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.

Science Essay for Lesson 20

Bio Lesson 20 Essay

4/26/17

(I had a different essay but it deleted itself so this is my 2nd essay)

Answer ONE of the questions below in an essay of about 150-250 words (you may write a longer essay if you wish). Be sure to include facts and details from the past 4 (or more) lessons, as this will help you remember and understand them better.

(notes for this essay used from Lesson 16,17,18, and 19 )

You scrape your knee so deeply that it bleeds. Later a scab forms over the wound. When the scab falls off, you have new skin underneath. Where did the new skin come from? Describe the process in detail.

Words: 569

When you scrape yourself and it’s a deep cut so it bleeds this is about the science behind how your body heals cuts and scrapes. Human bodies are amazing in the way they can heal and cure themselves! A cell is the most basic unit of life. Cell signaling does a few different things but one use of it is responding to hormones. Cell signaling is exactly what it sounds like communication with other cells needed for reproduction, and death among other uses. Proteins play a big role in cell signaling. Reception involves receptors that receive the chemical signal or ligand. G Protein-Coupled Receptors are on surface human cells, there are about 1,000 different kinds. Most surface receptors are GPC’s. They do vision, smell, and taste and are involved in most of our senses. RTKs (Receptor Tyrosine Kinases) can trigger several transduction pathways and ion channels. When open ion channels receptors bond with a ligand. Ion channel receptors play a role in the function of the nerve cells. Cells go through a life cycle like anything else. Going on to reproduction,(apart of the cell cycle) cells needs to reproduce if the conditions are fit. Cells reproduce through unicellular (one cell organism) reproduction it splits itself and makes a copy. For tissue repair and replacement, when you're injured you heal with more cells that replace and repair tissue. A scab that forms over a cut covers the opening and replaces lost or damaged cells. Receptors on the surface are designed to pick up a certain signal. They know there are more skin cells around the wound and that means the wound is healed! This is cell-cell recognition called apoptosis “taking note” of infected or damaged cells, cell murder. There is a receptor on the surface of the cell for the “death” signal. By then the healing process stops because it is complete! This obviously cannot be done for a large gash on your leg or something like that a serious cut would need stitches and medical help. The cell cycle alternates between interphase and the important mitotic phase. The cell cycle starts in the interphase then moves onto the next phase. The mitotic phase creates genetically identical cells called “daughter cells” with identical chromosomes. Mitosis means a thread, which is now known as DNA. In cell division, the cells copy a specific number of chromosomes in your body. A chromosome is a single DNA-protein that contain lots of genes. A chromatin is a complex of chromosomes and genes in a cell, (as well as proteins). In MTOC it controls the growth of microtubules. This is the process of mitosis the duplication of your somatic cells (body cells). In cell signaling a “checkpoint” receives the “stop” or “go” for a cell signaling for the S phase and G2 phase. This whole cycle is driven by Kinases. There are four stages of mitosis called PMAT. During the Prophase in the cell, the cells start to get ready for mitosis. During the telophase (I’m skipping around phases to get to the point) two new nuclei form the cleanup begins and then the cell begins to divide. Two new nuclei form the cleanup begins and then the cell begins to divide. That is where the new skin on a cut comes from, and how your body heals minor cuts and injuries in a detailed science look at the process of our bodies healing.

*I had trouble condensing 4 Lessons together with information included from each Lesson so this is a bit longer but it hits all four lessons the word count is added as well* 

English Essay 5

English Lesson 20
𝓔𝓢𝓢𝓐𝓨

4/24/17

CB.
Write 500 words on this topic: "Discuss some of the reasons offered in the Psalms for long-term optimism."

Word count: 622

Long-term optimism is an ongoing theme in the psalms, patience, and trust in God go in hand with long-term optimism so elaborated it can relate to different ideas. David in the psalms was in trouble he asks God to listen to him. He trusted in God and now he needs his help. The evil-doers say that God won’t help David and he has forsaken him he needs to be optimistic or he will lose hope. It's a very important persisting issue for David the rut he is in so being confident is important and holding onto belief. They taunt him and are defiant they think God has abandoned him. David is in fear and his courage to fight is gone. They think that since they have the upper hand they can’t be foiled the evil are oppressing the weak, in this case, David! God won’t walk away from his people. David’s heart was “melted like wax” so he was very defeated but trusted God.The Bible often uses symbolic language (I’ll use examples) to help illustrate and convey their points which shows up often.  He wished very much that God would pick him up and he would no longer hurt. He made an appeal for guidance bringing up past mercies of God where he helped people in hard spots. God has pity for the weak and the good. David did bad stuff in the past sins but he says forget those because God is a good God. Even in dark moments, God pulls through and forgives. It’s important for David to keep his faith and be optimistic because if he gives up he’ll be done for with everyone against him! No amount of evil can trump God even weak David who is just one person can win against many because God helped him. The doubters will end up nowhere and perish.   David humbles himself before God. God will help David since David follows the path of righteousness. In Psalm 26 specifically, David won’t be surrounded by evildoers and tries to be ethically upright. David is innocent, he says, and won’t be near evil. He has an allegiance to God not to the systematic wrongdoers. God will protect him from the “predators” as the David is the “prey”. Another example in Psalms 25 through 27 David references God saving him before as a “reminder” in the prayer. He waits for God to take action and believes it will soon happen. They (god's people) believe God’s goodness will support them. It was a time of depression for David but he recites the evildoers are wrong systematically and he tries to do right ethically. David praises God because he saves him! David again (repetitively) asks for protection he is on the defense again because the enemies are after him he doesn’t want negative sanctions. He expects God to remain on the sidelines and thinks he’s just looking at a short term situation. David is in old age, and no longer has his strength he had before, so he relies on God to save him he says after he will praise God publicly. David wants positive sanctions and he wants God to intervene. God saves those who need help and stops evil. This shows how long-term positivity plays a role in the Bible and why it’s paramount in helping the weak. If David had lost hope he would have been defeated quite quickly. If he did not keep faith he would have nothing to look forward to, nothing to save him! Time and time again David shows resilience and God is always there never wavering hope, faith, and trust are highlighted through this paper and integrated in the subject at hand. Most importantly God does not abandon his people.

Week 5 Essay History

CB.
4/25/17
Lesson 25 History Essay
Week 5 writing assignment (choose two of the following; if you choose question 2, you may do just that one):
1. Why was Aristotle a significant figure?
2. How would you explain Aristotle's main points in his Ethics to the average person?
3. How have libertarians, or "Aristotelian liberals," argued for liberty on the basis of Aristotle's ideas?
4. What was the Spartan society like?

(Question 2) Aristotle wrote many great works that contributed to the world of philosophy and other studies, but we are going to focus on Aristotle’s Ethics. This can be a confusing puzzle but laid out nicely it can be understood. 

The first question Aristotle asked was “is there an ultimate good, for which we pursue in its own sake?” so he means, there is no end objective. We just do the things we do for one purpose. We would pursue this just for the sake of pursuing it, which I will connect to later. The answer Aristotle put to that is yes! There is an end goal to the process of pursuing, happiness is that end goal. Questions like, why do you go to college? To get an education. Why do you want an education? To get a job. Why do you want a job? To have a house and good food. And that could go on and on (I don't mean to sound redundant I just want to emphasize my point) but ultimately you do these things to be happy and get the “good life”. You don't do school for no purpose, and you don't get a house to be sad. The work you do is all aiming at something but it all traces back to that one objective. Happiness, (in Aristotle's point of view) this is so you’ll feel content with doing life the right way. But what is the “good life” and the “right way” of things really? That’s where ethics come in as guidelines.

 People may say other attributes of "the good life" are things like virtue, honor, pleasure, and wealth you could say that’s when someone’s “made it.” Happiness (or eudaimonia ~ latin) must be sought for its own sake because other ends have goals stretching on if you kept asking the questions. But there must be a stopping point. Happiness is a virtuous activity and that virtuous activity will bring pleasure. That, Aristotle, thinks, is developing your potential greatness! These are the keys to a good life. 

Though it's not as simple as it seems. This idea, of course, could have a counter-argument. You wouldn’t want to be honored for something you didn’t do, or something that’s bad. Wealth, well yes, but in the end what is the money for? Material items? (good, but to an extent) He believes happiness is sought for its own sake if you didn’t have an end objective you wouldn’t bother starting. Aristotle believes in living a life that is befitting of a human bean. A “good” car transports us smoothly from one place to another. A “good” lamp lights up a room. And so, a good human being does what they are made to do, they act on reason and not just instinct like animals. Thinking things through using your head. That is the differentiating trait of humans from animals, reason. 

We can’t just act on what makes us feel good. Eating two pizza's because you "like pizza" is superfluous. And eventually the pizza will be eaten and the temporary good feeling will be gone. And then, you will want more pizza later, you can't fill the happiness void with pizza. Or material things. In the end, the pursuit has to be more abstract than that. 

People should do the right thing and follow morals, he says. We need to use reason and keep pleasures in subjection (like the ex. I gave earlier). We also need to make decisions with reflection, with contemplation, and with the help of moral training. A habit of doing the right thing perfects your virtues. You become virtuous by doing virtuous things and having that mindset. Charity is a virtuous activity because it is a selfless pursuit. Virtue is a mean between two extremes. Courage (between rashness and cowardice), temperance (moderation), justice (no mean here.. you can’t be too just) and so on. A balance between the extremes. You can't save a drowning person when you don't know how to swim. Think about your actions and use your moral code as a backbone for, however, the situation fits. Like, for example, don’t initiate force on a peaceful person and cause violence. Be civil don’t turn to violence. First, Aristotle says, use persuasion or discussion, this is actually a libertarian idea as well (or classical liberal). Not everyone will agree with you even then, but it's not okay to hurt people to make them think like you, even if your right. Virtuous people have satisfying relationships, a friendship of utility won’t last long and will crumble when not necessary anymore. But the friendship of the common good will be a better relationship to have. Friendship also gives you an opportunity to exercise your virtue. Aristotle wanted to find the ultimate goal of life and virtue, his ethics and ideas are still studied today. In Aristotle’s work on ethics, he is a philosopher of common sense and he finds a happy middle between two radical sides.