Mosaic- Butterfly

Christian people think that the symbol Butterfly means resurrection. When a caterpillar goes into a cocoon you think it is dead but it's not, because when it comes out from the cocoon it's a beautiful butterfly. When I saw the  Butterfly symbol, I first thought it was going to be very easy to do but it wasn't. When I started with the cutting and gluing of the colors on the paper I realized it was going to be really hard to do. It took me a very long time to finish it, but I like it how it looks like now. I can't imagine how the people did it over 1500 years ago. They probably had to work for more than one year to complete the big mosaics. A mistake  can happen very easily during the making of a mosaic. When I noticed that I had two different greens I was really shocked because it looked different. I think the people long ago also did things wrong but they couldn't start everything again because the materials were very expensive.

I have chosen St Nicholas mainly because he is our family saint and we celebrate St Nicholas as our saint’s day (slava).

Nicholas  was born during the third century in the village of Patara. At the time the area was Greek and is now on the southern coast of Turkey. His wealthy parents, who raised him to be a devout Christian, died in an epidemic while Nicholas was still young.

Obeying Jesus' words to "sell what you own and give the money to the poor," Nicholas used his whole inheritance to assist the needy, the sick, and the suffering. He dedicated his life to serving God and was made Bishop of Myra while still a young man. Bishop Nicholas became known throughout the land for his generosity to the those in need, his love for children, and his concern for sailors and ships.

Under the Roman Emperor Diocletian, who ruthlessly persecuted Christians, Bishop Nicholas suffered for his faith, was exiled and imprisoned. The prisons were so full of bishops, priests, and deacons, there was no room for the real criminals—murderers, thieves and robbers. After his release, Nicholas attended the Council of Nicaea in AD 325.

He died December 6, AD 343 in Myra and was buried in his cathedral church, where a unique relic, called manna, formed in his grave. This liquid substance, said to have healing powers, fostered the growth of devotion to Nicholas. The anniversary of his death became a day of celebration, St. Nicholas Day, December 6th (December 19 on the Julian Calendar).

Through the centuries many stories and legends have been told of St. Nicholas' life and deeds. These accounts help us understand his extraordinary character and why he is so beloved and revered as protector and helper of those in need.

Research a modern-day female political leader that you think has had great influence in making and changing laws. Provide a mini-biography and explain why you chose her.

 Rania Al Abdullah is the current Queen consort of Jordan as the wife of King Abdullah II of Jordan.

Her Majesty Queen Rania Al Abdullah was born Rania Al Yaseen in Kuwait on the 31st Of August 1970. She was just an ordinary Palestinian girl whose father worked as a children’s doctor in one of Kuwait’s Hospitals, but then she became the wife of Prince Abdullah Bin Al Hussein of Jordan who later became the King after his father’s death. She studied Computer Science along with Business & Administrations at the American University in Cairo, Egypt.

Queen Rania is involved in many charity activities. Over the past few years, Queen Rania has launched, championed, and given patronage to several initiatives in education and learning. She dedicates a lot of her time to The Jordan River Children Project which helps the poorer sector of society in finding jobs and raising their level of living. She also supervises the children of the Jordan River Project that deals with child abuse. The Jordanian and Palestinian people have great hopes in the role that the Queen Of Jordan is playing, which is considered the link between Jordan and Palestine, a role that the late King Hussein’s third wife the Palestinian Queen Alia had also played.Her Majesty helps with the King’s popularity among the Jordanian’s with Palestinian origins. Her children's book The Sandwich Swap, advocating cultural tolerance, was published last year and quickly became a New York Times Best Seller. Queen Rania uses online social-networking tools such as YouTube, Facebook and Twitter. She was also ranked as the third most beautiful woman in the world by Harpers and Queen magazine in 2005.

Movie Review

Dijana Markovic

Ms.Moore

Humanties, 8A

31 January 2012

Last Days of Jesus’ Life

If you like biblical stories, but also enjoy rock music, then you should definitely see this movie. With the great singers who really fit their parts and music written by Andrew  Lloyd Webber (soundtrack for Evita and Cats, music for   Phantom of the Opera)  this rock opera was sure  to become a box office hit. Being filmed in Israel and topped with perfect costumes and inspirational melody it basically makes you become  a part of the atmosphere in ancient Jerusalem at the time of the Christ’s  arrival.

Jesus Christ Superstar, the story that tells about the last week of Jesus’ life as seen by Judas, was brought to life by an award winning director, Norman Jewison, and his magnificent crew, Ted Neelet as Jesus , Carl Anderson as Judas Iscariot, Yvonne Elliman as Mary Magdalene , etc. in 1973. Lyrics for absolutely perfect music were written by Andrew Lloyd Webber, a famous English songwriter. Melvyn Bragg based her screenplay on book written by Tim Rice. This movie was awarded three stars by Roger Ebert.

When Jesus Christ arrives in Jerusalem with his twelve Apostles he soon becomes a threat to the Roman Empire as seen by the priest Caiaphas. Because of his great influence on the Jewish people, Judas becomes concerned about the poor and the consequences of Jesus’ fame, so he betrays Jesus who gets arrested for being a false messiah and a blasphemer.

The movie has a great background idea that Jesus Christ was in fact the first Superstar with the great charisma and the ability to reach the people. Ordinary people around him became enchanted by him, afraid of him, or worried because of his rising fame.

I would gladly recommend this movie to viewers of all the ages because it brings a new and interesting perspective to the story that is familiar to everyone. It really gives you the impression that, even though millennia have passed, the world  has not changed a lot. Great music combined with outstanding choreography and marvelous performances really capture viewers’ attention and every second is interesting and fun. That is why I give this movie thumbs up.   

Julius Caesar

I think that Julius Caesar was a Reformer, because he helped poor people by giving them jobs that they can have a better life. And he rebuilt Rome that was destroyed by the republic. He did maybe some things that look like that he is a dictator but he did a lot of things for other people. He wanted power but in a way that everybody can be happy.

How did the geography and climate of Italy influence the development of Ancient Rome?

Rome was located on seven hills which  were easy to cross because they are not so tall like the Greek mountains. The geographical location of the city (Rome) and mountains was excellent because they were far enough from the sea  and the attacks of the pirates. The Tiber River supplied the Romans with fresh water and food. The Roman people could cross the river easily. In addition to these facts,  the farming in Italy was good, which helps explain why many people came to live in Italy (Rome). Italy also had the high Alps in the north which helped to protect them from European attacks from that direction.

The founding of Rome

There are two legends of how ancient Rome was founded. The first legend is about two twins named Romulus and Remus who were abandoned near a river  by their parents. They live were saved by a wolf and then were raised by a shepherd. In 753 B.C. the twins decide to build a city. Remus made fun of his brother because he built a wall so Romulus killed him. Then Romulus became the King of Rome, the city being named after him.

The second legend is from the Roman poet named Virgil who had written  the Aeneid. In this legend,  Virgil writes  that Aeneas and his ''army'' crossed the Mediterranean Sea and Aeneas discovered Rome. Aeneas married the King's daughter. Several more legends exist and  no one is sure how ancient Rome was really founded but they suspect that the Latin's lived on the hills in Italy since 1000 B.C.E.