Extra Credit: Poisonous Gas

"They used liquid fire on us that day, and to tell you the truth, Mother, I cannot tell you how I get away from it." In our handout we learn about a deadly situation that can occur when trenches were built during wars. From the passage above, we can conclude that the soldiers really had no choice whether they wanted to stay down in the dirty trenches where food was limited and no space to sleep. Whatever their orders were, they must follow. In the diary, written by a British soldier to his mother, he tells us an action filled scene that happens during a battle and what he sees as he climbs his way up the trench to the battlefield. They had already been suffocated in the trenches with numerous poisonous gases, but once the bombardment started, the fumes got worse and intoxicating. During wars, the soldiers wore masks that were tightly woven aorund their nose and mouth. According to this British soldier, the most scariest thought of "life and death" is whether the mask is on properly or not. What if it isnt? 

http://www.whale.to/b/germansoldierdog.jpg

http://media-2.web.britannica.com/eb-media/45/65945-050-BF92FDCE.jpg

Diary of a War Nurse: Enlisting

This passage comes from the diary of a war nurse, and tells of her experience enrolling and becoming a was nurse. 

WHEN war was declared August 1st, 1914, the great upheaval sent its waves of excitement beating against every shore till it touched the whole world.

Away in the Northern-Midlands of England there is a county-hospital. Enrolled among its nurses were several who belonged to the Territorials. Scarcely had war been declared when their marching orders came. Proudly they went away, clad in military uniform, whilst those left behind envied them with an almost bitter envy.

Speaking for myself, to want a thing badly means to get it---if possible. When the Servians started I went to the Matron and asked permission to he released to offer my services. Her answer was, "Wait a little. Your own Country may need you." meanwhile she got permission for me to go. But permission to go and a zeal to serve one's country are but the preliminaries to active service at the front. Not only women but men constantly meet with bitter disappointment and many obstacles put by a wise government as tests to temper, discipline, or some inscrutable reason which like another great Power "moves in a mysterious way its wonders to perform." To make a long story short, after having filled up many forms, stating whether there was any insanity in or near the family, and what the victim's great grandmother died of, and how many foreign languages she could speak, &c., &c., &c., 1 was told by the Red Cross, St. John's Ambulance, the Military Nursing Reserve, and Auxiliary Bodies of many varieties, that my services were not required, as they had about thirty thousand nurses on their lists, in fact about one nurse to each soldier!

Two weeks dragged by when the post brought a correspondence card from one of our doctors with this simple legend pasted thereon;---"Ten nurses wanted at once for Antwerp; must be voluntary." Quickly I sent a wire offering my services, then waited two more interminable weeks. Having given up hope, one evening a wire was handed me, "Be ready to start to-morrow."

A lawyer came that night and helped me make a will---in case of accidents! Meanwhile my friend got two days' leave to come up with me, and next morning we were off to London.

The lady who was the organizer of our hospital had not, 1 should judge, any previous experience of hospitals or their management. We all felt this, and therefore were quite prepared, at an early date, to fall into the hands of the Germans, so, as a precaution, we nurses each provided ourselves with a tube of morphia tablets to take in any emergency. (They came in useful after for others, as you will see, given in smaller doses than we contemplated taking!) We were to live in tents and nurse the wounded therein. But, whatever may have been lacking in the medical arrangements, our Directress had certainly secured the names of some of the most prominent and influential people in Europe.

Our Patroness was no less a personage than Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth of the Belgians, and the Duchess de Vendôme was associated with her. Our chairman for some time was Lord Northcliffe. and afterwards Lord Sydenham, whilst many great names figured on the Committee. Our head-surgeon for some months was Mr. Souttar, F. R. C. S., one of the surgeons of the London Hospital, whilst after he returned to his work other men from the same hospital of equal repute and skill took his place.

Arriving in London we found our Directress much distressed because some of the nurses had backed out---they felt it too dangerous, I expect. Quickly I urged my friend to accept a vacancy and accompany me. She saw the Committee, was approved, and we sent the following seductive wire to her parents, "Lord------ and the Committee have accepted G------ as nurse. Please wire consent." Later on came the answer "Cannot refuse. God bless you."

I got all the information from the diary of war nurse here: http://net.lib.byu.edu/estu/wwi/memoir/warnurse/wn1.html#ch1 

Nearly Buried Alive on the Battlefield

We then went after the rest of our attackers who were in full flight. The machine guns kept them under fire. Some two hundred might have escaped; they fled in all directions. The artillery thereupon began again to fire, whilst we set about to care for our wounded enemies. It was no easy job, for we had to draw the wounded from beneath the horses some of which were still alive. The animals kicked wildly about them, and whenever they succeeded in getting free they rushed off like demented however severely they had been hurt. Many a wounded man who otherwise might have recovered was thus killed by the hoofs of the horses.

With the little packet of bandaging material which we all had on us we bandaged the men, who were mostly severely wounded, but a good many died in our hands while we were trying to put on a temporary dressing. As far as they were still able to speak they talked to us with extreme vivacity. Though we did not understand their language we knew what they wanted to express, for their gestures and facial expressions were very eloquent. They desired to express their gratitude for the charitable service we were rendering them, and like ourselves they did not seem to be able to understand how men could first kill each other, could inflict pain on each other, and then assist each other to the utmost of their ability. To them as well as to us this world seemed to stand on its head; it was a world in which they were mere marionettes, guided and controlled by a superior power. How often were we not made aware in that manner of the uselessness of all this human slaughter!

We common soldiers were here handling the dead and wounded as if we had never done anything else, and yet in our civilian lives most of us had an abhorrence and fear of the dead and the horribly mangled. War is a hard school-master who bends and reshapes his pupils.

One section was busy with digging a common grave for the dead. We took away the papers and valuables of the dead, took possession of the eatable and drinkable stores to be found in the saddle bags attached to the horses and, when the grave was ready, we began to place the dead bodies in it. They were laid close together in order to utilize fully the available space. I, too, had been ordered to "bring in" the dead. The bottom of the grave was large enough for twenty-three bodies if the space was well utilized. When two layers of twenty-three had already been buried a sergeant of the artillery, who was standing near, observed that one of the "dead" was still alive. He had seen the "corpse" move the fingers of his right hand. On closer examination it turned out that we came near burying a living man, for after an attempt lasting two hours we succeeded in restoring him to consciousness. The officer of the infantry who supervised the work now turned to the two soldiers charged with getting the corpses ready and asked them whether they were sure that all the men buried were really dead. "Yes," the two replied, "we suppose they are all dead." That seemed to be quite sufficient for that humane officer, for he ordered the interments to proceed. Nobody doubted that there were several more among the 138 men whom we alone buried in one grave (two other, still bigger, graves had been dug by different burial parties) from whose bodies life had not entirely flown. To be buried alive is just one of those horrors of the battlefield which your bar-room patriot at home (or in America) does not even dream of in his philosophy.

http://wwi.lib.byu.edu/index.php/VIII_NEARLY_BURIED_ALIVE_ON_THE_BATTLEFIELD

A German Deserter's War Experience: VIII

NEARLY BURIED ALIVE ON THE BATTLEFIELD

Stapelton Tench Eachus

I chose a diary entry from Stapelton Tench Eachus.

26/12/18

I here once more take up my pen, to jot down the objects and scenes with which I may come into contact during the closing days of the titanic upheaval, which has rocked and badly shaken the whole framework of civilisation and indeed the very world itself. Many months have elapsed since last I made any notes and now as I am penning these I find myself sitting at one of the dining tables at the Salvation Army rest for soldiers in London, Blighty. Am on my way back to France after 14 days furlough and seven days extension which was granted to me by the Royal Engineer Records Chatham. In spite of many thing I have spent a really pleasant and enjoyable time, at the old home in Stafford, in the company of my father, Sister Doris and my little treasure boy Derrick. I left Stafford this morning with my little boy at 11.37 am and went first to Warwick where I left Derrick in the care of Mr. and Mrs. Kendrick at 48 Avon Street. I think that these forced partings from the little chap, who is so dear to me, have caused me deeper and more cruel pain, than all other pains that I have known. If there is such a thing as love in this world, it must be surely just like that, how little Dux is loved by me. Left Warwick at 5.58 pm and arrived at Paddington at 9.10 pm. Took a bus to Victoria station and passed by the Marble Arch and Saint James Park, which was profusely decorated with flags and bunting in honour I suppose of the visit of the American president, who arrived today. At Victoria station went into the free buffet, and had a sandwich and cup of tea. Wreaths in the evergreen and other laurel decorations were hanging up everywhere and welcome greetings to the soldiers were emblazoned in large letters upon the walls, one inscription ran something like this “We pray for all who have died and we thank all for bringing us victory and peace” another ran “Welcome home the nation thanks you”. Was directed by a gentleman to board a small motor lorry, which had two seats down the centre and a roof, something after the style of the well known Irish “stage coach”. This vehicle took a party of us to the pace where I am now and where I have engaged a bed no 182 for the night for the price of half a shilling.

I got the diary entry here.

Garret War Diaries

My war diaries are known as the Garrett War Diaries and he was part of the Austrian Militaria. It will be very interesting to read about a person who is part of a nation that is directly involved in the war, as in not part of the French or British who joined because of a treaty. Also to read about how he feels this war has played out and how he feels about fighting for his homeland knowing that if he loses this war, his home will be taken over by the hungarians.

Our patrols sighted a body this morning supposed to be enemy scouts.
Had charge of the same signalling station this morning. Two fine days for helio work. We can communicate to Indian Bikaner Camel Corps piquet situated at Paps, to our observation post to the northeast or to Bir Hooker Bde HQ in the south. Bir Hooker is about 7 miles away the Paps about 5 or 6 ahead of us and are two conical shaped hills rising abruptly from the desert at the furthest end of the wadi.
The piquet goes out every morning and takes a Tommy telephone Officer with it. A cable runs the whole distance from Bir Hooker. Leaving there it runs along the line as far as the aerodrome (the aeroplane to occupy it, is on its way though, ground is marked out with white lines and brown canvas hanger is erected). Then it runs in and out among the reeds until the camp is reached. Then across the camp area under the sand until tents are reached, along the tops until it gets to orderly room, the whole distance is on the ground.
Last night volunteer was wanted to run wire with CHERRY into Bir Hooker to find break .

source: http://www.grantsmilitaria.com/garrett/html/jan1916.htm

Oberst von Thaer

Terrible and appalling! It is so! Indeed! As we were gathered together, Ludendorff stood up in our presence, his face was pale and filled with deep worry, but his head was still held high. A truly handsome Germanic hero figure. I had to think of Siegfried with the mortal wound in his back from Hagen's spear.

He said roughly the following: It was his duty to tell us that our military condition was terribly serious. Any day now, our Western Front could be breached. He had had to report this to His Majesty the Kaiser recently. For the first time the question had been posed to the Supreme Army Command--by His Majesty the Kaiser and the Reichs Chancellor--what the officers and troops were still capable of accomplishing. Together with the General Field Marshal, he [Ludendorff] had answered that the Supreme Army Command and the German Army were at an end; the war could no longer be won, but rather an unavoidable and conclusive defeat awaited. Bulgaria had already been lost. Austria and Turkey, both at the end of their powers, would also soon fall. Our own Army had unfortunately also been heavily contaminated with the poison of Spartacus-socialist ideas, and the troops were, he said, no longer reliable. Since the 8th of August the situation had rapidly gotten worse. As a result, some troops had proven themselves so unreliable that they had had to be quickly pulled from the front. If they were replaced with other troops willing to fight, they would be received with the label "Strike breakers" and challenged not to fight anymore. He said he could not operate with divisions that were no longer reliable.

It was thus foreseeable, he went on to say, that the enemy in the near future, with the help of American troops anxious to fight, would succeed in a great victory, a breakthrough in grand fashion. As a result, the West Army would lose its last hold and retreat in full disbandment across the Rhein and carry the revolution back to Germany.

This catastrophe, he said, must be avoided by all means. For the cited reasons we could no longer allow ourselves to be beaten. Therefore, the Supreme Army Command demanded of His Majesty the Kaiser and of the Chancellor that a proposal for the bringing about of peace be made to President Wilson of America without delay, for bringing about an armistice on the basis of his 14 Points. He said he had never shied away from demanding the utmost from his troops. However, after clearly realizing that the continuation of the war was useless, he was of the opinion that an end needed to be found as quickly as possible in order not to unnecessarily sacrifice the most valiant people who were still loyal and able to fight.

It had been a terrible moment for him and for the Field Marshall to have to report this to the His Majesty the Kaiser and the Chancellor. The latter, Count Hertling, then informed His Majesty the Kaiser in a noble manner that he would then have to resign his office. After so many honorable years, as an old man, he could not and would not close out his life by tendering a petition for ceasefire. The Kaiser had accepted his petition for resignation.

Excellency Ludendorff added: "At present, then, we have no Chancellor. Who will fill this position is yet to be determined. I have, however, asked His Majesty the Kaiser to bring those circles into the government whom we can mainly thank that we have come to this. We will now see these gentlemen brought into the Ministries. They should make the peace that must now be made. They made their bed, now they must lie in it!"

The effect of these words on the listeners was undescribable! As L. spoke, quiet sobbing and moaning was audible. Many, probably most all, had involuntary tears run down their cheeks. I stood to the left of General Director Gen. von Eisenhart. We instinctively grasped one another by the hand. I almost pressed his flat.

After his last words, L. lowered his head slowly, turned and went to his adjoining room.

Since I had an appointment to report to him afterwards, I followed him and -- since I'd known him so long -- grabbed his right arm with both hands, something I never would have done under other circumstances, and said: "Your Excellency, is that the truth? Is that the last word? Am I awake or dreaming? That really is too terrible! What will happen now?"

I was completely beside myself. He remained calm and gentle and said to me with a deeply sorrowful smile: "Unfortunately, that is how it is, and I see no other way out."

This was written in a Diary by Colonel Von Thaer, in October 1, 1918.

George Ludovic Alexander

I clicked on the link for George Ludovic Alexander. In his diary he wrote some poetry and there was this one poem that I really liked. It didn't really say when these poems were written but i believe they were written when he was in the war. He could have written them at home because he went home often to escape the war and to hide for protection. I am not quite sure.

Mingled rain and sunshine,
Mingled smile and tear,
Mingled rose and lily
Clustered on his bier.

Rain-drops gently beck'ning
Flowers to lift their heads
In humble recognition
Of our beloved dead.

Shine-wondrous sunshine
Breaking through the gloom
To cast away the shadows
Reflected from the tomb.

Smiles shone that day somehow
Like sunshine through the rain
They cast away the shadows
And helped conceal pain.

Tear drops were in evidence
And those who loved him best
Wept silently within them
As they bore him to his rest.

Roses - lovely roses
That spoke as roses do
Of all that's good and noble
In a friend so tried and true.

Lilies - fragrant lilies
Above all so pure and white
Cause us to remember,

After darkness, comes the light.

Citation:

written by George Ludovic Alexander

Poem found at

Thomas Frederick LIttler

T.f. Littler was born in 1897 and fought in France. His diary is from 1914-1919. He trainer in Norwich and Northampton before going to England where he then went to France. He met his wife in England. The following is from July 1st 1916.

After having had our rum issue we stood to till 7-25a.m when we put up a smoke screen and went over the top at 7-30 with the London Scottish and Queens Westminster Rifles, we took four lines of trenches from the Germans, but were driven back by midday to our original position, our losses were very heavy although we took many prisoners, I could not attempt to write all that happened this day, so I'll leave a cutting from the paper here. The casualties from my Battalion were A Company 112, B Company 62, C Company 91, D Company 25, in my platoon we lost the following men Lieutenant Leigh, who had taken over from Lieut. Larne, was wounded the left arm blown off, Private Harry Wakefield, Private Wilfred Carter, killed, Private Jack White, Private Frank Walker, missing, and Private Harry Frodsham, Private Sam Mellor, and Private George Parker wounded, L-Cpl R Eaton, and L-Cpl Harry Carveley wounded, the following men died of wounds during the following week Sgt Piers, L-Cpl J Kinsey, and Private Albert Clarke, Private Jack Perrin, and Private Sidney Jones, we left the line this night being too weak in numbers to hold it, and got back to Souastre about 12-30 p.m.

World War I diary-Thomas Edward Shirley

Thomas Edward Shirley '18
World War I Diary

Wed June 27, 1917

We stayed in camp and worked around all morning. I helped dig a trench. I saw Captain Mallet for 1st time to-day. Everybody is crabbing food. The meat sure is rotton.

All this morning prepared for our all night trip. We were awakened about 4:30 by the rain which came through the roof like a sieve. The chief got us up at 6:00 and after breakfast and peeling spuds we went up to the farm and got our cars ready for the afternoon. We left at 1:30 being lead by Bug. who soon lost his way in about three places. Finally we got started and went over to Pierrefonds Castle which was the 1st real beautiful building I have seen in the country out here. We were given 1/2 hours leave of absence, and we immediately beat it for the castle. I took some pictures which I hope will come out good. A bunch of us got a guard to take us through and he showed us all around. We saw secret staircases, places Napolean had sat, and some of the most wonderful brick-a-brack made of stone I have ever seen. It soon began to get dark and we blew into a town which the Germans had practically destroyed with incenduary bombs and shot the mayor burying him head downwards. Soon it grew pitch dark, and we all had our thrills keeping on the road, but finally arrived home at Dommiers at 3 o'clock after going 125 miles. We were all wet, cross, and tired to death, but satisfied that we had done a good job and satisfied our chief. It impressed me more of what all the destruction meant was when I saw an old man driving by what was evidently his home with the tears streaming down his cheeks. 

http://www.dartmouth.org/classes/57/tes00.htm

Inside front cover:

Thomas E. Shirley
R.F.D. #2
Manchester N.H.
U.S.A.

Please send this home if any accident should happen.

convais auto

Section Group T.M.184
Groupement Perisse'
Par B.C.M. Paris

The Military Hospital

A very interesting and necessary branch of our work was the X-Ray Department. We had possessed an X-Ray room ever since we had been at Hoogestadt, but it now sprang suddenly into fame, being reorganized by no less a person than the renowned Madame Curie, who discovered radium! For two or three weeks she lived with us, sharing our daily life, sitting next to us at meals, the most unassuming and gentlest of women. Her daughter was with us too, and stayed there all that summer after her mother left to aid other hospitals. They brought their own motor-ambulance which held the dynamo which worked the X-Ray apparatus. Madame Curie used to rise about five A. M., and have an early breakfast. As I was on night duty, it was my delight to set a table out in the garden and serve her breakfast myself. Often as we sat drinking a cup of coffee she would chat with me, taking a keen interest in all our work.

Website Citation: "Chapter XV a Military Hospital." A War Nurse's Diary. Sketches from a Belgian
Field Hospital. (1918) Part Three. N.p., n.d. Web. 25 Jan. 2010.
.

Picture Citation: We were now in the Belgian Military Hospital. N.p., n.d. Web. 25 Jan. 2010.
.

Extra Credit Blog

Europe's industrialized militarism was one of the major factors in the cause of World War I. The vast new advancement in warfare made Europe's soldiers hungry for a higher reputation in their community. They even wore their uniforms in public to show the people in their city who shows the most pride and have people look at them with high importance. Each countries military become more and more advanced and each country planned when they were going to attack. As all of them were so incentive to attack first because of their brilliant surprises, more than 10 million soldiers died in World War I. Over 20 million wounded. The reason for these horrible numbers is because of the new military technology that both sides of the war so gladly used. Some brutal weapons that were used were submarines, tanks, airplanes, poison gas, machine guns, and barbed wire. All of these weapons had never been seen or used before in any type of war before this. Because these weapons were so massive and destructing, there was an extremely abundant amount of them. Furthermore, the anticipation of wanting to attack on other countries made a huge impact on the reason World War I started.

My Primary Document from WWI Diaries and Letters

June 6th 1916
We had to pack our kits, and proceed up the line, we passed through Bayencourt, and then in artillery formation to Sailly-au-bois, and from here we marched in single file along a very muddy road, where in places men sank knee deep in mud, at last we reached the ruined town of Hebuterne, 400yds from our front line, there are no civilians here as the place is subject to heavy fire every day, we were billeted in the cellars of an old farm house which was minus a wall and the roof.
I took a stroll round the place after tea and found it absolutely ruined a church at one end had been badly battered and the walls all smashed and the roof gone, one side of the tower standing only, but a noticeable fact was that a crufic [crucifix?] in a most conspicuous place remained untouched.

Source:

Littler, Chris. "First world war diaries, by TF Littler." First world war diaries: TF Littler. N.p., n.d. Web. 25 Jan. 2010. http://www.first-world-war.co.uk/thediary.htm#06061916.

This entry was the first entry (Dated: June 6th 1916).

WWI Diary

Thomas Edward Shirley

June 29th 1917

This is a diary entry from a young man who was recruited to join the French Ambulance Corps.

We got up at 8:30 and was supposed to work around camp but I sneaked off with Roy and Adnoids and took my laundry down town. At dinner time we were told that we were going to be taken to some trenches the Germans occupied last April. Well were got started in two trucks about an hour after we were supposed to. We went thru Soissons and had a chance to see for the 1st time how badly the city was hit. The north end of town sure is a mess- all the house blown down, a couple of big factories all to pieces, and all the bridges down. The bridges are being replaced by negro soldiers as fast as they can. Out side of Soissons we met a great many horse convoys the largest I have seen yet. It sure was a sight mules, donkey, and horses and men of every description. We went through a town completely distroyed and populated only with troops. Finally we got to the top of the hill after winding our way up pass German dugout after dugout now occupied by french soldiers. These were very comfortable looking dugouts probably old officers dugouts. The top of the hill was just one mess of trench, barbwire entanglements, shell holes, and here and there a grave. We went over to the other side of the hill where we could look down into a village completely destroyed. Not a house was left. It impressed me more of what all the destruction meant was when I saw an old man driving by what was evidently his home with the tears streaming down his cheeks. After collecting some some souveniers from a German graveyard we started home. Coming home the water boiled so in our car that we had to be towed home. After supper and writing a letter I went to bed and slept the best I have yet. Although they bombarded Soissons during the night for the 1st time in a long while and we were there at six last night.

http://www.dartmouth.org/classes/57/tes00.htm

WWI Aviation in Paris

Just back from the leave. We got to Paris at noon. I invaded the coiffeur's. He was on permission too. Then lunch and shopping. A French lady helped me out in the post office and I thereby made her delightful acquaintance. Such things, though, are only a matter of daily event in this Parisian swimming pool.

I had an early dinner at the Café des Lilas where by chance I sat next to a charming girl I had met last night in Paris. She is the beautiful "amie" of an ambulanceer and a very good camarade. Then I walked through the grand Luxembourg Gardens; its terraces where the artists' models and young family girls just learning to pose stroll carelessly in its caressing atmosphere. I had a "Fraise" at a café just to watch the types walk the "Boul. Miche." ...

We took the evening-train at eight o'clock with high spirits, but low hearts. Then from ten to one o'clock at night we had a truck ride. That, of course, is like riding on artillery wagon seats at full gallop, in the dust of a whole army through the cold of the North Pole. The rest of the night I slept in my bunk without bothering to undo my shoe laces, having been going since four in the morning before, to one that morning, and "some going."

To-day, Friday, we are taking our last day of rest (it's the only one too) before packing bags for a trip unknown. The sun in coming out, brought out the mandolins, and between the two, vague thoughts of yesterday's Paris and a month ago's home, filter through our weariness as the souvenir notes of a song from out the past.

I received quite a love letter from my little unknown girl way down along the twining Doubs river. But hélas! such other things call me with such other forces that my idle, magnetized soul cannot hypnotize myself to going down to see her --- though I easily could....

By the way, an adjutant of chasseurs whom I was talking with two days ago is now being buried. You see some hand-grenades went off too soon during practise work and --- well, a number of other soldier friends had their faces wiped off at the same time.

I will write you more whenever I get time. You will learn much more, though, of my trip from my diary when I get back, than from the little side notes of those hasty careless letters. With much love,

Your affectionate son

JACK
APRIL, 1917-JANUARY, 1918
JACK MORRIS WRIGHT
Aviation in Paris 

Einstein

Albert Einstein brought upon change in both the world of science and the world of today. He mentioned many controversial ideas, that at his time, were thought you be ridiculous. In my opinion, one of his best theories was about Space Time and the laws that the universe relies on. Einstein was able to prove that time was relative. Meaning that time doesn't operate the same way all over the universe. This of course was shocking to anyone who lived in his time. The idea that time was changing was very farfetched when we witness time moving at the same speed every day. But Einstein was in fact correct. Time could be beat. Time could almost literally be ignored. And if you were to do this, you would have to move faster than the speed of light. To better explain this, I'll use the most common form of explanation for this concept. Say that you have a twin brother or sister. An astronaut takes you onto a space ship, leaving your sibling behind. You then proceed to fly around the earth for 30 years as your twin sits around back on earth. When you land, something significant can be seen. Not only is your twin 30 years older but you have not aged. This concept was truly crazy, because not only would that make the trip seem instantaneous, but we ask the question: "What happens on the spaceship?" But of course we cannot achieve such a feat. We can barely fathom how much energy it would take to move the speed of light, mostly because light itself has no mass. So when you try to move mass that speed, you find yourself with a problem. Einstein not only determined the factors of light speed but also came up with an explanation for space. Picture the universe as a large trampoline. If you were to place a bowling ball (let's use this as the sun) in the center the trampoline, it would form an indentation. This indentation is what represents gravity. When you roll a small marble (let's use this as earth or some planet) across the trampoline, you'll find that it will roll towards the bowling ball. The proximity of the marble to the bowling ball is also taken into account, because the depth of the indentation is much deeper near the bowling ball than it is near the outskirts of the trampoline. It's this method that keeps our planets in orbit. It's this continuous falling that stops our planets from falling into the sun. But you still have adapt the trampoline model to the 3rd dimension, because we all realize that the universe isn't some flat piece of fabric. You must picture it like a sponge the pinches inward when a object has a large mass. And the sponge itself is just a force and not an object. These two theories that Einstein came up with are not only hugely important to where we are in science, but were the most horrific sounding things to the common people of his time.


For more on the twins and spaceship demonstration, go here.

Eugenics

Eugenics is the practice of selective breeding towards humans. It has a lot to do with the theory of natural selection. Society aims to protect the weak and underprivileged, and help keep them alive. Natural selection says that only the strongest and best survive, so by protecting the week, society is essentially going against the natural process, and keeping mankind from becoming stronger. Eugenics does the opposite, it aims to improve the gene pool by any means necessary. One example of eugenics in the 1900s was the holocaust. The Nazi felt that mankind must continue moving forward. The Nazi Germans wanted to be the strongest of the human race, and they wanted to rid the human race of any weakness. They began to identify any races that they felt were inferior, and exterminate them. They decided that the Jewish must be eliminated, so they began mercilessly murdering Jewish people. it was a ruthless genocide. They also began trying to breed perfect humans to enroll in their army. Strong healthy males would breed with strong healthy females in am attempt to create the ideal human being.

Freud- Id, Ego, Superego

In the video we learned about Freud and his ideas about our unconscious mind. He talked about how people wanted to kill their father because they were jealous of them because they really liked their mother. That is kind of gross to think about. Many people of that time agreed and were very disturbed by the thought of his ideas. He came up with the terms id, ego, and superego. Id is the "pleasure" part of our minds and is what we want. Ego is the "reality" part which thinks of the real world and takes into consideration the id perception and tries to figure out if it works. When thinking of reality, it considers the fact that other people have wants too and so you can't be selfish because that hurts others.. Finally, superego is the part that tries to balance the two and considers the moral parts of situations. In the movie, id was sort of seen as the red, and "evil" figure or part of your mind. It was thinking of the person's wants and would set everything else aside to achieve those wants. ID being red could be seen as a devil sort of figure. Ego was seen as the white, angelic character, considers the reality situation and it talks about what the person can do and what will hurt others. Id is selfish while ego is considerate of other and how the person's actions will effect his or hers surroundings. Superego tries to balance both of those. People sometimes think of the superego as your conscience. It tells you what is right or wrong. Consciences tend to hold onto the bad things that you do and they bug you until you fix them. The superego is what tries to balance what you want so you are satisfied but also at the same time making sure that other people are content. These were very obscure and unsettling ideas at the time, and given the father mother situation, still today they may upset people. Here is the video from Youtube that we watched in class if you would live to watch it.

Video

Sites:

http://allpsych.com/psychology101/ego.html

Class on Friday

Kodak Camera vs Paintings

"You press the button, we do the rest." Creator of Kodak cameras, George Eastman said this in 1888. Cameras were only available to professional photographers, but Eastman created a kodak film roll that can take about 100 exposures. This way, even regular people can take advantage of the camera and carry it around in their hands. The customer uses the kodak camera and returns it to the company to receive clear prints. 

If a camera can capture images perfectly, then what is the point of art? When new technology and advancements were made, there was a talk about how photography might take over the beauty of art. A photograph gives you an image of the real world, while art is all about color and interpretation in one artists mind. In the image above, you can see how the photograph is very dull but realistic. The painting seems to have a unique creativity that the artist chose himself. It has color and idea to it by changing its style. 

http://lcni.uoregon.edu/~mark/Marks_photos/stereo_pairs/Apollo_moon/as12-49-7318_AstroOptiMax_comparison.jpg

Monet, the Impressionists

Monet was an impressionist in the mid-late 1800s. HIs paintings include Sunrise, Water Lillies, The poppies, and many others. Unlike other painters of his time, the impressionists would paint what they saw around them instead of copying from old paintings at the Louvre. Monet charmed his way into getting food and clothing while living in Paris and he eventually moved to Giverny. There he lived with all of his children and his 2nd wifes children, making it so that about 10 kids were running around. Monet created a remarkable garden for himself. This is wear he painted Water LIllies which to this day remains one of his most famous paintings, and an extremely well known picture in itself. He has rows of flower with sunflowers next to hibiscus, making a very diverse and beautiful garden. The most beautiful part of the garden in my opinion is the Water LIllies. He has Japanese bridges and a stream runs around all of it. The famous boat in his pictures is still there as well. (picture from http://www.allmonet.com/1%20Water-Lily_Pond__1897-1899.jpg) Most people hated Monet's pictures because they thought they looked so sloppy. Monet did find various customers in France who bought his work and kept him afloat. Clearly with such a nice in Giverny his work was somewhat appreciated, but most of the other impressionists never got to that point in their life-time. During the begining of MOnet's career, after attending well-renown painting schools the majority of France rejected all of Monet's paintings and he was not chosen to display paintings in the major auctions, museums, and collection locations in France.

Ishmabahu

Description of Our Nation's Flag:

Our flag consists of four quadrants. Each quadrant represents one aspect of our empire that is important to us.

Wheat and Grapes: The top left quadrant is golden-brown, representing wheat. The bottom left quadrant is colored purple, representing grapes. These two sources of food represent key parts of our diet. We use the wheat to feed our livestock. Addictionally, we can turn the wheat into flour through a process known as milling. This flour can be used for a number of staple foods such as bread, cookies, cake, and pasta. We often ferment the wheat as well as grapes (another one of our staple foods) in order to make alcoholic beverages. We also use olive trees, coral, and grapes in order to make a product that can be used to expand our island. Lastly, fish is another key part of our diet, and represents the final quadrant of our flag. Food is very important to us, and this is apparent in the way we designed our flag quadrants.

National Anthem

volo canere
nolo videre
nolo vicere
tu amabant nostro
omnes sunt sub nostro
(i want to eat, i dont want to see, i dont want to conquer, you will love us, everyone is below us)

Alliances and Connections

Ishmabahu does not have many alliances with other nations.  This is one, due to our inhospitable nature, and two, the fact that we have plenty of resources and power as a single nation.  Our small alliances lie with Italy, Egypt, and Greece.  This is mainly because they are out surrounding countries. Also, like us, they are rich in resources.  When we do trade, it is mostly with Egypt.  Our main imports from them are cotton and silk.  These products are very valuable and desirable around the world.  We can buy these cheap because of how close Egypt is, and sell them very high to foreigners and far away nations such as the U.S. and Mexico.

We often have trouble with negotiations because most nations consider us "hostile" or "savage."  However, this is only because we are very protective of our land, resources and people.  The people of Ishmabahu believe that involvement with other countries only creates more opportunities for conflicts and wars.  This is why we choose to isolate ourselves and trade very rarely.

National History
The province of Ishmabahu is located in the central Mediterranean. It is south of Sicily and is a small island. In the ancient word it played a major part in the connection between the Phonecians, Greeks, and Romans. After the destruction of Carthage at the end of the 3^rd Punic War, Ishmabahu officially became part of the Roman Empire. For the next 700 years, the Ishmabahu’s were under the rule of the Romans. They were given some rights, such as being able to go to Rome to vote as a recognized tribe and helped elect the Tribunes. Once the switch was made to Christianity by Constantine, tension began rising between Ishmabahu’s polytheistic ways and the new found Roman religion. After many bloody rebellions, they finally regained their independence and continued their polytheistic ways. An interesting aspect of their history is that after about 300 BC, the Ishmabahu’s remained isolated and participated in no trading. It was almost as if the Ishmabahu’s had been covered by a volcano, no one tried to take over the rebellious polytheistic island. Until 1575, all of the ports on this island were closed. They rellied heavily on wheat and fish, a main aspect of their diet even today. ON this day, curious French explorers went to the island.
The island by that point had hacked away at the edges of the island, creating sharp cliffs. This remains to be an amazing feat since the cliffs literally go straight into the ocean. There is one beach where the islanders perform sacred ceremonies to their gods on the night of a new moon. The French men attempted to make contact with the people, but the islanders savagely attacked the explorers torchering them for months before finally throwing them off the jagged cliffs. The French were so outraged that they arrived with guns and broke into the island. They saw absolute order.
ON the island the people dutifully farmed, switching their crops every season, maintaining the volcanic soil’s minerals. The island has an island a radius of about 20 miles so it is very important to save land. To quote from a solider’s journal
      “The houses are each no more than 3 rooms. Every family has only 4 children. ON the harvest moon, each family will send the oldest child to vote for the family on who will be the new leader. This is usually based of off the crop yield that that family has produced. While one family produces wheat, another will produce grapes and a tally is kept on which family has produced the most food. The eldest child in this family usually becomes the next ruler. The people speak in Latin. They have no idea of the outside world, it is like walking into an ancient village.”
Over the next 400 years, Ishmabahu caught up with the rest of the world. The 1700s was its golden age. While the rest of Europe was caught up with civil war, revolutions, and imperialism, Ishmabahu  created ingenious technology. They expanded their island using a product made from the bark of olive trees, coral, and the skin of grapes. Today Ishmabahu has increased its radius by 3 times since they were first visited by the French. They continue to grow every year. Although they have adopted many modern ways, their religion stays the same as well as their language and government. Who knows where Ishmabahu will go?