Reviewing the Quiz/ Thanksgiving

Today in class, we reviewed our quiz and waited for Nick to take the quiz. This is the last mod before Thanksgiving break which means that most of us are anxious to go home and have a five-day break (including weekends). In my opinion, Thanksgiving is a holiday that doesn't receive much credit. After Halloween, everyone starts thinking about Christmas, not Thanksgiving. The things that I love most about Thanksgiving are spending time with family, giving thanks for all of my blessings, and pumpkin pie. It's my favorite pie. Below are the questions and answers that I got wrong from the quiz. Midterm exams are coming up soon. While we were reviewing the quiz, an anonymous person slipped a note under the door. They signed their name as your student. The note was nice.

13. This religion was founded in the seventh century- Islam (D)
22. Of these five religions, this is probably the oldest religion still in existence- Hinduism (A)

Test Day! Religion Quiz!

Today in class, we took a quiz on the five major world religions. The quiz consisted of 25 matching questions. I think I did pretty well. There were two questions that were tricky (in my opinion). Below are some of the questions that I remembered from the quiz.

1. Out of all of these religions, which religion is the oldest? Judaism
2. Which religion was founded by Siddhartha Gautama? Buddhism
3. What religion has the New Testament as their holy book? Christianity
4. Which religion is the major religion in India? Hinduism
5. Which religion was founded by Jesus Christ? Christianity
6. What is the oldest religion out of the five religions? Judaism
7. Which religion is located in India and Nepal? Hinduism
8. What religion has the Qur'an has their holy book? Islam
9. What religion has the Four Noble Truths and the Eightfold Paths as their beliefs? Buddhism
10. Which religion was founded by Muhammad? Islam

Buddhism and Judaism Religion Notes

Today in class, we took notes on the rest of the major world religions. Below are the facts about Buddhism and Judaism. We have a test on Monday.

Buddhism-
number of adherents- 500 million to 1.5 billion
call them- buddhists
geographic location- Southeast Asia, China, Nepal, Japan (about 1.2 million buddhists in the United States).
denominations- Tibetan, Zen, Theravada, Amidist
founder- Siddhartha Guatama
Four Noble Truths-
1. There is suffering
2. Attachment to desire is the origin of suffering
3. the eightfold path will lead to the cessation of suffering
The eightfold path-

• right view
• right intention
• right speech
• right action
• right livelihood
• right effort
• right mindfulness
• right dedication

Judaism-

number of adherents- 14-18 million (ninth)

call them- jews

geographic location- Israel (6.4 million, 75.4%), US (5.3-7 million, 1.7%-2.6%)

founder- Abraham

holy book- The torah (the first five books of the Old Testament: Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, Deuteronomy)

beliefs- ethical monotheism: God is one, and concerned with the actions of humankind

• Ten commandments
• 13 principles of faith

Major World Religions

Today in class, we took notes on 3 out of the 5 major religions of the world. Below are the facts about Christianity, Islam, and Hinduism. We have a test on Monday. Mr. Schick told us that he didn't want to have the test on Tuesday because a lot of students like to skip the day before Thanksgiving break.

Christianity:
member of adherents- 2.2 billion
call them- Christians
geographic location- Europe, the Americas, southern Africa
denominations- catholic church, eastern orthodox church, protestants (Lutherans, Methodists, Baptists, Anglicans, Presbyterians, Episcopalians, etc.).
founder- Jesus Christ
holy book- the bible especially the new testament
beliefs- Jesus is both human and divine: the son of God; he led a virtuous life; he was crucified, died, buried, and resurrected; he ascended into heaven where he reigns with God the Father.
clergy- the Pope is head of the Catholic Church; priests are local authority.

Islam:
member of adherents- 1.5 billion
call them- Muslims
geographic location- Indonesia, Middle East, North Africa
denomination- Sunnis (75-90%), Shiites (10-20%)
founder- Muhammad (570-632 AD)
holy book- Qur'an (Koran)
beliefs- monotheistic, Abrahamic
Five pillars- (Testimony, prayer, alms-giving, fasting, pilgrimage); Muslims see their purpose in life as serving and submitting to Allah (God) and observing Islamic law.

Hinduism:
number of adherents- 1.1 billion
call them- Hindus
geographic location- India, Nepal
holy book- the Vedas: eternal truths revealed to ancient sages; composed in verse form (meant to be sung and easily memorized).
founder- no distinct founder: it's a series of intellectual or philosophical points of view, rather than a rigid, strict set of beliefs- probably the oldest extant religion, although Hinduism is less a religion than a way of life.
Example: "As a person puts on new clothes and discards the old and torn clothes, similarly an embodied soul enters new material bodies, leaving old bodies."
In other words... reincarnation.

Population, Migration, and Population Pyramids Test Reviewed

Today in class, we reviewed the test. I got a decent grade. Below are the questions from the test that I got wrong and the correct answers. Mr. Schick said that there are about 4 weeks until mid-terms.

90% of the population growth in the world today is taking place in certain regions. Which of the following is NOT one of these regions?
a) Africa                                           d) East Asia
b) Latin America                              e) South Asia
c) Europe

Which country is represented here?          Population: 326,474,013

a) Jamaica                                        d) United States
b) Japan                                            e) Chad
c) China

Which of these four countries has the longest life expectancy?
a) United States                                c) Mexico
b) Japan                                            d) Kenya

Which continent has the highest crude birth rate?
a) Africa                                            d) North America
b) Europe                                           e) Asia
c) South America

Developing nations that are farther along in the industrialization process begin to see a decline in their birth rate. Which of the following is NOT a reason for this decline?
a) Increased education                       c) A move from rural to urban living
b) More opportunities for women      d) A decrease in the GDP per capita   

Test on Population, Migration, and the Population Pyramids

Today in class, we took a test on population, migration, and the population pyramids. I think I did pretty well although I have a feeling that I got the population pyramid questions wrong. Below are some of the questions that I remember from the test.

Questions and Answers:

produced by subtracting the death rate from the birth rate is the

a) crude birth rate              c) rate of natural increase

b) total fertility rate           d) crude death rate

average number of children born per women is the 

a) crude birth rate            c) rate of natural increase

b) total fertility rate         d) crude death rate

country with the highest life expectancy is

a) The United States      c) Monaco

b) Japan                         d) Chad

country with the shortest life expectancy is

a) The United States     c) Monaco

b) Japan                        d) Chad

the average number of years to be lived by a group of people born in the same year is 

a) Life expectancy       c) infant mortality rate

b) net migration rate    d) GDP per capita

Somalia and Japan Presentation

Today in class, we finished up our presentations. Lily, Nick, David, Christo, and Sean presented today. Their presentation was about 30-35 minutes long and very interesting. Below are the key ideas from their presentations about Japan and Somolia. We also graded our group members (and ourselves). Mr. Schick said that this might be the last class we have with him because he said he was going to Somolia and was going to be a pirate. Lastly, we have a test on Monday about migration, life expectancy, push/pull forces, and the population pyramids.

Somalia- The Problems

• pirates board ships and hold them hostage.
• this caused money complications with the government because they had to pay to release them.

The Solution:

• reduction of Piracy along the Gulf of Aden.

Japan- The Problem

• majority of the population is in the Post- Industrial Era meaning that the population is decreasing.

The Solution:

• reduction of tax to make it affordable to have children

Presenting Our Countries

Today in class we presented our presentations. Only one group didn't get to present today. I wrote down the notes on the countries. Below are the notes. Tomorrow I am going to add the notes from the group that didn't present today.

Afghanistan- The Problems

• very poor meaning that they can't support themselves.
• very dependent on other countries.

The Solution:

• achieve proper education and allow the girls to go to school.
• This way allows them to access their brain power.

The United States- The Problems

• highest users of drugs
• mental health is low which caused the drug problems.

The Solution:

• can control the trafficking of drugs coming in and out of the country.

Cuba- The Problem

• obtains oil from Venezuela, however, Venezuela is out of oil to export.

The Solution:

• stop getting oil from Venezuela
• instead, they can get oil from the U.S since they are the number 1 country with oil.

Russia- The Problem

• one of the largest producers of oil, yet their prices are low which means that they're not getting much money to pay for all the oil.

The solution:

• can invest more agricultural products that countries are in need of right now.

The Solution Presentation Continued

Today in class, we finished the solution presentation project. We will present tomorrow. Below is the information from our power point. I feel confident. I changed the graphs on my slides.

Overview of problems in Puerto Rico

·       Hurricane Maria hit Puerto Rico in 2017 

·       caused power outages to 90% of the territory

·       loss of housing and infrastructure

·       contamination of water (44% of population were without clean water) (Pentagon)

·       AS A RESULT OF DESTRUCTION - PUERTO RICANS MIGRATED TO U.S. MAINLAND

·       Natural Disasters

·       periodic droughts ~ causes water shortages

·       hurricanes

·       soil erosion 

·       industrial pollution

  The economy is in shambles and the Economic growth has been negative for the past 11 years:the removal of tax preferences that causes U.S. firms to invest in Puerto Rico. Without those preferred taxes the U.S. stopped investing in and giving money to Puerto Rico. The oil prices, which they use to power almost all their electricity, increased as well.There was an excess of cut jobs and of emigration. Their current unemployment rate is number 146 compared to the rest of the world, and their net migration is -16 migrants/1,000 population.The overall challenge they are facing is balancing their spending on trying to restore their economy and employment while still having enough money for other necessities. 

  Solutions for Puerto Rico

  Puerto Rico is US territory; a simple solution to Puerto Rico’s economic strain due to hurricane Maria is having the US government send the necessary money to repair the damage done by it. Puerto Rico should look for less expensive means of powering their electricity. For example they could invest some money in solar and wind powered energy. This would stop their primary source of energy being powered by oil and. They also need to renegotiate with U.S. firms, and make a tax compromise that would benefit both sides. This compromise should enable them to start investing in Puerto Rico again.When Puerto Rico originally had U.S. firms invested in their country their economy was thriving so, if they get them back they should have some kind of  rise in economic growth. they should next work on developing more job opportunities. This will restore their employment rate and stop a prominent push force of immigration in their country. 

  Problems in Italy

  Structural issues in the Government stop changes in the country from being made efficiently. The problems include: labor market inefficiencies, slow judicial system, and a weak banking sector. In Switzerland a case takes 400 days to go through the three courts, but takes 1,000 days in Italy (thelocal). The public debt is 131% of its GDP. The trial in the first court level takes on average 564 days in Italy, compared to the OECD average of 240 days (thelocal). Legal case Types In Italy include salaried and hourly cases. Salaried jobs pay a fix amount, but hourly jobs pay per hour. (salaryexplorer)  

  The labor force participation of people 15-24 has decreased significantly, and is currently at a total of 34.7%. (wol.iza)

  Solutions for Italy

  They could stand by a budget for their country as to not go into more debt and slowly pay back their original debt. A solution to their slow judicial system could be passing a law that says you can only charge lawyers for a limited amount of hours worked. This encourages them to close the case quicker. Italy Becoming a green-economy creates jobs that can be filled by the youth improving their labor market inefficiencies. The new jobs would be centered around: energy efficiency, renewable energies, clean mobility, sustainable waste management system, and environmental protection.(weforum)With these improvements being done they can rebuild trust with their investors and European partners. This could lead to better trading and less debt in the future.

The Solution Project

Today in class, we worked on our solution project presentation. We are finished. Everyone had a certain job to do so that it would go quicker. Ramona and Caroline were on Puerto Rico. Lizzy and Emily were on Italy. And I was on the power point structure. I designed it so that the slides for Puerto Rico were in the Puerto Rican colors and that Italy's slides were in Italy's color. Below are the facts on our presentation that I didn't put in my last blog.

Solutions for Puerto Rico:

• Puerto Rico is a US territory; a simple solution to Puerto Rico’s economic destruction is having the US government send the necessary money to repair the damage done by Hurricane Maria
• Puerto Rico should reanalyze their budget
• Use the money to help rebuild the economy
• By rebuilding the economy, it can help pay off the debt a little faster
• (CRFB)

Solutions for Italy:

• Working on paying back all the money they have borrowed from current countries, and continue to work on making sure they pay countries back when the borrow money
• Becoming a green-economy 

• Invest in energy efficiency, renewable energies, clean mobility, sustainable waste management system, and environmental protection.(weforum)
• growth accelerated of GDP raised to 1.5%