Have you ever heard the term McCarthyism? This is a period in U.S. history that came about in the mid-1940s. If you would like to learn more about this overblown epidemic that happened in the U.S., then take a few moments to read a paper that I wrote for my U.S. History class.

 

The second Red Scare began to take hold in American during the late 1940s and would eventually become known as McCarthyism after Wisconsin Senator Joseph McCarthy.  America was allied with the Soviet Union during WW II and communism was accepted on all levels. The atomic bomb brought the bloodiest war in history to a close and opened up the Cold War, drastically changing the perception of communism.  J. Edgar Hoover would testify that communism stood for the destruction of government, democracy, free enterprise and the creation of “Soviet of the United States” a view that was quickly adopted by a large majority of Americans (127). The federal government was most successful in curtailing communism through various investigations conducted by the House and the Senate. State and local governments adopted the federal committee’s organizational structures and implemented similar loyalty programs. As the anti-communist movement strengthened in America, Joseph McCarty stood out in front as the most aggressive attacker.  Views on communism swung radically in America after World War II, as the federal government stepped up to combat the second Red Scare and through all the dust would emerge The Age of McCarthyism.

            As America entered the Cold War views on communism changed rapidly and escalated even more quickly with the help of prominent public figures. On March 26^th, 1947 the director of the FBI, J. Edgar Hoover gave alarming testimony before the House Un-American Activates Committee (HUAC).  Hoover would testify that communism “stands for the destruction of our American democracy; it stands for the destruction of free enterprise; and it stands for the creation of a “Soviet of the United States” and ultimate world revolution” (127). He would also compare the Communist Party of the United States as being far more organized than the Nazis and resting their allegiance with Russia (Hoover 132). Hoover’s testimony radiated fear across America as the views of organizations at the state and local level were changing rapidly.

            The American Legion worked very closely with the FBI during the start of the second Red Scare and being influenced by figures such as Hoover they would publish literature on how to combat anti-communism.  The national commander of the American Legion, James F. O’Neil wrote that communists were skillfully disguised as salesmen and peddlers and that it was up to the members of the organization to spot communist fronts.  O’Neil also generalized the communist movement as skilful American citizens operating inside our lines much like the Nazis did in Holland and Belgium (123-125).  How You Can Fight Communism by O’Neil was just one piece of literature that was produced by anti-communism organizations in America as the views on communism continued to deteriorate.  As the Cold War heated up the federal government stepped up their investigations and tried to cleanse America of communism.

            The Republican Party in the late 1940s began to attack the Democrats as being weak on communism. In 1947 the HUAC began their campaign of widely publicized investigations, claiming that under Democratic rule the government tolerated communist activities. The HUAC would be the government’s most successful vehicle in the fight against communism as the committee first turned to Hollywood, with accusations that communists tainted the film industry. The “Hollywood Ten” a group of writers and producers would be issued subpoenas to testify before the HUAC.  Many simply refused to testify and were sent to jail on contempt; those who did testify found themselves on the “blacklist”, barring them from obtaining any significant work.  The HUAC did not stop at the Hollywood Ten as the focused their attention on high-ranking officials of the government (Brinkley 771).

            Alger Hiss was a former high-ranking official in the State Department during the 1930s and was accused of being a spy by the HUAC in 1948.  No other single figure during the age of McCarthyism would popularize the dangers of domestic communism like that of Hiss.  A former communist agent by the name of Whittaker Chambers told the committee that Hiss had given him classified State Department documents in 1937 and 1938.  Hiss denied the allegations and when he tried to sue Chambers for slander, Chambers was able to produce the microfilm of the documents.  Hiss could not be charged for espionage due to the statute of limitations, yet he was eventually convicted for perjury and served several years in prison.  As the government used the HUAC to sniff out communist in the government, the Senate formed their own committees and battled on the same fronts adding even more fuel to the fire.

            The HUAC was the most popular and laid the groundwork for the formation of the Senate Internal Security Subcommittee (SISS) sometimes also referred to as the McCarran Committee.  The SISS would primarily investigate the Internal Security Act of 1950 and other laws relating to espionage and sabotage.  While the SISS did not have as widely publicized following like that of the HUAC, it did manage to investigate a broad scope of industries.  Under is microscope came investigations into U.S. foreign policy in Asia and Soviet activity in America particularly in the government and the United Nations.  The SISS also concentrated on lesser know industries such as telegraph, labor unions and educational organizations (Schrecker 64).  The widespread popularity of senate committee investigations continued to build the anti-communist movement as yet another new committee would emerge.   

As the hysteria continued to grow in the early 1950s a new committee by the name of Senate Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations (PSI) organized and chaired by Senator Joseph McCarty. McCarthy had become a household name in 1950 for his bold accusations that the government employed 205 known communists in the American State Department.  At that time no politician, especially a first-term senator had made such severe accusations against the government.  McCarthy’s ferocious stance on communism would continue as his committee carried out widely publicized investigations of subversion.  Like the HUAC and the SISS the PSI focused on espionage and communist infiltration into the government.  The leadership of McCarthy over the PSI with his “fearless” assaults further cemented the Age of McCarthyism as it also took root at the state and local levels (Brinkley 773-774). 

The popularity of McCarthyism spread rapidly across America as state and local officials mirrored the efforts of the federal government aginst the communist regime.  Thirteen states would establish their own versions of HUACS, investigating organizations like higher education, public schools and labor unions.  Most states also implemented loyalty-security programs, several of them duplicated the McCarran Act, forcing communists at the state and local levels to register and take sworn oaths. Local municipalities such as Birmingham, Alabama enacted ordinances designed to eliminate communists from their communities by imposing $100 fines and a 180 day jail sentence for each day a known communist remained in town (Schrecker 80-83).  Blacklists became popular amongst a multitude of industries such as steelworkers, teachers, sailors, lawyers, social workers, electricians and journalists who at onetime were known communists, ex-communists and middle-class workers that drifted towards the progressive front (Schrecker 93).  The Age of McCarthyism reached all facets of American society between 1947 and 1957 inflicting hardships on tens of thousands of individuals.

The Second Red scare started to gain momentum shortly after the curtain closed on World War II.  American views would drastically change as prominent figures like Hoover described communists as destructive toward American ideals and compared them to Nazis.  Mass distribution of literature and new forms of media such as the radio would further help paint the communist as an evil creature unworthy of American freedoms.  Tensions in America continued to build as the government used special committees like HUAC, SISS and PSI to further curtail communism in America. State and local governments joined the crusade against anti-communism, as McCarthyism came to full swing. Senator McCarthy was an outspoken advocate during the height of the hysteria and as a result the Age of McCarthyism would be coined forever in American History.

 

           

           

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Works Cited

Brinkley, Alan. The Unfinished Nation: A Concise History of the American People. New York: McGraw-Hill, 2004.

 

Hoover, Edgar J. “Testimony before HUAC” The Age of McCarthyism: A Brief History with Documents. Ellen Schrecker. 2^nd Ed. Boston: Bedford/St Martin’s, 2002. 127 & 132.

 

O’Neil, James F. “How You Can Fight Communism.” The Age of McCarthyism: A Brief History with Documents. Ellen Schrecker. 2^nd Ed. Boston: Bedford/St Martin’s, 2002. 123-125.

 

Schrecker, Ellen. The Age of McCarthyism: A Brief History with Documents. Boston: Bedford/St. Martin’s, 2002.

World War II was a great watershed in Colorado history. How did the mobilization for war end the Great Depression during the late 1930s and 1940s? And how did the massive spending for the Cold War and other developments continued to boost Colorado’s growth through the end of the 20th century? Was federal spending the state’s great growth engine in the postwar years?

 

 

 

The Japanese would attach Pearl Harbor on December 7^th 1941, pulling America into the bloodiest war in history.  The event would have a profound effect on the Nation and on the state of Colorado.  The Great Depression was about to come to a quick and abrupt end as the mobilization for the war, especially in Colorado, eliminated hardships domestically and boosted the economy.  As WW II raged on Colorado thrived due to federal spending on defense.  As the Atomic Bomb ended the war many feared that Colorado would return to the Great Depression ways.  As Coloradans saved their money and soldiers returned home, the postwar boom took root in Colorado.  Federal Spending continued as the Cold War developed between the United States and the Soviet Union.  Colorado would grow by leaps and bounds through the end of the twentieth century.

 

Massive federal spending during WW II helped bring Colorado out of the economic depression that had a strong grip on the state.  The Remington Arms Plant on the west side of Denver was constructed as 265 buildings were erected between February and October of 1941.  The facility would produce over 14 million rounds of small-arms ammunition in one month.  At Stapleton airport mechanics fitted bomber with the latest technology.  Thousands would be employed at the Rocky Mountain Arsenal making poison gas and bombs to help with the war efforts.  Gates Rubber was busy producing fan belts and rubber products for the war.  As Denver benefited from federal spending so would other regions of the state.

 

Colorado Springs and Pueblo would benefit greatly from the federal spending during the war as they lobbied for government contracts. Camp Carson would be established and became the most significant Army training site in the state, as 11,000 workers were hired to complete the construction in less than a year.  The camp housed 40,000 soldiers at any given time during the war.  Pueblo saw a massive depot constructed to store ammunition, supplies and contained 1.3 billion tons of explosives by 1947.  The Pueblo Army Air Base trained more than 4,000 airmen, including crews from China.  Most training facilities were located on the eastern slope due to the ease of transportation with the exception of Camp Hale.

 

Camp Hale was located north of Leadville in a high valley basin that was cold and snowy.  The camp trained soldiers for mountain warfare and was very short-lived opening in mid-1942 and closing in the fall of 1944.  The Government spent $33 million to construct the 10^th Mountain Division, which preformed duties in Italy.  The camp proved to be a great success for Colorado, as it would also attract servicemen back to the state at the end of the war.  As soldiers trained in Colorado, civilians from all walks of life would step up and join the war efforts.

 

As the war continued to rage on the economy in Colorado thrived as almost everyone that wanted a job could have one due to the shortage of male workers.  Women were very important to fill the labor shortage and took on traditionally male dominated positions.  African-Americans and Hispanics also found work in more skilled positions.  The pay rate for women, African-Americans and Hispanics would increase during WW II and for the first time-integrated workers with different backgrounds together in one working space.  African-American business thrived and in the five-points area and the population more than doubled during the 1940s.  As the citizens of Colorado worked together during the war to create a sense of pride that was about to change with the US dropped the first atomic bombs on Japan.

 

The Atomic bomb brought World War II to a close and opened up a new chapter in American History.  Many believed that the economic depression of the 1930s would return. Shortly after the completion of the war American saw a new war start with the Soviet Union.  The Cold War would inject Colorado with massive amounts of federal money and spurred the economic growth by great measures.  What would result would be massive population growth in all regions of Colorado as our society as we know it today would emerge.

 

Coloradans would save almost a billion dollars during the war a massive amount of money considering that the average wage was only $1 per hour.  With the money, may citizens would purchase new cars, bought new houses, pursued a higher education degree and many started families. Junior colleges and four year Universities saw attendance figures jump by more than six fold in some instances as soldiers took advantage of the GI Bill. As servicemen returned home, many choose to settle in Colorado thanks to the training provided at Camp Hale.  The population in Colorado would grow by more than 425,000 during the 1950s thanks to the defense industry.

 

The Cold War generated new streams of revenue and jobs for the state of Colorado.  It is estimated that 20 percent of people employed in Colorado worked in the defense industry during the 1950s.  Camp Carson would remain as an Army training site employing more than 23,000 soldiers, with a payroll of $37 million.  The Air Force Academy would be established in Colorado Spring in 1958 on 17,500 acres.  Cheyenne Mountain was constructed to house the U.S. Air Defense Command and North American Aerospace Defense Command in cooperation with Canada.  The Remington Arms plant was converted into the Federal Center the largest government site outside of Washington D.C.  Defense plants such as Rocky Mountain Arsenal and Rocky Flats produced chemical weapons, plutonium triggers and pumped millions of dollars into the rapidly growing economy.  The Western part of Colorado would also enjoy great economic success during the Cold War.

 

Western Colorado enjoyed a significant amount of growth after the War as highway access improved and mountain towns cashed in on the ski boom.  With the completion of the Eisenhower tunnel in March of 1973 access to ski resorts was now much easier as Vail became the third-ranking spot for tourists to spend their money by 1980.  The Cold War spurred the federal government to develop a domestic supply of uranium for bomb production and as a result the four corners region saw a new mining boom that boosted the economy.  Durango and Grand Junction benefited from uranium mining facilities that employed geologists, engineers, and production workers at higher than average salaries. 

 

Federal Spending pumped a lot of money into Colorado’s economy during World War II and into the Cold War era.  The attraction of the Mountains and natural resources was definitely a lure for many government contracts and new industry.  Facilities like the Remington Arms Plant which is now the Federal Center, Camp Carson, Air Force Academy and Cheyenne Mountain are just a few examples of the engine the fuel the present day economy in Colorado.  Facilities like Rocky Flats and Rocky Mountain Arsenal provided large streams of revenue into out economy and while the fallout may not have been ideal, they did help out society grow by leaps and bounds and served as anchor facilities for new manufacturing.  Without the federal spending, Colorado would not be the state that we know today.

Are you a car lover or enthusiast? If so you should check out the Fisker Hybrid at Quantum Technolologies. The Fisker is Hybrid vehicle that will drive the first 50 miles on battery power and then from there the car’s engine will switch over to gas so that it can recharge the batteries. The Fisker is designed by Henrick Fisker the same man that designed the BMW Z8 and Aston Martin DB9. Production is due to start towards the end of 2009. While they have already sold their first 15,000 cars the future looks bright.

If one should give me a dish of sand, and tell me there were particles of iron in it, I might look for them with my eyes, and search for them with my clumsy fingers, and be unable to detect them; but let me take a magnet and sweep through it; and how would it draw to itself the almost invisible particles by the mere power of attraction! The unthinkful heart, like my finger in the sand, discovers no mercies; but let the thankful heart sweep through the day, and as the magnet finds the iron, so it will find, in every hour, some heavenly blessings. - Henry Ward Beecher

Gas Prices hold steady at $2.05 per gallon

A stock rally that hit some potholes last week is likely to face more substantial roadblocks in the week ahead.

Roughly one-third of the S&P 500 reports results this week. Major economic reports are due on gross domestic product growth and consumer spending. The Federal Reserve holds its next policy-setting meeting. Chrysler's fate hangs in the balance. And investors gear up for the release of the "stress tests" of the major U.S. banks, due out in the following week

Today is the second day of April and I went for a short 3 mile run. I hope to get about 75-80 miles in this month. March was 70 miles and I hope to do better in April. I will need to focus on longer runs and running more after work. This weekend it is going to snow, that could delay me a little, we shall see.

I have been writing posts here for like 5 months and Google has yet to give me a Page Rank. I wonder why it takes them so long to give out PR, what do I have to do to get a PR!!  They hold back the PR like it is gold just being stingy and not helping anyone out!! Pleae give me my page rank!!!

It is such a nice day here in Denver! Sunny and like 75 outside today! I am planning on going running here in about an hour or so. Just going to run on the trails that are close by where we live, maybe just 5 or 6 miles for today. I am looking forward to being outside as always. It is nice to see so many people outside enjoying the day and the sunshine. It sounds like the weather is going to change dramitically over the next day or so and it will be cold out for most of the week, so I better take advantage of the weather while I hav a chance!

With the United States loosing 1.2 million acres of farmland a year to urban sprawl American’s should be concerned with the perpetuity of agricultural land. As a worldwide producer of agriculture, approximately 13% of our GDP is dependent upon U.S. Food and farming systems according to the AFT. Farmlands on the edge of urban areas are oftentimes some of the most productive and are being wiped out at an alarming rate, with the decrease of these lands and the loss of farming revenues our GDP will suffer in the long run effecting American’s at all levels.  As a society we should be concerned with preserving farmland not only to meet out basic need of food for survival but as nation as a whole. Three reasons why we should be interested in conserving farmland are:

 

1. Managed farmland has a major impact on the environment as it provides food and cover for wildlife.  Water is controlled, eliminating flooding and protecting wetlands and watershed areas. Some crops help to cleanse water sources and the air that we breathe.
2. Local farms provide communities with a supply of fresh foods, dairy products and vegetables. These foods help citizens maintain a healthy lifestyle and promote community functions such as farmers markets.
3. With the population of the world growing at a staggering rate the United States has been a major producer of agricultural goods for hungry mouths around the world. With a balanced and sustained agricultural network we can focus on increasing our production through smarter engineering. As consumers around the world rely on our farmlands the GDP will increase, strengthening out economy.

 

What I found surprising was the rate at which the population of the world is growing, with more than One Billion new people every fourteen years.  Taking into account the loss of farmland in America and around the world, compounded with the increased consumption of the average human especially in the U.S., it seems like the next generation is going to be facing a serious problem.  I hope that our generation can step up and assist with the destruction on our farmlands here at home and globally. 

 

Looking at factory farming, we can see that they have a negative impact on our environment. The traditional family farmer does not produce more waste than the land can handle.  Where as the factory farm, it only concerned about production and the bottom line. As factory farms take advantage of the animals they also take advantage of the land, releasing waste into rivers and streams.  The pollution from factory farms has killed millions of fish and accounts for 60% of America’s streams and rivers being impaired according to http://www.factoryfarming.com/environment.htm. Family farming has always provided a means of agricultural production that has blended with the surrounding environment.  Corporate farming does not care about the environment and like most corporations is only concerned about the bottom line.

Evaluate the statement, "the Vladimir Madonna is a masterpiece of its kind."

 

     The work of icon art known as the Vladimir Madonna descended from works such as the Mount Sinai icon.  The Vladimir Madonna reveals a stylized abstraction that has resulted in centuries of working and reworking the original image.  Originally pained by a Constantinopolitan artist all the characteristics of a Byzantine icon of the Virgin and child are present.  Mary is depicted at the Virgin of Compassion, who presses her son against her face and Mary contemplates the future sacrifice of her son. 

 

     The icon of Vladimir has seen hard time as it was moved from altars to churches and private chapels; the icon is blackened by incense and smoke.  The Vladimir Madonna was frequently repainted and very little original surface remains.  The Russians believed that the picture saved the city of Kazan from later Tartar invasion and all of Russia from the Poles in the 17^th century.  The Vladimir Virgin is a historical symbol of Byzantium’s religious and cultural mission to the Slavic world. 

 

Develop an argument for the demise of the Minoan civilization.  How does the evidence support your argument?  Why is this significant?

 

     The demise of the Minoan civilization was brought on by the eruption of a volcano on the island of Thera.  Devastating famine followed caused by ash the fell on Crete and the surrounding areas.  Archeologists have excavated cities that were covered in pumice layers more than a yard deep even after 3700 years of erosion.  The eruption was so violent that the sea currents carried pumice and the wind blew ash as far away as Egypt, Syria and Israel.

 

     Scientists have pinpointed the exact date of the volcanic eruption that took place on Thera to a date of 1628 BCE.  By studying tree rings at sites in Europe and North America retarded growth suggests significant weather disruption in this year.  Additional supporting evidence found in the ice cores in Greenland also shows peak acidity layers in the same timeframe.  This is significant because the eruption takes place 150 years prior to the previously determined dating of many works of art.  In addition to dating Minoan art it also allow scholars to date other works of art from the Aegean, Egypt and Near East due to know interconnections between the civilizations.

Here we go again! It is March 1st, the first two months of the year flew by. Work is going good!! I have been running about 20 miles per week and we are having great weather here in Colorado.

Lizel has been doing catering and making some extra money that way. We just started saving for a house, so hopefully we can find something in the next 6 months or so. It should be a really great year.!!

" A team based environment demands that you make responsible decisions; it requires you to take charge of your career. It requires you to develop excellent interpersonal skills because you have to interact at a much different level with your team members. No longer is it just you and your job!"
--- Catherine Pulsifer

A command economy is where the government controls most of the land, natural resources, employs most of the workers and makes all of the decisions regarding how the resources will be used to produce goods and services. Command economies do not typically participate in global trade and are generally weak. Private individuals or corporations, who own most of the land and natural resources, run the capitalist economy. The individuals or corporations in a capitalist economy employ most of the workers and make the decisions on how the natural resources will be produced into usable goods and services.  The government also provides little housing or medical care and had limited restrictions on the sale of goods. A mixed economy is a combination of a command and a capitalist economy, where private owners can control the resources but the government has a high level of regulation. The tax rates are higher in a mixed economy but social services like health care and retirement are available.

 

Western European and the former Soviet states have seen a dramatic economic change since the fall or the Iron Curtain in 1989. Countries like Poland and Hungary were forced into governmental reform due to failing economic situations. Former Soviet states reestablished their trade with Western Europe, overthrew governments and gained independence. The economic status of Western Europe and the former Soviet states has improved with the introduction of the EU and the Near Abroad.

 

Economic activity can affect both present day nationalism and supranational. Supranational organizations like the EU require their members to conform to a certain set of constrains in order to enjoy the benefits of membership. In return nations that are not a rich in resources are provided with the means to boost economic activity in their nations.  While nations like Norway that have rich resources in oil, gas and fishing choose to keep their economic activity in the form of nationalism due to a rich economy that they do not want destroyed.

 

Below is a book review that I wrote after reading Touching the Void.

 

On June 8^th, 1985 two climbing partners, Joe Simpson and Simon Yates would be the first humans and last humans to climb the West ridge of Peru’s, Siula Grande.  Their story is one of epic proportions and is a true-life mythic hero’s journey.  Their call to adventure would be an unclimbed route on a fierce mountain in Peru.  Along the way they would encounter helpers that would give them advice and support. Their struggle to obtain the summit would take three days with disaster striking them on the descent.  The two friends would be separated by a legendary mountaineering act at the threshold of their adventure.  Both men would be tested to their maximum human abilities as they both faced the realm of the unknown.  The realm of the unknown would present return struggles and in the end both hero’s would return back to the original starting point, each changed forever.  Joe Simpson would document their journey in a book called Touching the Void. Reading the book brings to light their epic journey in vivid detail as a true hero’s journey takes place.

Joe Simpson and Simon Yates first meet in their early 20s while rock climbing in France.  They would become immediate friends and did a lot of climbing together in the Swiss Alps during the early 1980s.  As they developed their skills and met new people on the mountaineering scene they would learn of a peak in Peru called Siula Grande. They did not know much about the mountain when they set off for Peru in 1985 but they did know that no human had ever climbed the West face.  With this in mind their call to adventure was sparked and they set off on the first leg of their journey.

             In order to access the base of Siula Grande, Joe and Simon would have to hire mules to help them carry their climbing and camping gear for several days.  Accompanying the mules would be some local porters that would give them advice on the weather that the mountains would create and also what to expect of the surrounding terrain.  They would meet a man from Peru by the name of Richard Hawking who agreed to join them on their trek.  Richard would help them with making meals at base camp and also watched over their camp wile they were gone.  Richard’s main role came towards the end of the story when the second hero, Joe would stumble into camp with only a shred of life left.  After setting up camp and relaxing for a few days, Joe and Simon would set off and face the hardest struggle of their young lives.

Leaving camp, Joe and Simon believe that they are about to embark on a 3-day struggle with the mountain.  Joe and Simon make it to the Summit of Siula Grande after 3 days of dangerous climbing and sleeping on the mountain.  They are the first team to climb the mountain via the west ridge.  Leaving the summit, they opt for what they think to be an easier way down; little do they know that their struggle has just begun.  Descending the mountain proves to be very difficult and they are taking a long time to move back down on snow that is deeper than they originally hoped for.  They dig a snow cave on the fourth night and end up running out of fuel for cooking and melting snow.  The next day the weather is really bad and Joe takes a fall, breaking his right leg in multiple places at 20,000’.  With some creative thinking, Simon is able to tie two ropes together and use a method called belay to lower Joe down the mountain side 300’ at a time.  They spend all day descending the mountain and it is late, dark, cold and snowing like crazy.  After about ten pitches, Simon lowers Joe into a crevasse.  Simon does not know what he has lowered Joe into, as the weather is extremely miserable, he just knows that the rope is very heavy and can not hold onto Joe much longer.  After about 1.5 hours, Simon is in a panic and remembers that he has a knife in his backpack.  He takes the knife out and cuts the rope between Joe and him; an act that would create divided ripples in the mountaineering community forever.

The threshold of adventure would be the cutting of the rope and the separation of the two friends as they each continue their journey in their own ways.  Joe has been dropped into a very deep crevasse and is surprised to be alive.  He pulls on the rope and finds that Simon has cut him off.  Amazed that he is still alive, he sets an ice screw into a narrow ledge to prevent from falling farther down into the crevasse.  Simon, after cutting the rope digs a snow cave and tries to sleep but can not, knowing that his best friend it more than likely dead.

Both Joe and Simon would face several tests after their separation.  The next morning, Joe calls repeatedly calls for Simon and nothing happens.  He tries to climb out of the crevasse, but cannot as he has a broken leg and the walls are vertical and steep.  Simon wakes up in the morning and is plagued by Joe’s death and eventually sees the enormous crevasse that he lowered his friend into.  Simon continues on for the rest of the day back to base camp, expecting to be struck down or killed in some manner for the horrible thing that has happened to Joe. 

Joe is now faced with apparent death as he has been dropped into realm of the unknown.  He has two options; remain in the crevasse to eventually die in a few days or descend lower into the gaping ice cave and see if there is a way out.  Joe takes a decision and decides to lower himself further into the crevasse.  Having no idea what he is going to find, he throws the rope into the abyss and does not tie a knot on the end of the rope, which would potentially allow him to fall to his death if he reached the end of the rope and the bottom was not in sight.  Descending into the crevasse Joe comes to the floor, amazed he can see light about 300’ and 150’ above him.  He unties from the rope and makes his way across the bottom of the crevasse and is faced with a 150’ of climbing with a broken leg.  Joe spends most of the day climbing up a moderately steep incline to the sun that is shining through the snow.  He pops out of the Realm of the Unknown and back onto the glacier.

Once out of the crevasse, Joe is elated that he is back onto the glacier, his return struggle was about to begin.  He soon realizes that he must travel several miles with a broken leg, no water or food.  In order to rationalize what needs to be done, he elects to pick spots along the way and time himself to those spots.  Joe spends 3 days traveling back to his base camp with a broken leg.  Along the way he has an enormous series of ups and downs.  He has delusions of water from dehydration and is malnourished having lost almost one-third of his body weight.  Joe would continue on with his painstaking return to camp ever so close to completing the hero’s circle. 

After being gone for almost a week, the hero would return as Joe stumbles into camp in the late evening hours.  He calls out Simons name, which Richard hears first.  Richard wakes Simon and they go out and stumble around camp.  They are both surprised to see that Joe is alive and has made is back to camp by himself.  They carry Joe to a tent and immediately make him eat and drink water.  The next morning, they elect to get Joe out of base camp and back into civilization.  After two more days on a borough, they reach medical attention and end their hero’s journey.

            Touching the Void is a true-life mythic hero’s journey and is a very interesting novel.  The two friends have a great call to adventure and meet a few helpers along the way.  They would struggle to climb a new route and struggle for their lives on the return back to base camp.  The threshold of adventure would create a legendary mountaineering tale and test both men mentally and physically.  Joe would enter the realm of the unknown and live to tell about the unknown side.  The return struggle would be very difficult for both Joe and Simon and in the end both hero’s would return to base camp alive and will forever be engrained in mountaineering legend.

Another Colorado History Lesson on how the Centennial State would benefit from Goverment measures.

 

The federal government would play a major role in the development of Colorado from both a geographic and economic standpoint.  The Centennial state would benefit from the Governments conservation measures.  Diversity would be promoted through the land given away and sold at substantially cheap rates, fostering the mining activity in hot beds like Leadville and Cripple Creek.  State Government would help promote new businesses throughout that state, develop institutions and open educational facilities that are still functioning today.  As a collective effort the federal government & state governments would help shape Colorado through conservation, generous land donations and the establishment of institutions and educational facilities.

            The federal government started piecing Colorado together by acquitting the northeastern part of the state from France in 1803.  In 1848 the government obtained southern and western Colorado from Mexico and purchased the remaining land from Texas in 1850.  With the land in place the government funded explorers and mapmakers to scout out the new territory, laying the groundwork for future pioneers. Along with exploring the federal government built military posts and established soldiers in the state. The soldiers would make treaties with the Indians that eventually put the land into Anglo-American control.  With millions of acres the governments control they would work to develop and promote the Colorado territory.   

            With the government owning much of the land in Colorado it would set aside large tracts of land to be preserved so that future generations could benefit from the states natural beauty.  With the passage of the Forest Reserve Act, the president, Benjamin Harrison set aside 3.1 million acres that would establish reserves such as White River, Pikes Peak, Plum Creek and Battlement Mesa.  President Roosevelt would place 9 million more acres into forest reserves after his hunting trips to the Centennial Sate.  With the establishment of the Forest Reserve Act, precious lands were protected and the boundaries for new Colorado towns were shaped.  The government would also help Colorado grow by giving land away and selling it at very cheap prices.

            The federal government would do an excellent job of diversifying the millions of acres that it owned and encouraged people to take advantage of its resources. The 1862 Homestead Act gave land away to those willing to improve, develop and live upon the land. Land was donated to support schools and for the development of the railroads thought the state.  The government gave a majority of the land that the Denver Pacific was constructed on to the railroad and other sections were sold to finance their line from Denver to Cheyenne. Miners would purchase mineral lands for very cheap prices, with coal land going at $20 per acre, gold claims at $2.50 and lode claims at $5.  Without the land promotion of the government, major economic and mining booms may not have taken place in Colorado.  With the generosity of the federal government the state government also benefited and was able to focus on humanistic issues inside of the state.

            State government also played a role in the development of the state by establishing institutions and educational facilities.  Denver won a major prize and would be established as the permanent state capital, promoting the city growth. Canon City would benefit from a penitentiary in 1871 and Pueblo would house the state insane asylum in 1879. State and local governments would lobby congress for a federal customs house so that tariffs could be collected in Denver.  The state would place the construction of elementary schools high on their list in just about every town. High schools were constructed and towns that could provide educations thrived and grew in the 1870s and 1880s.  The need for post secondary education was recognized by the state and new educational facilities would be constructed. 

            Colorado communities would benefit from the establishment of many Colleges during the late 1870s.  In 1874 the Colorado territory spent $5,000 to open the Colorado School of mines in Golden.  The University of Colorado in Boulder would open in 1877 and two years later the Colorado Agricurtal College (CSU) would open in Fort Collins.  Normal School (UNC) would be opened to train teachers and would become a nationally recognized school in the teaching field.  With state funded schools the communities in which these school were located would benefit by gaining manufactures and new businesses.  These towns would flourish thanks to the state of Colorado.

            The benefits that Colorado received from federal and state governments would have a major impact on the overall development of the state before and after statehood.  The federal government pieced together the state by making purchases from the French and Texans and by battling with Mexico.  Land was protected though conservation, given away for improvement and sold at cheap rates for the promotion of mining.  State government would establish Denver as the capital and promote new institutions.  Primary, secondary and post-secondary schools were high on the list of importance for state government and many of these schools still remain today.  Without the federal government and state governments assistance, development of Colorado would have been severely delayed or non-existent. 

 

Source Material

Abbot, Carl, Leonard, Stephen J, and Noel, Thomas J. Colorado: A History of the Centennial State. Boulder: University Press of Colorado, 2005 

           

On this day in 1633, Italian philosopher, astronomer and mathematician Galileo Galilei arrives in Rome to face charges of heresy for advocating Copernican theory, which holds that the Earth revolves around the Sun. Galileo officially faced the Roman Inquisition in April of that same year and agreed to plead guilty in exchange for a lighter sentence. Put under house arrest indefinitely by Pope Urban VIII, Galileo spent the rest of his days at his villa in Arcetri, near Florence, before dying on January 8, 1642.

Galileo, the son of a musician, was born February 15, 1564, in Pisa, Italy. He entered the University of Pisa planning to study medicine, but shifted his focus to philosophy and mathematics. In 1589, he became a professor at Pisa for several years, during which time he demonstrated that the speed of a falling object is not proportional to its weight, as Aristotle had believed. According to some reports, Galileo conducted his research by dropping objects of different weights from the Leaning Tower of Pisa. From 1592 to 1630, Galileo was a math professor at the University of Padua, where he developed a telescope that enabled him to observe lunar mountains and craters, the four largest satellites of Jupiter and the phases of Jupiter. He also discovered that the Milky Way was made up of stars. Following the publication of his research in 1610, Galileo gained acclaim and was appointed court mathematician at Florence.

Galileo's research led him to become an advocate of the work of the Polish astronomer Nicolaus Copernicus (1473-1573). However, the Copernican theory of a sun-centered solar system conflicted with the teachings of the powerful Roman Catholic Church, which essentially ruled Italy at the time. Church teachings contended that Earth, not the sun, was at the center of the universe. In 1633, Galileo was brought before the Roman Inquisition, a judicial system established by the papacy in 1542 to regulate church doctrine. This included the banning of books that conflicted with church teachings. The Roman Inquisition had its roots in the Inquisition of the Middle Ages, the purpose of which was to seek out and prosecute heretics, considered enemies of the state.

Today, Galileo is recognized for making important contributions to the study of motion and astronomy. His work influenced later scientists such as the English mathematician and physicist Sir Isaac Newton, who developed the law of universal gravitation. In 1992, the Vatican formally acknowledged its mistake in condemning Galileo.

I don’t think that the U.S. should be involved in Colombia’s affairs in this manner. Who are we to say that it is OK as a nation to destroy farmland in someone else’s country?  How would we feel if the Colombians came to American and decided that they did not like corn and started spraying our fields with a dangerous chemical that destroyed the land?  We need to treat other countries with a little more respect, even if they are using the land for producing what the U.S. considers illegal drugs.

 

The war on drugs in nothing more than a marketing campaign to spend money unnecessarily.  If we are going to clean up the drug issue we need a drastic change one-way or the other.  If we legalize drugs, we could tax them much like cigarettes and use the money to institute mandatory education in our school and offer rehabilitation clinics for those that are tired of using.  I am sure that there would be immediate problems with legalizing drugs and it would take some time to stabilize, but it has to be better that what we have today.  We could clear out our prisons with people that are stuck in there on drug related charges and use the money in more effective ways.  The other approach would be for tougher sentences.  If you are caught with less than a certain amount of a drug, you are considered a user and have to go to rehab for six months or a year and then you are free but that is your one chance, if you are caught again you will be considered a dealer.  If a dealer is caught and convicted, they should be sentenced to the death penalty with the option for one appeal. If that appeal fails, then they should be executed within one year.  I realize this is also a radical approach, but I think that it would eventually help eliminate drugs in our society.

 

If America is spending so much money in Colombia trying to stop coca production and destroying farmland, maybe we could use the money in a more friendly way.  We could compensate the farmer that is willing to grow tomatoes over coca so that they are receiving the same amount as the coca farmer.  America should compensate all the farmers who have had land destroyed.  Maybe we could start a farmer exchange program, where if a Colombian farmer agrees to grow legitimate crops for 5 years they would be given some farmland in American with the necessary tools to farm those lands.  The Colombian farmer would have the opportunity to grow good food and in return they could look forward to a new life in America.  If other farmers saw this maybe they would change their minds knowing that they may have the opportunity to get out of a country that has been locked in a civil war for so long.

Below is a breif essay that I wrote on Colorado History. You may find it interesting

The development of the fur trade movement in Colorado started around 1712 with traders from Taos and Santa Fe entering the state.  Along the way Spanish and American traders shaped the trading patterns with the Indians and trappers of Colorado.  Several predominate figures including Bent and his fort established important trading posts that helped shape a new way of fur trading.  With the rise of Bent’s trading post, existing trading patterns were altered and competition was established.  The trading industry would alter previously established patterns of life in a significant way.  The fur-trading rise is very fascinating and unique to Colorado history.

            The establishment of the fur trade into Colorado started with traders entering the state from Taos and Santa Fe around 1712.  The Spanish Government originally opposed any fur trading with the Utes until about 1803 when they took notice of the increasing American Influence in the region.  During the first 20 years of the 1800s fur trading started to increase in Colorado as traders from New Mexico would often meet the Utes, Cheyennes and Arapahos near present day Las Animas.  The fur trade business in American really started to pick up in America when Spain granted Mexico their Independence in 1821.  William Becknell was the first US citizen to successfully trade furs with the New Mexican Government.  The good news about Becknell’s trading encouraged many entrepreneurs to pack up their belonging and head west on the Santa Fe Trail, which cut thought he southern tip of Colorado.  Goods that had been brought into the region by trappers and entrepreneurs now flooded the Santa Fe market.  As the fur trade business continued to thrive, figures such, as Ceran St. Vrain and Charles and William Bent would join forces to establish new was of trading. 

            Trading legends Ceran St. Vrain, Charles Bent and his brother William joined forces in the early 1830s and established the Bent, St. Vrain and Company.  With the establishment of Bent’s Fort on the Arkansas River they were able to shift some of the trading patterns that traditionally went into Taos and the Santa Fe market.  Bent’s Fort was a very attractive trading place for Native Americas as it was close to the bison ranges and they could sell their good without having to travel longer distances into Taos.  The fort quickly became a preferred trading post for merchants from Missouri, as it was 200 miles closer than Taos.  The Bent brothers and St. Vrain caused a major economic impact on the Spanish Government and previously established trading routes.  Along with altering the trading patterns the fort established an empire that would continue to alter the trading patterns in the United States.

            As the popularity of Bent’s fort continued to rise and traditional trading patterns continued to shift from Santa Fe and Taos the company established additional trading posts.  Bent’s fort served as the headquarters for their commercial empire and satellite branches were constructed for additional trading opportunities.  Fort Adobe was constructed on the Canadian River in Texas and Fort St. Vrain was established on the South Platte in Colorado.  With the expansion into Texas and Colorado they were able to drive competition out of business or acquire competing companies.  Their empire continued to grow and Spanish official feared the worst as St Vrain and the Bent’s began to take a stronghold in the fur trading business.

            With the growth of the fur trade and Santa Fe trade the established patterns of life in the region were greatly altered.  Bent’s fort employed almost one hundred people, most of whom were Mexican.  The establishment of the fort in Colorado provided the region with a previously unseen economic resource center.  In order to supply Bent’s fort many of the agricultural supplies such as corn, beans and onions were grown in New Mexico.  New farms were established and the Mexican people were hired to work and maintain the crops.  Fur trading allowed the Indians and trappers to sell or trade their goods of other agricultural supplies, which they no longer had to grow and they could focus strictly on hunting and trapping.  In return the Anglo-Americans could purchase bison hides and beaver pelts for clothing.  The growth of fur trade greatly altered previously established life and did so in a quick manner.

            The rise of the fur trade starting in the late eighteenth century would greatly alter the way that inhabitants to the southwest had lived for centuries.  With the Spanish Government loosening their restraints against Americans and infusion of entrepreneurs from Missouri the fur trade and development of Santa Fe trade would grow rapidly in the next forty years.  The construction of Bent’s fort played a major role in re-establishing trade routes and impacted the New Mexico trading business.  Fur trading helped shape the southwest and Colorado had a significant impact on the development of the region. 

Below is a paper that I wrote about the way Chinese Teachers teach math vs. US Teachers. It is interesting.

 

Reading Chapter two of Knowing and Teaching Elementary Mathematics by Laping Ma we can see that this is a striking difference in the way that American and Chinese Teachers educate their elementary students.  Like chapter one American teachers tend to focus on procedural ways to teach mathematics in this case multidigit multiplication to children, while Chinese teachers focus on conceptual methods.  While both methods my lead to the same answer the American teachers only knew how to teach and explain the subject of multidigit multiplication at the basic, algorithmic level.  On the other hand, Chinese teachers were able to describe multidigit multiplication in a much more conceptual way, demonstrating a vast understanding of the concepts that there were teaching.

            In reading chapter two, I can see the Chinese teachers have a greater depth in the conceptual understanding of multidigit multiplication vs. American teachers.  The Chinese teachers tended to focus on correcting student’s mistakes by focusing on a conceptual understanding of the problem.  Of the Chinese teachers, one third focused on the distributive law to show all the components of the problem.  Most of the Chinese teachers focused on the concept of place value and making sure that the student understood the representative values.  They would make sure that the students could conceptually view the 4 in 645 as 4 tents and when multiplied by 123 you would get 492 tens, thus lining up 492 in the tens column.  They would go on to make their students practice a large number of problems so that they had a vast understanding of their work.

            As a teacher, I would feel ready to teach some of these concepts.  Some of the concepts are fairly easy for me to conceptually visualize and thus I can explain the rationality.  I would like to work through my teaching strategies first with a peer that could evaluate my work and make sure that I am presenting the information correctly.

            In reading chapter two, I was amazed that some American teachers did not have an understanding of what the zeros were representative of in the multidigit problem.  One teacher said to draw pictures in the zeros place to act as placeholders so that students would be able to properly compute the algorithm of the problem.  I do not find this to be a proper way to teach students, simply draw an elephant in the zeros place, I would not be happy if my child was learning math in this manner.  I did feel a little uncomfortable with the Chinese methods, simply because I did not understand 100% of their thinking.  I believe that if I read and study more, the uncomfortable feeling would go away.

            Like subtraction with regrouping, I am happy to know that there are some different ways to present multidigit multiplication to students so that they will conceptually understand the problems.  I also like the way that the Chinese teachers presented different ways to help correct students mistakes by using the distributive law or by emphasizing place value.

            I agree with the way the Chinese teachers are working with their students especially with the place value problems.  Making a student see that 6 in the 645 is 6 hundreds or that the 4 is four tents make more sense.  If you take 6 hundreds times 123 you get 738 hundreds, which makes it so much easier to visualize why you would have zeros in your work or if you wanted to remove the zeros, you knew why they would not be there and when asked about the zeros, you can give an answer that is logical.

            I can sympathize with American teachers because if you were taught something a certain way and you have been teaching students that way for a long time, it may be the only thing that they know.  It is not their fault that the environment in which they originally learned mathematics was that of a procedural nature. 

            Teaching these concepts at this time may be a little hard for me but I think with some practice and thinking through the teaching methods, I could do just fine.  I may be nervous at first and think that seeing the feed back from the students will give me a guide as to how I am doing in teaching multidigit multiplication.

            In order to have a stronger foundation, I think that I would need to work through all the concepts by myself to have a deeper understanding.  I could also work with another teacher that has a good understanding of the concepts presented by Ma in her book so that I know that I am doing the work properly.  Drawing out problems conceptually would also work great for me as I tend to visualize things really well. 

            Some of the Invented strategies that we did in class such as the expanded algorithm helped me picture some to the conceptual ways that multidigit mathematics could be taught to students. The overall thinking of conceptual knowledge in regards to mathematics has helped me in general.  Thinking conceptually leads to a life long understanding of the way that problems are and can be worked.

I like chapter two of Knowing and Teaching Elementary Mathematics by Laping Ma, she presents some alarming facts.  I find it amazing that so few American teachers have an understanding of the conceptual concepts and actually were confused over the zeros associated with multidigit multiplication.  I do like the way that she presents the thinking of the Chinese teachers, especially when it comes to understanding place value.  When the Chinese teacher says that the 6 in 643 should be thought of as 6 hundreds or that the 4 should be 4 tens, makes it much easier to understand.  I think that students would be able to grasp this concept much easier.

Divergent Tectonic Plate Boundaries – Tectonic plates that move in opposite directions. As the plates move apart magma often flows from the Earth creating mountain ranges with active volcanoes. Divergent boundaries can create massive rifts such as the Mid-Atlantic Ridge or the East Pacific Rise.

 

Convergent Tectonic Plate Boundaries – Tectonic plates that come together and either collide or subduct. Plates that collide typically form massive mountain ranges such as the Himalayas. When plates subduct, they will generally form oceanic trenches like the Nazca Plate. At a subduction zone one plate will generally slide under another such as an oceanic plate sliding under a continental plats. Many volcanoes and earthquakes usually accompany these zones.

 

Transform Tectonic Plate Boundaries – Tectonic plates that slide past each other along the way releasing energy that has been built up from stress.  The San Andres Fault line is a well-known transform plate boundary.  Most massive earthquakes that effect humans are the result of transform boundaries.

 

It was a nice day to go running! I went on the trail behind where we live. It was a 6 mile run today, nothing to hard but enough to get the heart rate up for an hour or so. There is a really nice trail system the runs all over the place! I am not sure how many miles there are, but it would say at least 20 right by were we live.