Tuesday, August 31, 2010

Agricultural Revolution

"It was the best of times, it was the worst of times..." The advent of agricultural is the single most significant event in human history. Without agriculture, none of what we take for granted today would be possible—the good, the bad or the ugly. Agriculture, the domestication of animals and plants, allowed a chain of events to occur that catapulted culture into "civilization." By choosing to follow the path created by agriculture, humanity, while tapping into its vast, but until then latent, talents moved from individual self sufficiency ten thousand years ago to at best regional and at worst, global self sufficiency today. But domestication is a two way street. Just think how many people dread power outages (I mean they're fun for a while, but a protracted power outage would be a real challenge). And what would happen if the grocery stores failed to open for a month? This unit will allow students to explore this time of truly revolutionary change and explore its consequences both intended and unintended. The links below offer some more insight into this pivotal time period. This site from WSU aka WaZoo is the closest to local that I've got on my site so far. It outlines the Agricultural Revolution very well and it's nice to be able to tap into experts in our own backyard. You should check it out regardless of who you root for in the Apple Cup. Also of interest is this encyclopedia-type article about the history of agriculture. It does a good job of relating the many issues relating to the development of agriculture and you can learn a lot of jargon to boot. Jared Diamond, writer of such books as Guns, Germs and Steel and Collpase, had this to say about the Agricultural Revolution. .




BBC World News

  • Attack follows news of Afghan talks
    • Four US soldiers have been killed at Bagram airbase in Afghanistan, hours after the US announced direct talks with the Taliban.
  • G8 backs urgent Syria peace talks
    • G8 leaders back calls for Syrian peace talks to be held in Geneva "as soon as possible", without mentioning the fate of President Bashar al-Assad.
  • Brazil president 'proud' of protests
    • Dilma Rousseff says she is proud so many people are fighting for a better country, as new protests take place in Sao Paulo and other cities.
  • Chile to extradite Argentine judge
    • The Chilean Supreme Court approves the extradition of former Argentine judge Otilio Romano, accused of human rights abuses under the military government.
  • Nigeria militants kill school pupils
    • Suspected Boko Haram militants in Nigeria kill at least nine school children, in what survivors suggest is a response to growing vigilante groups.
  • US surveillance 'foiled 50 plots'
    • The head of the US electronic spying agency tells Congress surveillance programmes leaked to media helped thwart 50 attacks since 2001.