The Major Religions (cont.)

Judaism 

• practice religion in synagogue
• in synagogue there us a "bimah" which is where they read the Torah
• this is an Abraham religion
• over 5 million Jews in the US
• 13 million Jews in the world (most in US and Israel)
• 81% live in the US and Israel 
• the leaders of Judaism include the patriarchs (Abraham and Moses) 
• Moses and Isaac were the main teachers of Judaism 
• Abraham is the father of Judaism 
• 14,500,00 people that follow Judaism 

Christianity

• 2.2 billion (largest in the world)
• call them: Christians  
• Europe, America is where they are found
• founder is Jesus (Abrahamic in origin)
• holy book is the Bible
• beliefs- Jesus is both human and divine/ son of God 
• clergy: the Pope is head of the church 
• priests are local authorities 

Islam 

• called Muslims 
• location: Middle East, North Africa
• denominations: Sunnis (75-90%) Shiites (10-20%)
• Muhammad (570-632) their founder
• beliefs: monotheistic, Abrahamic 
• Qur'an is their holy book
• they have five pillars (testimony, prayer, alms-giving, fasting, pilgrimage)
• Purpose: serving and submitting to Allah (God) and observing Islamic law 

Hinduism 

• 1.1 billion (third largest)
• we call them Hindus 
• India, Nepal - locations 
• holy book- Vedas- eternal truths revealed to ancient sages; written  in verse form 
• don't have distinct founder 
• thought to be a way of life not necessarily a religion

Buddhism

• just because your Buddhist doesn't mean you can't practice another religion
• locations- Southeast Asia, China, Nepal, Japan
• founder- Siddhartha Gautama 
• denominations- Tibetan, Zen, Theravada, Amidist 
• four noble truths (there is suffering, attachment to desire, there is a cessation of suffering, the eightfold path)

The Major Religions

Islam: 

• Islam is a monotheistic belief in a god or gods
• it is an Abrahamic religion 
• the book of worship is Qur'an 
• the book is supposed to be the exact words of God
• the Arabic world is mostly Islam
• the people in this religion don't eat pork 
• most Islams live in:
• Indonesia 
• Iran
• Turkey 
• Bangladesh 
• Pakistan 
• India  
• followers are called Muslims 
• it is a belief that God is one 
• its purpose is to love and serve him
• it is the universal version of faith 
• revealed through Abraham  
• they think Muhammad is the savior 
• we think Jesus is the son of God or Messiah 
• Allah is the one and only god who should be worshiped/obeyed 
• they think Allah is perfect 
• no one shares divinity with Allah even the angles 
• Allah never sleeps, gets tired, or dies 
• Allah means God 
• humans in the Islam religion humans are not created in his image 
• humans can ask Allah for anything they want 
• five pillars
• the pilgrimage allows Muslims form all around the world to be able to worship God 
• in 1999 about two million Muslims went to Mecca 
• very ritualized
• they throw seven pebbles at a pillar- symbolizes Abraham 
• they symbolize the completion by cutting off their hair

Christianity:

• there are many different types of Christianity 
• 50.1% catholic 
• 36.7% protestant 
• 1.3% other christian 
• 11.9% orthodox 
• roughly 2.8 billion Christians in the world 
• about 1/3 of the worlds population 
• believe Jesus is son of God and savior of all humanity 
• emerged in the mid 1st century 
• became common to Europe in the middle ages 

Buddhism:

• is a religion indigenous to the Indian subcontinent 
• they have a variety of traditions, beliefs and practices 
• worship Buddha (Siddhartha Gautama) "the awakened one" "the enlightened one"
• 6% of the worlds population is Buddhism  
• top five countries that practice Buddhism are China, Japan, Thailand, Vietnam and Myanmar (mostly Asia) 
• more of a practice instead of a religion 
• Its a religion based on practices and beliefs 
• second oldest religion 
• more than a million Buddhist in the US

Hinduism Project

We got our test back that we took last week. I definitely think that I could have done a lot better. We went over our tests and Mr. Schick told us that we should keep our tests and to be sure to study the answers we got wrong because we will see them again on the exam. After we checked our quizzes we got into our groups and worked on a powerpoint we had to make. My group was Drew, Payton and I. All of the groups were assigned a religion that we had to research. My group's religion was Hinduism! I already knew some stuff about the religion from the test we just took. We had to find out where they worship, what their gods are called, how many people belong to our religion and a couple of other questions. The first class we started working on this unfortunately most of the groups internet on their computer weren't working so we couldn't do any research. We got to finish up our powerpoints today and are presenting them tomorrow. I think that my groups powerpoint is pretty good and we have all the information that we need to tell the class about our religion.

One Lap Down Three To Go

One lap down three to go! On Friday we finished our test and the end of the first quarter! This year is going by so quickly! I have already made so many new friends and I'm having a great freshman year so far! I checked my grade on my test and I did not do as great as I thought I could do. I think I need to keep the studying up but study a little more now. It's crazy to think that the first quarter is over! I've ended the quarter with good grades and I's hoping to end the second quarter with even better grades! I need to keep up the good work and keep working hard in order to get the good grades I want. The next three quarters will go by pretty quickly like the first one so I don't have time to put anything off. I can get the grades that I want, I just need to work hard to get them.

Time To Study

We finished our notes in class yesterday and today Jasmine got to teach the class. She got all of us talking and discussing our notes and Mr. Schick thought this was the best class so far! We went over the most important things and Jasmine asked us questions about our notes that we had to answer. We have a quiz tomorrow on the notes we took earlier this week. After Jasmine asked a few questions and we covered all the notes we took we watched a scene from a movie. The movie didn't really have to do with what we were learning but one part in the scene did! It had to do with Nationalism and how a man did not think America was the best nation in the world. His reasoning for this was because there are so many more nations that do a lot more things than us and make more things than us. I do agree in what they were saying in the movie because it is very true. After we watched the movie scene we talked a little about how we think that it is true that American isn't necessarily the best nation because most of us Americans just rely on others to do work for us unlike other places, for example China, all of the people from there work very hard to learn a great education and to earn the money they deserve while working.

More Notes

Just like yesterday we took more notes. We talked about spacial divisions and how they are how we divide livable space found on the earth by establishing social,economic and political control. Some examples of spacial divisions are countries, economic alliances, European Union, Organization of petroleum exporting countries, NAFTA, association of Southeast Asian nations, Political alliances, NATO, common wealth of nations, league of Arab states, and African Union. We also talked about conflicts with spacial divisions. Some differences are in culture, language, or religion, keeping of historical boundaries, economic similarities and differences, imperial conquest and control, cultural differences, nationalism, and economic differences.

Cultural Geography

In class today we had to copy notes from a power point Mr. Schick showed us. The power point was about cultural geography. We learned about the cultural characteristics of cultural geography. The characteristics are the parts of groups of everyday life, the ideas and themes which the group will teach to all members, and these same characteristics can also link or divide a region. Some examples of cultural geography are language, religion and ethnic heritage. The language Arabic unites the Arab world and  Spanish unites the Hispanic world. Brazil is the only south american nation which does not speak Spanish, it speaks Portuguese. Canada is a bilingual nation. In Yugoslavia, many ethnic groups were made into one country. When strong leadership died out, the different groups fought a very bloody civil war and now they all have separate countries. The U.S. and Switzerland have merged ethnic groups in their countries. Religion can be unifying and dis unifying forces. There are 5 different major religions. They are Hinduism, Buddhism, Judaism, Christianity, and Islam. Jews are known as the descendants of Abraham.

No Teacher

We had human geo class on Friday first period. Usually, our teacher Mr. Schick is in the classroom, ready to start class as soon as the announcements are over but when we all got in the class room Mr. Schick wasn't there. We thought he was just late and all stayed in our seats, said the prayer and pledge and sat back down and waited for him to come to class. Then after about ten minutes he didn't show up! We didn't know where he was so one of us went up to the door and looked out into the hallway to see if he was there which he wasn't. We decided to just stay in our seats and talk a little but after a while we decided that one of us would go and get a teacher. The teacher we got was the Russian teacher and he was very nice. He took attendance then passed out a quiz that we had to take. Luckily it did not count as a grade because it was pretty difficult. I tried to put down the best answer I could. Mr. Schick ended up not being at school for the whole day. Hopefully he will be back this week and will be in human geo class on time Tuesday morning.

Test Returned

Once we got to class and after we listened to the announcements, Mr. Schick gave back our tests we took. Last time we took a test my class got the lowest average but this time we didn't! Not many people in my class got an A though. Once I got my test back I wasn't totally happy with my grade but I think I did okay. I could have done better but I'm happy I did better than the last test we took. Mr. Schick seemed pretty pleased with all of our grades which was great! Next time we have a quiz or test I will be sure to study even harder than I did last time so I can get an even better grade!

Finished The Test

Every Friday we have human geo class first. It was a rainy and cold day and we had a test I was not looking forward too. I was running late but thankfully I made it to class on time. Once I got to class I took out my copy book and studied really quick before the test. After the announcements Mr. Schick said that we could take the first ten minutes of class to go over our notes and if we had any questions we could ask him. I studied the night before the test and I understood all of the words. I think that I did a good job on the test. I really hope I get a good grade! Once we got the test I made sure to read the directions and take my time and made sure I didn't make any dumb mistakes. I'm really happy that even though I am playing sports I am still able to get all of my work done and get good grades. I hope when we get out tests back I have a good grade!

information For the Test

During class today we were told we have a test tomorrow. I think the information that we will be tested on is pretty easy. So, Mr. Schick told us to take out our note books to take notes. We have to know about crude birth rate, crude death rate, the difference between immigrant and emigrant, net migration rate, pull and push forces and many more things. Crude birth rate is how many babies are born per year per 1000 people. Crude death rate is how many people die in a year per thousand. The difference between immigrant and emigrant is that an immigrant is someone that comes into a country and a emigrant is someone who is leaving a country. The net migration rate is the amount of immigrants minus emigrant or in other words, the number of people coming or going into a country per thousand. Pull forces are what makes you want to go into a country and a push force is something that makes you want to leave a country. An example of a pull force is religious freedom and job opportunities. An example of a push force is war or unemployment. We also have to know what the total fertility rate is and that is the average number of children born per women. 2.1 is the replacement rate and that means that the population stays the same and no babies are being born. The rate of natural increase is the difference from the birth rate and the death rate divided by 10. We also have to know what a population pyramid is and that is a graphical illustration showing information about population broken down by age and sex. The last piece of information we were given is that women tend to live longer than men. That is because men have more dangerous jobs than we do and women tend to take more precautions when it comes to their health and they are more in tuned to their health unlike men who aren't as careful and most of the time only go to the doctors when they have a problem that is very bad.

Better Note Taking

We got our quiz on the Lost Boys movie back today in the beginning of class. I thought I did horrible but I didn’t do as bad as I thought I did. I could have done better though and that is what I was disappointed about. Once we went over our quizzes we continued learning and taking notes about population pyramids.  We learned the three forms of pyramids which are the Christmas tree, the cup, and the regular one that looks like a square. I made sure to take good notes and write down all of the important information that I may see on a test coming up. Mr. Schick isn’t that happy with the amount of class participation in our class so today there were some kids that started talking a little more. Others unfortunately don’t talk as much but I will be sure to get myself more involved in the class too. 

Lost Boys Test

Today in class we had a quiz. The quiz was on the documentary we watched. I forgot over the weekend we had a quiz because I forgot to write it down in my planner. Luckily we were able to use our blogs for help but unfortunately I didn't copy down all of the notes I had into my blog. I was able to answer some of the questions without the help of my blog but some I did not know the answer to and did not have any notes about it in my blog. I do think that if I wrote down the more important notes I would have done better. I do think I wrote down good notes but there are some things that I did not write down that I definitely needed for today's quiz. The quiz wasn't tremendously difficult but I wasn't happy that I did not know some of the answers. Thankfully I did well on the first test we took so if I did not do too great on this one it will not effect my grade as much. Next time we watch a documentary or are told to copy down notes I will be sure to copy down more of the important things along with other facts.

A Successful Ending

In class on Friday we ended up finishing the movie. I thought that the movie was great and I was very into it. In the end both John and Panther both got their bachelors degree. John built a medical clinic in his hometown and ended up finding out that his mother, father, brothers and sisters are all still alive but are living in a refugee clinic and are very sick. Panther got his diploma and wants to go back to the camp he came from to marry his girlfriend and bring her to America. Unfortunately, Daniel is in a community college and did not get to meet or locate any of his family members. John and Panther have become very successful and are trying to help their family and friends. It makes me happy knowing that even though they left the camp and have a better life they still haven't forgotten about their loved ones they left behind. They are still doing all they can to help them and make their lives better back in the camp. I wish we could have one of the lost boys come into school and talk to us because that would mean so much to me and I think that would be really cool! We have a test on the documentary on Tuesday and I think I will do a good job because I payed a lot of attention during this movie, took great notes, but still enjoyed watching it.

Finally Fitting In With Everyone

We are still watching the documentary about the lost boys and everyday the boys are fitting in more and more and understanding a ton more. All three boys, Panther, Daniel and John have all found jobs. Daniel works in downtown Pittsburgh processing checks, John works in a factory packaging gaskets and also cooks burgers at McDonalds, and Panther works as a waiter at a restaurant in a hotel. Since Daniel wants to go to school he has to leave his apartment to go live in the school dorms. John is now attending a community college but later he decides not to go to school and to keep working because he wants to earn more money to help his friends in Kenya. He has also contacted many agencies to see if they can try and find his family and if they are still alive. Later in the documentary John discovers that his family is alive and are in a refugee camp but are all very ill. John wants to keep working to try to help his friends and now also his family. I thought before I watched this movie that all of the lost boys wouldn't worry about their family and friends as much as they do. I think it is an amazing thing that they care so much about them and care so much about trying to help them.

New Life in America

The lost boys just arrived to American and it is a gigantic change for them. There are so many things they have not seen or heard of. Once they got settled in their apartments they were shown around and were shown how to turn on a lamp, use the toilet, use the shower/sink, and even were told and got to try some foods they've never had before. I do think that the lost boys miss Kenya and their friends and family very much. They keep talking about how they wonder how their people are doing and if they can send them something from America and how they can help them and they only wish that they all could experience the life they are living now. It is a big change and difference for them but  I think that they are adjusting pretty well. The boys were given their social security cards and were told they were given 90 days to find a job. They were all very excited and said that they would be so grateful if someone were to hire them. I think that even though this is a huge change for them I think that they will all fit in and adjust quickly.

The Lost Boys

I ended up really enjoying class today. Instead of learning a new lesson or going over vocabulary words, we watched a documentary. The documentary was about a war going on between the North and the South. During the war, and watching the movie, we learned a term “the lost boys”. That term meant that during the war the younger boys, typically around my age, were forced to leave and they could not stay where they lived anymore. The boys were forced to leave and walked about 1,000 miles to Kenya. Once the lost boys started walking they did not realize they would end up in Kenya. They started with about 27,000 boys but once they all arrived in Kenya there was only about 12,000. All of the boys, once they arrived to the refugee camp, were all starving and they health conditions were very poor. Luckily a couple of the boys got to leave the camp and fly to American to start over a new life.