Exams Next Week!

Today in Human Geo we got a study guide for our exam. I think that this exam is going to go pretty well. I am just going to study all of my old tests and quizzes. Yesterday I said that I didn’t understand what the essay was going to be about. But now I am starting to understand what it is about. It is basically a storyline on what we learned about this entire year. I think that I sort of know what I am going to write about for my first paragraph. The first paragraph is supposed to be about “excellence.” I am going to talk about how we were supposed to strive to be excellent this school year. Mr. Schick said that this test is all on scantron. I am glad because I would be scared that if we used the laptops that something would happen. This weekend I am going to continue studying for exams.

Reviewing for Finals

Today in Human Geo, we went over what was going to be on the final exam. I am going to have to study a lot this weekend for this test because there is a lot of information in this class. I have to goal the way back to when we talked about Shift Happens and the Nike video. There is a lot that we covered this year. I am most nervous for the final essay. I am just confused on what the essay is on. Someone asked what it was on and Mr. Schick said “excellence.” I guess that that goes back to when we talked about Socrates. I’m not sure though. I am glad that the exams are before break. I am happy that we can just get it over with instead of having to study for it over break. I have to study a lot this weekend for all of my exams.

Quiz Back and Nelson

Today in Human Geo, we got our quizzes back. Since we came into school two hours late, we had a very short class. I was very happy because I got to sleep in. I was also very happy because I got a 100% on my quiz. We went over all of the answers of the quiz. I hope that for the Human Geo Final we get a study guide. I think that I am just going to study the old tests and quizzes. I want to get a study guide because I like to know exactly what we have to study. After we went over the quiz answers, we talked about the man that died over the week. I’m not sure what his full name was, but his last name was Nelson. Mr. Schick went taught us about him. I think that what he did was very inspirational.  

Microfinance Test

Today in human geo we took our microfinance test. I think that the test overall was pretty easy. Some of the questions took me a little while to figure out. I think that some of the answers were funny. I hope that I do well on this test. Mr. Schick is going to grade the quizzes now. He made a shadow take the test also. I studied last night for the test and I also studied before class. I think that it was hard to try to remember all of the numbers. When we took the test though, we only needed to know about two of the numbers. I am glad that we didn’t need to know all of the numbers. If we did then I think I would have gotten confused. I am doing my blog in class right now because we are waiting for Mr. Schick to grade our tests.

Microfinance PowerPoint

Microfinance: a form of financial services for entrepreneurs and small businesses lacking access to banking and related services
Microloan: a small loan given to individuals who might not have access to typical banking services.
Kiva gives microloans. Have lent $500,000 in the past month.There current repayment rate for all its partners is 99.01%
Who receives microloans?
 -Microentrepreneurs who are trying to start a small business
 -Villageres needing to fund a clinic hospital or other health care facilities
 -Teachers who want to start a school
 -Student who want a further education
Problems with microloans:
 -high interest rates (sometimes 23%)
 -cost of providing banking services to those living in poverty is high
 Microloans are a help, not a Cure
 -Banking services usually aren't available to people
 -its not just loans, but also insurance
 Challenges
 -many challenges
 -some can be alleviated through microloans
Malaria
 -Mosquito-borne infectious disease
 -Means "bad air"
 -Comes from female mosquitos
 -Kills around 665,000 people a year in sub-Saharan Africa
 -Mosquito nets can help (Bill Gates and wife)
Philanthropy
 - generous donation of money to good causes, and Bill and Melinda Gates are the second greatest philanthropists in history ($28 billion, 1/3 of their wealth)
 -they support research and development for a vaccine, diagnostics, and mosguito-control measures- like mosquito nets

Questions for Microfinance Test

:3Test Questions for Human Geo    

 Steven Kucther, Hailey Ishak, Ellie Gottschalk, Stephanie Imbierowicz, Carly Schofield.

1. who is microfinance used for ? - it is used for people to start up a business or to keep a business going or just to help people who need a small loan.

2. what is a common use for a micro loan? - starting up new businesses, products, clinics, machinery, furniture, and schools  

3.What is a microloan? Loans people money to help them get a kick start in a small business that they think will be beneficial to their village or town

4.what is mocrofinance? A general term to describe financial services to low-income individuals or those who do not have access to typical banking services.

5. Who has the most supply of mosquitoes nets? Bill and Melinda Gates

6.what is the difference between developing countries and developed countries?- developing usually have lower levels of affluence and higher levels of unemployment, developed countries have the

7. what is malaria?  - malaria is a wide spreading disease that is transmitted by getting from a mosquitos

8.why do poor people pay more for loans? -micro lenders don’t get paid as much so poor people have to pay higher loans

9. What is a microlender? An organization that makes business loans to individuals who arent able to obtain financing from traditional lenders.

10.In developing countries the majority of the population is? Poor

11. How is giving Microloans better than just regular donations to charity? This way you're not just giving them many for no reason but you're giving them a kick start to make a successful business and in the end it’s their responsibility to pay you back for your help.

12.give 3 problems in developing countries that can be solved by microloans: malaria, drought, clean water

Microfinance

Microfinance: is a general term to describe financial services to low-income individuals or to those who don’t have access to typical banking service

Microloans: loans people money to help them get a kick start in a small business that they think will be beneficial to their village or town

-          Microloans also helps investments in infrastructure, education, and legal reforms

Gives people who don’t have money a loan so they can start a business

Help small business startup and stay running

Opportunity for the less fortunate people to have stuff they usually couldn’t afford

Allows poor people to build their assets

In many developing countries, most people are poor

Problems in developing countries that can be helped by microfinance: malaria, drought, and clean water

Bill Gates gives the most amount of charity in the world. Send out mosquito nets

Microlender: an organization that makes business loans to individuals who aren’t able to obtain financing from traditional lenders. Usually charge higher- than- average interest rates.

Disease, electricity, drought, etc. problems with developing countries

Microloan: person lends a small amount of money to a developing business. Once the business is running good the lender will receive their money back

Common uses for microloans: starting up new businesses, products for business, equipment, furniture, money, electricity, technology, roads, etc.

Microfinance facts

Today in Human Geo, Mr. Schick wasn't here so we played the microfinance computer game. Here are some fun facts that I learned while playing the game...

Between 350 million and 500 million people contract malaria each year, and more than a million people a year die of the disease.

More than two-fifths of the people in the world live in areas where malaria is transmitted, including Africa, Asia, Central and South America, the Caribbean, and islands in the Pacific.

You can reduce the occurrence of malaria by managing water resources, an example is by preventing water from accumulating in communities.

In every region of the world, there are primary school-aged girls who do not attend.

Peace Corps Volunteers work with their community to develop projects that involve trees. Volunteers work o production of fruit trees, natural fences for wind protection, and raising trees in small nurseries.

Trees play a critical role in our environment. They help to protect soil, coastal areas, and can prevent desertification, which is the expansion of deserts from practices such as over-grazing land, and collecting firewood.

And the Emmy goes to...

Today in Human Geo we had and fun class! Someone who won an Emmy visited the school today. Mr. Schick found it, so he kept it with him so it would stay safe. It was so cool being able to see an Emmy in person. It was a lot heavier than I thought that it was going to be. The class and I were all able to get pictures with it, so that was cool. We also went on this website that was set up like a TV screen. You could change the channels and all of these people were mouthing the words to a song. It was really cool! Finally, we played a computer game on microfinance. It was so confusing. I think that you really had to be focused and be willing to read all of the captions. If I was more focused then I thin ki would have done better on it.

Taking the World Leaders Test

Today in Human Geo, I took a test on world leaders. I think that I did pretty well. I know that I took really good notes because I wrote almost all of the notes from the PowerPoint. I also had a map in my blog so I knew where all of the countries were. At first though, I just wrote what the country was, but then I realized that wasn't the directions. What I was supposed to write was who the leaders of the countries were. I got a little bit confused by who were the two leaders who had high economic backgrounds. I know that Dilma was one of the answers, but I am not sure who the other person was. I also got a little bit confused by who were the three people who revolted against their leaders. I think that I only got one or two or the three correct. Overall, I think that I did very well on the test. 

Microfinance

Today in Human Geo we did a couple of different things. First we waited for some people to finish taking their test. Some people seemed to think that it was hard, but others I think did well. I am taking the test tomorrow. I think that I am going to do pretty well because I took down a lot of notes. I also have a picture of a map on my blog, which should help. We are starting a new unit today.  It is about microfinance.  I looked through a slideshow that Mr. Schick had that gave us some info about it I don’t really know what that is. Apparently, when we study this unit we are going to work on a big worksheet and take a test that is worth a lot less then it usually would be. I am excited to start on this new unit.

World Map!

Godspell

Today I am not going to be in class. I am not going to be in class because I am in Godspell. I have two shows today, one at 10am and the other at 12:40. I am really excited to perform. I am not nervous for the shows, I am excited. We have had so many practices, so I am excited for all of the hard work to pay off. Since I am not going to be in class, I know that I am missing a test. I think that the test is going to be very hard. I am hoping that Mr. Schick lets us use our blogs. I take very good notes on my blog. I know that he is letting another section use there blogs for the test so, I have a feeling that he might let us use our blogs, but then again you never know. 

PowerPoint Notes

Afghanistan/ Hamid Karzai

 Islamic republic 

Headed by President Hamid Karzai

He emerged as a resistance leader under Taliban rule and worked to undermine the regime.

Knows a lot of languages including his native Peshto, Persian, Hindi, French and English.

Several times in 2001, Karzai warned the United States that the Taliban were connected with al Qaeda and that there was a plot for an imminent attack on the United States, but no one listened to his warnings .

Brazil/ Dilma Rousseff

Federal republic

Headed by President Dilma Rousseff

She opposed Brazil’s military dictatorship of the 1960s and ‘70s, and served three years in prison,

She was repeatedly tortured.

She has been divorced twice.

She has a degree in economics, and now rules the country with the eighth-biggest economy in the world.

She underwent chemotherapy for lymphoma in 2009, and is now in remission.

China/ Xi Jinping

Communist state

Ruled by President Xi Jinping

Xi Jinping is the son of revolutionary veteran Xi Zhongxun, one of the Communist Party's founding fathers.

He married folk singer Peng Liyuan, who also holds the rank of army general, in 1987. 

In China, Ms. Peng was the better-known half of the couple before Xi Jinping became leader of the Communist Party.

The couple have a daughter named Xi Mingze, she is studying at Harvard University in the US.

France/ Francois Hollande

Republic headed by Francois Hollande

Hollande has no previous experience in a national government position.

The mother of his four children is Ségolène Royal, with whom he shared a 30-year relationship.

He was born in 1954 in the city of Rouen to an extreme-right physician father and progressive social worker mother. 

Germany/ Joachim Gauck, Angela Merkel

Federal republic 

Headed by President Joachim Gauck and Chancellor Angela Merkel

Graduated from University of Leipzig in 1978 with a degree in physics and physical chemistry; earned a PhD in quantum chemistry from the German Academy of Sciences in Berlin in 1986

Has been Chancellor since November 2005

Merkel has earned the top spot on the FORBES list of Most Powerful Women In The World for eight of the past 10 years.

India/ Pranab Mukherjee

Federal republic  

Headed by President Pranab Mukherjee

He taught Political Science at the Vidiyanagar College

Worked as a journalist before entering politics.

Mukherjee was rated as one of the best finance ministers of the world in 1984 and was adjudged the best parliamentarian in 1997.

He had a conflict with Rajiv Gandhi (who took over as Prime Minister from his mother Indira after she was assassinated in 1984) and started his own party – Rashtriya Samajwadi Congress.

Iran/ Khamenei and Ruhani

Theocratic republic 

Ruled by Supreme Leader Ali Hoseini-Khamenei, and President Hasan Fereidun Ruhani

In 1963, took part in street protests against the U.S.-backed Shah of Iran. After the uprising was quashed, Khamenei was exiled. Khamenei was imprisoned multiple times and, in 1975, was internally exiled to a remote region in southeastern Iran.

Was elected President of Iran in 1981 and re-elected in 1985.  Became Iran’s Supreme Leader in 1989.

Hasan Fereidun Ruhani Background: In 1963, took part in street protests against the U.S.-backed Shah of Iran. After the uprising was quashed, Khamenei was exiled. Khamenei was imprisoned multiple times and, in 1975, was internally exiled to a remote region in southeastern Iran.

Was elected President of Iran in 1981 and re-elected in 1985.  Became Iran’s Supreme Leader in 1989.

Israel/ Peres and Netanyahu

Parliamentary democracy 

Headed by President Shimon Peres and Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu

Shimon Peres background: Shimon Peres was born in Belarus. To escape the persecution of Jews there, the family fled to Palestine in 1934. When Arab forces launched their attack on the new state of Israel in 1948, Peres was given the chief responsibility for securing military equipment for Israel from abroad.

Later he organized Israel's nuclear program and is regarded as the father of Israel's atomic bomb.

As Israel's Minister of Foreign Affairs Shimon Peres was in charge of the Israeli negotiations during peace talks with the Palestinians.  In the autumn of 1994 he shared the Nobel Peace Prize with his own Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin and the Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat.

Binyamin Netanyahu background: As a child and youth he lived with his family in the US in the years 1956-58 and again in 1963-67

After his brother Jonathan (Yonni) was killed, in July 1976, in the course of the Entebbe Operation, of which he was one of the commanders, Netanyahu returned to Israel and started to advocate international cooperation in fighting terrorism.

Quote: "There are those who say that if the Holocaust had not occurred, the State of Israel would never have been established. But I say that if the State of Israel would have been established earlier, the Holocaust would not have occurred."

Mexico/ Enrique Pena Pieto

Federal republic 

Headed by President Enrique Pena Pieto.

He was the eldest of four siblings in a middle-class family; his father, Gilberto Enrique Peña del Mazo, was an engineer for the electric company and his mother, María del Socorro Nieto, a schoolteacher.

Reports that he fathered two children in extramarital affairs while his wife Monica raised the couple’s 3 children, plus the investigation into the sudden death of his wife at home in 2007, have prompted many to call him the Teflon candidate because trouble seems to slide off him.

Two years later he announced his engagement to soap opera actor Angelica Rivera.  Rivera became his wife in a star-studded wedding ceremony two years ago and is now the first lady of Mexico.

Saudi Arabia/ Abdallah

A kingdom 

Ruled by Abdallah bin Abd al-Aziz Al Saud, who is both King and Prime Minister

He has fathered 22 children, the youngest when he was 79.

He is worth approximately 21 billion dollars.

He was appointed commander of the Saudi Arabian National Guard, a post he was still holding when he became king.

In November 2007, King Abdullah visited Pope Benedict in the Apostolic Palace. He is the first Saudi monarch to visit the Pope.  In March 2008, he called for a “brotherly and sincere dialogue between believers from all religions.”

In 2011 he granted women the right to vote and run in future municipal elections, the biggest change in a decade for women in a puritanical kingdom that practices strict separation of the sexes, including banning women from driving (the only country in the world with such a ban).

United Kingdom/ Cameron and the Queen

Constitutional monarchy and Commonwealth realm 

Ruled by Prime Minister David Cameron and Queen Elizabeth II

At the age of seven, the young Cameron was packed off to Heatherdown, a highly exclusive preparatory school, which counted Princes Edward and Andrew among its pupils. Then, following in the family tradition, came Eton, Britain’s top private school.

His first child, Ivan, who was born profoundly disabled and needed round the clock care, died in February 2009.

The experience of caring for Ivan and witnessing at first hand the dedication of NHS hospital staff, is said by friends to have broadened Mr Cameron's horizons. He had, friends say, led an almost charmed life to that point.

Cameron is the youngest Prime Minister (43 when he took office) in over 200 years.

Elizabeth became queen on February 6, 1952, and was crowned on June 2, 1953.  Her reign has lasted 60 years - and counting.

Venezuela/ Maduro

Federal republic 

Headed by President Nicolas Maduro Moros

Nicolás Maduro Moros worked as a bus driver before becoming politically active in the early 1990s.

Maduro was introduced to Hugo Chávez in 1992, after Chávez and other disenchanted members of the military were imprisoned for an attempted coup and Maduro began campaigning for Chávez's release. (Chávez was released in 1994 and won election to the presidency four years later.)

After President Chávez won a third term in October 2012, he selected Maduro to serve as vice president. Maduro worked alongside the outspoken president, serving as one of his closest advisers as well as a loyal spokesman, until Chávez's death at 58 on March 5, 2013, from cancer.

World Leaders PowerPoint

Today in human geo, we continued on the world leaders PowerPoint. We started to learn about some more country world leaders. We talked about the world leader of Iran, Israel, and Mexico, and some others. I found that what we learned about Iran and Israel very interesting. With Iran, I found learning about Ahmadinejad very shocking. Apparently, this man was crazy and a very bad leader. He hated Jews and wanted them gone. Then, when Hasan Fereidun got elected, he said that he didn’t want to be associated with Ahmadinejad. That is very interesting to me. Also, learning about Israel I think is sad. I find it sad that Israel’s neighboring countries don’t like them at all. Jews have had to go through so many horrible things, and still all of their neighboring countries was to bomb ad kill them. I like learning about all of these different world leaders, I find it very interesting.

Different World Leaders

Today we went over the test about different religions. I got a 90%. Mr. Schick accidentally marked an answer wrong so we all got 3 more bonus points. I am so glad, because now I got a 93%. I still got a couple of those religion questions wrong. I wrote down the correct answers to I can use it to study. We also went over a PowerPoint about the twelve World Leaders that we are studying. I think that what we are learning about is very interesting. I think that it is very cool to learn about different leaders, and what they are like. Here are some of the notes about what we learned about in the PowerPoint.

Afghanistan/ Hamid Karzai:

• Is an Islamic republic headed by President Hamid Karzai
• Started as a resistance leader under Taliban rule and worked to undermine the regime
• Can speak many languages
• Warned the US that the Taliban were connected to al Qaeda and that there was a plot to attack the USA, but no one listened to him

Brazil/ Dilma Rousseff

• Federal republic headed by her
• Repeatedly tortured
• Divorced twice
• Degree in economics
• Underwent chemotherapy for lymphoma in 2009, and is in remission now

China/ Xi Jinping

• Communist state
• Son of revolutionart veteran Xi Zhongxun, one of the Communist Party's founding fathers
• Married folk singer Peng Liyuan, who was better known then her husband before he became president
• Has a daughter named Xi Mingze, who is studying at Harvard University in the USA

France/ Francois Hollande

• Republic headed by Francois Hollande
• For gay rights
• No previous experience in a national government position

Angela Merkel (Chancellor of Germany)

• graduated from University of Leizig in 1978 with degrees in
• Been Chancellor since November 2005
• Most Powerful Women in the World for eight of the past 10 years

India/ Pranab Mukherjee

• taught Science at the Vidiyanagar College
• Rated one of the best finance ministers of the world in 1984 and was adjudged the best parliamentarian in 1997
• Had a conflict with Rajiv Gandhi, so he started his own party

Iran/ Khamenei and Ruhani

• Theocratic republic ruled by Supreme Leader Ali Hoseini-Khamenei, and President Hassan Fereidun Ruhani
• Married to his cousin
• Khamenei: took a part in street protests against the US - backed Shah of Iran
• Khamenei was exiled and was imprisioned multiple times and in 1975 was internally exiled to a remote region in southeastern Iran

Hasan Fereidun/ Iran

• President of Iran
• Didn't like Ahmadinejad

Israel/ Peres and Netanyahu

• Parliamentary democracy
• headed by President Shimon Peres and Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu
• Peres: Him and his family fled to Palestine in 1934
• Netanyahu: brother was killed, lived in USA

Mexico, Enrique Pieto

• Wanted to help fix drug problems
• Had affairs with other women
• "Nothing sticks to him"

Saudi Arabia/ Abdallah

• had 10 siblings
• 22 children
• Worth 21 billion dollars because of oil
• In this country, women can't drive
• Granted women the right to vote

*Leaders who tried to revolt against leaders: Khamenei, Dilma, Karzai, Pranab

World Leaders

Enrique Peña Nieto (Mexico)

• Served as Sub-secretary in 1999-2000
• As a child he told teachers that he wanted to be governor of Mexico.

 Joachim Gauck (Germany)

• As a child, his father was taken by Soviets. For three years Joachim didn't know where his dad was and if he was still alive
• His children were discriminated because their dad was a pastor.

Nicolas Maduro (Venezuela)

• He became a member of his high school's student union, where he was introduced to politics 
• Got cancer, which effected his job

 Xi Jinping (China)

• Got divorced with his wife after a couple of days
• Studied chemical engineering at Tsinghua University

Queen Elizabeth II (United Kingdom)

• Became queen on February 6, 1952
• Home schooled

 King and Prime Minister ABDALLAH bin Abd al-Aziz Al Saud (Saudi Arabia)

• His mom was part of the Shammar tribe
• his mom died when he was six

Pranab Mukherjee (India)

• Prime Minister Indira Gandhi helped get him elected
• Very well respected

François Hollande (France)

• Before he became president he was the First Secretary of the French Socialist Party
• Supports gay rights

 Hassan Rouhani (Iran)

• Was a lawyer
• Was the secretary of the Supreme National Security Council from 1889-2005

Hamid Karzai (Afghanistan) 

• He was selected by "prominent Afghan political figures" to be the Chairman of the Interim Administration
• Then he served a two year term at Interim President       

  Dilma Rousseff (Brazil)

• Was captured and tortured
• Had bad cancer

    Shimon Peres (Israel)

• Served as Prime Minister of Israel twice
• Kadima nominated him to run for president 

                                    
 http://www.wikipedia.org/

12 Countries

1.       Mexico

a.       Mexico

b.      Federal Republic  

c.       Enrique Pena Nieto

d.      President

  

2.       Germany
a.     Germany                                                                             
b.      Federal Republic
c.       Joachim Gauck
d.      President

3.       Venezuela

a.       Venezuela

             b.      Federal Republic                                                                              c. Nicolas Maduro

d.      President

4.       China

a.       China                                                                                       
b    Communist State                                                                
c.       Xi Jinping

d.      President

5.       United Kingdom

a.       United Kingdom

b.      Constitutional monarchy and Commonwealth realm                 

c.       Queen Elizabeth II

d.      Monarch

6.       Saudi Arabia

a.       Saudi Arabia

b.      Monarchy

c.        King and Prime Minister ABDALLAH bin Abd al-Aziz Al Saud     

d.      King and Prime Minisster

7.       India

 a.       India                          
  b.      Federal Republic                                                                      
  c.    Pranab Mukherjee

  d.      President

8.       France

a.       France

b.      Republic                                                                               

c.       François Hollande

d.      President

9.       Iran

a.       Iran

b.      Theocratic republic 

c.       Hassan Rouhani                                                          

d.      President

10.   Afghanistan

a.       Afghanistan 

b.      Islamic republic 

c.       Hamid Karzai                                                                 

d.      President

11.   Brazil

a.       Brazil

b.      Federal republic                                                         

c.       Dilma Rousseff

d.      President

12.   Israel 

a.       Israel

b.      Parliamentary democracy

c.       Shimon Peres                                                                            

d.      President