Dominos

The scientific revolution reminds me of the game of dominos, after one thing is discovered it paves the way for the next.  What is quite startling is how little we still to this day know about the surrounding area we live within, the solar system, even the extent of our own seas.  It is exciting to read about the scientific revolution and the journey it has lead us on even today.  As I read about Copernicus leading to Newton etc... it is amazing how these brilliant minds have paved the way for us to realize the world as we do now.  Still we have quite a bit of work to do, but extremely interesting regardless.

Fascination

I have always been fascinated with the path that Galileo took.  He was a man who revolutionized the way we view our position in space, and the consequences of this finding.  Also to add to the incredible feat that he set out and accomplished was his limited tools from todays standard.  With a little math, and extremely close attention to detail he was able to discover that the earth was rotating based on the positions of the stars, furthermore he was able to understand that the sun was set in a fixed location (we now know it as moving around the galaxy) and the earth was rotating around the sun.  Along with how amazing this all has become and the implications of his discovery, was his ability to get the word out to other people.  When there has been a discovery, it is interesting how relatively quickly a discovery spreads from one country to another.  Galileo having essentially to apologize for his discovery is a sad event in my mind.  It is my hope that we as a human race can strive to seek scientific discovery without the fear of mass rejection.  Of course that discovery must have proofs, but it is important to allow new findings shape and mold our future.

A different approach

In the essay entitled Poor Law there is a much different approach to looking at the poor.  When I come across a beggar in modern society I find much of myself sympathizing with this individual.  In fact I think most people would feel the same that I feel.  In this article they portray beggars as a lineage of harmful citizens.  These people are feeding of of the commonwealth ruining the economy by asking for something for doing nothing.  Today I see this act of begging as one of desperation, not of some act of choice.  Although there is much choice to be had in the act of begging even today, most beggars I would imagine are trying to get off of the streets begging as soon as possible.  This article addresses that these beggars in this day of age are making a complete living off of the trade, teaching their children the same craft.  The times may not be as different as I am thinking, perhaps this still is the way it is, however, still I will have empathy regardless it is a tough situation to put people in whether it is a form of living or not.  There is something to be said for their willingness to be exposed to the fact that they have nothing and there is no hope but to ask others for assistance, perfect strangers at that.

Civil War in England

I found an interesting parallel between our civil war in America and the civil war that occurred in England from 1642-1649.  One of the main parallels that I could derive was the fierceness of people to protect their way of life.  Many of these battles were over what the people thought to be moral grounds.  As these individuals went to war they were destroying their own civilizations, devastating their own people.  Yet because it was so tough for them to come to a compromise on how to properly run and control their governing body (members of parliament, and the King) war inevitably erupts.  In America one of the key factors for the South was to hold onto their way of living.  Large plantations fueled by black slaves.  England suffered a very similar threat on moral obligation.  As the North began to push back on the South, southerners realized this to be a direct threat on their economy, and way of life.  As there is much more detail in both the English civil war, and the American civil war, one main similarity I found was how we are not too different from our cousins across the pond. 

Wikipedia assignment #3

Article length: 8586 words

Search Term: Martin Luther; Article Title: Martin Luther

Disambiguation Link: There is Martin Luther references as diplomat, musician, 1953 film, and resources, also linked is Martin Luther King

Discussion Link:  Under the discussion link for Martin Luther there are suggestions of what people would like to see included within the wiki article.  There is discussion about the legitimacy of certain issues, such as historical findings, figures etc.

History of Page: there have been 567 revisions, the last revision was on 22 Novermber 2008, the first revision was on 3 December 2001.

External Links: 11

References: 127

Further Readings: 18

This article highlights the life of Martin Luther the founder for the Lutheran church.  Martin Luther was a noted christian theologies who translated the bible for common people to read.  He shook the foundation of the modern church of his day by allowing those who typically did not have the opportunity to read the Bible the ability to read this profound book.

Schleitheim Confession

It is interesting how many separations there have been since the early formation of the church.  We have read a little bit about the prominence of the Catholic church, but now as the Calvinists, and the lutherans emerge there are more divisions rising amongst the church.  As differing views on the same text begin to rise, the words are not just simple words, but something to live and die for.  Because of the importance of the message to the nations of Europe, and the affiliation of their leadership to a certain religious affinity there is a lot of hostility towards groups who do not agree upon particular issues.  In the Anabaptist article they go into depth on certain critical issues to the church and their interpretation of the scripture.  One example being the practice of infant baptism.  As these questions become more hotly debated in this time, issues such as these begin to create a wedge between various sects of the church as we see within the 30 year war this type of conflict can easily get mixed with a political power, their quest for dominance, and their views on the Bible.

A Reforming Belief

Through the reformation it was interesting to see how many variables existed within debatable texts of Bible scripture.  It seems to me that when something was unclear people would simply insert their own opinions including that of the Pope.  This of course was quite dangerous due to the legitimacy of the Pope and how many people his views effected.  Even though there were quite a few disagreements there still was consistency in the text itself.  The Bible can be vague on certain pieces of scripture, however, that was most likely the intent.  For example when it is said render to Caesar that which is Caesars and to the Lord that which is the Lords.  This was referring to the question of taxes, and the validity of taxes.  Jesus did not state on all issues what is Caesars (government) and on all issues what is the Lord's so there is some variance in opinion.  One of the key points I derived from this section was the importance of the reformation and how crucial it has been even in our day that each person is able to read the Bible for themselves.  There is not an overruling power dominating the way scripture must be read, after all if that was only left up to the Pope some of the truth of the text would not arise.  The value and beauty of the Bible from a literacy stand point is how problems of text inevitably arise, but by talking about it the text comes to life just as much as it did to the first church.

The Quest for Knowledge

I was very interested in the 12th Century lecture regarding Europe's sudden increase for the quest of knowledge.  This pursuit is something which I find to have changed the tide of the world as I see today.  While religion was commonly practiced and created certain guidelines for citizens to live by there were now constructs for individuals to be upwardly mobile.  As peasants of the past now had new opportunities to increase in public, and political position this helps the stimulation for a freer economy.  This I see as being one of the glimpses of past history that truly was a spark to modern day thinking.  Here and now we have the luxury to become upwardly mobile through ambition, hard work, determination, and a little luck; however, then, in the 12th century men and especially women had a difficult task of trying to build in stature.  People seemed to be quite stuck in their shoes indefinitely.  This sudden spark of leaders, who listen, and act based on the voice of their people reminds me of the breath of fresh air every once in a blue moon in common day when governing bodies actually do as the people wish, or when good companies are founded based on the building blocks of listening to the people.  12th century is the century of beauty in my eyes, for it spawned the fundamentals for a successful future.

Wikipedia Assignment #2

1. Word Count: 8542 words

2. Search Term: Gregorian Chant.  Exact article: Gregorian Chant

3. Disambiguation link: The disambiguation link helps searchers to resolve conflicts in article titles occurring when there may be more than one link relating to the search criterium.

4. There are comments surrounding what people have either added or subtracted from the content of the wiki search.  There is also boards to post messages to other individuals pertaining to that particular topic.

5. How many edits: There have been 243 edits to the page Gregorian Chant, the first change was on 12 March 2005, last change was on 15 September 2008.

6. Total external links equal 11 currently.

7. References: Equal 23 currently

8. 2 entries under Further Reading.

This article covers the history of Gregorian chant, from its Roman Catholic upbringing.  Gregorian Chant was used as a form of somber song during church service for Catholic churches.  The article discusses the progression of the art from where it began to where it is today in current day music listening.  The article also goes over more of the fine details surrounding the Musical form itself, Performance of the art, Liturgical functions, and Influence.

Humble Beginnings

It is fascinating to begin to understand where farming and agriculture started to sprout into the sophisticated ordeal that it is today.  As the progress for farming begins to happen I am sure this spurs on new innovative ideas, which allow for people to start thinking outside of day to day operations.  Once their minds were capable of thinking of things outside of simple survival, the tools they used help to push them forward into the future.  As we see farming today very little mom & pop farms exist.  On a large level farming has been completely industrialized with the use of tools.  An aspect of these early Medieval villages I liked was the openness, and the sustainability of each village.  Life must have been tough, but at least they fed themselves, and others via taxes, and tithes.  Early Medieval Villages, although small and quite humble, seemed as though they would be very relaxing places to live.  Sounds as if the villages thrived on a close knit community of people working together to create crop to the best of their ability, I like that idea.  Perhaps not in the form of a farm but certain aspects do stand out.  Openness, sustainability, community, assistance, and a sense of purpose.  I believe this was quite a decent formula for good communities.

Conflict on the Horizon

The development of the Papacy was very interesting.  One of the characters I did enjoy to learn about was Pope Gregory, his passion to see Rome through difficult times was quite inspiring.  Gregory not only was a spiritual leader, but utilized his skills as a man to turn around the whole city, and even parts of Italy.  I thought it was amazing how little some of the Popes did with their vast amount of power over the spirituality of human lives.  They were in a position to help people, however many of them became corrupt, and abused this power.  I can only imagine how difficult it would be to be in charge of a city during such a fickle time, yet Pope Gregory amongst all of the hardship was able to unify the city, and create a sense of accomplishment once again for the Roman people.  Also of note is Gregory's passion for music.  Listening to Gregorian chant can be very relaxing, it is neat to know the origin of this style of music.  As the Pope's power was growing, it is only a matter of time before two great powers the Pope, and the King of the country but heads.

The Tides are Changing

Although Rome was able to hold its ground for a while, eventually it was unable to hold onto the reigns of a new uprising.  As barbarians from the North shifted into Rome, and Rome proper the way of living for most Romans continued to be established as is.  It was only a matter of time however that the changing times take an effect on the way Romans lived their lives.  I thought it to be intriguing how Rome did not fall over night but slowly chunks of it fell away until finally nothing was left but the history of a time when Roman rule took charge over the vast majority of Europe.  The interesting things I found within the posting Medieval Europe was the note that Rome primarily was ran in such a way that each small city state ran itself governmentally.  Because the separation was developed, it almost seems like many Roman citizens did not suffer a war per say, simply a slow take over of power.

The Sport of it All

Similar to American culture and lifestyle the Romans enjoyed a bit of sport now and again.  I found it intriguing how much after 2000 years we still have in common with the Romans.  As they began to develop larger metropolitan areas, in particular Rome, there were games and festivities for everyone to enjoy.  I cant help but think if the movie The Gladiator and how that effected me so much.  I would like to say that the sports we have on television today are so much more wholesome then what the Romans were exposed to.  The truth is that every time I watch football, soccer, heck even NASCAR (does not happen that often) I am waiting for the next BIG play or perhaps the next BIG hit.  There are some sports that obviously are riskier then others, but one trend that is up and coming is Ultimate Fighting.  This of course is where two individuals head to head punch, kick, scratch, claw... okay maybe not scratch and claw, but still, seeing the resemblance?  I am sure the Romans began to be desensitized by bear on bear so they added bear on lion, then lion-bear on human.  I know this is a bit of a rant, but what always struck me as being so odd about The Gladiator is how people could let something like that happen.  Does it still happen, not in America, but who knows perhaps in other parts of the world this type of conduct still exists.  We have more in common with the Romans as people then I thought, and the article 'A Brief Social History of the Roman Empire' seems to be all the case and point for it.

The Slip

Hannibal intrigues me as a historical figure.  As he is defending his Country land of Carthage, he also builds an outstanding name for himself.  It truly was amazing the amount he was able to outwit the Romans with relative ease.  It does seem though that the Romans learned slowly to new tricks; however, over time they learned and adapted forging themselves into a power that shaped the rest of the world.  What intrigues me most of the whole story of Hannibal, is the drama that comes with the death of his brother Hasdrubal.  The deep family ties that are inevitably destroyed by the might of Roman rule were the cause of much grief to the Romans for a lengthy period of time.  Hannibal seems to me almost a Robin Hood type of character in an odd sorts.  As Rome grew larger, and Carthage began to be threatened, Hannibal consistently outwitted the Romans, what a sly fellow.  Amazing also how successfully he AND his brother were able to get large elephants across the river, outstanding work!

This article entitled 'Culture of Greece', is an article which helps to develop a greater idea of what Greece has to offer as a current sovereign country.  Also this wikipedia article gives a brief history of Greece and the cultural significance of the country.  The article helps in understanding the religious ideologies, the attitudes of older greek civilians, as well as current Greece residents.  Also included in this article are contributions by Greece to cinema, language, and art.

1.  The article consists of 6439 words.

2.  The search term used was 'Greek Culture', the article title was 'Culture of Greece'

3.  The disambiguation link helps searchers to resolve conflicts in article titles occurring when there may be more than one link relating to the search criterium. 

4.  Within the discussion link individuals who contribute to the wikipedia searches content add comments and pose questions to discuss amongst other wikipedia users.

5.  There were 135 edits total on this article; the last edit was on the 2nd of september 2008, while the first edit was on the 1st of September 2004.

6.  Total external links provided equal 6 currently.

7.  No references seem to be given in this article.

8.  Under the heading 'see also' there are 15 links, however no link exists titled further reading.

Overall this article gives the reader a good grasp of the Greece we would see today, and how it got there through it's historical context; however, I would have to say that the validity of this page is questionable due to the lack of external links, and references to in which add viscosity to the article.  I would recommend this sight to get a high level look at what Greece has to offer, but not for a Greek history lesson.

Meager beginnings... Sort of

I thought it to be interesting how Rome begun.  Starting as a tribal group, minimal in influence, and population.  As Rome grew the Etruscans to their north began to feel threatened, however, as time showed it was Roman destiny to take over.  As a significant role was placed on the male, Roman rule was given in the form of a monarch, with checks and balances.  I see a similarity in how our current government has taken underpinnings of Roman government structure in order to form democracy.  For example the monarch ruled side by side with a senate to whom swore loyalty to the emperor.  With the diversification of power, Rome could rule effectively, and at times efficiently.  The main problem I do see in the humble beginnings of Rome however, is that the tribal mentality did not go away, it simply got more complicated.  With the distribution of wealth in the hands of only two people groups, the patricians and the plebeians, I see that Rome still only rewarded the wealthy.

An Inward Battle

As the Greeks finally semi-defeated the Persians, their war machine begins to turn on itself, in the form of the Peloponnesian War.  One of the fascinating things about the Greeks is how similar, yet different they are simply due to the miscommunication between them.  In reading the article on the war between the Greek states, personally I think too much of modern Greece, as it is now unified under one flag.  Of course this was not the case, they were just as much at odds with one another as in our own civil war, the north was against the south.  They did not see eye to eye at all on how to run a civilization.  Nor did they care about the prosperity of the local economies, and the out reaching effect that may have on their own states.  This dog eat dog mentality comes to mind when I read about the Peloponnesian war, especially when Alcibiades takes the charge to the Athenian war effort.  On the verge of a great battle, Alcibiades is taken under custody only to rat out the Athenians true plan to the Spartans, who originally put themselves in this position due to their half-hearted foreign policy efforts, which lead to Athens becoming the super power it was to begin with.  As many twists and turns that there were in this battle, it seems to me that all of this could have been resolved with a little communication amongst leaders of the Greek territories.

Political Unrest in the Athenian Origins of Direct Democracy

As Sparta began to hone in on a particular type of government, one of military might, pride, and glory, the giants up north truly began what Democracy is all about.  Due to the large population, Athens had to develop some governmental method to deal with its people.  One of the major differences between Sparta and Athens comes in the midst of a food crisis.  Canceling all debts owed by land owners, and announcing the freedom of slaves, Solon in his reign, started what Sparta could not.  Allowing slaves the new freedom to build a life for themselves, assisted in what was the building block of Greek Democracy.  Solon also allowed for new Greeks, and historically poor Greeks (men only) to work up political and economic might. Unfortunately as politics always unfolds, someone else is standing off stage waiting for their chance to mold the world to their own liking.  Pisistratus seizes Athens, however, in doing this encourages trade and industry, or greater opportunity to share goods amongst the larger populous.  As history unfolds within this article, a greater grasp of different leadership styles, and how these leaders contribute to the making of Democracy.  Finally under Pericles equality came, and the choice for governmental position was based rightly on merit and efficiency and not wealth.  Each leader comes with his own idea, and how government ought to be ran, however, as I see it the times of Athenian prosperity happened most when its citizens were involved in the political process, and were given a voice.