World War II

This post is about the World War II time period. Oh yeah, and I'll now be changing my title of my blog weekly. If you haven't noticed, I've changed Henry's Hut to Koch and Kompany, so keep watching for the latest title.

The first part of this blog is all about World War II. The war involved almost 100 million military personnel, making it the most wide-spread war in history. Over 70 million people were killed, however, making it the most deadly conflict in human history. The war officially started in 1939 with the German invasion of Poland (which was in the story.) Some other folks joined the war soon before or after this date, due to other events. Some of these events include the Marco Polo Bridge Incident, a battle fought between the Chinese and the Japanese. There was also the start of Operation Barbarossa, the Nazi invasion of Russia. And of course, the attack on Pearl Harbor. The United States and the Soviet Union came out of the war as the world's superpowers. This set the stage for the Cold War, which lasted for the next 45 years.

This next part of my blog is all about the Holocaust. The holocaust was basically a deliberate extermination of all Jews that was executed by none other than Hitler. Man do I hate Hitler. After reading this part, you will hate him to. It's HORRIBLE!!! So if you're Jewish, I'm not responsible if you go and kill everybody in Germany. Seriously, that's your problem. OK are you ready? Everything I'm going to tell you is absolutely true. First, concentration camps were established, which are camps where Jews were captured, and used in slave labour until they died of exhaustion or disease. A group called the Einsatzgruppen murdered Jews in mass shootings. The pictures I saw were scary. Jews were also stuffed into ghettos, which are tightly packed places of Eastern Europe cities. (This is your last chance to get up and walk away from the computer.) The Jews were then taken hundreds of miles away in freight trains to extermination camps, where, if they survived the journey, they were killed in gas chambers. Gas chambers are sealed chambers that release poisonous gases, killing all in the chamber. Don't say I didn't warn you.

Well, that's it for this depressing installment of Koch and Kompany. Hope you didn't enjoy. Oh, and here's a charming picture to lift your spirits.

Vocab

Cling-to stick to; to hold on to something

Superior-higher in station, rank, degree, etc.

Insisted-to demand something vehemently and persistently

Appreciation-gratitude; thankful recognition

Internment-confinement, specifically during wars.

Diplomat-a person from a country who negotiates things with other countries

(Sorry, couldn't find a good picture)

Rooney Rule

Do you know what the Rooney Rule is? No, Dane (see Dane's Dump. You're welcome for the advertisement, Dane.) it's not a rule made by Andy Rooney on 60 minutes! And I know you know what it is Mr. Baatz (see TBaatz), but I'm going to tell you anyway.

The Rooney Rule was established in 2003 and is named after Dan Rooney, the Pittsburgh Steelers owner. The Rooney Rule requires NFL team owners to interview one minority candidate for the coaching job. For example, if I was an NFL team manager, and I wanted to hire Joe Schmo for the head coaching job (which I wouldn't partly because he doesn't even exist, or at least not that I know of), I would have to interview at least one other candidate for the coaching job. One instance where the Rooney Rule has come into play is before the 2007 season, when the Steelers hired Mike Tomlin, who was a minority. The percentage of African American coaches in the NFL has jumped from 6% to 22% since the Rooney Rule was established. Overall, most experts agree that the Rooney Rule has helped turn around the terrible record of hiring minority coaches.

Thomas Jefferson's Kids

Thomas Jefferson, the 3rd President, had six kids. They're names were: Martha, Jane, Mary, Lucy the first, Lucy the second, and a stillborn son.

Martha Washington Jefferson, named after her mother, was born in 1722 and died in 1836. From age 12 to 17, she lived in Paris while her father served as a U.S. minister to France. In 1790, Martha married Thomas Mann Randolph Jr. , who served as governor for Virginia from 1819 to 1822. In 1826, she inherited Monticello from her father, Thomas Jefferson, but had to sell it to James T. Barclay in 1831 because of financial trouble.

Jane Randolph Jefferson was named after Thomas Jefferson's mother. However, she was born in 1774 and lived for only a year, dying in 1775.

The Jefferson's infant son was born in 1777, but was stillborn.
Mary Wayles Jefferson was born in 1778 and died in 1804. In 1797, she married her cousin and childhood friend John Wayles Eppes. Their first child was born in 1800, but died after just a couple days. In 1801, Mary gave birth to their only child to survive infancy: Francis W. Eppes. Their final child was born in 1804, but was small and died later that year. Mary never recovered from her last birth and died later that year.

There isn't much information on the Jefferson's last two children: Lucy Elizabeth Jefferson I and Lucy Elizabeth Jefferson II. Lucy the first lived only a year: 1780 to 1781. Lucy the second only lived three years: 1782 to 1785. Overall, with only two out of six kids living more than 3 years, the Jefferson's family life isn't exactly what you'd call enjoyable.

25 Random Things About Me

1. I love Siwwy Pu'y!!!!!! I have two original red eggs full of Siwwy Pu'y, a full pink egg, and an orange egg that's half full. (Or half empty. It depends on if you're optimistic or not.
2. I'm afraid of spiders, snakes, and cats with no hair.
3. Zach and I have a random list that we use to write down the random things Zach says. Out of the blue, he says stuff like: I like to play with milk and cookies.
4. One of my favorite things to do is to play Uchre with my grandparents when they come over.
5. Many people know that I play the piano, but what people don't know is that I've been playing viola since second grade.
6. I love to travel. I've gone to Canada two times, but other than that, I usually just travel in the United States
7. I can type 65 words per minute!! Seriously! I can!
8. My favorite type of dog is pugs, but I've never had one.
9. My favorite food is... well, I don't really know. I like a lot of foods.
10. I don't like a lot of foods too. Those include spinach, shrimp, and mushrooms.
11. I own a Play Station 3, but I only have time to play it on the weekends. My games include: NCAA '08 and '09, Madden '08, Guitar Hero 3, and Ridge Racer 7, which is a really fun car racing game.
12. Not many people know that I have an enormous Lego collection.
13. I love to watch movies. Some of my favorite movies include Remember the Titans, Miracle, Monty Python and the Holy Grail, and Get Smart.
14. My favorite TV shows are Mythbusters and Sports Center.
15. I have a cat named Jasper and a golden retriever named Bailey. I also used to own to hamsters. My brother had one and I had one. Mine died early. We joke that it was because he ate too much. My brother's hamster was really skinny because mine hogged all the food, but good ol' Scabbers lived for a while.
16. I am a Siwwy Pu'y EXPERT! (See my other blogs.)
17. I love to play sports. I play quarterback in football, and I play in two different basketball leagues. (I'm a really busy.) I used to play soccer, but then I started playing football.
18. One of my nicknames is Henfree. (don't ask)
19. I love computers!
20. I wear contacts. I got them this summer because I have terrible eyesight.
21. My favorite restaurant is Panhandler's. They're pizza is SO good!!
22. When I was really little, my family and I were canoeing down a river. Then, when we got to some rapids, I fell out of the boat and got stuck underneath the canoe. Thankfully, the boat tipped so I didn't drown. Everyone fell out, though. We were all okay.
23. My favorite holidays are Christmas and Halloween.
24. Some of the cool things in my house include: the trampoline in my back yard, my Play Station 3, my pool table, my air hockey table, my dart board, and my HD TV. (I may seem like some spoiled rich kid, but I'M NOT!)
25. I love to read. I've read tons and tons of books.

More Info on Silly Putty

( A lot ) More Information on Silly Putty

Ok, so I've done the history of silly putty, but some eggs are still left unturned. What's happening to silly putty in the present, you may ask. Because you want to know. You know you want to! So read my blog. (Now. Because I told you to.)

The sales of Silly Putty are incredible. By 1987, Silly Putty was selling over 2 million eggs every year! Oh and get this, since 1950, over 300 million eggs of Silly Putty have been sold. That's about 4,500 tons!
Finding how many different types of Silly Putty there really are was difficult, but after discovering the official Silly Putty website, it was a piece of cake.(or Silly Putty) Of course, you have your original Silly Putty. You know, the pinkish colored stuff in the red eggs. (see picture of red eggs) Then, you've got the classic bright-colored Silly Putty. That comes in orange, bright yellow, pink, and bright green. (see picture of orange eggs) Silly Putty also features holiday packs, like the Christmas pack, (which I believe Taylor has) featuring a bright red and a dark green egg, or the Spring Pack, featuring an egg of pastel pink and an egg of pastel blue. Then, Silly Putty got technical. They added Glow in the Dark Silly Putty. (see picture) Glow in the Dark Silly Putty came in yellow, bright blue, pink, and bright green. Changeable Silly Putty came next-a temperature sensitive Silly Putty that changes colors from the warmth of your hand. Changeable Silly Putty is availible in an orange changing to yellow variety, a pink to purple variety, and a green to turquoise variety. In 2000, Silly Putty made the golden Silly Putty for the fiftieth anniversary. There are innumerable types of Silly Putty, but I think I've said enough on the subject for now.
Personally, I love to sculpt things with Silly Putty. I sculpt "Mr. Marshmellow" (see me for details) all the time and I love to slowly feed the Silly Putty through my fingers to make it into one long strand. It's also fun to poke the ends of pencil and pen caps into the Silly Putty to make cool designs. I have no real preference to the color of Silly Putty I use, but I like the bright colors better than the plain pinkish color.
Random cool facts!!!!!

• Silly Putty is often called, "the toy with one moving part."
• Silly Putty was taken up in space by the passengers of Apollo 8, and used to keep tools down during the time when they were in zero gravity.
• Each egg of Silly Putty contains about 13.3 grams of putty.
• After recent tests by yours truly, Mr. Baatz, I have proved that it is not safe to play with Silly Putty while driving.
• About 600 pounds of Silly Putty is produced each day.
• Many athletes squeeze Silly Putty to strengthen their grip.
• Silly Putty bounced into the National Toy Hall of Fame in 2001.

Civil Rights Movement

Since we have just read "Pretty Pennies Picket," in Open Court, Mr. Baatz has asked me to do a blog on the civil rights movement through the 40's.
On January 15, 1941, Phillip Randolph called for a 10,000 person African American march into Washington D.C. Randolph postponed the march on January 28, however, because President Roosevelt issued a law prohibiting racial discrimination when hiring African Americans for jobs. In 1942, the Committe of Racial Equility was formed. SILLY PUTTY IS MADE IN 1943!!!!!! In 1945, on April 12, President Roosevelt died and Vice-President Harry Truman became President. Japan then surrendered on August 14, therefore ending World War II. On June 3, 1946, the Supreme Court ruled that the Virginia law requiring segregated seating on buses is unnessecary. On April 15, 1947, Jackie robinson played his first game for the Brooklyn Dodgers, therefore becomingh the first African-American to play in the major leagues since the 1880's. On March 22, 1948, Phillip Randolph warned Truman at a White House meeting that he will lead a civil disobedience campaign against the draft unless the armed forces are integrated. Truman wins the election on November 2. In 1949, administration proposed legislation to make lynching a federal crime, abolish poll taxes in national elections, and end segregation in interstate transportation. As you can see, the 1940's was a tough time for all African-Americans throughout the United States. Bibliography: "Timeline 1941-1973." Reporting Civil Rights. 6 Feb. 2009.

Siwwy Pu'y History

Since I love Siwwy Pu'y so much, I decided to write up a history about it. During World War II, when America's rubber supply ran low, some chemists desperately attempted to find a substitute. In 1943, James Wright, a General Electric engineer, combined boric acid and silicone, and the result, which wasn't much good for a rubber substitute, made an awesome toy. The goo attracted the attention of Peter Hodgson who collected $47,000 in debt to produce and endorse "Silly Putty." Siwwy Pu'y sold very poorly until talk about the new toy was featured in an August 1950 issue of The New Yorker. It only took three days for Silly Putty orders to top 250,000. Siwwy Pu'y was the new big hit, and continues its spree today.

Bibliography: Phillips, Charles. "Silly Putty." American History Magazine Dec. 2006: 69.

THIRD BLOG!!!

THIS IS MY THIRD BLOG- ok ok I'll stop now.

SECOND BLOG!!!

THIS IS MY SECOND BLOG!!!!! I'M HAVING SO MUCH FUN!!!!!

First Blog!!!!!!!!

THIS IS MY FIRST BLOG!!!!!!!!!OH YEAH!!!!