Questions 1,3, and 4 on page 488-494

1. Indulgences were sold by the Catholic church and it was a pardon of sin. Martin Luther's action began an event known as the reformation in which Luther revised some of the catholic church's practices. Lutherans were the name that was given to the people who followed Martin Luther's beliefs. Protestants were the princes in Germany were folks who stayed loyal to the pope and his teachings unlike the Lutherans. The Peace of Augsburg was when the princes agreed that each ruler would decide the religion of his state. Annul means to set aside, and Henry wanted the pope to annul his marriage to his barren wife. The Church of England was known as the Anglican Church.
3. Secular beliefs, disloyal leaders, and taxes led to the Reformation of the middle ages' Catholic Church.
4. The term Protestantism originates from the development of the Reformation, and it is the name for one of the three separating branches of the Church.

Questions 1,3,4,5 on pages 480-487

1. A utopia in Greek means "no place", in english it means an ideal place. William Shakespeare was a famous writer of the Elizabethan Age, and is sometimes regarded as the best playwright of all time. Johann Gutenberg was a craftsman from Germany, who invented a printing press that incorporated a number of new technologies in a new way.
3. Albrecht made woodcuts, engravings, prints of religious objects, and he emphasized realism.
4. The Renaissance influenced the creation of the printing press, which let common people read important books like the bible.
5. The printing press made books accessible to many people, and they were written in peoples' native languages, so they were easily understood.

Test Back and Renaissance

1. A renaissance is a time of rebirth, and in the context of Italy is means art and learning. Humanism is an intellectual movement that focused on human potential and achievements. Secular means worldly rather than spiritual concerns. The church financially supported artists and they were called patrons. Perspective shows three dimensions on a flat surface like a painting. Vernacular was Dante's native language.

3. The Renaissance Man strove to master every area of study. The Renaissance woman were not expected to seek fame, and were told to know the classics and be charming. 

4. The Roman art and statues inspired the artists of the renaissance.

5. They wanted to go back to the Greek and Roman styles of art and literature, since those civilizations flourished in their time.

Test Day

Today we took the test on the Roman Empire/Republic. The test was a total of sixty six questions and I think I did pretty good on it, unlike my math test that I took today that I got a 13 out of 29 on. The test was balanced with a lot of questions that weren't too difficult, but no too easy either. Mr. Schick was looking sharp today with his elbow patches. Today was a good day.

Test Review Day

I missed class on Friday due to my illness, but I'm back again and better than before. Even though I'm still sick I'm glad our test was pushed back and I got to review in class today. We went over the powerpoint and Mr. Schick told us what would be on the test, so I fell better about it already. God rest ye marry gentlemen. Hope Mr. Schick is felling better after his hernia surgery.

Mr. Schick Returns

Mr. Schick came back today, and we started class off just like usual with a powerpoint instead of reading the textbook. We went over the executive, legislative, and judicial branches of ancient Rome, as well as modern day America. The consuls were compared to the president and vice president, and the consuls have one year terms while the president has a 4 year term. Both Rome and America have a senate, but the United States' senate has 200 less members than the Romans. Ancient Rome had Praetors instead of America's justices. Romans had the Twelve Tables, while we have the Constitution and its amendments. Today was a boring day, but I'm glad Mr. Schick is back and feeling good.

The Decline of the United States?

Mr. Schick told us to write about how the US is declining or not, and I believe that it is not declining. People may say that the United States is getting worse since Trump was elected, but he has done some good things. The stock market has flourished under his presidency, and more jobs have been created. The real estate market crash of 2008 was terrible, but we got through it, and we can get through anything if we try hard enough. I don't know where the notion that the US was declining came from, but I suppose people probably said this during every presidency. The United States has been a powerhouse for a long time and even if we aren't at the top of the charts in economics we'll still live on. No matter how hard of a decline we face we will come back and the reason for that is our spirit. Nothing can crush the American spirit. Even if the country is invaded or destroyed the American way of life will live in each and every one of us.

Questions of page 176

1. Inflation is a drastic drop in the value of money coupled with a raise in prices. The Romans recruited mercenaries who were foreign soldiers who fought for money. Diocletian was a strong-willed army leader who became the emperor of Rome in 284 AD. Constantinople was the name of the capital of the Roman Empire. Attila united the Germanic peoples and became a threat to the Roman empire.
3. The main internal causes of the Empire's decline were a weakened economy, and military and political turmoil.
4. Diocletian preserved the empire by reforming it to have stricter laws.
5. The tribes began to invade more due to them being united by Attila.

Questions 1,3,4,5 Answered

1. Jesus was a jew born in the town of Bethlehem in the town of Judea. Jesus had twelve followers or apostles they are more formally known as today. Paul was a man who was at first apposed to Christianity, but he later converted. Diaspora is the dispersal of Jews, and this happened after they tried to break free from the Roman Empire. Constantine was converted to Christianity after he prayed for divine help and received a sign. A bishop was a priest that supervised several local churches. Peter was an apostle of Jesus and he became the first bishop. Three bishops nominated Peter as the first pope.
3. Jesus put emphasis on loving your neighbors and forgiving your enemies.
4. The Christians refused to worship Roman gods, which upset the romans.
5. The Nicene Creed was a formal statement of belief for the Christians.

Rap song vs. Reality

Mr. Schick's rap song is close to what actually happened in Rome. His song is based off of low by Flo Rida. He starts the song with the Etruscans, Greeks, and the Latins, and these are the real first people that settled on the modern day Italian peninsula. The part about draining a swamp is not 100% accurate however. When he mentions Tarquin he doesn't mention what actually happened with him and his parents. Mr. Schick does mention how Rome got rid of tyrants altogether after Tarquin. His verse on early Roman government sums it up pretty well so I won't go into that. In his song he doesn't mention how Hannibal led his army through modern day Spain and France to cross the Alps. The verse about the start of the civil war goes into very little detail about what actually took place. The part about Julius Caesar is pretty accurate, as well as the part about Octavian's triumvirate. I thought the rap song was pretty cringy when he played it, but the lyrics are fine, but hearing Mr. Schick sing brought some sort of pain to my ears.

Page 165 questions 1,3,4,5

1. A civil war is when two groups within the same country have a conflict that leads to death. Julius Caesar was a military leader who joined forces with a wealthy Roman. A triumvirate is a group of three leaders, and one of the most famous is Julius Caesar, Crassus, and Pompey. Augustus was the name of Octavian which meant "exalted one". Pax Romana was a period between 27 BC to 180 AD, in which there was peace throughout the Roman Empire.
3. Tiberius and Gaius's deaths led to a civil war between the rich and the poor.
4. The Romans where successful in controlling a large empire because of their strong army and powerful leaders.
5. Gladiator fights distracted and controlled the public.

Page 159 Questions 1,3,4,5 and Worksheet

1. A republic is the form of government that we use in America today, and it was created by the Romans. Patricians were wealthy landowners that held the most power in early roman government. Tribunes were elected officials that protected the rights of the plebeians from unfair acts by the patrician office. Consuls were like kings, because they commanded the army and ran the government, but they had limited power. The senate was the aristocratic branch of the roman government, and it had both legislative and administrative functions in the roman republic. A dictator was elected in times of crisis for a six month term, and they had absolute power over law-making and the army. People who sought public office had to serve ten years of service in the roman legions. The Punic Wars were between Rome and Carthage, the first led to the defeat of Carthage at Sicily, the second Hannibal won at Cannae, and the final saw the destruction of Carthage by Rome. Hannibal was a brilliant military leader at the age of 29 during the second punic war.
3. A consul was limited to a one year term, they couldn't be elected again for another ten years, and one consul could always overrule the other.
4. The Twelve Tables were Rome's first written laws that could be seen by everyone and not changed for the betterment of the upperclass.
5. Hannibal led his army through modern day Spain, France, and over the alps to attack the Romans, instead of navally attacking.

Ancient Rome and Early Christianity

Main ideas: Power and Authority- Rome began as a republic, a government in which elected officials represent the people. Eventually, absolute rulers called emperors seized power and expanded the empire. Empire Building- 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. Religious and Ethical Systems- 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.
Timeline:

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

Rome Day

Today Mr. Schick showed us his beautiful take on Low by Flo Rida. I tried performing an exorcism on it but it didn't work and the song continued. We started a powerpoint on Mr. Schick's last day. The first slide included two children breastfeeding from a wolf, which set the tone for the rest of the presentation.

Test Return Day and Mr. Schick's Surgery

Today we went over our test in class problem by problem. Before that five people had to take the test for the first time. I only got one question wrong, not to flex or anything. I'm really happy that I got that score. A 98 is one of the highest grades I've ever gotten in this class. This class is totally epic. After going over the swag test we talked about Mr. Schick's planned absence. I hope he gets better, and I hope he is merciful with the class work. Today was totally boss.

Questions 1,3,4, and 5 on page 149

1. Hellenistic culture was the result of Alexander the Great's conquest, and was the blend of Greek, Egyptian, Persian, and Indian culture. Alexandria was a great trading city with a museum, library, and Alexander the Great's tomb. Euclid was a mathematician whose work we use today in geometry. Archimedes accurately estimated the value of pi, and invented the Archimedes screw. The Colossus of Rhodes was a 100ft bronze statue that was made on the island of Rhodes.
3. Trade allowed for the collection of many different peoples in one place, and in that place they could share their culture and knowledge.
4. Eratosthenes and Aristarchus both used Euclid's work to estimate the Earth's diameter and the position of the planets.
5. Stoicism and Epicureanism both believed in people living virtuous lives.

Questions 1,3,4, and 5 on page 145

1. Philip the second was a king of Macedonia that organized the army and invaded Greece. Macedonians considered themselves to be Greeks, but the other Greeks looked down on them as uncivilized foreigners. Philip's son Alexander conquered the Persians, but died before he could truly unite his empire. Darius III was the Persian emperor that lost to Alexander and fled from every major battle.
3. Philip the second was able to conquer Greece due to the Greeks not preparing to go to war, and the city-stated being unable to cooperate with each other.
4. Alexander wanted to expand his empire instead of governing it, so he continued into India, and later turned back.
5. Alexander's empire was split between three leaders, Antigonus, Ptolemy, and Seleucus

Review and Pop Quiz

I've checked the numbers and it appears that nobody reads any of these, so here we go. I know Mr. Schick just counts how many there are and on what days so, yeah. Today we went over the other textbook pages, and had a pop quiz. I think I got a 6 out of 7 on the quiz, because apparently Greek sculptures don't show any emotion whatsoever. I really just need the points from these blogs, so is there any reason to make it any longer. Mr. Schick told us about the movie Chi-Raq, might have to watch it, it seems like it may be good. Yee yee, I love these blogs.

Answers to Questions 1,3,4,and 5 on page 139

1. A direct democracy was when the people voted on issues directly instead of voting through representatives. Classical art represented a prosperous time in Greek history, in which art was very important. A tragedy was a type of play that explored topics such as love, hate, war, and betrayal. A comedy was filled with slapstick situations and crude humor. The Peloponnesian War was when Sparta and Athens had a war of attrition, which ended in a truce. A philosopher was known as a lover of wisdom. Socrates encouraged Greeks to examine their moral character. Plato wrote the Republic and it was about his vision of a perfectly governed society. Aristotle questioned the nature of the world, human belief, thought, and knowledge.
3. Pericles increased the number of government positions that came with a salary. He also made the Delian League, and with this he used the treasury funds to build a stronger navy and fund more art projects.
4. Athens planned to wait for Sparta to wear out while supplying themselves from their colonies. Sparta used its strong army to destroy the Athenian countryside and starve the main city of Athens.
5. I think the Athenians were afraid to look deeper into their own lives and morals, which is exactly what Socrates wanted them to do.

Presentations

Today was the last batch of presentations and all of them were pretty good. The first presentation was Trent, Shaun, and Kyle, and they made a video on the life of a Spartan Soldier. 10/10 would watch again. The next presentation was Sam and Anthony, and they did a presentation on Democracy. Their powerpoint included a part where we could decide the fate of two men who killed their boss who didn't pay them. We each got parts to play, which added a whole new level. 10/10 would vote again. The last presentation was Ryan, Patrick, and I's. I thought we did pretty good, and our project was on Ancient Greek Naval Warfare.

Presentation in the Temple

Yesterday two more groups presented. One project was on the battle of Thermopylae, and another was on Greek foods. The one on Greek foods wasn't (in my opinion) wasn't as good as the other one that covered makeup, food, and weaving. The food of the first presentation was better, and I was also told that it took 6 hours to make. Both of the presentations were good, but I just preferred the first. The project on the Battle of Thermopylae was pretty good, since it was a powerpoint and a model. The powerpoint was relatively interesting, and it was presented well. The model looked like a lot of effort was put into it, and it was accurate. I can't wait to see all of the projects, and then eventually present mine.

Day of Project Presentation

Today was a short day because of an assembly on mental health that we had today. All of our classes were cut to forty five minutes each. One group presented today, and their project was on the real housewives of ancient Greece. I thought the project was pretty good, and the good was delicious as well. Today was a short day because of an assembly on mental health that we had today. All of our classes were cut to forty five minutes each. One group presented today, and their project was on the real housewives of ancient Greece. I'm pretty excited for Trent's group to present, since they've told me about a few of the scenes in their video, and its peaked my interest. If you made it to this sentence sorry about repeating the first part. I just don't know if you even read these anymore, but watch this be the one you actually read.

Last day to work on project

Today Mr. Schick wasn't here so we went to Mrs. Milburn's room to work on our projects. Patrick wasn't here this morning, so Ryan and I worked on the powerpoint. I feel like we're missing something, but other than that I think we've got a pretty good project. Ryan has done a lot of work so I'm trying to catch up with him for the amount of work done. I like the topic that we're doing, but part of me just doesn't like how open ended the project is. I just hope a decent power point and video will get us a good grade as well as the paper. I should probably be proofreading the paper right now, but I haven't written one of these in a bit so. Tractors are pretty cool, but you know what's cooler? Doing your homework.

Test Day

Yesterday we had a big test on everything we learned on ancient Greece. I missed the review day due to the play so it was a little difficult getting adjusted to class again. The test itself wasn't that hard, but there were a few that I didn't feel so confident on. Mr. Schick wouldn't even give us our test until we were quiet so it took awhile for us to even take the test. The best part of this test was the fact that we could leave the classroom right after we finished. I met up with Kyle, Trent, and Shaun and we watched the Iowa vs. Cincinnati game.

Powerpoint Day

Today we looked at the powerpoint for most of the class, but luckily we were giving a couple of minutes to work on our blogs. Spartans were known their tough, ruthless infantry. The Spartan boys started to train to be soldiers at the age of seven. Athens had a strong infantry force, but an even stronger navy. The Athenians invented and used the trireme which was a boat rowed by 170 men and it was used as a fast and agile battering ram. They also used the phalanx which was a dense group of warriors armed with long spears and connecting shields. The soldiers would slowly advance until they broke ranks and charged the enemy. The Persians had a huge army and nearly unlimited resources.

Project Day

Today we worked on our projects, and my group made some good progress. Ryan, Patrick, and I are all part of the play and the project doesn't play nice with our schedule. Our project is going to be on naval warfare and some major battles of ancient Greece. We tried to figure out how we could construct and destroy a boat with the time we are provided. Ryan found a video that we are going to use to aid our powerpoint that we started to work on today. I forgot to mention that Mr. Schick shaved and he looks pretty different. I hope we get our project done on time, but that may be a little difficult. Another problem I had is that the project is very open ended so it can be hard to figure out what to use to present the information.

Movie Sub

Today we had Mrs. Magner as a sub. We were assigned to watch a movie about Cleisthenes. I've had Mrs. Magner as a sub for Spanish before, and she told how she pronounced c's in a Spanish accent. Mr. Schick assigned us a paper to do while we watched the video. In my opinion doing a paper takes away from the experience of watching a movie/documentary. The documentary lasted for a good 55 minutes, and I'm just glad its over. It went over Cleisthenes' early life, and the beginning of Athens. Thank God we finished the video in the same period, I did not feel like watching the rest of it at home to finish the paper. I hope he doesn't grade it too harshly because I may have missed a few details.

Pœwërpôïñt

Today was a pretty normal day in our beautiful Human Geography class, and Mr. Schick just showed us a powerpoint and talked at us today. Hippias was a tyrant from 527 to 510 BC, and after his brother was murdered he turned into the modern day definition of a tyrant. His harsh rule led to him getting expelled from Athens, and as revenge he helped King Darius the first invaded Marathon. Isagoras and Cleisthenes had a struggle for power after Hippias. Isagoras had the support of some of the Aristocats and spartans, while Cleisthenes had the support of the majority of Athens common-folk. Isagoras became the new archon eponymous, and his first decision was to ostracize Cleisthenes. This move upset the people were upset about this and they revolted against him.

Yes

Class was pretty boring today, so I'm just going to put my notes down. In 621 BC Draco made all athenians equal besides women and non landowning males. He also established the death penalty for many crimes as well as allowing debt slavery. Solon outlawed debt slavery in 594 BC, and also made it so all athenians can speak at the assembly, and made it so any citizen can press changes.

Oof

Today Mr. Schick started off class with a nice powerpoint. At some point Mr. Schick was angered and he turned off the powerpoint. He told us to write how boring and terrible his class is in our blogs, so here it is. For the rest of class we were told to take notes and write our blog, but I got bored halfway through reading the textbook, so I decided to just start my blog. Mr. Schick also gave us our tests on Ancient Egypt back, and I learned that I suck at spelling, but other than that I did pretty good. A monarchy is a rule by one person. An aristocracy is rule by a small group of noble, wealthy, landowning families. An oligarchy is a rule by wealthy groups that revolted against the aristocrats using the military. A tyranny was a rule by a person who come into power from popular support from the common folk.

Greasetastic

The Greek diet consisted of olives, grains, grapes, and fish. Mycenae is a city on the island of Peloponnesus, and it was surrounded by a 20 foot thick wall. The Trojan War was thought to be a myth until the 19th century after archeologists discovered evidence of a war in Troy. The Trojan War happened in 1,200 B.C., and around that time "sea people" began to invade Mycenae, and burn palaces. The Dorians settled in the leftovers of Greece, and the Greek economy collapsed under them. A man named Homer created the Iliad and the Odyssey, and he man have been mythical himself. Homer was thought of as a blind, wandering minstrel. The Iliad and the Odyssey may have been a culmination of many different writers over the years.

Greasey

Today we looked at a powerpoint on Greece for half of the class, and for the other half we are supposed to take notes. Good thing I took all the notes I needed yesterday. There were some things on the powerpoint that I didn't have down though. Most early civilizations were near rivers like India was on the Indus river, China was on the Huang He river, Mesopotamia was on the Tigris and Euphrates rivers, and Egypt was on the Nile. Greece is not on a river, but is surrounded by the Adriatic Sea, the Aegean Sea, and the Ionian Sea. Peloponnesus is the island below mainland Greece. In total there are 2000 islands that are near and around Greece. Ancient Greece had skilled sailors and shipbuilders, as well as farmers, metalworkers, weavers and potters. The people of ancient Greece were loyal to their city-states, not Greece as a whole.

Grease

Greece started as a collection of separate lands where Greek-speaking people lived. The Greeks saw themselves as people who lived around the sea. The Greeks used the sea to travel near and far, as well as for trade. Greece lacked natural resources for buildings, so they used the Mediterranean to trade with other civilizations. Mountains cover 3/4 of Greece, while fertile valleys covered the other 1/4. The mountains separated the Greeks, so they formed they own individual governments. The lack of fertile land made a small greek population that never go over 5 million or so. Moderate temperatures in the winter and summer allowed for outdoor living all year round. The Mycenaeans settled in Greece around 2,000 B.C., and they were heavily influenced by the Minoans. The Minoans had sea trade, a unique art style, and a well established religion. The Mycenaeans fought against Troy for 10 years, and the Mycenaeans collapsed shortly after their victory.

Who even reads these titles anyway?

Upper Egypt was 500 mile long strip of fertile land. Lower Egypt was a wide area of the Nile Delta emptying into the Mediterranean Sea. Pharaohs sometimes had multiple wives. All finances and social success went through the palace. Egyptians relied on harmony and balance of the universe, which is also known as maat. All souls were said to justify themselves at death, to either be sent to an eternal paradise, or eaten by a monster. Egyptian writing formed around the time of Upper and Lower Egypt being united. Egyptian doctors wrote extensively on health problems, as well as coming up with cures and treatments for common illnesses. Sailboats were made to increase transportation on the nile.

Worksheet Day

Today we were given a worksheet to do. The sheet had us do definitions, and answer questions. We went over all of the answers in class. We didn't get out tests back yet, and I can't wait to see what I got wrong. Not much happened in class today, and I decided to do half of this blog during class. Mr. Schick gave us a lesson on how to say Jean-François Champollion's name. I love french, which means I love french. This also mean I greatly enjoy the french language. I do prefer the Spanish language over the language known as french. This is very fun, I am having fun. Did you know that you know that.

Page 41 Questions 1,3,4,5 Answered

A delta is a broad and marshy area that contains large amount of fertile soil used for planting crops.
King Narmer united Lower and Upper Egypt, which boosted trade and helped to protect the two united nations.
The pharaohs of ancient Egypt were seen as gods, and they had full control over Egypt and its army.
The government of ancient Egypt was based off of theocracy, which is a form of government where rule is based off of religious authority.
Pyramids were built to bury kings from the Old Kingdom.
Mummification was the process of preparing a body for the afterlife practiced in ancient Egypt.
The Egyptians wrote in hieroglyphics; they also stood for sounds and ideas.
Papyrus was written on by the Egyptians, because they were more efficient than clay tablets.

3. Egypt being surrounded by deserts helped greatly with defense, since an adversary at that time didn't have the means to move an entire army through a desert.
4. The Egyptians viewed the pharaoh as a god.
5. The Egyptians did this to preserve a body and to help the person through the afterlife.

Notes on Egypt

Egypt was unified very early on. The Nile flows northward for over 4,100 miles. Yearly flooding brought in water and fertile soil for the farmers to use when planting crops. The Egyptians worshipped the Nile as a god. The flooding of the Nile was unpredictable, unlike the flooding of the Tigris and the Euphrates rivers. If the flood water was lower than usual, a famine would occur, and if it were higher, it would destroy homes, granaries, and seeds. The desert surrounding Egypt protected it for years against invaders. The Nile also provided reliable transport between lower and upper Egypt. There were 31 dynasties in total spanning over 2,600 years in Egypt. Unlike Mesopotamia the Egyptian kings (pharaohs) were seen as gods. The Old Kingdom was when most of the pyramids were built, and that era lasted from 2660 to 2180 B.C.

2 Hour Delay Hammurabi Day

Today we had a two hour delay, and Mr. Schick gave us a worksheet to do today. The worksheet was about a couple of situations that we were supposed to be the judge of and come up with a punishment. I did the worksheet with Patrick and we had some trouble figuring out if we were supposed to think like Hammurabi or not. We skipped the first one and went on with the other problems, and had little difficulty. Mr. Schick actually gave us homework, which I forgot to do until late at night. I'm just glad we had a two hour delay.

Note Day

Today Mr. Schick got a laser pointer and was a little bit too excited about it. He was so excited that he could hardly stay on a single slid for more than a minute. Caitlin and Leigh were a little confused about how Hammurabi's code could be translated, and Mr. Schick tried his best to help them comprehend it. Sumer was conquered by the Akkains in 2350 BC. Indo-Europeans from the grasslands of Russian steppe introduced the horse to the Near East. The warlike Indo-Europeans tribe known as the Hittites in Asia Minor had lucrative metal trade. They conquered almost all of their neighbors, and they even threatened Egypt.

More Notes and Hammurabi

Today we started class with a small talk about the origins of Valentine's day. Eventually we started to take notes from the power point. We eventually got on the topic of incest in the bible. With the flood mentioned in the bible on Moses and his family were left so they had to have reproduced with each-other right? The district between the Tigris and the Euphrates river was known as Sumer. The population increased due to new irrigation techniques. Cities were founded and had populations of up to 40,000 people. Kings emerged as well as dynasties, and city-states. The Sumerians invented the first known form of writing known as cuneiform. The earliest surviving story from Sumer is "The Epic of Gilgamesh" and its about a large flood.

Day

Today we were given back our tests, and we went over the answers. The only thing that I forgot on the test was donkeys for the 14 domesticated animals, and I feel pretty dumb for not remembering it now. For the rest of class we took notes on a powerpoint. Most of the stuff on the powerpoint was things we had already discussed and learned about in the video with Jared Diamond in it. 200,000 years ago the human species emerged in southwestern Africa. The Earliest prehistoric age is the Paleolithic age. The Neolithic age is marked by advanced tool making and agriculture. Hierarchies appeared in village life, and women's status was lowered since they took on more domestic duties. Villagers were polytheists, and they worshipped nature, humans, and/or gods.

Textbook Day

Today was the first day that we used our textbook in Western Civ. Mr. Schick told us the way our classes would go for the rest of the year. We will take notes for the first half of class and for the rest of class we'll talk about the notes we took. We don't have enough textbooks for all of the classes so we can't have any homework in the book. The fertile crescent was an area of rich farmland in Southwest Asia between the Persian Gulf and the Mediterranean Sea. Mesopotamia means land between the rivers. Mesopotamia is between the Tigris and the Euphrates River. The three disadvantages of living there were unpredictable flooding, no natural barriers for protection, and limited natural resources.

Test Day

Today we took a test on every we learned from the video and Jarod Diamond. The test was moderately difficult, and one of the hardest parts for me was trying to remember the fourteen domesticated animals. Another hard part was the essay, but I believe that I choose a good topic. I think I got somewhere near a 90% on the test, hopefully I got a higher score. Lately my grades in all of my classes have been pretty low, and I haven't been doing so hot on tests in other classes. Today was also a beautiful sunny day in the low sixties, with a light breeze. I can't wait to talk my dog for a walk tonight.

Finale to Jared Diamond's Saga

Today we finished watching Jarod Diamond's explanation of the roots of inequality. Gwar is 9,000 years old, which is 2,500 years after Draa. A few hundred people lived there instead of 40-50 people. Advanced houses were made with plaster made from limestone heated to 1000 degrees. When an area was over farmed a group could move on the same line of latitude and not have to change their way of living. Before the 16th century there was no wheat or cows in North America. Today there are over 100,000,000 cows and bulls in the United States today. 20,000,000 tons of wheat are consumed every year in the United States.

Review of Jarod Diamond's Discoveries

Today we have Western Civ first mod, so most of us were still waking up at the time. To start our class off we discussed some of the things we saw in the video. We came up with other reasons why the people of Papua New Guinea are behind in terms of technology. I came up with the conclusion that one of the reasons they aren't up to speed is the lack of oil in the area, and the lack of iron and other metals. Some other reasons that they may behind is their remote location in terms of the distance between Europe and Papua New Guinea. This discussion lasted almost all of class, and for the rest of class we watched more of the video. Today was a pretty good class.

More of Jarod Diamond's Wacky Adventures

Today we watched even more of Jarod Diamond's journey to discover the root of oppression. We took more notes on what we saw, and we made it past how far I had watched. Draa is the oldest and first example of a community of around 40-50 people. People started to grow their own food during the drought, and they stayed near a source of water. China grew rice, the Americas grew corn, squash, and beans, and Africa grew sorghum, millet, and yams. Animals are considered to be the most powerful machines before the industrial revolution. The best animals to farm and use for farming were herbivores, animals that give birth within the first or second years of life, and ones that get along with humans. The fourteen animals that weigh more than one hundred pounds and meet the prior requirements are; Goats, sheep, pigs, cows, horses, donkeys, bactrian camels, Arabian camels, water buffalo, llamas, reindeer, yaks, nythons, and bali cattle.

Day Two

Today we took a pop quiz on the video we were supposed to watch yesterday. Me being the outstanding student I am, I watched a little more than half of it yesterday. The test was worded weirdly so I got confused on a couple of the questions. I think I did pretty well, and we also rewatched the video in class. We only got through less than half of the video, and we discussed some scenes in the documentary. I think the documentary is pretty cool, except for the weird part that's a flashback to a man asking about white people's cargo. I had already taken notes on the video so I just had to add a few small details to my notes. I think Mr. Schick is still upset with us, and he is letting it out on us with mild torture.

First Day of Western Civilization

Today was our first day of Western Civilization. The first thing that we did was change our seats. Mr. Schick had a lesson planned for today, but decided to not teach since he was tired of people complaining about the lack of heat. Instead of a lesson we watched a video on early humans and farming individually. People have lived in Papua New Guinea for almost 40,000 years. All advanced civilizations had advanced technology, a large population, and a well organized work force. Hunter-gatherers would live in shelters for weeks and sometimes months, and then move when food supply ran low. Gathering isn't efficient enough to feed a population. Barley and wheat grew wildly in the fertile crescent. Cereal plants can be stored for years. During a long drought in the Middle East, people started to stay near water and grow crops. Humans interrupted plants natural cycle and changed them to be better for farming.

Last Blog of Human Geography

This semester has been a wild one, and I'm glad that I'll still be with the same people next semester. We had our fun, and we learned some too. On our last day we had a test that everyone did relatively well on. Our class was shorter today because of the two hour delay, but we finished the test within the first twenty minuets. With the rest of the time in class we took a selfie and started work on our blogs. I can't wait to go home for a three day break, but I'm not excited for it to feel like -10 degrees at 6-8 AM on Monday. I'm a little nervous about the next semester, but I think it will be a good one. The end.

The Day that Mr. Schick Graded Papers.

Today Mr. Schick warned us of our test on Friday that may be pushed to Tuesday. Also, I got my essays back, and Mr. Schick started to grade Colin and Belle's essays. Colin's grading went off without a hitch, but Mr. Schick had a few problems with Belle's that he verbally pointed out. He was very distressed by the font she used. Mr. Shick also gave us some words of wisdom saying "Perfection is the enemy of the good", or something like that. We were also told about the term "Straw man", which is an opinion made by a person with the opposite opinion, that no person actually has. Leigh also wanted to be brutally honest with Mr. Schick and told him that she didn't want to be in class right now, since we weren't doing anything important. Patrick also questioned his existence today, and we couldn't provide any answers. Today was a good day.

Review Day

Today we reviewed the five religions that our test on Friday will include. Today was also Caitlin's birthday. I feel pretty good about the religions, and I think I'm ready for the test right now. I am not sure what to write in the rest of this blog. I really am not sure what to write in the rest of the blog that I am required to do. I myself, am quite perplexed at the concept of writing the remainder of this blog. Today was a day that we reviewed for the test. Tomorrow is yesterday's today. If a man lives under a rock, is he a mere man, or is his name the mighty Dwayne. Anyway, thats what we reviewed in class today.

Five Paragraphs on Five Religions

Christianity: Christianity has around 2.2 billion followers, which makes it the worlds largest religion. These followers are mostly based in Europe, North and South America, and Southern Africa. The different types of Christianity are Catholic, Eastern Orthodox, Protestants, Lutherans, Methodists, Baptists, Anglicans, Presbyterians, and Episcopalians. The Founder of is Jesus Christ, and the Holy Book is the bible. Some of their beliefs are that Jesus is both human and divine, and that he is the Son of God. The Christian Clergy includes the Pope, Bishops, and Priests.
Islam: Islam has about 1.5 billion followers, and they are mostly in Indonesia, the Middle East, and North Africa. There are two different types the Sunnis (70-90%) and the Shiits (10-20%). The Founder of the Religion is Muhammad, and the Holy Book is the Qu'ran. Islam's beliefs are monotheistic, the Five Pillars, and Islamic Law.
Hinduism: Hinduism currently has around 1.1 billion followers, and they are mostly located in Nepal and India. The Holy Book is the Vedas, which are eternal truths revealed to ancient sages. There is no distinct founder of Hinduism. It is also a series of intellectual or philosophical points of view, rather than a rigid, strict set of beliefs. Hinduism is also the oldest extant religion.
Buddhism: Buddhism has around 500 to 1.5 billion followers, and they are mostly located in Southeast Asia, China, Nepal, and Japan. The founder is Siddhartha Gautama. The denominations are Tibetan, Zen, Theravada, and Amidist. Buddhism is based off of the Four Noble Truths and the Eightfold Path.
Judaism: Judaism has around 14 to 18 million followers and they are located in Israel and the United States. The Founder is Abraham, and the Holy Book is the Torah, which is basically just the first five books of the Old Testament. The beliefs include ethical monotheism, and that God is one, and concerned with the actions of humankind. The rules of Judaism are the Ten Commandments, and the 13 principals of faith.

Three Questions On Religion *Answered*

1. The first of the four basic Vedic texts in use today is Rig-Veda, and it is used for recitation. The second is the Sama-Veda, which is used for chanting. The third is Yajur-Veda, and its purpose is to be used in liturgies. The third and final text is Atharva-Veda, which is named after a group of priests, and is used for magical incantations.
2. Indulgences were used to forgive a major sin, or to "help" a person get into heaven from purgatory. Indulgences could be paid for, and also be given to a person if they do enough good deeds. Martin Luther rejected the idea of Indulgences, because he believed that only God could forgive a major sin, or let a person move on to heaven from purgatory. My research led me to various websites that were full of useless information, but I eventually stumbled upon a website with good information.
3. Hajj is a pilgrimage to the Holy city of Mecca that every adult muslim has to make within their life at least once. This pilgrimage is a crucial step in the Five Pillars of Islam. The pilgrimage starts when a muslim is around six miles away from the holy city. The person enters a state of holiness and puts on different clothes. Once the pilgrim enters Mecca, they walk several times around a shrine, kiss a black stone, pray twice, and then run several times between to provinces. The next step is to visit holy places outside of Mecca, and sacrifice an animal. Then, they throw seven stones at three pillars. Finally, the pilgrim returns to Mecca and does a farewell ritual.

The Last of the Five Major Religions PowerPoint

    The last religion we discussed was Judaism. Judaism has around 14-18 million followers today, and they are mostly located in Israel and The United States. The founder is Abraham, and the Holy Book is the Torah, which is basically the first five books of the Old Testament. Jewish people believe in ethical monotheism, and that God is one as well as concerned with the actions of humankind. The main rules for the Jewish people are the ten commandments and the 13 principals of faith. Yesterday in class we took a test on different quotes from the Qu'ran and the Bible. It took us awhile to get a 95% on it, but towards the end of class we managed to get 19/20.

More on the Five Major Religions

     The third largest religion in the world is Hinduism, which has around 1.1 billion followers. Most Hindus are located in India and Nepal. The Holy book of Hinduism is the Vedas, which are eternal truths revealed to ancient sages, and is meant to be sung so it can be easily memorized. Hinduism has no distinct founder, which is very different from Christianity and Islam. Hinduism is a series of intellectual or philosophical points of view, rather than a rigid, strict set of beliefs. It is most likely the oldest religion still practiced to date. Hinduism is less of a religion then a way of life. Buddhism has around 500 million to 1.5 billion followers, whom are mostly located in southeast Asia, China, Nepal, and Japan. The founder of Buddhism is Siddhartha Gautama. The different denominations of Buddhism are Tibetan, Zen, Theravada, and Amidist. It is based off of the four truths and the Eight fold Path.

Two of the Five Major Religions

     The first of the five major religions is Christianity and it has around 2.2 billion followers. Most of the believers are in Europe, the Americas, and Southern Africa. The different types of christians are Catholic, Eastern Orthodox, and Protestants (and all of its forms). The founder is Jesus Christ, and the holy book is the bible. The main belief of Christianity is that Jesus is both human and divine, and he is the son of God. The second of the five major religions is Islam, and it has around 1.5 billion followers. They are mostly located in Indonesia, the Middle East, and Northern Africa. The two different types of Islam are the Sunnis(70-90%) and the Shiites(10-20%). The founder of Islam is Muhammad and he lived from 570-632 A.D. The holy book is the Qur'an and is sometimes pronounced as the Koran. The main belief is the five pillars.