Even More on Guns Steel and Germs

Today in Western Civ. we continued to watch the video of Guns, Germs, and Steel. Goats, sheep, pigs, cows, horses, donkeys, bactrian camels, Arabian camels, water buffalo, llamas, reindeer, yaks, mithuns, and balicattle. In the video it talked about different foods that were naturally grown in different places. Wheat and barely grow naturally in the Middle East, rice naturally grows in China, and corn naturally grows in North America. All or most of those things were in the bread, along with several types of seeds. We also went over 14 animals that were naturally born/ found. Llama's were the only animals from South America. We also got bread from Mr. Schick which was quite good.

More on Guns, Steel, and Germs.

Today in Western Civ. we continued watching the video. The earliest city know to man is the city of Draa. The reason they can tell it is a "city" is because there was at one point a building there which people used to store grain for many years. This building was made to protect the grains that were stored in it form bugs, weather, and other animals. Domestication of plants is when you learn how to plant different types of plants and then growing them around you so you can control what you eat. About nine thousand years ago people learned to domesticate animals. They would capture them and then breed them so that they could have more and harvest more milk from them and then eventually eat them. The answer to Diamonds question ultimately came down to geographical luck. This means depending on what you have in your area you may be able to prosper but if you only have the bear necessities to survive you will not flourish and grow and become a civilization.

Pop Quiz

Today during Western Civ. we had a pop quiz. The quiz was very easy. I think that it was a great idea to review for the quiz before. I think that it really did help and that we reviewed and that the quiz was very super easy. I think I did very well on this quiz. We also had a shadow in class today. She was very nice and she went along great with the class. I hope she comes here next year. I think the pop tart question was a very great option. It would have been better if it were the answer but I will take what I can get. I compared no Red Ink to a infectious disease like Ebola and Syphilis.

Guns, Germs, And Steel

Today in Western Civ. we started watching a movie. Jared Diamond is the main person in this video. He is an author, professor for UCLA and is a biologist. He also has a major passion for birds. He often visits Papua New Guinea to see rare birds. People who are living in Papua New Guinea have lived there longer than people have been living in America. They are still living as hunter gatherers and they are one of the only remaining examples of this. A line that a native villager said to Diamond was " Why you white men have so much cargo while us New Guineans have so little?" Cargo is material goods that were brought by people who had more money and that were more civilized. Power back then was determined by skin color. Hunter Gatherers were people who woke up and immediately started looking for food. Sago is an important fruit to the native people.

First day of Western Civ.

Today in Western Civ. we talked about what the class will be like. It was interesting in class with all new people. I think that we should keep the class the same because I succeed in this class. I know that I should excelled my comfort zone but I would like the A in this class. I think that presentation would be a good idea if we are in groups. I am kind of excited for this class because I do like history. I am also excited to see what happens through the year and see who gets in trouble or forgets how to do their blogs. I am excited to see what changes in this class and what will stay the same. I am also excited for Western Civ. and having a grand old time.

Human Geo.

Today in Human Geo. we took a test. I thought it was actually hard and I even study. I didn't think that when the religions were gonna be founded were gonna be on there but hey. You win some you lose some. Anyway I have a 98 in this class and if i fail I should still have a low a maybe high b. It will be fine. I personally like Human Geo. I thought that the class was interesting and that we did some fun things reviewing for tests and quizzes. We also learned from power points which I thought was cool because most teachers just teach and it gets very boring. We also had open discussions which I thought was very interesting and I liked. Over all I thought that Human Geo. was a good class and I enjoyed it. I can't wait for Western Civ. with you.

Test Review

Today in Human Geo we reviewed for the test in Human Geo. 


Christianity was founded by Jesus Christ. It has proximately 2.2 billion adherents and are mainly located in Europe, the Americas, and Southern Africa. There are many denominations and most originate with Abraham. The denominations are Catholic Church, Eastern Orthodox, Protestants, which have many branches which I will not list. The main focus is on their holy book, the Bible. They believe that Jesus is both human and Devine. Also, that Jesus is the son of God. Their clergy is the pope if the head of the Catholic Church and priests are local authority.


Islam's founder is Muhammad who was alive in 570-632 AD. You would call them Muslims and they have about 1.5 billion adherents and are the second largest religion in the world. They are based out of Indonesia, Middle East, and North Africa. They only have two major denominations which are the Sunnis and the Shiites. The Sunnis and the Shiites have been in many revolutionary wars in the past and they have lasted a very long time. Their holy book is the Qur'an. their beliefs are monotheistic and abrahamic. They have the five pillars which are testimony, prayer, alms-giving, fasting, and pilgrimage their god is called Allah.

Hindus are mainly in the location of India and Nepal. With a following of 1.1 billion people.

Their holy book is the Vedas. The thing that separates Hinduism from any other religion is the fact that Hindus believe it’s more of a lifestyle rather than a religion. They believe in reincarnation and did not have a distinct founder. Although Hinduism is the 3^rdlargest religion most followers see it as a lifestyle and a way to live life rather than a belief. 

Buddhism is most common in Southeast Asia, China, Nepal, and Japan. There are about 500 million-1.5 billion Buddhists in the world. It is very hard to get an exact count because Buddhism allows it’s adherents to follow another religion as well. The founder was Siddhartha Gautama. There are four different denominations which are Tibetan, Zan, Theravada, and Admidist. They believe in the four noble truths and the eight fold path. Once they belive in the four noble truths they achevie nirvana. They belive in reincarnation. 

Judaism is the fifth largest religion ranking in at 14-18 million adherents. We would call them Jews. They are located in Israel and U.S.A. Their founder is Abraham. The holy bible is the Torah which is the first five books in the old testament. These are Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, and Deuteronomy. They believe in one God and are concerned with the actions of human kind. They also follow the ten commandments.

Paragraphs On Christianity

Today in Human Geo. we were assigned a "project" in where we are supposed to write a paragraph about each religion.

Christianity is the largest religion in the world today. It has over 2.2 billion adherents which are mostly based in Europe North and South America, and Southern Africa. There are many different types of christianity. There is Catholic, Eastern Orthodox, Protestants, Lutherans, Methodists, Baptists, Anglicans, Presbyterians, and Episcopalians. The founder is Jesus Christ. The holy book of Christianity is the bible. The clergy or the authority of the church includes Poes, Bishops, and, Priests. The Christians believe that Jesus is Divine and a son of God the father.

Islam is the seconds largest religion in the world checking in at about 1.5 billion adherents. You call Islamic people Muslims. They are mostly located in Indonesia, Middle East, and North Africa. There are two parts to this religion. The Sunnis which is about 75 to about 90 percent of the people. The other part is the Shiits. This is about 10 to 20 percent of the people in the religion. The holy book of Islam is the Quran. They believe in the five pillars of Islam which are Testimony, Prayer, Alms giving, Fasting, and Pilgrimage. They are monotheistic.

Hinduism is the third largest religion ranking in at about 1.1 billion adherents. You call them Hindus. They are located in India and Nepal. Their holy book is the Vedas. These are internal truths that where reveled to ancient sages. They are composed in verse form. Meant to be sung in rhythm and easily memorized. There is no distinct founder of Hinduism. Series of philosophical and intellectual points that are used instead of rules. They are the oldest religion on the planet. They are more of a way of life then they are a religion. They believe when you die you are reincarnated into something depending on how you acted in this life.

Buddhism is the fourth largest religion checking in with about 500 million to about 1.5 billion people. We would call them buddhists. They are located Southeast Asia, China, Nepal, and Japan. There are 1.2 million in the U.S.A. Their founder was Siddhartha Gautama. They are Tibetan, Zen, Theravada, and Amidst. They follow the noble truths. 1, there is suffering, 2 attachment to desire, 3 cessation of suffering, 4 the eight fold pattern. The eight fold pattern will stop your suffering.

Judaism is the fifth largest religion ranking in at 14-18 million adherents. We would call them Jews. They are located in Israel and U.S.A. Their founder is Abraham. The holy bible is the Torah which is the first five books in the old testament. These are Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, and Deuteronomy. They believe in one God and are concerned with the actions of human kind. They also follow the ten commandments.

Game is class

Today in Human Geo. we played a game where we had to decide what was in the Quran and what was from the bible. We played it on the projector. We argued a lot but eventually we figured them. It was fun because we all had a good time yelling at each other. After about twenty minutes we did not get three wrong and then we were set free like wild horses to do our blog.

Notes in class on religion

Today in Human Geo. we looked and highlighted more notes. Christianity was founded upon the teachings of Jesus, who was born in Bethlehem between eight and four B.C. and died on a cross in Jerusalem at about thirty A.D. The four Gospels of the Christian Bible- Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John- document miracles and extraordinary acts performed by Jesus that the writers believed he performed. Jesus was arrested and out to death as an agitator. On the third day after his death, his tomb was found empty. Christians believe that Jesus died to atone for human sins, that he was raised from the dead by God, and that his Resurrection from the dead provides people with hope for salvation. Roman Catholics accept the teachings by the church hierarchy, headed by the Pope.

Notes in class

Today in Human Geo. we talked about the test we are going to take. Although most migrants learn the language of the new location, they typically retain their religion. Reliable statistics on the number of adherents are difficult to obtain. Christianity, Islam, Hinduism, and Buddhism. Pew estimates that 2.2 billion people in the world view themselves as Christian, 1.6 billion as Muslim, 1 billion as Hindu, and 500 million as Buddhist. Judaism has fourteen and twenty three million adherents. In all but a handful of countries, the religion with the largest number of adherents is either Christianity or Islam. Christianity is the most widely practiced religion in every country of the Western Hemisphere and in most countries of Europe and Sub Saharan Africa. Islam is the most widely practiced religion in nearly every country of Southwest Asia and North Africa as well as Central Asia. 

Questions on the blog

1. There are four basic Vedic texts in use by Hindus.

Give a brief description of each, including how many hymns are in each.

The first Vedic text is The Rig Veda: The Book of Mantra. It has 1,017 hymns in it. It is a main source of information on the social, religious, and political beliefs. 

The second book is The Sama Veda : The Book of Chant. This book has 1,549 hymns in it. It is a book of chants derived form the original eighth and ninth books.

The third book is The Yajur Veda : The Book of Ritual. This book has 730 hymns in it. It is a guide book for priests that help them perform sacrifices. 

The fourth book is The Atharva Veda : The Book of Spell. It has 730 hymns. This book has knowledge on magical formulas. 

I found this information at Quora.com 

2. Indulgences relied on two main things. That purgatory is an actual place and also the fact that penance was not enough. People believed that you had wronged the almighty God so you should have to be dearly for it. The church then decided to start selling indulgences. These were very common to buy for people that were going off to war or to fight in the crusades because they were killing people which is not Gods will but also if they died before going through penance and having their sins forgiven. Although this was a great plan the church did not have the power to do this. This made Martin Luther upset because the church was charging people money for simply a piece of paper. He then went off and started his own religion that he believed fully followed the bible. 

britannica.com is where I found this information

3. The Hajj is "The Muslim pilgrimage to Mecca that takes place in the last month of the year. All muslims are expected to take this trip at least once in their life time. They do this to renew their senses in the world. It is the fifth and final pillar in Islam.

Worksheet

Today in Human Geo we talked more about religions. We were given numbers to compare the CIA world fact book and a website called Adherents.com. They are as the following.

1. Christianity- 34.1%
2. Islam - 23.2%
3. Hindu- 15%
4. Buddist- 7.1%
5. Judaism- 0.2%
@CIA World Fact Book

1. Christianity- 33%
2.Islam- 21%
3. Hindu-14%
4. Buddist- 6%
5.Judaism- 0.22%
@Adherents.com

When you compare these two statistics they are very close. Most are only off by one or two.

First Human Geo Class Since Break

Today in Human Geo. we talked about what we will be doing in class the next few weeks. We will be talking about the five major religions in the next two weeks. We were also informed that there is only two weeks left in the quarter. This means that there will be no more Human Geo. for the rest of the year but there will be Western Civ. We will be learning about the five major religions for the rest of the duration of the year. We started talking about Christianity today. There are two point two billion Christians around the world. This is the largest religion in the world. Islam is the world's second largest religion in the world. They are mostly located in Indonesia, Middle East, and North Africa. The founder was Muhammed. He lived from 570 to 632. Right after he died the religion split into two groups. The Sunnis which take up about seventy five to about ninety percent of the people while the Shitius take up about ten to twenty percent of the people.