Text Book Approach...Good or Bad? (3/23)

1) I actually liked the way the book presented all three Muslim empires together in one chapter. Though they do, like it is in the book, each need their own subsections, presenting them I one chapter is the most logical thing to do. They are all major Muslim empires, and it wouldn't make sense to put them in separate chapters. Plus, compared to other chapters in the book, if each empire had its own chapters, these chapters would be comparably shorter. Grouping them all together makes it easier to draw inferences and make comparisons, skill which is important in history. I agree with the way the book presented the empires.
2) Although there was some violence during this period of global interaction, I think it was a good thing. It is necessary for societies to interact with outside neighbors. To remain completely isolated could remain to decline. Trade, communication, and interaction globally is always a good thing. Overall, it was positive, even though there was some conflict. After all, without global interaction, how would ideas spread?

Fabian Fucan's Attack on Christianity (3/15)

Fucan uses a great deal of sarcasm during his attack on Christianity. He talks of how there is no truth to the Chritian teachings, and by doing this he is attacking the religious aspect of Christianity. He calls it "a cursed faith" and even talks of how much he is ashamed to have once been a part of it. He then attacks the cultural aspect, saying that Japan is far superior to any Chritain nation. As for politics, Fucan criticizes how Christians try to convert Japan, and how foolish they are to try to do so. Lastly, he calls Christianity a horrible religion when attacking the social sphere of the religion because of the fact that they have martyrs. He says that the Christian god must me very careless to let humans throw their lives away, and makes the Christian god out to seem like a horrible monster. The sarcasm used throughout the piece also puts Christianity in a negative light in the piece.

Capitalism Revisited (3/2)

Now, I know that one of the biggest words in capitalism is "banking". The weary rich needed places to keep their ridiculous amounts of money, and thus banks were born. They were shortly followed by joint-stock companies, insurance agencies, and corporations. People tried to, as the term suggest, capitalize of their wealth. But, while they did this, poor working classes just got poorer. They did not have money to invest in companies, and therefore it was impossible for them to capitalize on their wealth. Upper and lower classes became more distinct.

Capitalism? Do tell! (3/1)

In my mind, when I hear the word "capitalism", my mind immediately jumps to money. Capitalism is all about money and filling one's pockets. Corporations, banking, and finances a all words that come to mind when Ai think of capitalism. I tend to picture cartoonish "big-wigs" fat men sitting in office chairs with a fluffy cat on their laps in a luxurious office, while most of the other people are working to try to get by. In short, capitalism is all about the rich getting richer.

Christianity again...and again...and again! (3/1)

A this point in time, Christianity keeps branching off into different sub-sections. This is because as the religion spreads, the message gets altered and changed along the way. Soon, as these "new" versions of Christianity spread, they become new forms entirely. Additionally, different people adapt the reliogion to fit their needs, or combine it with their existing religion. Thus, new sects of Christianity are born. Though they all originate from the same source, these branches all differ from one another in some way.

Chapter 26

http://www.showme.com/sh/?h=jlGPHfs Heena Gandevia (606-700)

http://www.showme.com/sh/?h=iwh3SQi Shannon Murray (701-705)

http://www.showme.com/sh/?h=k4a0MLI Melissa Sahagian (706-710)

http://www.showme.com/sh/?h=JFOqKUi Sam Healey (711-715)

http://www.showme.com/sh/?h=EfIKRiC Nrupa Patel (715-718)

Good Griot Gone Bad?

Learning through the menthods of a griot do have some qualities, but there are more cons than pros. For instance, because griot methods are all oral, a lot of information can get lost in translation. Information could be changed, forgotten, or exaggerated, and the actual information can end up being completely lost. Also becuase of this, there may be several different interpertations of one piece of information, and therefore it is not consistant. On the otherhand, this learning is a lot more enjoyable, and therefore more memorable. Personally, I would remember information better if I heard it in a catchy song rather than written in 12-point Times New Roman font on a piece of paper. So, although griot learning would tend to stick in a person's memory, the information that is being remembered could be warped and could be completely different from the original information.