Research Post

   My research project is about Pearl Harbor. I am trying to answer the question of what were Japan's motives behind Pearl Harbor and short-term effects of it. Japan wanted to conquer Southeast Asia and parts of the Pacific to essentially make the Pacific Ocean Japan's lake. However, the U.S. was not a fan of this conquest, so Japan needed a way to delay America from preventing this conquering. What makes this topic so interesting to me is how well planned the attack was and how well it worked at first.

   Japan was extremely careful in making sure that fleet that the fleet traveling to Pearl Harbor had complete radio silence. The fleet sailed behind a large weather front to remain undetected from radar. Furthermore, Japan knew that Pearl Harbor had loose security on Sunday mornings and they used it to their advantage. The attack was so successful because off the great planning behind the attack.

Reading Reflection

   In the Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian, a young Indian boy describes his experiences  of leaving his comfort zone and joining an all white school. The story is very humorous and has funny references that most teens would enjoy. Though depressing as times, Junior always manages to sneak in comedy to make the story less dark and more friendly. However the comedy is not too ridiculous to prevent getting important points across.

   It is interesting to see how Junior has such guts even though he is considered as a weak boy. Whenever the huge bully got up in his face, Junior punched him even though the bully would win in a fight. This story allows you to see the world through a poor Indian's eyes who is fighting for some stability in his life.

Comments

Gregory Field
Robert Xing

Is Water Wet? (free post)

     I do not understand why people get so heated about this debate when their exists such a simple answer to this question. I hope this blog will be able to end all arguments surrounding this debate, because to be honest, this is not very important. Water is not wet. A good percentage of the people who read this will disagree with me, but before you exit this blog or choose to comment something that will make you feel stupid later, read the second paragraph.

     Wetness describes a human or object's interaction with water, it does not describe water itself. The ocean is not wet, but the boats floating on it are. Furthermore, objects completely submerged in water aren't wet until they are taken out of the water. Ever notice when you submerge your hand in water that it doesn't feel wet? It might feel cold, but that describes the temperature of the water, not the wetness. Your hand doesn't become wet until you take it out of the water. If you understand basic scientific knowledge, you know this to be true.

Research update

     I feel as though my research started off great. My topic is very interesting and has plenty of useful information on it. It is amazing to see how thought out the Pearl Harbor attack was. The strategies behind this surprise attack truly show how desperate Japan was to conquer more of Southeast Asia.I had my English and History teacher showing me how to complete my annotations. I may have finished later than I wanted to do, but at least I submitted it on time.

     The problems just started to arise today after I was assigned to begin working on my note cards for the first time without any teacher present. The directions confuse me to the point where I will just stare at my laptop screen for 15 minutes straight, unsure what to do. However, I will eventually figure it out, I will just have to spend some more time on it. I am eager to meet my History teacher to figure out what I am doing wrong.
   

 

New semester reflection

    Last semester for me was a tough one. It could have been a lot smoother if I simply worked efficiently. My main issue was time management and procrastination. People often procrastinate when they are faced with an obstacle that seems impossible to conquer. However, if they would just begin working on it, it would not be nearly as bad. If I would have just done my homework during study hall, I wouldn’t have to stay up all night.

Another extremely important thing to remember is to communicate. Most problems encountered in school can be fixed by communicating with your teachers and coaches to make sure you know what is happening in your life and how you should go about doing it. It is imperative to always stay on top of your work. Falling behind can make you constantly feel guilty and uneasy. If I can work timely, communicate, and stay focused, I can push right through next semester with all A’s. It would truly feel great to know that I feel in control of my future and have good grades.

 

Utopia

    When people talk about Utopia, they usually think of some perfect society where everything is stress free and everything is done for you. In my opinion, this form of society would simply not function. In this “Utopia” people would just live blissfully with nothing at all to worry about, and that would be a huge problem. There would be no purpose to anyone’s life, and people would begin to question why they existed.

   For me personally, I believe that everyone needs something to do with their life to know that they are helping the world function. Instead of a Utopia without responsibilities, I imagine one that requires individuals to work. However, in this Utopia all conflicts would be resolved, such as all diseases have cures. However, it’s is 100 percent necessary that individuals know they are contributing to this society, and they are busy but happy.