1. What is the population of the United States? 313,847,465

2. What are the five largest countries in the world, by population? China, India, United States, Indonesia, and Brazil

3. What is the population of Pakistan? 190,290,129

4. What kind of government does the Untied States have? Constitution- based federal republic; strong democratic

5. What is the unemployment in Zimbabwe? 95%

6. What is the largest country in the world by area? Russia

7. What country has the third greatest number of airports? Mexico

8. What country has the greatest number of exports? China

9. What country exports more oil than any other? Saudi Arabia

10. What country imports more oil than any other? United States

11. What country consumes more oil than any other? United States

12. Can women serve in combat roles in China's military? yes

13. What is GPD? Gross Domestic Product

14. What country has the highest GPD per capita in the world,and how much is it? Liechtenstein and $141,100

15. Is the US in the top ten for the GPD per capita? no

16. Most of the countries with the highest birth rates can be found in what continent? Africa

17. 11 of the top 12 countries with the highest number of deaths from HIV/AIDS can be found in which continent? Africa

18.What other country is in the top 10? India

19. Where does the US rank in the HIV/AIDS deaths? 18

20. Is the US #1 in number of cellular phones? no

21. What percentage of the US is Roman Catholic? 23.9%

22. What percentage of Mexico is Roman Catholic? 76.5%

23. What is Net Migration Rate? the number of people entering and leaving the country per 1,000 persons

24. Does the US have the highest Net Migration Rate? no

25. What is the current population of the entire word? 7,021,836,029


The first question that really caught my interest was the the population of the world. It's one way to show how amazing God really is. Just to think I am one of that 7,012,836,029 people in the world is crazy to think about.

The second question that caught my attention was the amount of deaths due to HIV/AIDS. It is so sad to think about. It also makes me feel grateful to think we live in a country where it isn't as bad and likely.

Evaluating Websites Blog

1. This first source, the CIA World Fact Book, looks pretty reliable and helpful to use for a research paper. It looks reliable because it is a government website and has useful, accurate information.

2. The next source regarding "A Message To Garcia," also looks helpful to use as a source. It gives so much information about the author and the story.

3. The Forbidden Knowledge source does not look very real because it doesn't contain a whole lot of information about the topics so it would not be very helpful to someone who is trying to write a research paper.

4. The NASA Kid's Club website seems real because it has very helpful information for kids. It makes learning more fun for kids, but a lot of the facts are things people our age already know so I do not think it would be too helpful for writing a research paper on your topic.

5. The CNN Opinion website looks like a cite that has information on the current 2012 elections.

6. The New York Times website would be a great source to use because it is an online newspaper so you can always be caught up on the current events which may be very important for your paper.

7. The Fox News source looks like it could be very helpful to use if you needed helpful information if you were writing about the 2012 elections.

8.Wikipedia contains a lot of helpful information about The Washington Times, but there is always a chance that what people post may not be 100% true so its probably not the best idea to use it for a research project.

9. The last website is a blog. A blog is not helpful information for a research paper because it is based only on a person's opinion rather than the facts.

Wikipedia Blog

Today in Mr. Schick’s Human Geography class we learned why Mr. Schick loves using the internet source Wikipedia. He warned us that the teachers in the English department would probably not allow to use Wikipedia because it is known to be unreliable.  It is known to be unreliable because anyone can change the information given and post something that is false. But as Mr. Schick said, Wikipedia contains a lot of information and there are people who edit the posts if they are undependable. Also, there are many things that are blocked so you can’t post whatever you want to on those cites. For example, when you look up President Barrack Obama on Wikipedia, it is impossible to add any information. They are protecting him and reputation especially with the elections coming up. The bottom line is Wikipedia is not always a source that does not have true information. It can give helpful information.

Essay #3

“Excellence is never an accident. It is always the result of high intention, sincere effort, and intelligent execution; it represents the wise choice of many alternatives - choice, not chance, determines your destiny.” This quote by Aristotle identifies excellence. To earn success in excellence you must first have a plan. To strive for excellence at John Carroll, I must first have a positive attitude for my next four years. Meaning, I should come to school every day with a constructive mindset that is ready to learn. Second, I will represent my school by participating in sports and keep in mind what name is on my uniform. This part of my plans demonstrates respect for my school and what it represents. Third, I must show respect to my teachers, administrators, coaches, friends, and classmates because if I want respect, I must show and give it. So, it is not just my school that deserves my respect but all the pieces that make it a school.  Fourth, I will always keep an open mind by listening to everyone’s point of view even if I do not agree. To be excellent means that you care about others no matter where they are from, what beliefs they have or position they take on topics. By listening and caring, some of my current thoughts might be changed or I may be able to change others thoughts. Lastly, I will show determination and perseverance through my work. I will do my best to never back down from a challenge. With this basic plan of action, I feel I can accomplish my goals while showing respect and caring for others.

Essay #2

If Elbert Hubbard could time travel to the year of 2012, he would be shocked to see how lazy this generation is. He probably expected the future generations to buckle down and get the job done with no questions asked. But in reality, this generation constantly asks questions and gets the job done when we get to it. Hubbard was disappointed  with his generation and pointed out that there are not many people who do what they are told unless they have some kind of harsh whipping to motivate them. Meanwhile, if Socrates could travel to the year of 2012 he would be impressed. Socrates spent so much time pursuing his method of getting people to think and then to have them shut down by the Athenian government had to be frustrating. Whereas. nowadays we have a schooling system that encourages critical thinking in all classes. Also, there's freedom of speech, which allows people to express their thoughts with no penalty, unlike ancient Greece where you could be condemned to death. For both Elbert Hubbard and Socrates, time travelling to 2012 would be an eye opening experience.

Essay #1

The word arête means reaching full potential with good character. This is a top of what a person or people can attain and doing it in a way that others would respect. Socrates was an ancient Athenian philosopher who developed the Socrates Method. The Socrates Method was a debate or argument that started between a few people and was used to develop critical thinking between them. Socrates exemplified  arête because he stood up for what he believed in. He would walk the streets asking random people questions to get them thinking.  Socrates was penalized for disrespecting the gods and corrupting the youth of his time. However, he held his position in the wake of criticism. Socrates was heroically willing to die for his beliefs, which shows his true perseverance and excellence. The ancient Greeks also demonstrated arête. They were the first to develop the system of Democracy. This was incredible because it was the first time where everyone had a say and a chance to vote for what they individually wanted and believed in. Socrates and the ancient Greeks certainly demonstrated arête by standing by their beliefs and not giving up to get others to accept.

A Message To Garcia and Socrates Wrapping up Discussion

On Friday, we began the day in Mr. Schick’s Human Geography class. We finished going over the “A Message to Garcia” vocabulary words that he assigned us the previous night. Then he told us the assignment for the weekend. Over the weekend, we have to have all our blogs posted on blogger.com and also we have to answer three essay questions. The questions are based on what we have been discussing in class such as the intelligent Socrates and the honest Elbert Hubbard, who wrote the article “A Message to Garcia.” Then, Mr. Schick answered any questions we had. Because it was the first mod of the day, we had extra time at the end of class so Mr. Schick showed us the video about the Starfish and told all the football players that if any of them scored a touchdown, they had to give Mr. Schick a special shout out and then spike the football. Because that would resolve in a penalty, he agreed that they could just drop the ball or hand it off the referee.