Panduh

the image is reversed because I don't have a good camera right now, and I blocked out my name with the blue square

PANDAS!
they are the cutest
This was just a quick sketch with no reference drawing. I just drew it with no plan. You can't read the writing because the image is reverse, but it says "pandamonium" "panduh" and "morning snack" (applesauce). Which I thought was cute. One is eating bamboo and the other is eating a sandwich. Also I threw some blue stickers and sharpie on there to make the sketch more colorful. Hope you like my panda group.

rpc contest

CB ~

Christmas Drawings!!

PB1
edit

PB 2
normal drawing

Feeling the Christmas spirit ~

CB

Puerto Rico A History of the Food ~ Essay

CB
11/14/17
Puerto Rico A History of the Food ~ Essay
My grandma's first language is Spanish and she grew up on the island of Puerto Rico, as was the story for my grandpa. I'm a 3rd generation Puerto Rican, although I'm white and have light features. (with some Spanish in my background.) At 16 she migrated to America. She learned English and got a job and a small apartment in New Jersey. I still feel like Puerto Rico is a part of my heritage and a part of me. My mom, grandma, and grandpa are all linked to me and me to them. That's why I chose this particular place to write about. It has meaning. And it's also very beautiful!


xxnote:This a fun lil essay my parent assigned to me (not by RPC). It is a history of the traditional Puerto Rican food. I think Puerto Rico has a rich, vibrant, and beautiful culture! I had to do research and find my own information to piece together. It was more of an independent project. And I got to pick out the information from my sources, which was different. So, I haven't written an essay like this in awhile is all. I still like my RPC essays though.

all images: (image credit: google images)
PR

So, let's get started with the history..


(note ~ when I say PR, I mean Puerto Rico.)

the PR flag

The history and growth of Puerto Rican food began with the Taíno Indians (15th century). They were the main inhabitants of Cuba, Trinidad, Jamaica, and Puerto Rico. At the time of the Spanish conquest, the largest Taíno population "areas" may have had more than 3,000 people each. They are the natives Columbus found with his discovery of San Salvador Island (1st voyage). The Taíno were peaceful and friendly to the explorers. Taíno ancestors came to the Carribean from South America. 



 Taíno food staples included fruit, meat, and fish. There were no large animals on the Carribean so they ate small animals. Because there was a lack of game on the island, the Taíno became skilled fishermen. Taíno fishermen would make nets from cotton and palm. An average sized canoe would hold up to twenty people. One strategy of fishing was to hook a suckerfish (or remora) to the line, dip it in, and wait for the suckerfish to grab onto a bigger fish or even a sea turtle. Taíno in more developed islands, like Puerto Rico, relied more on agriculture. They farmed vital root crops. The primary root crop was yuca: edible, starchy. They planted yuca using coa (a farming tool carved completely from wood.) Sweet potato (Batata) was the second most important crop. Yuca is a Taíno food still used today! That as well as peppers, and corn. They would mash these ingredients in a pilón. The Taíno spoke an Arawakan language. Some words they used kanoa (canoe), hamaca (hammock) and other words found in this paragraph.

if I saw one of these things while swimming I'd be so scared um.. but it's the majestic sea TURTLE

The Spaniards of Spain brought new ingredients to Puerto Rico's culture. Also, the Iberian peninsula had an influence on Puerto Rican food. African slaves introduced plantains to them. America has 48,546 Spain born citizens, which includes the territory of PR, as recorded in 2015. It's a molding of all these different elements coming together to weave the history of the food and culture.

Bacon is in Arroz con gandules, It looks plain but it's very good, and it can be healthy if made right. Bacon is also in potato salad, that's one ingredient found in PR meals. A traditional pastry called Mallorca is a sweet bread with eggs and topped off with powdered sugar. Mallorca is often served as an egg, ham and cheese sandwich. Pigeon peas with rice have Carribean roots but the secret sauce sofrito adds PR flavor.

There are some nice food events in PR too. The Sugar Harvest Festival and Coffee Harvest Festival are two events that happen in Puerto Rico! They have lots of yummy foods to try (and other activities as well such as folk music, parade floats, and of course, coffee making.) The coffee harvest takes place in Maricao the second least populated town in Puerto Rico. The Sugar Harvest festival marks (as you may guess) the end of the sugar harvest on the island. At the Sugar festival, they have an exhibition of the sugar cane plants, and harvesting techniques. That event takes place in San Germán which is in the southwest region of PR. The island is over 3,000 miles in the total area of it.

 There is a lot more history of Puerto Rican food than I knew when I started this essay. And also, I think I've learned something from it. Puerto Rico has food sweet, spicy, fresh, recipes from many walks of life, and times of the past and present tied together. It's comfort food straight from the Carribean. And this is all about who and where the food and history came from, I think Puerto Rico fulfilled that with more to find.

~

Background: "An archipelago among the Greater Antilles, Puerto Rico includes the main island of Puerto Rico and a number of smaller ones, such as Mona, Culebra, and Vieques. The capital and most populous city is San Juan. Its official languages are Spanish and English, though Spanish predominates.^[19] The island's population is approximately 3.4 million. Puerto Rico's history, tropical climate, natural scenery, traditional cuisine, and tax incentives make it a destination for travelers from around the world." - cited from Wikipedia - Puerto Rico

quote and cite "Land was sighted at 2 AM on 12 October by a sailor named Rodrigo de Triana (also known as Juan Rodriguez Bermejo) aboard Pinta. Columbus called the island San Salvador, the natives called it Guanahani. The indigenous people he encountered, the Lucayan, Taíno or Arawak, were peaceful and friendly. He wrote with such awe of the friendly innocence and beauty of the natives. "These people have no religious beliefs, nor are they idolaters. They are very gentle and do not know what evil is; nor do they kill others, nor steal; they are without weapons." cited: http://www.christopher-columbus.eu/voyage-1.htm

stuff you can also read: (PR is a US territory but it's not one of the 50 states. It's really not necessary for us to "own" PR anymore, in my opinion. And it's greedy to hang onto it. That's PRs choice to stay a territory, or become a state, or secede. That's just my point of view in a libertarian sense.) 

people celebrating PR image link:

celebrating

food image links:

PRfood

PRfood

Yuca Meatballs

Mallorca

PRdessert

A Taíno Indian carved stone head

the ugly but starchy yuca root

this is the last image I swear ~ sunny sunset

A Project..

a mini christmas bookmark

This is one card I made. There will be more pictures of the cards when I'm done, much later. It has tape on it (I don't know if you can see the tape in this picture) so it can be a bookmark, and not just scrap paper. I'm making alot of mini Christmas bookmarks (in November) because I'm doing a big card project with my church! :)




- CB 
🌟

Late Halloween Pictures

The two Belle's (beauty and the beast)

 Happy late Halloween!

 

 

Late post, but me and my siblings were the beauty and the beast group for halloween!

Girl On a Walk

Drawing:

Girl On a Walk

The font for "Exploring" is just something I made up. I used a photograph for a reference and just turned it into a drawing, so it's an original drawing. I like to see a photograph turned into a drawing because it's two perspectives.

materials:

x pencil

x colored pencil

x big eraser 

CB

Finished Drawing..

This is my uncolored drawing of the character Shiro. (The camera qualities are different for both pictures).

The writing and picture here^ is in reverse from the camera. This is the colored drawing of Shiro! I finished it. You can see a few differences from my unfinished drawing. It's interesting to see the progress. Took me about 2 days to draw. I didn't use a refrence for the coloring/shading.

 

 

 

 

 

 

That's it. Hope you had a nice Halloween. Lots of candy!!

materials:
x pencil
x big eraser
x colored pencils (cool toned)


CB

UPDATE

10/27/17

I can't post an essay every Friday because I'm focusing a lot of time on doing math lessons, problem sets, notes, and so on. Some Essays will be sharpened up. I'll probably post drawings. // Once I hit a certain amount of lessons in math I can return to essays. That's my update. 

CB

Unfinished manga drawing ~

♥ ♥ ♥

materials:

x pencil

x big eraser

x art paper

It's the character, Shiro. I used 2 different reference drawings for this so it's a mix of them. And some improvising. I decided not to do the eyes and just left them blank.
The hair was difficult!
I'll put the finished drawing soon.. (might be in color)

CB  

Old Car Drawing

 A drawing I did of the photo I took//

It reminded me of emmy's drawings, but not as good hah

This was my first time drawing a car (realistically). I framed it with some straws that matched the drawing. Pretty Simple. It's kind of a rough drawing.

materials:

x Colored Pencil

x Art Paper

x Watercolors

x Straws (for the frame)

And pencil for sketching

You couldn't see my name very well on the drawing, so I did that twice

Hope you like it!

A photo I took of a old car in Sedona when we were traveling. 

Week 10 Essay History

Lesson 50 - Week 10 Essay
CB
10/13/17 < do I have bad luck now?

☆ﾟ.*･｡ﾟ

(Question 1) What was the Augustan Settlement? (2) How did Augustus balance his perceived need for absolute power with his concern to lend the impression that the republic had been restored and the old ways were being observed?

(Question 2) Use your reading and the video lesson to summarize important events in the life of Julius Caesar.

I knew tackling the events of Julius Caesar would be hard for me but everyone knows "Caesar's palace" and all that, he's a famous figure in history. So I thought it'd be interesting to write about.

(Question 1)   The Augustan Settlement was the transition of powers and responsibility all to the leader Augustus (also known as Octavian). He became the supreme leader of Rome, which was now a monocracy.  Augustus was a military dictator and he had his own army. He was given by the Senate most of Spain, Gaul, Syria, and Egypt. He is also given the title "Augustus" which is a great honor. Augustus was made a tribune (tribunica potestas in latin) this means he had power and control over the provincial governors. 

They were his inferiors. And, as a tribune, he could bring matters before the people and exercise vetos. Augustus also gave back power to the traditional magistrates. That (summed up) is what the "Augustan Settlement" pertained to.

(2) Although Augustus did have supreme power he kept up  appearances of the old Roman government (a republic) staying in place. This was a necessary facade. 

When Julius Caesar came in trying to instate a full dictatorship, in a public way, he got assassinated by republic loyalists. Too much pride wasn't in good regard to the Romans, (even if Caesar ended up being right looking back the history.) His death played a critical role in the fall of the "Roman Republic" and the rise of the "Roman Empire".  

The Senate played a back and forth game with Augustus. He was trying to hand back his power and the Senate basically said back, "no take it". This game went on a while until Augustus finally accepted his power. That was all for show, to the public (another facade). 

From the other perspective, Augustus needed to have absolute power. If Rome was a republic again they'd turn to fighting again. More civil wars, and chaos. No one wanted that. So he couldn't just step down from power, it was a slow and peaceful transition. Augustus did learn from Caesar's mistakes. He wasn't pretentious or forceful to the public about his power. Augustus was humble and did what was best for the Roman people, the state, and himself. He made for a good ruler.

(xxside note: I think the 'Augustan Settlement' also worked out well for Augustus, not only because he handled things well, rational, but because after Caesar's death Caesar was deemed "a god". This connects in relation(family) , Octavian/Augustus was then "the son of a God". The Romans were very serious about their religion, and so, this may have contributed to his success. And no disrespect for Caesar and his accomplishments, it's just the emphasis was on Augustus here.)

Happy Fall! I love autumn so much. I took a short break from this blog, but I obviously kept on doing school so here's my most recent essay.

(Question 2)
(will be edited in...))

Drawing!

 CB (I cut out my real name in the drawing) 9/25/17

A drawing I made!

It's a Hippogriff from Harry Potter.

It took me almost 4 days to draw.
I used a reference drawing to draw this but I didn't trace it, which is why there's so many eraser marks. And why it took me so long. (It's a different scale than the original and I improvised some of it) 
materials: 
x It's just in pencil.

edit 1/10/18:
another hp drawing I made recently:
http://homeschoolworkessays.blogspot.com/2018/01/a-new-drawing-owl-post.html

Week 9 Essay History

History
9/18/17
RPC (Ron Paul Curriculum)
CB               
Lesson 45 - Week 9 Review    

xx This essay has some violence that might be scary for younger readers                                
                            
Writing assignment:
Answer one of the following questions.
1. What specific changes occurred in Roman society as a result of the Struggle of the Orders?
2. Why did Tiberius Gracchus attract so much suspicion from the Roman Senate?

(Question 2) Tiberius Gracchus ended up attracting a lot of attention to himself from the Roman Senate because of his “radical” way of doing things. Such as undermining the Senate’s role, being above the usual norms, and laws, to pursue his own purposes. Whether his motives were good or bad, Gracchus' main goal was his land reform bill. He thought if more people were landowners, more people could serve in the military, and this would solve the problem of homeless vets. What he wanted to do in his bill was distribute the land to these landless veterans, taking care of them. They had come back to their land and it was ruined after many years of being untended (they were at war so the land was abandoned for a long time). And so, after selling the land they had no jobs. The soldiers flocked to the city for jobs, but the slaves had all the jobs there. Even if one of the veterans were to be employed in the city, they'd be paid low. (Slaves get paid nothing so they wouldn't want to have to pay someone to work). They could not simply be soldiers again because they didn't own land, leaving them unemployed and homeless. 

Gracchus tried to bring back an old principle. Excess land held by citizens must be returned. (Excess as in more than they really needed.) At first, he had some support in the Senate but not all the support. This is why he decides to violate tradition. (And he later continues on this pattern). People had different ways of viewing him. Some, saw him as a popular reformer seeking good for the impoverished. Others, saw him as a radical with a disrespect for Roman tradition.  A man who just wanted to build up his name and, in turn, make people resent the Senate so he could build up his  political agenda. They were right (at least) about him not regarding the Roman tradition as important. I say this because he decided to bypass the Senate completely and took his proposal straight to the Concilium Plebis (The Popular Assembly). The bill ended up passing but the Roman Senate refused to fund Gracchus’ land commission. Tiberius was obviously trying to follow his own path without the government and this strikes a nerve. They dislike Gracchus more so than disliking bill.  The King of Pergamum has no heirs so he bequeaths his kingdom to Rome. That's lucky for Tiberius. Now the tax revenues from this new land Rome has will fund his project. But this action steps on the Senates’ power as well. They have control of finances and foreign affairs. Senate doesn't like this.

 Drama then ensues, Marcus Octavius is swayed by the Senate to veto Tiberius’s bill. Tiberius (once again) takes action and urges for Octavius's resignation. And then he furthers this motion by holding a vote with the Assembly of Tribes on getting Octavius out. This is a rebellion on them, working together with your coworkers as a consul is tradition. If you're a tribute you work with the other tributes. He needs 18 votes, 17 are cast in favor of taking him out. Tiberius halts the proceedings for the last moment and pleads with Octavius to just resign on his own terms so he won’t have to go through with this. Octavius didn’t comply so they voted him out. Some freedmen had to drag him away from his post. It was a sad sight, Pluchard describes (not a direct quote).

 He takes yet another blow at tradition and decides to run for re-election as tribune. This further raises the Senates emotions about Gracchus. He does this to ensure the success of his bill (the Land Reform) he has real dedication to it. At this point, the Senate believes that he treats Roman tradition with contempt and disrespect. And this has further led them to the conclusion that Tiberius cannot be trusted. All of his backward ways, turning people against the Senate and such, they thought. And so they end up doing something drastic about all this. 

At a political rally, Tiberius senses he isn't safe. He makes a signal of putting his hand on his head to silently tell his supporters he senses danger. (A stress signal). The Senate takes this sign the wrong way and thinks he’s asking for a crown. The Senate was affronted. They had had enough! In a fit of rage, they grab the legs of some broken benches and rush to Tiberius. They begin to smite his supporters. It was a bloodbath. Tiberius turned to run off but someone caught hold of his robes. So he let his toga go and ran in his tunic. Unfortunately, he tripped and fell on some bodies in front of him. His efforts were in vain. As he was getting up, he got his first blow from a colleague with the snapped leg of a bench. The second blow was by Lucius R. (another colleague). Over 300 more supporters were beaten down with sticks and stones. Obviously, democracy was not very civil back then (in Rome at least) and political corruptness was out in the open much more. In this particular case, anarchy won. Tiberius went along with a reckless abandonment to the laws and social structure. This led to his inevitable death. Whether the accusing motives were true or not we can’t be sure. We can be sure it left a mess. The bill did end up getting passed and doing good for the vets, a successful fight in that respect. The Roman Senate ultimately wanted to be in charge. They didn’t want “vagabonds”(as they deemed Gracchus) messing up their system, and interfering with their power. Politics is not often an easy game and not everyone will end up happy with the end result.

Politicians against the grain and you get suspicion from the government. Go figure. 

xx Essays up on Fridays

History Notes - Lesson 41

It's unusual for me to post my notes, but I figured I haven't put something on here in awhile so I might as well put something school-related. My notes are messy with some spelling errors, that's because I type fast. And I also copy whats on the power point slides so I rush it to get all my lessons done. (notes take about an hour per lesson) Sometimes I like to review my notes for an essay, or a refresh on the lesson.  Extra notes (the lowercase x's) is of what the teacher is saying(not on pp) (the fragments/important bits). These are old notes so I'm past this lesson by a few numbers now. (note* later I switch to lower case o's for my bullet points). So it's back to school from summer break. Hope you had a nice summer.
Bye :)
- CB

Lesson 41 - Rome: Beginnings and Foundations
Reading: Kirchner, pp. 76-81
6/13/17
x significance Rome western x beginnings x legends of Rome x period of the kings in Roman history x Republic x foundation x Roman religion x Christianity conflict x know something Roman religion x Roman law > great contribution from Romans x travel communication vast territory > big amount of people x law foundation western law x English-speaking law x derived Anglo-Saxon common law x Roman law x chief significance
o as bullet point // not x mess up ^ X is the powerpoint notes
X > legendary stories of Roman founding
X > one story, later taken up by Virgil in ((The Aeneid:))
x >> Aeneas flees after the fall of Troy and settles in Latium
X>> establishes a royal line at Alba Longa
o livy stories o quote o poetry sound historical record o who knows if they're true, probably not o ill tell em' anyway o aneus fled after the fall of Troy o not a Greek but a Trojan o establishes a royal line of kings o carrying his father out of the ruins of Troy o why would Romans want to have defeated party? o when legend taking root o Trojans dominated o Greeks ruled over my Roman o Romans choose trojans o they don't owe founding to Greeks o story of Trojan escapes Troy founded city of Rome
X another story, twins Romulus and Remus
X > left by the Tiber River
X > suckled by wolves, then raised by shepherds
X 753-509 BC, Rome influenced and governed by Etruscans
X > Etruria, north of Rome (between 8th and 5th centuries BC)
X > Roman engineering and architecture, the alphabet, and even the toga all from Etruscan influence
X > Etruscans: "one of the irritating obscurities of history"
X > age of kings: seven monarchs from 753-509 BC, according to semi-legendary accounts; some (in the sixth century) were Etruscans
X > exercised political, military, and religious authority
o these twins left by river o picked by wolves o raised by sheps o twind founded city of Rome o link up in fact that they were born to daughter of Alban kings o in some versions > one big story o city of Rome founded 753 legendary date o don't have much else to go on o influenced from people of north o corresponds area Tuscany today o alphabet so on influence o toga customary garment Romans o came from Etruscans o don't know much about them annoyingly o age of kings o 7 kings governed o don't know how trustworthy our accounts are o directly politically influencing Rome o authority > over Roman people
X expulsion of last Etruscan king in 509 BC, establishing a republic
X > Tarquin the Proud
X > > oppressive rule led to his ouster  by aristocrats
X > > son's rape of Lucretia
X > ((res publica)) (( means italics
X > no one person in control; office of consul held by two people
X > story of Cincinnatus (name is like the city), 58 Bc
X > > former consul; lost most of his property in a lawsuit (like todays, lawsuits), but Roman people turned to him in emergency
X > > named dictator
X > > wins the victory, resigns office
X > > held it for 15 days; had been appointed for six months
o expulsion last of Etruscan kings o oppressive ruler drove him away o raped a woman o insighted the Roman population to drive them out o last of kings o in wake of the Tarquin the proud o Republic o a public thing > re publica o public thing not private thing that treats Rome as his whim o everyone has input one way or another o never just one person o Roman gov. occupied at least 2 people o as long as 2 disagree it's not done o had kings, trying something new o representatives o correspond diff forms of government o executive o assembly democratic aspect o not like directly vote Athens o will be a representative aspect o vote for someone and they will carry out certain tasks for you o accuracy can't be sure of o Cincinnatus former consul o roman public turned to him in time of emergency o you could legitimately be a dictator o only during time of emergency o absolute power o win victory for Rome o dictator 15 days o then resigns o when absolute power held to him he refuses it o virtuous man o only does it when it's needed to protect the people o Americans interest o George Washington o new Cincinnatus o almost every military leader absolute power victories o returned to private life  o almost every person becomes obsessed with power, not him
Roman religion
X like Greeks had household religion with household altar, private rites, etc.
X > hearth fire signifies continuity of family
X gods permeated all aspects of life
X > e.g., Janus, god of the doorway (January)
X the city was an extension of the families of which it was composed, and was a sacred thing
X > national hearth established for goddess Vesta, tended by Vestal Virgins
o different than religious traditions today o contractual affair between gods o didn't depict gods in art, until Greek influence later o appease Gods through rituals and sacrifice o no love, or speculating how God's "manner" and "thoughts" were, like the Hebrews o household religion o private rites o fire o rites you remain in communion those before you and those who will come after you o gods permeated all aspects of life o God of a door o January comes from Janus o January ahead to new year and back at previous, like a door o city has a hearth o familiar o early days ancient Greeks o national hearth tended by vesters
X Greek religious influence very significant
X > Greek anthropomorphism merges with the impersonal Roman gods
X > eventually, Greek gods come to be identified with traditional Roman ones
X Roman gods inserted into the pantheon of gods of whatever people Rome defeated
X sacrifices offered to the gods to win their aid or appease their anger
X > at home, cake or wine is thrown into the domestic fire
X > in public, animals
X ceremonies of purification: removing evil presence
X festivals
X nine ((augures)) study the will of the gods
X religion and morality?
X > gifts and ritual, not moral uprightness, mattered to the gods
X > but Augustus will see a connection
o greek a merge with impersonal Roman gods o anthro making something like human beings o making something in shape of human beings o being like humans but being strong with some cool powers o eyes, a moth, talking o made them into being like human beings o hadn't done that until they encourted the earth o Jove was expanse of sky o not personified till' meshed with Greek tradition o represented these abstract forms > human form o greek gods identified traditional roman ones o gods of whatever people rome defeated o sacrifice to win aid o and to appease anger o cake and wine domestic o animals in public o cermonies purification o evil presents proper observance ritual o great many festivals o as in Christian festivals o local officals cut em' back days off work o observing flight of birds o insides of animal o Etruscan prcatice o connection religion > morality ( like religions today, such as Christianity) o not so much.... o gifts offered to god proper ritual mattered to gods don't care sweet of generous or nice o ritual mattered o other hand on one of the roman empires later is going to seek religus revival morality o undermind idea gods carry morality o old virtues roamns o respect for gods o bring back ancient virtues respect gods o blessings
X Roman Law
X law involves universal principels applied uniformly, and which can be discovered by reason
X > in this way, it can bind different peoples together
X > Cicero: "True law is right reason in agreement with nature; itis of universal application, unchanging and everlasting....And there will not be different laws now and in the future, but one eternal and unchangeable law will be valid for all nations and at all times"
X this Stoic conception of law becomes known as the ((ius Gentium))
X Romans applied it throughout the Empire
o law involves unerversial pricipals that is applied universally, to everyone, everywhere
X Romans applied it throughout the Empire
o speculate on what human beings ought to do o because law is a uneversal thing o applys to everbody o not property romans o we all have human reason o brains o can discover the law o all equally subject to law o could be bound togther o all human race, whatever your customs may be, certain things are just wrong o romans have uversial sense law is o far as substantial part known world o true law is right reason agreemnet nature o doesn't mean he favours un o some alws are good o some laws are bad o good > conform right reason o fit dignity human beings o the law of the peoples o certain absolutes, all of us have to abide by o certain things complled to do and compelled to avoid
X among the provisions of Roman law:
X > Justice is a consistent, unfailing disposition to give veryone his legal due
X > no one is compelled to defend a cause against his willOOO
X > No one suffers a penalty for what he thinksOOO
X > in the case of majot offenses it makes a difference wether something is comitted purposefully or accidentally
o unfailing disposition to give veryone his legal due o privacy in your own brain o purposefull yor accidentally o accident > punishment less o not clear to all peoples of the world, but definitly a idea in america
X > The guilt or punishment of a father can impose no stigma upon the osn, for every individual is subjected to treatment in accordance with his own action, and no one is made the inheritor of the guilt of another
X > in inflicting penalties, the age....of the guilty party must be taken into account
X presumtion of innocence, rules of evidence OOO
X contrast with barbarians OOO
o accordance own action o very very modern o no one says "your father was a jerk" so you belong in jail o innocent tell proven guilty o apprciate signifigance roman law o compare to laws of other people o barbarians legal traditions cause romans some grief later on o horrfied by it o seem obvious but weren't to everbody
o founding of rome o etrustcans o what institutions? o briefly roman religioun o roman law

Week 8 Essay History (pictures) (Part 1 and Question 1)

Western Civilization Lesson 40 - Week 8 Essay
5/31/17
CB.
1. What is the difference between the liberty of the ancients and the liberty of the moderns? What would moderns find lacking in ancient liberty?
2. What, in Plutarch's opinion, makes a "great man"? Is Alexander great?
(good to read: Benjamin Constant, the liberties of the ancients and the moderns.)

(Question 1) I'll split it into parts.

The ancients and the moderns have two very different ideas of liberty, and so the Greeks weren't exactly "perfect" in their system pertaining to rights even though they've made many contributions to Western Civilization. We have to remember it is still an ancient civilization with some ancient ideas.

Moderns would find the ancients liberty lacking in what we define "liberty" as today. The modern westerners think of the word "liberty" as the rule of law. Not men's ideals, (like Sophist) or "the king's whims are the eternal law". The law can be interpreted not changed, unless necessary, and the law cannot be twisted. The base of the law is laid out clearly. The right to free speech, and to express one's opinions (whether people like it or not) this freedom is their individual right! As long as their free speech doesn't break a law threats, violence. "Hate" isn't directly a threat so that's debatable. The problem with calling "hate" a threat or free speech that breaks the law is because it's too vague to enforce properly. What would people classify as "hate"? It could even be taken in oversensitive cases where people just disagree. Put into practice shutting out certain free speech is a very bad idea (as the Greeks did with their "go all or go none" group over the individual way of thinking). And that would shut out people's opinions, which blocks their free speech rights.

To use one's property as one sees fit is another important right. You can build a log cabin, a stucco house, or a Victorian home it doesn't matter (not regarding building codes and all that) At the end of the day, it's your property.

Your right to associate with others and make groups. As long as (like I said before) they don't violate any laws like violence, or stealing, blocking roadways and so on.

Your right to have influence over government. Look at America's democracy, for instance, an American citizen has the right to vote and have a say in where their tax dollars go. Where their tax dollars don't go (an ethical situation for instance). People get a say in who they elect as president. Power to the people and power to the individual!  That's a mantra.

The Greeks system involved collective rights to assemble and talk out various issues, like the moderns. Decisions like war and peace, forming foreign alliances, and, to accuse and render judgments on magistrates (among other things.) It would be the right of Athens as a whole on what to do.  In contrast to the modern world.
The emphasis with the ancient Greeks was community and groupthink, they saw no inconsistencies with having no individual rights. This means you could be subject to unlawful groupthink such as ostracism/ You could have been a law abiding citizen, but still, be ostracized for 10 years by the community just because they don't like you. Constant (the person who wrote about the differences between the ancients and moderns) says no one has the right to tear an owner from his possessions, a citizen from his country, or a father from his children. And he makes a short list. Slavery is an obvious difference, as it's (rightfully) considered very wrong in modern times and its obviously a abolished institution. Without their slavery, they wouldn't have had so much time to think, idle, participate in gov., philosophy, or even just be as educated as they were. Dreaming up big ideas all day the way they did. The bigger a country is the smaller the political importance of a given individual and vice versa. Commerce wasn't as developed then as now. A free market would develop hostility and animosity towards the government, they believed, basically because if you have a good business and you provide for yourself you won't have to rely on the government for welfare and so on. It's the free market. And the (Athenian) government wants you to need them. This idea recalls communism! And also, the fact that you would get annoyed when the government gets involved with regulations. It makes you more sensitive. In their type of government (of Athens) the individual is subservient to the society around him. Just a cog in the big machine. We have to hold onto our individual rights, as Constant, shows it is important. The Greeks lacked precious ideas even they were good in a great many things they still were still ancient with ancient ideas. And that should be considered.  I can't fault them for living like ancient people did even if some of their ideas (slavery and so on) weren't okay. In modern times we treat a woman decently, there is no slavery and that's not to credit to the Greeks. That is to credit to the moderns. Moderns have made many important innovations like fixing those social wrongdoings and we need to see these flaws to properly appreciate the Greeks for what they were and what they did. The differences are numerous between our ideals of liberty. And of course, this proves how impoverished we would feel as Americans if we put this kind of government system back in place. It makes you appreciate the blessing of Americans, our equal system, and looking out for the individual and not just the community (or any singular community) or a powerful government (in this case totalitarianism). This further shows it's about the law and what's right. Not just what everyone thinks is right or what everyone (groupthink) agrees with. Be your own individual form your own opinions with a critical mind taking each idea on individually like Constant did, I think is also a lesson you can pull from this. To learn on your own, from both sides, to see a full picture. Constant while researching didn't favor a certain side and kept his report impartial and rounded it out to form his opinion and point at the end. When he had all the information laid out (impartial information) he reached his conclusion. Many important lessons from this particular one. So that is my end to the freedom of the Greeks in contrast to that of the Modern Americans.


~ I wrote this a little different without the back and forth comparison type of narration. It was a lot more clear having two sides laid out so I'll write like this every now and then to switch it up. I also used pictures which I might start doing to illustrate my points colorfully and it can form a good picture of the points as well to relate them in. ~ credit: Google images

A individuals property/home

A group of people celebrating Greece, in ancient Greece they would've had group rights collectively and not individual rights.

But unlike ancient Greece, moderns (today) have individual rights!

English Essay 7

English 2: Lesson 30
Lesson 30: Review of Biblical literature.
5/15/17
CB
(This was supposed to go up on Monday but it was prewritten and drafted beforehand so I count it as on time.)
Write 500 words on this: "What is the view of the biblical materials on the role of ethics in the development of history?"
word count: 1,181
(I didn't really watch the word count on this one so it's unnecessarily long and wordy and I got a little off track of the question obviously. But I will condense my English more next time to fit the wordcount (and I'll make sure it pertains to the subject at hand) because, I have other subjects I have to devote some time to. I just end up getting immersed in English in particular with the Hebrews.)

Ethics in the Bible are an important and core theme of Christianity and those views contribute to the development of history in varying ways. In the Bible wisdom, good, is public but evil is deceptive and private. (Proverbs 10) The contrast falls between feminine wisdom and the strange woman. Wisdom is righteousness and foolishness is rebellion. Wickedness is sometimes profitable in life but into death, you get negative sanctions you can't escape by deceiving. A back and forth good guy bad guy contrast is brought up a lot in the Psalms/Proverbs. Lazy people get poor and the hard working gets rich. The mouth of the wicked can conceal their violence they hide bad deeds. Notice how good people have nothing to hide generosity, hardworking, an ethical code the connection is that wisdom is open. Bad people will be discovered but the righteous doesn't have to worry about being exposed because nothing evil is there to expose. Good and true words are helpful and positive sanctions to those around you that utter true words. Love grants forgiveness and overlooks wrongdoing. Hatred stirs up strifes and division. "Wise men lay up knowledge: but the mouth of the foolish is near destruction:" (14). Listen to the law! Be careful with your words and treat them with value. The ultimate end of the wicked is destruction. A person who speaks lies/mistruths no one will listen to or believe. It will be like the boy who cried wolf! These positive and negative sanctions (which connects to ethics) are in our lives on a daily basis you can look around in different situations and find them, as well as tracing back in history they appear and help us. (Proverbs 30) Self-deprecating language is used in the beginning is not to be taken literally. This guy is just saying he's not educated in theology humbling himself before God. Don't boost yourself where you don't belong. He then is challenging the false prophets, a wolf in sheep's clothing, don't add to the word of God. Don't speak for Him! (11-14) He's using imagery to show how a certain generation is arrogant and self-conscious. (Not necessarily one back then, could be recent for all we know. We just have to connect this to what the description fits most through time. Or even in today's times.) To an extent, they understand their own evil and spread it. (Obviously its spread if it's a whole generation). They are aware of it. Yet they think they are all pure! While creating evil and hate. The "self-righteous" and pure generation have this false notion in their head that makes them narcissistic. When a generation acts this way they can expect negative sanctions predictably. If a social order is disrupted in a hierarchy turned upside down this is serious. Ants, for example, go about their work as creatures of nature (or of habit you could say). They do their work, are predictable, get their work done, and cooperate. A wise approach, do your job! Don't go in arrogant or pretentious. It's language using nature to explain social order. Know your place. (4-7) If someone is in poverty and they are so depressed they want to drink their troubles away, don't give them a drink. It may seem cruel but a person in poverty is not a dead man so don't treat them as such. They can rise out of it! (10-29) A strong woman is working long hours and running the show! A good woman.  Bringing that all tied back together is hard because it touches on multiple subjects. First off, God words are pure and not to be meddled with. There is an evil generation as described (not following ethics). And an honest living is respectable and righteous. Kings should avoid alcohol, and a virtuous woman (such as a queen) with strength and honor is a treasure. She never stops serving others. If you think about that one a mom can be like that, selflessly taking care of the kids and caring for them before her own needs at times, that's one good example of a "virtuous woman". Or one who is a caregiver for the disabled, another example of selflessness and virtue with no ask for thanks. It's all very nice and relates. Those are examples connecting these things back to the main idea, history, and ethics. All very true things that people can learn from and have followed through the years. Some themes moving on is a series of lessons from father to son (as people teach their children things today through stories and examples, such as children books, to explain important ethics to kids!). Solomon was giving wisdom to his son to make him a better leader and give general guidance for life (setting is ancient times). The value of wisdom and knowledge is the heart of the entire book. Wisdom is not in the possession of some pope (or priest) it's not held by any particular group in society. Everyone has access to wisdom, there is not an excuse for not pursuing it! Wisdom is public. Some men hate wisdom, which is self-explanatory I feel. This shows throughout time criminals systematically seek to steal from others (they can't steal wisdom..) there is an active hostility to wisdom. One that involves evil-doing. Do the right thing, put it in action just knowing the right thing to do isn't enough. In the proverbs, this is presented in a very terse and practical manner. Keep in practice the implication and application of the commandments. Evil men seek to destroy other men. Avoid such people and don't associate with them. Destruction is like a tornado. The strange woman is probably a harlot or adulteress. She's the one to be avoided. Wisdom in contrast adds real value to your life, something that can't be measured in green or currency. It's positive! And it's in plain sight (public). So whats the problem then? People don't perceive the value of what's in front of them. God's law is like a lamp of light. Darkness doesn't really exist. Darkness is a lack of light. There is not a "darkness light" (like a flashlight but it would shine darkness into light) that does not exist! Light is goodness where light brings sight which is open (like wisdom which is also open). Darkness brings the lack of sight and everything becomes hidden by it. Two different ethical paths! (I'm using metaphors here^). Life is a series of ethical decisions, that's why ethics stretches through history! Ethics ultimately are important in history it's one or the other and that affects the development of history. A lot of evil people make a difference, it starts chaos. Vice versus with good people. There is always the two sides battling and the ethics play in history just as with Solomon talking to his son. Or a king using wisdom to rule his empire. Or a president overseeing a democracy and partly conducting it. They mean a great deal in any situation in history, just with different circumstances, but ethics are still present.

English Essay 6

English 2: Lesson 25
English 2: Western Literature 1
5/15/17
RPC
CB :)
wordcount: 575

Write 500 on this topic: "Discuss the relationship between ethics and sanctions in Proverbs 1-7."
This is an overview of Proverbs 1-7 pertaining to the subject of the relationship between ethics and sanctions of God. (P1 introduction) Dark sayings are not common in the Proverbs but ethical riddles are. Ethical issues are real ethical problems, but the simple man won't understand that! The wisdom of God and the "wisdom" of evil-doers aren't the same there is a contrast. There is no honor among thieves someone will fall in their trap because they are destroyers. That is a negative sanction, but one day they'll trap themselves because they run to evil. Bad ethics leads to negative sanctions, such as breaking the law leads to jail.  Solomon is speaking to his son to give him wisdom and guidance so he'll keep the principals in his heart that are ultimately ethical. This is described in the Proverbs as a woman selling wisdom. Fools hate knowledge. Wisdom is ignored by the people they don't want to hear it and are ethically stupid. Don't involve yourself with evil-doers it leads to self-destruction. Wisdom is portrayed as a wise woman. He advises his son, don't be a simpleton ethically. (P2 and P3) First, he says we must dedicate our lives to pursuing good judgment which is based off and connected to, reliable ethics.  Pray for knowledge and guidance. Positive sanctions for the righteous and negative sanctions for the unrighteous it's a simple system. Commit yourself to them trust God and positive sanctions and he'll direct your path in the right way. If you're willing to give your gifts to God (such as the Christmas story: the little drummer boy for example) and positive sanctions will come back to you. Ethics are more important than anything you "pile up" (like money). Wisdom has more value than precious jewels. You can get wisdom from ethics we are not forever separate from it, we can get to the tree of life through ethics! (As expected.) The evil is also personified as female. You won't be caught in a trap, like the evildoers in their own trap, which is a neg. sanction. Some benefits are a long life and peace which are great blessings! Judgment to the righteous is a correction, not something "mean" or hateful. Don't get smart and try to get wisdom all by yourself it won't happen. (P4 and P5) Hold her principals close. She is a good woman with good benefits (pos. sanctions). "For they sleep not, except they have done mischief, and their sleep is taken away," poetic language. They are trying to get others to fall, like them, and be ethically corrupt/malicious. Avoid evil behavior avoid the evil lifestyle it looks enticing but it is a double-edged sword. Pick it up it'll cut you and you'll bleed! (bleeding is symbolism for neg. sanctions) Stick to decent principals. (P6 and P7) Solomon instructed him ethics, pass them down and avoid the path of the wicked. Adultery is physical and ethical and it leads to neg. sanctions. A self-confident pushy person out of control with ethics, says one thing and does a different thing. A bad person! Solomon says sanctions follow misbehavior if you break the law and so on. The problem is internal like an internal fire it burns burns burns for those who commit adultery. In conclusion, that is how ethics and sanctions go hand in hand and play off each other in the Proverbs, they are also central themes in the Bible. 
(Man, law, causation and time. Ethics and sanctions. Evildoers and righteousness. All that is drilled into my head. This is a good English course considering I remember so much. Very helpful!)

Week 7 Essay History (a picture) (Part 1 and Question 1)

 CB
5/10/17
History Lesson 35 - Week 7 Essay

1 > Choose a work of art from ancient Greece (it doesn't have to be one covered in the video lesson) and do the following: (1) provide the basic background (what it is, when it dates from), (2) identify which period of Greek art it belongs to, (3) explain what that period is known for, and (4) explain how the work you've chosen illustrates the characteristics of its period.
2 > How does ancient Greek religion resemble or differ from the religion of the Hebrews?

Part 1, I'm going to split the questions into parts (the vase I'm describing is in the picture at the bottom)

(Question 1, though technically it was listed as 3 and 4 but I'm not making this complicated with numbering). I chose a piece of art dated from the Geometric period of Greece. It is a simple vase painting, these were basic and unimportant to the Greeks. But we have a plentiful amount of painted vases so it is what I chose. That doesn't mean they aren't worth studying. As the saying goes one mans trash is another man's treasure. A painted vase isn't trash after all but still, the saying fits. We are lacking in other areas of art from ancient Greece. Their vase paintings are what we have remaining mostly, but the vases are still very pretty. They depict drawings on nicely made ceramics. They also did survive this long. The geometric period took place from approximately 900-850 BC which is in the mid-century. The geometric period has what you think it would, vases covered in shapes. The vases would be like a box with a narrow top. They were used for practical reasons, simply a container that people would keep their things in. You can see distinctly the style comes out in the vases. Funeral vases were used as a funeral marking, like a tombstone (to be morbid). A thick black line would be on the funeral vase and it would be like most of the vases, intricately detailed. It would be geometric at the top and they would have a wake to honor the body. Vase painting was done  on black-figure and red-figure vases. The geometric shapes seen on my vase is a tragic theme of swastikas, crooked lines, and circles in a motif around it. Later in the period they ease up the sad theme and the geometric shapes are animals, birds, hunting scenes and more of the like. From the mid 8th century BC the close contact between the East and the Greeks enriched the ceramics with lions, lotus flowers, just new subjects in general. So, since few other aspects of ancient Greek art have survived, such as ancient Greek painting, scholars have to trace the development of ancient Greek art through the vase painting! It's useful for historians. The work I've chosen I think represents the Geometric period because it has a lot of shapes in motifs circling my ceramics/vase and it is very orderly (patterned) and detailed. As most are intricate, even though they are common pottery (to the Greeks) they represent culture even then.  That makes you think this is just common pottery not their best work. It still shows skill, so some of their best work must have been very nice. Or even these vases in their prime. Without decay, age, or missing parts (such as the Artemision Bronze). I think the little horse on the top of my vase is a cute added detail with some faded geometric details on the horse as well. (can you see it?) The geometric period art reminds me of tribal print patterns. The little horse is also a handle for the lid of the ceramic pottery. The vase is big, fat, and round with no bumps or obvious flaws so it's in decent condition I'd say from just looking at it. Made smoothly. The vase is practical with holding items it being so wide. You can barely see the line where the vase lid ends and the vase begins. My favorite part is the little horse, even though it's not the most geometric aspect of the piece, but the round shape of the vase is unique. I like that as well. The horse on the lid has social significance because "raising" a horse was an aristocrat pursuit for only the rich. It shines through as a geometric piece and the Greeks did well with their ancient art and really forming an art style with it.

Horse Pyxis (Circular Box) made from terracotta

Week 6 Essay History (Part 1 and Question 1)

5/5/17
CB
Week 6 Essay History - Lesson 30
Week 6 writing assignment:
Answer two of the following questions.
1. Describe the circumstances leading to the Persian Wars. Why were they significant events in Western history?^
2. According to Herodotus, what advice is Xerxes given regarding war with the Greeks? How does Xerxes respond?
3. Why was the Peloponnesian War fought? What was its long-term significance?
4. What points is Pericles trying to make about Athens in his Funeral Oration?^
5. How was Athenian government organized? How much citizen involvement in government was there?

Greek names are often weird but try to follow along with the names. (long essay) I'm going to split the questions into 2 PARTS to make this more orderly. Even though there is no specific requirement for word count I'll include it anyways. There is a bit of commentary on this one but it's still factual. My "opinions" are not the main idea it's just something I decided to add while writing. Not every detail of the Persian Wars is included. (that'd be waaay too long)
wordcount: 970

(Question 1) The events leading to the Persian Wars are interesting and a bit complicated. A lot happened and built up to lead to the result of war; these events are significant to note in western history and I will explain why. First I will address the history though and finish with the western civilization piece of it. First off, the Persian Empire involved a big area and widely expanded. Athens came to the Persian Empire and wanted an alliance with them because they were a city-state and the Persian Empire was so big and they were seeking protection. They had no idea where Athens was, they had never heard of it on account of the difference in size. But even so, the two were willing to make an alliance. Athens wanted a fair agreement but The Persian Empire was arrogant and always like to be the superior in their deals. They asked for some earth and water, the Athenians (they were representatives) didn't know what that meant so they did it (smart). What that little deal meant was they were agreeing that the Persian Empire was fully sovereign over land and sea. Naturally, the Athenians (representatives sent there for the purpose I stated) didn't like this but went along as if they did because they didn't want to go back to Athens emptyhanded. The citizens when they got back and heard what happened thought this agreement belittled Athens, but never officially canceled it. So for all the Persians knew, their contract with the Athenians was still intact. The Persians ruled over Asia Minor where the Ionian Greeks lived. The Ionians had an uprising against the Persian Empire. They didn't want someone dominating over them. The Ionians went to Sparta for help. They tried dropping coins on the table of the Spartans in hope of getting help with their uprising. But they were rejected. The Spartans didn't want to be corrupted by bribes and sent them away. Athens was more considerate and sent 20 ships in support of their uprising. This was a big deal because at the time Athens had a fleet of about 50 ships it was generous of them. The Persians won this skirmish in 494BC.  King Darius 1 of Persia sought revenge on the Greeks for the Athenians and Ionians defiance. It was a lopsided struggle, the Persian victory seemed confirmed. The Persians had numerous troops. The Athenians, worried, hurry to Sparta for assistance.  Sparta in the middle of a religious ritual refuses to help Athens. In 490BC the Persians send representatives to Sparta demanding some earth and water. Spartans say basically "Oh you want earth and water okay!" then they throw the representatives in a well. Later, the Spartans realize what they did was wrong, from bad omens, go and apologizes for violating diplomatic principals and for their "rude" behavior. (An understatement "rude"). They sent some reps to the Persian Empire to throw in a well but they were arrogant and thought they were too good to do the same. The Persians make a show of force in Athens. This made them mad, it was a punishment from the Persians for their "brazen actions".  (I find it funny that part, and how Sparta acts through this whole essay and handles all the situations, they were serious about their religion though :) ) Then the Battle of Marathon took place (490BC). Surprisingly Athens was victorious over the Persians, like David and Goliath. The next morning the Spartans show up with 2000 soldiers, but the battle is already over they missed it. Many Persians perish and a smaller number of Greeks. The Spartans survey the battle site and are impressed. It becomes a memorable and honorable thing to say you have fought at Marathon. That concludes the first battle of the Persian Wars. Ten years later, Xerxes, son of Darius, sends a quarter of a million men and over 500 ships to Greece a troubling thing for Athens. Many of the city-states unite inevitably to repel the invasion. 300 Spartans (very good trained soldiers) hold off the invading Persians as long as they can at the narrow mountain pass Thermopylae in Greece. A Greek betrayed the confidant of the greeks and gave away a secret passageway around the narrow mountain pass. A slaughter of the Spartans ensued and only 2 survived. Spartans fought until the death in a dramatic and determined battle. They resisted hard until they were eventually overwhelmed in a brave last stand. This battle recalls the Battle of the Alamo. One Athenian urged surrender and was killed on the spot, you can see how they felt about that. A proclamation went out from Athenians to Athenians urging them to protect their families. They all fled. When the Persians finally arrived it was a ghost town. Athens was burned to the ground the city melting and smoking to ashes. Homes, buildings, roads almost everything was gone, black ashes. A sad day for Athens. Under the influence of the military leader, Themistocles, Athenians had managed to build a substantial navy.  The Greeks prevailed over the Persians at the naval battle of Salamis, and then also on land in Plataea in 479BC. That brought an end to the Persian Wars, there were a few scuffles but ultimately it was over. This shows the Greeks resilience in tough times they could unite as one to fend off an invader! All this matters to western civilization because if the Persians had just assimilated the Greeks into them all of their contributions to us could've been destroyed. Thought (philosophy), art, science, mathematics, the dramatic arts. As well as a wipeout of the self-governing city-states. Western civilization lives to see another day! That is my summary of the Persian Wars, the events that took place, and how it connects to Western Civilization today. 

*added note* (Later in history, even though the Persians, this big powerful force, couldn't defeat them they weakened themselves with the fighting among themselves. Which ended up making them defenseless (because they were so beaten down) against outsiders. So someone came and swooped them up in their despair, and took over. I think it's crazy that united they couldn't be defeated but when they fought amongst themselves and divided then they were taken down.) That was an unnecessary note pertaining to the question but I added it to elaborate some later history, kinda like a commentary. I think learning from past experiences/mistakes in history is important to not let history repeat itself! That (and the war probably) could relate to many different situations today.  And of course learning about the ancient civilizations is nice.