I don't have that many memories of 9/11; I was over 3 thousand miles away when disaster stuck. I was still living in England at this time, having just moved there a couple weeks ago, when in the middle of the night I woke up to my parents running around the house making calls and the TV on full blast. I was too little to understand what was going on so I just sat on the couch trying to understand the images on the TV before my parents noticed me and took me back to bed. I wasn't frighten at all because I didn't know what was going on. I can't recall the images exactly, but now I feel terrified when I think of them.
Later, in forth grade, I remember a teacher reading a book about a firetruck boat that was retired until 9/11 when it got to work again by helping put out the fires. In the end the boat was happy because it got to help people. I found this book horrifying. Who would make a children's book about a happy boat when at the same time it was telling us about 9/11? The children around me didn't seem to mind, but had they seen the newscast right when the towers crashed?
That night, I saw an extreme home makeover about a firefighter in 9/11. They redid his house and his family's whole house. He then talked about his friend being crush under the rubble and other people he saw and couldn't save. Then two people the firefighter saved came on and hugged and thanked him again.
I know that there were many other people dead because of 9/11 besides the firefighter's friend. So many went down that day, so many sad families dressed in black. Thats what I know about 9/11. To me, that seems like to much to know already.
Friday, February 25, 2011
Tuesday, February 22, 2011
Celeste, Belgium, Art
The artisic styles in Belgium over time have moved from realizum, a basic view on life in the painting, to surrealism, a style that is anything but the norm. Some of the painters in Belgium have been considered the best in Europe, such as Memling, Ruben and Ensor. The country has very diverse ethnic groups, which means their mixed cultures show very differently on the canvas, but together are very rich and colorful.
Sources:
Art and Culture of Belgium
Sources:
Art and Culture of Belgium
Celeste, France, Art
Back in the late 19th century, a style know as Impressionism started to develop mainly in France. France unbraced this style where instead of the tradition way of dropping the color purely on to the canvas, it was mixed on the palette and on the canvas. Impressionism had the will to break 'official art' and is one of the most common painting styles in France today and is also very common in their art museums. Some of the famous Impression artists in their museums today are Monet, Renoir, Sisley, and Pissarro.
Another style France was famous for was Merovingian, developed between the fifth and eighth century. Also, Carolingian art, which belonged to King Charles Martel.
Sources:
WebMuseum: Impressionism
France Art
Another style France was famous for was Merovingian, developed between the fifth and eighth century. Also, Carolingian art, which belonged to King Charles Martel.
Sources:
WebMuseum: Impressionism
France Art
Tuesday, February 8, 2011
Gulf Oil Spill and it's Affects on Freshwater
Oil spills affect the ecosystem and people living around it, but not always directly. When the Big Gulf Oil spill happened, huge numbers of Fish, Dolphins, and Sharks fled the oily waters and went to nearby freshwater. With all these animals coming to one place, their needs for oxygen didn’t just go away. Soon the oxygen in the water was running out, so the state of Mississippi then decided to make something called a freshwater diversion.
A freshwater diversion is when you make a diversion coming from a large body of water, in this case the Mississippi River, and make a path going from it to where ever you need the water and the nutrients and sediments it carries, in this case the nearby freshwaters. When the state made this choice, they saved the lives of all the sea creatures they brought the water to because this new water brings them air to breathe, nutrients and sediments. However, it has a negative affect on the Oyster Farmers in the area, like a man named Vujnovich.
Vujnovich and his Oysters
Vujnovich is an Oyster Farmer who’s had three quarters of his Oyster crop wiped out because of the Oil spill and the State’s freshwater diversion. The diversion has caused some salty water to get mixed in with the Mississippi River’s freshwater, which his Oysters then die from the salt.
Dead Oysters from the Gulf
Another affect the Oil spill had was not easy to see. For instance, oil can evaporate into the air. Since humans and pretty much ever other animal on this earth breathe air, we could be breathing highly toxic fumes that could harm us all and have a negative affect on the ecosystem. Many people in the Gulf area have reported that it smells like oil there and they could be breathing it.
The BP oil spill has also effected what we eat, like seafood dishes such as shrimp, fish, and other ocean-life that we diet on. Some restaurants have been serving people seafood at super-high prices. People in Louisiana have been suffering headaches, nausea, throwing up, and other health effects of oil on humans.
Sources for Blog:
http://www.nola.com/news/gulf-oil-spill/index.ssf/2010/10/louisiana_oyster_industry_stru.html
The Gulf Oil Spill: Human Health is Affected Too | Gina Solomon's Blog | Switchboard, from NRDC
Gulf Oil Spill Restoration Begins For Oyster Beds In Mobile Bay
Barataria Bay - Effort to keep oil spill at bay tips ecological balance - Los Angeles Times
The Gulf Oil Spill: Human Health is Affected Too | Gina Solomon's Blog | Switchboard, from NRDC
Gulf Oil Spill Restoration Begins For Oyster Beds In Mobile Bay
Barataria Bay - Effort to keep oil spill at bay tips ecological balance - Los Angeles Times
Sources for Photos:
Sunday, February 6, 2011
Water and Us
Our planet has 67% water covering the surface, but only 1% is drinkable. Most of that 1% of water is frozen in icebergs and locked away in icy places way up north, leaving us a slim amount left over. Right now, 1 billion people lack a clean water source and by 2050 one third of our population may not have access to drinkable water as well. Also, one half of hospitalization diseases are water related, and Water.org says that 'The ancient Romans had better water quality than us'.
People all over the world have been trying to help bring awareness to this global issue, such as the ECO who has been making very powerful environmental videos and messages about keeping our water clean. Annually, they encourage 1 billion people to actively protect the earth. Someone else who's been making a difference is Ryan Hreljac, a 19 year old boy, who started to raise money when he was just 7 for Water Wells in places where clean water was hard to get. He got enough money for his first Well in 1999, and has made many more since then. He still raises money for Wells and gives talks to kids about what they can do. The UNICEF has recognized him as a global youth leader.
To help the problems of water safety be resolved, we need to spread the word. We can get the word out by sending ECO videos and telling people Ryan's story. Following Water.org on Facebook or becoming someone on their email list is one way to help yourself become more involved with the topic. One thing our class can do to help is be like Ryan and try to raise money from our friends, family, and ourselves. Together, we will be able to raise awareness and possibly raise enough money to build a Well of our own and maybe even save someone's life.
Tuesday, January 25, 2011
Australian Open
Ben Siegel and Celeste Padula
The Australian Open is one of the four tennis tournaments that make up the Grand Slam, the others being the French Open, the US Open and Wimbledon. They are the biggest and most prestigious tournaments each year, but the Australian Open holds the record of the highest ever single-day night/day attendance. Australia has hosted a tennis tournament since 1880, and in 1969 the tournament was first called the Australian Open. It is the first Grand Slam tournament of each year, held in the middle of the Australian summer, on the last fortnight of the month of January.
The Australian open used to be played on grass until the year 1988, when they switched to hard ground courts. Mats Wilander is the only male player to have ever won on grass and hard courts. The two main courts used in the tournament have been named Rod Laver Arena and Hisense Arena.
Even with all the flooding that has happened in Australia recently, the tournament will still be held in an Australian city. Currently, 5 different Australian cities have ever held the Open and two New Zealand cities, despite the name, the ‘Australian’ Open.
This year, as in the past several years, American tennis fans have hoped that Andy Roddick, the top ranked American man, could win the tournament, even though there are many other good younger male players. There have been a lot of discussions and comments made by former top players about whether or not the American men can ever be the top ranked players again. A lot of pressure is always placed on Roddick.
Two big stars of the Australian Open are Federer and Nadal. Former American tennis star Andre Agassi said, “It is not brain surgery to realize how much they’ve (Federer and Nadal) dominated,” Agassi told NPR. “But what I am sort of suggesting across the board, globally speaking, is that tennis has gotten much more competitive.”
Agassi also stated that court surfaces are a reason that the American men are not able to keep up with some of the best players from around the world. Americans tend to play with a Clay court instead of Hard courts used in the Australian Open. Clay slow down the ball and produce a high bounce, taking away the advantage of big serves. Clay courts are cheaper than the other types of court like Hard and Grass. Learning how to play tennis on a Clay court is a disadvantage to Americans because out of the four Grand Slam tournaments, the French Open is the only to use Clay courts.
Andy Roddick, the last American man in the 2011 Australian Open Draw, lost in the fourth round to Stanislas Wawrinka. This is the first time since 1987 that there has not been an American man in the quarterfinals of the tournament. At the time of the loss, ESPN analyst Patrick McEnroe said that, “He [Roddick] has been thoroughly dominated tonight.”
While there are always some upsets in every tennis tournament, most people predict that Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal will play each other in the final round for the championship. Nadal is ranked number 1 in the world. He has won the last 3 Grand Slams and is going for four, which would mean winning the Australian Open. The last person who won the four Grand Slams in a row was Rod Laver in 1969. It looks like Nadal could do it but the last time Nadal lost in a Grand Slam event was in the quarterfinal round in the 2010 Australian Open. Since Rod Laver, the Grand Slam record holder, has a stadium named after him, so a win by Nadal could give him one as well.
Thursday, January 6, 2011
Ivory Coast
Ben and Celeste
January 5, 2011
Conflict in Ivory Coast
On October 31, 2010, Alassane Ouattara challenged Laurent Gbagbo for the Presidency of Ivory Coast. This election was very close and ended with a run-off that was held on November 28, 2010. The runoff was very close, and in the end the country’s top elections officer declared that the former president, Laurent Gbagbo, had lost his power to Alassane Ouattara. Gbagbo, mad at losing his presidency, refused to give up his power. As a result of Gbagbo’s reaction to the election and his anger, the people of Ivory Coast are taking sides and causing violence in the streets. The natives there are scared that they will witness and be a part of a second civil war.
The day after the news of Ouattara’s win, the head of the Constitutional Council, a close ally of Gbagbo, threw out the vote totals from parts of the north (the base of Ouattara’s support) and claimed that Gbagbo was the winner, causing both men to claim presidency.
Then another sign of Gbagbo’s anger over his 45% to 55% loss to Ouattara was when he then closed the borders down and blocked all foreign television stations. The next night 8 people who supported Ouattara were shot and killed by automatic-weapon-toting gunmen at an opposition party headquarters.
The former president still has support over the army and is brushing aside threats to leave office from neighboring countries, which are expected to have to go to using military force if Gbagbo doesn’t leave soon. Ouattara is now barricaded in a hotel with the help of the United Nations peacekeeping troops, angered by Gbagbo’s stubbornness.
Since most of the citizens are not armed, they have cleverly decided to bang their pots and pans together to make it sound like gunshots. One lady named Edwige Tonete, who is so scared to even step outside of her house, talked to CNN about these recent days in Abidjan. Edwige Tonete is just old enough to remember the last recent civil war in Ivory Coast, which took place in 1958. She told the CNN reporters, “I don’t want to live like we did.” Tonete speaks for all Ivorian people when she says that, those that lived through the last civil war and those that were either not born or not old enough to recall it. Without saying anything specific about the conditions during the last civil war, it was clear from Tonete’s tone and the fear in her voice that no one would want to live through something as frightening as a civil war.
Not surprisingly at all, the United States and a few other countries have stepped up in this situation of horror in Ivory Coast. They have recruited a large number of soldiers to help with a United Nations peacekeeping force in Ivory Coast. Another thing that the U.S has done alongside the U.N, the European Union, the African Union, and some West African states is create a group called ECOWAS, Economic Community Of West African States, which has gotten together with the electoral commission to peacefully convince to Gbagbo and his supporters that Alassane Ouattara is the winner of the election, and that Ouattara is now the President of Ivory Coast.
http://articles.cnn.com/2010-12-30/world/ivory.coast.impact_1_ivory-coast-laurent-gbagbo-abidjan?_s=PM:WORLD
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