People and Places

Mexico

Federal Republic

Enrique Pena Nieto

China

Communist Type Government

Ju Jintao

 

India
Federal Republic

Pranab Mukherjee

Islamic Republic

Hamid Karzai

Afghanistan

Theocratic Republic

Mahmoud Ahmadinejad

Iran

Parliamentary Democracy

Shimon Peres-President, Benjamin Metenyahu-Prime Minister

Israel

Federal Republic

Joachim Gauck-President, Angela Merkle-Prime Minister

Germany

 

Constitutional Monarchy and Commonwealth Realm

David Cameron-Prime Minister, Queen Elizibeth- Queen

United Kingdom

 

Francois Hollande

France

Federal Republic

Dilma Rousseff

Brazil

Federal Republic

Hugo Rafael Chavez Frias

Venezuela
Monarchy

Abdullah bin Abdulaziz Al Suad
Suadi Arabia
Monarchy

So Many Tests..

Today in class we reviewed for the last time for our last test of the quarter. I only didn’t know a few and things and learned what from what we talked about. I guess other people didn’t know I was unsure when I said an answer to one of the questions, because when I was wrong they thought I was serious. I’m sure I’m going to be tired tonight too. Not just because of how much I don’t understand, but also because four of my other teachers decided to give tests tomorrow as well; like in math, art, Spanish, and biology. I really hope the notes I took can help me on this test, if not then I guess I’ve already failed. Until then I guess I’m studying for everything by now and I guess it will probably take a while before I finish studying. Next time I hope to be able to study for everything and know I’ll do well. 

Test Review

        Today in class we continued talking and reviewing about our quiz. Mr. Schick let us give our input on what kind of questions would be on the test. I wrote down a few things like there are one billion people that are not claimed by any religion. There are 2.2 billion Christians in the world and are currently the biggest religion in the world. There is one religion growing fast and coming close in numbers to Christianity though and its name is Islam, the fasting growing major religion in the world. The oldest living monotheistic religion is Judaism and the oldest living religion is Hinduism. Buddhism is not polytheistic or a monotheistic religion. The Christians and Jews were discriminated the most by the Romans in the early years after Christ. I hope that with studying and taking these notes I can do great on the last test of the quarter and finish strong.

Testng 1,2,3...

        Yesterday in class we finished talking about the religions we were assigned. After that we learned via Mr. Schick that we were ahead of just about every other class. When I first heard that I was happy, because I thought that meant no homework, but then I realized that we always have to blog like now. Although I wasn’t completely wrong, it meant we didn’t have class work to do for the time being. Then Mr. Schick told us that we were going to make the test we had on Wednesday ourselves! We had to make up five questions each and he would pick out some of them from each blog and put them on the test. This is good and bad. One good thing is that some people might make really easy questions; the bad thing is some people’s notes are different from the others so I’ll have to study even more. I just hope this won’t be the worst test.

Religion Questions

What are three monotheistic religions?
Christianity, Judaism, and Islam.

What is a monotheistic religion?
A monotheistic religion is a religion where there is only one god or main person being worshiped.

What is a polytheistic religion?
A polytheistic religion is a religion where there is one or more gods being worshiped.

What is one way we can communicate better with people in different countries?
By speaking the same language.

Where did the vikings land in North America?
The vikings landed in a place called Newfoundland which is in modern day Canada. 

What are some of the Native Americans weapons?
Tomahawks and bows.

When did Columbus land in the new world?
Columbus landed in the Caribbean on October 12, 1492.

Religion 101

         Today in class we went over the religions we researched last week and what they were really about. Like whether the religions were about worshiping one God or many gods. We found that most of the religions we researched were monotheistic meaning they believed in one god. Although they was still one or two religions that were a polytheistic which means they believed in more than one or many gods. Kishan also explained to us today about the religion known as Hinduism which is where there is one god, but it confuses some people because they think there is more than one god in this religion. I know as a fact and because I am a Catholic that we are a monotheistic religion, because we believe there is only one and true God. In Intro To Bible class we are also learning about why we believe in only one God even though there is Jesus and the Trinity, but that’ll have to wait for next time.

War of Religion

        Today in class we talked about some of the religions that we researched for homework last weekend. We also talked about more ethnic groups and how almost every war known to man was started as a result of religions. This is the simple idea that one group of people doesn’t like the other just because of how they worship their “god”. Personally it doesn’t feel right that millions of people should die just because one or both feel they need to show that they are better than the other. What my real question is “WHY?”. Why does it matter who you worship or why does it matter why you worship that person and not the other religion’s god? I guess most people are just fueled by hate and just can’t accept the fact that they’re not the best. To me it sounds like a fight between two six year olds whenever a country fights itself over religion. Maybe we should just rethink what we’re really doing…

Religions

Christianity
        Christianity started in modern day Israel. It is a monotheistic religion, meaning they believe that there is only one true and all-knowing God. The Christian Holy Book is called the Bible and is very important in the faith. There are approximately 2.1 billion Christians worldwide. The central figure of this religion is known as God and or Jesus (Jesus died somewhere from 30 A.D.- 36 A.D.). He is also called Lord, Father, Yahweh, and Our Savior. Christianity is mainly practiced in the Americas, but it is also very popular in places like Europe, Asia, and even Australia.

Islam
        The Islamic religion was founded about 622 C.E. in the city of Mecca. Islam is another religion that believes in monotheism, where there is only one true God. The Islamic holy book is called the Quran also spelled Koran, Koraan and Qura’n. About one third of the world’s population is Islamic. This religion is centered on the prophet Mohammad and the Islamic god. This religion is highly practiced in the Middle East, such as Saudi Arabia, Iraq, Iran, Egypt, and Libya.

Buddhism
Buddhism was founded at about 460 B.C. by a prince named Siddhartha Gautama. Buddhism is not monotheistic meaning it must be polytheistic. This means they believe in more than one god or idol. The Buddhist holy book is called the Tipitaka. There are an estimated 350 million people in the world who are Buddhist or roughly three percent of Earth’s population. There is no central figure in the Buddhist faith. The majority of Buddhists live in Japan and parts of Asia, although they are scattered all over the world.

Hinduism
Hinduism is thought to have started in India in some time during what’s called the stone ages. There is no way of knowing exactly when Hinduism was discovered. Hinduism has many gods it worships, and although it does this it does focus on one main god. Personally I would consider it a polytheistic religion. The Hindu holy book is called the Vedas. Hinduism also claims about 900 million followers. There are many central figures in Hinduism known as deities. Most people who are Hindu live in places in and around India.

Judaism
Judaism is one of few religions that we don’t know when exactly was discovered. Judaism is a monotheistic religion because they believe in one God. The Jewish holy book is called the Tanakh. There are also about 1.4 million followers of this religion and about 40% live in Israel. This religion worships God, which is their central figure. Most Jewish people live in Israel in the Middle East.

People Are the Same

         Today in class we talked about how different people act in different places. Many countries have people in them that speak many different languages. These people are also exceptional at getting news out to each other. Some of them speak Arabic, some might even speak Spanish, or Swedish. We also learned about how people in some places can interpret just one word. Such as how people can interpret the word soda. People will call it pop, soda, coke, and cola. There was a survey we looked to see what people called these words in different parts of America called counties. There was no part of America that called these words the exact same things. Sometimes I could agree with people that we should all speak one universal language, but it would still be good to speak a different language in some instances, that way you’ll know what people are saying if they choose to speak a different language.

Who was really here first?

          Today in class we showed our presentations about the people who really founded America first. The first people to come to the Americas were of the Native Americans. Not only is it in their name, but it has been proven by fact. They crossed over the Ice Bridge over 10,000 years ago while they were following a herd of mammoth. When they followed these mammoth across the bridge they wandered into modern day Alaska. After they crossed the bridge into their new home the “hunters and gatherers” spread out and repopulated each area they moved to. This process continued and when they were discovered by the Europeans in 1492 there were nearly 50 million of them! It is amazing to think that so many people lived in the Americas before Columbus came and yet he got all the recognition for rediscovering America. It just goes to show not everything you learn is real. 

America

           Today in class we were assigned into three groups which were Native American, Viking, and Columbus. When we got these groups we assumed it had something to do with Columbus, since today it was in fact Columbus Day today. I, since I am part Native American chose to be the Indians. After our groups were chosen and I argued that tomahawks are better weapons than muskets; we got together and answered some questions about what our groups were and how they discovered America. Not only that, but what they were also trying to find when they stumbled across America.

            In my group we found that the Native Americans actually found America by accident just like Columbus. They were simply tracking mammoth, which was their main source of food at the time, when they followed the herd a bit too far; eventually crossing an ice bridge from Russia to modern day Alaska. They soon gathered together and crossed into America, multiplying and spreading throughout the region.

Blog Test!

          Today in class we took our test on a film about three people that are part of a group called, “The Lost Boys.” During the test we were actually allowed to use our blogs to help us with the test. Although I did take a lot of notes in my copybook and on paper; I did not mention many facts on my blog about the movie. I’m still glad I’d managed to study my notes the night before, otherwise I’d probably of failed the test. I do know however that I might of gotten a few things wrong anyway. I’m not the best at studying or taking notes, but I think I can still do a very good job. Hopefully next time we watch a movie or read a story in class I’ll put the notes I take on my blog just in case. But until then, better keep studying my hardest.

Charity

          Today in class we discussed organizations that we gathered last time. We also talked about which organizations would be best to sponsor and or if other people used them which would be best. We found that some organizations had deep dedication to their work while others seemed to claim things, but not change much at all. I liked to see that some of these organizations even let you sponsor a child. It was also nice to see some charities setting up schools and health clinics for those in need of them. We also heard about John’s foundation for the movie “God Grew Tired of Us.” Last time we heard from him he was getting funds for his health clinic. We also got an e-mail from John saying that he would come speak to our school if we could provide $6000 and travel and a hotel. I just hope to see what these charities can really do. 

Help For The Suffering

            Today in class we researched many organizations that claim that they help people in need. In my group we found many organizations that claimed they helped the people of suffering countries. The organizations also claimed they helped these people and their countries by providing them with good medical care and better living conditions. The money would also go to transport and to helping the people get a better education if needed. It would be nice to see these organizations actually people like on the news. Such as showing they hand out clean water and fresh food. It would be a good feeling to see your money actually go somewhere and actually make a difference.         

            I guess that’s why John from the documentary “God Grew Tired of Us” started his own organization. Since he is the only person I know that actually truly knows what these people need I trust him the most.

Family Reunion

            Today in class we finished the video God Grew Tired of Us. At the end of the video there was a great thing that happened. John had finally saved enough money to bring his mother and sister to America! When they met there was even a story in the paper about him reuniting with his family. Not only that, but he was followed by a local news station and interviewed about how he felt about seeing them again for the first time in seventeen years. Then Daniel also went to Sudan to find his wife and bring her back to America as well as his brother and mother. All in all it was a very touching reunion. Although last time we saw Panther he was jumping from job to job and had not gotten word of his family I’m it won’t be long before he is reunited as well. I’m happy for the Lost Boys and how far they have come.