IHSS C2021-22

    The Middle Ages are often used as an example of a time when life was simpler, however this point of view is wildly inaccurate.   The things that people have used to justify this belief are comparisons between Medieval people and people nowadays, such as the average number of work hours.  While on paper this may be true, life in the Middle Ages was very different.  A person in the modern age might take time to relax and pamper themself on a day off of work, but working class people in the Middle Ages did not have that kind of luxury.  Instead, they would spend their time off doing chores, most of them having barns with animals that needed tending, milk to be harvested, and stables to be cleaned. Another example of a misconception about life in the Middle Ages is that people were happier back then. In actuality, people back then probably felt the same way about people who had lived centuries before them, especially since those who lived in earlier times w...

 Imaar Chauthani Mr. Roddy IHSS Mexico Is Burning The fire burning east of Santa Fe, is 27% contained with 2,015 personnel working to contain the fires. Calf Canyon Fire, in New Mexico, which started on April 19 and later combined with the Hermits Peak Fire, burned for more than a month. This wildfire has destroyed many many homes and has a size of 500 miles! The wildfire is such a problem that President Biden declared it a significant disaster. Since the fire began over 26,000 people have been forced to evacuate and more than 10,000 homes have had a direct impact from the fire. The cause or causes for this fire are still undergoing investigation. The National Weather Service (NWS) office in Albuquerque warned, “Dry lightning with sudden and strong erratic wind shifts from any nearby storm” could lead to rapid spreading or shifting of the fire lines. The National Interagency Fire Center data claims that this year has seen more fires nationwide (24,762) than any previous year t...

 Recently, many various books and people online have been referencing the time during the middle-ages as a time when everything was simpler, and as a time that many believe our society should return to. The article references a specific tweet that blew up a while back by Azie Dungey, which was based off of a 1991 book by sociologist Juliet Schor. This tweet claimed that peasants in medieval times (around the year 1000) worked less hours then we do today. Understandably, this caused a lot of people to react strongly, and the tweet to go viral, causing a lot of people to develop opinions that we should revert back to the middle ages. This article instead provides evidence about more recent discoveries made since the release of that book, that say that if you take into account one: that workers in the middle ages still had to work during their holidays, just not as much, and two: they had no weekends. Taking this into account, they actually worked far more hours then us, but adding on...

  Gustavo Alvarez  Mr. Roddy  IHSS  5/17/2022  A small town in Mexico called Tehuitzingo has been suffering from poverty because of the pandemic but with remittances the town has seen more success and is starting to recover. In February there was a large fair with bouncy castles, carnival rides, and a bull riding contest with a grand prize of a $1000, Most of it donated by residents from Nevada. This fair was not the only uplift of remittances that the town received, there have been many sons and daughters from families in Tehuitzingo that have sent money back to bring relief to the town. Last year, remittances to Mexico was valued around $51.6 billion USD which gave some people higher wagers than they would with a minimum wage job. Not only in Mexico but in all of Latin America remittances make up a large part of the annual income. Many children or parents from families that are in these areas send money from the U.S. While some may think that remittances ...

"The Earth is Running out of Sand"                Sand has become one of the biggest things that we rely on. Its found in glass, silicone, the concrete on our roads, and even our phones. However, due to the high demand for sand climate change, we're running out of it. The beaches and forests that were once flooded with sand, are much less abundant of it. What's happening to it? Sand is made through earth's natural processes, particularly in the ocean, through lakes, and from rocky terrains. When rocks from the sea and land start to break down due to weathering and erosion they become sand, and because it's through a natural process the effects of climate change have played a role in the issue. Along with that, since our society is very urbanized and built on material products, we have become very reliant on sand. The "sand crisis" is probably going to remain an issue, but there are small steps being made to help increase and bring back a lot ...

Claire Thacker  Mr. Roddy  IHSS 17 May 2022  The Overturning of Roe v. Wade The 98-page initial draft majority opinion looks to overturn Roe v. Wade. Roe v. Wade was a landmark decision made by the Supreme Court in 1973. It protects a pregnant woman's right to have an abortion without excessive government involvement or restriction. This draft was written by Justice Samuel Alito, with this he hoped to overturn Roe v. Wade, which is what he says “was egregiously wrong from the start.”  In hopes to return the decision back to the people's elected representatives. Therefore making abortion no longer a constituonal right. Thus giving freedom to states to either prohibit abortion or allow it. This is a huge deal not only to women who live in states where abortion can be banned, but also since this is the first time in modern history a draft decision was disclosed publically when the case was still pending. On the draft there was a majority vote to overturn Roe v. Wade. Th...

 Bernardo Guerra Mr. Roddy IHSS 5/17/2022 "Earth Is Running Out of Sand" Article Blog This article talks about shortages of sand. Yes you heard that right, we are now running out of the most abundant material in the world. Sand is one of the most widely used materials in construction and production. Things such as glass, plastics, paint, computer chips, and most importantly concreate. A common practice in the raw material business world is sand mining, the extraction of sand from natural areas. This form of mining mostly takes place in Australia, China, India, United States and Sierra Leone. Sand mining is regulated in many places, but is often practiced illegally. Many ecosystems are damaged by both legal and illegal sand mining, in fact, the Gharials (a species of crocodile located in India) has nearly gone extinct and various other species. In India, there have been recent reports of violent Sand Mafias, After researching more about illegal sand mining, I started to notice...

  Isa Pedersen Mr. Roddy IHSS 17 May 2022 Glass Half Full     In the entirety of Louisiana, there are no glass recycling centers, and barely any regular recycling centers. This sparked the interest a college student and her friend. When they learned about this issue they decided they wanted to do something to help. They decided the most useful thing they could do with all this glass is turn it back into sand. They live in New Orleans, LA which is a coastal city and always risking flooding. Much like Houston, New Orleans is in the Hurricane belt, meaning they get hit almost every year. New Orleanians use sandbags to help keep the water out of their houses, making sand a valued material. Not only this but the earth is running out of sand because of coastal abrasion. These two college students founded their organization, Glass Half Full in 2020, and so far have recycled 2 million pounds of glass. They have a big warehouse that their production happens in, they pulverize...

  Ethan Zweig Mr. Roddy  IHSS May 17, 2022 The Rio Grande Goes Dry in Big Bend The Rio Grande, the life-giving stream in a desert land that has sustained many human communities and creatures found nowhere else in the continent. This April and May, the river has gone dry in some parts of Big Bend National Park. This isn’t the first time it has happened, but the forces that have killed the river this spring aren’t likely to become less intense. That means that this could become a regular occurrence. The current conditions could be impacting about 75 or more miles of the river. A gauge in the river registered zero flow on April 15 and for a two week period starting April 19. For the last two decades the American West has been the driest it has ever been in 1,200 years which is the main reason for the dryness in the Rio Grande. This is mostly caused by climate change, the hotter and drier seasons reducing snowpack, and rising temperatures increasing evaporation. The only thing t...

Carson Dunaway Mr. Roddy IHSS May/17/2022 IHSS: Hey Check this blog     Currently, with Humans destroying the earth we know and love a new problem is arising that could pose a major threat to society today. Sand is the second most used material today behind water, and now there's a shortage of it. Since there is a large increase in demand and an oncoming shortage, large ecosystems such as oceans, rivers, and forests or being destroyed in demand for sand. Sand is also a natural defense system from storm surges which protects natural environments and if there is less sand we can see a decrease in ecosystems. With natural environments deteriorating that also leaves us with physical threats which wouldn't be good for any living creature. Due to the risks of extracting too much sand, the UNEP wants to stop the mining of sand and start using alternatives. Alternatives to sand could include crushed rock, recycled construction, and deconstructed material. These three items are the big...

The calf canyon also known as the Hermits Peak fire, has become the largest fire in new Mexico history. 298,060 acres of land have been burned. The Calf Canyon started on April 19 and combined with the Hermits Peak fire which has been burning for over a month. It has a grown over 500 miles and has ruined many homes. 26,000 people have been forced to evacuate. The drought that new Mexico has been going through for years started the problem.480,000 acres in total have been scorched in new Mexico within the past year. High winds result in a high risk of the fire spreading. 10,000 homes have been directly impacted by this fire. There is a total of 1,759 firefighters working on putting out this massive fire. 

       I read the article from The Atlantic titled “What Did Medieval Peasants Know?” The article was very interesting, and it detailed a discussion between historians regarding the extent of society’s development during the middle ages. In recent years, the middle ages have become a topic of common discussion. A 1978 book by Barbara Tuchman discussed the lives of the working class during the middle ages. Tuchman draws parallels to today’s working class, and they aren’t pretty. One of the ideas drawn from this book is that of a working environment in the middle ages. Supposedly, it’s better than today. However, experienced historians are doubtful. The ways people lived, their workweeks, their diets, everything, is such a hard thing to come across. The best estimate right now is that they actually worked 250 days a year, instead of the 150 suggested by Tuchman. That’s similar to today's. Also, other aspects of medieval life weren’t so great. Feudalism, infant mortalit...

 Baker Croyle  Mr. Roddy  IHSS  May 17, 2022  The Rio Grande running dry  Currently, the Rio Grande river is running dry in many parts of big bend national park. The Rio Grande is a river that has helped to sustain human life for centuries and has run dry before but not as much as it has currently. So how did this happen? currently, the last two decades have been the driest in the last 1200 years but there is also a megadrought that is running through the area.  The river used to swell after winter when snow would melt and run down into this great river. However, since the development of irrigation for agriculture, many people have used the river to farm. Raymond Skiles says “It’s no longer a free-flowing river,” Skiles said. “It’s a plumbing system for managing the water rights that people have to extract the water. Even with all of this information, people still use the Rio Grande for its resources. But wait, there is hope. During the monsoon season,...

  Ethan Zweig Mr. Roddy IHSS April 18, 2022 John D Rockefeller John D Rockefeller was born July 8, 1839 in Richford, New York. He was born into modest circumstances and entered the fledgling oil business in 1863. He started working in 1855 as an office clerk in Cleveland. In 1859, Rockefeller and a partner established their own commission firm. He found success in 1963 when he and several partners entered the booming new oil industry by investing in the Cleveland refinery.  In 1870, he established Standard Oil, which by the early 1880s controlled 90% of the U.S. refineries and pipelines. Rockefeller’s enormous wealth made him a target of muckraking journalists and politicians viewed him as a person of greed. He was also accused of engaging in unethical practices, such as predatory practicing and colluding with railroads to eliminate his opponents in order to gain monopoly in the industry. In a New York Times article in 1937, Rockefeller was also accused bribing men to spy on o...

Wyatt Quillin Mr. Roddy IHSS 16 May 2022 We Are Running Out of Sand!     As a planet, we use around 50 billion metric tons of sand every year. It is the second most used natural resource in the world, behind water. We use sand for pretty much everything, from construction to glass, to silicon. As our dire need for sand increases, the amount of sand left decreases. sand is technically a non-renewable resource, and we are burning through it. This increasing reliability of sand has had serious negative effects on environments around the world. Riverbeds and beaches have been drained of their sand and even some islands in the Pacific Ocean along the coast of Asia. This is problematic as sand acts as a natural mitigator of storm surges and is a natural habitat for a multitude of different species. Because sand is currently unregulated, it can be taken from pretty much anywhere, and sensitive areas suffer due to the aggressive harvesting process. There are some alternatives to sand ...

Oscar Rawson Mr. Roddy IHSS 4/30/22 Grid Planning     The grid plan is a type of city structure that places streets at 90 degree angles perpendicular to each other. This form of city structure is intended to make cities friendlier for pedestrians and more walkable. Throughout history, various cultures have utilized this system. It dates back to some of the first planned out cities on the Indian subcontinent. One of the first American cites to use a grid structure was Philadelphia. However, from the beginning, American cities were hesitant to utilize grid structure. Many cities, like Boston, started without the structure and later utilized it for new additions. As America expanded west, almost all of the cities utilized grid planning. Since the westerner cities were more thought out, more modern and less dense, they were able to be constructed much more carefully. When given the choice, city planners chose to use a grid system primarily to make the city more walkable and p...