Balboa Park - The Mayans

I really wish we had gone to this museum for the indigenous peoples project because I was a Mayan, and this exhibit would have been really helpful at the time.
I saw a lot of things that I alread knew from researching the Mayans for Spencers class, but here is some information I gathered from the exhibit:

There were 30,000 - 50,000 subjects in the Mayan society. They were accurate in the areas of mathematics, calander making, and they had a lot of skill and proficiency in architecture.

The mayan civilization began around 1000 BC and collapsed around 900 AD.
Pre Classic Period -> 1100 BC - 250 AD
Classic Period -> 250AD - 900 AD
Post Classic Period -> 900 AD - 1541 AD

The Mayans had the ealiest record of pottery which was in the Pre-Classic Period. Things were found such as; necklaces, bowls and clay figurines. These items gave historians a really good idea about what the following social aspects were like in the Mayan era: daily life, male and female roles, social structure, clothing and rituals.

Today, about 7.5 million Mayans are living and they live over approximately 125 acres of land.

Balboa Park - Copper

I learned a lot from the balboa park trip, more than I was expecting. I read every single thing possible in the copper exhibit, because it was reall interesting. The part I enjoyed reading about the most was how they perserves the copper and made it more appealing to the eye. Here are some things I learned:

The expedition was lead by Professor Levy in 1997. He took a group of college students to Jordan to collect copper. They traveled on the backs of Donkeys and with only the nessesities. They traveled nearly 100 miles just to reach their destination. Most of the copper was found in Faynan (southern Jordan), Timma, and Sinai (both in southern Isreal). The copper they found was completely homogeneous which means pure, hasnt been touched by man. The prosess in which they preserved the copper goes as follows:
1. The copper is crushes using a stone tool in a stone bowl.
2. The crushed copper was then smelted. Smelting is when the copper is put into a small fire and blown on with hollowed out bamboo pipes. The copper has to reach a temperature of 1083 degrees Celcius when it becomes liquid.

This prosess takes 30-45 minutes. Then the copper is left to dry.

In its natural state, copper is a soft, pinkish red, metalic element. When exposed to oxygen though, a thin, blueish green layer of copper sulfate is formed.

Agent Moffit

I have mixed feelings about Agent Moffit. I didn’t really have an opinion on the border patrol because I had not heard any positive or negative opinions on the subject. I got an interesting vibe from him, it seems like he says things like “we are trying to keep everyone safe,” but that’s scripted, like he has to say that. I felt like he was doing what he’s doing to “protect the United States,” because he thought of himself as a “patriot.” But I’m not one to judge, because I don’t know enough about him. Overall, the border patrol seems pretty fair though. It was good to hear that he had never shot his gun, and he only would if it was completely necessary. I thought it was interesting to hear that the bike and ATV patrol mechanisms were the most effective. I would assume that a car would be the most effective because of its speed, but then he explained how smaller ways of transportations such as bikes, ATVs, and even horses are easier to hide, and can cup corners and maneuver better than a car. I wouldn’t want to be a border patrol officer for man reasons. It seems like a job that requires a lot of patience and courage. Patience because as Officer Moffitt told us from his own experiences, he has had to hid in one spot for hours on end, just waiting for that perfect moment. And you need courage because he also said that he is out numbered by up to 50 people at one time, which put him in a lot of danger. It was really surprising to me how he told us of his weirdest incident. This was when he pulled over a truck with 70 people piled into it, and a mini van with 50. He said there were only two officers to keep an eye on these 120 people. I guess I have a lot of respect for him because I certainly couldn’t do his job, but I just hope he’s doing it for the right reasons.

Water Quality Project

http://www.sfdph.org/phes/water/FactSheets/bottled_water.pdf

This website was really helpful because it gave one really strong side of the argument of which is better, tap or bottled. It shares information that is purely factual, and not opinion. It mentions the price of bottled water vs. Tap, and although it favors one side, it still is stating facts. I found it interesting how it said that tap water costs only .003 dollars per gallon while bottled costs between 1 & 4 dollars a gallon. That is one of the may facts shared on this website.

Water Quality Testing

http://www.valparaisoutilities.org/water/water/tapvsbottle.htm

This site gives a direct table comparison of bottled water and tap water. It states the exact requirments of tap and bottled water before they are available to the public.

Tap Water Regulated by EPA Bottled Water Regulated by FDA Cannot have confirmed E. coli or fecal coliform bacteria. A certain amount of any bacteria is allowed. Filtered and/or disinfected No federal filtration or disinfection requirements. Violation of drinking water standards are grounds for enforcement. Bottled water in violation of standards can still be sold. Cities must have their water tested by certified labs. Such testing is not required for bottlers. Tap water results must be reported to state or federal officials. There are no reporting requirements for bottlers. City water system operators must be certified. Bottled water plant operators do not have to be certified. City water suppliers must issue consumer confidence reports annually. There are no public right-to-know requirements for bottlers. Costs pennies a day Costs $.80 to $4.00 per gallon. Fluoridated Contains no fluoride Contains essential nutrients for the body such as calcium and iron. Natural minerals are removed by filtration. Chlorine residual in water to prevent bacteria growth. No disinfectant present to kill bacteria in bottles.

Water Quality Project

http://www.fda.gov/FDAC/features/2002/402_h2o.html

This website gives an example of someone who uses bottled water vs. tap on a daily basis, as a mother taxi driver. It also shares what the standards are for bottled water. Ex: The amount of chemicals allowed in the bottle, the sealant mechanism, and groups that are responsible for monitoring labels and nutrition facts etc. It also asks the question; Is the extra expense of bottled water worth it?

Beyond the border

Today I payed a visit to Ms. Mcbain, who is High Tech Highs' statistics analyzer to see if she had any helpful information on Bell Jr. High School. Although she didn't have any of Bells statistics at her fingertips, she gave me two really helpful websites that gave really specific data reports from Bells past years. She also printed for us the S.A.R.C. report for Bell, which stands for School Accountability Report Card which gave some basic yet very helpful information in areas such as enrollment ethnic breakdown, attendance rates, and State Testing results.
Here is a link to the longer version of the S.A.R.C. report;

http://studata.sandi.net/research/sarcs/2006-07/SARC302.pdf

The information is overwhelming!
Hopefully we can find a report similar to this one for the Mexico school.
Please let me know if anyone knows anything about a middle school in Mexico, we are really struggling to find one.
Thank you :)