The Northern Renaissance Questions

Utopia- Means "no place" in Greek. Thomas More wrote a book in 1516 called Utopia to show a better model for society

William Shakespeare- Most famous writer in the Elizabethan Age. Famous for many plays he wrote, and wrote a speech to address the Renaissance's view on human nature.

Johann Gutenberg- Craftsman from Mainz, Germany and developed the printing press to spread news (Gutenberg Press)

3. He was the only artist to draw things as they really were, drew a real animal in "young hare".

4. The Renaissance changed society by inspiring a new form of art that is purely realistic things and not just fake, mythological things.

5. The printing press was so important because it allowed for news/books to be produced on a much larger scale and to be shared far quicker.

Italy: The Birth Place of the Renaissance

Renaissance- Period in European history from 1300 to 1600 where a new interest in culture led to changes in art, learning, and views of the world.

Humanism- Intellectual movement that focused on human potential and achievements.

Secular- Worldly rather than spiritual and concerned with the here and now.

Patrons- A person who supports artists, mainly financially.

Perspective- Art technique that shows three dimensions on a flat surface.

Vernacular- Everyday language of the people in a region or country.

3. Renaissance men who excelled in many feilds was praised as a universal man. A young man should be charming, witty, well educated, know how to dance, sing, play music, and write poetry. Renaissance women were expected to know the classics and be charming. They were expected to inspire art but not create it. 

4. It had thriving cities, a wealthy merchant class, and the classical hertitage of ancient Greece.

5. They beautified Rome and other cities by spending huge amounts on the arts. They became patrons by financially supporting artists. They had their importance demonstrated by having their portraits painted in public squares

Test Day

          We took our test today and I thought it was going to be extremely hard. When I first saw the test I noticed that it really wasn't as hard as I planned for. I don't think I got an A but I don't think I failed so I guess that's good. I have a pretty good grade in this class so I'm not really worried about it.

Test Review

          In class today we reviewed for our big unit test on Rome and I'm certain I am going to fail. We learned so much stuff that I don't remember reading in the textbook and now I'm so confused. Our test is tomorrow mod 8 so I guess I will find out then if I fail! I knew most of the stuff leading right up until the government. After this point, I was completely lost.

Missed Class

         I wasn't in class today because I wasn't feeling well.

DAY 8

Greco-Roman culture- a mix of Greek, Hellenistic, and Roman culture.

Pompeii- A Roman town covered by the ashes of Mount Vesuvius.

Virgil-  A poet who wrote the Aeneid, the epic of the legendary Aeneas.

Tacitus-  Roman historian who presented accurate facts and he also wrote about Rome's morality.

Aqueducts- Designed by Roman engineers to bring water into towns and cities.

5. Latin language remained the official language of the Roman Catholic Church in the 20th century. Latin was adopted into French, Spanish, Portuguese, Italian, and Romanian. These were also known as the romance languages.

DAY 7

           The United States is declining in ways that are similar to the fall of the Roman Empire, but also in a few ways that are different. As a country, we have so much power and our political leaders don't really know how to control it all. The United States is one of the largest and most powerful countries in the world and if we don't know how to control it, we lose everything and become easy to attack. Along with this, Trump is destroying connections that we have with some countries that could've benefitted us or simply left our communications neutral. The United States and Russia were never perfect together but, we got along well enough that they would leave us alone. Now that Trump is in office, Russia hates us. Russia is also a very large and powerful country and if they get it together, they could attack and destroy us. While the United States remains stable economically, poor choices from our leaders could lead to the United States decline. This country isn't declining as rapidly as the Roman Empire did, but anything can happen.

DAY 6

Inflation- a drastic drop in the value of money coupled with a raise in prices.

Mercenary- foreign soldiers who fought for money, felt little sense of loyalty to the empire.

Diocletian- a strong-willed army leader, became the new emperor of Rome in 284 A.D.

Constantinople- The city of Constantine, the new name for the capital.

Attila- a powerful chieftain who terrorized both halves of the empire.

3. The main internal causes of the fall of the Roman Empire were inflation, serious agricultural problems, destroyed farmland due to wars, and the disarray of the military by the lack of discipline and loyalty.

4. Diocletian succeeded by ruling with an iron fist and fixing the previous problems Rome suffered. He split the entire empire in half and ruled the Eastern part, and he doubled the size of the Roman army.

5. The Germans invaded the Roman Empire because the Huns were invading their land and destroying everything so they had to flee.

DAY 5

Jesus: A Jew who was born in the town of Bethlehem in Judea.

Apostle: 12 men who were Jesus' disciples/pupils.

Paul: An apostle who had an enormous development on the development of Christianity.

Diaspora: The dispersal of the Jews.

Constantine: (A.D. 312) Roman emperor who fought three rivals for leadership of Rome.

Bishop: A priest who supervised several local churches.

Peter: Traveled to Rome from Jerusalem and became the first bishop there.

Pope: Peter was the first pope, the father or head of the Christian Church. Whoever was Bishop of Rome was the leader of the whole church.

3. In the early teachings of Jesus, he emphasized God's personal relationship to each human being. He wanted people to know that God loves them and that they should give their love back to God.

4. The Christians faced persecution from the Romans because they would refuse to worship Roman God's which hurt Roman rulers. Along with this, rulers would use them as scapegoats for political and economical troubles. As a result, Romans started to exile, imprison, and execute the Christians.

5. The importance of the Nicene Creed was that it was the first thing to really define the beliefs of the church. There never was anything prior to this that laid the law out clearly for the members of the church.

DAY 4

             Mr. Schicks rap and the powerpoint both have similar points that they both talk about Rome and the characteristics it has. Early on in the rap it says, "Well, you got the Etruscans and the Greeks But the Latins came first" This line corresponds to a slide in the powerpoint that shares which civilizations had which land and who came first. Later in the song it says, "Brand new republic ready to run Democracy Aristocracy Plus monarchy Not a tyranny." These lines match with the powerpoint when is talks about all of the types of governments Rome experienced and how they would NEVER go back to having a tyranny.

DAY 3

Civil War- Conflicts between groups in the same country.

Julius Caesar- A military leader named Julius Caesar joined forces with Crassus, a wealthy Roman, and Pompey, a popular general.

Triumvirate- A group of three rulers.

Augustus- Title that means, "exalted one."

Pax Romana- For 207 years, peace was throughout the empire, except for some fighting with tribes along the borders. This period of peace meant “Roman peace.”

3. The fall of the Roman Republic was due to discontent among lower classes and a breakdown of the military order/power.

4. Romans were able to control such a large empire because they had a very good and working government system and they had able rulers that knew how to fight and control.

5. To control Rome, officials tried to provide free games, races, mock battles, and gladiator contests.

DAY 2

Republic: Form of government in which power rests with the citizens who have the right to vote for leaders. Voting rights in Rome were granted only to free-born male citizens.

Patrician: The wealthy landowners who held most of the power. 

Plebeian: The common farmers, artisans, and merchants who made up the majority of the population. 

Tribune: Own assembly that elect representatives. 

Consul: Rome's two officials who could overrule each other.

Senate: Aristocratic branch of Rome’s government. It had both legislative and administrative functions in the republic

Dictator: A leader who had absolute power to make laws and command the army. 

Legion: Roman soldiers who were organized into large military units.

Punic Wars: Three wars between Rome and Carthage, fought between 264BC-146BC. Rome won all three wars.

Hannibal: Carthaginian general, brilliant military strategist who wanted to avenge Carthage’s earlier defeat. 

3. There were three main limits of Roman Consuls, they could only serve for one year, the same person could not be elected for ten years, and one consul could always overrule the others decision.

4. The Twelve Tables ensured that all laws were clearly seen and that each citizen (rich or poor) had protection until the law. 

5. Hannibal's attack on Rome was different from the rest because he had a surprise attack and not a head-on one

DAY 1

Main Ideas
Rome started as a republic (a government in which elected officials represent the people). Eventually,  rulers called emperors seized power and expanded the empire.

At its height, the Roman Empire touched three continents—Europe, Asia, and Africa. For several centuries, Rome brought
peace and prosperity to its empire before its eventual collapse.

Out of Judea rose a monotheistic, or single-god, religion known as Christianity. Based on the teachings of
Jesus of Nazareth, it soon spread throughout Rome and beyond.

509 BC- Rome becomes a republic
264 BC- First Punic War begins
218 BC- In the second Punic War Hannibal invades Italy
31 BC- Octavia defeats the forces of Antony and Cleopatra
284 AD- Diocletian becomes emperor
476 AD- Western Roman Empire falls

Last Day With Mr. Schick:(

             In class we listened to a "cool" rap about Rome and it was probably the worst thing I have ever experienced. The song was kinda helpful though for learning a basis about Rome and the Roman culture. I feel like if I actually learned the song I could be really good this unit but I don't know if I have that dedication. These next two weeks without Mr. Schick will be really hard but I think I'll be okay.

Mr. Schick is Preggo

           We got our test back today and we discussed all of the answers to our test. I got a 92 on the test and I was pretty certain I failed so I am very proud of myself. We were also told that Mr. Schick will be leaving us for two weeks because he is getting surgery. He has an umbilical hernia, in other words he is pregnant. I'm wondering if it's a boy or a girl and I'm wondering if he has any names in mind. Maybe he'll bring in some pictures of his child.

Test Day

We took the final test on Ancient Greece today and everyone made it sound extremely challenging however, I didn't think it was that bad. There were like three or four questions that I really had to think about, but other than that I'm feeling pretty good. I think I definitely did good on the two essay questions because those were the two things I understood best. I'm very glad we have a week break!!

Allegory of the Cave

          In class we discussed the Allegory of the Cave and it is a perfect representation of the world today. In this story, people were in caves and would only ever see the shadows on the walls from the things that walked past. They never truly saw the outside and if someone went free, they could come back and share what they saw but people inside never believed them. In lots of situations people aren't given the full information so they get used to what they believe and are ignorant to change that happens.

Questions 146-149

QUESTION 1
Hellenistic- Greek, Egyptian, and Persian culture all blended together after Alexander's death.

Alexandria- Egyptian city that became the center of commerce during the Hellenistic period.

Euclid- Mathematician who taught all over Alexandria, laid the bases for geometry.

Archimedes- Mathematician who accurately estimated pi, explained the lax of lever.

Colossus of Rhodes- Bronze statue that stood 100+ feet tall, one of the 7 ancient wonders.

QUESTION 3
Alexandria became the forefront for commerce/trade which brought in people from all cultures so that they could get in on the wealth from trading.

QUESTION 4
The astronomers that the time used his texts of geometry to help come to conclusions about the size and rotation of the planets.

QUESTION 5
Both concepts promote unity and what one should believe in the gods. Also promote people to live life for themselves in harmony.

Questions 142-145

QUESTION 1

Philip II- King of Macedonia; wanted to take control of Greece, avenge Persian invasion, and battle Persia to gain it's great wealth.

Macedonia- North of Greece, rough terrain, and a cold climate.

Alexander the Great- Son of King Philip to immediately claimed the title as king of Macedonia, became king at 20 years old, worked to gain as much land as possible.

Darius III- King of Persia, tried to withstand Alexander the Great but never could.

QUESTION 3

Philip II was able to conquer Greece by having a very organized phalanx and a fast calvary, raising is military to be very strong, and by always being relentless. Philip never stood down a battle and he was always willing to push through despite what the opposing army might have. 

QUESTION 4 

Alexander first decided to continue his fathers legacy and conquer Persia and he did this successfully. From here on, Alexander was truly only concerned about keeping his reign and he wanted to rule as much land as possible. He would march thousands of miles just to make sure he has all the land.

QUESTION 5 

After Alexander's death, Antigonus became king of Macedonia, Ptolemy ruled Egypt, and Seleucus took the Persian empire. Everyone would fight for the titles but only those three won the land. 

Oedipal Complex

          For much of class today we were discussing Oedipus Rex and somehow the condition, Oedipal Complex came up into conversation. When I heard this I immediately started researching it because it is extremely weird. A definition from Simplypsychology. org reads, "During this stage, children experience an unconsiocus feelings of desire for their opposite-sex parent and jealousy and envy toward their same-sex parent". I honestly cannot even imagine seeing someone have a true obsession with one of their parents. Your parents are supposed to be someone that you love dearly, but one of them shouldn't literally be your everything to the point of obsession and hatred towards the other parent.

Questions

QUESTION 1
Direct Democracy- Allowed Athens to disperse power within the city-state so that citizens were happy with choices.

Classical Art- Style of art that artisans in Greece followed; set the standard for later pieces of art.

Tragedy- Style of theatrical performance to entertain Greeks; typically about love, hate, war or betrayal.

Comedy- Style of theatrical performance to entertain; involved slapstick situations and crude humor.

Peloponnesian War- 431-404BC, Athens was defeated by Sparta which gave Sparta a boost of confidence.

Philosophers- Great thinkers that wanted to deepen their knowledge in the natural world; helped teach citizens and make them think harder about things they believe.

Socrates- One of the first philosophers who would ask one questions on their questions to deepen understanding and make one think harder, brought great knowledge to Athens.

Plato- One of Socrates students and he wrote about encounters with Socrates which allowed others to understand what went on.

Aristotle- Student of Plato who questioned the natural order in the world. Shared the accounts of Plato that he had written down.

QUESTION 3
Pericles started to increase the number of paid public officials so that whether someone was rich or poor, they could run for office. This made the government more inclusive, causing for less people to have hatred towards it. Along with this he started to introduce the idea of direct democracy to cause less revolts.

QUESTION 4
Sparta was very strong at land battles so they would try their hardest to get onto land and stay there and attack Athens that way. Athenians were very good at naval battles and would try to initiate these so they they could win and overtake Sparta. Eventually Athenians weak land military couldn't keep up.

QUESTION 5
Some people were so against the ideas that Socrates shared because it forced people to challenge their mind which was never done. Many were only taught to challenge their physical bodies and not their minds so this was extremely new. Some teachings also went against the Gods and everyone respected the Gods so greatly, they were uncertain if Socrates was teaching good things.

Final Day Of Presentations

           In class we had our final three presentations go and they were all pretty good. Overall, I think the projects went well and I honestly had a lot of fun making them. I'd definitely be down to do something like this again for another unit. This was an easy and fun project and as long as you try, I think it's pretty easy to get a good grade.

My Presentation Day!

           My group presented today and it honestly went better than I would have ever expected. I thought that Mr. Schick was just going to laugh and be so disappointed but, I don't think he was. For the most part, we thought the differences between Athenian and Spartan children in a funny way. I believe that everyone could very clearly see the differences between the genders and the location of the children. This project was actually kinda fun and not that much work.

First Day of Presentations

           In class today, Caitlyn, Miel, Gia, Olivia and Lily all presented. Given that this was the first project, it was pretty good. They essentially did a day in the life of a Greek woman and had to improvise a lot. My group presents tomorrow and I'm honestly not nervous at all for it. Hopefully we get a decent grade because it honestly took us awhile.

No Mr. Schick

           Today, there was no Mr. Schick and we were told to work on our project. My group had nothing to do because we got our video done over the weekend and the paper done during Monday's class time. I'm really bored because I'm not doing anything but I guess it's better than having to read a textbook. I hope that next unit is more enjoyable because I'm really not enjoying learning about civilizations from 2000 years ago.

Wrapping Up the Project

            Today in class, we worked on our project essay and I believe that we finished it. Everyone typed their own paragraph for the place and gender they performed in the video. So far, we have all done equal work which makes me happy because I feel like that NEVER happens during group projects. This past weekend we all met at my house and recorded the actual video and it is the funniest thing ever. I think we'll get an okay grade on this project but I'll just have to wait and see.

Ancient Greece Test

           After what felt like moths of learning about Ancient Greece, today was finally test day. Now, if we read my past blogs it would be very clear that I am an awful student when it comes to Western Civ and cannot seem to pay attention at all. Most people would naturally assume that I would fail a test but, I don't think that this happened today! I am feeling so confident in the test that we took today. I feel like there might be one or two questions that I got wrong but, other than that, I have never felt better about a test in this class!

All The Notes On Ancient Greece

Ancient Greece Geography

• Surrounded by mountains, covered 3/4 of land.
• Fertile valleys covered only 1/4 of land: very hard to make a living off of farming. Only 20% is suitable for farming ARABLE
• Peninsula that juts into Mediterranean Sea.
• 2000 islands within the surrounding seas.
• Three major seas: Aegean, Ionian and Adriatic.
• A major island called Crete in the south/southeast.
• Poor and very limited natural resources.
• Faster to get to the other side of Greece in the sea rather than the land due to mountains.
• Geography allowed for skilled sailors, shipbuilders, farmers, metalworkers, weavers, and potters.
• Developed small, independent communities called city-states to attempt to sustain a community.
• Most valuable crop is olives.

Powerpoint (Again)

          In class today, we continued to discuss the powerpoint and this time...I actually took notes! I wrote majority of my notes about the Greece and Persian War and that wasn't too bad. I also started to look back at my notes from this whole unit and realized we have taken so many notes. The test we take on Friday is going to be extremely long just because of how many notes we have. I am kind of scared for this test because it could very well determine if I get an A in the class so, I am really going to have to study.

Project

           We continued to work on our project and I cannot wait to work on it this weekend. We're all gonna meet at my house and work on the Ma&Pa trail. We figured the trail would be a good background because it very earthy and most likely something that would have been found in Ancient Greece.

Project

           We are FINALLY doing something that isn't book work or a power point and I'm so excited. I've wanted to do something hands on in Western Civ this entire year and my time is finally here. My group is Syd, Belle and Soph and I know we're gonna get a 100. Sophia is FULLY Greek, so we already have the power of the Greeks on our side. I can't wait to get a break from writing notes for an hour!

YAY!

             Mr. Schick wasn't here today and honestly, class didn't feel the same. Instead of taking notes or listening to a powerpoint (or taking a nap) we watched a video. Out of all of the things we've done, the video is definitely my favorite. During videos I am learning, but I also am distracted by what is going on during the movie. I'd prefer to watch videos more often but I HIGHLY doubt that this will happen.

Another Class

          In class today I couldn't keep my eyes open. I fell asleep for a solid 10 minutes and it was the best nap I've taken. Those 10 minutes gave me so much energy and I feel recharged now. I would like to say thank you to Mr. Schick for allowing me to take this nap- it is very, very greatly appreciated. The few notes that I took before my nap were...

-Hippias was a tyrant that ruled from 527BC-510BC
-Isagoras and Cleithenes were both aristocrats
-508BC was birth of democracy and people rose against their leader
-Citizens could participate in elections (citizens were adult, male, property owners, born in Athens)

I Don't Know What We Did in Class

           If I am being entirely honest, I do not recall anything that happened in class today and it is all one giant blur. I know I was there today and I think I was on pretty good behavior so I don't know why I can't recall what we did. I believe we discussed who and what the aristocrats were and they were members of the ruling class. This is the only thing I remember so I hope we didn't learn anything too important.

Class Was NOT Boring!!

            Class today was definitely and interesting one but, it honestly wasn't boring. Greece is starting to become interesting unlike Mesopotamia and Egypt so I'm actually enjoying it!! I took lots of notes from the book today and below will consist of the highlights.

VOCABULARY

Polis- Fundamental politic unit, made of city and countryside.

Monarchy- Rule by single person.

Aristocracy- Rule by a small group of noble, rich people.

Oligarchy- Wealthy groups, dissatisfied with aristocratic rule, seized power.

Tyrant- Powerful individual who gained control by gaining support from the common person, NOT aggressive like modern day tyrants.

Acropolis- Agora, marketplace on a fortified hilltop.

Democracy- Rule by the people.

RULERS

Draco (621BC)

-Rich or poor, Athenians were equal.

-Established a death punishment for nearly every crime.

-Debt slavery to repay the debts you could have from wrong doing.

Solan (594BC)

-Outlawed slavery.

-Established social classes.

-Allowed people to press charges on a wrongdoer.

Cleisthenes (500BC)

-Redid social class and based it off of geographical location and not wealth.

-Allowed citizens to submit laws that they wanted added (increased power of assembly).

-Ultimately allowed for a limited democracy.

I also took lots of notes on education in Sparta, the Spartan military state and the Spartan government but, this is a good place to stop. I learned so much today!

Geography CONTINUED

           We learned and discussed even more of the geography and the Mycenaeans in Ancient Greece and it was boring. I'm getting tired of learned so so so much stuff that is honestly useless and I will never need to know. With this being said, here are the notes from today.

• Greek diet consisted of grains, grapes, olives and fish.
• Lack of resources most likely lead to colonization.
• 1400BC they invaded Crete and absorbed Minoan culture.
• 20 foot thick wall bordered some of the city-states. 

Geography of Greece

            For most of class today we were focusing on the special things about Ancient Greece's geography. Greece did not have geography that worked in their favor and for the most part, they were very limited in what they could do to sustain community. Greece definitely struggled to get started but, in the end they ended up coming out on top.

      Ancient Greece Geography

• Surrounded by mountains, covered 3/4 of land.
• Fertile valleys covered only 1/4 of land: very hard to make a living off of farming.
• Peninsula that juts into Mediterranean Sea.
• 2000 islands within the surrounding seas.
• Three major seas: Aegean, Ionian and Adriatic.
• A major island called Crete in the south/southeast.
• Poor and very limited natural resources.
• Faster to get to the other side of Greece in the sea rather than the land due to mountains.
• Geography allowed for skilled sailors, shipbuilders, farmers, metalworkers, weavers, and potters.
• Developed small, independent communities called city-states to attempt to sustain a community.

Quiz Day!!!!

           We took a quiz today on Ancient Egypt and I have good news! I actually didn't fail this one!! I got a 74/75. I think the one point I got off on the quiz came from me trying to spell "mediterranean" which I definitely got wrong. Getting such a good grade on this brought me from my 86% up to an 89.86%. I finally have the A that I wanted in Western Civ and now I just have to keep it this way!

Test Review!!

            We started to review everything about Egypt today so we could review for our quiz. Everything was super easy but I HAVE to study harder then I ever have before because I have a B in this class and I've never had a B before. I'm kinda nervous because I have to get this grade up. I wish this class was taught a different way to actually make it interesting so I can possibly learn and my attention span can last.

We Did Nothing In Class

          The second we walked into class today, we were handed a worksheet that was the easiest thing ever. I finished the worksheet in like 5 minutes and then just played on my phone and laptop for the rest of class to attempt to occupy myself. We actually went over the worksheet though which was super unexpected because normally we just get papers or books thrown at us and then hear nothing from Mr. Schick for the rest of class. Western Civ is honestly the low, low, low, low, low, LOW point of my day and personally, I'd be okay never ever having a class this boring EVER again.

Section 2 Assessment

1. Delta- Provided transportation and many rich deposits so silt, which is excellent for farming.

    Narmer-  King Narmer created the double crown to unify upper and lower Egypt to stop the                                 discrepancies between the two.

    Pharaoh- Egyptians thought of kings as gods so this gave them an actual name and it gave                                     something to the citizens to worship.

    Theocracy- Gave a standard for the type of government located in Egypt- based off of religious                               authority.   

    Pyramid- Allowed for kings to continued to be worshiped and honored forever because they had                         a permanent resting place within a great pyramid.

    Mummification- The body of royalty could be preserved and honored for many years.

    Hieroglyphic- The writing system that allowed for data to be kept and records to be stored.

    Papyrus- A better and far more advanced surface to write on and inspired modern day paper.

3. The deserts around Egypt made a natural barrier and protected citizens from any intruders. It was very challenging to cross deserts and when attempted, many people didn't make it.

4. Egyptians saw the pharaoh as a god who had reign over every single person. The pharaoh was their everything and things must be done in accompany to what the pharaoh says. 

5. People mummified bodies to preserve them for the afterlife so that they were whole and well kept. They believed that the body should go into the afterlife whole, just as they were when they were alive.

bOoK WoRK

            We walked into class today and immediately started our book work. Normally I don't mind book work, but it was super annoying to take notes on it for the ENTIRE class. Western Civ. has honestly been so boring and it's only going to get worse so I CANNOT wait for this year to be over. Honestly, I've had so much fun this year (aside from this class) and even though I'll see everyone next year, it's going to be sad to move on.

Hammurabi's Code

           Our class today was super short and we pretended to be a judge and decided punishments on our own. When we compared our answers to Hammurabi's actual laws, his were A LOT harsher. Even the littlest of crimes would result in death or something on your body getting cut off. I'm honestly not sure how this solves any problems but I'm not judging. I keep getting super bored in Western Civ but, I guess I'll get over it.

Random, Boring Class

           Honestly, we did literally nothing in class today. 99% of the things we have done in class this week I already took notes on so I haven't really been paying attention. The only thing that I remember about class is that Mr. Schick got a new laser pointer and he was way too excited about it. He would switch slides every two seconds just to show us his laser pointer thing and it was so annoying! I really hope that Western Civ becomes more fun or I might cry.

Hammurabi's Code

           Hammurabi's Code established a written law for all future civilizations. In my personal opinion however, I think that his laws are sometimes so specific I feel like they're useless. Some of them involve crazy situations and if anyone breaks them, they're definitely insane (like someone I know). I thought Western Civ would be fun when it first started but, it might be even worse than Human Geo.

Going over the Test

            In class today we pretty much went over the test for most of the class due to the fact that there was a two hour delay. I thought I did pretty good on the test but I got a 89 but I at least thought I got an A. I was also super annoyed in class today. Mr. Schick turns off the lights so that there is no glare the board but this makes the room really dark. Since I sit in the back corner it gets super dark so I asked him to open the blinds or find a away to provide a little light and he ignored me. Instead he turned off the heat and I'm not sure how that fixes the problem.

Day 2 of Sitting Here and Taking Notes

             In class today, we continued to take even more notes from chapter two. Normally I love taking notes but everything we are taking notes on is so boring so I hate it. Most of the notes I took today were on the different types of empires back in Mesopotamia. The two empires mentioned were Akkad and the Babylonian empire. I learned about these in 7th grade so I really wasn't surprised by any information I read. I really hope this class gets more interesting or I don't know how I'll make it.

How To Take Notes 101

             In today's class we took our first notes out of a textbook in Western Civ. We took these notes for about 20 minutes and then we went over our notes. Mr. Schick asked us what the first thing we wrote was and it turns out that I skipped 2 important pages. I need to start to be more careful with how I take my notes because I could be missing valuable information. I kinda hated taking notes out of the textbook but it was better than listening to a voice for an hour.

Guns, Germs and Steel Test

            During last mod today, we finally took our "Guns, Germs and Steel," test and I have never been happier. We have been learning about this video for literally forever and I am so glad that it is finally over. The test today was honestly super easy and I'm feeling pretty confident about it. I'm so glad that I checked my work on this test because I forgot to do an entire page of questions and that would've been really bad if I turned it in with 6 unanswered questions. I'm hoping that we aren't watching anymore hour long videos because I physically do not have the attention span for another one.

Last Day of Guns, Germs and Steel!

            As the title says, today was finally our last day watching "Guns, Germs, and Steel". I actually feel like I have been watching this video for my entire life and I am so glad it is over. Today, I honestly don't think we gathered any information that was super critical to my new knowledge. With all of the 5(?) days we've put towards this video, we finally have a test about everything we have learned in the video. If I am being completely honest, I have no idea what this test could possibly be on. There's so much information we learned and noted but I didn't think any of it was testable material. I guess I will be surprised tomorrow when I open my test and have no idea what's going on!!

Winter Wonderland

             Just a glimpse at my winter days!

Guns, Germs and Steel Pt. 3

           We continued to discuss the video that Jared Diamond produced about cultural inequality. Although this was what the class was about, I am choosing to write my blog about how Mr. Schick BROKE Sophia's computer charger. Sophia very clearly asked him if she could plug in her computer in the back and yet he still failed to see her cord. Mr. Schick ended up tripping on it and completely bent the metal part. The charger is completely broken and there is absolutely no chance that it is going to work again. I feel so bad for Sophia because the cord is $20 and that isn't cheap given she didn't know her cord was going to snap today. I'm sure her dad isn't going to be very happy about it either which isn't good.

Guns, Germs and Steel Pt. 2

            In class today, we continued to watch the video with Jared Diamond, "Guns, Germs and Steel," just to make sure that the information is stuck in our head. Today's section of the video was mainly about animal and crop domestication. Domestication in general is controlling/altering the natural growing and habitat process of crops and animals. Domestication allowed for different civilizations to thrive because now they have a steady food source. In total, humans have tried to domesticate 148 different types of 100 pounds+ animals. Out of all of these tried animals, on 14 have successfully been domesticated. These animals come from all sorts of classifications. More specifically, these animals are; goats, pigs, cows, horses, sheeps, cows, donkeys, arabian camel, llamas, bactreian camels, water buffalo, reindeers, yaks, mythons and bali cattle. People mainly only want to domesticate land animals that are considered "beasts of burden". Animals that fall into this category would include ones such as horses, donkeys, and yak because they are very strong and powerful.

Guns, Germs and Steel (Class Viewing)

             The video Mr. Schick just kind of threw at us yesterday is honestly so interesting to me and I truly do enjoy it. We rewatched some of the video today and paused at all of the major points made. The biggest section that I added new notes to was about the Westerners that traveled New Guinea and their awful feelings towards the New Guineans. When the Westerners (white men) appeared, they flaunted their good and treated them like religious items just to show them off. This made the New Guineans associate power with material goods but the Westerners thought power was solely based off of ones race- white= powerful, non-white= not powerful. This behavior is extremely petty and just goes to show how ignorant people can be. What's the point in showing off like this anyways? All they were doing is showing people who don't have anything and probably won't have anything that you're privileged. Honestly, this would just open one up to being robbed.

First Day of Western Civilization

           When we walked into class today, I was honestly pretty excited to hear what Western Civilization was going to be about but, this honestly never happened. Instead upon entering class, we were greeted by new seats (which suck and since we're no longer allowed to complain in class, I'll just do it here) and I personally find it unfair that Belle, Syd and Sophia all sit right next to eachother and I am on the COMPLETE opposite side of the room. Then I guess our talking made Mr. Schick really, really annoyed so he just made us watch an hour long video on Guns, Germs and Steel. This video was mainly about cultural differences and how certain parts of the world have been around for so long yet are struggling greatly.

Semester 1 Human Geography Review

         Human Geography during these first two quarters has been quite an interesting class. During these classes, I feel like I've watched a lot more puppy cam then I have learned. This class honestly did bore me a lot but with this being said, it honestly still was pretty fan. I'm kind of happy that my class doesn't change next semester because I get to stay with all of my friends and I get to watch more puppy cam! The only thing that kind of upsets me aount keeping the same class is that I don't get to switch up my environments which would be kind of nice.

The Most Random Class Ever

          We got to class today and someone immediately asked if we were getting our exams back. To my surprise, Mr. Schick said yes so he allowed Sydney Walsh to pass out everyones exams. The one catch was that we had to be very quiet so that Mr. Schick could finish grading Colin and Belle's exam. As a class, we were actually pretty quiet which is the first time in a long time. During my waiting period, I watched even more puppy cam (today was a Great Dane cam) and then I played lots of 2048. The room was quiet for the most part except for Olivia's music that you could hear perfectly through her headphones. I honestly wouldn't be surprised if she is deaf now. All of my semester classes have kinda been a joke recently because we've finished everything we needed to finish.

Live Puppy Cam

            In class today I'm almost positive that we actually learned something but I did not listen to a single word that was said. Instead of actually listening like I am supposed to be doing, I decided to look up Youtube videos of live animal feeds. I ended up watching a stingray, fish, giraffes, kittens, skunks and puppies (labs and bulldogs) all within a 50 minute class. My favorite out of my six different live streams is definitely the puppy one because there were so cute and they were constantly playing. Watching a total of 13 puppies play and sleep is by far one of the most relaxing things I have ever decided to do. In Mrs. Gauthier's class we meditate but, in my personal opinion, the puppies are far more relaxing. I probably shouldn't be admitting this because it is not at all what I was supposed to be doing. With this being said, I do think it is important for everyone to know that live streams of cute animals are best videos to ever be put on the internet.

The Five Religions

Christianity was founded in the first century to account for Jesus' eyewitness accounts and teachings. Currently, there are around 2.2 billion followers that are often called Christians. Christians can be found all over the world but, mostly found in the Americas and Europe. These followers abide by the Bible and the many writings within the Bible. The Bible surrounds Jesus, making Christianity monotheistic. The beliefs include that Jesus is the son of God, Jesus is human and divine, lead a virtuous life, crucified, died- buried- resurrected, and ascended into heaven. These major beliefs are currently taught by the Pope (head of church), priests and bishops.

During the seventh century, the second largest religion was founded. This religion is Islam which was founded by Muhammad. Islam has roughly 1.5 billion followers (Muslims) that are located mainly in Indonesia, Middle East and North Africa. Within these billions of people there are two denominations- Sunnis (75%-90%) and the Shiites (10%-20%). The major belief of the Muslims is the Five Pillars- testimony, prayer, alms-giving, fasting and pilgrimage. There are three other major beliefs that can be found in the Qur'an (Islamic holy book).

Hinduism was founded on philosophical points of view therefore, there is no one person to give credit to as the founder. With this being said, there are roughly 1.1 billion people who agree with these view points and they are called Hindus. The book in which the point of view is found and spoken in the Vedas. Rather then just being a legit book, the Vedas are poems and songs that are meant to be sung and memorized as a big group.

Buddhism is a very old religion and encourages a life of happiness and peace. The total number of followers (Buddhists) is very unknown to people but it is somewhere in the range of 500 million and 1.5 billion. These people are typically found in Southeast Asia, China, Nepal, Japan and there are supposedly around 1.2 million in the United States. The Four Noble Truths (1. there is suffering 2. attachment to desire is origin of suffering 3. cessation of suffering and 4. eightfold path leads to cessation)  and the Eightfold Path (right- view, intention, speech, action, livelihood, effort, mindfulness, and dedication) are the two absolutely crucial beliefs of Buddhists.

Judaism was once a fairly large religion but it has fairly rapidly decreased in size. There are currently 14-18 million Jews (follower name) and this number is predicted to decrease. Majority of the followers are found in Israel but there are a few to be found in America. Under the founder Abraham, the holy book (Torah) was created and contains the main beliefs of the Jewish. The two biggest beliefs are the Ten Commandments and the 13 Principals of Faith.

Exam Objective Grades

           During class today we started off by reading a packet and highlighting stuff and I don't really remember what went on during this portion of class. This whole week has been so long and I cannot remember anything I do in class anymore. It has been like this all week and this probably isn't a very good thing. Anyways, I asked Mr. Schick during class if we could have our exam grades and surprisingly he said yes. He starts to read grades out loud and most people were nervous but honestly for the most part, our class did pretty good. I got a 91% which is a lot better then I thought I would do so I'll take it. Semester one exams were actually pretty easy and I hope second semester proves to be the same way.

I Only Remember Cuddle Time

           All of today was one big blur to me and I honestly do not remember a single thing that happened during class. The one things I've managed to remember about today's class is that Mr. Schick had cuddle time last night and he held the tiniest baby. He held a baby that was only 4.5 pounds and I thought that was the cutest thing ever. I absolutely love tiny children because how could you ever imagine a real life human being that tiny. Then he started talking about the biggest baby he's ever held/seen and it was an 11 pound baby and that is HUGE. I can't imagine giving birth to that big of a baby or even holding a newborn that is that big.

Vedic Texts

           Within the Hindu religion there are hundreds of writings and different types of literature, some of which include the Vedic texts. The four types of Vedic texts and their total number of hymns are: Rig-Veda with 1017 hymns/verses, Sama-Veda with 1549 hymns/verses, Yajur-Veda with 1875 hymns and Atharva-Veda with 730 hymns. The Rig-Veda is the wisdom portion that also contains the mythology of the Hindu gods. Sama-Veda is mainly melodies and chants to be sung by followers. Yajur-Veda is mainly the worship hymns/worship rituals and is one of the scriptures within the Hindu religion. The last Vedic text, Atharva-Veda is the daily procedures and followings that each Hindu is expected of abide by.

            The practices of the indulgences are two major beliefs. The first belief is that when one is accused of a sin, the only logical response is punishment so they can learn after disrespecting God. The second indulgence is dealing with purgatory and allowing someone a place in heaven despite the increasing total of their sins. These indulgences were once sold so that people wouldn't be uneasy as to weather or not they would wait in purgatory or if they would be forgiven for their sins. By selling these, all of the pressure and worry was lifted off one's shoulders. Martin Luther  objected this in his "95 Theses" writings that were printed without his permission. ML essentially thought that one shouldn't have to pay for what God promised us from the beginning. ML went to all sorts of churches and Pope's to share his thoughts surrounding the negativity.

            The Hajj is the movement of the Muslims to the Mecca and it is the most holy moment of a Muslims life. There are multiple steps to Hajj, the first one is entering the holy state of ihram, then they state their intentions or niyah and finally put on white unsewn clothing. The entire process typically lasts 6 days for most people. The Hajj last each and every hour of the day and requires full commitment and attention.

https://www.miifotos.com/im%C3%A1genes/wheres-mecca-5d.html

CIA Worldfact Book vs. Adherants

            The five major religions in the world are Christian, Islam, Hinduism, Judaism and Buddhism. According to the CIA Worldfact Book, Christians sit at 31.4%, Islamic (Muslim) 23.2%, Hindu 15%, Buddhist 7.1% and Judaism (Jewish) is 0.2%. When these numbers are compared to the data that Adherents.com provides, most numbers are fairly close. On this website, Christians are 33%, Islamic 21%, Hindu 14%, Buddhist 6% and Jewish 0.22%. All of these numbers slightly differ from one another but none of them are dramatically off from one another. The biggest difference is between Muslims and it is only a 1.8% decline which is not terrible. Within the next few years these numbers will continue to change which will be very interesting to see.

Religions Continued...

         In class today we added on to the three religions we learned yesterday to (almost) complete learning about the top five religions in the world. Added on to the religions from yesterday were Buddhism and Judaism. Buddhism has always been something that is super interesting to me because everyone just has such a peaceful life. I always think about what it would be like to preach to a peaceful life. The only thing I really remember about Judaism is that its the ninth or twelfth most popular religion but it happens to be on our powerpoint about the top five. This honestly makes no sense to be but I guess it's whatever. So far this unit is actually interesting and enjoyable which is super weird to me.

Back to Class!

           After a very long (and much needed) break, we returned to class today and it was definitely rough to say the least. It was even harder to pay attention today because my brain has to get used to actually doing things again. With this being said, from what I remember about class today, it was actually kind of interesting. In class our new unit is dealing religions across the world and today we started to talk about the five (most popular) religions amongst the world. The time in class only allowed for us to cover the top three religions. With this being said, the most popular religion is Christianity with 2.2 billion followers. The second most popular is Islam with 1.5 billion followers and the third most popular is Hinduism with 1.1 billion followers. I am honestly pretty interested in this unit and can't wait to hear what the other two religions are.