Monday, December 8, 2014
Thursday, December 4, 2014
Digital Scrapbook Entry #5
Digital Scrapbook Entry- India
Jack Shams
12/4/14
Per 4.
Website Links: http://www.ushistory.org/civ/8b.asp
Caste of Life
In ancient India the caste system dominated the way of life for everyone. If you were a Brahmin, Kshtriya, or a Vaishya life was good. There was on group of people who were so disrespected they were not even included in the caste system, these people were called the untouchables. The untouchables were treated as people, they had to clean everyone else's waste, people would avoid them at all costs, and others would act like they didn't even exist. Living as an untouchable was barley living but they were forced to live that way for their entire life in hope that they would be reincarnated into a higher caste. In India we see the caste system form such strong social stratification that some people in their community were not even treated as people. Although the caste system created intense stratification between classes it kept the community tightly knit because each group of people felt like they had a job to do and they had some sort of importance to the community.
In the world today we still have social classes which creates social stratification. People of higher class do not primarily prefer to be spend time with people of a lower class. There are other deciding factors in the way people treat one another and one of the biggest factors is race. In the 1950's America endured one of the largest social breakdowns in history. People of the white race would not even treat people of the black race as humans. They thought they could not drink out of the same water fountain or use the same bathrooms as white citizens. As much as this tore apart the community it also brought it together. People felt like they had an opportunity to change their community for the better which made them come together as one.
The caste system brought the community together just as much as it took it apart. The Civil Rights Movement did the exact same thing in America in the 50's. The untouchables were avoided at all costs and not treated properly or fairly to say the least. African Americans were treated the same way in the 50's. When times are tough for a group of people they will come together to weather the storm together. Communities are built to be brought apart and be able to withstand the separation, this is proven throughout history.
Silk Road Map
The Silk Road was one of the most used trade routes in the world. Many items were traded using the Silk Road but the Silk Road also helped to spread religion.
Items of the Silk Road
-Copper- Iran-Tin- Iran
-Silk- China
-Furs- Nothern Europe
-Paper- China
-Tea- India
-Glass- Rome
-Ivory- India
-Ceramics- Rome
-Spices- India
-Sugar- Rome
Monday, December 1, 2014
Jack S.
12/1/14
Per 4.
Thoughts and Reflections on: Women's rights in China
In ancient China there were many different religions throughout the progression of the country including Taoism, Buddhism, Confucianism, and Neo-Confucianism. Each on of these religions had a different view on how women should be treated. In Taoism women are thought to be passive and yielding and men are supposed to be aggressive and active. Women were expected to be house wives, but they still had control over their spiritual life. In Buddhism women were granted some spiritual empowerment also. For example, women could travel on religious pilgrimages to Buddhist temples, retreat to nunneries, give public lectures, and lead temple groups. In these two religions women had much more control over their spiritual lives. In Confucianism women were much lower on the social spectrum and were expected to put everyone els before themselves. They also did not have much control over their spirituality because they were always told what to do and they had to follow. In a reinterpretation of Confucianism called Neo-Confucianism, women were barely treated as humans. They would use foot-binding and a method to make sure women could not leave their terrible life in the Song Dynasty. Fathers would sell unwanted daughters, and would enforce widow chastity. These tactics show that Neo-Confucianism treated women the worst of all the religions in this time period.
Jack S.
11/20/14
Per. 4
The Qin Dynasty
The Qin Dynasty was the third dynasty in China and started in 221BC and ended in 206BC. The Qin Dynasty was in the South East part of China and this was the best place to live in China at the time. They had the mountains to the West and the Gobi Desert to the North. This protected them from invaders and the fertile in the East was perfect for growing crops. Qin Shi Huangdi, or King Zhen, was the first emperor. King Zheng was the reason the Qin were successful because while he was alive the Qin flourished, but when he died the dynasty began to breakdown and destroy itself. The Qin Dynasty believed that people were stupid and they needed strict laws to lead them. The Qin Dynasty centralized China, built the Great Wall, and named China. The Qin were not around for very long, but when they were they accomplished more than one would think.
People of the Qin Dynasty I am your leader King Zheng. We are the most dominant society in the world. This is because we follow our one main moral, people are incompetent and need my strict laws too lead them. Education will not be tolerated in the Qin Dynasty. That means no school, no books, and no teachers. I am here to continue to move our dynasty forward so we can solidify our place in history and continue our reputation as the most dominant dynasty to ever rise.
I will not stand for people disobeying the laws that we must follow to be successful. This is one of the ways I am going to unify China, I have put a strict new law system in place that will make sure one follows these rules or you will be punished. We do not need school filling our minds with crazy ideas we just need to know I main morals and laws and follow them. As a dynasty we do not question our laws we just follow them and they will lead us to nothing but wealth, happiness, and wisdom.
Monday, November 17, 2014
Religion/Philosophy and Main Beliefs 11/17/14
Buddhism- Buddha is the means the enlightened one and the followers of Buddhism worship him. Buddha believed in the living in the moment and the Four Noble Truths. Buddha tries to achieve Nirvana which means that you are freed of human suffering, hatred, ignorance. The philosophies of Buddhism are prayer, teaching, meditation, and argumentation.
Confucianism- Confucius is the man that started Confucianism and he was mostly a teacher. Confucius believed in Universal Law which means that even if people were of different class they treated and respected each other equally. Confucius strongly believed in have a wise ruler lead his people with compassion and forethought. Confucius also believed that people should focus on their every day morals instead of the afterlife like some religions do.
Han Fei-Tzu- Han Fei-Tzu believed in Taoism which was a much political way to rule population. Han Fei-Tzu believed in law, method, legitimacy, power, and government. This was a much more totalitarian belief system which controlled its followers more than any of the other beliefs we've seen. Human nature was believed evil so the government tried to control people as much as possible.
Lao-Tzu- Lao-Tzu believed in Legalism which was the worship of nature, reduction of person desire, and never ending search of self purity. The followers of Lao-Tzu believed in seeking equilibrium in their life which includes the philosophy of balancing the hot force and the cold in their life to create equilibrium.
1.) The difference between a religion and a philosophy is that in a religion there is a set God or gods that are worshiped and in a philosophy it is less about worshiping and more of following guidelines or beliefs to live a better life.
2.) All of these beliefs are similar in the way that they all are ways of leading people, but some are more religious and others are more like philosophies. Buddhism and Legalism have both religious aspects and philosophy aspects because they both worship a higher power, but they also have strong everyday beliefs. Taoism and Confucianism are both much less religious and more like philosophies because they don't worship higher powers and are much more focused on how to treat people properly.
Digital Scrapbook Entry #3: Egypt
Digital Scrapbook Entry: Egypt
Jack S.
11/18/14
Per. 4
Pyramid Power
The pyramids are a wonder to our entire world for a few very obvious reasons, but there is a bigger reason that lies a little bit deeper beneath the surface. The pyramids were a huge project when they were being built and people worked voluntarily on them because it made them feel like part of the community and they felt like they were contributing to their country. This type of want to help your community for a greater cause is quite scarce in today's world. There are very few things that's could happen to pull a country together and make them feel like a family that is responsible for one another but a terrorist on your country's biggest city has the power to do that
The terrorist attack on the World Trade Center was the worst terrorist attack in American history. It cost over 3 trillion dollars to repair the damages from 9/11. About 3 thousand people lost their lives in 9/11 as well. To honor the people that died and helped rescue others New York is spending 4 billion dollars to build a new tower called the Freedom Tower. Construction started in April of 2006 and finished in November or 2014. There is over 3 million square feet of floor space in this building and it is the tallest building in the westerner hemisphere, so it is quite big. Taking into consideration all of the damage that had to be cleaned up for this to be built, 8 years is quite fast for such a huge project to be completed.
During the construction of the Freedom Tower people worked countless hours and donated millions of dollars in support of the construction all for the similar reasons that the Egyptians worked on the pyramids, people want to contribute to the community and a major project that has a large meaning makes people want to contribute even more. The Pyramids and the Freedom Tower both have similar meanings and served similar purposes, they were built to remember people who have died and they both brought communities together.
Thursday, November 13, 2014
Jack S.
11/13/14
No Author Noted
Thoughts and Reflections on: The Indifference of Confucius
Confucius was indifferent to the myths and mysteries of creation. Confucius believed that heaven was the cosmic region of ethic in man. A less complex way of thinking about confucianism is the traditional Chinese beliefs of family. Confucius believed that the virtue of man was based on his collective experiences in life. He also believed that one should treat people of higher moral value with more respect, and the people of higher moral value were expected to be good people and role models. Confucius can sometimes be mistaken as a social leader, but her is truly a teacher who gained fame over 2,000 years. All of Confucius's teachings were based on
Analects which can be compared to the Rig-Vedas in Hinduism. Unlike some religions in this era, people of the Confuciust religion were less focused on creation and recreation, but they were more worried with their everyday morals. Morality, family, and rules were extremely important to Confucius. Family was important because the head of each family was the person who performed the religious rituals. Confucius also believed in a good ruler, which does not mean they are wealthy or politically strong, but people who had a strong set of morals that they follow and teach to others. Confucianism is not a religion nor a social practice, but more of a teaching of a good self-respecting life. Unlike most religions, Confucianism does not praise a higher power or focus on the after life very much, but they focus on being a good human being and making sure that you live every day in a respectful way to yourself and others. 
Jack S
11/5/14
Arrow of the Blue-Sinned God
Thoughts and Reflections on: The Caste System
The caste system is a social system that has been in India for a thousands of years. It was created by the god, Manu. The system is based on the body of Manu. The head represents the Brahmins or the priests, the biceps represents the Kshatriyas which are the Warriors, the thighs represent the vashyas which are the merchants, and the feet represent the sudras which are the slaves. The caste system in India untied India, but also divided it. Every person in India was part of a caste which brought them closer together with their caste and made it feel like more of a family or team. On the other hand, the caste system created social stratification. This meant that some people were treated better than other or some people were higher than others. The caste system was brought to India in the first place by the Aryans. The Aryans are a group of people from Central Asia who migrated into north India and conquered it. They brought new things to India like the caste system and the Vedas. The caste system was and continues to be one of the largest distinguishing characteristic of Indian society. The caste system continues to be around today because such a big part of a community does not just fade away over time. People in India have followed the caste system for their whole lives as well as their ancestors did, so it has always had such a drastic impact on people's lives and really what people are able to accomplish in their lives. A system with such a huge impact will not disappear very easily throughout time.
Tuesday, November 11, 2014
Friday, November 7, 2014
Jack S.
11/7/14
Per 4.
Quiz Corrections
#2.) Love of cow affects life in many ways. Government agencies maintain old age homes for cows at which owners may board their dry and decrepit animals free of charge. In Madras, the police round up stray cattle that have fallen ill and nurse them back to health by letting them graze on small fields adjacent to the station house. Farmers regard their cows as members of the family, adorn them with garlands and tassels, pray for them when they get sick, and call in their neighbors and a priest to celebrate the birth of a new calf. Throughout India, Hindus hang on their walls calendars that portray beautiful, bejeweled young women who have the bodies of big fat white cows. Milk is shown jetting out of each teat of these half-woman, half-zebu goddesses.
#3-4.) Aside from the beautiful human face, cow pinups bear little resemblance to the typical cow one sees in the flesh. For most of the year their bones are their most prominent feature. Far from having milk gushing from every teat, the gaunt beasts barely manage to nurse a single calf to maturity. The average yield of whole milk from the typical humpbacked breed of zebu cow in India amounts to less than 500 pounds a year. Ordinary American dairy cattle produce over 5,000 pounds, while for champion milkers, 20,000 pounds is not unusual. But this comparison doesn't tell the whole story. In any given year about half of India's zebu cows give no milk at all-not a drop.
#7.)When Indian farmers want an animal primarily for milking purposes they turn to the female water buffalo, which has longer lactation periods and higher butterfat yields than zebu cattle. Male water buffalo are also superior animals for plowing in flooded rice paddies. But oxen are more versatile and are preferred for dry-field farming and road transport. Above all, zebu breeds are remarkably rugged, and can survive the long droughts that periodically afflict different parts of India.
#9.)Aside from the beautiful human face, cow pinups bear little resemblance to the typical cow one sees in the flesh. For most of the year their bones are their most prominent feature. Far from having milk gushing from every teat, the gaunt beasts barely manage to nurse a single calf to maturity. The average yield of whole milk from the typical humpbacked breed of zebu cow in India amounts to less than 500 pounds a year. Ordinary American dairy cattle produce over 5,000 pounds, while for champion milkers, 20,000 pounds is not unusual. But this comparison doesn't tell the whole story. In any given year about half of India's zebu cows give no milk at all-not a drop.
Jack and Allie
10/31/14
Per 4.
Ganges River
The Ganges River starts in the Himalayas and flows through India and into the Mouth of the Ganga and into the Bay of Bengal. The Ganges River is important because it provides the daily needs of water for people who live near it and also leaves sediment for fertile land to grow crops. There were also many imperial capitals on the banks on the Ganga including Pataliputra, Kannauj, Kara, Kashi, and Allahabad. The Ganges is also the most sacred River to Hindus because they think of it as a goddess named Ganga.
Shiva
Shiva is one the primary Hindu gods. Shiva is also referred to as Mahadeva. Shiva is considered the destroyer among the Hindu gods. Vishnu and Ramen are the two gods of creation. There is also a separate religion dedicated to Shiva called Shivaism. Shiva is also considered the God of arts and yoga and is to believed to have different forms and to live on a mountain. Shiva himself is not necessarily important to India alone, but he is extremely important to Hinduism which is important to India.
Hinduism
Hinduism is the dominant religion, or way of life in India today. There are many different forms of of Hinduism including Shaivism, Vaishnavism,and Shaktism. Karma and Dharma are two of the largest parts of Hinduism. Karma is the belief in that if you do good then good will come to you and if you do bad then bad will come to you. Dharma is the idea of fate that will change depending on your karma. Hinduism is important to India because it has been around for such a long time and is not just a religion, but is truly a way of life.
Sanskrit
Sanskrit was the sacred and literary language of Hinduism. It also served as the philosophical language of Jainism, Buddhism, and Hinduism. Most importantly, however, it was the commonly spoken language that connected East and Southeast Asia, giving the region a means of communication. Sanskrit was essential to the communication of Greater India, a region that spread as far as ancient Indian culture. Sanskrit was the primary language used in Ancient India and provided a way of communication.
Ganesha
Ganesha, son of Shiva, is one of the most worshipped gods in the Hindu religion. Marked by his elephant head, Ganesha is easily identifiable and has large presence in the Hindu religion. Ganesha is the god of the arts and sciences as well as intellect and wisdom. He is also the god of beginnings. His largest role is as the god of (removing) obstacles. Because of his role, he was prayed to often by those seeking success in their endeavors. Because he had such a frequent and prominent role in the lives of many Hindu people, he became a large part of the Hindu religion, and subsequently, ancient India.
Thursday, November 6, 2014
Jack S.
11/6/14
Source: Cows, Pigs, Wars, and Witches, by Marvin Harris
Thoughts and Reflections on: Holy Cow
Cows are not usually looked at as holy in our day to day lives in America, but in India the cow is not only important but holy. The cow has so many different uses in everyday life that people in India would not be able to live without. For example, the cow makes fuel, flooring, fertilizer, milk, meat, leather, and traction all possible for the people in India. If one animal could give our community so much we would probably believe it was holy also. This is the real reason the cows are holy. They bring so much to the community and make so many things possible that they become a vital part of life there so people think of it as a holy animal. In America we use cows primarily for food like burgers or steak and also for milk. We use chemicals for fertilizer, wood or stone for flooring, gasoline for fuel, and have factories build huge tractors. All of these are much less environmentally friendly than what the Indians do. If we could have as many uses for cows as the Indians and use them as efficiently than we could save lots of money, energy, and even help make America more efficient in the things that we use. India uses their cows much more efficiently which also makes them for environmentally friendly because they don't use factories for tractors, they don't cut down trees for flooring, they don't use harmful chemicals for fertilizer, and they overall cherish what they have and what they are given more than we do in America.
Tuesday, November 4, 2014
Jack S
11/5/14
Arrow of the Blue-Sinned God
Thoughts and Reflections on: The Caste System
The caste system is a social system that has been in India for a thousands of years. It was created by the god, Manu. The system is based on the body of Manu. The head represents the Brahmins or the priests, the biceps represents the Kshatriyas which are the Warriors, the thighs represent the vashyas which are the merchants, and the feet represent the sudras which are the slaves. There is another group of people called the untouchables which are people who are total outcasts in their communtiy. One may think that the untouchable are part of the caste system, but they are not. The caste system in India untied India, but also divided it. Every person in India was part of a caste which brought them closer together with their caste and made it feel like more of a family or team. On the other hand, the caste system created social stratification. This meant that some people were treated better than other or some people were higher than others. The caste system was brought to India in the first place by the Aryans. The Aryans are a group of people from Central Asia who migrated into north India and conquered it. They brought new things to India like the caste system and the Vedas. The caste system was and continues to be one of the largest distinguishing characteristic of Indian society. The caste system continues to be around today because such a big part of a community does not just fade away over time. People in India have followed the caste system for their whole lives as well as their ancestors did, so it has always had such a drastic impact on people's lives and really what people are able to accomplish in their lives. A system with such a huge impact will not disappear very easily throughout time.
Thursday, October 30, 2014
Digital Scrapbook Entry #3
Digital Scrapbook Entry- Mesopotamia
Jack S.
11/3/14
Per. 4
Links- Author: Unknown
Author: Unkown
Author: Munich watcher
Author: Unkown
The Power of Beer
In Mesopotamia beer was one of the biggest parts of their culture. The process of making beer, or fermentation, brought many new innovations to Mesopotamia including a new type of currency, shorthand writing, and just made people happy in general. Beer was a fascinating new beverage and people enjoyed drinking it. Beer was more flavorful than water, but the wheat and barley in it actually gave it nutritional value. With these advantages over other beverages beer soon became the most popular drink in Mesopotamia. Beer would be widely consumed in large groups and at social gatherings. Does this sound familiar?
In today's world, beer is still one of the most popular drinks globally. At Oktoberfest last year over 6.7 million liters of beer were consumed by 6 million people. This is a prime example of the power of beer. People enjoy drinking beer together as a bonding activity which creates friendships. Events like Oktoberfest makes people happy and gives them a chance to have fun and the only reason Oktoberfest is around is because of beer. In 2012 there was over 55.1 billion gallons of beer sold in the United States alone. With how much beer is bought and consumed it makes quite a big economic splash as well. Beer has an annual 10 billion dollar segment which is pretty impressive for a beverage. Overall, beer has had a positive effect on the modern day world.
Beer is an image of fun, excitement, and happiness throughout history and will continue to be for a long time. Without the Mesopotamians invention of beer the United States couldn't bring in 10 billion dollars annually and we wouldn't be able to have the thousands of jobs created by breweries, but most of all we wouldn't be able to have as good of a time as possible. Beer is a surprisingly important part of American culture and many other cultures around the world and without it people would lose part of their culture and lose something that they love. A good beer has brought smiles to people faces since the days of ancient Mesopotamia and will continue to bring smiles to people faces for as long as we will live.
Wednesday, October 22, 2014
Jack S.
10/23/14
Per. 1
Life After Death
The sarcophagus was important to the Egyptian after life because whatever items or goods was in or near their sarcophagus went with them to the afterlife. If this belief was the same in our world today people would go above and beyond for their loved ones to give them a great afterlife. Sarcophagi made people successful in the afterlife if they are buried with things they love and lots of luxuries. This practice shows that Egyptians felt very strongly in their religious beliefs and were very superstitious. With Pharos, who were living gods, in the Egyptian community the people got a glimpse of the gods moods and what gods were like, so this probably made them much more firm in their belief of religion. With such firm religious beliefs, the Egyptians went above and beyond when it came to a sarcophagus and death.
Tuesday, October 14, 2014
Jack S.
10/16/14
National Geographic
Thoughts and Reflections on: A Light That Did Not Fail
Ancient Mesopotamia was a very ethnically diverse place. The people to thank for this is the Sumerians. The Sumerians traveled to Mesopotamia leaving their immediate families behind somewhere els in Asia. The Sumerians way of life mixed so well with the Mesopotamian lifestyle that they decided to stay. The result of this was the evolution of an entire civilization. Adding in this entirely different ethnicity to the mix made Mesopotamia a much more diverse place. The Mesopotamians were very superstitious people and always thought the gods were mad at them. They would do anything to try to appease the gods. They would even rebuild their temples in the exact same spot to earn the protection of the gods and spirits that previously lived in them. Some aspects of the Mesopotamian lifestyle we still use today. For example, they were the first Civilization to have a written form of communication which is still used across the world today. The Mesopotamians also used canals to irrigate their crops. This is also used across the world today and one of the most popular forms of irrigation.
10/16/14
National Geographic
Thoughts and Reflections on: A Light That Did Not Fail
Ancient Mesopotamia was a very ethnically diverse place. The people to thank for this is the Sumerians. The Sumerians traveled to Mesopotamia leaving their immediate families behind somewhere els in Asia. The Sumerians way of life mixed so well with the Mesopotamian lifestyle that they decided to stay. The result of this was the evolution of an entire civilization. Adding in this entirely different ethnicity to the mix made Mesopotamia a much more diverse place. The Mesopotamians were very superstitious people and always thought the gods were mad at them. They would do anything to try to appease the gods. They would even rebuild their temples in the exact same spot to earn the protection of the gods and spirits that previously lived in them. Some aspects of the Mesopotamian lifestyle we still use today. For example, they were the first Civilization to have a written form of communication which is still used across the world today. The Mesopotamians also used canals to irrigate their crops. This is also used across the world today and one of the most popular forms of irrigation.
Monday, October 6, 2014
Digital Scrapbook Entry #2- The Agrarian Era
Digital Scrapbook Entry #2- The Agrarian Era
Jack S.
10/7/14
Per. 4
Links: Author- Unkown
Jack S.
10/7/14
Per. 4
Links: Author- Unkown
Author- Unknown
Author- Dana Gunders
Author- Unknown
Food Surplus
In the Agrarian era with all the new ideas of growing crops and farming there was also the idea of food surplus. Food surplus is when people would stock and store food, or the act of putting food that you are using aside for the time being. When people would stock up on food in the agrarian era they would keep it close to them and in a good spot so it would not go bad. They were careful and mindful of how they surplussed their food. Even though in this era people began taking more than they needed and stocking up on it, they eventually ate it or used it for other purpose within their society.
Back in that day and age food was an essential part of human life as it is now, but people treated food much differently back then. People would not wast food or throw away leftovers, they ate everything that they got. Now a days we see some people throwing away entire meals because they don't like it or they aren't hungry. All this food is taken to land fills and buried in the earth or burned. When food is taken to land fills it can not be reused or recycled and it can not be composted to naturally decompose. People today throw out about 40% of their food each year. Having everyone do this creates an enormous amount of wasted food. Once we throw out the food we don't want we usually just go and buy more. This means that we take excessive amounts from our environment which has a very negative effect.
People in the Agrarian Era surplussed their food in an area where it wouldn't go bad and made sure they did it right so they could eventually eat or use the food they had collected. Humans today surplus their food by putting it in landfills and continuously buying it and then throwing it away over and over. In today's world the cycle of getting food and then throwing it away is a weekly if not daily cycle which has a huge effect on our environment. Because this cycle is so quick we do not give the environment enough time to produce more of whatever we take from it which results in it eventually not being able to produce it any more. We could prevent this by buying only what we are going to use and making sure that if we buy more than we need making sure that we don't just throw it away, but use it eventually. This will lower the amount of food that we throw away, and take some pressure off the environment to produce so much food. With landfills getting more full there is more waste being burned and buried which creates pollution and kills the environment. We can prevent this by recycling and composting certain food so that we can reuse some of it and the rest can decompose naturally.
In the Agrarian era with all the new ideas of growing crops and farming there was also the idea of food surplus. Food surplus is when people would stock and store food, or the act of putting food that you are using aside for the time being. When people would stock up on food in the agrarian era they would keep it close to them and in a good spot so it would not go bad. They were careful and mindful of how they surplussed their food. Even though in this era people began taking more than they needed and stocking up on it, they eventually ate it or used it for other purpose within their society.
Back in that day and age food was an essential part of human life as it is now, but people treated food much differently back then. People would not wast food or throw away leftovers, they ate everything that they got. Now a days we see some people throwing away entire meals because they don't like it or they aren't hungry. All this food is taken to land fills and buried in the earth or burned. When food is taken to land fills it can not be reused or recycled and it can not be composted to naturally decompose. People today throw out about 40% of their food each year. Having everyone do this creates an enormous amount of wasted food. Once we throw out the food we don't want we usually just go and buy more. This means that we take excessive amounts from our environment which has a very negative effect.
People in the Agrarian Era surplussed their food in an area where it wouldn't go bad and made sure they did it right so they could eventually eat or use the food they had collected. Humans today surplus their food by putting it in landfills and continuously buying it and then throwing it away over and over. In today's world the cycle of getting food and then throwing it away is a weekly if not daily cycle which has a huge effect on our environment. Because this cycle is so quick we do not give the environment enough time to produce more of whatever we take from it which results in it eventually not being able to produce it any more. We could prevent this by buying only what we are going to use and making sure that if we buy more than we need making sure that we don't just throw it away, but use it eventually. This will lower the amount of food that we throw away, and take some pressure off the environment to produce so much food. With landfills getting more full there is more waste being burned and buried which creates pollution and kills the environment. We can prevent this by recycling and composting certain food so that we can reuse some of it and the rest can decompose naturally.
Sunday, September 21, 2014
Jack S.
9/21/14
Marvin Harris
Thoughts and Reflections on: Pig Lovers and Pig Haters
Pig was not a commonly eaten food in the ancient Middle East and this is for a couple of reasons. One of the biggest and most obvious ones opens that pigs were dirty and people though if you ate them you would become dirty also. Pigs would roll around in here own waste because pigs are meant to live in a rainy environment that has trees and shade this is so they could stay cool. When you think of the Middle East those are not the first things that come to mind, so the pigs were forced to roll in their own waste to keep cool. When people would eat pig back then they would not cook it properly and/or long enough so this would cause the people who did eat it to get sick. When people at this unclean meat they thought whoever ate it was dirty and became different. To make people stop eating the pig so they would not get sick people made it into religious ordeal. They said God had forbidden people from eating pig, so many more people began to stop eating pig. In the 12th century to physician to the Egyptian emperor had come to the conclusion that pig was truly bad for you and not just because God said it was. This silenced some of the religious side of the argument. Then in the 19th century trichinosis was discovered which people though would have put an end to the religious part of the argument, but it didn't. The religious believers said that if we found out about trichinosis then there must be a bigger concern that only God knows about and we housing question him. All in all, pig had become a frowned upon food in the Middle East. These reasons to not eat pig are all a little sketchy and people would always try to bend the argument in their favor. The true reasons pig wasn't eaten are environmental. Pigs eat the same food as humans because they're stomach can not digest grass, so when the pigs eat the humans food there is less for the actual humans which causes them to find something els to eat which can effect the environment.
9/21/14
Marvin Harris
Thoughts and Reflections on: Pig Lovers and Pig Haters
Pig was not a commonly eaten food in the ancient Middle East and this is for a couple of reasons. One of the biggest and most obvious ones opens that pigs were dirty and people though if you ate them you would become dirty also. Pigs would roll around in here own waste because pigs are meant to live in a rainy environment that has trees and shade this is so they could stay cool. When you think of the Middle East those are not the first things that come to mind, so the pigs were forced to roll in their own waste to keep cool. When people would eat pig back then they would not cook it properly and/or long enough so this would cause the people who did eat it to get sick. When people at this unclean meat they thought whoever ate it was dirty and became different. To make people stop eating the pig so they would not get sick people made it into religious ordeal. They said God had forbidden people from eating pig, so many more people began to stop eating pig. In the 12th century to physician to the Egyptian emperor had come to the conclusion that pig was truly bad for you and not just because God said it was. This silenced some of the religious side of the argument. Then in the 19th century trichinosis was discovered which people though would have put an end to the religious part of the argument, but it didn't. The religious believers said that if we found out about trichinosis then there must be a bigger concern that only God knows about and we housing question him. All in all, pig had become a frowned upon food in the Middle East. These reasons to not eat pig are all a little sketchy and people would always try to bend the argument in their favor. The true reasons pig wasn't eaten are environmental. Pigs eat the same food as humans because they're stomach can not digest grass, so when the pigs eat the humans food there is less for the actual humans which causes them to find something els to eat which can effect the environment.
Monday, September 15, 2014
Digital Scrapbook Entry #1- Hunters and Gatherers
http://www.jstor.org/discover/10.2307/683021?uid=3739920&uid=2460338175&uid=2460337935&uid=2&uid=4&uid=83&uid=63&uid=3739256&sid=21104151874361
http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Quakers
Friendship
In the days of the Foragers sharing, friendship, and kinship were the most important virtues to people. This was partially because they didn't know any better and there were not conflicts that make people dislike each other like there are today. This is still true in some aspects of the world today, The Quaker religion believes in these same qualities. They often refer to themselves as the Religious Society of Friends or just Friends. Acceptance like this is extremely scarce in today's world. The Foragers believed in the same qualities as the Quakers and it helped their community stay tightly knit and make everyone feel like they were just as important as the person next to them. They also share the belief that even though some of their closest friends may not be related to them in blood they treat them as if they were. The foraging era was also the longest era of human history, so this idea of friendship and sharing was the core of everyone's beliefs for about 250,000 years.
The Quakers do have a more Christian spin on their religious beliefs unlike the foragers. Quakerism was started around 1650, so like the foragers their beliefs have been running strong for a long time. When everyone feels included and important they seem to be much less arrogant and mean and actually are happier and more cooperative. When Quakers pray they stand in a circle as opposed to a regular church where they sit in rows with a priest at the front. This is a way to represent an understanding that there is no hierarchy and everyone is equal. Similarly, Foragers treated everyone in their community with the same amount of respect and kindness which was crucial to their long lived era.
Community was extremely important to Foragers because they would hunt, live, and survive together. Foragers believed in putting the community before themselves because if they did not they would die without each others support and services. Quakers also believe in putting their community first, but for different reasons. Quakers live a very simple life for the purpose of focusing more on God than things like money or clothes. This makes live without certain luxuries, and therefore be more inclined to live a philanthropic lifestyle. Doing this means not taking more than you need and also sharing what you have.
Foragers also had ways of maintaining tightly knit communities. One way they would do this is giving one another gifts or things they need. This can be easily misinterpreted and trading but they would not give each other goods for goods in return they do it to just show their appreciation for one another. This brought their communities closer together and made everyone realize how important community is.
There are many similarities between a group of people who were some of the first to inhabit the earth and those who's religion was created in only the 1600's. It's truly astounding to see the many connections between these two groups of people because of how different they are in some ways, but if you can see them it will open your eyes and your mind to the idea that just because we live in a different time period than the foragers doesn't mean we don't live like them in someways.
http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Quakers
Friendship
In the days of the Foragers sharing, friendship, and kinship were the most important virtues to people. This was partially because they didn't know any better and there were not conflicts that make people dislike each other like there are today. This is still true in some aspects of the world today, The Quaker religion believes in these same qualities. They often refer to themselves as the Religious Society of Friends or just Friends. Acceptance like this is extremely scarce in today's world. The Foragers believed in the same qualities as the Quakers and it helped their community stay tightly knit and make everyone feel like they were just as important as the person next to them. They also share the belief that even though some of their closest friends may not be related to them in blood they treat them as if they were. The foraging era was also the longest era of human history, so this idea of friendship and sharing was the core of everyone's beliefs for about 250,000 years.
The Quakers do have a more Christian spin on their religious beliefs unlike the foragers. Quakerism was started around 1650, so like the foragers their beliefs have been running strong for a long time. When everyone feels included and important they seem to be much less arrogant and mean and actually are happier and more cooperative. When Quakers pray they stand in a circle as opposed to a regular church where they sit in rows with a priest at the front. This is a way to represent an understanding that there is no hierarchy and everyone is equal. Similarly, Foragers treated everyone in their community with the same amount of respect and kindness which was crucial to their long lived era.
Community was extremely important to Foragers because they would hunt, live, and survive together. Foragers believed in putting the community before themselves because if they did not they would die without each others support and services. Quakers also believe in putting their community first, but for different reasons. Quakers live a very simple life for the purpose of focusing more on God than things like money or clothes. This makes live without certain luxuries, and therefore be more inclined to live a philanthropic lifestyle. Doing this means not taking more than you need and also sharing what you have.
Foragers also had ways of maintaining tightly knit communities. One way they would do this is giving one another gifts or things they need. This can be easily misinterpreted and trading but they would not give each other goods for goods in return they do it to just show their appreciation for one another. This brought their communities closer together and made everyone realize how important community is.
There are many similarities between a group of people who were some of the first to inhabit the earth and those who's religion was created in only the 1600's. It's truly astounding to see the many connections between these two groups of people because of how different they are in some ways, but if you can see them it will open your eyes and your mind to the idea that just because we live in a different time period than the foragers doesn't mean we don't live like them in someways.
Monday, September 8, 2014
Jack S. Per. 4 9/9/14
Thoughts and reflections on: How Man Invented Cities
John Pfeiffer
Cities
When the glaciers melted the foragers had much less space to move around to. Because they were nomadic it was very new to them. The foragers settled down partially because they had to, but also because they had very easy access to food. With the increased amount of water there were more fish and birds near the foragers therefore it was much easier for them to get to so they decided to stick around for a while. During the time when the foragers were less nomadic their population grew significantly. This is because the amount of babies women were having a year doubled. With more mouths to feed it made even more sense to stay in this spot near food, and even if they did become nomadic once again it would be much harder to move around with young kids and babies. As the population grew fish and birds weren't enough to live off of so the foragers had to come up with a new source of food. This brilliant idea was agriculture. Agriculture was a huge and beneficial advancement but to maintain it you had to stay near it. This meant that they would not be able to leave of they wanted food. Cities were invented partially by accident, but throughout time they began to make more and more sense to humans.
Thoughts and reflections on: How Man Invented Cities
John Pfeiffer
Cities
When the glaciers melted the foragers had much less space to move around to. Because they were nomadic it was very new to them. The foragers settled down partially because they had to, but also because they had very easy access to food. With the increased amount of water there were more fish and birds near the foragers therefore it was much easier for them to get to so they decided to stick around for a while. During the time when the foragers were less nomadic their population grew significantly. This is because the amount of babies women were having a year doubled. With more mouths to feed it made even more sense to stay in this spot near food, and even if they did become nomadic once again it would be much harder to move around with young kids and babies. As the population grew fish and birds weren't enough to live off of so the foragers had to come up with a new source of food. This brilliant idea was agriculture. Agriculture was a huge and beneficial advancement but to maintain it you had to stay near it. This meant that they would not be able to leave of they wanted food. Cities were invented partially by accident, but throughout time they began to make more and more sense to humans.
Friday, September 5, 2014
Thursday, September 4, 2014
1.) Why were foragers so strict about population control?
2.) Did the strict population control effect the progression and growth of the foragers?
3.) If other eras found ways to avoid disease like the foragers did would they be around longer?
4.) Even though the foragers didn't have many technological advancements were the ones they did have important to their progression/era In general?
5.) Did the lose of the younger kids have an effect on the foragers? If so what kind of effect?
Jack S.
9/2/14
Per. 4
Thoughts and Reflections on: This Fleeting World (by David Christian)
The Foraging era lasted much longer than any other era in human history. The foragers took so long to make significant technological advancements that their basic lifestyle could maintained for large amounts of history. The foragers were able to survive for so long for a couple of reasons. For example, the foragers liked to keep their population very small so that they could travel faster and not have to support a growing population. The mortality rate for infants was also extremely high in this era, probably because it would be extremely hard to support brand new babies if the grown ups can barely keep themselves alive. It was hard to progress technology quickly because of their small population. Foragers also did not accumulate lots of garbage and did not stay in one play very long. This allowed them to avoid contacting diseases throughout their era.The lifestyle of the foragers was very nomadic and they were entirely hunter gatherers. The foragers were the longest era in history due to their small population. Also, the fact that they were extremely nomadic, and did not have a agricultural lifestyle to keep them settled it was difficult to make technological advancements.
9/2/14
Per. 4
Thoughts and Reflections on: This Fleeting World (by David Christian)
The Foraging era lasted much longer than any other era in human history. The foragers took so long to make significant technological advancements that their basic lifestyle could maintained for large amounts of history. The foragers were able to survive for so long for a couple of reasons. For example, the foragers liked to keep their population very small so that they could travel faster and not have to support a growing population. The mortality rate for infants was also extremely high in this era, probably because it would be extremely hard to support brand new babies if the grown ups can barely keep themselves alive. It was hard to progress technology quickly because of their small population. Foragers also did not accumulate lots of garbage and did not stay in one play very long. This allowed them to avoid contacting diseases throughout their era.The lifestyle of the foragers was very nomadic and they were entirely hunter gatherers. The foragers were the longest era in history due to their small population. Also, the fact that they were extremely nomadic, and did not have a agricultural lifestyle to keep them settled it was difficult to make technological advancements.
Thursday, August 28, 2014
Tuesday, August 26, 2014
Jack S, Per.1 8/27/14
Thoughts and Reflection on: Location Location
Sharon Begley
Why Geography is Important to History
The study of geography is important to history because it can help explain motives behind certain actions in historical events. This is important also because it can also give us better understandings of events in history which is very important. We must have a good understanding of important historical events because when these events are being taught to students or younger children in general we must be able to truly explain it to them. If our information didn't evolve and progress over thousands of years everything that we would know would be largely outdated.
The full definition of geography is "a science that deals with the description, distribution, and interaction of the diverse physical, biological, and cultural features of the earth's surface" With this being said if geography of certain events like the conquistadors and before they invaded and massacred the incas is studied thoroughly then maybe we could find certain motives to help us better understand why they did this.
The conquistadors were big on slaughtering animals for food, clothing, etc. while this was important to their civilization it was also vert destructive due to the diseases the animals carried. When the conquistadors took these diseases to the incas location and climate the diseases flourished and killed over 95% of the incas.
Thoughts and Reflection on: Location Location
Sharon Begley
Why Geography is Important to History
The study of geography is important to history because it can help explain motives behind certain actions in historical events. This is important also because it can also give us better understandings of events in history which is very important. We must have a good understanding of important historical events because when these events are being taught to students or younger children in general we must be able to truly explain it to them. If our information didn't evolve and progress over thousands of years everything that we would know would be largely outdated.
The full definition of geography is "a science that deals with the description, distribution, and interaction of the diverse physical, biological, and cultural features of the earth's surface" With this being said if geography of certain events like the conquistadors and before they invaded and massacred the incas is studied thoroughly then maybe we could find certain motives to help us better understand why they did this.
The conquistadors were big on slaughtering animals for food, clothing, etc. while this was important to their civilization it was also vert destructive due to the diseases the animals carried. When the conquistadors took these diseases to the incas location and climate the diseases flourished and killed over 95% of the incas.
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