We owe it all to Copernicus

How much do we owe to Nicolas Copernicus? More than can be listed in one blog posting. This man has made a difference in the lives of every single one of us either directly or indirectly. Science, astronomy, mathematics, none of them would be the same without the vision and genius of Copernicus. Reading through the exerpt from his writings it is literally astonishing what this man came up with and put together. Who could ever think of things like when one heads toward the North Pole that it seems to rise while all other directions sink, and that all sides of the Earth are pressing toward the center. It's quite fascinating and admittedly sometimes difficult to follow and understand without reading it a couple of times. It's amazing somone thought of things that had never been thought of on such a grand scale and was able to form theories from studies. I know we're used to it now, but to read something from so many years ago when there was so little information about what Copernicus was studying is mind-boggling.

Stepping out of the Box

For me the most interesting part of the Renaissance was the fact that the rules no longer seemed to apply, at least when it came to art. Artists were throwing caution to the wind and creating works that truely made them happy. Creating oil paints, working with new ideas and themes, the biggest of which being the paintings that looked as though they were in support of paganism. Even in this time of re-birth, that concept alone still had to raise some eyebrows and upset a few people. I think it's great for the people to have entered into a time frame where they could make some decisions for themselves and choose things in their lives that made them, if no one else, happy.

Elizabeth's Speech

This was pretty touching in a way, that she would actually offer herself to the fighting and to the war in order to save the kindom, the country, and the people. It's almost exactly what the soldiers preparing for battle would have needed to hear, that she was behind them 100% and that she found nobility in their cause. She even offers them riches and rewards for their participation. Who knows how much of what she said would actually be followed up on, but in the moments prior to battle, I don't think anyone cares about much but the promise and encouracting words themselves.

The Levellers - Wikipedia

The Levellers were a group of people that believed in putting equality before the law. They were not a political group or party and supported religious freedom before all else, including the law. They were a prominent fixture during the English Civil Wars (1642-1651). Their main political contribution was that they used petitions and pamphlets for political message and gain. Between the first and second English Civil Wars was the time of their greatest influence and power. Toward the end of the third English Civil War, their message and movement wasn't a threat to the main stream way of life and religion.

This article was quite brief and directly to the point which was nice, but almost every other word was a link to explain what was being discussed in the sentence so there was a lot of back and forth needed in order to get a good grip as to what was going on. I would have preferred a bit of a longer article with more detail and clearer explaination as opposed to a short description with many links.


1. 2,202
2. The Levellers, Levellers
3. Under the Disambiguation Link there were alternate meanings and uses or the word Levellers in the 17th and 20th centuried.
4. Under the discussion section, there was an article basically stating an arguement with the original meaning or origin of the Levellers.
5. More than 500 changes; Earliest change 8/28/01; most recent change 11/23/08.
6. No external links.
7. No references but there are 21 footnotes.
8. 10 further reading entries.

Levellers, old fashioned under dogs

The Levellers were unjustly ridiculed and punished for standing up against the strong, the wealthy, and the poweful. They didn't think religion had to be organized with rules and repeated ceremonies; they believed in worshiping in your own way, however you believed was right for you. They didn't feel that any one person or group had the right to tell you how to worship or what to do with your lives. They stood for the people having a voice and not just being told how to lead your life and when to do your duties that were basically the beck and call of the military and governing forces. These people were simply trying to be a voice of reason within dominating hand of the ruling class and amidst all of the fear they inflicted on the people.

Scared to Read

It was surprising to me that average people were actually afraid to read the Bible. That they felt they weren't intelligent enough or had enough training to interpret the writings correctly. Wasn't the word of God one that supposedly spoke to everyone and didn't leave anyone out? I think it's a bit hypocritial that only leaders of the church and those with training were the ones reading the Bible. That left them with the sole responsibility of relaying the information they uncovered within the text to the people however they pleased. Had everyone been reading the same thing, they could have drawn their own conclusions. Since the people were afraid of being swayed by the Devil, they put all of their faith in the hads of the church leaders. Whether that is a safe or dangerous thing depended on what church, in what town I suppose, but the fact remains they were leaving a huge part of their lives and mental well-being in the hands of others.

Phillip IV on His High Horse

King Phillip IV may have been important and accomplished many things, but he sure did like to have his way with no questions asked. Imagine if our government today just made up their own rules to cover their backsides, think for a moment that they don't already do this, and they made no bones about it, it was just what happened and that's the way it was. He wanted to live the life of luxury he felt he deserved, regardless of what it took for that to happen. He stepped over people's beliefs and the history of the country, these common courtesies were too much to be considered. I wonder how the American public at large would react to a leader like this, that not only did what they wanted to but loudly made rules to cover their actions regardless of what anyone said. I know they do it now and lie about it, but what if they shook it in our face, knowing there was nothing we could do about it? I hope we still have a little of the pioneering spirit left that would be needed to stand up for our rights and say no to something that is wrong.

The Return of the Black Death?

A statement in the reading referred to there being medication to those that may become infected now, I thought the Black Death was all but gone, extinct. That scares me to death to think this horrendous plague could come back, seemingly at any time. With the catastrophic effects this plague had on the economy, the population of the people themselves, and all the way to the arts, I can just about get a mental image of what it would do to our more modern world. Entire states could be driven to bankruptcy or total disaster areas in a matter of a week or two, and how would we fight back from that? How would it be possible to get back to where we currently are again. I don't want to think about it, but it's something that will not be ignored.

The Miserable Life of a Peasant

Reading the information about the peasants, their homes, farming methods, and all of their constant worries, I can't imagine much happiness in their lives. Living in homes that often housed not only the family but some of the animals too? No way. Not only that, the homes were built of materials that would house more insects and vermines than they would protect the family from, and dirt floors? How uncomfortable for these people. Not only the actual living conditions but the way of life and the means by which their life was governed were a constant stress and worry. Weather, watering, ferterlizer, and soil exhaustion are just the beginning. Then there was the raw cost of maintaining the plot of land that was farmed and all of the equipment. One bright side was that this way of life may have brought the community of peasants together as they all owned bits and pieces of land and all had different pieces of equipment the others needed to use as well. So sharing and community support were probably stronger then when the people had so little comparted to now when we have more than we need at times.

Wikipedia - Middle Ages

William I of England had many accomplishments throughout England. There were changes to the laws and even the language during his reign. William I went from hte Duke of Normandy to the King of England. A slightly odd and unique factor in William's life was that he became the Duke of Normandy at the age of eight, due to his father's will. William was also knighted by the age of fifteen. William was seen as a noble leader and had the strong support from the people of Normandy. Through the Battle of Hastings William gained power of England over his two other competetors. Throughout his reign there were many reforms to the governmant of England, one that was long-lasting was French taking over as the language of the ruling classes for more than 300 years. William's history in England is that he was one of the few successful attempts at over-ruling the English throne through force as a foreigner.

1. 4,812
2. William the Conquerer, William I of England
3. No disambiguation link found
4. There is only one article posted, it talks about how this particular article was nominated for good article but it didn't ultimately meet the requirements.
5. There have been more than 500 changes; First change: Nov 22, 2001; most recent: Oct 19, 2008.
6. Seven external links.
7. 20 references.
8. Five

I would reccommend this article to anyone interested because it was a relatively quick and easy read while much information was present. I had no idea who William I was before this article and now I feel I have a fairly good understanding of his importance. The article articulates his life in easy to read and understand paragraphs that are clearly labeled and detailed.

ISLAM

Having read this article, its one of much information and knowledge when it comes to Islam. Muhammad was a determined, powerful and inspirational man during his time. He managed to change the the religion of an entire town (Medina) to Islam. Some of Muhammad's actions in his quest to be "THE PROPHET OF GOD" is recognized and still being practiced in the Muslim communities today. Muhammad was not a well liked man when he first started his trek to Mecca. Some of the Mecca leaders threatened to kill Muhammad for making the proclamation of being the only prophet. Muhammad would go on to become a powerful leader. Maybe not a well liked leader in some people eyes, but nonetheless a powerful leader of Islam. Since Muhammad's death, the nation of Islam has grown tremendously. A key figure (leader) in the nation of Islam today is Luis Farrakhan who resides in the United States. Luis Farrakhan was born Luis Walcott, but after studying the Qu'ran and the words of the late Muhammad, Farrakhan changed his name and religion.

Big Bad Dad

I cannot believe the amount of unlimited power the fathers or paterfamilias had within the household. To be able to kill your wife or children based on something that couldn't always be proved goes to show these men could conduct their lives nearly unchecked. If a wife was in bed with another man, it comes down to the husband's word against the wife's and we all know where that ended up, bye bye wife. Selling the children into slavery is a tiny step above killing them altogether. Although the men had so much power and control, it's surprising to me that the wives were viewed as high as they were. Wives having input and arranging the childrens' marriages is huge as marriage is the means by which the family name and wealth is continued. Then again, Big Bad Daddy comes in and takes control and ownership of any land, business, and wealth the new extension of the family has created. This is one aspect of Roman society that isn't missed by many, I'm sure.

Hannibal's Trajedy

I think it's sad that after all of the victories and status Hannibal and his army gained for Carthage that he fell from favor as soon as a mistake, a loss, was made. For years Hannibal was the leading general, conquering the unconquerable, and bringing fortune and status to the people of Carthage, when his victories stopped, the hero and legend went down the drain too. Now, because of movies and is history, whenever the name Hannibal is said it conjures images of a certain Sir Anthony Hopkins movie many of us are familiar with. This story is right in line with stars of our day and age. A celebrity can be 'on top' for years and years, once they mess up or make a few mistakes, that's it, they have fallen from grace and are no longer viewed in a soft light. People are humans and they make mistakes, maybe a little forgiveness and giving aid to one another may be just what it takes to save our own lives as well as the lives of others. Just a thought :)

The Plebians - Americans?

In some ways I the Plebians resemble the majority of the American People. The Plebians were the work force that kept the economy going, they provided members for the army, and they provided the food that fed the people. If only they could have organized and met with a common goal or idea, they could have had a much better place in society. This is also true with the majority population of the US. It is the top two percent of the population that basically runs the country and it seems a lot of it has to do with the fact that the masses that make up the work force can never completely unite. Could it be that we are too big of a population now and it's virtually impossible for everyone to agree, or are we just stubborn and self-preserving?

Wikipedia Assignment - Ancient History

Summary of Article:
The Peloponnesian War was actually a series of three smaller wars or phases that plagued Ancient Greece. The opposing forces were Athens and its entire empire and the Peloponnesian League that included Sparta. The first battle is known as the Archidamian War in which the Peace of Nicias signified the conclusion in 421 BC. Although the treaty was signed, it was only 6 short years before the fighting began again. This second phase represents a huge failure on behalf of Athens when they posed an attack on Syracuse and lost their entire army. In the third and final part of the war, the Decelean or Ionian war, the Persian supported Spartans were in support of the States of Athens in their rebellion which ultimately destroyed the naval strength of their mother State. Athens surrendered shortly after this defeat.

1. The article is 361 words long.
2. I searched through google with 'Peloponnesian War' as the search keywords. The article is titled Peloponnesian War.
3. There is no disambiguation link on the site I used.
4. On the discussion page of the site it looks like anyone can post a question and it gets answered by another reader that is educated in the subject. The person answering also gives links to where they get their information from. It seems kind of like the blog we do for class. It looks like there are all different kinds of comments on this page.
5. There have been well over 500 changes, the most recent being minutes before I logged onto the page and the earliest listed was July 23, 2003.
6. There are three external links listed.
7. & 8. On the site I found, the references are listed with Further Reading. There are fourteen references listed under modern authors, and five under classical authors.

I would personally recommend this article to others interested in the Peloponnesian War because the article was just the right length and all the key points were reached quickly and clearly. I have a general overview of the war now and it didn't take too long to read it and the subject matter wasn't so dense that I was falling asleep. There is also a summary that gives a generalized overview of the effects of this war on Greece and the surrounding area in the time to come and how devistating it was to a large area and a lot of people.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Peloponnesian_War

Diminishing Influence of the Gods

Whenever I think of the Greek people and history, the first thing that comes to mind are the Greek Gods and all the legends surrounding them. I never really thought that there would be a point when the people of the Greek nations would start looking for more realixtic answers to why things happen and how they happen. The 5th century is when all the folklore began to unravel. The people had seen years and years of brutal and savage warfare which lead to the diminishing influence of the Gods on the Greek people. As the people started looking for answers from the natural world and science rather than the Gods, many well known philosophers began to make names for themselves through their radical ideas. Philosophy was the answer to the disappointment and dissatisfaction the people were experiencing with the mystical world of the Gods and all of their myths. Answers with concrete evidence such as things existing from water or material substances without incorporating the work of the Gods was something new yet the people embraced it. It's almost sad for me reading about how the Greeks slowly stopped believing in the Gods and stopped considering them in their every day life. The Gods, their powers and purposes and all the myths that went along with them were the coolest thing about Greece and ancient history to me, it will be even more interesting to see where they went to next with their ideas and philosophy.

Changes Under Solon

Athens came to be controlled by Solon, an archon. The agriculture debts the people of Athen carried were forgiven, which was huge. If all the debts could be forgiven today, can you imagine the changes for the better it would make to our society as a whole? Not only were debts forgiven, but slaves were set free. Now, everyone that owned land could make a name for themselves within the four new classes of Athens. I think this sounds pretty similar to the American Dream in the sense that it is thought that anyone who is driven and strikes out on their own can reach success. It's like rags to riches. These farmers had a new opportunity every year to gain political and social standing. No longer was worth or position determined solely on birth but rather on personal drive and accomplishment, which is the way it should be. Although this worked for a lot of people, those who did not own land or were women and children, couldn't take part. This shows that although the Athenians were making great strides, they still had a lot of work to do.