Poetry Library Assignment

So for this project I chose the theme, "The Pen is Mightier than the Sword" I really liked the concept of it and thought it would be a lot less of a broad theme then I was originally going to pursue.
I found two poems that debuted my theme nicely;

The first is called Penmanship by Asterus
The Rhyme scheme in this poem is very light and almost whimsical in a sense, which in turn makes it very easy to read and listen too. It also played on the concept of never truly "dying" as long as something you have written lives for you and you are never gone because others can take your work and constantly read it and read it over again. 

What weapon holds the most potential?
To me, it is the pen
Though literacy may be essential
The effect is most telling then

With words one can easily slander
Twist truth and lies and ties together
With naught but strokes of ink and thought
Reality is changed forever

In print the flow of ideas is changed
Spun round and round as you will
Those who know not know all to know
Though they may not understand still

Though swords and guns can end your life
They cannot put end to your mind
For it will persist even if you cease to exist
When another reads your words in kind

But words are not weapons, in fact they are tools
Used for deeds both well and ill
They take up all spaces and reach many places
Until the “I”s all have their fill

Consider this page, and what it can do
What are you doing right now?
No matter who you are, no matter when it’s read
I’m sure I can guess somehow

You’re reading these words, some portion of me
You’re letting them through all defenses
You take what I give, so effortlessly
And let it change your pretenses

Consider the power I have in each line
Look what I can do with these words
“Now think of sweet candy! Now think of a lime!”
“Now think of all these things absurd!”

Though might may be right, it is thoughts that pull strings
To control the actions you take
I say pen over sword in all manner of things
With limitless things you can make

And the second is The Pen is Mightier than the Sword by Jarette Thomas Frazier
I really enjoyed this poem firstly because he uses a lot of very intriguing vocabulary, as well as he really personify s the pen and the writing as appose to implying he does it all, I feel like I am almost in the "mind of the pen" and feeling how maybe the author feels when he is writing. 

My heart is filled with ink HYPERBOLE

My pen with flowing blood HYPERBOLE 
From the fountain of my pen 
These golden flowers bud
Forget-me-nots and yellow roses
Impervious to age
The queen of thought proposes
Unto the written page
My words are flesh and blood
My thoughts something divine
Breathing life to dead-end trees
With every SCryptic line
Veiled self expression
My intrinsic write
ConFusion and confession
DisTension and DeSpite
Manipulate my words
With my pen I paint the day--------Personifying the pen
Surrogate’ son fire
Oh, pen it anyway
Witch, ever path you chews it
Over, now at your own pace
Whichever door you take you don’t 
Belittle Spittle on your face---------------Repition of the "itle" 
All of these Contrite ConTours
An invalid in-doors this pain
This ever falling cleansing reign
Upon the satirical lyrical moors 

A Poem of my very Own. 

The pen.

The pen is more wicked than the foulest of Villains

Tougher than the strongest of Heroes

More brilliant than the brightest of stars,

The pen.

It can heal the deepest wounds,

and carve the hollowest holes.

Give new light to a concept,

and relive old ideas.

Can start a Revolution,

And end a war. 

The pen.

The pen that is mightier than the sword. 

Ted Talks Poetic Response.

Sarah Kay: How many lives can you live?
http://www.ted.com/talks/sarah_kay_how_many_lives_can_you_live.html

I watched the Sarah Kay TED talk and was pleasantly surprised with it. She opened with an enchanting poem about an astronaut who wanted nothing more than to be a scuba diver. After the poem she spoke about how she used to think she could be anything and everything she wanted to be as a kid. Yet as she grew up she realized how she could only live one life and be one person. I tried really hard to find a connection to this talk but I couldn't, she had so many ideas of what she aspired to be but I never did. I was constantly asked what career I wanted and where I could see myself in 5, 10 or even 15 years but I would do nothing but shrug it off, I still have time, I would think. Eventually it will hit me like a ton of bricks and I will know. But so far nothing. It scares me to think that one day I will no longer be a student, I will be an adult and I will have to know what I want to do and be. My mom tells me of all the things she says I could do, things I could be successful at but they do not appeal to me. "Go to school, take a trade" she would say, If I changed my mind I could switch but why? Why waste money and time for something I do not want to be. Its not even careers that scare me but where I see my life going in general, I am not crazy intelligent. or an artist, a basketball star, a dancer or a wonderful cook. I want to live so many lives and be so many things yet I find extreme difficulty in just being me, how could I bare to be more than that? Lately when the question comes back to me about what I want to be all I can do is shrug but in the last little while I have come to a conclusion, happy. I would like nothing more than to be happy, but hopefully one day a career will come to me, until then I will remain trying to live one life, mine.

White Poppy

I like the idea of keeping with traditions, that's how I was raised but in my personal opinion I don't understand the complaints associated with the White Poppy. The concept of Remembrance Day is too remember our fallen soldiers as well as honor the living so if wearing a White Poppy is what will make you think of them then power too you. In no way do I see us "glorifying war." The white literally is meant to stand for peace, so how people can take that and make it a glorification of wars is a complete absurdity. The idea that it is "Offensive" is quite absurd as well , we constantly associate the white dove as a symbol for peace, so is a white poppy really that much different?  People need to stop putting so much thought into these things, if people feel that a white poppy is how they choose to honor someone or support peace then they should have the freedom to do so, isn't that what the soldiers are fighting for? If a white poppy is the perfect way for them then let bygons be bygons. Just as a concluding remark I think if you choose to wear the red as it is tradition then do that and if you would like to wear the white and focus more on the idea of peace then as well that is completely your choice but in no way do I see it even remotely offensive, I think we should all just be thankful these people still choose to honor the passed.

Response to Chernobly and Home.

It just amazes me how someone can have such a dramatic tie to something as temporary as home, I don't consider any specific place home as I tend to gravitate away from my house and more towards other places, prefer to wander then stay in one place. I want to travel and experience too many things to stay planted. Alas I consider my "home" as somewhere I know I am cared for and hopefully it's a place where my family and friends are, may it be the town I grew up in or across the globe. I couldn't imagine putting my "Homeland" above my health but I still really admire the woman who did it. They went through so much and were dealt such terrible cards that when they found their ideal home I can understand why they would choose to stay. Home is home and when you find it then you will always have a piece of it with you.

Mass Wastage Case Study Creative Response.

The day started as every other had this week and the last, I woke up, headed to work and began my typical 8 hour days. As lunchtime approached I threw on my hiking boots and packed up my coat to go on my walk as I had been doing for alittle over a year, I noticed the air was thicker than usual but thought nothing of it. I started down the road, headphones in and some classic rock pounding in my ears. About 15 minutes into my afternoon stroll I started hearing some unusual rumbling, A thunderstorm?At this time of the day? I thought to myself. Again though, I absent mindedly kept walking. It wasn't till I heard the screams of a few of my co-workers before I concluded something was not right. Then it started. It felt as if time had slowed down, the masses of rock began towards the city, leaving nothing behind but ash and destruction. I couldn't run, couldn't scream, I was petrified.  My eyes darted to behind my building and I saw the clouds of black come tumbling down, they coated the stores and houses as if it was a dark blanket of fear. It was then that everything went black and I did not regain consciousness until the carnage was over, or maybe it was just starting. People roamed the streets, surveying what was left of the place they once called home that was now nothing but rubble. Nothing but the faint cries of people and sirens from all around me could be heard, my ears were still too clouded to hear anything more. An ambulance whipped past me nearly taking me right off my feet, it pulled a rough turn and pulled off in front of a furniture store, a few long moments passed and a handful of people sauntered out the building, followed behind was a few small children crying and lastly a body bag, and then another, and then another. I suddenly became very aware of all the casualties I had just witnessed. A tear fell down my cheek and soon I found myself wailing in sadness, all my emotions had begun to set in, I was thankful I was alive, sad that others couldnt say the same but mostly angry. In that moment all the years I faithfully went to church and now, where was he, where was our God to protect us. As I grip my chest I notice the warm liquid I feel, it was a deep red color and was practically pouring out. Blood. A sense of nausea washed over me, the pain begins to set in and soon I am experiencing the most intense pains I had ever felt , my whole inside was on fire as if someone had lit a match inside of me. I felt myself topple over, the clouds above me are still black as my heart was becoming. What feels like an eternity passes and I notice the pain is starting to relive itself, my eyes close, a few more breaths out and a few more in. To think,  This day had started as any other this week and the one before that, and now... My voice trails off, one final cough of blood and that was the end. My end. 

October Reading Journal- A Dance With Dragons.

This month's Reading Journal is centered around the fifth book in the Game of Thrones series, "A Dance with Dragons." I'm only about a quarter of a way through the book but I am already enthralled by it. The story opened on a rather grim note, famously for a Game of Thrones book, as Haggon was intaking some human flesh as he so desires, a pack of human men as well as a woman and her child were destroyed. The writer George R.R. Martin is one of my favourite writers as he has a way to really put alot of meaning into his words as well as make each and everyone of his characters very "deep" and detailed, they all have a past that is described so flawlessly. So far the word "abomination" has been played around with constantly as a way to describe Haggon and the passion he and others have for cannibalization.Varamyr was described as a truly vicious and feared being, he was sly, cunning and could have his way with any woman he pleased, regardless of their dismay. I've just begun to read about Tyrion Lannister as he flees his way east from Westeros due to a bounty placed on his head, it appears so far that his new group of allies may not be all they seemed and I have a feeling each of them is keeping a deep, dark secret...Perhaps they too are out to claim the reward placed on Tyrion's head.

5 Themes of Geography

Absolute Location

Functional Region

Perceptual Region

Movement

General Location

Relationship between Nature and Humans

September Reading Journal- The Rithmatist by Brandon Sanderson

The Rithmatist is a book set in a time of alchemy and magic by Brandon Sanderson. The story starts and mostly occurs at the Armedius Academy, a school for "gifted" students. Joel is the main character and the son of a chalk-maker at Armedius. Despite a lot of the story being centered around Joel he can only swoon over the other students ability to study, he so wishes to be able to. As the story progresses he notices quite a lot of students have been being kidnapped and killed, due to some sheer luck on Joel's part he is able to help the Professor who is in charge of investigation along with his best friend Melody. A Rithmatic is a person who can "breath" life into a two-dimensional character. They are known as Chalklings and are used to defend the human race against other wild Chalklings.

I was actually drawn to the book because of its cover as I am with most stories I purchase. Aside from that it is about alchemy and that is one of my favorite story topics, I find it extremely enthralling and I can't help but to constantly research more on the topic.

Glaciation Webquest.

Name/Date: Amanda Finke.   November 5/2013

Language & Landscape

Glaciation Webquest

Topic: Ice Ages, Glaciation, Glacial Processes and Landforms, Continental/Alpine Glaciers, Periglacial Landscapes (lessons 3E, 3F, 3G)

Purpose/Learning Intentions: utilize web resources to deepen understanding of the topic, learn how to efficiently organize a brief report that includes text and images.

Instructions: follow the links and complete the questions and gather the “evidence photos” using the Word file found in the teacher’s Handout folder (same as this handout).

1. Go to PhysicalGeography.net  http://www.physicalgeography.net/

Use the search tool to study glaciation.  When did Pleistocene Glaciation begin?

The Pleistocene Glaciation began 2 million years ago.

In Chapter 10ae, read about glacial advance & retreat.  When was the Little Ice Age?

The Little Ice Age began in 1550 and ended in 1850.

During what year did the retreat of the Gangotri glacier accelerate?

The retreat of the Gangotri glacier starter to accelerate in the year 1971.

Gather two photos from the Glacial Landforms section showing two features from this list:  striations, merging glaciers, erratic, kame, kettle, esker, drumlin

^ Esker near Lac du Sauvage, Northwest Territories.

^ Glacial erratic near Point Lake, Northwest Territories.

Find the section on Periglacial Processes and Landforms.  What is a nivation hollow and how is it formed?

A nivation hollow is an indent located in a periglacial area, created by nivations. They are created from snow and a slope allowing transport of eroded material out of a depressed area.

Gather one photo from the Periglacial section from this list: stone circle, ice-wedge polygon, palsa, or pingo. Include a descriptive caption.

 

^Ice-wedge polygons in peatland, Hudson Bay Lowlands, Manitoba.

2. Go to the Wikipedia article on Glaciers http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Glacier

What term does the article use for roche moutonnee?

SheepBack Rock.

What two reason are given for the development of ice ages?

1.    Changes in atmospheric and oceanic circulation patterns.

2.    Changing positions of earth’s continents.

3.    Climate Change.

Gather one of the graphics or photos from the article. Include a descriptive caption.

^ Ice Calving

3. Go to Landforms of Continental Glaciation http://www.uwsp.edu/geo/faculty/ritter/geog101/textbook/glacial_systems/landforms_of_continental_glaciation.html

Why have many eskers been destroyed?

Due to them being a fantastic source of gravel many eskers are being destroyed from mining of that resource.

What does the site call a group of drumlins?

A group of drumlins is known as a “swarm”

4. Go to N.R. Canada’s Geo Photo database site http://geoscan.ess.nrcan.gc.ca/starweb/geoscan/servlet.starweb?path=nrcanphoto/nrcanphoto_e.web

Gather and label three photos from the site (use the search features) from the following list: moraine, esker, drumlin, kame, striation, tarn, outwash, glacier, kettle

^ Moraine

^ Striation

^ Glacier

5. Examine the Glaciation Map https://www.dropbox.com/s/4rehk9vqr2zof08/glacial_retreat.jpg

When was Smithers (BC) last covered with ice?

10,000 years ago.

When was Edmonton (Alberta) last covered with ice?

7,000 years ago.

When was London (Ontario) last covered with ice?

13,000 years ago.

6. Illustrated glossary of alpine glacial landforms http://www.uwsp.edu/gEo/faculty/lemke/alpine_glacial_glossary/glossary.html

What is the name of the falls draining the hanging valley used as the example on the site?

Birdwoman Falls.

What is the name of the middlemost paternoster lake used in the examples?

Grinall Lake.

What is an Ogive?

Alternating bands of light and dark ice that form a series of ridges and swales at the base of some ice falls

Gather four photos from this site showing features you have not yet included.

 

^ Ogive

^ U-shaped Valley.

^ Cirque.

^ Hanging Valley.