This should be fun...

                Today in Western Civilization we continued working on our projects. Granted, I’m mostly going to be working on my project over the weekend, but I took time today to actually put the pictures into the video. Making stop motion videos are very time consuming, and as I’ve said before, making seven LEGO figures run when they are very close together is very hard. Even so, the product wasn’t too bad so I guess I’ll just keep going. First you have to change your picture speed to 0.10 frames per second. I did adjust some of them because they were so fast and so they made sense, and I also made pictures with text four seconds long so you could read it. I’ve also taken some songs from YouTube with a YouTube to mp3 website, so I now also have music for the video which I added today. The editing process was surprisingly short, and I did manage to finish editing all of the photos for Scene one of the movie. Afterwards, I went on the Internet to look up some game trailers that literally released while I was in class, as I didn’t have anything to do with my project afterwards.

WE DIDN'T DO MOMENT OF ZEN TODAY!!!

                Today in Western Civilization we received our tests from the Greek section and worked on our projects. I only got one question wrong (so close to two bells) but it was a kind of a trick question so I wasn’t too worried about it. After we went over the answers to the questions (by the way I just now realized we didn’t do a moment of Zen today and my Yin and Yang are totally thrown off) we got about twenty-five minutes to work on our projects. As you already know, I finished my script yesterday. This class I gathered and searched for different digital materials, mostly music, for my video. Unfortunately, the school blocks any attempts at downloading things from the Internet so I couldn’t download mp3 versions of YouTube videos, so I’ll have to do that when I get home. I also started inputting files into my Windows Movie Maker program, but they’re just pictures and title screens.

Go go go go go go go, run away from the sharknado.....

                Today in Western Civilization Mr. Schick wasn’t there (crying on the inside). Since today was senior retreat, Mr. Schick was going. Not sure how the process to be chosen works, but I hope you had fun. Mr. Fendryk subbed for us, (I hope I spelled that right) and he seemed pretty cool. I worked on my script for the video, and started back up at the battle of Thermopylae. If the ‘sweaty gym rats’ from 300 survived in the movie, I guess it was even less historically accurate than I thought. According to Britannica, the Spartan leader Leonidas dispatched the Greeks to the south and stayed with his troops and another group called the Thespians. The Persians then swarmed them and most of them died, including Leonidas. I did finish scripting, and although this is going to be a stop motion film, I’m probably going to do some parts of it in miniatures, which means the detailing is going to consist of the Greeks looking like a blob of white bricks or something. You said 3 minutes of animation quality would be good, but this is probably going to take a much longer time than that, simply because of all the combat engagements and stop start text inputs I’m going to have to explain some things. After finishing the script I found some other things that I would need (like the Sharknado theme, don’t ask, you’ll find out later).

Julius Caesar in LEGOS?

                Today in Western Civilization we worked on our projects. I am doing a stop-motion on the Greco-Persian Wars with my LEGOS. Before filming for time efficiency I’m going to script my movie. So, in the time I had to work on my project I scripted all the way up to the battle of Thermopylae (or 300.2). For my source reference points, I used your PowerPoint and the battles listed, as well as the list of weaponry and strengths of the two armies. It is kind of interesting to try and write a script that is interesting and informative. The hardest part of this is making the information easy to understand without involving too much reading or any at all. I also think it’s going to take excessive amounts of time to snap pictures and build sets for this, but I’ve figured out that you can make miniatures of what you’re filming and put minor amounts of detail into them but still get the point across.

I'm feeling sick (about this test), but not as sick as Mr. Schick.

                Today in Western Civilization we took our test on the Greece unit. Before the period, I looked over my notes, and was a little uneasy because of the amount of information that was there. However, when I got the test I was pleasantly surprised. I never do good on anything to do with geography, but I think I actually got all of those questions right. Some of it was a little bit of guesswork (I didn’t have Solon in my notes for some reason) but I think I at least capped the eighty-nine-point score. The only question I really had with was the Homeric question, because I didn’t remember if Homer asked questions or not to people. However, I just took it as whether I believed he is real, and instead of giving an actual opinion I totally avoided the question altogether. After the test, I researched the Homeric question, and it turned out it was the question of the identity of Homer, so I guess I got that one right. Mr. Schick what sickness did you contract this week? I’ve never heard you cough so much during a class period.

Test tomorrow.... what annoying but exciting music to play?

                Today in Western Civilization we watched a video to help us review for tomorrow’s test. This video covered most of the points that we covered, but from a different view and with more information and depth. The video started out explaining the different places in Greece and some of its topography. This video also focused on Cleisthenes repeatedly. It discussed how the legend (or real happening) of the marathon led to a real marathon, twenty-two point six miles, and how Greek heroes played an important role in society. This video went into deeper detail about the Olympics, where anyone could compete (but only if you were a Grecian male). This video also showed some Greek art, focusing on the ‘vas’. This really is a vase, but slightly sturdier and bigger than most of our vases, so I’m not sure why people give them a special name like ‘vas’. The video talked about the rule of the man who claimed power by saying he was being supported by Athena on Earth, and then Hippias’s rule. After this the video talked about the power struggle between Cleisthenes and Isagoras, in which the people overthrew their government (508 BCE, I remembered Mr. Schick).

Philosopherpalooza with MatPat

                Today in Western Civilization we finished our PowerPoint on Greece. Starting off with a bang (not literally, gunpowder hadn’t been discovered yet, but possibly Greek fire) we have the Persian Empire V.S. the Greeks in the Greco-Persian Wars. First, the Greeks. The Greeks had iron weapons, well trained hoplites (like specialists or Navy SEALs), spears, swords, and shields, the phalanx, the will to preserve democracy (the Persians weren’t one), a home turf advantage, and lastly an unconquerable navy. The Persians had the world’s first archers (a high tactical advantage), cavalry, light infantry, and most importantly, numbers. However, the Persians were far from home, and to top it off the men working in the army were mostly or all mercenaries. Money can be a powerful motivator, but not as much as trust in government. The Greeks eventually won, due to a multitude of odd reasons. After this we began our last section on the philosophers of Greece, also known as Philosopherpalooza. First, Socrates. He used science and logic, and created the Socratic Method. However, as we previously talked about, he died before his time due to a death sentence from an Athenian trial. One of Aristotle’s students/followers, Plato, wrote out Aristotle’s teaching and described his trial in the book Apology. Plato also wrote a famous book called Republic which was about Socrates discussion of justice and the ideal state. One of Plato’s students, Aristotle (my favorite) wanted Athens to be an intellectual destination. He then created the Lyceum, where ideas and knowledge could be shared peacefully with others. Aristotle tutored Alexander the Great (who went on to conquer many lands) and to some extent began the idea of the Internet with the Lyceum. But, as my favorite Internet YouTuber says, “That’s just a theory. A GAME theory! Thanks for watching.”

Greek Fire!

                Today in Western Civilization we continued our PowerPoint on Greece. First, we finished the list of Greek gods, which was just Demeter. Then we moved on to Sparta. Greeks were known for being warlike, however Spartans were known the most for it. The Spartans had the greatest infantry in the known world, and they began training their boys at age seven. I’ve also heard that the Spartans were extremely strict in their regime, and would even starve their children for long periods to teach them lessons and how to live off the land. Meanwhile, Athens also had a good infantry. However, Athens is even better known for their navy. Athens’s navy was the strongest in the world, similar to Britain. Their strongest ship was the trireme, which had three levels and one-hundred seventy oars. The crewmen were so well trained these ships could turn on a dime and were extremely fast. The ships were also designed with steel caps on their bows to smash or tip ships when they rammed them. The last slide we reviewed had a picture of a phalanx, which is a tactical formation which was used to tear through enemy lines at close range. For some reason, I think phalanx means porcupine or is related to it in some way, but that may be because that’s what it looks like. I also looked up 300 on Google images and it looks like a horrible movie. However, I still think the movie Explorers was worse as it had no storyline (Unless you watched the sequel, and even then I’m not sure).

SNOW DAYS- Coming to a theater near you (or on Mr. Schick's driveway)

                Today in Western Civilization we continued our PowerPoint on Ancient Greece. We had left off on the slide about Cleisthenes. Cleisthenes came from an elite and rich family, and when he was younger from the ‘hoi polloi’ or the lower class. Cleisthenes was a good ruler, but crafty. Despite being insulated from the hoi polloi Cleisthenes saw value in drawing off of the ideas, talents, and energies of the general public. So, Cleisthenes started a new government that was a democracy, in which citizens of Athens could participate in. Keep in mind though, being a citizen meant you were a white male born in Athens who owned land and was free. After several years Athens practiced direct democracy, where the city-state was ruled by citizens and majority rules decided all arguments in politics. This is where the agora style debates come from, where people would come up and present their ideas to the population and when all was said that needed to be said there would be a vote. These votes were taken extremely seriously and not showing up would result in possible rejection of most of society, as almost everyone attended. Votes were counted by each person putting a black or white officially inscribed stone into an urn, and afterwards they were counted. This was the first true democracy, and was made around five hundred BCE. There were a couple of slides afterwards on Greek gods, but I’ve learned those in school multiple times in depth as well as read books on my own time about them, so I didn’t copy these down.

We get Friday off. WHOOT WHOOT!

Yesterday in Western Civilization we continued our PowerPoint on Ancient Greece. We got into the section on warring city-states. First, some vocabulary. Polis; meaning city-state or political unit, monarchy; meaning a government with one ruler, aristocracy; a government ruled by the rich, oligarchy; the rich who didn’t like aristocracy and tried to overthrow it with the help of military hoplites, a tyrant; a person who seized power through the common people’s support. During the sixth and seventh centuries, Greece was ruled by aristocrats, who while making political decisions together basically had an endless party called a symposium. There was entertainment, drink and food, and no middle class. This government was self-appointed, and occasionally would exclude or ostracize one another when someone was not in favor. Excluded aristocrats sometimes formed an oligarchy, and tried to overthrow the current aristocrats or take control of a different city-state. Draco, who ruled in 621 BCE, made the first steps toward democracy. All Athenians were declared equal under the law; however, death was the punishment for most crimes and debt slavery was allowed. Solon reformed some laws in 594 BCE by making debt slavery outlawed, made it so all castes of Athenians could speak at an assembly, and that any citizen could press charges against wrongdoers. Cleisthenes in 500 BCE allowed citizens to submit laws for debate at the assembly, and started the Council of five-hundred. However, only free adult males who owned land and were native to Greece could join. Hippias, who lived from 527-510 BCE was an okay leader at first, but then his brother was murdered and his ruling became harsh and cruel. Anyone who he thought took part in the murder was killed, along with their families. He was eventually ostracized, but in revenge teamed up with a Persian king named Darius I to take over Marathon. Isagoras and Cleisthenes in the meantime are in a power struggle for who will be ruler of Athens. Cleisthenes had major support from the lower class, and surprisingly Sparta. Isagoras wins and becomes archon emponymous and ostracizes Cleisthenes. However, Cleisthenes supporters in Athens revolt against Isagoras. Isagoras is trapped on the acropolis for two days, and on the third day he leaves and is banished. This happened in 508 BCE, and was the first time the common people overthrew a government.

AND HIS NAME IS JOHN CENAAAAAA!!! (John visited class today)

`               Today in Western Civilization we continued our PowerPoint on Ancient Greece. Our moment of Zen today was provided by Robin Williams. Afterwards we started the PowerPoint, and we had left off on the slide about farming. Although one-fourth of Greece was covered in fertile land, only twenty percent is arable (I didn’t really understand this, but I guess land can have high amounts of minerals but still be unfarmable). Greeks may have not done many things, but what they did they were good at. A Grecian daily diet consisted of grapes, grains, and olives. The Greeks were quite innovative and figured out how to make these basic materials produce many different items. For instance, olive oil or wine (No, they didn’t blend it into a smoothie). However, due to lack of resources, the Greeks economy was built on a large amount trading. The Greeks farming capability was greatly boosted by the climate, which ranged in the low eighty’s and the mid-forty’s. We then switched over to a section of Greece, the Mycenaeans. Their influence was around 2000 BCE. Mycenae was located on a rocky ledge of Peloponnesus, and their town was surrounded by a twenty-foot wall. They dominated Greece from 1600-1100 BCE, and controlled most trade in their area. In 1400 BCE they invaded Crete and absorbed the Minoan culture instead of destroying it. In 1200 BCE, a mysterious group of people invaded and ravaged Mycenae, only known as the ‘sea people’ who burned palaces and other buildings. Another group, called the Dorians, moved in and took over Mycenae, and they ruled from about 1150-750 BCE. The Dorians were less advanced, and this time is considered the Dark Ages of Greece. In this time, culture declined, writing totally disappeared for four-hundred years, and the trade based economy totally collapsed. Meanwhile, the mythical man known as Homer emerged. Using oral tradition, Homer spread stories of the Trojan War, known as the Iliad and The Odyssey. These stories are very long and hard to memorize, but Homer told them in dactylic hexameter, which made them sort of like a song and easier to memorize. Homer was legendary in his days, gaining the immediate and total respect of any Grecian who met him, and his legend lives on today through his works, which have been remade in different formats (Looking at you Rick Riordan). However, some doubt Homer’s existence as he may have been a myth himself, as were parts of his stories, and he may have been a combination of years of storytelling.

Mesopotamiaaaaaa!!!

                Today in Western Civilization we started our PowerPoint on Ancient Greece. We are studying Greece because it was the first democracy of all time. According to the PowerPoint, all the first prosperous civilizations were waterfront property. Here are the main five: Egypt and the Nile, India and the Indus, China and the Huang He, and lastly, Greece and the four gigantic oceans/seas (Mediterranean, Ionian, Aegean, and Adriatic) surrounding it. In the middle of the Mediterranean Sea (the roots med meaning middle, and terra meaning earth, to form middle of the Earth) is the island of Crete, the biggest island of approximately 2000 islands surrounding Greece in the Ionian and the Aegean Sea. Greece is a peninsula, and juts out into the middle of the Mediterranean. Fortunately for Greece, they were extremely good boat builders. However, Greece was a very mountainous region (mountains took up three-fourths of the country) and the people of Greece weren’t that unified as the mountains separated them. Different Greece city-states even had wars with each other. As the mountains divided them travel over land was difficult, so most people in Greece traveled by boat even if the distance was longer. Lacked resources and wasn’t self-sufficient, so they resorted to trading over water. Greece also was filled with tradesmen who knew one skill or another, and used these skills. Greece was a large was one of the largest empires of its time.

My thought process is flawed

                Today in Western Civilization we went over our test on the Articles of Confederation and the Bill of Rights. Surprisingly, I got a ninety-two (Hurray!). I was left wondering where I got those three extra credit points that boosted me from an eighty-nine to a ninety-two, but I got the grade so it doesn’t matter (Yes, I see what you did there, just making a joke). In the advisory period before there were a couple kids talking about a car accident that happened and even had pictures of it (which I didn’t see). I heard somehow that the person was named John, and at first I was really worried because I thought I knew the person. It’s actually kind of funny how people tend to be more worried about something when they think they know the person even though they’re both people. As we were going through the test and I was reading a short answer question, the announcements came on. We were told to immediately go to different sections of the building based on what grade we were in, and when we got there we were given more information on the car crash. I didn’t know who the person was, and it turns out it was a person named Josh and not John. I was extremely relieved to hear that the person was alive and was getting medical treatment. Afterwards, we finished going through the test and I did my blog.