wine, tea, cinnamon, herbal medicine.

4. What are some of the agricultural products? Some of the agricultural products are Shatian Pomelo, summer orange, Fructus Momordicae, ginkgo, moon persimmon, Lipu Tara, Sanhua Alcohol, pepper sauce, fermented bean curd, Guilin Rice Noodle, water chestnut, grain, fish and dried bean milk cream in tight rolls.

What do these tell you about geography of Guilin? This tells me that the Guilin has a lot of rivers or a great source of water and that it is a tropical region.

5. Where you can find a picture of Guilin? Hint – $ At a tourist shop or gallery and in films.

Part 3-The People

According to the following site http://www.fmprc.gov.cn/ce/cebe/eng/hxsz/t71999.htm (Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the People’s Republic of China), which ethnic groups live in the Guangxi Region? Website cannot be found.

What evidence tells us that the level of education in Guangxi is still lower than the rest of China?

“-it is still low compared with the rest of the country, which can be seen from the low proportion of people with a higher education and the overall educational level of the population. By the end of 2000, there were 30 institutions of higher learning with an enrollment of more than 117,900 students and a faculty of 9,300; 6,484 secondary schools with 6,038,000 students and 272,200 teachers; and 16,109 primary schools with 5,368,000 pupils and a faculty of 199,000. In 2000, The enrollment rate of school-age children was 98.68% and the illiterate rate was 3.79%.” from http://www.unescap.org/esid/psis/population/database/chinadata/guangxi.htm

For what reasons do the inhabitants of this region move elsewhere in China? They move elsewhere because they might be job seeking, doing business, family reunions, visiting family or friends, studying, training, and work transfer.

Where do they go?

They go to cities that have well-developed industries, trade and transportation.

The UNICEF article about an Internet project here in China tells us a lot about the extent of the digital divide for people in the Guangxi region. What conclusions can you draw about this topic from this information? Identify 2.

These topics, of digital divide, should be fixed, and there needs to be more support groups helping to fix these problems. Digital divide deprives these new minds of education and if it were fixed it could open up a new world for these children.

Part 4-Environment

According to Jordan Clary, what is ‘karst topography’?

“Karst topography is characterized by many caverns and sinkholes that form by the dissolution of limestone or other carbonate rocks.” That is what karst topography is to Jordan Clary.

http://www.geotimes.org/apr07/article.html?id=Travels0407.html

Explain in your own words what the 4 factors are that created the type of karst seen in Guilin.

Guilin’s hard compact carbonate limestone, its strong uplift, (thanks to the collision of India and Asia forming the Himalaya), its monsoon climate during the warmest season and the fact that it has no glaciers all are the 4 factors as to why Guilin has a karst topography.

Whose research did Clary base her information on?

China Tourism Web site, Guilin Tourism, Yangshuo Travel Guide, and Guilin Travel Guide. She basically based it off of tour guide sites. Clary’s article gives us a number of images of Guilin. Identify one that you are looking forward to. I am looking forward Kayaking in the Li River.

An introduction to my work:

This work reflects upon earth and plant life and such. The inside of the top of the head is meant to represent a garden that is unaffected by pollution, meaning it is supposed to the “perfect” garden. The top of the head is meant to be an apple. Lastly the base is supposed to be an ocean or pod of some sort and the green on the face are leaves. My sculpture represents all of the above and represents Mother Earth. However instead of just having trees, I also added the ocean because that is part of the Earth and also added fruit and such.
This sculpture is not supposed to be one thing. It is combination of many things, mostly plant life.

The process:
I used materials such as tissue paper, model magic, and fake flowers. I used these because I wanted to make the texture different than actual leaves and other plants but I still wanted them to have a texture.  I chose this topic because I really like the Earth. Also, I thought plants would make for an interesting Dada head because you could do so many things with them.
I chose the two principles of art, contrast and variety. The variety is shown in all the different colors, shapes, forms, and more on the head. The contrast is in how each part of the Dada head is differently designed.

The conclusion:
In creating this sculpture, I found that  it was difficult to keep the top of the head on. So, I had to add more wire than I had anticipated.
I feel that my work was well done. Although I did not get to add everything I wanted it, I still think I made my Dada head come to life.
I discovered that it is easier to stick in the fake flowers when wire is added to the middle of them. I also discovered that tissue paper is very difficult to deal with. Not to mention the fact that it was also difficult to put everything together.

What is cultural identity?

Cultural identity is explained differently by different people. To myself it is the identity of a group or culture or single person’s who is influenced by belonging to a group or culture. For example, a person may be tan and speak Spanish and a little English. This may suggest that this person’s cultural identity is Spanish or South American because of the fact that he or she has evidence that he/she comes from on of these areas.

Why is it important to study cultures from the past?

It is important to study cultures from the past because of the fact that we wouldn’t want to the same mistakes they did. For example, the crusades. There were many long wars because Christians and Muslims couldn’t get along with each other. Now, in the present, we wouldn’t want the same thing to happen. Also, this way we can see the discoveries of the past and let it help us now. Although, some mistakes will probably happen again. Let us hope that they do not, we would not want World War III on our hands…

Book of Choice: Thirst No. 1 (The Last Vampire, Black Blood, Red Dice), 594 pages

2. Select 1-2 passages/quotes from the text that hold meaning for you. Explain why you chose the specific passages/quotes, including any significance to the plot, themes, characters, or messages of the book.

“My name, at present, is Alisa Perne-just two words, something to last for a couple of decades. I am no more attached to them then to the sound of the wind.” Page 2 of Thirst

This quote is said by the protagonist of the story, a five-thousand year old vampire. She, Alisa, goes by many names. Her most ancient name is her most important, Sita.The quote above shows many things about how she lives. Clearly names hold little meaning for her. This could also suggest that she is used to change and that petty things such as names and perhaps style aren’t of much importance to her. Those are just a few things that Sita lives with. The next passage explains more about what it is like being a vampire to Sita…

“I can hear a dry leaf break off a branch a mile away, and I can clearly see the craters of the moon without a telescope. Both senses have grown more acute as I get older… I have the strength of five men, the reflexes of the mother of all cats. There is not a system of physical attack and defense of which I am not a master.” Page 37 of Thirst

This passage gives more detail about Sita’s strengths, and what she can do. It also gives some clues about what happens further into the book. Firstly, it explains how strong she is, not to mention, how good she is at all martial arts. This suggests what she has been doing in her 5,000 years of live. Also, the passage explains how acute her senses are, especially seeing and hearing. It explains how they become stronger the more years she gains, too. This passage reminds me a lot about a few different books I have read. For example, Twilight by Stephanie Meyer, Night World by LJ Smith, and Vampire Academy by Richelle Mead. Each of these novels has some sort of super-strong vampire with very good senses. The book, Thirst, however, gives to most insight in to the topic.

Other Books I’ve Read This Week:

Second Chance by Jane Green, 423 pages

1. After watching your video and seeing your grade, what are 3 observations you have about this performance?
2. Who in the class gave a really great performance? Why?
3. If you are to give monologue advice to a 6th grade student, what would you say?

Pros:

• Can teach us many things about the universe and our own planet
• Now able to land and walk upon another planet or moon
• From being able to build a spacecraft and for humans to be safely in space, we have learned to improve our lives
• Can now pack frozen foods better and easier
• Have safer equipment for firefighters
• More effective heart monitors
• Technology has improved from doing research in outer space, can send probes into space
• Makes space exploration safer

Cons:

• Risky for humans and animals
• Many things could go wrong
• Lots of money, often in the billions
• Especially if something goes wrong and they need replacements
• Could use money to help other things, such as education and healthcare

My Opinion:

I believe that we should keep doing space exploration but instead of sending people out we should send out machines that would do the same work as an astronaut would. This would make it safer and we would prevent any unneeded deaths. We should also for now maybe cut the money that goes towards this research in half or at least post pone it. This way we could use that money towards the issues on Earth right now such as poverty, and put money towards research in the medical department. We should try to focus on problems that are in our daily lives now and not focus so much as for what is going on in outer space. Though I still say that we should continue the research in space but just not as much. I say we should just layback a bit on it and come back to it with all our attention when our own problems are solved or are at least on their way to being fixed on our own planet. I think that the space exploration is very important and that we should keep doing it because it can help solve certain problems on Earth. Yet right now I think it would be better to solve the problems that we have now that we can solve on our own. This way we can get back on our feet and then dedicate all our time and money to the space exploration.

Book of Choice: Dark Visions (The Strange Power, The Possessed, The Passion) by L.J. Smith, 673 pages

7. What is a theme of the book? How do you know? (A theme is a principle that applies to all humans, such as: learning independence, enduring friendship, making choices, survival, values/morals, courage, persistence, etc.)

Dark Visions by LJ Smith has a theme of survival and friendship. In the book, Kaitlyn learns she is psychic and she goes to Zetes Institute for Parapsychology to learn how to control her powers. Here she meets Rob, Gabriel, Anna, and Lewis, all of whom are psychic. Together they form a bond beyond that of normal friends; their minds are connected. However, the Institute is not what it seem, and the five of them go on the run. There are many obstacles along the way, but their friendship endures. However, they soon realize that survival is harder than it looks. Those are just a few things that happen in the book. These points also make is quite obvious that the theme is survival and friendship.

Other Books I’ve Read This Week:

Princess Academy by Shannon Hale, 216 pages

8th Confession by James Patterson, 471 pages

Thirst No.1 by Christopher Pike, 241 pages-not finished