Happy Thanksgiving!

   I wasn't really sure if we were required to blog or not, but I assume we have to since we did have class. Class today put me in a really good mood. Throughout the whole class, Mr. Schick told us stories from when he was younger. He told us how he "had adventures" with Gumby and loved it very much. He told us how he, along with another boy, would throw Gumby across the room whenever the teacher would go to help someone else with something. Everyone noticed it except for the teacher. One of the times that he threw it, it flew over the kid's head and landed in his teacher's coffee cup. No one was going to tell her that she was about to drink Gumby, but she shortly realized once she started to drink and saw Gumby sitting at the bottom of her cup. Our whole class was rolling the entire time. Then he continued to tell us how he flooded the bathroom at a school he didn't even go to. He only attended the school for the rest of the year because his school got hit by a tornado. During the rest of the class, we all just shared stories about our old school and teaches. It put me in a really good mood for the rest of the day. Anyway, happy Thanksgiving Mr. Schick! Don't eat too much food!

Funeral Today

I wasn't in class today because I had to go to my great grandmother's funeral who was 105 years old.

Webquest- Day 2

    Today in class, we continued to play the Peace Corps game. Basically, you're the main person who helps figure out an answer to the problem in the town. After you figure out what the problem is, you're supposed to go around town and ask the people their opinions on what they think should happen. You then are responsible for proposing the best idea to the governor. One of the problems in town was that there was an outburst in malarial. This is caused by mosquitoes. Many of the townspeople were being infected by this disease. The solution to this problem was that the people needed loans to buy mosquito nets. With the mosquito nets, they can put them in the water to prevent the bugs to lay eggs that will soon grow up. Along with this, some other problems were the water becoming brown and who to give the money to in order to help them start their business. The game is alright, nothing special really, but at least it gives us something to do.

Poor Little Small Businesses

    Today, we had a class discussion about small businesses. First we stated that many small businesses can get a start to their "life" by the benefits of microfinance. These benefits consist of saving accounts, fund transfers, loans, and insurances. A small business may use one of these things in order to start off everything, but they will have to pay the loaners back the money they used. After we established this, we talked about how the big businesses are kicking out the small business. The bigger businesses, the ones with more money, will either buy out the smaller businesses or they might move nearby and attract all the costumers to their store. This causes the smaller businesses to lose costumers which mean they aren't making any money. If they're not making money, then it is no use in having the small business.

Think of it this way...

       he big businesses are the big kids and the small businesses will be the younger kids. The small kids make a little lemonade stand one day because they want to earn some money so they can go buy this brand new toy that everyone has. They borrow the ingredients and other necessary items from their mom, who they have to pay back. The little kid's stand is going pretty well for a lemonade stand when suddenly, the big kids across the street make a lemonade stand too. The big kid's stand has regular lemonade, pink lemonade, and cookies while the other stand only has regular lemonade. As the day goes on, more people go to the big kid's stand because they have more of a variety of choices. The smaller stand only gets a few more costumers for the rest of the day. After the day is over, the smaller stand checks its income to find that they did not make enough money for the toy nor enough to pay back their loaner. This causes them to shut down the stand and "go out of business". When the bigger stand sees this, they go over to the old spot and start to build another stand for their lemonade business.

World Leaders Test

   Well class today was pretty exciting. We went over the World Leaders test for both mods. I did pretty well on it, I actually got a 91%. Surprisingly, I was the only one who got an A. It surprised me because we could use our blogs and I thought the test was pretty easy. My blog was filled with all the information from the Power Point so maybe that's why it was so easy. The two questions that confused me was number 24 and 25. They only confused me because at first I thought that it meant that they had a degree in economics, but then I thought that it was talking about who had a strong family background in economics. I thought that it was asking who has had someone in their family that deal with economics in some way. Besides that, we were all really loud and couldn't stop talking which was no different than any other day.

Webquest

   Today in class, we started our Webquest that we will be working on for the next few days. The whole things is revolved around the concept of Economic Geography. The four benefits of microfinance to individuals living in poverty are: saving accounts, fund transfers, loans, and insurances. You might even have a few of these things and not even know it! Instead of having a lecture or learning from a Power Point like usual, we're trying something new with this Webquest. Basically, we're supposed to do this game where we are the Peace Corps and we have to make the right decisions in order to help the town survive after you leave in two years. For example, you might have to choose what invention deserves a lone and will be the most helpful to the community. The game is alright I guess. It's not my favorite but whatever I'll deal with it. Oh, and don't forget no one in this game or story is real because *insert Gollum voice* it's all in your mind.

Test on World Leaders

     Today in class, we took the test on all of the world leaders that we have been talking about. I thought that it was a pretty easy test especially since we could use our blogs. My blog was adequately filled with the notes and was very useful. There really wasn’t a “hard part” on the test since I basically had all of the notes right in front of me. To be honest, I figured that we would be allowed to use our blogs since Mr. Schick told us about it the day before he gave us the test. I knew that he wouldn’t just give us such a short notice if there wasn’t a catch to it. I still studied just in case, but I was almost positive that we would be able to use our blogs. Overall, I think I did really well on the test and possibly got all of the answers right. 

Finishing up World Leaders

     Today in class, we finished up the world leaders Power Point. Throughout the class, I checked to make sure that my blog was up to date with the notes.

World Leaders Powerpoint

  Last night I thought we had to update our blog with the information about the leaders so I updated it with the information. Throughout class, I went along with the Power Point and made sure I had the correct notes down.

Review for Test and the Rest of My Friday

   Yesterday in class we reviewed our test. Of course I got that same question wrong about which country was the least culturally diverse. When I first saw the question, I thought about how the answer was Switzerland on the last test and I guess I didn't read it close enough because I got it wrong. The right answer on this test was actually North Korea, which is was I put for the last test. I thought that the test was pretty easy except for a few of the religion ones. The religion ones were a little more difficult only because I got some of them mixed up and switched a few around. After reviewing the test, we started to go over the important facts about the different leaders for the countries we were talking about. We're supposed to make sure that our blog is accurate with the right facts. Since this is kind of a boring blog, there were really no notes, I'm going to tell you about my Friday because it was pretty fun. On Friday after school, my friend, my sister, and I went to the Fillmore in Silver Springs, Maryland for a concert. We saw Jake Miller who is a rapper/songwriter. This was my second time seeing him and let's just say once again he did an amazing job. Throughout the concert, he kept the whole crowd pumped up and jumping the whole time. It was general admission though and I don't think I've ever been that close to so many people that I didn't know. We were all basically side by side all squished to the front and no one would move back. Anyway, after the concert he told everyone to meet him outside of his tour bus so he could stop and meet us all before he left. While we were standing outside, the other two opening acts came out and I got to meet them all and get pictures with them all. After about 45 minutes, Jake finally came out to meet us all. He was extremely nice, as usual, and I even got a hug from him. The only bad thing was that in my picture with him I was blinking which is no surprise because I always do. In the end, it was a great concert once again and I had a blast.

Interesting Facts about Leaders all of the World

Mexico: Enrique Pena Nieto:
      - His election marked the return to power of the Institutional Revolutionary Party, which controlled the Mexican presidency for more than 70 years.
       -Enrique is the fifth member of his extended family to serve as governor of the State of Mexico.
http://www.cnn.com/2013/04/04/world/americas/enrique-pea-nieto-fast-facts/index.html


China: Xi Jinping:
        - Xi Jinping was the first leader who had a PH.D.
        - He is seen as "princeling" because he owes some of him success to his anscetors. In this case, he is the son of revolutionary veteran Xi Zhongxun who is one of the Communist Party's founding father.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-pacific-11551399
http://contextchina.com/2012/11/ten-facts-about-chinas-incoming-leader-xi-jinping/


India: Pranab Mukherjee:
        - He is among the small handful of politicians of India to have the three key ministries of finance, defense, and external affairs.
        -According to his daughter, he is a compulsive workaholic. Mukerjee works nearly 18 hours a day and hasn't taken a holiday since the last 20 years.
http://www.indiatimes.com/india/top-7-interesting-facts-about-pranab-mukherjee-33200-7.html#list_start


Afghanistan: Hamid Karzai:
         - After a civil war broke out between many groups, Karzai resigned from his place as deputy foreign minister in order to help organize a grand council to resolve differences between the groups.
         - Karzai, along with the military commander of the Northern Alliance named Massoud, warned the United States that the Talibans were connected with al Qaeda and that they were planning on a great attack on America. The United States ignored these warnings.
 http://www.biography.com/people/hamid-karzai-537356?page=2


Germany:
     Joachim Gauck (president):
          - He beat his main rival Beate Klarsfeld, who was a veteran anti-Nazi campaigner, 991 to 126 votes.
          - When he was 11 years old, his father was sent to jail for allegedly spying and was in there for four years. This gave him the idea that freedom would be the main theme for his presidency.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/03/18/anti-communist-pastor-gauck_n_1356919.html


United Kingdom:
   David William Donald Cameron (Prime Minister):
        - He is a descendant of King William IV and became the youngest prime minister since 1812 and was 43 when he took office.
         - One of his very first actions after becoming prime minister was forming a pact with Nick Clegg, who was the Liberal Democrat Leader. This resulted in the first coalition government since World War 2.
http://www.biography.com/people/david-cameron-39203?page=2


France: Francois Hollande
         - He is the first Socialist president since 1995 when Francois Mitterrand left the office.
         - During his campaign, he promised renegotiating the austerity agreement, withdrawal of troops from Afghanistan, lowered the retirement age, and higher taxes for the people who were extremely wealthy.
http://www.cnn.com/2012/12/21/world/europe/francois-hollande---fast-facts/


Brazil: Dilma Rousseff:
        - It was her first time ever running for an elected office when she became president.
        - After joining the resistance movement against the British military dictatorship, she was jailed for three years and allegedly tortured in the 1970s.
http://www.cnn.com/2013/01/04/world/americas/dilma-rousseff---fast-facts/index.html?iref=allsearch


Venezuela: Nicolas Maduro Moros:
         - Before becoming politically active in the 1990s, he belonged to the transit union and worked as a bus driver for Caracas Metro.
         - He beat Henrique Capriles Radonski in the 2013 presidential election by two percentage points.
http://www.cnn.com/2013/04/26/world/americas/nicolas-maduro-fast-facts/


Saudi Arabia: Abdallah bin Abd al-Aziz Al Saud (King):
         - While he was in charge, Saudi Arabia joined the World Trade Organization.
         - On September 15, 2011, he announced that women will be able to run for office and vote in local elections in the year 2015. This was the biggest chance in a decade for women in a puritanical kingdom that practices strict separation between males and females. This was the only country in the world who banned women from driving.
http://www.cnn.com/2012/12/28/world/meast/king-abdullah-bin-abdulaziz-al-saud---fast-facts/


Iran:
    Ali Hoseini- Khamenei (Supreme Leader):
         - After being appointed after Mohammad-Ali Rajai's assassination, he became the first cleric to serve in the Iranian presidency.
          - He issued a religious prohibition against any insult to Muhammad's wives or companions. Also, he forbid the production, stockpiling, and use of nuclear weapons.
http://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/jsource/biography/khamenei.html


Israel:
   Shimon Peres (President):
        - in 1994, he was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize along with Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat and Prime Minisiter Yitzhak Rabin.
        - When he addressed the Turkish parliament, he became the first Israeli president ever to speak to a Muslim country's legislature
http://www.cnn.com/2013/01/03/world/meast/shimon-peres---fast-facts/

Nation Assignment

Country: Mexico
Government: Federal Republic
Leader: Enrique Pena Nieto

Mexico: Enrique Pena Nieto:

      - His election marked the return to power of the Institutional Revolutionary Party, which controlled the Mexican presidency for more than 70 years.

       -Enrique is the fifth member of his extended family to serve as governor of the State of Mexico.

       - eldest of four sibilings in a middle-class family

       - his father, Gilberto Enrique Pena del Mazo, was an engineer for an electric company and his mom, Maria del Socorro Nieto, was a school teacher

       - many call him "the Teflon" because trouble seems to slide off him like the rumor that he fathered two children in affairs while his wife raised the couple's 3 children or the investigation of the sudden death of his wife at home in 2007

      - two years after his wife's death, he announced his engagement to the soap opera actor Angelica Rivera who became his wife through a star-studded wedding ceremony and is now the first lady of Mexico

http://www.cnn.com/2013/04/04/world/americas/enrique-pea-nieto-fast-facts/index.html

 

Country: China

Government: Communist State

Leader: XI Jinping

China: Xi Jinping:

        - Xi Jinping was the first leader who had a PH.D.

        - He is seen as "princeling" because he owes some of him success to his anscetors. In this case, he is the son of revolutionary veteran Xi Zhongxun who is one of the Communist Party's founding father.

       - married a folk singer in 1987 named Peng Liyuan who also holds the rank of army general

       -  Ms. Peng was the better-known half of the couple before he became the leader of the Communist Party

       - has a daughter named Xi Mingze who is studying at Harvard University in the United States http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-pacific-11551399

http://contextchina.com/2012/11/ten-facts-about-chinas-incoming-leader-xi-jinping/

 

Country: India
Government: Federal Republic
Leader: Pranab Mukherjee

India: Pranab Mukherjee:

        - He is among the small handful of politicians of India to have the three key ministries of finance, defense, and external affairs.

        -According to his daughter, he is a compulsive workaholic. Mukerjee works nearly 18 hours a day and hasn't taken a holiday since the last 20 years.

       - taught Political Science at the Vidiyanagar College

       - worked as a journalist before becoming involved in politics

       - rated as one of the best finance ministers of the world in 1984 and was adjudged the best parliamentarian in 1997

        - had a conflict with Rajiv Gandhi and started his own party called Rashtriya Samajwadi Congress

http://www.indiatimes.com/india/top-7-interesting-facts-about-pranab-mukherjee-33200-7.html#list_start

Country: Afghanistan

Government: Islamic Republic

Leader: Hamid Karza

Afghanistan: Hamid Karzai:

         - After a civil war broke out between many groups, Karzai resigned from his place as deputy foreign minister in order to help organize a grand council to resolve differences between the groups.

         - Karzai, along with the military commander of the Northern Alliance named Massoud, warned the United States that the Talibans were connected with al Qaeda and that they were planning on a great attack on America. The United States ignored these warnings.

         - well versed in several languages, including Peshto (his native language), Persian, Hindi, French, and English

         -  Emerged as a resistance leader under Taliban rule and worked to undermine the regime 

http://www.biography.com/people/hamid-karzai-537356?page=2

 

Country: Germany

Government: Federal Republic

Leader: Joachim Gauck

Germany:

     Joachim Gauck (president):

          - He beat his main rival Beate Klarsfeld, who was a veteran anti-Nazi campaigner, 991 to 126 votes.

          - When he was 11 years old, his father was sent to jail for allegedly spying and was in there for four years. This gave him the idea that freedom would be the main theme for his presidency.

    Angela Merkel (Chancellor)

         - graduated from University of Leipzig in 1978 with a physics and physical chemistry degree and earned a PhD in quantum chemistry from the German Academy of Sciences in Berlin in 1986

         - has been Chancellor since November 2005

          - earned the top spot on the FORBES list of "Most Powerful Women In The World" for eight of the 10 years

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/03/18/anti-communist-pastor-gauck_n_1356919.html

Country: United Kingdom

Government: Constitutional Monarchy and Commonwealth Realm

Leader: David William Donald Cameron

United Kingdom:

     David William Donald Cameron (Prime Minister):

        - He is a descendant of King William IV and became the youngest prime minister since 1812 and was 43 when he took office.

         - One of his very first actions after becoming prime minister was forming a pact with Nick Clegg, who was the Liberal Democrat Leader. This resulted in the first coalition government since World War 2.

        - was packed off at age seven to Heatherdown which was a highly exclusive preparatory school,Prince Edward and Prince Andrew both attended there

         - after Heatherdown, he attended Eton, which is Britain's top private school and is a family tradition to attend there

         - first child, named Ivan, was born disabled and needed care all day

         - Ivan died in February 2009

         - This experience is said by friends to have broadened Cameron's horizons and has led an almost charmed life to that point

   Queen Elizabeth:

          - became queen on February 6, 1952 and was crowned on June 2, 1953

          - reign lasted 60 years and counting

http://www.biography.com/people/david-cameron-39203?page=2

 

Country: France

Government: Republic
Leader: Francois Hollande; Jean-Marc Ayrault

France: Francois Hollande

         - He is the first Socialist president since 1995 when Francois Mitterrand left the office.

         - During his campaign, he promised renegotiating the austerity agreement, withdrawal of troops from Afghanistan, lowered the retirement age, and higher taxes for the people who were extremely wealthy.

        - no previous experience in a national government position

        - shared a 30-year relationship with his mom, Segolene Royal

  - born in 1954 in the city of Rouen to an extreme-right physician father and progressive social worker mother

http://www.cnn.com/2012/12/21/world/europe/francois-hollande---fast-facts/

Country: Brazil

Government: Federal Republic

Leader: Dilma Rousseff

  Brazil: Dilma Rousseff:
        - It was her first time ever running for an elected office when she became president.
        - After joining the resistance movement against the British military dictatorship, she was jailed for three years and allegedly tortured in the 1970s.
        - been divorced two times
        - has a degree in economics and rules the country with the eigth-biggest economy in the world
        - went through chemotheraphy in 2009 for lymphoma and is in remission
http://www.cnn.com/2013/01/04/world/americas/dilma-rousseff---fast-facts/index.html?iref=allsearch

Country: Venezuela

Government: Federal Republic
Leader: Nicolas Maduro Moros

Venezuela: Nicolas Maduro Moros:

         - Before becoming politically active in the 1990s, he belonged to the transit union and worked as a bus driver for Caracas Metro.

         - He beat Henrique Capriles Radonski in the 2013 presidential election by two percentage points.

         - introduced to Hugo Chavez in 1992

         - After Chavez and other members of the military were imprisoned for and coup, Maduro began campaigning for his release. He was released in 1994 and won the election for presidency four years later.

        - Chavez selected Maduro to serve as vice president after he won his third term in October 2012.

         - worked alongside the president and served as one of his closest advisers as well as a loyal spokesperson

         - Chavez died at the age 58 on March 5,2013 from cancer and Maduro took his place

http://www.cnn.com/2013/04/26/world/americas/nicolas-maduro-fast-facts/

 

Country: Saudi Arabia

Government: Monarchy

Leader: Abdallah bin Abd al-Aziz Al Saud

Saudi Arabia: Abdallah bin Abd al-Aziz Al Saud (King):
         - While he was in charge, Saudi Arabia joined the World Trade Organization.
         - On September 15, 2011, he announced that women will be able to run for office and vote in local elections in the year 2015. This was the biggest chance in a decade for women in a puritanical kingdom that practices strict separation between males and females. This was the only country in the world who banned women from driving.
         - has fathered 22 children, the youngest when he was age 79
         - worth approximately 21 billion dollars
         - appointed commander of the Saudi Arabia National Guard before he became king
         - vistited Pope Benedict in the Apostolic Palace in November 2007 making him the first Saudi monarch to visit the Pope
         - called for a "brotherly and sincere dialogue between believers from all religions" in March 2008
         - granted women the right to vote an
http://www.cnn.com/2012/12/28/world/meast/king-abdullah-bin-abdulaziz-al-saud---fast-facts/

Country: Iran

Government: Theocratic Republic (religion based government) 

Leader: Ali Hoseini-Khamenei ( Supreme Leader); Hasan Fereidun Ruhani ( president)

Iran:

    Ali Hoseini- Khamenei (Supreme Leader):

         - After being appointed after Mohammad-Ali Rajai's assassination, he became the first cleric to serve in the Iranian presidency.

          - He issued a religious prohibition against any insult to Muhammad's wives or companions. Also, he forbid the production, stockpiling, and use of nuclear weapons.

         - took place in street protests against the U.S.-backed Shah of Iran and was exiled after the uprising was crushed

         - was in prision many times

         - in 1975 he was exiled to a region in southeastern Iran

         - elected President of Iran in 1981 and re-elected in 1985

         - became Iran's Supreme Leader in 1989

    Hasan Fereidun Ruhani (president):

       - held several parliamentary posts, including deputy speaker

       - served on the Supreme National Security Council

       - elected President of Iran in June 2013

       - openly critical of the previous president saying Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's "careless, uncalculated, and unsteadied remarks" have costed the country dearly
- wanted Israel wiped off the face of the earth 

http://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/jsource/biography/khamenei.html

Country: Israel

Government: Parliamentary Democracy

Leader: Shimon Peres ( president ); Binyamin "Bibi" Netanyahu (prime minister)

Israel:
   Shimon Peres (President):
        - in 1994, he was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize along with Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat and Prime Minisiter Yitzhak Rabin.
        - When he addressed the Turkish parliament, he became the first Israeli president ever to speak to a Muslim country's legislature
        - born in Belarus but his family fled to Palestine in 1934 to escape from the persecution of Jews
        - after Arab forces launched attacks on the new state of Israel in 148, he was given the chief responsibility to secure military equipment for Israel
        - organized Israel's nuclear program and regarded as the father of Israel's atomic bomb
        - in charge of Israeli negotiations during peace talks with the Palestinians.

    Binyamin Netanyahu (Prime Minister):
         - lived in the US in the years 1956-68 and then again in 1963-67
         - his brother, Jonathan, was killed in July 1976 in the course of the Entebbe Operation where he was one of the commanders
         - Quote: "There are those who say that if the Holocaust had not occurred, the State of Israel would never have been established. But I say that if the State of Israel would have been established earlier, the Holocaust would not have occurred."
http://www.cnn.com/2013/01/03/world/meast/shimon-peres---fast-facts/

Political Geography

    Today in class we took the test on the religions. After we took it, Mr. Schick graded it right away and we got to see out grades. I got an 80, which isn't too bad, but I thought I did better on it. Once we saw our grades, we started to talk about Political Geography. We discussed how the world is organized. It is separated into four different categories. Those categories are: country, nation, state, and nation-state. Country is the identifiable land area on a map and is a piece of geography. Nation is a population of a cultural group that has people who have a shared identity. It is a homogeneous group and is larger than a single tribe or community. A nation shares common language, institutions, religion, and historical experience. State is synonymous to country and is a population under a single government. When a state is called an independent state, it means that it has boundaries, an organized economy, education, transportation, government, sovereignty, external recognition, and living people. A Nation-State is a single culture under a single government. Its a nation that has the same border as a state.

Review of Religions

   On Friday, we were supposed to take a test on all five of the religions that we have been talking about in the last few classes. Instead of taking the test, like we were supposed to, we went over all of the main religions again. We got the basic facts that we needed to know for the test. It was a review for most of the religions but some stuff I didn't know. For example, I didn't know the exact number of Christians in the world. There are about 2.2 billion of Christians in the world. Also, I didn't know that there is the "Eightfold Path" in Buddhism. The Eightfold Path consists of the right of: view, intention, speech, action, livelihood, effort, mindfulness, and dedication. Another thing that I didn't know was that the Hindus' holy book is called the Vedas. It is made of the eternal truths that are revealed to ancient sages and is written in verse form.