Laurents’ English Blog

Alzheimer’s is spreading! 
“Why? Ironically, in fighting heart disease, cancer and other diseases, “we’re keeping people alive so they can live long enough to get Alzheimer’s disease,” explains association vice president Steve McConnell.

Indeed, when the baby boomers start to turn 65, in 2011, hope will fade. Already 5 million Americans suffer from this mind losing disease, but now, as the elder population is increasing, Alzheimer’s will become more than common. This is a 10 percent increase compare to five years ago, when the Alzheimer’s Association estimated numbers. As known, age is the biggest factor in this disease, and when the baby boomers turn 65, Alzheimer’s will, as others say, sky rocket. This is obviously a crisis because this is showing that in contrary to all of our technological advances, Alzheimer’s is getting worse. Although this article is not shown in a worldwide aspect, Alzheimer’s is a major disease, which no one knows the cure to. Alzheimer’s simply robs the victim’s memory and abilities to care for themselves and then eventually kills them. This is a crisis, as it is getting much worse and the expenses for the medical care are depriving money for other, curable illnesses. It is hard to find reasons why this progressive growth is occurring so rapidly, but people must begin to act.

Here is the actual article from cnn

http://www.cnn.com/2007/HEALTH/conditions/03/19/alzheimers.ap/index.html

Step 1:
Where did the Aztecs originally live?
The Aztecs used to live in Atzlan, which is located in the North West of Mexico. What prompted them to relocate? Their chieftain, (Tenoch) led them to the valley of Mexico, named Anahuac. At the time, the Aztecs were wild and poor and would occasionally eat snakes and rats. They were driven from one place to another due to Tenoch’s vision. Where did they end up and why? When Tenoch had a vision, he saw the god Huitzilopochtli. He told him to find an eagle devouring a snake on a cactus, which happened to be on the swampy island of Lake Texoco. Chose an artifact, which you feel best, represents this event. Support your choice

Step 2:
The Aztecs ended up in the middle of a lake and built their new capital Tenochtitlan. What were the pros and cons of settling in the middle of a lake? Cons were: snake infested lakes, Pros: they could crop all year using irrigation. The chinampas were substitutes for farms. The canals were even used y defense. Describe the lay of the land and chose an image for your exhibit.

Step 3:
Which gods were worshiped? The pyramids were built for what purpose? Aztecs used the powers of nature to represent their gods. The most important of their gods was of war and of the sun. Named Huitzilopochtli. The pyramids were built for sacrificial purpose to please the gods.
Step 4:
Who are the different members of Aztec society? Slaves, commoners, and nobility were the 3 classes of the Aztec society. What are their roles? Slaves could by their freedom, but parents sold them at a young age. Commoners, (macehualtin) were engaged in agriculture. They were the majority of Aztecs. They were given full ownership of their land for their lifetime. Finally, the nobility were the people born rich, such as priests and those who earned their rank. Pipiltin was the family occupying the very high social group. The tlatoani was the chosen supreme leader of the nobles. (Choose an artifact that represents the social order of Aztec society.

Step 5:
The Aztecs have a spoken language. What was it called? There are only about 30 phonetic sounds in the Maya language. They used Pictographs, small pictures, (glyphs) to communicate. It was called Nahuatl. Did they use any other forms of communication? Include an example of either written or visual language of the Aztecs.

Step 6:
How did the Aztecs grow food and what was their main crop? The Aztecs made terraces that went down a hall to control the water flow. (This stopped flooding of the farming). They also used “Slash and Burn” method. They could extend their crops using Chinampas. These anchored islands helped the Aztecs grow corn, chili peppers, squash, tomatoes, beans, and other kinds of foods. They mainly ate a tlaxcalli, a thin cornmeal pancake, (tortilla). Their meat included dear, rabbit, duck, and geese. Did they trade and with whom? They traded with other countries like Belize, Honduras …they used cotton, rubber, golden ornaments, woven clothing, salt, jaguar skin, for trade. Did they have a currency (money)? Their currency-included cacao beans. Find an image for your exhibit about making a living Aztec style.

Step 7:
Discuss the Impact of Spanish Contact 1519 from both the Aztec point of view and the Spanish point of view. Hernan Cortes went to South American country with the intention of steeling the gold and bringing it to Spain. With 500 soldiers and small boats, he arrived in the eastern coast of Mexico. It was unfair because the Spanish had guns and the Aztecs did not have any. Find an image depicting this event.

Step 8:
Discuss La Malinche or Dona Marina. She was the first “Mexican” mother. Debate her positive/negative impact on Mexico past and present. What does the term Mestizo refer to? A Mestizo is a person of mixed racial ancestry, especially of mixed European and Native American ancestry. What influences remain today from Aztec