Jamestown Diary Entry

 http://www.easynotecards.com

In 1606 myself and 107 other Englishmen crossed the Arctic Ocean. We were trapped in close quarters with minimum amount of food. What was suppose to be only take three months turned to four. The English investors such as Bartholomew Gosnold owned the Virginia Company and departed three ships from England in December. More than half of the gentlemen don’t do anything worthy. Their egos are bigger than the size of the ship. I’ve seen the Spanish’s ships full of gold and I just can’t wait to get my hands on some. This new world is be told to be a paradise with gold and riches beyond imagination.

We didn’t  reached the shore until April. So far the Spanish hadn’t attacked us yet. We all settled towards the bottom of the James River. We were told that the Indians would get us food and supply to help us survive but that expectation quickly changed. There were 13,000 Indians under Chief Powhatan up the James River stream. They became are new enemies. They’re different from the Spanish. Their light weight weapons were easy to transport and deadly within 40 yards, holds ten bows and only takes 30 seconds to reload, blending into their surroundings with paint. While our armor weighs 24 pounds making it difficult to move quickly and our weapons take much longer to reload.

 http://www.sonofthesouth.net

A lot of our men perished against the Indians, my brother was one of them. They surrounded him and shot him right in the chest with and arrow. We were surrounded by both land and sea by the Spanish and Indians. It was about three weeks after we had arrived that we needed shelter. We all constructed a fort that was twice the height of a man. In 19 days we successfully cut down around 600 trees and built the fort. We aligned cannons in both the directions of our enemies, providing us a sense of security.

It must had be the worst drought there had been in a very long time. In 5 months there was less than 50 men still alive. You were lucky if you died sooner not having to face the suffering. These poor men suffered from water poisoning, dehydration and illnesses. Our captain Bartholomew Gosnold didn’t make it. He was only in his mid 30's when he passed away. We needed to show the Indians our courage and buried him outside our fort. He was a great sailor and captain.

 http://history.howstuffworks.com/american-history/jamestown.htm

John Smith became our new captain. We needed food. Captain Smith started to understand their language to be able to negotiate with the Indians. He traded some of our gold and jewels for food. He took a risk attempting to trade with them. They easily could have killed him and all of us but thankfully did not. Within about two months after Captain Smith left with the Captain Powhatan’s daughter, Pocahontas, starvation was at it’s worst.

It was the winter of 1609 when the Indians set war against us. We were all trapped in the fort. The was about 200 of us and a few women that were mostly recently sent over. We had to resort to the only food source we had. We had to kill our horses, dogs, cats, snakes and the most desperate dug up corpses. By spring only 60 of us remained alive. I was extremely fortunate to survive. I caught a mild case of illness and should not have lived. Luck was on my side. I made it past the worst nightmare you could dream of. After three more English ships had arrived we discovered tobacco. Life in Jamestown is now live able, no more starvation, rapid death or desperation. I fear the truth may be lost in the future, that is why I document what had occurred.

Tessellation

In math class we made tessellations. We cut a piece of paper into a rhombus, then folded it in half into an equilateral triangle. By doing so we formed an axis of symmetry in the middle of the rhombus. On my tessellation you can see the axis of symmetry between the seals with the tan tips on their flippers. While the center of rotation is located between the brown seals. We had to trace the symmetry by using the window light to reflect the other side. After completing the final draft we copied it 12 times in the printer. Once I cut the polygons out, I put them together in the shape of a hexagon. I had to use rotation and translation to transform the polygon into the shape of a hexagon. 

Where I'm From Poem

For humanities class we wrote a poem about where we are from, below is my poem that I wrote.

Where I’m from Poem

I am from a big white house in sunny San Diego

With sounds of planes

and little birds flying up above me

To sounds of fireworks bursting in the night sky

I am from the home of the Chargers

From watching football to playing sports

Where the game is always on

I am from a loving Swedish mother

and a caring German Vater

From a tall older brother

to two big German Shepherds

I am from eating home cooked meals

To happy hour foods on gameday

From tasty tacos to cold sandwiches

and 711 lime slurpees

I am from scattered dog toys

and little rubber bands found everywhere

From Charger gear hanging from every wall

I am from a Charger family

Where silver and black is not accepted

From unexpected losses

To “There’s always next year.”

From meeting football players at Ralphs

Like the kicker Nick Novak

I am from breaking bones to shooting guns

To making origami of birds and stars

From collecting football memorabilia

and drawing beautiful random sketches

I am from listening to K-pop

to K-rock

From Super Junior to LEDapple

and Donghae to Hanbyul

Abbey’s had me listen to it all

I am from many things

From K pop to origami

To shooting and watching football

Idyllwild Fauna

Gray Fox (Urocyon cinereoargenteus)
Picture from:
http://wildobs.com/species/Gray-Fox

2. Is it diurnal or nocturnal?

Gray Foxes are nocturnal creatures. They are most active at night, feeding and moving from place to place. When pressured it will climb a tree or emit an odor from its anal glands. The gray fox will also climb a tree to sun itself. It has a distinctive bark that is usually repeated four or five times in a row. It will also squeal or growl. 

3. How do you identify it?

The gray fox's coat is coat color is a salt and pepper gray. A black stripe runs from the base of the tail and ends in a black tip. Another black stripe crosses its face from the nose to the eye and then to the side of the head. Like the red fox its cheek and throat area are white and this color extends on the gray fox to the lower jaw. There is a reddish patch on the side of its head below its ear. Its belly is white and a reddish band separates it from the gray sides. The legs and back of the ears are an orange color while the feet are gray. 

4. What does it eat?

Gray Foxes typically eats: Rats, mice, rabbits, fruits, acorns, birds, other small mammals, eggs and insects.

West Africa History Diary Entry

This is my second history writing piece about ancient West Africa for history. My second writing is a diary entry based on Sonni Ali Ber, the leader of Songhai since 1464.

November 18, 1491

I, Sonni Ali Ber, have been the ruling monarch of Songhai, West Africa,  since 1464. I’m obviously a fantastic leader if the people added Ber to my name symbolizing I’m Sonni Ali the Great. Even though those I’ve enslaved may disagree, I’ve done many great things for Songhai. By 1476, I controlled the inland delta region from the west of Timbuktu to the Niger and the lakes region to the south. I was raised as a part of an exclusive ruling class, a warrior horseman. I am a warrior and a man of the people!  

Picture from:
http://egyptsearchreloaded.proboards.com
Picture of Sonni Ali Ber

As the “best” leader of Songhai, I’ve accomplished a lot of things that make me proud of myself. One of the prolific things I’ve done is creating oral traditions as a magician of great power. Instead of following Mali’s Empire system of Islamic city rules over non-Islamic rural people, I mixed an unorthodox observance of Islam with traditional African religion. I am not a man of elite ruling class of Muslim clerics and scholars, I am a man of the people! I’m regarded as a magnificent military commander who carried out a strategic campaign along the Niger River. I had no choice but to retaliate against the Muslim leader of Timbuktu when they failed to provide transport for my troops to cross the river and I’m glad I made that decision. I’m proud of myself for leading my kingdom through a series of conquest at the expense of the Mali Empire. I lead the Songhai empire that took over Mali. Overall that was the greatest accomplishment I’m proud of to this very day of ruling 27 years.

Many people have been affected of what I’ve done, for the better or worse. Slaves are popular to trade around here. During the conquest of the old Mali empire I obtained three groups of peasants which I turned into slaves. The slaves were initially required to cultivate a measure of land and provide grain for the king. However, I grouped the slaves into villages and gave each a common quota to be used by the villages. Unfortunately for them, any children born to slave parents became slaves or they had to be transported to the trans-Saharan market. I’ve equally affected the people of Songahi. Depending on your parents’ occupation, you had a chance of being a slave or an average working person.

Picture From:
http://www.novica.com
Picture of African Maks

Being schooled in the traditional arts of the region, I was well versed in the forms and techniques of warfare when I came to power in 1464 in the kingdom of Songhai. I am the fifteenth consecutive ruler of the Sonni dynasty that begun in 1355. Our dynasty has been around one hundred and thirty-six years. I have been told stories about one of my ancestors, Sonni Sulaiman Mar, who wrested Songhai away from the Mali empire towards the end of the fourteenth century. Askia Mohammed Touré, emperor of the Songhai Empire in the late 15th century, made Sonhai a wonderful empire by extending his control throughout much of West Africa. In a way, he has inspired me.

Some people support me and others, such as the chroniclers, don’t. Chroniclers are the people who keep historical account of facts and events arranged in chronological order. The chroniclers believe that I, Sonni Ali, am portrayed as a capricious and cruel leader. I know that I am a great powerful leader despite what some may say. I’m known from the oral traditions as a magician of great power. For ruling Songahi twenty-seven years proves I’ve had a good amount of support. I shall be remembered for decades to come, after all the people of Songhai added “the Great” to my name. As  I continue to grow old, I hope people remember me for who I really am, not what the chroniclers dictate me to be.

West Africa History Letter Writing Piece

For history everyone chose a different ancient civilization, I chose ancient West Africa. We each had to write two different writing pieces about our civilization. My First writing is a letter wrote in the view of Professor Ahmed Baba living in Songhai.

Picture from:
http://schools-wikipedia.org/wp/a/Africa.htm
Map of the Songhai Empire

Dear People of the Future,

I am live in Songhai, West Africa. There are three main kingdoms in West Africa: Ghana, Mali and Songhai. Trading is a prolific part of our culture. We barter an eclectic amount of items from salt to slaves. Ghana is growing rich from trading gold, salt and iron tools. Mali, commonly trades salt as well as copper and is also growing rich. Songhai, however, is known for trading slaves and Kola nuts. Our dwelling consists of a lavish amount of various items. It depends on what region you live in to decide what materials you can use to build a hut or structure. Some of the materials used frequently are mud, mud brick, sticks or wood, rammed earth and stone. Our primary jobs consist of gathering plants and hunting. Women do the majority of gathering and preparing food, while the men work together to hunt larger animals with spears, bows and arrows as well as poisons. All parts of an animal that is hunted is used. All of the kingdoms are divided into districts. A district leader guides each district. Each of the kingdoms have some bureaucratic rules.

Storytelling and playing the game Oware are just a few ways we have fun here. The griots are the storytellers. Children don’t go to school to get educated. Instead, people collect in the evening to hear the stories of the griots who are responsible for perpetuating the stories and traditions, from generation to generation. Oware is an abstract strategy game played throughout West Africa. Oware is considered the national game of Ghana. The object of the game is to capture more seeds than one's opponent. Since the game has only 48 seeds, capturing 25 is sufficient to accomplish this. Since there is an even number of seeds, it is possible for the game to end in a draw, where each player has captured 24. The typical formal attire worn here in West Africa is a knee to ankle-length flowing Boubou robe, dashiki and Senegalese kaftan, which has its origin in the clothing of nobility of various West African empires in the 12th century. Our main religion is Islam since 1064 and Christianity. Ghana is a great military power. Rumor has it that the king could order 200,000 warriors and 40,000 with bows and arrows. In North America, about 200 BC, Carthaginian soldiers killed people with iron spears and stone balls shot from catapults.

Picture from:
http://africanastudiesrb.blogspot.com
Picture of Ahmed Baba

We wear masks during celebrations and religious rituals as part of our culture. Each African tribe has its own unique style of mask. There are masks worn for all special occasions. When masks are created for a ceremony, the face is formed as a mythical hero or human spirit of a deceased ancestor. Masks are worn for harvesting, weddings and initiation celebrations. We also wear masks when we engage in war. The mask holds a moral lesson to the young and when there is death in the village, we wear masks at the funeral. We are very proud of our masks; they hold a significant value to our culture. Our cuisine contains fish (especially along the coast), meat, vegetables and fruits. Most of the food is boiled or fried. Rice is also a staple food throughout the region. As for alcohol drinks, palm wine is a common beverage made from the fermented sap of various types of palm trees and is usually sold in sweet or sour varieties    
I’ve lived in Songhai, West Africa for the majority of my life. For twelve years, I was detained in Morocco for complaining about the lack of Sultan’s manner and collecting a private library of 1600 books.  Eventually I made it back to Songhai. I’m commonly known as “The Unique Pearl of his Time”. There are so many interesting aspects of West Africa. Our society and culture is truly unique. I personally wanted to address this information, therefore people like you can read this in the future and know about the true history of West Africa.

                                                 Sincerely,

Professor Ahmed Baba

Cooking with My Family Photo Essay

The meal I decide to make with my family was Enchiladas with a side of re fried beans. I chose to make this meal arbitrary. 

Below are some ingredients I used to make the Enchiladas;

To the left and right is a can
of mild Enchilada sauce. It contains the ingredients; water, dried red Chile peppers, salt. cottonseed oil, cider vinegar, Fumaric acid, garlic powder, spice, Olive oil. Th sauce is used to cover Enchilada shells and the bottom of the pan.


To the bottom and right is two pictures of Mission Yellow Corn
Tortillas. The Tortillas are used as the shell of the enchiladas.

 To the left and bottom right are some Green Onions. After you cut the green onions into little slices you use them to make to middle of the Enchilada.

 
To the left and right is a small can of Hatch Diced Green Chiles. Which is also used to make the Enchilada mix.

 To the right is a can of Rosarita Traditional Refried Beans. I used these as a side dish of the Enchiladas. 

To the left is a picture of  a bag of  Sargento Classic 4 Cheese Mexican. The cheese was use to mix with the Enchiladas and to top off the Enchiladas. 

To the left and bottom right are pictures of the
Enchilada mix. The mix contains Hatch Diced
Green Chiles, Green Onions and Sargento 
Classic 4 Cheese Mexican mixed together in 
a bowl. 


                         


                           

To the left is a picture of the Enchiladas before they were placed in the oven to cook. To make the Enchiladas I use a corn tortilla shell, spread the Enchilada sauce on it, poured on some of the mix and rolled it up (almost like a roll taco). I repeated this several times and laid them into a pan, I added some extra sauce and cheese on top and put them in the oven.

In the last two pictures there is two Enchiladas and some re fried beans on a plate with a fork. That's what I made for my "Cooking with My Family Photo Essay".

History / China

Great Wall of China. Picture from http://www.great-wall-of-china.org/

    Today I learned about the Great Wall of China. It took about 2,000 years to build and cost 1,000,000 peoples  lives. The wall was originally built in smaller parts by the 7 states of China, although Chin combined all the 7 states together and named it "China" after his home town. Also I learned that if workers were buried into the wall. Prisoners and people who were considered to be against China were forced to build to the wall.