Finishing Guns, Germs, and Steel

Today in class we finished the movie Guns Germs and Steel. I really enjoyed watching this movie because it was both informative and interesting. Diamond took us through multiple eras of human history, and a multitude of facts and data along the way. The way the new guineans lived was very interesting to me because i'm so used to seeing people like us who have smart phones, expensive clothing, and material items, while they simply do not have any. We also got to try a bread that has all of the grains that we talked about from the movie. I thought the bread was really good, and tasted more natural than other types I've had. When we finished we shared our opinions on if we thought the New Guinean people were living happily and effectively, or if they needed an upgrade. Personally, I think that if what they're doing now is good enough for them, they shouldn't have to change a thing about their lifestyle.

Guns Germs and Steel

Today in class we almost finished watching the documentary called Guns, Germs, and Steel. We mostly went over the topic of geographic luck, including how certain countries were more fortunate than others. Most places in the world weren't fortunate enough to have animals like horses, cows, pigs, goats, mules, or camels native to their country. However, places like asia and europe did have a few native species. The key to a successful nation would rely majorly on domestication of animals and plants. Plants like wheat, barley, corn, beans, and yams have lots of benefits when grown domestically. Im looking forward to finishing this documentary, as I find this topic very interesting!

First Day of Western Civ

Today we started the second semester, which means starting western civilization. We only have a few new people joining us, but they all seem to be up to date on everything thats happening in class with the blogs, prayer, etc. We got the chance to make our blogs in class, or write our first blogs if we were here for human geo. I'm glad we get to use the same blog and the same composition book so we don't have to go through the hassle of creating a new one, or going to the store to get another composition book.  I'm excited to get started with this new class and new group of people. We won't have this class tomorrow, but we will start our first lesson on Thursday. I'm excited to see what this class will be all about, and what material we will be learning.

Last Blog of the Semester

Today was our last class of the semester in human geography. Next week on Tuesday we will start western civilization with a new group of people and some people transferring to other classes. We ended the semester by letting some of the other students retake the test on religion, while the rest of us worked on our blogs or other things we had to do. It was a nice way to end both a Friday, and a semester, with a bit of relaxation. I'm ready to start the new semester and achieve new things. Hopefully I will be able to make first honors in the third quarter. I can try to achieve this by studying harder than I have before and staying on top of my homework and assignments, which I've let slide in the past. I look forward to starting Western Civ on Tuesday!

Test on Religions

Today in class we took our test on world religions. I think I did pretty well on it, but I will find out soon when the scan trons come back. I felt pretty confident about most of the questions except for a few that we never ended up bringing up on the review day. This will be the last class of the semester if we don't have school tomorrow, so I wanted to reflect on what we've learned so far. In human geography I learned many new things about time zones, immigration, religion, and various population rates. I think this will help me in the future if i decide to go down a federal career path, which I've been considering. I've had a lot of fun in this class this semester.

Review Day

Today in class we did a review (sort of) to prepare for the test. The way we did this was by reading our paragraphs that we wrote in class yesterday and seeing if they covered key ideas. Not a lot of people participated so it was hard to review thoroughly. In order to try and study to the best of my ability I'm going to read over the handout we got last week, (especially the highlighted parts) and focus on what I highlighted in my paragraphs. When we were asked to volunteer to read we only had about 4 people consistently answer, but luckily they had good and informative information that I could write down and take notes on. Depending on how the snow storm develops, we may have the test on Thursday in case we're off on Friday, and then we can take it before the semester ends. I hope the storm develops a lot, because I still feel robbed of a snow day on Monday. :(

Classwork 1/14/18

Today in class we were given an assignment that should help us before the test on religions this Friday. We had to write a paragraph on each of the religions we have learned about. (Christianity, Islam, Hinduism, Islam, and Judaism) Here are my responses:

Christianity

Christianity is easily the most popular religion in the world as of now. With nearly 2.2 billion adherants from many denominations, it trumps over the other religions in the world. If you were to try and find large groups of Christians, you would probably start by looking in Europe, the Americas, and Southern Africa, as that is where Christianity is most popularly based. Obviously, it can be found in other nations as well, like India. Christianity is based around one figure: Jesus Christ. He is considered a holy teacher and is probably the most important figure in the Bible. The Pope is known as the head leader in the catholic church, and priests are local authorities.

Islam

Islam is estimated to be the second most popular religion right now, with around 1.5 billion adherents. There are only two denominations in the Islamic religion, compared to the various ones of Christianity. The two denominations are Sunnis, and Shiites. Despite having the same major belief systems, these two denominations can be rather argumentative with each other. You can find Muslims in Indonesia, the Middle East, and North Africa, among other places. Their founder was Muhammad, but he is not the central figure of the Islamic faith. Instead, they worship their God, who is called Allah. Their holy text is called the Qur'an, and they follow a system called the Five Pillars of Faith. They are a monotheistic religion, like Christianity. This means that they only believe in one God. Muslims see purpose in life as serving and submitting to Allah, and observing Islamic law. 

Hinduism

Hinduism is the third largest religion in the world, with about 1.1 billion people currently practicing it. Hindus are largely centered in India and Nepal, but can of course be found in other places as well. There is no distinct founder to this religion but instead it is referred to as a "series of intellectual or philosophical points of view rather than a rigid, strict, set of beliefs". Hinduism is most likely one of the oldest religions still being practiced, dating back to before 800 BC when the Aryan scholars completed writing the Vedas. The Vedas are considered the holy book of the Hindus. These collections of texts are composed in verse form, and are meant to be sung and memorized.

Buddhism

Buddhism is the fourth largest religion with an estimated 500 million-1.5 billion adherents. There are various denominations in Buddhism, for example, Tibetan, Zen, Theravada, and Amidist. You can find Buddhists in South East Asia, China, Nepal, and Japan. The founder of Buddhism is believed to be a man named Siddartha Guatama, who much similarly to Jesus, believed in things like living simply, and forgiveness. Two of the most important fundamentals for Buddhists are The Four Noble Truths and The Eightfold Path. The Four Noble truths are supposedly what Siddartha realized when he was on his journey to live humbly. The Eightfold Path is like a set of rules to live by.

Judaism

Judaism is ninth largest religion in the world, with only 14-18 million adherents. Most Jews are centered in Israel or the United States. Their founder is believed to be Abraham, who also happens to be a major figure in Christianity. Their holy book is the Torah, or the first five books of the old testament of the Bible. Judaism is surprisingly closely linked to Christianity, especially in the fact that they are monotheistic, and believe that God is one, and concerned with the actions of man kind. They also have two major beliefs, called the 13 Principles of Faith and the 10 Commandments.

1/8/19

Today in class we were asked to answer a few questions on some religions. My responses are down below:

1.) Q: There are four basic Vedic texts in use by Hindus. Give a brief description of each, including how many hymns are in each.

  A: The four basic Vedic texts are the Rig-Veda, the Sama-Veda, the Yajur-Veda, and the Athara-Veda. The Rig-Veda is known as "Knowledge of the Hymns of Praise" and should be recited. There are 1,017 hymns in this text. The Sama-Veda is also known as "Knowledge of the Melodies" and should be chanted.There are 1,549 hymns included in this text. The Yajur-Veda consists of 1,028 hymns and is known as "Knowledge of the Sacrificial formulas" and should be used for liturgy. Lastly
, the Athara-Veda, or "Knowledge of the Magic Formulas" is a text that includes 730 hymns.

2.) Q: Do some independent research, and in your own words describe the practice of indulgences.
Why do you think Martin Luther objected to indulgences? Please note where your research led you.

  A: An indulgence was the act of funding the Catholic Church to forgive for a certain sin. Personally, I think Martin Luther objected to indulgences because of two things. First of all, it was morally wrong to do. No one should involve money in religion unless its for a specific reason (building a new church, etc.) specially for a church. Secondly, Jesus wouldn't have wanted to mislead people this way. Giving people false hope/faith is a corrupt idea, which is what Martin Luther also thought when he would teach people about it.

3.) Q: The Islamic pilgrimage to Mecca is called the Hajj. Describe the details of the Hajj, and include a photo or video of a Hajj in your blog.

A: The Hajj is a muslim pilgrimage that takes place at the last month of the year every year. Every Muslim is expected to take this trip at least once in their lives. The pilgrimage takes them to Mecca in Saudi Arabia. The Hajj takes around one week to complete.

                                600px-Al-Haram_mosque_-_Flickr_-_Al_Jazeera_English.jpg

1/7/19

Today in class we were given the opportunity to take time to compare statistics from the CIA World Factbook and adherents.com. 
According to the Factbook:

Christians make up 31.4%, 
Muslims make up 23.3%, 
Hindu is 15%, 
Buddhist is 7.1%, 
and Jewish is 0.2%.

According to adherents.com:
Christians are 33%,
Muslims are 21%,
Hindus make up 14%,
Buddhists are 6%,
and Jewish is 0.22%

Although some of the statistics are close, they are not the same. This may be due to adherents.com not being updated, or because the information isn't accurate. I would personally trust the factbook more because it is an official agency, and because it is updated regularly. However, the information on adherents.com isn't completely wrong. It is still in the ballpark of what the world factbook provides us with.

World Religions Day Two

Today in class we learned about three new religions. This religions were Hinduism, Buddhism, and Judaism. My notes will be listed below:

Hinduism (Hindu)

- 1.1 billion practicers
- Most commonly found in India and Nepal
- Holy book: The Vedas (composed in verse form; meant to be sung and memorized)
- No distinct founder - Series of intellectual and philosophical points of view, rather than a rigid, strict set of beliefs
- Probably the oldest religion still being practiced today
- Hinduism is more like a way of life or a faith
- Believes in reincarnation

Buddhism (Buddhists)

- 500 million to 1.5 billion practicers
- Commonly found in South East Asia, China, Nepal, and Japan
- Founder was Siddartha Guatama
- Denominations: Tibetan, Zen, Theravada, Amidist
- Four Noble Truths:
1. There is suffering
2. Attachment to desire is the origin of suffering
3. There is a cessation of suffering
4. The Eightfold path will lead you to cessation of suffering
The Eightfold Path:
1. Right view
2. Right intension
3. Right speech
4. Right action
5. Right livelihood
6. Right effort
7. Right mindfulness
8. Right dedication

Judaism (Jews)
- 14-18 million practicers
- Commonly found in Israel and the US
- founder: Abraham
- Holy Book: Torah (first five books of the Old Testament)
- Beliefs: Ethical monotheism
- 13 principles of faith
- 10 commandments

The Worlds Religions Day 1

Today in class we started our last unit of the year. It is based on the worlds most popular five religions. Today we went over Christianity and started Islam. Christianity was a review for me since I have grown up in the religion all my life. I don't necessarily agree with everything about the religion, but until in eighteen I won't have much say in it. I'm also pretty familiar with the Islamic religion as I did a project on it in eighth grade. I think the rest of the religions may be easy for me as well, as I heard about all of the religions last year, and had to study all of them. I think religion is an interesting topic, both because it has caused so much conflict in the past and because of how versatile it can be. It's also interesting how a group of people can all come together despite their differences, to rejoice in their beliefs.