3

Oh, I really don't know what to talk about today.
I guess I'll talk about what I know about the Japanese pop scene. Which really isn't a lot, since I only know the chart toppers, plus, I really don't know any Japanese, so yeah.
First of all, most Western singers aren't that big in Japan, at the very least not at the same scale as in Europe. And, of course, none of us have heard of Japanese singers, have we?
Well, anyways, there are four major female solo singers, a couple of bands here and there, and that's really it. Okay, lets just start with those four.
Ugh. I'm getting confused.
Okay, so there's Namie AMuro first, who was the absolute queen of pop for a long time, until I think she got married and had a child I think in 1998. Then, there was Ayumi Hamasaki. She became number one for a while, but then Utada Hikaru came on, and had the best album sales ever. She is also one of very few Japanese artists who could speak English fluently, the rest mumble with a large accent. Well, at least they speak better English than we speak Japanese. Also, she had an English album, Exodus, under Island Def Jam, or whatever its called. It sold very dismally, but it probably had more to do with the fact that she was new, there was practically no promotion, and she was Asian. Oh, by the way, she originally got her start in USA (EMI), but then left for Japan sometime later. Globally, she has sold like 40 m. units and has 3 United World Chart toppers. That's saying a lot for a Japanese singer. Sure, Avril Lavigne or Rihanna could easily do that, but, well, not if you're Japanese. The size of the market makes a really big difference. Oh, and then Kumi Koda came on the scene, while all this time Ayumi Hamasaki still did her part and wasn't bad. Also, Namie Amuro, now divorced, came back on board, albeit without her previous successs. Nevertheless, she wasn't that bad. Also, UH went to Columbia University, but then dropped up to pursue her music career. Oh yeah, this year, Utada Hikaru divorced (I heard it was on the same day her parents divorced), Ayumi Hamasaki broke off her engagement, and Kumi Koda also broke up.

Aside from them, the only people of note are Mr. Children (think UH-like success), KinKi Kids (most consecutive number-1 debuts), and that's pretty much it.

Oh, and by the way, the Japanese have an afinity for weird English names for their bands, albums, and singles, even by chart-topping people. Like, say "very special!!!", "I am...", "A Best 2 -white-", "Step you", "Tommy february6/Tommy heavenly6". They also have an afinity for weird capitalization ("evolution", "CAN'T SLEEP, CAN'T EAT, I'M SICK", "A", "H") and weird usages of "~".


I guess that'll do for now.

2

Oh dear. Some people REALLY don't get what they're doing. Generally reactive people. Ugh. I guess I won't get that book before Monday, it's going to take a while. Mainly because I have $10 in online certificates (I got those from completing online surveys), and possibly some more money on a giftcard which doesn't work. So, the giftcard needs to be sent to a retail store. Which won't happen soon, as the person who I'm planning to ask to do this is pointedly ignoring me.

UGH.

And also being very very defensive, which also means being reactive.
I was also reactive.
Sigh.
I'll talk to him later.

1

Hello.... I realized that I haven't updated in a very long time, and a lot has happened over the summer. Probably going to write bits and pieces of it sometime over this year. Well, anyways, today was the first day of classes.



Anyways, yeah. I guess that's it for now, probably wil add more later on as I really start getting into the school life and settle.

Okay. Let's start from July 1st, with Hong Kong's 10th anniversary of the handover. (yes, it occured before Canada Day).



So, just a bit of a background, because of Opium Wars, and a couple of (unfair) treaties here and there Hong Kong was given to the United Kingdom, along with Kowloon, and New Territories. I think the New Territories and Kowloon were on 99-year lease which expired on June 30th, 1997. UK didn't had to give back Hong Kong Island, but it made much more sense to do so. I have no memories absolutely at all of the handover, but it must have been an emotional experience for all.

Anyways, soon after the handover, a series of major events happened, including the Asian economic recession\crisis\whatever you call it plus the stockmarket crash, 911, SARS, protests against a resolution or two and a CE(O) of Hong Kong . There's a lot to talk about this, and this really isn't a good summary, but you can look through any of the major global news services, they're bound to have an article or two on Hong Kong.



Canada Day:

I went to a family friend's house today, and we had a great time watching fireworks and playing on the Wii. I could elaborate more, but I want to get through everything first.



July 3rd

Today I left for Tokyo, which is becoming a tradition every summer, I've been there ever since 2002. I don't know if I'm going next year or not, though, I doubt it. Flight was uneventful, we flew JAL as usual. Oh, by the way, the phase I of the new wing has been completed already, and it was quite cool. About a hundred of the people on the plane was on a school trip, another couple were transfering, and some I found were half Japanese-half Canadian. Or that's what they looked like.


I personally think that the example of YVR is amazing as an airport in this world. Sure, YVR might not be first or second in the world, but it has made do with a very tight budget, high lease fees (I'll elaborate later on), and still rank very high on passenger satisfication. Many other airports in the world do not have to pay very high lease fees just to run an airport.



Okay, so after WWII, YVR was given over to the federal government by the municipal government, as it just cost too much to run YVR. Then the federal government in 1993 or so started to make regional authorities run YVR. These were independent non-profit airport authorities who ran them on a 50 or was it 70 or was it 90 year lease. Thing is, they had to pay the federal government to run an airport the federal government should be doing. USA gives money to their airports, and so does many other places around the world. Well, YVRAA shouldered on, and managed to turn YVR from any old undercapacity airport to fourth in the world and first in North America. THat's really saying something. As far as I know, Hong Kong and Singapore don't have to pay airport rents. In fact, I'm doubting Hong Kong makes money in its airport, even though it has a lot of business. Another thing, Vancouver isn't exactly such a large market. Sure, we're Western Canada's Pacific gateway, but that's not really a lot. Salt Lake City has more passengers than YVR gets. Oh, and by the way, YVR is very financially stable. I heard something about getting a good credit rating, but I'm not really sure about that.

Some people say Toronto (YYZ) has to pay a substantially more lease rate than YVR, or any otehr airport in Canada for that matter. Well, sure, YYZ pays way more rent proportionally than any other airport in Canada, but hey, the GTAA is pretty bad in managing the airport. Very bad airline relations, the highest airport landing fess IN THE WORLD (that's REALLY saying something), and extravagant spending. YVR's terminal, although maybe not the most beautiful, was very carefully planned and managed, becautifully done without splurging. YYZ's T1? See those beautiful roof, and all those wonderful open air spaces? Guess how much that cost. A lot. AC is its largest tenant, and I can tell you AC HATES YYZ. I read Robert Milton's book about AC, and they totally don't like YYZ. Really. And the thing is, YYZ has a constant demand, you can't escape it if you want to make it big in Canada. Not like YVR. Nobody has to serve YVR. If you ask anybody, YYZ is a far larger and generally more profitable market than YVR.

Oh, by the way, the airport with the second highest fees in the world is Tokyo's Narita. Their story is a lot more...'colourful', then YYZ. Colourful, as in full of angry, sometimes violent farmers, who were bent on protecting their own farmland from the 'menace' of the federal government's plan for a new airport in Tokyo. Before there was NRT, there was HND. Haneda. The airport was overrun with planes, extremely under capacity, with flights having to divert to Nagoya, which was quite far away, because there was no room for them to land. And then, Narita was chosen as the site for Tokyo's new international airport. Then, the farmers began to get angry, and started to do whatever was in their power to end the construction. These ranged from peaceful lawsuits to not-so-peaceful arson attacks. Eventually, construction went ahead, but the Supreme Court ceded some things back to the farmers. Nevertheless, the farmers still kept on revolting, tearing down a control tower (!) and other things like that, forcing the government to start preventative measures. Now, to visit Narita, you need a piece of ID. Which isn't that bad.

There was one picture on airliners.net which I found quite interesting. I don't think you can find the same scene today. By the way, I don't know where it went, so if you are really interested, search it up on a.net. Anyways, a farmer had a plot of land right in the middle of a planned runway. NRT built a runway surrounding it, but it was only operable right up to the farmer's house. It was completely surrounded by airport property, in the middle of a runway. Last year, another court decision granted the land to NRTAA.

Oh, by the way, Japan is also home to probably the world's most innovative airport today. KIX (Kansai International Airport), which serves as Osaka's premier international gateway. It's on a complete man-made island, designed by a world famous architect whose name I forgot. Anyways, the island had been sinking at a very fast rate, but KIX'll survive. Oh, and Kobe, which refused to create an airport, which was originally supposed to be KIX, just went ahead and created its own airport. Stupid move, I say. Pride must have had a factor. Japanese airports all around were suffering from little business, and had some of the highest landing fees in the world. KIX was suffering from too little traffic, with most airlines except UA reducing their frequencies. Oh, and Nagoya had a revamped, or was it a completley new airport?

Really, only NRT and HND were in any position to charge high prices and still expect traffic. They were where people want to go. Not Osaka. Who ever heard of someone going to Tokyo via Osaka? The opposite'll happen. Oh, and HND is the airport with the most domestic traffic in the world, or maybe its second after ATL. It was the world's largest domestic airport, after the Taiwan flights swtiched to NRT and before scheduled charters to Seoul Gimpo started. HND plans to allow international traffic within a roughly 2,000 mile radius after the creationg of the fourth runway. HND has over 60 m. passengers per year, with almost all domestic. By comparision, ATL, the world's largest has 81m. YVR has 16 m., NRT somewhere around that.



July 7th

Hey, Live Earth started today. I watched the Tokyo show on the internet(not live). I only watched bits and parts of it, but I saw almost the netire portion of Linkin Park and Rihanna. It seemed like everyone was there because of Linkin Park, and nobody heard about Rihanna. By the way, she seemed like she ran out of breath pretty often, and it was pretty much just listening to her backup singers sing. And there wasn't much enthusiasm for RIhanna, either the people didn't know English, or they never heard of her songs before. Must be something for a singer who currently has the number one position on the United World Chart.

As far as I know, the only Japanese big people in the show was Ai Otsuka, and Kumi Koda. The really big people, Hamasaki, Hikaru, and others, wer enot there, but that wasn't surprising. It wasn't as if all the American top charters were in the Live Earth shows.



Kyoto

Wow, it was surprisingly good. I didn't listen to Rip Slyme, though. Anyways, Michael Nyman and YMO were pretty good, I liked their songs. obviously, Kyoto got their own show because of the Kyoto accord, and the possibility that Kyoto was the most environmentally conscious major city in the world.
There's a problem with the feed though. I can't see it anymore.



Shanghai

They had peopled from Taiwan, China, and Hong Kong, with probably Sarah Brightman being the only foreigner. Not surprisingly, it wasn't a real concert. I have my personal thoughts on why.

Sydney

Well, I didn't really watched this one. Not that interesting to me, for some reason.

Hamburg

Watched only bits and pieces of it. Nothing that interesting. At least not the parts that I watched. Which was only Enrique and minutes of other singers, so don't take my word for it being boring.

London

Wow. I was surprised that it was filled to capacity, and having such a wonderful atmosphere.

New York

Again, pretty amazing, obviously the flagship show of Live Earth, followed closely by London, though.

Rio de Janeiro

Didn't watch much, but Macy Gray and Lenny Kravitz were pretty nice.

Jo'burg

Barely watched it, and apparently the Soweto group is missing in the feed right now. Oh well.

Antarctica

These people were playing OUTSIDE in the freezing temperature. Do you have any idea how cold their fingers must be? How in the world can you play guitar like that? You can obviously see that their fingers were that flexible, and pretty rigid. Excellent commitment.

By the way, to many Live Earth critics: Do you research before even saying anything negative about this concert or Al Gore. No, ignorance is not bliss, and its really annoying to other people when you take what you think and try to pass it off as truth. Its not the truth. Well, okay, sometimes it is, but in this case, it really isn't. And keep your mind opened, and if you really don't like Live Earth, do something more substantial than just dismiss everything as Gore propaganda and forget about everything. There are many more productive and practical ways to express your thoughts about Live Earth than some of the stuff that you guys have written on the boards...

Oh, and by the way, the B787 was just unveiled a couple of days ago. Well, just to tell everybody, never EVER take what the major global news services say about anything in aviation as truth. Because, honestly, they know next to nothing about it. Except for maybe BBC, but definetly, say, CNN, and a couple others. No, the B787 isn't revolutionary, its just evolutionary, its not the 'savior', gosh, fuel prices are rising so quickly the increase in efficiency isn't really that much, and no, the decrease in operating costs won't translate to their customers, because of rising fuel prices. And, by the way, almost all of the traffic growth is because of low-cost carriers stimulating the markets (think Southwest, Ryanair). By the way, point-to-point doesn't work everywhere, especially not trans-pacific. Nevertheless, it has been far more successful than anything new anybody else has on offer. The A350 has taken a lot of setbacks, the A380 is a near-disaster, although there's potential. Heck, Airbus is in big financial trouble right now. But dont' worry, it won't collapse. The Germans, if not the French, will find someway to keep Airbus solvent.
By the way, I'll just add this much for now, more coming later. Usually the blogs aren't this long...

I'm watching Live Earth Tokyo and Shanghai right now, and soon I'll add something about what's happened these past days.

Blog 94

Surprised that I'm at blog 94? Look a little bit further down the page, you'll eventually get there.
Yeah, those blogs might not count. then, I have 55 blogs.

Pirates of the Carribean and Master and Commander Plausible vs. Impossible

Chapter 7 For Further Thought, Chapter Checkup, Developing Basic Skills

Whoops! I forgot to add this part.
For Further Thought
1. Analyzing
(a) How did differences in religious beliefs contribute to clashes between Hindus and Muslims in India?
Muslims and Hindus had huge differences, and because both were unwilling compromise and were prepared to fight for their beliefs, there were constant disagreements, and sometimes these disagreements turned violent.
(b) In what ways was there a peaceful blending of the two cultures?
The creation of Urdu, and the creation of mosques and Persian and Muslim art by Hindus were all examples of synergy happening. Purdah could also have been introduced at this time.

2. Applying Information
(a) How did Chinese and Japanese attitudes toward foreigners change in the 1500s and 1600s?
Overall, both China and Japan limited trade with foreigners. China only let the Portuguese trade a Macau, and the only other city with which foreigners were allowed to trade in was Canton. Japan cut off all contact, and only let the Chinese and Dutch trade at Nagasaki, the only place in Japan available for foreign trade.
(b) Why do you think their views of foreigners changed?
Japan was afraid that the foreign powers might eventually invade Japan, and also, they were afraid of the growing number of Japanese Christians, who supported the pope rather than the shogun. The Chinese felt that they were superior, and probably the effects of the Yuan dynasty may have affected their thoughts.

3. Analyzing a Quotation
A Japanese saying states: “The rice that Hideyoshi cooked was eaten by Tokugawa Ieyasu.” Do you think that this saying accurately describes what happened in Japan after the late 1500s? Explain.
Hideyoshi created a strong unified nation during the decline of feudalism, in this saying compared with the rice, while Tokugaawa Ieyasu, who took power after Hideyoshi, created a centralized government and finished what Hideyoshi had started. Although this saying is relatively close to the truth, I believe the Tokugawa did more than that. Hideyoshi helped in no small way, but the Tokugawa finished the reforms.

4. Comparing
(a) Describe the structure of Japanese feudal society.
Although the emperor was the ruler, he was just a figurehead, and the shogun had the actual power. Nevertheless, the daimyo, who were the strongest samurai, had quite a bit of power, and also gave out land to other samurais in return for military service. Below them were peasants, artisans, and merchants.
(b) How was Japanese feudalism similar to feudalism in Western Europe?
The king and the emperor both had little power, although they were considered the highest rank in society. Lords, knights, peasants were pretty much equivalent to the daimyo, samurais, and peasants in Japanese feudal society.
(c) How was it different?
One of the major differences was the shogun in Japan. There was direct equivalent in European feudalism, although a strong lord maybe considered the same as a shogun. The addition of ronins and the separate class of merchants were also large differences.

Chapter Checkup

1.(a) How did Hinduism influence life in India?
Hinduism helped create a stable society in India by setting rules and limiting social mobility through its caste system, which set many rules regarding social life. In addition, it helped unite the people religiously, even though there were still constant warfare. Nevertheless, these warfare did not affect the people greatly.
(b) What effect did Muslim rule have on India?
The policies of the Muslims created many religious tensions in India, and many Hindus were forced to convert to Islam. Also, there were many different works of art influenced by both traditions, along with the introduction of Urdu.

2. (a) How did Akbar try to unify the Mogul Empire?
He tried to do that by tolerating other religions, and stopping prosecution of Hindus and many other policies that were based on religious discrimination.
(b) How did his successors change his policies?
His successors reinstated state discrimination against Hindus.
(c) What happened as a result of these changes?
Eventually, the Hindus became extremely angry at the prejudice, and tried to overthrow the Muslim government.

3. Describe Chinese achievements in each off the following areas:
(a) government
The civil service examination helped produce educated and loyal officials who agreed with the government policy based on Confucian values.
(b) technology
Starting with the invention of paper, the Chinese have a long history of innovation with printing. Later on, the Chinese built the largest ships in the world at the time, along with a magnetic compass and gunpowder.
(a) art
Porcelain items, poetry, and landscape painting were all developed during the T’ang and Sung eras.

4. (a) How did foreign trade affect China during the T’ang and Sung empires?
The Chinese were exposed to new ideas and things that they had never met before.
(b) Why did trade become even more extensive under the Mongols?
The Mongols created long and large highways which stretched right across the Mongol Empire, encouraging trade and travel between the different places of the world.
(c) What attitude did the Chinese take toward foreign trade by the 1500s?
By the 1500s, the Chinese were much more cautious, and restricted almost all trade with Europeans.

5. (a) How did Chinese culture influence the Japanese?
As Buddhism was introduced to Japan, Chinese ideas came along with it. These ideas led to great changes across almost all parts of Japanese society.
(b) Why did the Japanese borrow some Chinese ideas and not others?
The Japanese chose the ideas that fit with their traditions, so some ideas, such as the civil service system, which were contradictory to Japanese ideas, were dropped.

6. (a) what type of government did the Tokugawa shoguns establish in Japan?
The Tokugawa shoguns turned Japan into a centralized feudalistic government.
(b) How did they limit the power of the daimyo?
By ordering the daimyo’s families and the daimyo to spend half of their time in the capital, it greatly reduced the ease of creating revolts. In addition, the daimyo was required to receive permission before engaging in many activities.

7. (a) How were Buddhist teachings brought to Japan?
Buddhist teachings were brought to Japan via China and Korea by Buddhist missionaries.
(b) How did Buddhism affect Japanese society?
Because of Buddhism, Japan in the 600s-700s was greatly based on Chinese society, which in turn was highly influenced by Buddhist values.

Developing Basic Skills
1.Using Visual Evidence Study the painting on page 119. Does the painting express the same feelings about nature as Li Po’s poem? Explain.
I believe so, actually. The landscape painting seems to convey a very beautiful image of nature, and so does Li Po’s poem.

2. Map Reading Study the map on page 122 and the maps on page 197-198. Then answer the following questions:
(a) What was the extent of the Mongol empire?
The Mongol empire at its extent took almost all of Asia, stretching the Mediterranean and the Arabian seas to the Pacific Ocean.
(b) What countries today are located in the lands once ruled by the Mongols?
Dozens of countries are located in the former Mongol empire. This stretches from Ukraine, Russia, Turkey, Israel, Iraq all the way across Asia until it reaches the Pacific Ocean. Only some Middle Eastern, South and South East Asian countries were not once under the power of the Mongols.
(c) Why do you think Genghis Khan divided his empire among his sons and grandsons?
I think Genghis Khan had to do that to help settle bitter rivalries between his descendent, lowering the chance of assassination of each other for power and land.

3. Using Diagrams Study the diagram of feudal society in Japan on page 127. Then answer the following questions:
(a) Who held the highest status in Japanese society?
The Emperor.
(b) Who had the lowest status?
The merchants.
(c) Why do you think the daimyo had so much power and influence?
The daimyo had many people, such as vassals and soldiers who were under obligation to be loyal and give military service to the Daimyo.
(d) What does the diagram tell you about the structure of Japanese society?
Japanese feudal society was a hierarchy, with low social mobility and dominated by the shogun, with the emperor acting as a figure head.

Chapter 7

Chapter 7
Section 1
1.
Delhi sultanate-Muslim government in India. Prosecutes non-muslims and want people to convert.
Tamerlane-Muslim General that wanted to conquer the world.
Urdu- A language that combined Hindu with Muslim.
Babur-Mongol General. Claimed to be decended from Genghis Khan and Tamerlane. Created a mongol kingdom in India.
Akbar-Grandson of Babur. Ruled with fairness thoughout the whole reigion. Everything went back to normal after death.
Taj Mahal-A fine sample of mongol Architecthure
Vasco de Gama- Portugeese sailor that created a bond between Europe and India.
2.
Sultan- Muslim Rulers
Purdah- The practice of secluding women
3. Muslim invaders had fast horses and very diciplined soldiers while the Hindus quarreled with each other and only had slow war elephants.
4.
Muslim Hindu

One God Many gods
Eat Cows Cows are Sacred
Music offends God Celebrate with music
5. Akbar thought that Hinus should be equal to Muslims. He supported a religion that fused both into one.
6. The mongols considered the Christians a threat that converts people to their side.

Section 2
1.
Diamond Sutra- The very first printed work. Printed by a Bhuddist.
Li Po- One of China's greatest poets.
2.
a) Any one could qualify for the chineese civil service
b) In pratice only the wealthy with good education could pass the test.
3.
a) Block printing is when you carve symbols into wood, ink it, and then stamp it onto paper
b) Bhuddist probably made this, as it was needed to make sacred texts.
4. The T'ang and Sung artists were interested in pottery, literature, nature, and landscape painting.
5. Footbinding crippled the Chineese women, as their feet were made too small for their body. They had to take very small steps (considered to be beutiful).

Section 3
1.
Kublai Khan- Created Mongol Dynasty in China (Yuan).
Marco Polo- Italian Explorer. Served under Kublai
Cheng Ho- Leader of a fleet of Ming ships. First to explore out of China
2. Kublai created his own dynasty and kept his people from the Chinese culture
3. Roads in China allowed trading of wares and travel to be done much faster and more efficiently
4. The ming sea voyages invovled 63 ships being sent out with over 27000 perple on them to explore the world and learn sea routes.
5. The Ming made sure that the Portugeese only traded when the Chinese ships met the portugeese ships. They were not allowed to land.

Section 4 Review

Locate:
Hokkaido: The second largest island of Japan, north of the largest island, Honshu.
Honshu: The Largest island of Japan, contains Tokyo, Kyoto and Nara.
Shikoku: Just south of Honshu , in the most western part of the Pacific Ocean.
Kyushu: The southern-most island out of Japan’s 4 large islands, south- west of Shikoku.
Sea of Japan: Between Eastern Asia, Korea and Japan.
Heian: A city on the island of Honshu, just north- west of the city Nara.

Identify:
Shinto: The religion that most Japanese believed in.
Yamato: The strongest clan in Japan during 400 A.D.
Lady Murasaki: The author of the book “The Tale of Genji”.

Define:
Archipelago: A chain of islands.
Clan: Family groups who traced their origins to a common ancestor.
Kami: Spirits that the Japanese believed controlled the forces of nature.

One advantage of the geography of Japan is that they have a mild climate, abundant rainfall and fertile soil. One disadvantage of the geography is that Japan is mountainous, thus, only about 20% of the land is suitable for farming.
The Yamato rulers had the respect of the people because they traced their ancestors back to the first emperor, claiming divine descent.
a) 3 aspects of Chinese culture that the Japanese borrowed: Adapting Chinese writing for their own language, welcoming Chinese Buddist missionaries and borrowing Chinses styles in art and literature.
b) The Chinese idea that the Japanese rejected was the civil service system because it didn’t fit with their system.

Japanese women kept diaries and composed poetry to contribute to the development of Japanese literature.

Section 5

Identify:
Hideyoshi: A powerful general in the late 1500s that established the foundations for a unified.
Tokugawa Ieyasu: Seized power after Hideyoshi’s death. He established the Tokugawa shogunate, which lasted until 1868.
Zen: A Buddhist sect that originated in China.
Noh: Japanese dramas (plays).
Kabuki: Dramas that were violent and emotional.

Define:
Samurai: Warrior knights.
Shogun: The title of chief general, obtained from the emperor.
Daimyo: The strongest samurai, just below the shogun.
Bushido: The Samurai code, meaning the way of the warrior.
Haiku: A short 3 line poem, of only 17 syllables.

a) The highest class of the feudal society was the Emperor.
b) The lowest class of the feudal society were the Merchants.

The samurai code emphasized simplicity, courage and honour.
One example of how the Tokugawa shoguns limited the power of the daimyo was by forcing them to spend every other day in the Tokugawa capital of Edo, present day Tokyo and by forcing their families to live in Edo everyday, to prevent revolts.
The 2 cultural traditions that influenced the arts in Japan were: The fact that Japanese were to respect the forces of nature, and the Noh plays, which incorporated dances and poetry that taught Zen ideas.

Recalling Facts

Arrange the events in each of the following groups in the order in which they occurred.

a) Delhi sultanate established.
b) Hindu princes compete for control of the northern plain.
c) The Mogul Empire enjoys a golden age under Akbar.

Order (From earliest to latest): 1. [B], 2. [A], 3. [C]

a) Marco Polo travels across Kublai Khan’s empire.
b) China restricts all foreign traders to Canton.
c) China enjoys a golden age under the T’ang dynasty.

Order (From earliest to latest): 1. [C], 2. [A], 3. [B]

a) Tokugawa shoguns expel all foreigners.
b) Yamato clan wins control of Japan.
c) Japanese adapt ideas from China.

Order (From earliest to latest): 1. [B], 2. [C], 3. [A]

Social Studies Chapter 9

Oh, by the way, I'm working on the blogs bit by bit, and plan to post them all at once.

Chapter 9
1 New Directions in Science Section Review

1. Identify:
Nicolaus Copernicus: Polish mathematician and astronomer who questioned Ptolemy’s teachings.
Tycho Brahe: Danish astronomer who made detailed observations of the planets and stars.
Johannes Kepler: Brahe’s assistant who used Brahe’s observations and was responsible for creating several new theories in astronomy.
Galileo Galilei: A famous Italian astronomer, Galilei used the telescope to observe many of the moons, and in the process refuting most of the teachings of ancient philosophers. He was eventually forced to denounce his own work by his enemies and the Catholic Church.

2. Define:
Scientific Method: A method of scientific study that was developed during the Scientific Revolution.
Law of Gravity: A scientific law developed by Sir Issac Newton that explains the force of attraction.

3. Why was mathematics important to the scientific method?
Mathematics was the only way in which scientific theories could be proved, as opposed to logic.

4. Give two reasons why scholars challenged the ideas of Copernicus.
Much of human knowledge was based on the work of the ancient philosophers, and if it was proven that these philosophers were wrong, then all of these theories would be up in the air. Plus, humans generally don’t like change, or being proven that their accepted theories were wrong, so when Copernicus just comes and says that everything is wrong, these scholar’s first reactions were to be defensive.

5. What did Galileo’s observations through the telescope reveal?
He discovered that the so-called ‘heavenly bodies’ of the planets were imperfect, and changing.

6. How did Newton think the universe worked?
Newton believed that the universe was an enormous machine, which complied with all of the laws of nature.

7. Describe one way each of the following contributed to medical knowledge:
(a) Paracelsus: He proved that it was possible to change one substance to another.
(b) Andreas Vesalius: He also refuted some of Galen’s teachings, and published On the Structure of the Human Body, which was an important work dealing with human anatomy.
(c) Ambroise Paré:
Paré developed an ointment that prevent infections, and stitching to close wounds.
(d) William Harvey:
Harvey proved that blood flowed through the body, instead of remaining stationary.

2 Enlightenment Thinkers Section Review

1. Identify:
Thomas Hobbes: An English philosopher, Hobbes believed in a communist-like society (with a monarch), and believed than an anarchy would be terrible.
John Locke: Another English philosopher, Locke believed that the government should not have such a strong grip on the people, and that people should be given some basic freedoms.
Montesquieu: A French baron, he thought that the three branches of government as found in the English system was a great idea, and also thought that there should be checks and balances for each of these branches.
Voltaire: The best-known philosophe, he advocated for secularism and freedom of speech.
Jean Jacques Rousseau: A Swiss philosophe, Rousseau had an unpleasant upbringing, and his ideas frequently clashed with those of other philosophes. Rousseau championed the ‘general will’, belief in equality and the will of the general people.

2. Define:
Philosophe: French for philosophers, philosophes were philosophers who general agreed that people had basic rights.
Physiocrat: A group of philosophes, physiocrats were those who believed economics was caused by natural laws.
Free market: A market in which all trade can be freely bought and sold with no restrictions.

3. (a) What kind of government did Hobbes support?
An absolute monarchy.
(b) According to Locke, when did people have a right to rebel?
The people had a right to rebel when the ruler became a tyrant.

4. Describe three concerns of the philosophes.
The philosophes believed in basic human rights, freedom of speech, and secularism.

5. Why did Montesquieu support a government system with checks and balances?
That say, no government branch could dominate the other, plus, it also prevents a government stepping beyond its boundaries.

6. (a) Who did Voltaire think should govern?
Voltaire thought that only a ruler who studied government and protected the rights of the people should govern.
(b) What did Rousseau mean by the “general will”?
Rousseau meant the decision of the majority and the general consensus.

3 Impact of the Enlightenment Section Review

1. Identify:
Denis Diderot: A French philosophe, Diderot was responsible for the publication of the Encyclopedia.
Joseph II: An Austrian monarch who implemented many reforms which reflected Enlightenment principles
Johann Sebastian Bach: A German composer, Bach was famous for his religious music.
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart: One of the greatest composer of all time, Mozart was a child genius who lived in the late 1700s.

2. Define: Salon.
A salon was an informal gathering where writers, musicians, painters, and philosophes exhibited their work and discussed their thoughts on various subjects.

3. What subjects did Diderot’s Encyclopedia emphasize the most?
Science and technology.

4. Describe three reforms introduced by enlightened monarchs.
Religious freedom was one of the more well known reforms, however, banning torture and serfdom were also important.

Recalling Facts

Column 1
Column 2
1. Denis Diderot
2. john Locke
3. William Harvey
4. Sir Issac Newton
5. Nicolaus Copernicus
6. Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
7. Jean Jacques Rousseau
8. Galileo Galilei
a. Polish astronomer who said the earth revolved around the sun
b. English mathematician who developed law of gravity
c. English philosopher who believed people had natural rights to life, liberty, and property
d. philosopher who edited the Encyclopedia.
e. astronomer who used a telescope to observe sunspots and the moons of Jupiter
f. physician who studied the circulation of the blood
g. composer who began writing music before age five
h. philosopher who thought society corrupted people
Match each name in column 1 with the correct description in Column 2.


1.d; 2.c; 3.f; 4.b; 5.a; 6.g; 7.h; 8.e

Chapter Checkup
1. (a) What was the basis of scientific thought during the Middle Ages?
The theories of the ancient philosophers such as Aristotle and Ptolemy were the basis of science during that time.
(b) Why did scholars begin to question traditional scientific views after 1200?
Scholars discovered that previously accepted theories were in fact incorrect.
(c) How did Copernicus help develop the scientific method?
Copernicus’s proof that Ptolemy was wrong helped influence the scientific method because of his use of mathematics to support his argument.

2. (a) How did Galileo make so many enemies?
Galileo was outspoken in his belief that the traditional thought about science was flawed, and humiliated his enemies.
(b) How did they get their revenge?
His enemies managed to get the Catholic Church to ban the teachings of Copernicus and Galileo from promoting them. Later on, Galileo was forced before the Inquisition.
(c) Why did Galileo give in to the Inquisition?
Galileo had no other choice, otherwise he would have been killed as a heretic.

3. (a) How did Newton’s work help change people’s view of the universe?
Newton’s law of gravity was an enormous discovery, and helped promote the view that the universe was bound to the laws of nature, rather than an outer power.
(b) What other effects did his work have?
Calculus was commonly used to enhance many things, and his ideas eventually resulted in many practical inventions.

4. (a) How were the ideas of Hobbes and Locke similar?
They both agreed on the responsibilities of the government, and viewed the government as a contract between the people and their ruler.
(b) How were they different?
Hobbes view supported absolute monarchy, with little personal freedom and rights, while Locke thought that there should be more freedoms and human rights, and that the power of the government should be restricted.
5. (a) What social and economic changes did the philosophes want?
The philosophes promoted a liberal take on things, and believed that protection from religious persecution, freedom of speech, education should be given to the people. Physiocrats also believed in a free market.
(b) Did they achieve any of their goals during the 1700s? Explain.
Their goal of having a free market was not accomplished, however, some enlightened monarchs enacted reforms which reflect some of the social changes that the philosophes wanted. Joseph II of Austria enacted reforms that complied with the entire social changes needed, and some other monarchs made some effort at reform.

6. Describe how each of the following helped spread Enlightenment ideas:
(a) The Encyclopedia
Diderot’s work was full of articles written by some of the most prominent leaders in their fields. Although banned in France, it was quite popular throughout Europe.
(b) learned societies
Learned societies distributed reports and hosted lectures on Enlightenment ideas.
(c) salons
These gatherings encouraged the ‘growth’ of enlightenment ideas by providing a way where artists and philosophes could interact and discuss ideas.

For Further Thought

1. Analyzing a Quotation Leonardo da Vinci wrote, “No human investigation can be called true science without passing through mathematical tests.”
(a) How was this view reflected in the Scientific Revolution?
Many theories, starting with Copernicus’s theories, were heavily based on mathematical calculations and proof. Later on, the scientific method was heavily based on maths.
(b) Why do you think scholars such as Newton had such confidence in mathematics?
Newton may have believed that logic didn’t also work anymore, and there needed to be an exacting way to prove scientific theories. Therefore, mathematics was used.

2. Relating Past to Present list three developments of the Scientific Revolution. What have been the long-term consequences of each?
The development of the scientific method has a large long-term effect. Most of today’s science is based on theories resulting from the use of the scientific method. The beliefs of the philosophes are reflected in our society today, as most Western nations ban the use of torture, promote religious freedoms and freedom of speech. Free market has been embraced by many capitalistic nations, although in reality, many barriers to total free trade remains in many nations.

3. Expressing an Opinion The philosophes were confident of human progress. They believed that life could be improved.
(a) What events and developments of the time do you think contributed to this attitude?
The Renaissance was still alive, and there had been many great improvements in many areas of human life and culture. The Reformation was a giant step forward, and proved that the Church could be reformed for better.
(b) Do you think people today still believe in progress? Explain.
Many people still believe in progress, otherwise interest in things such as space technology, nanotechnology, and other technology and scientific innovations would decrease dramatically. Civil rights have greatly improved over the last decades in Western and some non-Western nations. However, there are always conservatives who do not hope for change, and wish that everything was what they had known it to be.

4. Applying Information Joseph II was an enlightened monarch and an absolute ruler. Yet he could not greatly improve the lives of his people. Why do you think this was true? First of all, we have to be clear about how we are defining the ‘lives’. Is it by social equality, general livelihood and spirituality, or economic prosperity?
Joseph II didn’t implement many economic reforms, such as free trade, or other things. Economic prosperity therefore didn’t increase. Although social freedoms were greatly increased, there are many other factors that affect the lives, and not enough may have been done to help that.

Developing Basic Skills

1. Classifying Make a chart with three columns. In the first column, list Hobbes, Locke, Montesquieu, Voltaire, and Rousseau. In the second column, describe the government each philosopher thought was best. In the third column, explain why each thought his system was the best. Then answer the following questions:
Hobbes
Absolute Monarchy- a ruler with absolute power, and the people must obey and not rebel
Order and protection is very important, and can only be attained at the cost of freedom
Locke
Government in which the people had fundamental rights, and if ruler was tyrant, rebellion could happen.
Government is responsible for protecting rights, but power must be limited
Montesquieu
Government with three branches: executive (enforced laws), judiciary (solved disputes), and legislature (made laws).
Checks and balance keep a balance of power, prevent one branch from dominating another
Voltaire
Ruler must have studied governments and protects rights
Civil liberties are extremely important, especially religious toleration and freedom of thought
Rousseau
All people are equal, nobility and rank are abolished, form a community, no ruler, some freedom given to follow decision of majority
Society corrupts people, and people should be equal

(a) Which philosopher’s ideas where most democratic? Why?
Rousseau’s ideas are by far the most democratic. The will of the majority is followed at all times, and there is no decisions made by a small group of people (legislature, ruler).
(b) Which philosopher’s ideas where least democratic? Why?
Hobbes ideas are completely devoid of democracy. The will of the people is not respected, and the ruler has absolute rule over everything.
(c) Who was concerned with individual rights?
Locke, Montesquieu, and Voltaire were concerned about individual rights.
(d) Which system do you think is most like the government of Canada today? Explain.
Although Canada’s democratic system is similar to those of Locke and Voltaire, it most closely resembles that of Montesquieu’s. Canada’s government system is closely based on Britain’s governing system, which is what Montesquieu’s system is based on. We have the legislature (House of Commons), judiciary (Supreme Court of Canada and other courts), and the executive (Queen of Canada, Governor General and the Prime Minsiter). We do value the religious tolerance and freedom of thought as promoted by Voltaire, with separation of church and state, but some of Harper’s policies aren’t really secular, and promote somewhat of a religious agenda. As far as I know, Locke’s preferred government was not democratic, and that is quite different from our system.

2. Researching Choose one individual who made a contribution to the Scientific Revolutioin or the Enlightenment. Research his or her background in order to answer the following questions:
Voltaire:
(a) To what social class did the person belong?
Voltaire came from a noble family, albeit minor.
(b) What training or education did the person receive?
He received education at the Collège Louis-le-Grande, and also studied law, and eventually could speak English, Italian, and Spanish fluently in addition to French.
(c) What was the individual’s contribution to the Scientific Revolution or the Enlightenment?
Possibly the most famous philosophe, his views on civil liberties, separation of church and state, and other freedoms were quite important. His witty and satirical works also made him prominent.
(e) Why was the person’s contribution important?
His defence of civil rights was important, as it influenced many others later on. Nevertheless, some of his beliefs are not popular today in Western culture, such as his lack of faith in democracy, support of military in bringing order (although we do it), discrimination against all organized religion, racism, and in Canada, the expression ‘a few acres of snow’.