Gabriel o Pensador

Gabriel o Pensador is a famous rapper from Brazil. He was born in 4 of March of 1974 in Rio de Janeiro. His name Gabriel “O Pensador” means Gabriel “The Thinker”. His real name was Gabriel Contino but he has taken this name because each of his songs reflects on social themes. His career started in November 1992 when his first song was released Tô Feliz (Matei o Presidente) which translates in English to: I’m Happy (I killed the President). This song became very popular and many records were sold. Gabriel wrote this song because he expressing his opposition to the corruption of the government of Fernando Collor de Mello who was Brazil’s President at that time.

Gabriel wrote many popular songs and I chose for this assignment the song “Estudo Errado” which translates to English as: “Wrong Study”. The video featured in my blog has been represented by students of a school in Brazil but the music in the background is “Estudo Errado”. I personally enjoy this video because the movements and the actions these represent match the lyrics of the song. The lyrics describe students which dislike school but their parents force them to learn so they can obtain a good education that will help them in the future. His “raps” have catchy beats and can often be used to dance.

I chose this “Rapper” because his songs represent the difficulties the world is facing. According to his biography Gabriel writes whatever enters his mind and then condenses these ideas into a song. We also share many of life perspectives such as: enjoying life, learning and becoming an influence in others people life.

The music which best coincides with my personal taste is Pop and Rap because their not too loud and fast as Rock music but also they are not slow as Classical music. Nowadays, I don’t have a lot of time to listen to music; I am usually working on my school projects and homework.

S.E.Hinton - The Outsiders

About the book

S. E. Hinton started writing the outsiders when she was in 6th grade; it was the third book she wrote. One of the ideas she used for her book came from when a group of Socials at the place she lived beat a greaser after he came out from the movie theater. The greasers were a group of people in the city she inhabited but they didn’t have as much social and financial conditions as the Socials which were a group of people that were rich. Another idea for the book came from when one greaser in her class that had a kind of hair that suited him dyed his hair blonde. The character of the story she refers to as the one she could be is: Ponyboy.

About the author

S. E. Hinton proved to be a fighter despite the influences felt in her childhood when she lived in a neighborhood of low income and did not let those conditions determine her future. The book “The Outsiders” was written when she was a 6th grader. She always appreciated when other people showed interest and fascination about this book and wrote her letters letting her know that her manuscript had somehow influenced them to become booklovers and to strive to become someone in life.

US Coast Guard to overhaul rescue boats!!!

US Coast Guard to overhaul rescue boats!!!

The US Coast Guard was clearly not prepared for the advent of Macdonald’s and Fast Food!!! The Department of Homeland Security that oversees the US Coast Guard released today a Press Statement that it was going to carry out an assessment of its entire fleet and overhaul its rescue boats to address the increase of obesity amongst its staff.

Break-Dance Bull

“Bull impresses spectators with its Break-Dance skills”

The bull was clearly annoyed with the sparse applauses received in the arena since the “Matador” could not perform to its level. It decided it was just about time to bring the show under its control. Suddenly, it started performing break-dance moves that sent the attendants into an almost hysterical mood. He climaxed his performance with a startling “Headspin” that sent the crowd into a killing frenzy. And for the first time in Spanish history the crowd shouted for the life of the “Matador”.

Evil Eye & Me

A day that marked our toughts

My name is Sara Oliveira Martins. I am a reporter working for the famous American newspaper – The New Work Times. The newspaper sent me to Turkey to write an article about the famous Oriental Express. Prior to the visit I had researched and written an article about the issue and that was the reason why the newspaper and the Presidential Hotel in Ankara Turkey decided to sponsor my visit to report “first hand” about the amazing journey the Oriental Express does when crossing that fabulous country.

When I over flied Istanbul I was overwhelmed with the beauty of this thrilling city. The city was completely different from what I was used to, it was full of historical monuments and was covered in Mosques. After I landed and when I was exiting the airport, I was struck by the heat and by the confusion that surrounded me. The cacophony of sounds, colors and smells was almost surreal.

After I met the sponsors of this trip in which I was supposed to write an article about the Oriental Express they took me to the hotel. The hotel where the sponsors had made the reservation was the Presidential Hotel. It was not as large as the hotels I was used to in America and there were a lot of strange smells emanating from the thick oriental carpet. The air in the room was hot and still because there was no air conditioner installed in the room. Despite of all the fatigue from the long trip at least the bed felt very comfortable and I drifted into a dreamless sleep.

The next day I woke up early so that I could meet the guide that would take me in this astonishing journey. We decided that we would start our trip early in the morning so the warm air wouldn’t affect us as much.

The city was irresistible; the markets exotic and the food we were presented with was delicious and after being raised on ”fast food” this was such an incredible change. The food was fresh and with plenty of vegetables. I loved all of it but specially the sublime “Mezze”.

That night when finally exhausted I almost crawled into the hotel I was able to witness a fabulous display of fireworks over the sea while I was sipping a delicious mint tea in the hotel veranda.

The next day I and my guide boarded the train to Izmit. The train had eight carriages and it was quite new and comfortable. I accommodated myself in one of the stunning sleeping wagons. The voyage lasted almost three days but always with a nice view of never ending forests and fields and sometimes I was able to catch a glimpse of the ocean and its beauty in between the passing trees. We crossed many ancient cities and small villages with almost picturesque names. The employees of the train company clearly aware of who we were treated us very well and we were able to sample food from different varieties and regions. My room was dark and comfortable and the constant humming of the train dandled me to sleep every night.

When I arrived to Izmit at 6pm and was on my way to the hotel I noticed that this was such a beautiful small city with mosques that dotted the landscape and with a population that seemed extremely happy as they moved about making their errands. As I arrived to the Izmit Plaza Hotel I went to refresh myself and unpack my luggage. Later I decided to go to a nearby restaurant where I had a delicious local meal and watched a Belly Dance Show. Given the fact that I was not too tired I decided to watch an Opera in the city most famous theater. I retuned to the hotel at almost midnight. The wonderful events of those last days kept playing in my mind and I was just lying in my bed feeling sleepless.

At 3:02 am I started feeling my bed shaking and initially I thought that some heavy truck was passing in front of the hotel. Curious I approached the window to see what was going on. As I got closer to the window the shaking became more violent and suddenly my brain started shouting “Earthquake! Earthquake!” Through the window I could now see the buildings throughout the city collapsing. Many buildings were falling and distressed as I was still able to dress a coat on top of my pajama before I started making my way to the stairs. On the corridor there was a lot of confusion as chandeliers started to fall and the hotel fire alarm resounded through the passage ways. People were pushing their way through the crowd in the different floors trying to reach the safety of the ground floor and escape into the Plaza. When I finally made my way through to the lobby I got out of the hotel and followed the multitude to the center of the plaza so none of the buildings would crash on top of me. After some brief moments that seemed an eternity the hotel collapsed right in front of my eyes and a lot of people who did not have the time to get out was crushed to death. When the earth tremors finally subsided, some of us that were able to escape the crumbling buildings started to frenetically remove the debris of the collapsed buildings in a desperate search for survivors.

Without delay I asked a man that was standing next to me still trying to understand what had happened, if I could use his phone. I tried to call my guide but he did not answer so I was forced to believe that he had probably died. I was never able to hear from him again. I subsequently placed a call to my office in America telling them what happened and they asked me to stay and report this tragedy.

Everything should have gone perfectly that day but why it wasn’t so? Approximately 1000 people died, because most of them were asleep and they did not have a chance to escape the catastrophe before their buildings collapsed because of their structural weaknesses. Turkey is located at the highly active Eurasian geological plates and that explains why there was such a major earthquake. Since 411 B.C there have been at least 100 cases of earthquakes confirmed in Turkey. From 1903-1999 the earthquakes occurring in Turkey have killed around 160.000 persons and injured at least other 150,000. In these several earthquakes around 420,000 homes and buildings have been destroyed or damaged.

In those initial days I was able to witness as rescuers found people under the debris of buildings some of them alive but many with their bodies clearly injured and had to be evacuated to the nearby hospitals that had somehow survived the earthquake. The remaining hospitals were overcrowded with thousands of patients and many tents were erected by the government in an effort to boost the Medical response capacities. There was lack of almost all basic structures and the rescuers were overwhelmed with all type of desperate requests. There was not enough food and the space was scarce. There was a critical lack of blood and potable water. I could observe the recovering efforts and the passionate cries for help from the good people of Izmit. Luckily many of the world governments sent several rescue teams that helped with recovering the death and injured. Their efforts in providing Medical attention to the needy were also laudable. Many people were extremely depressed because of the loss of all their family members.

The world media was flooded with so many stories of unsuccessful and successful rescues.

But the one that impressed me the most was the rescue of an old woman that was saved from the hotel I was staying in that fatidic night after remaining in the rubble for almost four days.

I clearly remember that old woman under the debris of our hotel and she clearly looked dead but as the rescue dogs got closer she was able to move her eyes and this filled the heart of the rescuers with hope. They continued their tireless efforts digging; pushing; removing debris until they were able to extract her from that pile of ruble and nowadays she is in the Istanbul Main Hospital clearly recovering her badly shaken health.

Many of the children of the city were left orphans and if it wasn’t by the world donations that poured down into Izmit orphanages they would have died of starvation and cold.

The devastation caused by the seismic activity was clearly spread out through the city and all the neighboring areas.

My last memories before I boarded the helicopter that would take me from that place of so much devastation were the collapsed main high way with scores of crushed vehicles under it as well as the fire running hammock on the oil refinery of Izmit.

One of the crude oil towers had collapsed when the earthquake struck and the subsequent fire lasted for many days and I likened the thick black smoke rising to the sky to a sad remainder of the desolation that had fallen over the beautiful city of Izmit.

I left Turkey with an understanding of human suffering that will forever haunt me and shape my life and career.

Tell Tale-Heart

The tell-Tale Heart

I liked this movie because of the cartoons who represented the story. But for someone that wants to get the story when they first watch it it's not the most recommended movie because it speaks very fast and you have to be really listening to it. It's really hard to understand and the story is not really understandable and they are joking with the story so some of the important parts are missing.

There are no images in the background that you can refer to. There is also no background music that can produce suspense in the listener. The story is not speaking by itself because what they are doing is playing with the real story so there is no reliable material to use. The story goes through really fast and you cannot understand it the first time you watch it. In this story there are no valid references.

In my opinion this story is just joking with the real story.

The Tell-Tale Heart

I didn't like this movie that much because I could not focus on what was going on in the story. The pictures used were not used appropriately because what was being narrated did not match the pictures, so I was frequently lost on what was going on in the story.

I didn't fully understand who was the old man in this story because it didn't talk much about the old man. The mad man started already opening the door I couldn't understand what had he done and why did the police was already knocking on the door. In the end when the mad man asked the police to come into the house the movie started showing some images from the old man moving his hand from under the floorboard.

The characterization was really bad. The voice was understandable and if it wasn't for some fails everything would be good.

The Tell-Tale Heart

I like this movie the best because for a new reader, who is starting to know the story it speaks very clearly. The story does not jump from a place to another and that helps the reader understand what is going on in the story.

In my opinion this movie shows what happened to the old man and how did he died. It shows clearly why the mad man wanted to kill the old man just because of his eye. The comics are very clear and are according to what is going on in the story. The background sound is really incorporated with the story.

What I liked the best in this movie is the part where the mad man confesses to the police that he was the one who killed the old man. When it is shown that he goes to jail it makes people predict that he wants to run away because he is tormented with what he did and makes the person who is watching the movie to feel that he wants to commit suicide and punish himself for what he did. The movie is very well organized and in the beginning tells us about the old man and provide the viewers with an overview of what is going on the story.

Truman Vs Jonas

The Giver

VS

Truman Show

When you read or see something or someone you will eventually latter become conscious of some similarities and at the same time some differences. In your mind you will even involuntarily compare the previous information you had with the latest obtained. There are a many possibilities of comparing and contrast different things and different situations. The easiest information to compare is when you have situations or materials that have similar aspects. The two situations hereby being compared are the book “The Giver” and the “Truman Show”. The topics being compared include emotions, the quest for freedom and the plot which they are involved.

Emotions:

The emotions and feelings felt by Jonas and Truman are very similar but meanwhile very different. Truman and Jonas both tend to share their emotions of with the people of the community they belong to merely by interacting with the community in according with their feelings, but at the same time they tend to share their emotions only with their best friends in which they can trust. On Truman case the community controls his fears, desires and relationships by deceiving him. On Jonas case the community does not want to be confronted with memories and emotions and therefore exploit Jonas and his predecessors as a receptacle of those same emotions and memories they want to suppress.

Likewise there are striking differences in the way Jonas and Truman express those emotions. Jonas is only allowed to share his emotions with the Giver and he is only able to do so after passing the Twelve Ceremony and be named the Receiver and entrusted with his first memories and emotions. On the other hand Truman was born with the opportunity of sharing his emotions with everyone he wanted to but did not have an idea that the whole community was deceiving him.

Quest for Freedom:

In their quest for freedom both Jonas and Truman receive clues that make them start questioning the communities’ perspective. Truman and Jonas both keep demanding additional information about their community and are always surprised by the reluctance of the community to provide the answers. That same reluctance to provide answers make tem question even more the accuracy of the information being provided and they start to search for answers for themselves. As they question the information being provided by the community several clues eventually appear that make them even uneasy regarding their life style and the people that compose their society.

For Jonas the clues provided were the change of the color in the apple and the change of the color in the crowd. Those small differences made him understand that he is different from the others and that the uniformity preached by the society is nothing more than an illusion. Nevertheless the most important clues about his community are giving to him by the Giver when he starts sharing the community memories with Jonas. And are those memories and the understanding of the numbness and remorseless actions of his fellow men that send him in a desperate flight for freedom.

On the other hand as Truman tries to obtain the truth but he is always blocked by the High Tech Equipment that monitors him 24 hours a day as well as by the other residents of his community that obstruct his movements into areas where he should not be allowed. Some of the clues that down on Truman are the sprinkler that falls on him prior to the rain as well as the fall of the light bulbs. Those clues contributed for awareness of the situation he is in and made him start searching for his freedom but that freedom could only be achieved if he could “trick” the camera operators so he could sneak out from the community.

Plot:

The plots are very well organized both in the movie as well as in the book. The plot of both stories is so similar that sometimes it even looks like it was the same person who wrote the plots.

Both of the characters were early adopted and they accepted the life that was imposed on them by the community. Initially none of them really questioned any of the information provided by the community.

The main difference is that in Jonas case the whole community is not aware of what is happening to them and the decisions that re being taken by the Elders. Truman by the opposite is the only person in his community that is not aware of what is happening.

In both cases the outcome is very similar and crucial since the communities were taking away the free will of both Jonas and Truman. In the same way, both of the personages feel they have the right to leave the community and to take whatever actions that will allow them to accomplish their goal. Nevertheless, there are also differences like some of the emotions demonstrated and the ways in which the plots affect both characters.


In conclusion the book and the film made me question if there was any type of community like those mentioned above in the world today. It made me wonder to which extreme people accept regulations imposed over them without questioning the legitimacy of those same rules.

The Giver

1) Analyze the advantages and disadvantages of Sameness in Jonas’s community?

I do believe that having Sameness in the community would bring advantages and disadvantages:

Advantages: The existing of the principle of Sameness in the community does not permit people to feel jealousy towards the others. There is no such thing as rich and poor because the houses are equal; the clothes used are designed to have one single style that every one will use. The weather is not to hot or to cold therefore the citizens will not feel burned from the sun or feel cold from the snow. Nevertheless, in this type of weather the farms would be able to grow crops during all year.

Disadvantages: The term Sameness in the community brought some short comings affecting the present members. The existence of Sameness in the community would affect the way citizens would perceive the world. Also, the memories about the past were kept from the community and that affected the way they were able to deal with their emotions. That was the main reason why they needed a Receiver. The members of the community did not have free will therefore they could not choose their own actions and jobs, etc. Something that was important and they also did not posses was the opportunity to see the different colors and hear music or sounds. The use of the weather control meant that citizens would not be aware of heat or cold and will not realize the cautions required in each of the different types of weather.

2) Compare the relationship Jonas has with the Giver to the relationship he has with his mother, father, and sister?

The relationship between the Giver and Jonas has a deeper meaning. Their relationship is based in love because of the memories they both have to share. There is a close relationship between both of them without the need for the control and the rules that shape each of the community relationships. The Giver and Jonas also understand the difficulties and emotions of each other since they are passing through the same experiences.

The relationship between Jonas and his family is based in the respect for each other. The rules of the community shape that relationship and there is not real trust in each other because they live of life of lies. There is no real love and kindness because in the reality they are not a nuclear family but in fact they are a family composed of members that have been assigned to that specific family group.

3) Discuss weather Jonas’s assignment as the next Receiver of Memory is an honor or a punishment?

Jonas assignment is considered an honor by the community. Jonas was assigned the most important job in the community and he has the possibility (to see outside the box) to understand the outside world better. But even the community understands that being the receiver is also somehow a curse. Being the Receiver he has privileged knowledge about more things than the other community members and has access to everything and everybody needs him.

But being the Receiver is also some type of punishment. He has to bear the memory of pain, sorrow, sadness, etc. He comes to have emotions due to the memories he receives and he craves to share those memories and emotions with his friends but he cannot. He spends most of his time alone. He cannot apply for medical support despite the pain the memories transmit to him. And one of the rules he has to abide is that he may not apply for release notwithstanding all the pain and sorrow that memories bring upon him.

Job Opening

THREE SKELETON KEYS

A dream job opportunity has just opened in the Three Skeleton Key Island. There are three (3) available positions of Lighthouse Keeper. Interested candidates should send their Curriculum to the Port Authority of Santo Domingo – Dominican Republic.

Duties:
· Ensure lighthouse operations during dark hours.
· In case of disaster remove wreckage of the ship from the beach.
· Unload weekly supplies delivery.
· Provide radio support to the area of responsibility.

Skills:
· Minimum High School completion.
· Capacity of enduring long and hard shift hours.
· Certificated rescue swimmer.
· Certified Radio operator.
· Physically powerful and capable of discharging merchandise.
· Minimum age: 20 years old; Maximum age: 40 years old.

Environment:
· Private accommodation and toilet facilities provided in the Lighthouse.
· Cooking facilities and storage available.
· Transportation to mainland via support ferry every two weeks.
· Uniform and health/safety equipment provided.
· Yearly temperature range from 10° C to 48° C
· Fans and radiators provided for comfort.

Benefits:
· Monthly salary of five thousand euros.
· Telephone and Internet connections provided free of charge.
· Gym facilities provided.
· Scuba diving equipment and boat available in the Lighthouse for recreation.
· Huge movie selection available.
· Life insurance provided.
· Family Medical package provided.

Horror Movie

If I was directing a horror movie I would use the following details to create a scary environment that would induce fear in the audience:

Music – I would choose a music that would create a suspenseful atmosphere and that would increase in a crescendo on the scariest moments.

Location – I would select a location that would likely generate fear in the viewers like a family graveyard located in the back of an old mansion overlooking a lake.

Moment – To increase the levels of anxiety, I would choose a very dark foggy night with a distant thunderstorm on the horizon.

Sounds – I would also use sounds to frighten the spectators i.e. Loud Rumbling Thunder; faint heart beat; church bell sounding on distance; rustling of leaves; distant howling of wolfs.

Animals – To play with the emotions of the spectators, I would use lots of spiders and snakes. In the house, you could also see black creepy cats.

Character - The two main character of my story would be a young couple that would be spending the night at the mansion before being attacked by vampires and other strange and scary creatures. To make the plot even more frightening the young man would be transformed in a vampire and would start attacking the girl.

Paranormal Activities - The house would be full of Vampires, Zombies and Ghosts that would be awaken by the arrival of this young couple.

Respond to a prediction

Prediction: In 2155, we'll have no more printed books.

In 2155 we will have no more printed books because around the year 2000 a new invention came to life. That new invention was the electronic book that was named at that time as Kindle. The kindle had the following features: the capacity to download books and use that device to read it.
Nowadays in 2155, that invention was extremely upgraded and it allows us to download books, magazines, newspapers, cooking recipes, blogs, news, information, surfing the net, etc. Because it has incorporated a small printer we can print only what is really required. When we need some piece of information we just connect to the wireless internet and we research the required information and download it to our electronic book. Because of his small dimensions we can carry it around in our pockets or purses and read the books we want when we want. In school we also can perform our homework in an easier way and we have fewer books to carry around because at any given moment we can download the information we required for the specific task of that moment.

"I have successfully edited by blog!"

SURFF: Your Favorite Character

Danny The Champion of the World

Character trait:

The main character of the book I am reading is called Danny.

Danny is a young boy who loves his father and respects his father way of looking at life. He is capable of doing anything just to make his father happy. He is also a kid with a great personality who wants to help his friends in the best way he can.

Unfortunately, Danny lost his mother when he was born. Because of his mother death he became a very responsible young boy and he always demonstrates his maturity by his willingness to help his father on his work in the gas filling station.

The quote of the book shown below demonstrates that Danny is more mature than other boys of his age because he has the notion of where there is a requirement for his discretion.

“Outside the corridor we made a pact that we wouldn’t tell any of the other children about what we had just seen. Mr. Snoddy had always been kind to us and we wanted to repay him by keeping his deep dark secret to ourselves.”

Twelve Tables

The Twelve Tables

Introduction

The Romans were fascinated by the Greek culture and their forms of government. The Romans didn’t want to be governed no longer by kings. So when the Romans saw that the Greeks no longer wanted to be governed by kings; they also desired to elect their rulers and create their own laws.

The twelve tables were the first laws of the Romans. Those laws were based in the Greek law. Those laws were universal and every citizen has to know them. The Romans wrote the laws in twelve tables and affixed them in the senate where every one could see.



The Roman laws were written in twelve tables and constituted the law that every citizen has to respect, as explained in the examples below:

LAWS OF THE TWELVE TABLES

1º
“If someone is called to go to court, he is to go. If he doesn't go, a witness should be called. Only then should he be captured.”

This type of law safeguarded the right of the State to solicit any citizen (Patricians or Plebeians) to come to the tribunal. Also gave the right to the citizen to be familiar with the intention of the tribunal to have him go there.

2º
“Serious illness. . . or else a day appointed with an enemy; . . . if any of these is an impediment for the judge or any party, on that day proceedings must end.”

This type of law safeguard the right of the citizen to be present in the tribunal to defend himself.

3º
“A person who admits to owing money or has been adjudged to owe money must be given 30 days to pay.”

This type of law safeguard the citizen that lend the money to have his money back at the same time it protects the right of the citizen who owns the money to have a period of 30 days to pay.

4º
“An obviously deformed child must be put to death.”

This type of law avoids that the State and the society will be required to spend resources in citizens who are not going to produce in the future.

5º
“If someone goes mad, his nearest male kinsman shall have authority over his property.”

This type of law safeguards the rights of the family if the member of the family becomes mad and the family can prove it than the family shall obtain the properties of that citizen.

6º
“No one must displace beams from buildings or vineyards”.

This type of law safeguards the right of the citizens to not have someone to cause damage on their property.

7º
“If runoff does damage, he shall be made to fix it by the judge.”

This type of law safeguards the right of the citizen that has his property damaged to request the judge for reparation of the damage.

8º
“If one has maimed another and does not buy his peace, let there be retaliation in kind.”

This type of law safeguards the right of the tribunal to sentence the offending citizen to experience the same type of injury as well as giving the offending citizen the right to pay the damage and avoid going to the tribunal.

9º
“Treason: he who shall have roused up a public enemy or handed over a citizen to a public enemy must suffer capital punishment.”

This type of law safeguards the right of the State to punish by death the traitors.

10º
“No dead man may be cremated nor buried in the City.”

This type of law safeguards the right of the State to make obligatory public hygiene.

11º
“Marriages between plebeians and patricians are prohibited”

This type of law safeguards the right of the State and the Patrician families to keep the properties in the Patrician families.

12º
“Someone who has brought a false claim shall be brought before three judges, and shall pay a double penalty”.

This type of law safeguards the right of the State to severely punish whoever makes a false claim and at the same time safeguard the rights of the citizen being accused making sure that the citizen is judged by three judges.

Conclusion

The twelve tables were the first Roman laws to put in order the roman society as well as serving as the foundation of the laws of the Occidental society.

Pax Romana

I would like to start my work by explaining what was the Pax Romana or otherwise called can Pax Augustus, because it was establish by Emperor Augustus. The Pax Romana was a time of peace for a long period (first and second centuries) and minimal expansion by the Roman military forces. The idea of Pax Romana was first represented by a very famous historian called EDWARD GIBBON. Gibbon proposes a period of peace under Augustus and his successors. Those emperors expanded the Roman Empire and controlled the Roman generals, i.e. Germanicus, Agricola and Corbulo in search of conquests. Gibbons lists the Roman conquest of Britain under Claudius and the conquest of Trajan as exceptions to this time of peace and places the end of Pax Roman as an historical period with the death of Marcus Aurelius in 180 AD, even though the conclusion of peace ended later with is son Commodus. The period was not without armed conflict, as the Roman Emperors had to control rebellions. There were several skirmishes and Romans wars of conquest during this period. Trajan embarked in war against the Parthians and Marcus Aurelius fought against the Germanic tribes. During the Pax Romana period the legions patrolled the borders with success, and thought there were still many foreign wars, the central empire was free from major invasions, acts of piracy or social disorder on grand scale. The Roman world was broken by the civil war during the last century of the Republic, and during the period of the Pax Romana there was peace and that period was largely free from power disputes.

But for the enemies of Rome, the Pax Romana was not a signal of either peace or tranquillity. Emperor Augustus wanted to establish border security and he wanted to amplify the army size by 150,000 legionaries to guarantee that tranquillity. Emperor Augustus reorganized the Roman legions and its distribution during the empire.

Hispania was one of the conquests that Augustus wanted to accomplish because there was a famous gold mine of Gallica. After conducting a census of Gaul, immediately after his victory in the civil war, Augustus moved on to Spain to eliminate the resistance. Thought mostly successful in his campaigns, revolts continued to break out over the next twenty years. Thought these were relatively minor efforts to get clear of the Roman rule, the final subjugation wasn’t completed until 13 BC. At this point Hispania was divided into three provinces: Baetica, Lusitania and Terraconencis; and it became a perfect example of the Romanization process.

During Emperor Tiberius rule a massive uprising happened back in Pannonia. Forced to abandon the Germanic campaign, Emperor Tiberius returned to Pannonia where the fighting would continued until 9 AD. Thought this would be the last major revolt in the Balkan province, its toll was felt all the way back in Rome. As a result of the numerous foreign wars, Augustus was finding new recruits difficult to find. In a terrible unpopular, the Emperor was forced to start drawing human resources from freedmen and even purposely freed slaves, just for maintaining the size of the Roman army. If the strain on Roman manpower was already beginning to be pushed to the extreme, events were about to happen that would force Augustus to call for a complete end to roman Imperial expansion.


The emperor Augustus did reforms to the government that the citizens of Rome liked it and follow that reforms for 200 of years. He did a form of security around Rome that prevent from frontiers attack. He increased the army to protect better Rome. He sad that the little farmers had to be helped. And the last one was that his new government had to promote confidence. These reforms were not passing from the citizens head so when they saw that they liked they follow for 200. He was so smart that he chose 900 of his bests mans to protect from charged. In general the Augustus system was really good that it provided material and political base of culture achievement.



Roman Emperors In Pax Romana


Augustus Caesar created the illusion that the republic had been restored and revealed of the future of the Principiate. When Augustus died in A.D. 14, Tiberius the stepson became the leader of the state. The reign of Tiberius became a tyranny.
The Imperial power eventually was left to the megalomaniac, Caesar, Augustus, the third child of Augustus adopted grandson, Germanicus, and Augustus granddaughter, Agrippina. Gaius accompanied his parents on military campaigns and was shown to the troops wearing a miniature soldier’s outfit, including a sandal called “caliga“, being that the reason of his nickname, Caligula. Caligula accepted the powers of the Principiate, and is popularity was great but he was assassinated by discontented members of his bodyguard.

Eventually Claudius emerged as monarch. It was the Praetorian Guard that found Claudius hiding behind a curtain after Caligula’s brutal murder; it shows how the Romans had not established a clear line of succession. Caligula had been murdered by his body guard and Claudius became emperor only through the support of the army.

The following emperor was Nero Claudius Caesar, or Nero. In 64 A.D, a great fire destroyed much of Rome – the legend is that Nero destroyed Rome in order to rebuild it.

The subsequent emperor Vespasian restored the city and tightened the government of Rome following a series of civil wars early in his reign.

Titus was a capable leader, and poured a huge amount of money into Rome to finance an extensive building program. The Flavian Amphitheatre, or Coliseum, was built during his reign.

Titus was succeeded by his younger brother Titus Flavius Domitianus, or Domitian. He led a financially sound administration. After a series of catastrophes in Rome (the great fires of 64 and 80, and the civil wars of 68-69), Domitian erected, restored or completed more than fifty public buildings. He called him self “Lord God” and spoke of himself as divine.

It was Edward Gibbon who called the period of 96 – 180, the era of the “Five Good Emperors”. It was during this time that the emperors adopted the concept of choosing someone to be the emperor instead of selecting a blood relative.

Those emperors were:

Marcus Coccenius Nerva, or Nerva.
Marcus Ulpius Traianius,or Trajan
Publius Aeliues Hadrienos
Antoninus Pious

Marcus Aurelius

Marcus Aurelius (121-180; emperor, 161-180). He was one of the noble’s figures of an antique world. He was made consul and he started to study of law and philosophy, principally Stoicism. He tried to make the peace continue in Rome.


Bibliography

internet

information of the class

Posting Homework

I have started and will continue to post my homework in this Blog in an effort to help other students and improve my knowledge of these subjects by allowing all of you to contribute with ideas, comments and even critics.

Wildflower Girl

Wildflower Girl

This story is about a girl named Peggy.
She passes through lots of adventures on the book.
She let her family in Ireland.
With the famine in Ireland, and her family so poor.
Peggy even being a thirteen years old girl, to help her family Peggy offers to go to
America so she can earn money and send to her family in Ireland.
She goes to America living her family, her friends and all the persons around her.
Peggy goes to America “The New World” on a boat called Fourtunata.
Lots of things happen on the boat.
Peggy arrives to America and she finds a job where no one likes
her and some time later she give up from that job.
Some days later she finds another job where no one likes her but,
Peggy really wants to send money to her family.
Peggy some time later has some enemies but she arranges some friends.
Peggy starts to live on America since she is helping her family on Ireland.

Florence Nightingale

Florence Nightingale

Introduction

Did you knew that Florence Nightingale was the first nurse. Did you ever stop for a minute to think that without the work of the scientist Florence Nightingale, you would have very good chances of dying if you had to undergo surgery due to the hospitals malpractice? That’s right folks! Florence Nightingale was one of many individuals that contributed very much with her job to the improvement of hospital best practices, especially related to the germ theory. Germ theory is the theory that proves germs cause diseases.

Background

Florence Nightingale was born in Florence in 1820 and died in London on 1910. She spent a great portion of her life working in hospitals. She lived in Italy until she was three years old. Then her family moved to England and she went to live in Derbyshire, North of England. When she became an adult she had to fight with her family to be able to follow her dream to become a nurse since she belonged to the upper classes of the British society and it was considered as being underneath her birthright to perform such type of tasks. She became extremely famous all over the world by leading the nursing support to the British campaign in the Crimean War that was being fought in southern Russia. Her main contribution to the effort of war was to bring down the mortality rate in the field hospitals from 42% to a minimum of 2%. She was able to introduce a change of mentalities with men being forced to accept the work and even the supervision of a woman. She was able to achieve this change of mentality because she had the support of very powerful friends like Lord Sydney Herbert and eventually even from Queen Victoria. Nonetheless, she was able to prove to herself and her supporters and critics that she could manage a hospital in a efficient and modern way introducing some practices in Hospital management that are still followed today.

Germ Theory

Florence Nightingale also contributed to the development of the germ theory by doing statistical research and changing medical practices that proved that enforcing sanitary regulations and special diets reduced the mortality rate in the hospitals. The principles of sanitary environment, personal hygiene and good diet were revolutionary in her time and constituted the basis of many of the good practices implement in our days. Florence Nightingale developed several methods to improve Hospital administration and developed statistics methods that allowed her to demonstrate straightforwardly the concepts she wanted to demonstrate to persons without any type of scientific formation like the members of the British parliament. She was able to demonstrate that the huge death rate in hospitals was directly related with overcrowding facilities, lack of air and light, lack of sanitation, poor kitchen conditions and unhealthy diets as well as dreadful laundry practices and facilities.

Other Interesting Info

Florence Nightingale worked with people from all over the world and from all social stratus. Some of her most famous acquaintances were: Elizabeth Blackwell who was the first women to receive a medical degree in USA. Her lifetime friend, Lord Sidney Herbert, Secretary of War. Pastor Theodor Fliedner, the leader of the Lutheran community of Kaiserwerth-am-Rhein. Florence Nightingale used her own money on many occasions to buy medical supplies to the hospitals where she was working. Florence Nightingale was named Florence because she was born in Italy in the city of Florence.

Conclusion

Florence Nightingale was a great woman that fought against biases and pre-concepts of her family and society to introduced hygiene and sanitary regulations and best practices in hospital administration. She became known as the inspiration for the many generations of nurses that have followed her pioneer example. She gave her full attention to all of her patients and never paid attention on their social status. She used her life to pursue her dream and she deserves to be respected for that great sacrifice and for all the changes she introduced that helped save countless of lives.

Confucius

HIS LIFE AND WISDOM

Confucius: was a philosopher very famous on his own time because of the philosophical teachings that he created and those teachings still influence the world nowadays, especially in Asia.

Confucius studied almost all his life and created a set of rules that gave origin to the belief of Confucianism.

The rules created by Confucius are still studied in our days by millions of people all around the world.

Life

Confucius was born in the year of 551 before Christ (B.C) from a noble but poor family. He was born in the Chinese state of Lu. His father was the commander of a district of Lu but unfortunately died three years after Confucius was born. His death left the family in poverty but Confucius still received a fine education. Confucius got married at the age of nineteen years old. He eventually had 3 child’s, one son and two daughters.

Confucius worked as a market keeper and as a farm worker he took care of farm animals. Eventually around his 20th birthday Confucius started working for the governor of his district. After his mother death, Confucius started the career that would make him famous: Teacher and Philosopher. He usually travelled throughout China and his body of students used to travel with him wherever he would go. Confucius reverence for Chinese ideals and costumes made him very famous.

Teachings

Confucius presented himself as a spreader of nothing, because he did not invent anything but he influenced the way of thinking and the society on his time and in our days. The most important thing to Confucius was to study because he wanted to know more and more. The Chinese people still see Confucius as their Greatest Master. Confucius wanted their disciples to continue studying deeply and continuously the outside world. When the times of war and disasters came, he wanted to reestablish the Mandate of Heaven. The reestablishment of the Mandate of Heaven would bring China peace on a time of feudal rule. He wanted the rulers to try to obtain personal and social perfection when they were ruling. Confucius moral was considered by the Chinese as a moral of good quality. The Golden Rule is probably the most famous teaching of Confucius and summarized it means basically: “never impose on others what you would not choose for yourself.”
Confucius influence in Asia and Europe

Confucius teachings are now studied by many people in different Asian countries such as: Korea, Japan as well as Vietnam. The Confucius works and words were translated to European languages by some of the first Jesuits to go to China. The works of Confucius have considerable importance in the philosophy of some European philosophers even nowadays. There are inclusive groups that are still interested in the integration and morality of the philosopher Confucius in day to day life.

Confucius Quotes

Confucius is known by having produced a vast series of famous phrases or concepts. The quotes below are some of my favorites:

Choose a job you love, and you will never have to work a day in your life.
Do not impose on others what you yourself do not desire.
I hear and I forget. I see and I remember. I do and I understand.

If we don't know life, how can we know death?
It does not matter how slowly you go, so long as you do not stop.
It is easy to hate and it is difficult to love. This is how the whole scheme of things works. All good things are difficult to achieve; and bad things are very easy to get.
Learning without thought is labor lost; thought without learning is perilous.
Life is really simple, but we insist on making it complicated.
The will to win, the desire to succeed, the urge to reach your full potential... these are the keys that will unlock the door to personal excellence.
There are three methods to gaining wisdom. The first is reflection, which is the highest. The second is limitation, which is the easiest. The third is experience, which is the bitterest.
If I am walking with two other men, each of them will serve as my teacher. I will pick out the good points of the one and imitate them and the bad points of the other and correct them in myself.

Confucianism

Confucianism as a system was developed based on the teachings of the great philosopher Confucius. Confucianism objectives are to develop a set of human morals and to persuade the people to perform right actions. It is a complex system of moral, social, political, philosophical and almost religious that is thought to have had a tremendous influence in the culture and history of Asia. In some countries in Asia, Confucianism is considered almost as a state religion because of the governmental support of the Confucianism values. Countries that are influenced by the Confucianism are: China, Japan, Korea, Taiwan, Singapore, and Vietnam and some territories that were settled predominantly by Chinese people.

Conclusion

Confucius was a fabulous teacher and philosopher and his teachings will continue to influence the Asian and the Occidental way of thinking for many years to come. Confucius was a man with a mission, he wanted to reform China from inside but unfortunately, he died thinking that he did not have completed his mission of saving China.
Confucius has the gift of making people believe in other things more important then themselves and his teachings make them to see the world in another perspective.
I have learned some new ideas from his teachings and I will try to adopt them in may own life.

Pirates

Germs are invading our world!

Coat of arms of Portugal

How blogging is going to change my writing?

Blogging is a new activity for me and will change the way I write in the following ways:

Looking for more appropriate words to express my opinions.
Learning how to use the computer and the Internet to convey my ideas.
Post my assignments and projects in the Internet where everyone can find it.

WHY BLOGGING IS GOING TO CHANGE MY WRITTING?

Blogging is going to change the way I write because I have to present my work in a way that other people can have a better understanding of it. Blogging will make me verify the information before I introduce it into my Blog. My blog will be seen by many other people so I will want to keep it tidy and presentable so other people can come and see the information I post in my blog over and over again.

I had never had a blog before and I now have one and I want to make it perfect.