Last Human Geo Class :(

Today was our last Human Geo class ever. Me and Lauren were almost late because we wanted food. We got into the class 3 seconds before the bell rang. We didn't even leave the cafeteria until 11:50, and the bell still didn't ring by the time we got into class. Then we discussed food and blogs and about David Bowie and Alan Rickman, since they passed this year and very recently too. Then we watched David Bowie's new music video. (Mr. Schick also said we were his favorite class yayayayayay). The video was really interesting, but kind of creepy. We then discussed the whole thing. He's a really different artist and has some weird and cool symbolic stuff in his work. The video where he showed how he was in pain and couldn't get out of the pain, and just a few days before he died of cancer, it's just wow. Like I have had a family member die of cancer and both my grandparents have cancer. The video and how he showed what he was going through, makes a lot more sense than just a weird thing. Then we talked about dogs and how they are the most adorable precious little beings on this whole earth ever. At the end of class we also watched Harry Potter Puppet Pals. What a throwback.

I think I am gonna miss this class. But hey, next semester is just mostly the same people, same teacher, and different subject. But thankyou Mr. Schick for being a gr8 Human Geo teacher and I really liked all the class discussions about current events and everything we learned about.

Yikes

In Human Geo today we took a test on Environmental Geography. I think I did really bad on it because the questions I thought I got right I got wrong. There goes my A in this class. Some of the questions were easy. Others I didn't remember at all. Some that were hard were the ones like "The United States has never ratified the 1997 Kyoto Protocol to reduce greenhouse emissions.." I thought this was false but it looks like it may have been true. He is currently reading the grades out and there has been like 0 dings. I am so scared for him to call me up because I probably did so bad. Oh well lets wait for him to call me up brb and I will tell you what happened:


I ended up getting a 75 yikes but at least I didn't get anything less soo


wowowowowow there goes my A

Review Kinda Free-Mod Day

Today in Human Geo we went over the powerpoint of Environmental Geography very quickly. We didn't spend too much time on it though. I'm feeling pretty okay about the test tomorrow because I think I understand the whole climate change thing. The only thing I know I need to study more is the specific numbers (temperatures, amount of ice melting, etc.). Then the rest of the class Mr. Schick said he had work to do so we listened to music and did other work for classes that we had.

More on Environmental Geography

In Human Geo today we took more notes on environmental geography. Here is what I wrote down:

Global Warming 101 (video)

• explains in scientific terms using statistics, how climate change works 
• back in 2005 when this video was made, "global warming" was a more commonly used term until climate change was used instead 
• produced by National Geographic 

Highlights 

• for eons, millennia, multiple hundreds of centuries, the earth has cycled between ice ages and thaws 
• always been part of the natural order of thing 
• but as humans become more resourceful , they have had ore of an impact on nature and climate 
• our impact has included raising the planets temperature by 1.2 degrees F to 1.4 degrees F in the last 100 years 
• compare this to basic pattern of glacial periods which usually last between 40,000 to 100,000 years 
• human activity which is driving the temperatures up so quickly 
• burning fossil fuels : coal, gas, and other petroleum products produces carbon dioxide 
• carbon dioxide intensifies the greenhouse effect which causes heat to be reflected back to earth 
• carbon dioxide and methane have reached their highest levels in 420,000 years 
• sources: cars, factories, power plants, trucks, jets, cement production, etc 
• whats the worst that could happen? 
• rising sea levels which could flood costal areas around the world 
• severe drought that could become more prominent in warm areas 
• species unable to adapt to the changing condition would face extinctions 

Climate Change 101 With Bill Nye (the video) 

Bill Nye 

• science educator 
• writer 
• scientist 
• mechanical engineer
• inventor swing dancer
• science guy

Highlights 

• ten of the last 13 years were the warmest on record 
• more details on what is in greenhouse gases 
• pie chart supplied by EPA.gov (environmental protection agency) 
• Bill is good at illustrating things (example, greenhouse gas direction graph) 
• why he is so popular: TV guest, speaks against deniers and creationists, science guy 
• the temperature of the earth's oceans has risen more than .3 degrees Fahrenheit since 1969 causing: 
• 30% rise of acidity in oceans chemistry 
• certain species such as oysters and clams to become calcified 
• shallow water corals to become increasingly at risk 
• placing ocean food chain in danger 
• since 1994, each year on average, the earth has lost form its glaciers (400,000,000,000 ton) 

Definition 

• climate change= a long term change in the earth's overall temperature with massive and permanent ramification 

What we can do

• recycle and reuse 
• walk, bike, use public transportation 
• turn off electronics when not in use 
• eat less met 
• eat more locally grown vegetables and foods 

We Talked About Cows

Today in Human Geo we did not really take any notes. We did however summarize climate change which got us talking about cows and how they are ruminants. They release methane (which is a greenhouse gas) when they pass gas, and that goes into the air and does the same thing as carbon dioxide. There are so many things contributing to climate change and so much we can do to stop it. Cows and other animals we as humans eat are getting fed all the vegetables and grains we could eat instead, so we wouldn't have to have more animals that release more methane. The possibility of everyone becoming a vegetarian or vegan is not so great though. I would be a vegetarian but my family won't buy me the special food and such :( But the people who could become vegetarians/use less energy are not because they just "can", but hey, who would rather save the earth for our future children then cut back on a few burgers and car rides?

*many sarcasm*

We also talked about Robby dying and how he would die, and we came up with a plan as a class that we would invite Bashar Al-Assad into the classroom and we would all at once bombard him while Robby would be the bait and die first, and Lauren and I would just throw the food we didn't eat at him. Mr. Schick also looked through my composition notebook and Lauren's at our drawings/doodles/notes and Angela drew him without looking at the paper. A lot happened. I'm pretty sure Carly went to swimming possibly too, and I confirmed that no one likes raisins.

Talking More About Climate Change

Today in Human Geo we talked about climate change again. We talked about how a lot of people don't believe in it and don't think it's real. More like, they don't want to believe it's real. We came up with some reasons why people may think that way. I think people just don't want to be wrong. I think that they don't want to blame themselves for using all these fossil fuels and a lot of electricity and energy and things that cause a lot of exhaust. Big companies don't want to say it's a real thing because they could be in risk of losing customers or getting less profits. They don't want to change their lives either, they like the way they are now. Who would stop using all that they have less just for this? *sarcasm* Seriously though, I wish more people would try. If we can use bikes and our own two feet to travel more often rather than taxis and buses and cars, and if we can use solar panels (Mr. Schick told us about the ones he has on his house. He said by using the solar panels he gets the use out of everything as he would if he were not using them, and he only pays a little less than a thousand each year, rather than the almost 4,000 he would while not using solar panels.) Climate change is real (Bill Nye even said so) and we should think of it as an issue. We shouldn't be like the companies we read about that said climate change wasn't a problem/that it doesn't matter. We should actually act like they were behind closed doors and recognize this change as a problem, as it will effect us, the oceans, land, and possibly our country in the future when we are ready to live on our own.

Coming Back and Learning About Environmental Geography

It was our first Human Geo class of 2016 today. I kinda missed it actually, so it was nice even though I could be sleeping instead. Anyways we got our exam grades for the objective portions today and I got an 86 which is actually better than I thought. Hopefully it will go up when he adds my essay grade onto that. Then we started a new unit called Environmental Geography. We watched two videos about Climate Change (one of them had Bill Nye), and here are the notes I took on it:

Climate Change

• 1.2-1.4 degrees F increase of the planets temperature in the past century 
• fossil fuels are being used more which is a main problem 
• greenhouse effect
• the sun releases energy that the earth absorbs, but the remaining energy the earth does not absorb goes up into the atmosphere where it is trapped
• because the energy is trapped it causes warmth which is warming the earth 
• carbon dioxide goes into the atmosphere and keeps heat from radiating out
• 97% of scientists believe this is being intensified because of human activity 
• recently but briefly for the first time in history the north pole reached above freezing 
• we can help prevent this in a way by
• cutting greenhouse gases 
• using safer lights and lightbulbs around the house and other buildings 
• drive less distance in our cars 
• 10 out of the past 15 years were the warmest
• oceans are reaching higher temperatures 
• they could start having higher acid content , glaciers and ice sheets are melting into the ocean which causes them to flood 

good definition of climate change: long term change in earths overall temperature with massive and permanent ramifications