Thoughts and reflections on: Grisly Assyrian Record of Torture and Death

Katie Taylor, world history 6                                                                               December 9, 2013

Thoughts and reflections on: Grisly Assyrian Record of Torture and Death

By:  Erkia Bleibtreu

The dominate theme of Assyrian history is conquest and gruesome murder. The pictorial representation of Assyrian exploits only showed victory. The Assyrians only showed victories and never depicted a single Assyrian getting injured.

There are several possible reasons as to why the Assyrians only depicted the victories and left out all bad things. The first being that they wanted to look powerful and showing only victories mad there empire appear to be stronger than it actually was. The second possible reason is that they wanted it to appear as if the Assyrian God was supreme and as if their god was protecting them with unfailing benevolence and showing wrath for Assyrian enemies, and the last reason is that the Assyrians wanted to scare their enemies and only documenting stories of Assyrians mutilating their enemies spread the fear of the Assyrian empire throughout the middle east causing the cities under attack to be submissive. 

Thoughts and reflections on: The Wanders Settle Down

Katie taylor, world history 6                                                                               December 3,  2013

Thoughts and reflections on: The Wanders Settle Down  

By: James Davis 

There are two main reasons why such an obscure group of nomads is worth mentioning in a history text book. The first is that their history is the story of how nomads settled down in city's becoming part of the process of civilizing and sophistication and the second reason being that the religion of these semi-nomadic people had a major influence on the religion of several billion people throughout history p and still continues to have an influence today.  

Indian sewer cleaner letter to the editor

Katie Taylor

Period 6, World History

November 21, 2013

Preface: History is a way learning of and from our predecessors. Learning of their mistakes and successes gives us a better understanding of what put man kind where we are today. It is widely known that history tends to repeat itself, unfortunately in India the caste system has been a major part of the spiritual and social beliefs of Indian society for centuries. This writing is a work of historical fiction told from the eyes of one of the untouchables meant to display why it is time to move forward in India by dissolving the caste system. 

Introduction: The caste system has been a deeply integrated part of Indian society and its most practiced religion, Hinduism, for over 3,000 years. Its a part of Indian and spiritual beliefs based on karma and reincarnation. The caste system is basically a ladder where each rung is a different caste and you move up or down in your next life based on your works in your present life. It is meant to punish people for past life's wrong deeds and rewards you if you lived your previous life well. In someways the caste system unifies India because they each have a close nit community within their own caste as a sort of "safety net" to rely on, but in many more ways than not the caste system tears India apart.

Dear Editor, I am Daya Patel and I am a member of the untouchable sewer cleaning caste in the poorest state in India, Bihar.  The caste system is a respected part of the Hindu religion and unites the people of India under our religion and provides us with a closenit community within our caste to rely on. Some people say this system is only fair and people deserve to be punished or rewarded for past works. Maybe those who think that are right, but I would like to think it is time for change in India. It is time to get rid of the caste system. At one point the castes were based on character and it was not impossible to move up to a better caste in one life time, but now the caste system is determined by birth and it is not possible to move up in the world. 

The current treatment of us untouchables is not right and the treatment of sewer cleaners like me is even worse. We are the worst of the worst in everyone's eyes. We looked down on and hated by even leather worker, who are considered lowly untouchables. Every day I wake up and put on my work clothes, caked in sweat and human waste. Then I travel through the passage made especially for untouchable to the first blockage because we are not permitted enter their houses or stores through the main door. I plunge my bare hand into the blockage to move the flow of human waste. Some people have government jobs and are provided work gloves, but I am not so lucky. I am employed by the people of my village who require my services. I keep my nails short to keep human waste from becoming stuck under them. Everyday I am exposed to large amounts of methane and hydrogen sulphide, both considered potentially fatal substances. The members of my caste including myself often suffer from conic health problems, such as eye infections, serious respiratory problems, and skin disorders due to our work conditions. There is actually a law India against human sewer workers. The law states that humans can not go into the sewer unless it is an emergancy, the problem is the sewers are so bad and the cities so crowed that there are emergencies every day. Because of my caste I am not given a fair chance in life. I will never have the opertunaties to have an education, earn better job, or get out of poverty. The caste system causes segregation and discrimination throughout India. I as an untouchable can only so olive and marry within my caste. I have never even spoken to a Brahman. Some Brahmans refuse to eat food cooked where an untouchable has eaten or brush up against an untouchable on the street, or else they have to undergo a cleansing ritual. The limitations and restrictions for the lower castes segregate the castes and makes it impossible for the India to ever be completely unified and that is why the caste system should be dissolved. 

Works Cited

 Jha, Rupa. "'My Life Cleaning Delhi's Sewers'" BBC News. BBC, 02 July 2009. Web. 21 Nov. 2013.

Blank, Jonas. "Caste." pag. Print.

Thoughts and Reflections on: The Silence of the Buddha

Katie Taylor,  World History Period 2                                                              November 17, 2013
Thoughts and Reflections On: Silence of the Buddha

              Buddha tried to find answers to many of life's questions, but remained silent towards all questions pertaining to when and how the world was created or to the idea of a creator. He viewed these types of questions as "low conversation".

He focused instead on Un-Creation, because it was pointless to waist time searching for answers to questions on the creation of the world when his main life goal was to escape this wold of suffering and reach nirvana. 

Digital Scrapbook entry #3 - Mesopotamia

http://www.theguardian.com/education/2006/nov/01/schools.wordsandlanguage

http://edsitement.neh.gov/lesson-plan/cuneiform-writing-system-ancient-mesopotamia-emergence-and-evolution#sect-thelesson

When writing first appeared on the earth around 3500 BCE in Mesopotamia, it was representational form of writing called pictographs. Pictographs originated in Sumer and were used to represent objects; for instance a picture of a cow would stand for cow. Over the years the people found that writing out a whole picture for each word was cumbersome and we impractical for any words other than nouns and their writing began to evolve.

This evolved form of writing was called cuneiform, meaning wedge shaped writing named for its wedge like shapes because of the reeds used by the scribes as writing utensils. In today's modern word our language is going through a similar transformation. With the spread of the use of cell phones came a quicker form of writings: text talk. Text talk is used to represent other groups of commonly texted words such as got to go: G2G or laughing out loud: LOL.

These short cuts have recently become part of our vernacular and many have been added to dictionary's. In fact it was recently announced that the Scottish Qualifications Authority (SQA) will be excepting text talk on written English exams, showing how much like ancient writing todays writing is still constantly changing. 

Thoughts and Reflections of The Indifference of Confucius

    

Katie Taylor, World History Period 2                                                              November 10, 2013

Thoughts and Reflections On: "The Indifference of Confucius"

The Riddle of Creations

      Confucius was a notable Chinese scholar who's lessons and believes are still remembered and sometimes used today. Confucius unlike other vagrant scholars was not seeking power, but instead simply wanted to improve the Chinese government. although he tried to earn himself a government position he ultimately failed. Despite his failure to be recognized by the Chinese government his teachings were used for over 2000 years and became a part of the traditional Chinese family beliefs. Confucius was focused towards living in the present and his believes were based on morals. He strongly believed in harmony in all aspects of life and he believed you could achieve this harmony by following the five relationships and education was also extremely important to him.

Although many follow Confucianism, it should not be mistaken as a religion because it is simply a secular set of teachings and values. In fact Confucius was not much for religion, he believed there was a creator but Confucius was indifferent toward the creation of the universe, cosmogony, metaphysics and many aspects of religion. He strongly believed people could solve problems by there ancestry and personal experiences. Confucius believed that heaven and earth became the yin yang and then the yin yang became the four seasons. 

Thoughts and Reflections on "Mother Cow"

Katie Taylor, World History 2                                                                                  October 31, 2013

Thoughts and Reflections On: "Mother Cow"
Cows, Pigs, Wars and Witches by Marvin Hams

Cows have many importances in india. They are considered to be sacred beings that are symbols for everything that is alive. In America thousands of cows are killed on a regular basis and their reason to be raised is almost always for food, but in India cows serve more important functions than being used for hamburger meat. Cow's many important uses in India helps justify the tens of thousands of cows being kept alive. Even though Indian cows produce only a fraction of the amount of milk as American dairy cows their milk is still important source of nutrients for many people. Cows additionally give birth to oxen which are farmers primary choice for plowing fields and cows eat the crops that humans would turn away, turning these useless crops into useful manure. Cow manure has a surprising importance in India because it is used not only as an excellent fertilizer and house flooring material, but also as slow burning cooking fuel in many of India's kitchens. Cows are not only important when alive but also when they die they can be used for leather and are occasionally used for meat, although that is frowned on.    

 

        Despite the fact that there are many ideas as to why cows are seen as so sacred in India, the author believes the real reason is that they supply millions of people with jobs and income and because of their many invaluable uses. 

         Unlike Indian farms, American farms do not rely on cows to serve numerous functions, instead they have taken alternative more industrial routs.  Where cows are used to plow and pull carts in India, Americans farm using machinery. Where cow manure is used for fertilizer Americans use chemicals.  The Indian way of farming clearly more environmentally friendly  because they make use of natural occurring resources like manure instead of introducing harsh chemicals and eliminate the need for pollution producing heavy machinery by using cows. In India the cows are used more efficiently because they have more uses despite the fact that Indian cows produce a fraction of the amount of milk American cows do.  

Thoughts and Reflections on The Caste by Jonas Blank

Katie taylor, world history 6                                                                               October 28, 2013

Thoughts and reflections on: Caste

By: Jonas Blank  

The caste system in India is not only apart of the Hindu religion, but also a major part of Indian society. The caste system started with the legend that human race descended from the body parts of Manu. The people who came from his mouth are the highest caste called Brahmins, those who came from his arms are Kshatriyas, the Vaishyas came from his thighs, and the Shurdras from his feet. The caste system is meant to be a sort of karma. It is a way to reward good people after they are reincarnated in there next life and a way to punish the evil people by putting them in lower caste in there next life. The caste system resembles a ladder that you can climb by being a good person in one life so that in the next you could possibly raise a caste. For many people the caste system only places limitation on there life. For the lower casts especially the lowest cast called the Harijans their caste limits, what jobs they can get, where they can go to school or if they can go to school, who they can marry and often places them in poverty with no way out. These limitations on people's lives are one reason why many people wish to get rid of the caste system entirely. Unfortunately there are several reasons why the cast system will never die. In resent years the caste system has not just been seen as a religious system for punishment and reward, but for many people in higher castes, their castes come with power, money and privilege that they don't want to lose.

This makes it so that all the people who have a say as to weather the system stays or goes are all people in high positions, that due to their caste, wouldn't want loose their power and money. The government has made it nearly impossible to get rid of the caste system by setting up quotas and aid programs for lower castes and making most civil service jobs caste specific. Many politicians cater to the desires of the lower casts in order to gain easy votes, but in the eyes of the government as along as people are kept restricted by their caste they will be many poor people dependent on government jobs. And the main reason why the caste system will never die is that the caste system is eternal no matter who acknowledges it. It is a part of Hindu religion and will stay a part of the spiritual world even if it no longer remains in the physical one.  

The caste system is a very controversial issue. Many people eventually conclude that the caste system is not necessarily a good or a bad thing because in someways it unifies India and in others is divides it. Because of the bonds in each subclan or jatis in each caste, the people in each clan take care of each other unifying the people of the India.  In other ways though the caste system separates India. For many years it was widely believed that Brahmin could not even eat food made by a Harijan or even touch one. In many ways the limitations and restrictions for the lower castes segregate the castes and makes it impossible for the India to ever be completely unified.    

Thoughts and Reflections on Ancient India

Katie Taylor, World History Period 2                                                                October 25, 2013

Thoughts and Reflections On: Ancient India

Over all there are many remarkable things about the ancient Indian civilization two of which standout in my mind, the first and possibly most important attribute was its highly developed religions: Hinduism, Buddhism, and Jainism. Religion was so important for this civilization because great deal of Indian society revolved around religion and due to the Buddhist believe of the caste system a social and economic higher archly developed. This propelled society forward and differentiated Indian civilization from its contemporaries. The second outstanding attribute of ancient Indian civilization was the city  Mohenjo-Daro.

Mohenjo-Daro was the largest cities in the world and probably one of the most advanced cities in the Indus River Valley. This city could have had a population around 40,000 people and the buildings on a grid on rectangular streets showed architectural planing.  

My Egyptian Sarcophagus

I think my sarcophagus will help me have a successful afterlife because of the symbols I put on it. The first important symbol on my sarcophagus is the scarab Beatle. In ancient Egypt the scarab represented the restoration of life, was the protector of writing and was a good luck charm to ward off evil, so it was important to be on all sarcophagi. My scarab Beatle is coming out of flames to symbolize rebirth and he is holding a scroll to symbolize it protecting writing. The second symbol I used was the eye of Horus. This symbol will give me the protection of the God Horus. Another important symbol I used was an ankh it's is the symbol of life, so it is important to have on a sarcophagus, because the afterlife is a continuation of life. The symbol of Anubis, the god of mummification and protector of the dead, is on my sarcophagus to give me the protection of Anubis on my journey to the afterlife. The fifth symbol I used was the symbol of Osiris the god of the afterlife to give me luck and the last symbol I used was the lotus to symbolize rebirth.

In Egyptian culture death was not seen as negative thing, but simply a continuation of life in another world. The Egyptians positive view on death could because of the leasers of Egyptian life and the calm and their predictable river nail. Because the Niall only flooded once a annually it made Egyptian farm life easier than many other civilizations. The annual flooding of the nail made for nutrient rich soil and never ruined crops unexpectedly.

Question 21 on The Castles of Eternity

            Before the constructions of the pyramids Egypt was made of of many smaller more segregated towns. Building the pyramids unified the country and gave the people a sense of pride and an international reputation. In modern times space travel is the equivalent of the pyramids. Space travel was a massive technological advancement that  brought the country together to strive for a common goal, which was much like the pyramids. Another example although not one about building, could be war. World war II especially unified our country as a whole and with other world powers in order to fight for a common purpose.

Thoughts and reflections on: A Light That Did Not Fail

Katie taylor, world history 6                                                                               October 8, 2013

Thoughts and reflections on: A Light That Did Not Fail 

By: E.A. Spieser 

             Mesopotamia was region that was very ethnically diverse and influenced by many different cultures. The main reason for it's diversity was the fact that the cities in Mesopotamia were constantly being taken over. Most cities during this era felt a need for conquest and this spread cultures and knowledge throughout the ancient world. When a city was taken over that city adapted to the culture of its conquer, so even after the city had gotten away from foreign rule that city would still poses remnants of that culture.  

         Today between the Tigris and Euphrates rivers there are a number of large artificial hills or mounds. These mounds come from Mesopotamians building cities on top of other fallen cities in the same location for centuries. When one city was destroyed another city would often build on top of the previous city's remnants. This was done by simply adding dirt to level out the ground and then the next inhabitants would build on top of the old city. This process created mounds, but the real question is why would they build on top of a vanquished city? The answer is simple, location. Cities would be built in a good location with plenty of water and farmable land near by, so there was no need to find a new location. Another reason to build in the same location was because the new inhabitants wanted to follow the layout of the previous city, especially the lay out of the temple in order to please the gods and gain protection. 

             The main shared features between all Mesopotamian cites were writing and laws. After writing was invented it soon spread and became a shared characteristic of all cultures. Laws were also a feature held by cities throughout Mesopotamia. The cities also shared many traditions and beliefs like their similar gods due to conquest's role in the spreading of ideas. 

Blog entry number #3 Thoughts and reflections on: The Cadillac Desert

Katie Taylor, Period 6                                                                                       September 25, 2013

Thoughts and Reflections on: The Cadilac Desert

by: Mark Reisney 

Every civilization has obstacles it must either over come or be destroyed by. Mesopotamia was in the fertile crescent meaning it was an oasis in the desert, but despite its locations there was still less than desired rain fall per year.

They able to over come this obstacle by constructing aqueducts and canals to help with irrigation. Once they had ways to store water they were able to grow more crops. One of Mesopotamia's other main obstacle was lack of metals, but this civilization over came this by trading. Due to irrigation it produced more than enough food for it self, so it had plenty to trade. It had such an abundance of food they were able to trade great quantities of it for valuable metals. Mesopotamia also had the problem of having there water have such a high salinity, but this did not limit the people.To get around the effects of the water's high salinity they grew more barley instead of relying on wheat, because barley was a more salt-tolerant crop. Barley was not effected by the salinity of the water, so it grew well and the salinity of the water was no longer as big of a limitation. As you can see Mesopotamia's environment presented many obstacles, but it was able to get around those environmental limitations and was a great civilization of the ancient times.   

Digital Scrapbook entry #2 -Agrarian Era

http://edition.cnn.com/2012/12/09/business/eco-singapore-vertical-farm/index.html

http://www.softschools.com/facts/wonders_of_the_world/hanging_gardens_of_babylon_facts/67/

In the agrarian era sometime around the 600 BC king Nebakanezer II is said to have built a spectacular hanging garden for his wife. Although no archeological evidence is left of these gardens they are believed to have existed due to many written accounts. Some say that the gardens were as high as 75 feet, 400 feet wide by 400 feet long and that the walls were more than 80 feet high.

It is said that the plants hung from many terraces creating a breath taking hanging garden that might be difficult to recreate even today. 

In today's modern world a group of environmental scientists are trying to creat something every similar to Nebaknezer's hanging gardens in the U.S. and have already succeeded in Singapore. They have developed sky farms.

These sky farms work by placing the plants on small terraces above one another inside or outside a skyscraper, creating a vertical farm that uses little land for the goods it produces. There are many designees for these sky farms. Some farms will be soil free hydroponic farms and others like the ones currently in Singapore will be simply soil beds placed on rotating terraces. Scientists in the U.S. are currently waiting for funding, but have designed a sky farm built in a 30 story skyscraper. In the hanging gardens of Babylon nothing as fancy as rotating terraces were used, but they did have a system for making sure the plants all received plenty of sunlight. In the hanging gardens the terraces were not stacked, but arranged on different levels of the ziggurat, similar to one current sky farm design. Sky farms, although obviously more advanced, follow the same idea as the hanging gardens of Babylon giving precent day farmers and interesting link to ancient history of the agrarian era. 

Hunter-gatherer blog post 1

In the hunter-gatherer era, unfortunately a great deal of food went to waste. Groups of hunters would stalk herds of bison and maneuver them toward cliffs. Then the hunters would cause stampedes driving the bison off the cliff and to their gruesome deaths. Hunters stationed below the cliffs would kill any bison who survived the fall. The mass slaughter of entire herds of bison left far more meat than the hunter-gatherers could possibly use, so they took what they could and left the remaining meat to rot or possibly for some scavenging animal to find. The hunter-gatherers were clearly very wasteful killing far more bison than they could use, but sadly this is not unlike modern times. Today in the U.S. alone it is thought that approximately 30-40% of all food goes to waste.

People today, not unlike people of the hunter-gatherer era, are wasteful. All throughout human history, including present times, people have greedily taken more than they could eat. Today the U.S. department of agriculture is striving to change that, but old habits die hard. For thousands of years people have killed more than they could eat and thought nothing of it and sadly this way of thinking is still around today. Perhaps this wasteful way of thinking is a predetermined mind set of humans through out history, but hopfuly this mind set will be somthing we can rid ourselfs of in the near future.