Friday, May 25, 2007
Monday, May 21, 2007
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.
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.
Sunday, May 20, 2007
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]
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]
Wednesday, May 2, 2007
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’.
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’.
Sunday, April 29, 2007
Thursday Blog 54 April 26, 2007 Monastir
Oh gosh. I have a huge amount of work over the weekend. Mainly thanks to not having started work until Wednesday. Whenever I'm sick, I tend to be sick for a much longer time than other people. I think I naturally have a weaker immune system.
Friday Blog 55 April 27, 2007 Sandane
Immediately after I came home at 7:00, I just slept, and slept until the next day. I was just really really tired.
Saturday Blog 56 April 28, 2007 Nuuk
Luckily, the homework wasn't as bad as I had anticipated. I think I could handle it, although maybe I'll be busy for most of the week, as there is still a lot of studying and work to do.
Sunday Blog 57 April 29, 2007 Paamiut
You know, I have somebody who is sort of breathing down my back for a certain group project, and I don't like it at all. It's my fault, I know. But oh well, I guess I really do need to be more productive. I have been spending my time, focused on it, but not exactly working on the fastest pace possible.
Monday Blog 58 April 30, 2007 Gifu
Ah...back to school. I didn't sleep early enough last night, so I'm still sort of tired. Oh yeah, I almost forgot. The French election! And the Nigerian one. Did I talk about that already? Oh well.
Tuesday Blog 59 May 1, 2007 Banja Luka
I really do need to start practicing more on piano. It's not working out right now, and I have a examination in mid-late June. Then again, though, I find the examinations highly inaccurate, as the scores are highly subjective based on the examinator. By the way, they cost a lot.
Wednesday Blog 60 May 2, 2007
I think I'm running out of city names. But that doesn't really make sense, as I have been writing doges for less than 240 days. There are way more than 240 cities in the world. I don't even think I've covered all the capitals in the world. Oh well, I'll manage. Even if I don't, I'll find something else to put as title. It's not that hard to think of a title, anyways.
Thursday Blog 61 May 3, 2007
You know, when it comes to sharpening the saw, I think my soul is the one that is most sharpened. I guess this is the age to be sort of sentimental I guess, if you know what I mean. Music helps me relax a lot, even if its pretty strong.
Friday Blog 62 May 4, 2007
For me, I tend to listen to songs about breakups, seperations, wanting someone but not getting it. These songs mostly are slow, melancholy, and to me, gives me a lot to imagine about. I feel sentimental when I listen to those songs. Not that I really hate other songs, but they don't make me actually 'feel' the song the same way.
Saturday Blog 63 May 5, 2007
Oh yeah. Oasis Hong Kong Airlines. I forgot to talk about that.
Well, anyways, for those of you that don't know, there's a low-fare long-haul airline operating out of Hong Kong that adopts a low-cost model. It has already launched flights to London at bargain prices, and will launch flights to Vancouver at the start or around the start of the summer peak season.
This airline has generated the most discussion I have heard about airlines in my family and the general Hong Kong-Canadian community. That's mostly because of the 1000 free flights they're offering there. Honestly, to Oasis, that's less than 3 flights, and they plan to fly 6 flights a week.
I do hope the best for Oasis, as they are going to start another price war. Honestly, Cathay Pacific has barely any competition. Sure, there's foreign airlines, but no airline based in Hong Kong that isn't owned by CX is anything above regional. I sort of ahve to go now, I'll talk about this tomorrow.
Sunday Blog 64 May 6, 2007
Back to Oasis.
A while back, Dragonair (KA) started, but CX payed little attention, as they weren't on direct competition. Anyways, CX eventually bought the company for the China routes among other things.
Oh, and just to let you know, Oasis (O8) is NOT the first ever long-haul low-cost airline. Laker Airways from London a couple of decades ago was the first, and then they went bankrupt, I believe. Or something else happened, I don't know. Oh, and Aer Lingus, the Irish flag carrier, is transforming itself into a low-cost carrier. Tomorrow, I'll talk about the low-cost model, though many people know it already.
Monday Blog 65 May 7, 2007
Low cost airlines are basically just airline with streamlined operations. However, once you go long-haul, things get more complicated. There aren't that much things you can streamline, and there is way more capital and bureaucracy involved. Much more complex, so complex that even many major airlines have given up some of their long-haul ambitions. These reasons include the right to fly to that destination, airport slots (especially at airports like London Heathrow, Tokyo Narita, and Chicago O'Hare), crew bases (making sure that they don't violate any union rule or contract or time, etc.).
I know I'm jumping all over the place, but yeah. Long-haul is pretty much inter-continental and trans-oceanic traffic, while short-haul is more of regional traffic. Some things fall in between, but they're usually classified as long or short haul. Generally, long-haul is more profitable, because some of the fixed cost is spread over a longer distance. Plus, the fares generally are not as cutthroat as short-haul.
Tuesday Blog 66 May 8, 2007
Since I don't have much to talk about, I'll talk about Oasis again.
The person who heads Oasis is a Brit who headed KA before. No, its not the Christian pastor, although I'm sure he contributes a lot. Especially the money.
Oh yeah, I forgot that low-cost carriers tend to fly point-to-point, rather than through hub. To those of you that don't know, hubs, are pretty much a carrier's homebase, and which a carrier tries to route its passengers through. The most extreme form of hub building is Delta at Atlanta, even though it isn't what it used to be. Point-to-point just serveds origin and destination traffic, and not much transfer passenger. For some reason though, point-to-point doesn't work well in trans-Pacific flights, most are hub-to-spoke/hub-to-hub. Nevertheless, Oasis is just stimulating mature markets, so yeah. Oh, by the way, the Vancouver-Hong Kong route is probably Air Canada and Cathay Pacific's most profitable route.
Wednesday Blog 67 May 9, 2007
You know what, there's only a little more than a month of school. Hopefully this time will pass soon.
Saturday Blog 70 May 12, 2007
I think many people are probably hating me right now for being able to submit my blogs so late. Oh well. I just am missing like 2 blogs, and I haven't had much time to go back and type them up.
Sunday Blog 71 May 13, 2007
I was watching a couple of the clips of EuroVision today. Basically, think of it as an EU-wide singing contest. Serbia won with person who sang a ballad. Personally, I really liked the Russian one, and the Serbian one. However, I didn't think that they were so great that they stood out from the crowd. They were just slightly better than average. Anyways, the UK one was terrible. The tune was unimaginative, and in 3 minutes I was bored. That's not that easy, you know. 3 minutes is a pretty short time for a song. However, I only listened to a couple of them.
Monday Blog 72 May 14, 2007
Today I spent sometime watching more of the Eurovision clips. The stage, setup, etc., was all pretty grand and pretty. Probably cost a lot. By the way, do the organizers make money on these things? I would think yes, but then again, sometimes they are too extravagant, or so I've heard. Well, it probably would lose money in a small market like Canada, but they have a pretty big market, so it'll probably be okay.
Tuesday Blog 73 May 15, 2007
I've just realized that the Big 4 recording companies all put music videos on YouTube, or so I've heard. At least that's what I read in an article, but so far I've only seen SonyBMG put their videos on there. I've spent most of my time listening to Maroon 5. They're pretty good, but I can promise you I'll get tired of them sooner or later. I think their best song is Sunday Morning.
Wednesday Blog 74 May 16, 2007
Blog 74 already. Hm. I thought I didn't have that much blogs.
Thursday Blog 75 May 17, 2007
Right now, I'm pretty much interest-less. There's not one thing that I really like anymore. My passing obssession (well not really) about cities had ended, and I've given up reading about airliners. Oh well, who cares. At least there's one less thing to keep me distracted.
Friday Blog 76 May 18, 2007
You know, I'm still distracted even though I don't have any hobbies. Augh. By the way, finals are coming. Soon. Within a month. I really need to start studying for socials.
Saturday Blog 77 May 19, 2007
I'm not sure if I talked about this already, but my mom left for Tokyo. (actually, her final destination is Hong Kong). Now, I'm left to survive for more than a month with my brother, until July 3. If past experience says anything, then I'm going to wish I was leaving as soon as possible. Needless to say, my brother does not exactly have the best of personalities.
Sunday Blog 78 May 20, 2007
Hey, you know what, I really need to start working on Applied Skills. The final project...
Monday Blog 79 May 21, 2007
I can never expect myself on weekend to do important but not urgent homework and studying. Its really hard to be motivated. I should write out an entire list of reasons of why I should put first things first. That'll keep me going. Hopefully.
Tuesday Blog 80 May 22, 2007
You know, I'm glad we're doing the GO program next year. I really need it. In fact, I think I need the results now. Although its been hardly a week, and my brother and I have been okay so far, avoiding confrontations, flaws in personalities have begun to reappear. They're not that important right now, but I can promise you one of these days I'll really get angry. And then nothing happens. And life goes on, with no change. Or a super-minimal change that isn't enough at all to change anything.
Wednesday Blog 81 May 23, 2007
Sometimes I wonder what I should do in my future. I've toyed with many ideas, but as far as I know there isn't one thing I love. Some of the things I thought about: air pilot, air steward, management at an airline, financial analyst, car designer, architect, city planner, and much much more. However, generally I don't love the idea of getting dirty, as you probably can see. Nevertheless, I don't think it bothers me that much if I do get a job as a car mechanic, or a garbage collector.
Thursday Blog 82 May 24, 2007
Wow. Its almost the end of the year already. Less than one month left. Time goes by really quickly, whether you're having fun or not. I guess I should be prepared to write a final year-end reflection sooner or later.
Friday Blog 83 May 25, 2007
I was thinking abit about my grade 7 year. I've not been in contact with most of my friends since December. Except for like two. The rest have...yeah. I've like tried to talk to LN in MSN, but he usually doesn't reply. Which isn't surprising, back in Grade 7 he ususally didn't reply, except on some occassions. WF and KL usually get replies pretty quickly. But honestly, I'm probably most notorious for tardy replies, because back then I had web meessenger. Web messenger does not alert you when you have a new message, and I usually shared the computer with my brother, meaning that I hardly could have an eye on the computer at most times. Plus, the computer was pretty far from my working space. And, usually I didn't change my status when I left, so people saw me as online even when I was sleeping while my brother was using the computer.
Saturday Blog 84 May 26, 2007
Back at elementary school, I hardly talked about major issues about the day. Although, by grade 7 and 6, I had begun to gain a general knowledge about the world. Even so, I didn't really know much then, and neither now.
Sunday Blog 85 May 27, 2007
Has it been like 3 months already? There's only one month left. I'm amazed. I think the last time I said I was amazed was less than a week ago.
Monday Blog 86 May 28, 2007
Ah. This blog has been more than a month long now. I think its been, how much? 32 blogs, I think. I really should get started on AS right now.
Tuesday Blog 87 May 29, 2007
You know, there's not that much time left until the term ends. I think I really need to focus all my energies on work and studying. Chinese and piano are also pretty high priorities.
Wednesday Blog 88 May 30, 2007
Today, I've started listening to some of Kelly Clarkson's songs. They aren't that bad, except that theres this one, called 'Low', which I personally think was very poorly written, with lyrics that didn't match the melody, plus a music video which didn't capture the essence of the song. Plus, it was just plain boring.
Thursday Blog 89 May 31, 2007
Some time ago I created a plan for what I'm going to do in June and May. Its pretty full, I tell you. Completely filled with preparing for final exams, and finishing brochure and Applied Skills. I have really no time for procrastinating.
Friday Blog 90 June 1, 2007
I think I forgot to talk about the debate tounrament we had on the 23rd. Anyways, it was hosted at Britannica after school. Churchill had the largest team there, which I found surprising. The debate was split into two groups, junior and senior, with the junior group being Grade 8-10, and the rest in the senior group. There was only 4 teams in the junior group, with Churchill fielding 3 teams. In the Senior group, there were 10 teams, and Churchill fielded 3 teams, as much as the teams from Lord Byng and Britannica.
In the junior team, Churchill did very well, as expected. I mean, 3 teams against 1. We swept the podium, which wasn't hard.
In the senior team, Churchill did okay, with one of our team reaching third, but EY ranked first individually. One of the Lord Byng team ranked 1, while the britannica team ranked second.
I remembered quite some time ago in 2005 when our class gathered at the VSB office, and listened to a couple of high school program heads give a short presentation on their programs, with one student or two from most of the programs giving a presentation. I remember that MY had one presenter, who totally mislead us about the workload, if I hadn't got it wrong. Anyways, this girl from Lord Byng was probably the only one who gave an accurate picture of her school. She was the only one who said anything seriously bad about Byng Arts.
Saturday June 2, 2007
Some time before, I sort of somewhat didn't really understand how 'irreconcileable differences' could break marriages. Well, I sort of could, but I never really deeply understood how that could break marriages. Now, I have a taste of what its like. I don't think I need to say who's personality mine is in direct conflict with. I can stand mild hypocrisy, but not outright hypocrisy, the type where one person totally doesn't do what he's supposed to do, thinks that you could just go do it yourself (when the point really isn't that, its just that its something for that person to do), and then sort of lecture you abit of how you were supposed to do this, and then contradicting himself at the same time. AUGH!
Sunday June 3, 2007
You know, I'm starving right now. Better get something to eat.
Monday June 4, 2007
Oh by the way, Phase 1 of the final crush has ended on June 1st. Now, its all preparing for the finals. And the Science test.
Tuesday June 5, 2007
I'm getting sick, I think its the flu. Augh. Great. The best time to get sick.
Oh gosh. I have a huge amount of work over the weekend. Mainly thanks to not having started work until Wednesday. Whenever I'm sick, I tend to be sick for a much longer time than other people. I think I naturally have a weaker immune system.
Friday Blog 55 April 27, 2007 Sandane
Immediately after I came home at 7:00, I just slept, and slept until the next day. I was just really really tired.
Saturday Blog 56 April 28, 2007 Nuuk
Luckily, the homework wasn't as bad as I had anticipated. I think I could handle it, although maybe I'll be busy for most of the week, as there is still a lot of studying and work to do.
Sunday Blog 57 April 29, 2007 Paamiut
You know, I have somebody who is sort of breathing down my back for a certain group project, and I don't like it at all. It's my fault, I know. But oh well, I guess I really do need to be more productive. I have been spending my time, focused on it, but not exactly working on the fastest pace possible.
Monday Blog 58 April 30, 2007 Gifu
Ah...back to school. I didn't sleep early enough last night, so I'm still sort of tired. Oh yeah, I almost forgot. The French election! And the Nigerian one. Did I talk about that already? Oh well.
Tuesday Blog 59 May 1, 2007 Banja Luka
I really do need to start practicing more on piano. It's not working out right now, and I have a examination in mid-late June. Then again, though, I find the examinations highly inaccurate, as the scores are highly subjective based on the examinator. By the way, they cost a lot.
Wednesday Blog 60 May 2, 2007
I think I'm running out of city names. But that doesn't really make sense, as I have been writing doges for less than 240 days. There are way more than 240 cities in the world. I don't even think I've covered all the capitals in the world. Oh well, I'll manage. Even if I don't, I'll find something else to put as title. It's not that hard to think of a title, anyways.
Thursday Blog 61 May 3, 2007
You know, when it comes to sharpening the saw, I think my soul is the one that is most sharpened. I guess this is the age to be sort of sentimental I guess, if you know what I mean. Music helps me relax a lot, even if its pretty strong.
Friday Blog 62 May 4, 2007
For me, I tend to listen to songs about breakups, seperations, wanting someone but not getting it. These songs mostly are slow, melancholy, and to me, gives me a lot to imagine about. I feel sentimental when I listen to those songs. Not that I really hate other songs, but they don't make me actually 'feel' the song the same way.
Saturday Blog 63 May 5, 2007
Oh yeah. Oasis Hong Kong Airlines. I forgot to talk about that.
Well, anyways, for those of you that don't know, there's a low-fare long-haul airline operating out of Hong Kong that adopts a low-cost model. It has already launched flights to London at bargain prices, and will launch flights to Vancouver at the start or around the start of the summer peak season.
This airline has generated the most discussion I have heard about airlines in my family and the general Hong Kong-Canadian community. That's mostly because of the 1000 free flights they're offering there. Honestly, to Oasis, that's less than 3 flights, and they plan to fly 6 flights a week.
I do hope the best for Oasis, as they are going to start another price war. Honestly, Cathay Pacific has barely any competition. Sure, there's foreign airlines, but no airline based in Hong Kong that isn't owned by CX is anything above regional. I sort of ahve to go now, I'll talk about this tomorrow.
Sunday Blog 64 May 6, 2007
Back to Oasis.
A while back, Dragonair (KA) started, but CX payed little attention, as they weren't on direct competition. Anyways, CX eventually bought the company for the China routes among other things.
Oh, and just to let you know, Oasis (O8) is NOT the first ever long-haul low-cost airline. Laker Airways from London a couple of decades ago was the first, and then they went bankrupt, I believe. Or something else happened, I don't know. Oh, and Aer Lingus, the Irish flag carrier, is transforming itself into a low-cost carrier. Tomorrow, I'll talk about the low-cost model, though many people know it already.
Monday Blog 65 May 7, 2007
Low cost airlines are basically just airline with streamlined operations. However, once you go long-haul, things get more complicated. There aren't that much things you can streamline, and there is way more capital and bureaucracy involved. Much more complex, so complex that even many major airlines have given up some of their long-haul ambitions. These reasons include the right to fly to that destination, airport slots (especially at airports like London Heathrow, Tokyo Narita, and Chicago O'Hare), crew bases (making sure that they don't violate any union rule or contract or time, etc.).
I know I'm jumping all over the place, but yeah. Long-haul is pretty much inter-continental and trans-oceanic traffic, while short-haul is more of regional traffic. Some things fall in between, but they're usually classified as long or short haul. Generally, long-haul is more profitable, because some of the fixed cost is spread over a longer distance. Plus, the fares generally are not as cutthroat as short-haul.
Tuesday Blog 66 May 8, 2007
Since I don't have much to talk about, I'll talk about Oasis again.
The person who heads Oasis is a Brit who headed KA before. No, its not the Christian pastor, although I'm sure he contributes a lot. Especially the money.
Oh yeah, I forgot that low-cost carriers tend to fly point-to-point, rather than through hub. To those of you that don't know, hubs, are pretty much a carrier's homebase, and which a carrier tries to route its passengers through. The most extreme form of hub building is Delta at Atlanta, even though it isn't what it used to be. Point-to-point just serveds origin and destination traffic, and not much transfer passenger. For some reason though, point-to-point doesn't work well in trans-Pacific flights, most are hub-to-spoke/hub-to-hub. Nevertheless, Oasis is just stimulating mature markets, so yeah. Oh, by the way, the Vancouver-Hong Kong route is probably Air Canada and Cathay Pacific's most profitable route.
Wednesday Blog 67 May 9, 2007
Ah. The Science Fun Run. I think I'm going to go, but I have a feeling that I'll miss the early bird deadline. Wait, did it pass already?
Thursday Blog 68 May 10, 2007
I've sort of fallen back on news these days. Oh well, if its really important, I hear it sooner or later from other people.
Friday Blog 69 May 11, 2007
You know what, there's only a little more than a month of school. Hopefully this time will pass soon.
Saturday Blog 70 May 12, 2007
I think many people are probably hating me right now for being able to submit my blogs so late. Oh well. I just am missing like 2 blogs, and I haven't had much time to go back and type them up.
Sunday Blog 71 May 13, 2007
I was watching a couple of the clips of EuroVision today. Basically, think of it as an EU-wide singing contest. Serbia won with person who sang a ballad. Personally, I really liked the Russian one, and the Serbian one. However, I didn't think that they were so great that they stood out from the crowd. They were just slightly better than average. Anyways, the UK one was terrible. The tune was unimaginative, and in 3 minutes I was bored. That's not that easy, you know. 3 minutes is a pretty short time for a song. However, I only listened to a couple of them.
Monday Blog 72 May 14, 2007
Today I spent sometime watching more of the Eurovision clips. The stage, setup, etc., was all pretty grand and pretty. Probably cost a lot. By the way, do the organizers make money on these things? I would think yes, but then again, sometimes they are too extravagant, or so I've heard. Well, it probably would lose money in a small market like Canada, but they have a pretty big market, so it'll probably be okay.
Tuesday Blog 73 May 15, 2007
I've just realized that the Big 4 recording companies all put music videos on YouTube, or so I've heard. At least that's what I read in an article, but so far I've only seen SonyBMG put their videos on there. I've spent most of my time listening to Maroon 5. They're pretty good, but I can promise you I'll get tired of them sooner or later. I think their best song is Sunday Morning.
Wednesday Blog 74 May 16, 2007
Blog 74 already. Hm. I thought I didn't have that much blogs.
Thursday Blog 75 May 17, 2007
Right now, I'm pretty much interest-less. There's not one thing that I really like anymore. My passing obssession (well not really) about cities had ended, and I've given up reading about airliners. Oh well, who cares. At least there's one less thing to keep me distracted.
Friday Blog 76 May 18, 2007
You know, I'm still distracted even though I don't have any hobbies. Augh. By the way, finals are coming. Soon. Within a month. I really need to start studying for socials.
Saturday Blog 77 May 19, 2007
I'm not sure if I talked about this already, but my mom left for Tokyo. (actually, her final destination is Hong Kong). Now, I'm left to survive for more than a month with my brother, until July 3. If past experience says anything, then I'm going to wish I was leaving as soon as possible. Needless to say, my brother does not exactly have the best of personalities.
Sunday Blog 78 May 20, 2007
Hey, you know what, I really need to start working on Applied Skills. The final project...
Monday Blog 79 May 21, 2007
I can never expect myself on weekend to do important but not urgent homework and studying. Its really hard to be motivated. I should write out an entire list of reasons of why I should put first things first. That'll keep me going. Hopefully.
Tuesday Blog 80 May 22, 2007
You know, I'm glad we're doing the GO program next year. I really need it. In fact, I think I need the results now. Although its been hardly a week, and my brother and I have been okay so far, avoiding confrontations, flaws in personalities have begun to reappear. They're not that important right now, but I can promise you one of these days I'll really get angry. And then nothing happens. And life goes on, with no change. Or a super-minimal change that isn't enough at all to change anything.
Wednesday Blog 81 May 23, 2007
Sometimes I wonder what I should do in my future. I've toyed with many ideas, but as far as I know there isn't one thing I love. Some of the things I thought about: air pilot, air steward, management at an airline, financial analyst, car designer, architect, city planner, and much much more. However, generally I don't love the idea of getting dirty, as you probably can see. Nevertheless, I don't think it bothers me that much if I do get a job as a car mechanic, or a garbage collector.
Thursday Blog 82 May 24, 2007
Wow. Its almost the end of the year already. Less than one month left. Time goes by really quickly, whether you're having fun or not. I guess I should be prepared to write a final year-end reflection sooner or later.
Friday Blog 83 May 25, 2007
I was thinking abit about my grade 7 year. I've not been in contact with most of my friends since December. Except for like two. The rest have...yeah. I've like tried to talk to LN in MSN, but he usually doesn't reply. Which isn't surprising, back in Grade 7 he ususally didn't reply, except on some occassions. WF and KL usually get replies pretty quickly. But honestly, I'm probably most notorious for tardy replies, because back then I had web meessenger. Web messenger does not alert you when you have a new message, and I usually shared the computer with my brother, meaning that I hardly could have an eye on the computer at most times. Plus, the computer was pretty far from my working space. And, usually I didn't change my status when I left, so people saw me as online even when I was sleeping while my brother was using the computer.
Saturday Blog 84 May 26, 2007
Back at elementary school, I hardly talked about major issues about the day. Although, by grade 7 and 6, I had begun to gain a general knowledge about the world. Even so, I didn't really know much then, and neither now.
Sunday Blog 85 May 27, 2007
Has it been like 3 months already? There's only one month left. I'm amazed. I think the last time I said I was amazed was less than a week ago.
Monday Blog 86 May 28, 2007
Ah. This blog has been more than a month long now. I think its been, how much? 32 blogs, I think. I really should get started on AS right now.
Tuesday Blog 87 May 29, 2007
You know, there's not that much time left until the term ends. I think I really need to focus all my energies on work and studying. Chinese and piano are also pretty high priorities.
Wednesday Blog 88 May 30, 2007
Today, I've started listening to some of Kelly Clarkson's songs. They aren't that bad, except that theres this one, called 'Low', which I personally think was very poorly written, with lyrics that didn't match the melody, plus a music video which didn't capture the essence of the song. Plus, it was just plain boring.
Thursday Blog 89 May 31, 2007
Some time ago I created a plan for what I'm going to do in June and May. Its pretty full, I tell you. Completely filled with preparing for final exams, and finishing brochure and Applied Skills. I have really no time for procrastinating.
Friday Blog 90 June 1, 2007
I think I forgot to talk about the debate tounrament we had on the 23rd. Anyways, it was hosted at Britannica after school. Churchill had the largest team there, which I found surprising. The debate was split into two groups, junior and senior, with the junior group being Grade 8-10, and the rest in the senior group. There was only 4 teams in the junior group, with Churchill fielding 3 teams. In the Senior group, there were 10 teams, and Churchill fielded 3 teams, as much as the teams from Lord Byng and Britannica.
In the junior team, Churchill did very well, as expected. I mean, 3 teams against 1. We swept the podium, which wasn't hard.
In the senior team, Churchill did okay, with one of our team reaching third, but EY ranked first individually. One of the Lord Byng team ranked 1, while the britannica team ranked second.
I remembered quite some time ago in 2005 when our class gathered at the VSB office, and listened to a couple of high school program heads give a short presentation on their programs, with one student or two from most of the programs giving a presentation. I remember that MY had one presenter, who totally mislead us about the workload, if I hadn't got it wrong. Anyways, this girl from Lord Byng was probably the only one who gave an accurate picture of her school. She was the only one who said anything seriously bad about Byng Arts.
Saturday June 2, 2007
Some time before, I sort of somewhat didn't really understand how 'irreconcileable differences' could break marriages. Well, I sort of could, but I never really deeply understood how that could break marriages. Now, I have a taste of what its like. I don't think I need to say who's personality mine is in direct conflict with. I can stand mild hypocrisy, but not outright hypocrisy, the type where one person totally doesn't do what he's supposed to do, thinks that you could just go do it yourself (when the point really isn't that, its just that its something for that person to do), and then sort of lecture you abit of how you were supposed to do this, and then contradicting himself at the same time. AUGH!
Sunday June 3, 2007
You know, I'm starving right now. Better get something to eat.
Monday June 4, 2007
Oh by the way, Phase 1 of the final crush has ended on June 1st. Now, its all preparing for the finals. And the Science test.
Tuesday June 5, 2007
I'm getting sick, I think its the flu. Augh. Great. The best time to get sick.
Wednesday, April 25, 2007
Blog 53 Kocise
There's a lot of work to do this week. And next week. However, this is just a hint of what will be to come when we join IB. I heard from a couple of IB graduates at debate club that May is called 'IB Terror' because they have tonnes of exams in that month. I'm surprised that they could even find the time to participate in clubs and councils.
As far as I know, I will most likely join pre-IB, though I'm not sure if I'll go on to IB or not. Sigh...I guess if I knew this a long time ago, I might have chosen to apply for acceleration programs. Then again, I don't really regret it.
As far as I know, I will most likely join pre-IB, though I'm not sure if I'll go on to IB or not. Sigh...I guess if I knew this a long time ago, I might have chosen to apply for acceleration programs. Then again, I don't really regret it.
Blog
There's a lot of work to do this week. And next week. However, this is just a hint of what will be to come when we join IB. I heard from a couple of IB graduates at debate club that May is called 'IB Terror' because they have tonnes of exams in that month. I'm surprised that they could even find the time to participate in clubs and councils.
As far as I know, I will most likely join pre-IB, though I'm not sure if I'll go on to IB or not. Sigh...I guess if I knew this a long time ago, I might have chosen to apply for acceleration programs. Then again, I don't really regret it.
As far as I know, I will most likely join pre-IB, though I'm not sure if I'll go on to IB or not. Sigh...I guess if I knew this a long time ago, I might have chosen to apply for acceleration programs. Then again, I don't really regret it.
Tuesday, April 24, 2007
Blogs 48-52
Ah. I've finally begun to feel better. When ever I get sick, I usually am sick for a significantly longer time than the average person. So, I will try to 'remember' what I was thinking for the last couple of days.
Saturday April 21, 2007 Blog 48 Porto Novo
Very very luckily, there is no Chinese school today. However, I really don't feel well. It's the worst day so far. Hopefully, things will get better from today on. Even so, there is a lot of homework that I have to do. For some reason, I'm not worried. Thigns usually work out in the end. But, when that thought appears, its a warning sign that something is going wrong.
Sunday April 22, 2007 Blog 49 Nouakchott
I've caught up on some music listening. Eason Chan for some reason has a very appealing voice, but there's nothing really special about it. Sadly, though, the social side of him isn't that good. Some of his comments, although factually correct, weren't really called for. For example, Ayumi Hamasaki had a concert in Hong Kong recently. Chan accused of Hamasaki of lip synching (sp). Which was probably true. But nevertheless, even if it was true, Chan didn't have to say that. Now, of course, this is all assuming that Chan indeed did say that, and it wasn't contorted by some reporter or a publicity agent or whatever.
Monday April 23. 2007 Blog 50 Kindu
I looked at my math mark today. Usually, math is the subject which I am most not worried about. Although I never ever have the highest mark in the class, I usually get a high A. Well, today, it dropped to a 82.7%. That was because of two things: the first, I got a 4/7 on a test. Second, on Thursday, which I was absent, she didn't omit the mark, but said that I didn't hand it in, and gave me a 0. Oh well. Hopefully, it'll return to an A, albeit a low one. I'm not sure if I can get into Math 9 Enriched next year though.
Oh yeah! I almost forgot! France and Nigeria Votes!!!!!!! As far as I know, Royal and Sarkozy advance to the next stage, while Umaru Yar'Adua won in a highly controversial election accused of rampant electoral fraud. Which I would believe to be true.
Tuesday April 24, 2007 Blog 51 Heidelberg
Today, I didn't go to school for the first two blocks because I needed my sleep. Yesterday, I came home, ate, then slept, then woke up (because of a fierce argument raging downstairs), then slept at 12:30. I really had a lot of trouble waking up, so I just slept. I think I needed it...Right now, I feel very sleepy.
However, after school, I did manage to get started on the several projects we have. Sigh. We have like 7 projects going on at once, and several of them have really short timelines. However, I think a couple of them could be classified as assignments rather than projects.
I really don't have a good grasp of languages. As you probably would have noticed, my English is full of grammatical errors, incorrect usage of words, phrases, and English. In French, my pronounciation is terrible.
Saturday April 21, 2007 Blog 48 Porto Novo
Very very luckily, there is no Chinese school today. However, I really don't feel well. It's the worst day so far. Hopefully, things will get better from today on. Even so, there is a lot of homework that I have to do. For some reason, I'm not worried. Thigns usually work out in the end. But, when that thought appears, its a warning sign that something is going wrong.
Sunday April 22, 2007 Blog 49 Nouakchott
I've caught up on some music listening. Eason Chan for some reason has a very appealing voice, but there's nothing really special about it. Sadly, though, the social side of him isn't that good. Some of his comments, although factually correct, weren't really called for. For example, Ayumi Hamasaki had a concert in Hong Kong recently. Chan accused of Hamasaki of lip synching (sp). Which was probably true. But nevertheless, even if it was true, Chan didn't have to say that. Now, of course, this is all assuming that Chan indeed did say that, and it wasn't contorted by some reporter or a publicity agent or whatever.
Monday April 23. 2007 Blog 50 Kindu
I looked at my math mark today. Usually, math is the subject which I am most not worried about. Although I never ever have the highest mark in the class, I usually get a high A. Well, today, it dropped to a 82.7%. That was because of two things: the first, I got a 4/7 on a test. Second, on Thursday, which I was absent, she didn't omit the mark, but said that I didn't hand it in, and gave me a 0. Oh well. Hopefully, it'll return to an A, albeit a low one. I'm not sure if I can get into Math 9 Enriched next year though.
Oh yeah! I almost forgot! France and Nigeria Votes!!!!!!! As far as I know, Royal and Sarkozy advance to the next stage, while Umaru Yar'Adua won in a highly controversial election accused of rampant electoral fraud. Which I would believe to be true.
Tuesday April 24, 2007 Blog 51 Heidelberg
Today, I didn't go to school for the first two blocks because I needed my sleep. Yesterday, I came home, ate, then slept, then woke up (because of a fierce argument raging downstairs), then slept at 12:30. I really had a lot of trouble waking up, so I just slept. I think I needed it...Right now, I feel very sleepy.
However, after school, I did manage to get started on the several projects we have. Sigh. We have like 7 projects going on at once, and several of them have really short timelines. However, I think a couple of them could be classified as assignments rather than projects.
I really don't have a good grasp of languages. As you probably would have noticed, my English is full of grammatical errors, incorrect usage of words, phrases, and English. In French, my pronounciation is terrible.
Friday, April 20, 2007
Blog Kagoshima
I am not feeling well at all. I am not feeling better. Going to school was a bad idea, I think, and now, well, my head hurts a lot, I feel very tired even though I can't sleep. Sigh. I'll have a huge pile of work after I get better.
To: MYAS8 Teacher
By the way, in what form shoudl we submit the plane project?
To: MYAS8 Teacher
By the way, in what form shoudl we submit the plane project?
Thursday, April 19, 2007
Blog 46 Volgodonsk
Yeah, I was sick today, so I didn't go to school and missed the Odyssey. Oh well.
I was at home reading the Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study report for their 2003 study. I wasn't really surprised with the results, adn they actually quite conformed to my stereotypes. Singapore ranked first in everything, with Korea, Hong Kong, Japan, and the Netherlands plus Chinese Taipei (just call them Taiwan, its not like I'm calling them the Republic of China) consistently got the highest scores in the mathematics portion. From Canada, there was only Quebec and Ontario, which had above average scores, slightly higher or around the scores of Australia, and USA. Now, what surprised me was this. Norway got significantly lower than international average. Wow. And they left out a lot of countries that I was interested in. Not suprisingly, South Africa, Ghana, plus a couple of other sub-Saharan and Middle East countries consistantly got the lowest scores.
Now, I don't know about the Netherlands, Japan, or Korea, but I know that there is INTENSE peer and family pressure to succeed in schools in Taiwan, Singapore, and Hong Kong. There are many side effects of this intense competition, and most of it is not good. And once you go beyond high school, well, the universities in Hong Kong frankly are terrible. At least from what I've heard.
Oh, and in the scientific portion, Singapore again was the first, Taiwan second, with Korea, Japan, Hong Kong, and Estonia ranking in the top 6 (not listed in any particular order). Quebec and Ontario were slightly higher than Australia + USA. Ontario ranked slightly higher in science, while Quebec ranked slightly higher in mathematics.
I was at home reading the Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study report for their 2003 study. I wasn't really surprised with the results, adn they actually quite conformed to my stereotypes. Singapore ranked first in everything, with Korea, Hong Kong, Japan, and the Netherlands plus Chinese Taipei (just call them Taiwan, its not like I'm calling them the Republic of China) consistently got the highest scores in the mathematics portion. From Canada, there was only Quebec and Ontario, which had above average scores, slightly higher or around the scores of Australia, and USA. Now, what surprised me was this. Norway got significantly lower than international average. Wow. And they left out a lot of countries that I was interested in. Not suprisingly, South Africa, Ghana, plus a couple of other sub-Saharan and Middle East countries consistantly got the lowest scores.
Now, I don't know about the Netherlands, Japan, or Korea, but I know that there is INTENSE peer and family pressure to succeed in schools in Taiwan, Singapore, and Hong Kong. There are many side effects of this intense competition, and most of it is not good. And once you go beyond high school, well, the universities in Hong Kong frankly are terrible. At least from what I've heard.
Oh, and in the scientific portion, Singapore again was the first, Taiwan second, with Korea, Japan, Hong Kong, and Estonia ranking in the top 6 (not listed in any particular order). Quebec and Ontario were slightly higher than Australia + USA. Ontario ranked slightly higher in science, while Quebec ranked slightly higher in mathematics.
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