Hello Everyone

I had a couple of quick thoughts today that I'd like to share:

Our modern society is guilty of creating a horrible injustice to history, we are not leaving anything truly permanent for history to know us by. Our building materials and everyday life objects will not stand up to time or the elements such as have the buildings and objects of the past. A bullet will erode while a stone spearhead will not, a sky scraper will fall, while a pyramid will not. What of our knowledge and language? No rosetta stone will exhist for our language, we have no hyrogliphics that will last one thousand years on a wall tomb. Our knowlede is less and less being stored in books and more on computers, which isn't even reliably permanent in our time right now! I'm not suggesting we go back to stone tablets or buidling with limestone, however, we must find a way to pass our way of life onto the future so that they may learn from both our accomplishments and mistakes. We know how imporant it is to learn from history, through the things left behind by past civilizations we now have been able to get a wonderful and clear understanding of who we are, how dare we deny that to the people of the future.

This is a shallow understanding and dicussion on this but I hope it at least makes you think, wherther you agree with me or not.

Another thought, there is a lot of talk about how a civilization or society came to an end. However, do societies ever really end? They may at times end politically but knowledge and lessons leanred get passed on through thousands of years, and is that not part of a society? How are we now to pass on our knowledge to future civilizations? A society never ends, but simply gets intergrated into a different version of that society, and this includes a society which has invaded the other.

- a history student

Hello Everyone ( or at least the few of you who actually read my blog haha):

I just thought I'd make a random post about my life. So, I'm in my second year of grade 12. I was going to take a second year regardless of credits because I didn't feel I was ready to go off to univeristy at 18, and I believe I was right. It was a good thing that I did stay back because I found out later that I was one credit short of getting my diploma (eeek!). That credit was taken care of during the first semester of this year and now I'm taking a class (World Issues) as an interest course and to keep my mind from turning moreso into mush.

I must admit, I'm not really enjoying the class so far. It seems very repeatative and because the class is so large 9 30 students) it is rare that we get into a good discussion. I really like the teacher, however, I had her first in a small class and she is different in a large class with such a variety of personalities. It is understandable that she would act differently with a large class than a small class, for obvious reasons, but I'm still going to bitch about it anyway...because I can. I feel like I'm not learning anything, all my learning seems to be occuring outside the classroom while at work or reading on my own. I must admit, I'm not paying attention in class that much. I think this is due to several factors. So, I can't completely blame the teacher, I'm sure if I was more attentive I would be into the class and be gleaning knowledge from it. Something that does annoy me about the class is that the teacher very much has an emphasis on hands on learning, such as games which convey a point. This is the excact opposite way in which I like to learn, and the teacher knows this, but obviously can't cater the lesson plans spefically towards me. I am thankful she gave us several options on our final project wherewith we can avoid doing hands on sections of the assignment if we choose to.

I've undertaken a project to create a presentation to the grade nines at my school about efficient internet searching. The presentation is actually tomorrow and I hope it goes well. I also hope they actually pay attention and learn something from it. I was in grade 12 ( or 11...can't remember) before I was shown how to properly research on the internet. I found the information invaluable and I wanted to pass this onto the grade nines. As well, I have an honourarium of working in the library at school and I felt such a presentation would make the honourarium more worth while as so far all I've done is shelve/check out/check in books. If possible, and if I get the motivation I want to shel read the entire school library and organize it so it stays in place for at least a short while.

Funny story about the library at the school. I was looking over the shelves one day and saw that two of them were about to fall, the pegs holding them up had come out of the holes in the side of the shelves and would not sit back in securely. So, I made a note to the librarian to get the shelves looked and she said they would likely be repaired soon. Then I went on March break, and when I got back I saw her in the hallway and asked if there were anyway books to be shelved shes said something along the lines of ' yes, you know those shelves you pointed out...ya...they fell down and all the books have to be put back into place." haha..made me inwardly giggle..not laugh..just giggle...it wasn't funny enough to inwardly outwardly laugh. It was more of a cute funny,and not cute inthe sense of I told you so... I don;t know what kind of funny it was ok? Sheesh!

I've been working a lot at different library as a sub and I must say that it is a very unorganized library...people should reallyjust stick to Dewey. I enjoy working there but I enjoy working at my home library better.

Life with friends has been good, not perfect, but good. I can't complain, I love my friends. They piss me off/make me feel bad sometimes...but I'm going to guess this is usuallymy fault; regardless they're great. I couldn't have asked for better ones. We havn't been hanging out as much lately but I'm thinking thats due to A. we are all working and B. vick moved 15 minutes away.

Slightly lonely, wish I had that special someone...but meh, what teenager doesn't? I'll get over it...excuse me (turns away and wipes eyes) haha.. Nah, it's all good. If all else fails, I'll just get a chia-pet.

Looks like I'm probably going to university in Ottawa. Should be cool; I think I'm going to like Ottawa. I looked at the seasons for the National Arts centre...I saw they're having a Beethoven festival...I think I might have dropped out of consciouness when I read it haha...the tickets for students are uber cheap. If I can get someone to go with my while I'm there I'm totally going.

Ok, I have more to type but I don't feel like typing anymore. I'm also not going to prood read this..haha...bye for now

-a history student

p.s. frig...I love history

Helle Everyone

I have a World Issues class final project to do. My topic is the holocaust and I have to show how it is stil currently a world issue. Any ideas on how it's still a current world issue would be appreciated, I have a few but they're not very strong. Thanks.

-a history student

p.s. frig...I love history

Hello all:

Just wanted to let you know about one of the books I'm reading. The book is Salt: A World History by Mark Kurlansky (Kurlansky, Mark. Salt: A World History. Alfred A. Knopf Canada. 2002). The book is a little bit of a dull read at times but still holds some interesting themes. I am not finished it yet, only about 100 pages into the book so I can't give you a complete overview.

The book essentially traces back through history the uses, trade, and overall influence of salt on the development and progresss of the different civilizations and areas of the world where humans inhabit. The author points out how salt in its different chemical forms has been and still is essential in development of humans both biologically, politically, culturally, and socially. The book very much opens your mind to the fact that salt has played just as much if not more of a role in human life over the ages as water. Just as we see in history areas of human habitation springing up around water sources such as rivers, it seems it was equally important that humans inhabit an area that was near to some form of salt resource, or a body of water where salt could be imported. As well, an area of human habitation could be settled soely on a trade route and rely soely on trade such as Tim Buk Tu ( yes, ITS A REAL PLACE!) As well, our bodies cannot function without water and sodium, and we cannot produce water or sodiuem ourselves, we need to get them from external sources. Therefore, as mentioned above, making salt at an almost equal level of importance to humans as water.

Anyway, I'll write more on it when I finish the book. Don't hold your breath, I have the attention span of a flea so it takes me forever to read a book.

p.s. frig...i love history

-a history student

Hllo all:

Recent events in my life hace produced a question in my mind that I would really like some feedback on. Where is the line drawn between intellectual/personal freedom and complete conformatism? Too much freedom without some kind of boundaries leads to anarchy but too much control and comformation to that control ( such as the law) often leads to oppression by the people who create and enforce the control. Sometimes in my mind it seems that our own society is on the edge of anarchy and conformatism (not sure if thats a word haha), but maybe this is the ideal place for a society to be. It may work like a perfect chemical balance for example; if there is more or less of one of the chemicals a negative reation is bound to ensue.

I just had a thought to add to my last statement that might throw a wrench into things. There have been many chemical mistakes that have led to valuable scientific discoveries. Is it possible then that we as a society are afraid of the change that will occur if we have too much free thought or too much control? Is it possible that, if exercised correctly, that having too much free thought or too much control could benefit a society?

I know this is a very complicated issue, and I'll contiunue to think and write about it but I would really like to hear some other ideas on the questions.

p.s. frig, I love history ( think about it, this topic does have historical connections)

-a history student

Hello:

I've come the conclusion through learning about it in school and on my own that WW1 was one gigantic pissing match. Study the reasons for war and you'll see I'm right! To help you, here's an acronym (or acrostic? someone tell me) that I was taught in my grade 12 Western history class for the reasons for WW1:

SAMIN:

Sareavo

Alliances

Militarism

Imperialism

Nationalism

-a history student

p.s. frig...i love history

Hello Everyone:

Well, I have to apply to university soon and I really don't know where I want to go. I have hesitant and frankly too lazy to really study the universities and to judge them. I really would love to go to Carleton in Ottawa for History, but I also don't know what my minor is going to be....sigh....oh well, everything will work out hopefully. So, I've been watching the US midterm elections and for the first time in history a women (Nancy Polosei) has been appointed speaker of the House of Representatives. The Democrats have taken the House and narrowly, the Senate. Among all things I hope this change in power shifts the US governments strategy in the Iraq and the Middle East. Following that, some more great news, Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfled has stepped down...hopefully his successor will be less stubborn and actually listen to the military men who know what they are talking about. The US has to learn to better balance politics with armed force when the two become inseparable in such a situation as Iraq. I hope Iraq can one day be, not Westernized, but thats its people can enjoy the freedom, peace, security, and prosperity that has been a hallmark of Western life.

-frig I love history...and sometimes politics