Jan 26 Daily

In some circumstances, modern life is better than it was in the past.  With modern scientific and technological advances in today’s world, there have been several inventions and discoveries that have made life better and easier for humans today.  For example, if I lived in ancient Egypt (obviously before the modern advances of today’s world), I would not have the medical advantages of today’s world, electricity, running water, and my shelter would not be as sophisticated as it is today.  Yes, the ancient Egyptian culture flourished during its time, but it does not even come close to the technological, scientific, and medical sophistication of today’s general society.  However, sometimes, there are circumstances in which past civilizations are “better” than modern ones in some ways.  For example, there are civilizations today where people have little freedom and choice.  Despite this being a modern civilization, past civilizations with more freedom would be “better” in my opinion.  There are also downsides to many of the advances of today’s society, such as pollution.  In our world, there are many environmental issues related to industry and other man-made inventions, such as cars and many homes.  In the past, however, there were not as many environmental issues.  So, it can be said that one way that past civilizations are better than modern ones is the amount of pollution produced.  The civilization that is better – past or modern – can be argued both ways.  Some characteristics of past civilizations make them worse than modern ones, and some make them better.

Jan 25 Daily

In some circumstances, modern life is better than it was in the past.  With modern scientific and technological advances in today’s world, there have been several inventions and discoveries that have made life better and easier for humans today.  For example, if I lived in ancient Egypt (obviously before the modern advances of today’s world), I would not have the medical advantages of today’s world, electricity, running water, and my shelter would not be as sophisticated as it is today.  Yes, the ancient Egyptian culture flourished during its time, but it does not even come close to the technological, scientific, and medical sophistication of today’s general society.  However, sometimes, there are circumstances in which past civilizations are “better” than modern ones in some ways.  For example, there are civilizations today where people have little freedom and choice.  Despite this being a modern civilization, past civilizations with more freedom would be “better” in my opinion.  There are also downsides to many of the advances of today’s society, such as pollution.  In our world, there are many environmental issues related to industry and other man-made inventions, such as cars and many homes.  In the past, however, there were not as many environmental issues.  So, it can be said that one way that past civilizations are better than modern ones is the amount of pollution produced.  The civilization that is better – past or modern – can be argued both ways.  Some characteristics of past civilizations make them worse than modern ones, and some make them better.

Jan 24 Daily

            History exists, and is always being created with every thought, action, and feeling; therefore, history does progress.  History is made up of events in our world, which is constantly moving forward.  People are always doing, thinking, and feeling new things - which in turn creates history.  This proves that history does indeed progress.  For example, in school we learn about history of the ancient world, as well as the history of the twentieth history.  Events that occurred earlier in history influenced those that occurred later in history.  The progression of history allows it to continue being created.  By studying human civilizations, it is safe to say that life has improved over the course of history.  So, one could say that yes, in a way, an elephant really is better than a mammoth.  The mammoth became extinct, but with time, the elephant evolved from the mammoth.  Evolution of animals tends to make them more able to adapt to their surroundings.  However, in some cases, such a change does not yield positive results.  A change in something such as an animal or a civilization will change history, but its effects are not always what is best.  Yes, the mammoth evolved into the elephant; however, the mammoth was a fully functional living creature.  The elephant was just a result of the natural process of evolution.  The mammoth died because of the unbearable conditions of the ice age, not because of its own inability to live.   So, it can be argued both ways that an elephant is better than a mammoth.  It can also be argued that some modern civilizations are not “better” than some ancient civilizations.

Exam 14

1. Spread the word of God and Archbishop John Carroll on the internet.

2. Using social networking media to connect with others.

3. Better the learning experience by exposing students to other parts of the world - on the computer.

4. Advertise the school and what it stands for online.

5. Communicate with others using the internet.

6. Share ideas with other on the internet.

7. Use a blog to better the learning experience.

8. Since our current world uses technology for just about everything, we should be prepared for that by using it everyday in school.

9. Learn not only the curriculum, but how to integrate technology into it.

10. Learn to love technology, as you will use it for the rest of your life.

Exam 7

A regional food hub is a local facility in which locally grown food is stored and distributed.  For example, if I was a farmer at Travis Nelson Local Farms, I would grow my food, send it to my local regional food hub, and it was be stored and distributed for me there.  They are essential to sustainable agriculture and food distribution for many reasons.  First, because they are local.  Regional food hubs are local places that you can send your food to (if you are a farmer).  Yes, huge industrial facilities that do sort of the same thing do exist, but the fact that they are local makes a difference.  In class, we watched Food, Inc., which documented the American food industry and how they handle things.  Personally, after watching this, I am glad places like regional food hubs exist.  In the movie, it really did not look like things were being properly handled and taken care of, and I would not call their methods "sustainable" at all.  Things are different at these local regional food hubs.  

The closet place to JC to get organic poultry is Andy's Eggs, located at 2601 Harford Road, Fallston, MD 21047.  The closet place to JC to get organic beef is at the Mill of Bel Air, which sells Deer Creek Organic Beef.  The closet place to JC to get organic vegetables is at Andy's Eggs.  See above for address.

To the JC Cafeteria Staff:

In order to accommodate for rising health standards in our country and in our world, schools must change their cooking, preparation, serving, and eating methods.  Buying organic is one of the easiest ways to help our school be more healthy and more green.  Andy's Eggs and the MIll of Bel Air are great places to find organic foods.  They may be a little more expensive, but then again, you can't put a price on your students' health!  Just talking to the student body about buying and eating organic are just some of the ways you can encourage students to be more healthy and more conscious of the environment around them.  I am already starting to spread the word about organic foods by writing you this!

Thanks,

Travis Nelson

2601 Harford Road   Fallston, MD  21047

Exam 6

1. Climate change can be caused naturally and unnaturally.  Volcanic eruptions, for example, release ash, gases, and other "natural pollutants" that contribute to climate change.  In unnatural terms, many human actions can contribute to the climate change.  Even though they may not directly cause it, many of them accelerate climate change in one way or another.  For example, driving a car releases CO2 as it burns gasoline, heating systems for homes may burn oil and gasoline, which releases pollution.  The NOAA states that the rise in temperatures over the past couple of decades has not been global.  In fact, some areas of Earth has actually cooled, while other areas, such as North America and Eurasia have been warming.  Yes, even though global warming is real, the United States east coast has still had some serious winter weather over the past couple of years.  Just because the average (key word: average) global temperature has been rising does not mean that no major winter weather will occur.  Again, the NOAA states that in some parts of the world, the average temperature has risen, not fallen.  So, these blizzards are not a huge surprise, despite all of the confusion with global warming, climate change, and the existence of them both.

Exam 5

Exam 4

There are so many names of soda in New Mexico because of all the diversities of people that live there.  There are immigrants from Mexico that have their own name for it, then there are people from Texas, who mostly say Coke, which is clear on the Texas-New Mexico border.  New Mexico is a place where so many different people live, and with different people come different names for things like soda.

Exam 3

According to the Korea Times, the most unfriendliest city in the United States is Los Angeles.  Here is the link:

http://www.koreatimes.com/article/639616

Exam 1

The terrorist attacks of 9 11 are responsible for this dip of overseas arrivals to the United States. Following the attacks, people were not flying as much due to fear of future terrorist attacks.  Statistics are extremely helpful when explaining the significance of historical events.   By studying the statistics, we can understand how and why things happened, as well as the social, cultural, and political affects of the event.  An example of this is when we studies AIDS in Africa.  Following our discussion, we learned that the birth rate in Africa is very high, but the infant mortality rate, as well as the life expectancy were very low.  By using these numbers, we learned how Africa and the African people were specifically affected by the AIDS epidemic.

Language Interview

This is Travis Nelson from International Student Insider Magazine.  On 5 January, 2011, I held an interview with John Carroll junior Jenn Yang.  We talked about the difficulties of coming to a new country, learning and speaking another language, and meeting people of an entirely different culture.

Travis Nelson: Hello, and thank you for taking part in the interview today.  What is your full name?  Do you have any siblings?

Jenn Yang: My Korean birth name is Hyeayoung Yang. I go by Jennifer Yang because when I used to live in Atlanta, my friends would call me Hyea and it would always confuse me because it sounds like “hey.” I have one older brother and his name is Jae Yang. He is a senior at John Carroll.

TN: How long have you lived in the United States?  Before you came to live here, had you visited before (for example, on vacation, school trips, and etcetera)?

JY: I have been living in the United States for about 6 years now. I moved a lot back and forth from America to South Korea. I was born in Seoul and moved to Atlanta, Georgia when I was little. I went to preschool, kindergarten, and first grade in Atlanta. After first grade, I moved back to Seoul and attended first to fourth grade. The summer of 2005, my family moved back to America and decided to live in my current home in Bel Air, Maryland.

TN: What other language(s) do you speak other than English?

JY: I am fluent in Korean.

TN: What is your country of origin?

JY: I am from South Korea.

TN: How do you like John Carroll?

JY: I really like John Carroll. I love the mod schedule because I know my friends at public schools have block schedules. I would rather have six different classes each day than only have 2 or 3 classes that are each over an hour long. I also love the music department and the different music groups I can take part in. 

TN: What are you involved in at John Carroll?

JY: I am involved in a lot of musical groups and several other clubs. I am part of the Robotics club and I am a member of Club Chinese. I also take part in the pit orchestra and jazz band. I used to be part of the indoor drumline last year. I am a member of the National Honors Society.

TN: Was it hard coming to the United States and not speaking English, or did you already know English before you came to the United States?

JY: The first time that I was in the United States was when I was in Georgia. I remember being really nervous when I first started school in Atlanta. Fortunately, I quickly made friends and I was able to pick up on English easily since I was learning the new language at a young age. When I started fifth grade at Homestead-Wakefield Elementary School in Bel Air, I was super anxious because I was the new kid at school. It seemed like everyone in my class knew each other and I was the odd one out. I was glad, though, because I made a lot of new friends so it was mostly pretty easy adjusting from my school in Korea to Homestead-Wakefield.

TN: What were your first thoughts on the United States and American people and culture?

JY: I honestly don’t remember my first thoughts of the United States and American people. Since I came to the United States when I was really young, I don’t think I had serious thoughts about my surroundings. I just accepted the new environment with its culture and people.

TN: How does the American education system differ from that in your native country (despite the fact that John Carroll is not public)?

JY: The American education system is very different from the education system in South Korea. For example, summer and winter breaks are different. The new school year starts after summer break in America while the new school year starts after winter break in Korea. School starts a little later in the day than American schools and ends later. Students do not switch classrooms for different subjects. Students study out of textbooks and workbooks.

TN: Was it difficult learning the English language?  Explain.

JY: I think it was easy for me to learn English because I learned it when I was young. I remember gradually getting the hang of English by playing with my friends and watching American TV shows like Blue’s Clues.

TN: If you were taught English in school in your native country, how does that compare to the language class you are taking now at John Carroll?

JY: When I was in Korea, I had English class. I remember the class being super easy for me because I had already learned in English in Atlanta. I take Chinese at John Carroll and this language class is different than my English class in Korea because learning English was so much easier. Also, my English class had a lot of listening practices. Other than Rosetta Stone, I don’t have a lot of other listening activities in Chinese.

TN: With whom from you family did you come to the United States?

JY:  I came to the United States with my parents and my brother.

TN: If you attended school in your native country, do you remember if any American student s were there (exchange students, international students, and etcetera)?

JY: No, there weren’t any American students at my school in Korea; however, there were special classes for Korean students who moved from different countries. I was in a special class for first grade. The other students in my special class came from America as well.

TN: Thank you for taking the time to answer these questions!

JY: Sure, it was no problem.

French Exchange Journal APA References

Comparing the united states to france. Retrieved from http://www.ifitweremyhome.com/compare/US/FR


Education in france. (2011, January 5). Retrieved from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Education_in_France


Levallois-perret 3-5 rue baudin int.. (2009, September 6). Retrieved from http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Levallois-Perret_3-5_rue_Baudin_int.JPG


Modern kitchen. (2010, August 19). Retrieved from      http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Modern_Kitchen.jpg


Secondary education in france. (2010, December 29). Retrieved from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Secondary_education_in_France


Terrine de saumon au basilic. (2010, December 4). Retrieved from http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Terrine_de_saumon_au_basilic.JPG

A Reflection on my Experience on the French Exchange

5 January 2011

This morning, I returned from France while on the French exchange.  I had been there for about three and a half weeks, and I must say, it was a very interesting experience.  Before leaving for France, I had never been out of the United States before.  It was a very cool experience to be completely immersed in an entirely different culture.  I stayed with a boy named Martin Dupont.  Martin lives in Paris, France with his parents, and his two sisters, Amelie and Andree.  They live in a pretty big apartment in Paris.  It was very nice.  He and his family were very nice and showed me around France.  We went to the Louvre, where we saw the Mona Lisa, Liberty Leading the People, and The Raft of the Medusa (three famous paintings at the Louvre) , the Eiffel Tower, and the Notre Dame Cathedral.  After our sightseeing, Martin's family took me to a fancy French restaurant, where I had Basil Salmon Terrine, or "Terrine de Saumon au Basilic" as they say in France.  This trip was a lot of fun, as I was exposed to true French society, art and architecture, as well as the French people themselves.  Martin is 15 years old, and attends secondary school (the French equivalent to American high school).  Martin also attends private school, which, like most other French private schools, is Roman Catholic.  One day, while in school with Martin, his teacher, who was French but also a fluent English speaker, was talking to me about the United States.  She asked me questions such as: "How is living in the United States?", "What is school like in the United States?", as well as some other things.  I explained to her what life was life in America, and she gave me some pretty interesting facts.  She said that the French consume 50.68 percent less oil and 44.08 percent less electricity than Americans.  Also, in France, you live about 2.85 years longer than in America.  In terms of career and money, the French have a 4.3 percent greater chance of being unemployed than Americans, and make about 29.31 percent less money than the average American.  I thought it was intriguing to find out these sort of statistics of another country other than my own.  It was also nice to talk with a non-United States citizen about my country.  Being able to talk about that with someone who really cannot relate was a great experience.  At Martin's home, the rooms were generously sized, similar to the size of the rooms at my own home.  Martin told me that many homes are sized as his is in France.  France is a well-developed nation, so, many of its people enjoy these types of homes and schools.  Spending this time in France was a wonderful and enriching experience and I hope I get to go back someday!


**Below are some pictures from my trip!**

Above is a picture of Martin's house.  Many apartment buildings in France look like this.

Above is Martin's kitchen.

Martin's mother made this for dinner one night.  It is called Basil Salmon Terrane.