Today is march 18th

http://www.time.com/time/specials/packages/article/0,28804,1884779_1884782_1884776,00.html

Ecological Intelligence is trying to find out if something is good for the environment that is said in commercials. It is trying to see how helpful it really is. It means to know the backround of the products you buy. In the article it says not everything is as good as it looks. It means to try our best to meet our needs with out hurting the planet.

This connects to our essential question because it makes us think more about how we can live more sustainably by looking at our carbon foot print. People could see how much water, energy, and all the other things that are hurting our planet.

I think that I do have some sort of Ecological Intelligence. I just think I dont know how to use it and didn't care about trying to use it until now anyway. I think that since I didn't know about anything about the things we are learning I didn't care. I now know more so I can use it to help let me live more sustainable.

LULS thing

1. One thing that struck me was how almost everyone knows that they leave their home electronics on when they aren't in use. Also more people have allot of electronics they leave on.

2. I was surprised at how many people said they are just too lazy to turn things off and how its probably the easiest thing to help you live more sustainably. I was also surprised that more people left ther electronics on longer.

3. I expected to find more people who cared but know one seemed like they did.

4. I will make a poster raising awarness about how you can save money and the world by just turning off unused electronics.

March 7

http://urbanhomestead.org/journal/2008/01/06/100-foot-diet-challenge-launch/

The thing that strikes me about the movie is how their family was willing to change their whole lifes around to keep the children safe from toxins in food and to start a protest to stop the affects of the industrial revolution and the killing of our planet.

I think the Dervaes family needs vs. wants sheet would have a lot less wants then most people's because they live a different life style then most people. I think they would have the same needs we do, like food, water, and a house. I don't think they would have wants like most people like cell phones, clothing, and junk food because in the video they seemed more like layed back and not needy people. They seemed like they made there own clothes alot of the time because one woman was knitting. They also seem like they wouldn;t eat very much junk food bacause they are vegitarian and they grow there own food for a reason, to stay heathy.

The Dervaes family fits into Ishmael because they are doing the opposite of the "you have to lock up the food" thing. Ishmael said that when the leaders lock up the food they gain power and people obey them. At the beginning of the movie the dad said "I think this is the most dangerous occupation on this earth because you are in danger of becoming free." I think this mean that because they do not follow the leaders they will live their own free lifes.

Ishmael Again

1. Anthropomorphism means Attribution of human motivation, characteristics, or behavior to inanimate objects, animals, or natural phenomena.

When Ishmael talks about anthropomorphism in this chapter I think he is talking about how the people of our culture assume that animals are like human in some ways and how they should be like humans because we think that this is the right way to live. When he said "This anthropomorphism leads to much confusion. This is not only because animals are incapable of this level of abstraction, but also because they know nothing about territories and have no interest in territories". I think this means that humans think that animals view territories the same way we do by claiming the land, but really they think entirely differently and it works for them, and that we should not think there is only one way of doing things.

2. When Ishmael Says "This might be described as a strategy of erraticretaliation: 'Give as good as you get, but don't be too predictable." I think this he means if someone bothers you then you should bother them back. If they aren't than it wont matter if you bother them occasionally because they will get you back so things are even. Erratic Retaliation is a peacekeeping method because everyone who does it understands it. The reason Cawks just attacks sometimes and don't just annihilate each other is because it does not follow the rules of Erratic Retaliation. If one tribe started killing everyone then all the other tribe would do the same thing, and soon there might not be any Cawks left. Something else that makes this not work is because if one tribe had a couple people lest, and another had a little more left then they decided to join together and go against a greater enemy. Their tribes would have different laws and culture which would make everything not work out at all, so they would fight and not be able to get rid of the enemy which was the original plan.

Ishmael

1. Ishmael's two rules of identifying people of our culture of culture are that their food is under lock and key and that people believe that they are fundamentally flawed and inherently doomed. I do not agree with this because people from different places adapt to different cultures and ways of life. Like if you were to live in a country where all the people act a certain way then you would start acting that way too because it would become your culture. Same thing goes for every country you could live in.

2. I agree with Ismael when he says Mother Culture is wrong when she says that humans are inherently flawed because if he is looking for someone to teach how to save the world he knows that they are not very flawed. I think he knows that people aren't perfect that is why they need his help but that they are not inherently.

3. The takers and leavers can be connected to our culture because the Native American Indians were hunter gathers until European settlers came from the other world. The Native Americans were fine with their lifestyle but the Europeans had another way of life they thought was better. It was farming and modern inventions. They told the Native Americans that is how they were meant to live and if they didn’t do it they would get their land taken over. Some Indian Tribes liked the new ways to do things so they changed there ways like the Europeans. and helped them make new modern villages, and converted to a different lifestyle. All that lead to what we do now.

2/23/09

I think that sustainable living means to live with the ability to meet present needs without damaging or using up the environmental, economic or social resources that future generations will need. I think it also means to live more simply and to take care of nature so nature can take care of us.

As a 14-16 year old in this society I actually have a pretty good amount of freedom. As being a 14 year old I can stay home alone or just with my friends. I can go out and start making money by baby sitting. In 5 months when I'm 15 I can get a job at certain places doing little things but still making money. 6 months after that i can stat testing to get my permit. Then at 16 i have the rights to get a licence and get a car to drive it.

As a 14-16 year old I can live my life more sustainably by only using the resources I really need for the things most important at my age like school. I should only use the money I need for the supplies I need. I should only use the supplies I need to use and not waste them on useless things. This is saying that i shouldn't waste money or environment because someone else someday might need more then we did.

This Semester's Goals

In august I didn't really like the school and I thought of just getting it done and not trying my very hardest. I am also different now because I know how the school works a little better and it seems better then public school. I also understand more about the teachers and how its easier to approch them other then a teacher at a normal school.

I think that I will need to know how to write a good thesis and back it up because that is what killed my grade from being the best it could have been. I also think that I will need to know how to write a great ending for an essay because thats the last thing a person reads so its the thing they will remember the most.

I would like to make sure to get all of my homework and make sure to study for all the tests. I will also make sure to try the hardest I can.

I would like to read the book Twilight and have a test on it like the other books we read. I would like to write a made up story so we can use our creative imaginations. I would like to lean about american history too since we have already done ancient civilizations.