Our Core Concentration blog prompt for today is to explain how and why the discovery of iron helped the region of West Africa grow and develop as much as it did. This answer seems pretty simple, but it's actually kind of detailed and complex. 

The answer is that iron helped Africa in lots of ways. It gave the people new material to make metal products such as weapons and farming tools. It helped certain empires more than others and made several of them rich and powerful. Iron was traded lots and when these trades got tough, it was used to make spears, arrows, etc. Iron helped locally to make tools for farming and irrigation, which helped the people of these empires and this region prosper enough to put it to use. Iron could even help in the long journeys that nomads took across the Sahara Desert and was used as a decoration like the relative discovery of gold. Like many other innovative discoveries, it worked and helped in a kind of cycle. 

The first people to discover iron and use it were the Nok people of West Africa. They used it in secret for awhile, but soon other peoples wanted the secret. Nowadays iron is used all across the world. Also, it seems a bit weird that we're referring to an industry from hundreds to thousands of years ago "technology", but technology can actually refer to any kind of new product utilized usefully for things like communication, trade, and personal needs. Iron is one of the oldest kinds of technology and certainly one of the most famous. Just remember, anytime you see a product and identify it as iron, remember who discovered it.

There are several climate regions in the continent of Africa, but the four major ones are the desert, the sahel, the savanna, and the rainforest. Our blog assignment for today is to write about the differences between them.

Of all of these climates, the desert is probably the dryest and the least ideal for living. Usually the wildlife of a desert is quite plain, but African deserts are home to much unique wildlife. Several indigenous peoples and kingdoms developed in Africa's most famous deserts, like the Sahara and the Kalahari.

The sahel is a quite vegetative area of Africa between deserts. It is a very thin strip of land, though. Several noteworthy peoples in Africa developed here, too. These civilizations are called the Sahelian kingdoms. We are currently studying them in Core class.

The savanna is another name for a grassland. Africa's most recognizable and noteworthy animals tend to live here, and the plant life is very much developed and an interest to botanists. The first people probably developed in the savannas of Africa millions of years ago. 

Trade helped Islam spread enormously. Historically, trade was how cultures and peoples mixed and blended. Trade was fundamental to Islam's growth because it helped word spread to other people. Trade  arguments could spark wars, which led to conquests and conversions. Trade could also spread word of Islam without invasions. Travelers and traders could venture abroad to great market cities and lands with religious foundations or upbringings. Perhaps many of the items sold in trade and marketing had religious connotations or connections and generated curiosity in the buyers. Political alliances with other peoples could have led to mass conquest and conversions.

Once the Islamic Empire was fairly large and able to dominate, the religion began to spread more quickly, since more people were able to spread the word about it. Caliphs and armies made great trips to other lands to make sometimes peaceful, sometimes warlike conversions. Growth of cities brought new traditions and often new religions from immigrants. 

Whether it was purposeful or not, Islam was definitely spread through trade with other peoples. 

In Core class, we are learning about Islam and its main beliefs and principles. Our assignment today is to blog about which of the Five Pillars of Islam is the hardest for Muslims to follow and why.

If I was a Muslim, I think the hardest pillar to follow would be fasting during the month of Ramadan or praying five times a day. I understand that Ramadan is for holy purposes and cleansing oneself, but to be real, abstaining from eating is hard for most people. Secondly, getting to a valid praying location like a mosque five times a day would also be difficult, since I could not do it at school or program an alarm to wake me up before sundown. Usually Islamic boarding schools allow set prayer times for students during the day, but most Muslim families and most Muslim schoolchildren do not have the time to pray so frequently.

However, I think an important part of being a Muslim is being able to follow all five pillars and obey them not in the name of a specific church, but in the name of God the holiest. Islam is a deeply misunderstood religion especially in the United States, but people of all faiths fo their hardest to live up to God's image for man; it doesn't really matter which pillar is the hardest to obey, doing the thing that God would approve of is. I think when Muslims or anyone of faith gives to charity or helps another person, they must momentarily pretend that God does not exist and extend their hand and heart out to the person to help them truly, not in the name of religion. 

In Core class, we are beginning to study the roots and core beliefs of Islam. This Abrahamic, monotheistic religion was founded by a Meccan man named Muhammad, who is said to be Allah's prophet. Our assignment on our blog today is to investigate who Muhammad was, what kind of person he was, and why his teachings are still so influential today.

Muhammad was born a merchant who lived a difficult early life until he married into wealth in about 595 AD. This is probably why Muhammad was so empathetic with others and able to connect with their struggles and hardships, as he had once been poor and underprivileged himself. He was wealthy and had children when he began prophesizing, but he believed in charity and giving back to those who do not have what you can give. This instinct was one that Muhammad possessed naturally, and he was able to utilize it when he began to receive messages from Allah. 

Muhammad was also, most likely, charming and able to influence others' opinions and beliefs. Often times, when one has this "power" (it is called "charisma"), they use it for the bad. Muhammad used his social skills and power over people to teach and connect with others. People were very interested in what he had to say because Arabia and the Arabic people had suffered hardships for many years and were open to this new optimistic and purposeful new kind of outlook on life. Muhammad was secretive of the messages he had been receiving for about 3 years after the first one, but he was able to preach to people and make it sound truthful  After all, a 40-year-old merchant from Mecca's teachings still resonate and are taught today, so, true or not, this man and his teachings were definitely something powerful.

I don't think there are too many reasons why I accepted. Completing my education and becoming a helpful community member  is very important; in fact, I've always dreamed of being elected into our village's government. But really, I acted on impulse, but now I realize why: I want to explore. There's probably so much outside of our village, even if the cultures were similar. I'd be exploring new lands with my uncle, riding camels. I'd be getting the full, worldly experience, not just a trader's life. I never even thought of this, even though my uncle used to joke with my parents that one day I'd be old enough to travel with him. I used to think about it all the time, but I suppose I forgot about it later. Now it's here! I'm so excited to learn. 

     It's so foolish of me to daydream, I know. But I've never been taken seriously, never been thought of as an adult, and now I'm more than a kid. I'm a traveler just like my uncle! If there's one thing I'll regret, it's what I mentioned before: I didn't think. I'm going to miss my mother and father and siblings. My uncle will have to raise me now. I guess it's okay, though: I'm an adult, aren't I?

Today's blog assignment is to write a bit about the ancient Rome simulation we participated in last Friday morning in Core class. What was our role? If we could, how would we change it and why?

 I was a provincial in last Friday's simulation. My partner was Leonor, and we represented Britain, whose main industry to be profited by sale from the empire was iron. We had to tear out small blocks of iron coins to sell to the four Romans. There were twenty coins in all, but only four were sold to the empire. In the end, we ended up being invaded by the barbarians -- specifically, the Angles -- because our army was weak and included only 1200 "men" (represented by coins that featured a picture of a Roman helmet and plume). This was disappointing, but Rome was and is still very well-known for mistreating its people, so in many ways, they did deserve to be sacked.

If I could have changed my role in the simulation, I would have chosen to be a barbarian, probably an Angle, Saxon, or Goth. People who have not been introduced and taught about Rome the way we have this year probably only believe that the barbarians were evil, with cruel intentions toward the empire without motivation. This isn't true, as I learned, when we watched a video in cflass about the Goths the next week. This Germanic tribe was mistreated by the Romans whenever they had made deals for property, and sold into slavery. After many failed rebellions and angry wars between the Goths and Romans like the one at Adrianople, they were used as disposable troops by the Roman military, and many of their people were killed or treated as savages. Even after many of the other tribes invaded Rome and it fell, the Goths found other places to live and their strong king led the sack of Rome. Many barbarian tribes were not really "barbarian". The Romans were just snooty and prejudiced, even after letting the tribes into their land. As is said, oppression sires rebellion. 

Hello! Today is Monday, and our assignment today is to write a few paragraphs about the book we are currently reading. Right now I am reading Shadow of the Hegemon by Orson Scott Card. It counts for Reading Counts! points and is around 114,000 points. It's the second book in a sequel series to Ender's Game. Its preceder is Ender's Shadow. The first novel is centered mainly around protagonist Ender Wiggin and a former member of Ender's Battle School army, or jeesh, named Bean. This one does not physically feature Ender but instead focuses on Bean and the other members of Ender's jeesh and their endeavors in world affairs. I'm just over 200 pages in and right now Bean is negotiating war plans with Thai officials. I like Bean, but my favorite character is Peter. Despite being older than his brilliant space commander of a little brother, Peter is also a great writer and blogs like us! Only his blogging isn't for school. He dabbles in world affairs and hates being underestimated. Until a few chapters ago, in fact, he was afraid to tell his parents of his online whereabouts, but it turns out they already knew. Smart parents make smart children, I suppose. During Ender's time at Battle School, he and his younger sister, Valentine, wrote these blog entries together, but he has taken up the business as of her departure with Ender. Earlier in the story, another member of Ender's jeesh, Armenian Petra Arkanian was kidnapped and is now onboard a jet with a psychopath named Achilles. They are also involving themselves in the war. Peter has now been elected Hegemon (supreme ruler) of the Earth. Now the questions left hanging are... what's Ender got to say in this? When will the war start? What's up with Achilles? Why is a teenager running the world?

I'd say these hanging questions are the ones that led me to read this book. I liked Ender's Game and enjoyed reading about Ender's adventures, along with those of his jeesh. All of these novels depict intelligent children who do wonderful things, and it gives me hope about my future as a smart child. I also love Petra's storyline; she was surrounded by boys during all of her time at Battle School and often underestimated for being a female. Characters like Petra are proof that girls can do anything that boys can. Rule the world, even.