Starting Climate Science Research

To start off my research, I was most interested in the question: How has the climate of the earth changed over time? Wanting to start off broad, I basically pasted this question into the Google search bar. I was somewhat surprised to find an excellent source as one of the first results. NASA's website had an article on climate change that immediately gave me an impressive visual of the carbon dioxide levels over approximately the last 400,000 years. This was precisely the kind of information I wanted.

Below, in the same article, I found some more information. Throughout time, Earth’s climate has always changed. Often, these changes have been because of slight variations in the path of the planet’s orbit, since changes in the rotation of the Earth around the sun affects how much energy it receives. In the past 650,000 years, there have been seven cycles of glaciers on Earth advancing and retreating.

I was not familiar with this terminology concerning glaciers, so I found another website, eduweb, that explained these terms clearly. A glacier retreat is the shrinking of glaciers, and an advance is when glaciers grow. Glaciers advance when precipitation causes them to grow more than melting and sublimation make them shrink. They retreat when the opposite occurs. According to the website, most glaciers today are retreating at higher rates than ever recorded.

After all this, I clicked on another article about global warming that seemed promising. I found the link at the bottom of the NASA article. Apparently, glacier retreat has increased significantly in the past ten years. This can be related to the rise in sea level that has been rising by about 1.77 millimeters per year over the last century. This number is much higher than that of the average rise in sea level over the past thousand years. The website also had two interesting charts to back up these facts.

I found information about past and present trends in carbon dioxide levels, glacier retreat, and sea level in this research session. I want to do the same with other facets of climate next time.

My Area of Interest From the List of Questions About Climate

Though several questions from this list piqued my interest, I would like to focus on one in particular: How has the climate of the earth changed over time? This is from the category called "climate science".

This area of research has the potential to be fascinating, because I could learn about the grand scheme of earth's weather and climate patterns and compare them to today. The research could go in several different directions, as well. I think the science aspect of this is interesting. A search could shed some light on the other questions (like "Is it real?") by establishing some basic facts about the history of climate. I could learn (or at least guess) what might come next. This would all tie in, possibly, to some of the political perspectives on the matter.

The topic makes me wonder: how far back can scientists be certain of the climate? How do they know this? How different is it today? Why are there discrepancies concerning what people believe about climate change when we live in such a scientific, fact based society?

Climate

The first five words I think of when I hear "climate" are:

Change
Control
Heat
Hillary Clinton
Money

I think about the polarization of today's political parties concerning climate change; that is why I said Hillary Clinton, I guess. About 150 countries just signed that big agreement, though, so I suppose that means the political environment is not too incredibly divided. I think about global warming and the science and funds needed to prevent it from continuing.

A question: How significant of an international effort is needed to revert the trend of climate change?

Questions About the 1930s

For homework, I was first asked to read about the Great Depression. 

According to this article, what was wrong with President Hoover's response?  Why did people blame themselves when things went wrong, and how valid or invalid was this response?

President Hoover responded to the economic crisis by not properly recognizing it as a lasting threat. He proposed trickle-down economics instead of giving relief to those in need.
Since it was the mindset of the time period that success came with hard work and was due to one's actions, people, especially men, blamed themselves when they struggled. This was an invalid response, because one-fourth of the workforce was laid off. It was not their fault.

I then read about Black Sunday.

How would you have felt if you'd been there on that day? What kinds of fears, concerns, or questions would be going through your mind during, and after, the event described?

That day sounded terrifying. I would have panicked if I was hit by a dust storm and could not see anything. Before being hit, my only thoughts would be escaping the cloud and frantically finding safety. During, I would probably not be able to think of much else besides my own safety and my family's. I would be concerned about how hard my friends, family, and possessions were hit after the storm passed.

Next, I clicked on a link about The Drought. 

What areas were affected by it?  What caused it? The author ends this article with a pithy quote.  Do you agree or disagree with this historian's perspective? Why or why not?

About a third of the Great Plains, including most of the Texas panhandle, northeastern New Mexico, Western Kansas, Southern Colorado, and the Oklahoma panhandle, were included in the Dust Bowl, the area largely affected. The drought was worsened because settlers misused the land with their farming techniques. They planted too much wheat, which was unhealthy for the soil. Cattle and sheep were let to overgraze, so wind erosion became an all too legitimate problem.

The author concludes the passage with this quote: “The ultimate meaning of the dust storms of the 1930s was that America as a whole, not just the plains, was badly out of balance with its natural environment. Unbounded optimism about the future, careless disregard of nature’s limits and uncertainties, uncritical faith in Providence, devotion to self-aggrandizement – all these were national as well as regional characteristics.” Though I am not an expert on the matter, I would agree. The quote reminds me about how the passage about the Great Depression described the cause of the stock market crash. After consumerism rose in popularity, Americans seemed to excitedly spend more money than they really had. Their optimism about the future put them out of touch with both reality and their own weaknesses. The author felt the settlers in the Dust Bowl were the same.

Finally, I read about Mass Exodus from the Plains. 

Were does the migration of people out of the Dust Bowl rank in terms of other migrations in US History?  What made life hard for people once they arrived in California?

The migration of people out of the Dust Bowl was the largest in America's history. Life was hard once these people arrived in California. The farms there were larger, different, and owned by companies. So many people were in need of jobs that the people that worked were paid very little. Additionally, the cost of living was exorbitant. Many lived in squalor, and diseases broke out as a result. Finally, California natives were sometimes unwelcoming and could be discriminatory toward the migrants.

1930s Word Cloud

When we see “the 1930s”, what do we think? (Madi, Karen, Mary Leigh, Skyler, Valeria)

RADIO

"FIRESIDE-CHATS"

THE-NEW-DEAL

FDR

ECONOMY-CRASH

THE-LONE-RANGER

RADIO-SHOWS

STOCK-MARKET-CRASH

GREAT-DEPRESSION

BREAD-LINES

BANK-CLOSINGS

TVA

POVERTY

HOOVERVILLES

ADULT-GEORGE-BAILEY

RADIO

FDR

AMELIA-EARHART

MEN-IN-SUITS-AND-HATS-AND-FUNNY-ACCENTS

GREAT-DEPRESSION

RADIO

POOR

STRUGGLE

RADIO

GREAT-DEPRESSION

MY-GRANDMOTHER

SOUP-KITCHENS

FDR

MORE-JOBS

DIRT-POOR

STOCK-MARKET- CRASH

RADIO

FIRE-SIDE-CHATS

POLITICS

ADVERTISING

GREAT-DEPRESSION

STOCK-MARKET-CRASH

BLACK-AND-WHITE-TV

GREAT-DEPRESSION

POVERTY

UNEMPLOYMENT

STOCK-MARKET

BANK

FDR

CCC

TVA

NEW-DEAL

FIRESIDE-CHATS

BONUSES

HOOVER

HOOVER-DAM

RADIO

HOOVERVILLES

FOUR-TERMS

Reflection of 1920s Speeches

"Overall, how did these speeches go?"

I would say this project went pretty well. I felt the vast majority of the class spoke with engaged voices. I saw lots of repeated facts. This was fine, because they were used in different, original ways, and the important parts of the chapter were made more memorable.

"Was there anyone who stood out in particular, and why?"

Madi looked up to the audience a lot and had an impressive vocabulary in her speech, so she stood out to me. Additionally, Karen spoke slowly and enunciated all of her words correctly, which I admire.

"What is something you learned from this experience for next time?"

I was reminded how important it is to speak slowly and clearly and be engaged while giving speeches.

Radio Entertainment in the 1930s

In the 1930s, having a radio for communication and entertainment became the "next big thing".

About four in ten Americans had a radio in their home by 1930, according to American Radioworks. PBS states that was about 12 million homes, and that the end of the decade, the number increased by 16 million. Not only did this new technology allow for Franklin Roosevelt's "fireside chats" to be broadcasted to families, but households could gather around to hear jokes, inspirational tales, and soap operas, which were actually introduced during this era. Americans received comedians like Fred Allen and Jack Benny. There were stories geared toward all audiences. For drama, "Our Girl Sunday" was popular. For action and adventure, listeners often tuned in to stories about the Lone Ranger.

Wikipedia shares that The Lone Ranger, which had almost three thousand episodes by its end, first broadcasted in January of 1933 on WXYZ. It later inspired a television program and book series. The radio show, though, was incredibly popular at its inception. Children were its intended audience, but about half of its listeners were adults. The show is now, according to Wikipedia, known as "an enduring icon of American culture".

As the story goes, the Lone Ranger and five others were chasing outlaws led by a man called "Butch" when they were ambushed in a canyon, Bryant's Gap. He was the only survivor and lost a brother, hence the "Lone" in his title. Each episode, the famous ranger wore a mask made out of his dead brother's clothing. He battled with outlaws alongside his Native American partner named Tonto, who nursed him back to health after he was hurt in the ambush.

PBS accurately notes that radio shows, like this one, were meant to entertain, but they could also give inspiration and set moral examples. This emerging characteristic of media was doubtlessly a part in why shows like this one will go down in history.

This is an ad for the show.

Speech on the 1920s

In any United States History textbook, the material can basically be divided into two parts: the time periods that are more relatable, and those that are less familiar. History students may have difficulty identifying with the political and cultural issues of America in the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries. After the 1920s, though, more parallels can easily be made to present day. The 1920s connect these two parts. Many important events and movements during this decade breached topics that are still relevant to Americans. I will outline a few of the more substantial ones presently.

In 1925, it was illegal in Tennessee to teach about the creation of humans if the lesson strayed from the literal translation of the Bible. John T. Scopes become the defendant in a test case after he taught evolution in school. He lost, but Williams Jennings Bryan, a spokesman of fundamentalist ideals, was made to seem ridiculous. This slowed fundamentalist political activism. Society’s stance on free speech and religious freedom was not perfected after this. Arguments about whether or not to teach evolution are still familiar. Freedom of religion is a common discussion point in the presidential debates. The Scopes Trial, though, put the United States in the proper direction.

During the “Harlem Renaissance,” the large African-American community of Harlem produced incredibly influential art and culture. Black artists strived to prove to the world that they were worthy of respect. The movement helped put their artistic creations on a pedestal. It was a step in reaching racial equality even before the integration of schools. Equal representation for minorities is still a topical subject now, which can be seen in the controversy surrounding the Oscars.

Employers in the 1920s wanted to prevent unrest among employees and avoid the development of independent trade unions. Some introduced welfare capitalism, giving workers better conditions and benefits. However, once again, working conditions and politics are imperfect even today. Wage equality is still a subject of discussion. This brings me to my final point.

Margaret Sanger led the birth-control movement. She asserted to middle-class women that women should be allowed to enjoy sex that was unrelated to simply reproduction. Also in the 1920s, the idea was introduced that women did not have to always appear` respectable but could wear seductive clothes, put on makeup, and go to convivial parties. Therefore, the “flapper girl” came about. This was feminist progress, but there are still double-standards today concerning sexuality.

The decade that was the 1920s had many “firsts” that led to many changes, most of which were positive. Still, the contributions of the Jazz Age are incomplete. It is necessary that Americans continue the work it did. The 1920s helped the causes of religious freedom, freedom of speech, minority representation, equality in the workforce, and gender issues, but we must continue to strive for improvement.

A Review of Valeria Cowell's Mini Book

Poignant but informative, Nativism & The Klan by Valeria Cowell is perfect for those who wish to learn more about history, but require a gripping plot to keep them engaged. Protagonist Jason's thrilling adventures keep the reader captivated while he explores the past. Jason finds himself in a frightening situation when, after learning about the Klan, Nativism, and the National Origins Act of 1924, he stumbles into a New Klan meeting. What will he think? What will he learn? What will he do? Will the Klan survive? Read this to find out!

A Review of Victoria Spera's Mini Book

For those interested in the history behind the ubiquitous commercialism of today, Victoria Spera's Advertising is a sweet treat. From the cover to cover, it is informative but clearly outlined. The front demonstrates the wit of the author by exemplifying 1920s advertising. It is advertising for the book itself. After flipping through this book, the reader will be knowledgeable about propaganda, The Man Nobody Knows, communication, and magazine history from the Jazz Age.

The Movies and Broadcasting- Mini Book

For homework, I wrote a short story in a mini book that contained information found in the section titled "The Movies and Broadcasting" in the textbook. I threw in a plot revolving around Donna and Harry walking home after work, planning their date. It is basically a budding romance. They end up deciding on seeing movie after comparing the politics surrounding film and radio. I used a significant amount of 1920s slang words, too.