Jemsy

=**Crusades**=
 * The Crusades were a series of Holy Wars launched by the Christian states of Europe against muslims. The Crusades started in 1095 when Pope Urban II preached the First Crusade in the Council of Claremont. The Pope's preaching led to thousands attaching the cross to their garments.The name Crusade was given to the Holy Wars because it came from an old French word 'crois' meaning 'cross'. The purpose of the Crusades were for Christian nations of Europe to rescue the holy places of Palestine from the hands of the muslims. Some of the effects of the crusades were that it helped break down feudalism by increasing the authority of kings, Europeans learned new things, and Western Europe began to show interest for trading. Some things Europeans learned were how to use a compass and how to build better ships. Some famous crusaders were Godfrey of Bouillon, Duke of Lorraine, and Count of Toulouse.**

=**Houses during the middle ages**=
 * Most middle ages houses were cold, dark, and damp. Sometimes it was warmer** **and lighter outside the houses than in the house. For security purposes, windows were very small openings with wooden shutters that were closed at night or in bad weather. The small size of the windows allowed the people inside to see outside, but kept people from outside to look in.** **Many poor families ate, slept, and spent time together in very small houses, rarely more than one or two rooms. The houses had thatched roofs and were easily destroyed.****Houses for the lower classes** **were made with whatever materials that were available cheaply and locally or they found . Houses for the rich people were almost always of stone and built with two or more floors. Houses in the north looked more wealthy and big. Southern cities' houses look more like suburban rims.**

=**Entertainment**=
 * Some of the things they did in the middle ages as entertainment were feasts, tournaments, games, music, poetry, and people who worked as performers. Some games they played were dice, knucklebones, marbles, checkers, chess, cards, and gladiatorial games. They enjoyed many kind of music and some of the instruments used were horns, trumpets, whistles, bells, and drums. Some holidays they enjoyed were the feast of Circumcision, epiphany, Juturnalia, Liberalia, and St Mark's Day.**

=**Beowulf**=
 * The story of Beowulf is a story that tells how Beowulf cleverly defeats a horrible monster. The story remains unknown but people noticed it was written by two different people. It was written between the 9 or 11 century and was created in West Saxon. Three characters from the story Beowulf are King Hrothgar, Grendel, and the dragon. King Hrothgar is the king of the Danes.He enjoys military success and prosperity until Grendel, the antagonist terrorizes him. Hrothgar sends Beowulf to fight with him. Grendel is a demon descended from Cain, because his horrible and miserable existence is part of the retribution exacted by God for Cain’s murder of Abel. Grendel fits solidly within the part of vengeance that governs the world of the poem. The dragon** **is an ancient, powerful serpent. The dragon guards a treasure in a hidden mound. Beowulf’s fight with the dragon and wins.**

**April 4,2012: Train crash in a city south of Germany** what happened:The train had 80 people on board driving his way but a trailer struck at the track and it couldn't moved.So the train stroked the trailer.Thank God only 5 people were injured and no one died. why is this important:Its important since we could learn to not do what they did.For example we could take care to not let a trailer get in the ways of trains. photo from the accident

source: www.blid.de

April 5,2012: 20 people died in Amina,Valverde,Dominican Republic what happened:The reason they died was because there had been a huge rainstorm.The rainstorm lasted a couple of days and probably the people died since they were outside on the water and something happened.

April 6,2012: More people are starting to live in Punta Cana,Dominican Republic What happened: A lot of people have gone to Dominican Republic for resorts and for vacation.But now people are starting to leave there.New schools and universities are drawing young families, and the jobs are very good in the opinions of people out Dominican Republic.If this is going to keep happening Dominican Republic is going to become a great population. Source:http://finance.yahoo.com/news/punta-cana-dominican-republic-tropical-122000115.html

April 7,2012:Dominican Republic joins agreements on adoption of children and against the death penalty What happened:Ambassador Robert Saladin,the permanent representative of the Dominican Republic to the Organization of American States.He said they would agree.But he started out by saying that some countries have had the law against death penalty but they still practice it.Robert also said with the Dominican Republic, there are now nine countries that have agreed to harmonize their legislation and policy regarding this matter," and he hoped that "all countries of the Americas adopt the same regulations." Source: http://www.caribbeannewsnow.com/dr.php?news_id=9631&start=0&category_id=18

April 8,2012:Dominican Republic cops arrest a spanish woman and two local men in connection with the slaying of a Spanish restaurateur. What Happened:Police spokesman Maximo Baez said 39 year old Maria Isabel Fernandez has confessed to planning the killing of Antonio Crespo Pando.They were business partner who ran a restaurant in the beach resort of Bavaro Punta Cana.Antonio lived in Dominican Republic for at least a decade.He has been missing since March 31.His body was found beaten and asphyxiated on Saturday. Source: http://www.krmg.com/ap/ap/crime/dr-cops-arrest-3-in-spanish-mans-slaying/nMTQW/

April 9,2012:Pilot of Joaquin "Chapo" Guzman is captured in DR what happened: He was a very powerful drug lord.United States offered $US30.0 million reward if captured.Something lead to the arrest of two Mexicans,while a third suspect,of Columbian origin,managed to escape during the raid in a hotel in the capital.Hipolito Mejia was invited to an agribusiness fair in Sinoala,where he affirms is also a gathering spot for top drug traffickers.

April 10,2012:DR president is starting the construction of a cruise in Maimon What Happened:Fernandez will start working with the cruise ship company executives from Miami based Carnival Corporation as they begin the cruise that will cost 65 million dollars to built.Also they are going to relaunch cruise ship tourism on the North Coast.They will start the cruise terminal in april 27 while he would be visiting Puerto Plata. Source:http://dominicanrepublic.com/index.php/home1706522085/dominicanrepublicnews/880-dominican-republic-president-will-start-the-construction-of-the-maimon-cruise-ship-terminal

April 11,2012:Lawyer Says No Charges Brought Against Guerrero What Happened:Vladimir Guerrero's lawyer said no charges will be filled against him.Authorities had contended he attacked a police officer after the fight broke out,Guerrero denied being involved in the fight so he turned himself in early Tuesday. Guerrero's lawyer, Polivio Rivas, said Wednesday the prosecutor in Bani would not press any charges. Source: http://abcnews.go.com/Sports/wireStory/lawyer-charges-brought-guerrero-16118697#.T4r1eVHU7zI

April 12.2012:Students combat pain, poverty in Dominican Republic What Happened:A tiny wooden house leaned sharply toward the embankment.The house was old,dusty, and rusty.The woman who owned the house smiled at the 15 Bucknell University students and two advisers gathered in the dusty, narrow alley of the barrio.The students from Bucknell University got to work, mixing and pouring concrete as younger children gathered around and neighbors eagerly offered their porches as respite from the heat.The project was one of many that the students of the Bucknell performed during their weeklong service trip. Source:http://www.bucknell.edu/x77382.xml

April 13,2012:US Agents Seize Cocaine Shipment Near Puerto Rico What Happened:Authorities in Puerto Rico say they have seen 320 pounds of cocaine.They arrested 6 dominican people from Dominican Republic on suspicion of trafficking drugs.The authority have detected it since they have seen the drugs from several miles north of Puerto Rico after a custom plane detected a ship traveling toward the U.S. Caribbean territory on Friday.They also seized 18 pounds of heroin.

April 14,2012:Easter Celebration in Russia What Happened:Christians celebrate Easter to mark the resurrection of Jesus Christ on the third day after his crucifixion. Easter is a moveable feast.Its a moveable feast since it doesn't happen on the same day every year.But Eastern and Western Christianity base their calculations on different calendars.Russia uses Julian calendar, therefore their Easter days differ. This year Orthodox Easter comes a week later than the Western Christian holiday. Russians celebrate the end of Lent by painting eggs and preparing special Easter cakes containing raisins and nuts. Source: http://rt.com/news/orthodox-easter-celebrations-russia-079/

April 15,2012:President Fernandez from Dominican Republic tours Research Coast facilities in Florida What Happened:During a visit to Port St. Lucie, in Florida, President Leonel Fernandez met with Research Coast leaders in government, business and academia, for he could try to upgrade the Dominican Republic to a knowledge-based economy. He signed a memoranda of understanding that will lead to establishment of special academic programs through the Global Foundation Democracy and Development (FUNGLODE).

**‍Umayyads** The Umayyads came to power in 661 A.D.They became very wealthy and conflicted with the fourth of the Rightly Guided Caliphs, Mohammad's cousin and son in law, Ali.During their reign they conquered East and West advancing into Northern Africa and Spain.The first Umayyad ruler had even more problems with Ali.He put down Ali's supporters and he even killed Ali's son,Hussayn. Ali' supporters became known as the Shi'a. The majority of them are called the Sunni.‍

= = = __**geography of China**__ = China is protected in three places.In the north is covered in a plain called the North China Plain, which includes most of the dangerous deserts in the world.TheTarim basin is one of the descriptions of the deserts.In the west are the Himaylas Mountain and the Kunlun Mountains.In the south is the Pacific Ocean.There also two rivers that pass thorugh China and they are the Yangzte and Haung He River. = //__**Questions**__// = China's earliest dynasty: How do we know Shang is the earliest dynasty of China? Why was the Shang dynasty also an empire? When and where in China did the Shang dynasty begin? How did the Shang dynasty end?

We know that the Shang dynasty is the earliest dynasty of China because the era called Bronze Age.During the Bronze Age the shang dynasty used bronze for things like cups to respresent royalty.The Shang Dynasty were good workers in bone, jade, ceramics, stone, wood, shells, and bronze, as proven by the discovery of shops found in destroyes palaces. The Shang Dynasty was also a society because they moved to places and created land like if they were nomads.But they were not quite nomads because they stayed in lands for months and then moved.They created ways to control the water in the rivers like the Yangzte River. People still don't know when it started but it was between the mid 18th and mid 16th century B.C.E.It started in Eastern China close to the North China Plain. The Shang dynasty ended when the Zhoug dynasty conquered them and became a the new dynasty.