home

Jan Barratt's Portfolio Welcome to my portfolio! On this Wiki, you will find a selection of my most impressive work of my school years, starting from seventh grade

About Me: I'm an average 7th grader born in Minnesota who moved to Poland at the age of nine. After four years of staying in Poland, I plan to move to Berlin. Below is another picture of me and the song Uptown Girl by Westlife. Watch both videos. The one on top first, then the second one. HAVE FUN!

media type="youtube" key="hyVeRYAOX0U" height="385" width="640"

media type="youtube" key="1QYLjUt5yIs" height="385" width="480"

cristgaming.com/pirate.swf

Seventh Grade: Below are a series of my school work from seventh grade. I spent around one to two months of work on most of these. All of these I am really proud of and I believe they completely represent my 2009/2010 school year at ASW.

Here are some of my EPIC essays from seventh grade, Starting with my Rome Letter, which was sent to the governor of health in Minnesota.

= Friday 13, November 2009 = = Jan Barratt’s Rome Letter = Hello, my name is Jan Barratt. I am a seventh grader in Poland, and I am here to talk to you about a quite serious problem that is happening all over the world. Environmental and public health problems. Things like cancer, AIDS, HIV, swine flu and other really serious health issues all over the world. The issue itself about fighting different viruses has been alive for a long time, and I think it’s time that we start acting. Although there are tons of different viruses, the one I am going to talk most about now is cancer. I have had tons of deaths in my family. My grandma, grandpa, great grandma have all died because of lung cancer. Grandpa died when he was about 70 and grandma when she was 81. This has all occurred because of smoking. I still have no idea how pumping smoke into your lungs was good for you. A very similar problem occurred in Ancient Rome, and health problems definitely contributed to the downfall. As you might know, the Romans had pipes known as aqueducts to carry water across the city. But what most people didn’t know is that these pipes were made of lead. Now, when great emperors and normal people drank water from these pipes, they were consuming lead. This of course was deadly and many people died. If an enormous empire like Rome, was defeated because of health problems, imagine what it could do to the USA when diseases start going around. That is why we should keep a wary eye on this subject. Like I’ve said, health problems are not a joke, and many people have died because of them. When we drink out of the same cup we get viruses. When we sneeze we get viruses. When we cough we pass viruses. This is not something to laugh about. So wash your hands, put your hands over your mouth when you cough, and do whatever you can to stay healthy, and spread the word.

All the best,

Jan Barratt

Now I will show you my persuasive essay. Unlike other essays, mine relates how no-kill shelters should be changed to kill shelters. PERSUASIVE DRAFT 5,000,000 dogs are abandoned per year in the US. If the animal is lucky, it will go to a shelter, but if it is even luckier, it will go to a kill shelter. A kill shelter is a normal animal refuge that terminates animals (euthanasia) after it being in a shelter for three months or so. In a no-kill shelter, they will never kill the animals they rescue. Why kill the animals when you can save them? That is the topic to prove. No-kill shelters should definitely change to kill shelters. To start off the speech, all animals are entitled to a happy life, and although it might seem smart to put them in anti-kill shelter to be adopted and never extirpated, it is actually the opposite. For one, there are many diseases being brought in and out. Even if the vet insists diseases didn’t spread, you cannot be positive. Also, the government try to make shelters in a rural area, which happens to be the same place many factories are. The animals are getting not enough vitamins and poor medical care and as a result are slowly dying. In annihilation shelters, the government here wants them more or less in the middle of the city so they are easy to get to. Because non-extermination shelters are so packed with animals they have to be far away so they don't bother people. As all living beings on the world, animals wish to to be cared for with lots of love and attention, and this is much easier to do with less animals. In every shelter, whether slaughter or no slaughter, people give up their time to play with the animals, and, of course, with fewer animals, the goal is easier to achieve. Above all, kill shelters cost much less than no kill refuges. The first point is focused on how much less it costs to run a kill shelter. In an average kill shelter, they can have around to 400 animals, only. It may seem like a lot, but compared to an average no kill shelter of around 1000 animals of all sorts, that number is really little. For just food, one no-kill shelter has to spend almost 2000 PLN just for the food! In order to keep business, and life, for that matter, these animals need to have vaccinations of rabies, canine distemper, canine influenza, and thrombocytopenia, Bubonic plague, tapeworms and many others. Average rabies shots costs between thirteen and seventy dollars, a distemper shot twenty-three dollars and a tapeworm check forty dollars. As you can plainly see, it is much cheaper to run a kill shelter, so why should you have a no-kill shelter? Again, no-kill shelters are known to be very safe and very trustworthy (har-har). So people will often say they are no kill, but really kill because they just can't take care of that many animals. In 2003, after an authority from the CCAC (Concerned Citizens for //Animal// Control) stated that the city was entirely no kill, they reportedly killed 80% of shelters animals. This isn't the only case. Many shelters slap on the no-kill sign just to gain 'customers'. Now, hey, some of these people may be perfectly no-kill and not harm a soul. Then again, others just do not realize the difference between humanely euthanizing them, and putting them in a torn up shelter to die slowly. Generally speaking, many people could very well counter this argument by saying all living beings have the right to live. The owner might not realize it, but the little fur ball really needs them and wants them to give a happy life. Furthermore, if you had the choice, to be terribly tortured until death, or to die a nice quick boom your out, which would you choose? As another snappy comeback, we have the right to live, but who knows what the future holds for us? Could be worse than it is now? In a wrap, no kill shelters are known to have the feeling of safety and love towards animals, but often these animals really loathe life in these refuges. They have little personal space, low quality food and diseases spread quickly. Besides this, the animals need to be LOVED. They need to have people take care of them, and have attention. Whether kill shelter or not, an animal needs love, and in a kill shelters with less animals this is easier. In addition, people must really be careful if the shelter you are looking at really is no-kill, because this is a common cover. So remember, if looking for a shelter, give it to a happy kill shelter, because although they will die sooner, they will be happy in there afterlife, instead of dieing in pain.

Here is another final paper, the Shogun paper, relating to how Japan became the second most powerful economy in the world.

When people think of Japan, they think of swords, calligraphy, and funky warriors in bamboo hats. It’s more than just that. Japan had probably one of the most colourful histories in the ancient world, specifically the time of **Shogun** and **Samurai**. Thanks to Shogun and Samurai, Japan became sturdier than ever, and could withstand invaders and enemies very well. Nowadays, Japan has the second most powerful economy in the world. How did it get this way? Was it always so powerful? The purpose of this paper is to look closer at an important period of Japanese history for understanding the links between the past and present. The Shogun and Samurai were influential figures in Japanese history. First of all, a Shogun was a ruler. To some extent, he acted like a king but not entirely. Like a king, he had a kingdom to rule. Also similar to a king, he ruled an army. But one difference between shogun and kings is that there was more than one of them at a time. The power a shogun was limited to the land he controlled. Shogun frequently warred with each other for influence. Because of this, **shogunates**, which are Japanese dynasties, never lasted for much more than 300 years. Shogun actually means: Barbarian-conquering-great-general, and although many texts state how good shogun were, shogun were often perceived by their people as cruel leaders and were often disliked. Shogun enforced harsh rules, limiting and restricting certain hairstyles, clothing, beliefs and rights. As developed below, Shogun were very seclusion oriented and wished to have full control over Japan at all times. They even made a protective wall around Japan to not only keep people out, but to keep people in. Japan refused to open their gates to western traders until 1854, which will be mentioned later. Now, the word "Shogunate" came up a lot. So what really is a Shogunate? A Shogunate is how to call a dynasty or a royal bloodline in Imperial Japan. In a Shogunate, a Shogun is "king". Through the history of Japan from 1185 to 1867 (years of when Japan was under shogun), there were three major shogunates: the Kamakura Shogunate, which was the first one, the Ashikaga Shogunate, probably the longest one, and the Togukawa Shogunate, the last Shogunate with the harshest rules. To top it off, each and every one of them will be discussed, including the Kemmu Restoration, the three years during imperial Japan which was lead by an emperor. In turn, a samurai was the warrior for the Shogun and an important part of Japanese history. They fought for their country, most of them were vassals to a **daimyo**, and were rewarded for their heroic deeds. But what most of modern day people don’t notice is how loyal samurai were to their shogun or master. They would bow down to their master at all times, never looked them in the eye, and, what is probably most amazing is how if their master died, they would perform seppuku, or the Japanese style of suicide, committed by slitting the belly and being **decapitated** right before they have the chance to scream. All in all, samurai were amazing warriors, loyal to their master. In order to better understand the history of the Shogun periods, it seems to be important to explain life before the Shogun. These periods are the Jomon, Yayoi, Kofun, and Heian. Starting in 10,000 BCE, Japanese history was divided into three time periods. From 10,000 BCE to 300 BCE, Japan was under the Jomon period, recognized for their amazing skills of making pottery with very amazing designs and great detail. From 300 BCE to 300 CE, there was the Yayoi period, also recognized for their pottery, but the Yayoi pottery was much simpler than Jomon. The last period, known as the Kofun or "Old Tomb" lasted from 300 CE to 710 CE, was a period of civil war. City-states warred with one another for power over Japan. Their social status was based on how elaborate the governors’ to-be-tombs were. After this period, Japan was ruled by the Heian dynasty, a period of great influence to modern day Japan. The Heian period was a period of great peace, as during this period almost no wars broke out, allowing Japan to settle down, be quiet, and surround themselves in nature. The founder of the Heian period was emperor Kammu, who moved the capital of Japan from Nara to Heian-Kyo (present-day **Kyoto**). As mentioned before, the people of the Heian period were very surrounded by nature. The Japanese form of poetry known as Tanka comes from the Heian period. It is said that the people of Japan took a relaxing break and wrote this poetry by nature to be inspired. This and other things such as Heian writing and drama are still being used today. After the Heian period came a three-year long civil war known as the Gempei Wars. This was mainly involving the two clans, **Taira** and Minamoto. The Minamoto clan had two famous military leaders, Yoritomo and Yoshitsune. Yoritomo was the shogun to be, but Yoshitsune was Minamoto’s main military leader. He fought in multiple rebellions, the majority being successful. At the end of the third year, Japan’s dominant clan was Minamoto. The end of the Gempei Wars marks the beginning of the shogunates. The first of those couple shogunates was the Kamakura Shogunate. Its founder, Minamoto Yoritomo, was the first-ever shogun. He fought in numerous rebellions, including the Gempei Wars along with his cousin Yoshitsune. He fought well for his country, and even though he was exiled by the Taira clan to **Izu province**, he went back to Japan to avenge his father’s death. Eventually, by 1185, the Kamakura clan was dominant over Japan. But this was not the end of their troubles. By 1199, Yoritomo had died in a riding accident. But before he died, he had married a 'Hojo' by the age of 30. A Hojo is referred to a person who has power over the Shogun. The Hojo deliberately chose a son in the bloodline to be the next Shogun and then restricted the political actions of that Shogun. So the eldest son of Yoritomo, Yoriie, was chosen. “  But he and the six shoguns who followed him in the office ruled mainly as figureheads, since many of them were children at the time they took office. Rather, it was the Hôjô who made the decisions.” (Baker, 7) By the year 1247 the reign of the Hojo was over and the power of the shogun was restored. While in Japan the Kamakura Shogunate was taking control, in the west of Asia, Kublai Khan and his Mongol army conquered most of the continent except for Japan. So he sent out envoys to surrender Japan, only, the Japanese weren’t very hospitable towards the envoys. In fact, they decapitated these men. This angered Kublai Khan, and he prepared an army to invade Japan. By the next couple of months, he issued an army of Korean and Mongolian soldiers and seamen, many without experience. First they attacked the two islands off the coast of Japan, Tsushima and Iki. The samurai managed to hold off the Mongols with 200 soldiers for a while, and did the same in Iki. However the Mongols did get through eventually and the samurai met them on the coast of Japan for a final showdown. The Mongols had much better cavalry and were trained to fight in teams while samurai were trained individually. If it weren’t for a tropical storm in which the Mongols lost 13,000 men, the Japanese most likely would have lost.

It was not until seven years later when Kublai Khan invaded once more. So in 1284, the Mongols went in and attempted to attack Japan once more. This time, though, they were in for a shock. The Japanese had created a protective wall all around Japan. The Mongolians had great difficulty getting through this. This wall was not used for anything except defensive purposes. The Kamakura shogunate was followed by a dynasty, which was ruled by an emperor. Prince Go-Diago was the son of the 91st emperor of Japan, Go-Uda. Go-Daigo did not find shogunates an efficient way to rule Japan. A couple years after the start of his reign in 1318, he started to look for the support of displeased warriors, monks, and thieves. Unfortunately, by the year 1324 the Shogun had found out and exiled him. When he returned, he found he had not lost followers, but actually gained followers, including the cousin of Minamoto no Yoritomo, Takauji Ashikaga. With his army, Go-Daigo infiltrated Japan and by 1333 took over the emperor’s throne. This was not considered a Shogunate, but is known as the Kemmu Restoration. Although not certain, the 2nd real Shogunate is thought to have developed because of the Kemmu Restoration. As mentioned earlier, Ashikaga Takauji helped in conquering Japan for Go-Daigo. So, Takauji was hoping to become Shogun. Unfortunately for him, Go-Daigo did not want a Shogun in his kingdom. This infuriated Takauji, and after only three years in office, another rebellion started. Takauji easily found unhappy people and soldiers, and together they threw Go-Daigo off the throne. Soon Japan made way to a new Shogunate: The Ashikaga Shogunate. The Tokugawa Shogunate was the last of its kind. It was founded by Tokugawa Ieyasu, a powerful military leader who put an end to the Ashikaga Shogunate and moved the capital to Edo, modern day Tokyo. Ieyasu made sure that overthrowing his might was literally impossible. He enforced strong rules. He expanded the Daimyo rights, almost as far as those of a Shogun. Ieyasu felt that with more control, the state will be safer. In 1600, the Daimyo had too much power and started warring with each other. Ieyasu built a wall around Japan to keep out foreigners and to keep Japanese people inside Japan. This also ended merchants trading. In 1844, William II of the Netherlands sent a message requesting Japan to open the boundaries and let in traders. Japan instantly turned this down. Almost ten years later, in 1853, the United States of America sent Commodore Michael Perry with 4 warships- The //Mississippi, Plymouth, Saratoga and Susquehanna//- to Edo. The ships fired a series of immensely powerful cannon balls at the city wall. The Japanese stood and observed in awe. The next year the USA and Japan signed the Treaty of Peace and Amity, allowing Americans to go in and out of Japan. After fourteen years of this, in 1867 the Shogun system collapsed and Japan became a **Parliamentary Democracy**. While the Shogun Period was a strong part of Japanese history, at the end of the shogun period, Japan opened their gates to trade leading to a stronger Japan. During the Shogun Period, Japan was stronger military-wise, but this was done through pure force. Japan enjoyed a period of peace with no attacks from the outside. Japan was the one country in the region that was not taken over by the Mongols, and when they did they held them off with 200 men. Japanese Shogun were very seclusion oriented, and the Shogun easily lost the trust of their people. Shogun made a long wall that surrounded all of Japan, forbidding anyone to come in or out. The Shogun enforced harsh rules depicting hairstyle, clothing and accessories. Thankfully in 1854 the US government forced them to open up to trade. 150 years later, Japan has now the second largest economy in the world.