Saudi Arabia

Human Geography Map Test Score

42/50 correct! 84%!

Human Geography Map Test

Practice Map Score

I got 36/50 right! My percentage on my practice test was 72%.

http://maps.google.com/maps/ms?ie=UTF8&hl=en&msa=0&msid=103684929769865130544.0004939b5477ce21d2987&t=h&z=3

Food Reflection

            I would have never thought that I would have this big of a concern on food, but this unit of human geography class has made a big effect on me and my diet. After watching the movie, Food Inc., and doing this project, I will think twice about what I eat and be more aware of it. I did not know I ate that unhealthily. I will probably maintain a healthier diet and add organic food to it. I will also go to the local farmer’s market to buy fruits and vegetables. I was surprised with the way the world produces food nowadays. It is shocking to know what they do to animals at factories. I do not feel very safe with the foods I eat.

            I think factories should not feed cows corn. It is a shame that corn can make cows meatier but also make them contain E. coli. Even though there is a mass production of corn, cows should maintain their normal diet, and the factories should be in green areas with a lot of grass. Cows shouldn’t even be on factories in the first place. They should be on farms. They should not be living in their wastes, which can contain deadly bacteria. After all, it is better to be safe, rather than sorry. If I worked at a factory like that, I would feel really guilty about having people die by eating that food.  I especially feel sorry for the mother in the movie that we watched because her young son died by E. coli. Kevin’s Law should be passed because consumers should know if their food is containing E. coli. I would like the satisfaction of knowing that my food is safe to eat. It is disturbing to find out the truth about where our food comes from.

Cows are not the only animal being affected by our food economy. There are many others, too. One of the other animals that are affected is chicken. It is appalling to know that they drug chickens to make them fatter faster just for their benefits. The families do not even get to see each other. Their lives are like humans being a science experiment. They do not get to live their lives. They are being taken and manhandled.  We are making their lives worse for money. It is even worse when we are aware of the situation.

It was also shocking to find out that a lot of food comes from corn. I didn’t know that corn was taking over my diet. While I was in the process of my food journal, I realized that many of the foods that I eat are from the same companies. I do not have a big variety in my diet. I should definitely eat healthier. It is horrible to think that the unhealthy food in the grocery store is less expensive than the healthy food. Even though it’s the truth, it is inconvenient to know. I am lucky to belong to a family that can afford fruits and vegetables. We have the advantage of a healthy diet, but we don’t always use it.

Using hormones to artificially ripen fruits and vegetables is a bad idea. The hormones can actually shrink the food, too. It is healthier to eat food when it is naturally fresh. Farm fresh fruits are the healthiest they can get. You could avoid having issues with food by planting a garden and eating your own, eating fruit that is in season, or going to the local farmer’s market.

            An interesting thought is that I haven’t really thought about where my food came from until now. I am regretting about not thinking about this sooner because I have already picked favorite foods. Many people don’t realize what they are actually eating. They just think it looks and tastes good. Big food companies are advertising their food in a way that is making us crave it. I am one of the fortunate people that don’t like McDonald’s food. It is actually pretty shocking to know that most foods are from the same popular companies. If we realized what we were eating, we probably wouldn’t eat it, and we would be way healthier people. We are increasing the risks of the next generations to get diabetes because of our harmful diets. There are stereotypes of the United States being full of overweight people.

            I am wondering if the United States will be able to sustain its distribution of food. Somehow the United States is the greatest economy in the world, but we are billions of dollars in debt. Our food system has been getting worse over the years. We are getting unhealthier every year. We should be using the local farm markets instead of going to the grocery store and buying food that was imported from a foreign country. It is not just unhealthy for us to be eating factory food; it is also bad for the environment and the animals we eat. When we get food from a foreign country, the gas from the vehicles that were used to transport the food is putting carbon dioxide in the air. Transporting food also accounts for greenhouse gas emissions.

Eating organic food, planting a garden, and going to the farmer’s market will help us become healthier human beings. Step by step, we can make a difference and save people’s lives from E. coli poisoning. I will spread the word to people I know so more and more people will be aware of this situation, so we can stop it. The whole world should know where the food from their supermarket and grocery store came from. Who knew food could be so harmful to us and our planet? I really hope I don’t hear about anymore outbreaks of E. coli poisoning. Somehow, we have to make the healthy foods more inexpensive than the unhealthy foods. We can start to make a difference by growing an organic garden at the John Carroll School.

           

                

Food Distribution Map

My food traveled a total of 12,066.47 miles. At $2.69 per gallon of diesel fuel, the total cost of all the gas that was used is $32,458.80.

Link to map:
http://maps.google.com/maps/ms?hl=en&gl=us&ie=UTF8&oe=UTF8&msa=0&msid=103684929769865130544.0004925887e152348b070

Food Journal

Monday, October 4, 2010

Dinner:

• Crisp n Tasty Pizza (Jeno's)- Minnesota
• Tap water- my house

Tuesday, October 5, 2010

Breakfast:

• Life cereal (Quaker Oats)- Ohio
• Milk (Dairy Made Dairy)- Maryland

Lunch:

• Bacon (Armour)- Illinois
• French toast (Quaker Oats)- Ohio
• Water fountain- John Carroll

Dinner:

• Chicken breast (Tyson)- Arkansas
• Corn (Del Monte)- California
• Broccoli (locally grown)- Maryland

Snack:

• Cookie (Baltimore Baking Co.)- Maryland

• Doritos (Frito Lay)- Maryland 
• Poland Spring Water- Maine

Wednesday, October 6, 2010

Breakfast:

• Life cereal (Quaker Oats)- Ohio
• Grapes (Sun Fresh International. Visalia California)- California
• Milk (Dairy Made Dairy)- Maryland

Lunch:

• Smoked ham (Hillshire Farm)- Ohio
• Whole grain bread (Schmidt)- Maryland
• Pretzels (Frito Lay)- Maryland
• Doritos (Frito Lay)- Maryland
• Chewy bar (Quaker Oats)- Ohio

• Propel- Illinois

Dinner:

• Hamburger helper (Betty Crocker)- Minnesota

• Tea (Lipton)- Texas

Snacks:

• Cookie (Baltimore Baking Co.)- Maryland

Thursday, October 7, 2010

Breakfast:

• Life cereal (Quaker Oats)- Ohio

• Milk (Dairy Made Dairy)- Maryland

Lunch:

• Smoked ham (Hillshire Farm)- Ohio

• Whole grain bread (Schmidt)- Maryland
• Gushers (Betty Crocker)- Minnesota
• Banana (Del Monte)- California
• Chewy bar (Quaker Oats)- Ohio
• Propel- Illinois

Dinner:

• Hamburger helper (Betty Crocker)- Minnesota
• Rice (Uncle Ben's)- Texas

• Tap water- my house

Language Map

A Persian insult, an Inuit dialect, and Urdu directions

        Iran's president, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, used a term too inappropriate for the public's liking. He used the expression the bogeyman snatched the boob. It's old Persian used by mothers when they stop breastfeeding their children. He has also used other terms that seem unprofessional. Iranians are shocked to discover what their world leader has said to the world.
        The anthropologist, Stephen Leonard, is spending a year in Northwest Greenland with the people of the Inuit culture. The Polar Inuit  hunts in kayaks, uses harpoons, and travels by dogsleds. There are only 1,000 people in the community, and they eat sea mammals. It will also be a lot colder for him to get used to. It will be a long and difficult year for Dr. Leonard to adjust to this new culture.
        Studies have shown that the rates of foreign made films have gone down the past couple of years. The martial arts movies were the most popular, but it's difficult to get people to pay attention to them now. America is the center of the film culture. If the reviews of the movie are good, then it would be shown in the movie theater. The movies are trying new ways to capture an audience.
        Sofia Javed tells a story about how difficult it was to drive with her language's comfusing directions. The Urdu language has the same word for go straight and turn right. While the driver kept turning right, the man in the back was trying to tell him to keep going straight. They had to use English to get to their destination. They also have the same word for tomorrow and yesterday, but that is not a main issue because the verb tenses in the sentences are different. Hopefully, this will no longer be a problem for people to tell directions.

http://ht.ly/2DoHW

      

How Did 9/11 Affect Air Travel Internationally?

By: Hope Kelly, Sydney Setree, and Kirsten Kyburz

         Because of September 11, 2001, the International Air Travel industry suffered immediate and significant effects. This includes changes in number of people taking international flights, shifts in preferences of destinations, and higher concerns by people for their own safety while flying. Also, new, tougher, visa policies made visas harder to obtain, and 9/11 even caused airport security to become more intensified. Some airlines became threatened with bankruptcy! Therefore, all these things combined to result in one big impact on international air travel after 9/11.
        After 9/11, there was a substantial drop in international arrivals from overseas to the United States. (see figure 1) In figure 1, you can see how 9/11 affected the initial amount of arrivals from foreign countries. The number of visitors dropped immediately following 9/11 and started to recover in 2003. It reached almost the same as before 9/11 in 2007. There was an especially large decrease in the number of foreign visitors, but an increase in U.S. arrivals. Even though there was a decrease in foreign arrivals, the oversea travel was not affected.
        After 9/11, the United States visa policy became more restricting, and the visa application process was made more stringent. Security procedures affected visa applicants heading to the U.S., but not people heading from other countries. These people were involved in the Visa Waiver Program (VWP). People from countries involved and not involved with this program had the same screening process, but travelers from countries not involved with the VW P had an additional screening. These changes showed how travel was reduced to the U.S. among the travelers that needed a visa.

        Security in airports after 9/ 11 also became much more intensified. One now must arrive earlier for all flights, because one is required to go through various lines with long waits and to go through tests to access you flight. All carry-ons have to go through x-ray scanners. Also, the passenger and his/her bags must go through a metal scanner. Plus, everyone is required go to the ticket counter to check in. A driver’s license or proper form of identification is required to board any flight no matter what. In past years, scissors were even thought to be a possible harmful and dangerous weapon to have on the plane. Before 9/11 one could practically show up and go right to the gate. This new protocol sometimes is believed only to be a great burden and inconvenience, but some see it as what it is supposed to be a new, safer way to travel.

        The preference of travelers changed after 9/11 as people began to learn more about their destination before choosing where to go. People have begun to research the history, laws, cultures, and customs, so that they can make an informed decision. It was found after 9/11 that U.S. citizens avoided most travel to the Middle East, India, Pakistan, and most of Asia.
        After 9/11, coach seats increased in price while the first class and business class decreased (see figure 2). This is most likely because passengers who were taking shorter flights did not feel the need for the extra comfort that the two more expensive classes provided. While passengers chose cheaper seats, the amount of passengers also decreased, which would help explain why profits lowered.
        Inbound travel from the United States, ranging from 40-50 million passengers, was consistently lower than outbound, ranging from 55-60 million. This is most likely because foreigners did not want to visit a country involving dominant collision. Before 9/11, there was also a consistent increase of travelers over the years from 1998-2000. After 2001, though, there was a decrease from both inbound (9%) and outbound ( 3%) travel, which continues until 2004. (see figure 3)
        Before 9/11 international flights had an almost linear increase while domestic had a u-shaped decrease. After however it seemed to help the domestic travel. International travel dropped 8% after 2001 then regained passengers with even more than before, 63%, in 2003 and 2004. The total range of international passengers was 600-1500 million and domestic was 700-1300 million. (see figure 4)
        The International Air Travel industry was affected in a multitude of ways due to the horrific events on September 11, 2001. While some effects were immediate, others evolved over the months following. Airline travel and airline travelers will forever be impacted by the events of that day for now and in the future. Airline travelers now hope that in the future our new airline security, as well as the new protocol, will pay off in future years to come and that the world will remain safe and protected.

Works Cited

2013, By. "Travel Facts and Statistics 
        U.S. Travel Association." U.S. Travel Association. Web.
        08 Sept. 2010. http://www.ustravel.org/news/press-kit/travel-facts-and-statistics.

"Air Traffic - NextGen Briefing." FAA: Home. Web. 06 Sept. 2010.

Di Cesare, Allison. "The Impact of 9/11 on Travel." 15 May 2006. Web.
        <allison.pbworks.com/f/Analysis+Submission+1.doc>.

H.R. Rep. No. RL31617. Print.

United States. Department of Homeland Security. Web.

"Travel in the United States since the Terrorist Attacks of 9/11: How Have Things Changed?"
        Travel Information Guide - Articles, Comments, Tips about Travel. Web. 06 Sept. 2010.
        <http://www.travelthinks.com/index.php?q=travel-us-since-terrorist-attacks>.

Vocabulary Definitions 8/31/10

globalization- to extend to other or all parts of the globe; make worldwide
“Globalization, as defined by rich people like us, is a very nice thing... you are talking about the Internet, you are talking about cell phones, you are talking about computers. This doesn't affect two-thirds of the people of the world.” Jimmy Carter

culture- the quality in a person or society that arises from a concern for what is regarded as excellent in arts, letters, manners, scholarly pursuits, etc.
“The people here are so friendly, and it's been fun year after year. It's something that everyone from every culture can enjoy, not just the Irish and the Scottish.” John Bruce

civilization- an advanced state of human society, in which a high level of culture, science, industry, and government has been reached
“Civilization is the progress toward a society of privacy. The savage's whole existence is public, ruled by the laws of his tribe. Civilization is the process of setting man free from men.” Ayn Rand

history- a continuous, systematic narrative of past events as relating to a particular people, country, period, person, etc.
“It covers American history from an entirely different perspective. You're learning about things that have only been uncovered in the past decade, about what really went on, and you're learning about a different side of the history which you know so well and a side that you also never even heard.” Allison Murphy

progress- a movement toward a goal or to a further or higher stage
“I thought we accomplished a lot over the weekend. We're making progress as a team and we know what we have to work on heading into the season.”
Gene Carswell


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