Wal-Mart :(

In the beginning of class, I left to go to the bathroom so I missed that.  Most of the class was spent on our discussions.  We were talking about the immigrants and how some say they are taking over American jobs.  Mexicans were talked about for a while and how Mr. Schick's wife's friend worked with some, and baked them cookies while they fed her really hot peppers.  They would send the money they got to their families, but before they left to get back (after 6 months) they would stock up on things from Wal-Mart.  Personally, I don't know why they wouldn't go to Target, I hate Wal-Mart.  Then when we got to the movie it was more about Wal-Mart.  The lady who got fired (whom Damon and I both hate) shops at Wal-Mart when she knows that that is why the Chinese have her job-because people buy from Wal-Mart for their low places.  I feel like every Wal-Mart is trashy.  She had no answer to the movie people when they asked why she shops there.  She did this to herself, and she always looks angry.  For a long while we talked about stocks and how they work.  Mr. Schick made a couple thousand off of Internet America, which isn't used anymore because there is WiFi everywhere!  

More Movie

We watched more of the movie but we stopped to talk for a long while about I think Missouri, had a chain reaction that was for the worse.  When the 480 people lost their jobs it affected the whole town and caused a lot of places to go out of business.  We watched a part over because he wanted it to sink in for us.  After this Mr. Schick told us the story about how him and his wife were going to travel to Texas for Christmas and their car wouldn't work.  The short of the story is they got to Texas, but they didn't think they would.  We didn't get much farther into the movie actually. 

The People's Republic of Capitalism

In the beginning we took about five minutes to talk about an assembly tomorrow from someone’s name that is Gerry Sandusky, but spelled with a "G", not a "J" like the stupid pedophile. (Luckily, I've heard that all the pedophiles in prison are looked as like dirt by all the other prisoners, so they are just tortured until they die!)  Anyway, he will be telling us about how the other Jerry, has changed his life.  If we ask a good question to him, we get 10 extra credit points.  After that we talked a little about how Egypt's old dictator was thrown out of office and replaced with Ben Netanyahu and now he is sadly starting to become more of a dictator than the people would like him to be.  After this we watched a movie about China, the title of this was called the People's Republic of Capitalism.  It was basically about China, and their life in comparison to America's.  It talked about the earthquake and how it struck schools, and good, prosperous land.  The schools and buildings collapsed because they were made out of wood and not concrete like most all buildings in America are.  Also, 55,000 people died in the earthquake lots of them were children because they were in school.  There is only the one-child rule in China so all of the parents lost their only child.  If you are caught in the city with more than one child it is a huge fine.  But the government allows parents to try again if the can prove their child has died.  There is a city call Chongqing, and it is along the Yangzi River, this is known to Americans as the “Biggest city Americans have never heard of”, there are a lot of rich people here.  There is a larger amount of poor people in China then there are in all of America.  There are 1 ½ million people working on construction, and the men only get paid 3-4 dollars a day, not an hour a day.  The women only get paid 1 or 2 dollars an hour.  This is because there are so many Chinese people and a ginormous amount is poor, so they are willing to work for just about anything since it is better than none at all.  We also saw how American companies are being “taken over” by the Chinese because of how cheap it is costing for them.  For example, Briggs and Stratton 480 people were laid off last year because it is less costly to ship it around the world and have the Chinese work, than just the Americans.  

Fun

We just went on Free Rice and if we reached 300 grains, then we showed him and he graded our test.  It took me a while to reach 300, but I did, and I got my test, and let him grade it.  Thankfully, I got a 100%, again!  Once we were done with that, we just talked, and did no work.

Another Test

We handed in our essays, such a good feeling to be done with it.  Anyway we had another test and it was pretty simple.  The same as the others just another section added on.  This one had maps, pictures of leader, and just random information.  Once we were done with the test we could do whatever we wanted, talk, do homework, or study for something in other classes.  I decided to study for English.

Friday

More was talked about the project, but we talked most about Iran and Israel.  It's probably going to be an all out war, bombs are being shot everywhere and Israel is about to cross the border (in tanks).  We looked at pictures taken of people who are in a state of emergency or the missiles being fired off.  It doesn't seem real though because of all the movies I watch, that is exactly what happen, but it's not a movie.  Anyway we looked at pictures and talked about the essay due Monday at the start of class and the relationship between Israel, Iran and us.

"Logan"

So, we had another shadow today but instead of it being with Jake she was with Maddie.  Her name was Logan, and Mr. Schick kept putting "  " around her name.  Which I didn't understand but I don't understand most of what it does to interrogate the shadows anyway.  So, we all we did was talk a little bit about the homework from the previous night.  Oh, and we also switched seats in class and it was the highest grades in the class to the lowest for the order of choosing them.  I was second to go!  I don't recall at all who was last or anywhere in between, all I remember is that Liam was in front of me and Grace was supposed to be called but her and Nadia somehow got skipped in the order, so they had to choose bad seats.  I do remember Grace saying "I didn't think my grade was this bad!"  It was sort of amusing.  Anyway for the most part we talked about the essay that has to be completed and printed by Monday at 9:32.  We got to vote on whether or not it should be 100 or 200 points, 200 points got the majority vote.  The essay is about two countries we have been learning about and their relationship to America.  It only has to be 500 words. Yay!  So, yup, that was our class.

About the Countries

United States

Declared independence on July 4, 1776

From the 1500s through the 1700s, they were settled and colonized by the Spanish, British, French, Dutch, Portuguese, and other European nations.  The original thirteen colonies were held by Great Britain until the Revolutionary War, after which they became the first thirteen states.  There are now 50 states in the United States.  The United States is considered the last true superpower, with the world's largest military and the world's largest economy.

Israel

Israel became an independent state on May 14, 1948

Following World War Two, the newly-formed United Nations drafted a treaty dividing up some of Palestine's land.  They established an independent Arab state and an independent Jewish state.  Many Jews emigrated to the new nation of Israel post WWII.  Creation of this new Jewish state was not universally accepted by Arabs, even though Israel was officially admitted to the UN on May 11, 1949.  There is still controversy surrounding Israel's very existence in the Middle East.

China

China's official date of independence is October 1, 1949.

China is one of the world's oldest civilizations.  As long ago as 221 BC, China was unified as a nation during the Qin dynasty.  They formed a republic on January 1, 1912.  The current Communist government, officially called the People's Republic of China, was formed in 1949.  

Brazil

Brazil officially gained independence in September 7, 1822.

Before Brazil become independent, they were under the Portuguese rule for over three centuries. The Portuguese claimed the land in April 1500 when Pedro Alvares Cabral and his fleet landed. The discovery of gold and other natural resources caused a lot of people to migrate to Brazil. Today, Brazil is the fifth largest country in the world.

Venezuela

Declared independence on July 5, 1811.

Spain colonized Venezuela in 1522 even though they the natives did not want the Spanish there. Venezuela was the first Spanish-American colony to declare independence; however the independence was not official until Gran Colombia collapsed in 1821. Today, Venezuela has 23 states with a large population in the north and excels in the export of oil. 

India

India became independent in August 15, 1947.

India was once ruled by the United Kingdom power. They became independent because of a non-violent resistance led by Mahatma Gandhi. India has a lot of important historic trade routes. In current times, India has the second largest population and home of many religions, the mains being Hinduism, Buddhims, Jainism, and Sikhism.

Afghanistan

Gained independence on August 19, 1919.

Britain controlled Afghanistan. The Pashtun tribe founded Afghanistan in 1747. Afghanistan is land between the British and Roman Empires,serving as a buffer. Afghanistan was home to the silk road, an important trade route in history. The Taliban is located in Afghanistan. Currently there is a war in Afghanistan and it is not a very safe place to visit. 


Iran

Iran became independent on April 1, 1979.

Iran is known as the Islamic Republic of Iran as of 1935 when the ruling monarchy was overthrown (Iranian Revolution). Before 1935, Iran was known as Persia, meaning "land of the Aryans." The Iranian Revolution began in January 1978 when the first major demonstrations against the The Shah occurred. December 1979, the country approved a theocratic constitution. Today, Iran has a population of 75 million + and is a founding member of United Nations as well as several other groups. 


France

France does not have an official date of independence, according to CIA, but on October 4, 1958, the Fifth French Republic was established. 

Luckily for France, they were never the subjects of another country, so technically, they never "became" independent, they always were. France was a place that ruled a bunch of countries, the last one gaining independence being Vanuatu in 1980. The debate whether or not let Algeria become independent almost evolved  in a civil war. The Fifth Republic has a strengthened Presidency.  Now-a-days, France is a European leader when it comes to culture, economy, military, and politics. France also has a large supply of nuclear weapons. 

Mexico

Mexico achieved independence in the the early 19th century, to be exact it was September 16, 1810.

The Aztecs were all living in Mexico before they were conquered by the Europeans.  Hernán Cortés was the man who established Mexico and took over it.  It is located in North America and borders America and Guatemala. 



Germany

Was established on January 18 of 1871.

Before Germany declared their independence the Holy Roman Empire ruled them.  There were many other countries under this rule, and all of them eventually established into a country rather than being under the Holy Roman Empire.  Germany is in Europe and borders Poland Beligium, France, the Czech Republic, Switzerland, and the Netherlands.








Saudi Arabia

Saudi Arabia was established on September 23, 1932, this is the modern Saudi state, bu the first colony was founded in the 18th century.

This country is also known as the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.  This country was founded by Abdullah bin Abdul Aziz, after Muhammad's death.  Saudit Arabia borders






United Kingdom

United Kingdom was officially independent on April 12, 1927.

The country used to rule many other countries and covered a large amount of land (but not half).  They never actually had anyone rule them, it was just the reverse.  United Kingdom in located in Europe and is surrounded by the Atlantic Ocean.

Nuclear War

So.... I got another 100% on the pop test! YAY!  This one was worth 52 points also, the only other one who got a perfect score was Doori. For me, I think it's a little bit of luck also, but who knows.  Anyway we talked about the test and went over all of the questions, this took the whole class, it was all we went over.  We did talk about Cuba and Iran and Israel for a long time, especially about the nuclear bombs and the closest we've ever been to a nuclear war with Russia.  We both had thousands of bombs, but we weren't doing anything with them, just holding on to them.  Since the weird horrible dumb leader in Cuba took over, he offered Russia to set up their bombs in their country which is only 90 miles from Florida.  We ended up finding out about this and then it was stopped.  Also how Mr. Schick used to live right next to the APG site and then moved away from that, near a nuclear power plant.  Stinks to think that if it blew up, we'd all die.

Surprise Test

We have a test today that no one was prepared for, but we were allowed to use our blog.  YAY! I studied in the beginning and still, that wouldn't have done me any good.  For the first page, I'm proud of my self, I didn't you my blog for it at all!  Anyway, it was just on who the leaders, facts about them, and they countries they govern.  I would say I got a 95%, after the test I went over my Health PowerPoint because we were supposed to present it next class, but that didn't happen.  For the rest of class I just was on my computer.  Evan was the last one to finish with like 2 minutes of class left.  Oh, and so I looked up the water bottle that Mr. Schick has called "Dopper", I google imaged it and I found one!  But sadly, it's not green like his is, only blue.

More Countries

Everyone seemed to change seats and it got really annoying actually, Doori started crying again but not much and she had enough will-power to control herself so that's good.  Oh, and Mr. Schick had the COOLEST water bottle every, I asked about it yesterday but he ignored the question so today I figured it out.  It had a weird cap because it can turn into a cup also!  I really want one, it was probably pretty expensive even though he got it for free.  (Sadly, I couldn't find a picture on the web) :(  Any way we talked about the countries more and said anything that wasn't mentioned yesterday, and I found out that England are basically are greatest alias.  David Cameron graduated Oxford in Politics, Philosophy, and Economics, so they're doing pretty well right now.  Oh, and Xaviar had a shadow named Christian, and CJ in my Advisory said he raised him so he calls him his "lil brother".  But really they're just cousins.  An so, yeah all we did was talk more about the countries and I don't have to write it down since I added it to my other blog down below during class. :)

Coup d'etat

Coup d'etat means like overthrowing a government by force and within.  We just went over the homework from the last night and certain people told everybody what they had gathered, and every country we talked about they had to find it on the little world globe thing.  Oh, Mason got a 100% on the test! Alex, Liam and I did too.  I was very surprised to, because I didn't study at all, I just mainly put names in the countries that sounded like it was right.  For example: the Saudi Arabia one I said it was the "bin" guy because Osama "bin" Laden was from Saudi Arabia.  The Indian President was voted best finance manager in the world in 2010, says Liam.  I did not see that at all during my research and what-not.  Doori and Grace were confused, because they thought the other was doing a different one when in reality they did the same, so yeah.  OH MY GOLLY GOSH, Jake had another shadow, I have no clue how or why but that was like his fifth or something.  We spent a while watching Jake attempt to say one of the leader's name, and it was painful.  Besides that we just went over the homework.

A Little about the Leaders

We worked on this in class for the majority of our time.  (Oh and if my blog looks weird, it's not my fault, it's still acting stupid, not don't mind me).


Dilma Rousseff-Brazil

• She worked in the government but never held a office.  This experience in the government probably was better for her because it helped her to become acclimated to what actually happens in the government.  It would help her to obtain many people opinions from the inside before she was elected President of Brazil, and she is also very familiar with Barzil's corridors of power.
• Also during a corruptions scandal that brought down major key figures she was elected Chief of Staff, then later she was elected President.  She went to jail for a coup d'etat and was tourtured.  It was Padarara, unique and horrible.  Don't want to write what it is.  So, yeah. EW.

President-Elect Enrique Peña Nieto-Brazil

• Has plans to establish a special paramilitary police force to fight the drug cartels.
• Had been working for the state government and PRI before he ran for presidency. 

Abdullah bin Abdul Aziz Al Saud-Saudi Arabia

• Was crowned Commander of National Guard, Second Deputy Prime Minister, Prince and then King.
•  Recently granted women the right to vote in local elections. WHOOOOO!

Angela Merkel-Germany

• She is currently ranked as the world's fourth most powerful person by the Forbes magazine, the highest ranking ever achieved by a woman
• She was awarded the Grand Cross of hte Order of Merit of the Federal Rpublic of Germany and the honorary doctorate from Leipzig Univerity.

Bejamin Netanyahu-Israel

• He leads a governing coalition dominated by right-wing and religious parties. 
• He trained as a combat soldier and became a team leader in an elite special forces unit of the IDF, and he won the Nobel Peace Prize in 1994.

Hu Jintao-China

• To the public eye he possesses a low-key and reserved leadership style, and is reportedly a firm believer in consensus-based rule.
• Was a construction Department of Gansu as a secretary, vice senior chief, Communist Youth League Gansu Branch Secretary, and was appointed as the director of the All-China Youth Federation.

Mahmoud Ahmadinejad-Iran

• Comes from a poor family, and has a modest life. (This is a good quality if he is a President), but is bad because it is unclear whether Mahmoud Ahmadinejad participated in the takeover of the embassy.
• He attended Iran University that Ahmadinejad became politically active.

Hamad Karzai-Afghanistan

• Hamid Karzai served as deputy foreign minister in the Mujahedeen transitional government.
• Declined the post to the US ambassador.
• Taliban was incharge of Afghanistan before Hamad Karzai

François Hollande-France

• Worked for Max Gallo who is the press secretary to former prime minister Pierre Mauroy.
• Lost his seat to the National Assembly but regained it four years later.

Pranab Mukherjee-India

• He has authored five books, in his lifetime.
• managed the successful election campaign for independent candidate Krishna Menon during the by-elections in Midnapore

Hugo Chavez-Venezuela

• Studied at the Venezuelan Academy of Military Sciences in Caracas.  Was in the first class and was following a Restructured Curriculum.
• Was imprisoned for trying to overthrow the government.

David Cameron-United Kindom

• Stayed in the Conservative Party for five years after graduating.
• Was given an amazing education and excelled in school. Graduated from Oxford, graduated with a Philosoghy, Politics and Economics.

Queen Elizabeth II of England

• Received a private education at home.
• She also hold the name  Defender of the Faith and it is in the full title.

Reviewing Test

We handed out test today! I got 81%, so I didn't get a bell, but oh well.  We went over the test and some of us took a while, but Mr. Schick sped through a few of them just to move it along more quickly because he though class ended at thirty after but it was really forty after.  So when we completed the test we went over the Political Geography and my thing kept messing up.  It's actually doing it right now, it is like my mouse constantly have something attached to it and it wont let it go so it keeps messing up the stuff.  It is very aggravating.  I wrote on all my tests because we are allowed to keep them for the final in December.  I am not looking forward to that but I am happy to know that I won't be freaking out studying during my break which is nice.  My sisters were always a wreck, but my old school have midterms before break also.

Political Geography

Mexico

Federal Republic

President Enrique Peña Nieto

United States of America

Constitution-Federal Based Republic

Barack Obama

China

Communist Based

President Hu Jintao

Afghanistan 

Islamic Republic

President Hamid Karzai

Israel

Liberal Democracy, Parliamentary system

President Shimon Peres

Iran

Theocratic Republic

Mahmoud Ahmadi-Nejad

India

Federal Republic

President Pranab Mukherjee

Germany

Federal Republic

Chancellor Angela Merkel

France

Semi-Presidential System, Unitary State, Constitutional Republic

President François Hollande

Brazil 

Federal Republic

President Dilma Rouseff

Saudi Arabia

Monarchy

Prime Minister Abdullah

Venezuela

Federal Republic

President Hugo Chavez

United Kindom

Constitutional Monarchy & Common Wealth Realm

Prime Minister David Cameron