Our CNN Thoughts!

Great Germany!

Great Germany!

The country that i chose to learn about is Germany. germany is located in Europe. I learned many new interesting things after researching about Germany. I learned a lot about their government along with the religions in Germany and their economy. I would love to live in germany because their government is a lot like the United States. Both government have three branches and the Chancellor of Germany, Angela Merkel is the leader of the executive branch just like our president is the leader of the executive branch. Another reason it would be awesome to live there is that the people that live their have similar religions to people in the United States. The majority of people that live in Germany are either catholic or protestant. There are also some muslims that live in germany too. It would also be nice to live their because Germany is the second largest exporter in the world. They make billions of dollars from exporting cars. This is also something that is very similar to the United States. The United States export a lot of things like Germany. Overall I think it would be really cool to be able to live in Germany.

https://www.pinterest.com/jgoldperiod1/adam-shore-period-8/

Costa Rica

Costa Rica

Costa Rica is very different and it is interesting to learn about. Costa Rica is located in South America. It is a great vacation spot to visit. The leader of Costa Rica Luis Guillermo Solís he was born in 1958. He was got elected President in 2014. The people in Costa Rica do not seem to have a problem with him. For the most part he seems great. The capital of Costa Rica is San Jose. The government type in Costa Rica is the Dominican Republic. Learning about the government was interesting and I liked comparing life in Costa Rica to here. One main popular food people eat is rice. People in Costa Rica eat on a daily basis. They eat tropical fruits and eat big meals especially during dinner and lunch. The food in Costa Rica is different than here in America. I enjoyed learning about it and how their meals are. In Costa Rica dancing is many people's favorite things to do. More dances such as the salsa and the merengue are popular in Costa Rica. People performing the Columbia wear different and cool outfits. The women dancers wear big puffy skirts and a ruffled top. The men dancers wear pants and a nice top with a tie or bow tie. Costa Rica's dance is different than in America. In Costa Rica Dancing is definitely a part of the arts. Costa Rica was enjoyable to learn about and I leaned a lot of new things about it and I hope I can learn more.

https://www.pinterest.com/jgoldperiod3/lexie-bergman-p8-costa-rica/

Maya F- Syria Blog

Syria is the country I have been researching about for weeks. It is located in Asia. The other countries that are close to it are Jordan, Saudi Arabia, Turkey, and Iraq. I have learned a lot about Syria’s government, culture, language, religion, holidays,and most importantly the Syrian Civil War. ISIS is is a terrorist group that is trying to take over Syria. It is called ISIS because that stands for the Islamic State of Iraq and al-Sham. ISIS gained a lot of criticization from a lot of the Al-Qaeda leaders. The al-Qaeda leaders felt that ISIS would take a lot of Al-Qaeda supporters away. In addition to ISIS trying to take over Syria there has been a civil war since 2011. During the Civil War rebels of Syria were fighting the government of Syria for more than three years. People in Arab countries wanted freedom and an honest government so they protested on the streets. Assad the president used military to stop protesting. Many of the people in Syria were killed and then that's when the Civil War started.  In terms of entertainment, Syria’s music is usually European orchestra and European vocalists. They use an instrument called the nayy and which is like the clarinet. They also have the ‘oud which is a stringed instrument and related to the European lute. Religion is important in Syria. The majority of people in Syria are Muslim, and they celebrate holidays such as Ramadan. When they celebrate Ramadan they don't eat from sunrise to sundown. Ramadan ends with another celebration called Eid al-Fitr. It is a three day celebration and it has morning prayers for all family members. Overall I really enjoyed researching Syria and I hope to learn more in the future.  

https://www.pinterest.com/jgoldperiod3/maya-feldman-p8-syria/

Jamaican me Crazy

   Jamaica

My country that I researched is Jamaica. Jamaica is located in the Caribbean Islands off North America. I learned about Government, arts, History, Economy, Religion, and Daily Life. It was very fun to learn about these things and how they are in Jamaica. The Government in  Jamaica is Parliamentary Democracy it is the highest legislation. People in Jamaica disagree with government because of religion, crimes, and discrimination. I understand why They disagree with the government but there has to be something good that you get out of the government. The Daily life in Jamaica is similar to here, They play sports they wear nice clothing, they make special dishes, they go to church and They go to school. I can relate to this because I play sports I go to school I Wear Cloths and I eat Food so they do very similar things here and in Jamaica and I find that kind of cool. In Jamaica School is very important. There are many private religious schools but those school still teach what you need educationally. There is a law that forces children to go to school in Jamaica. They also play sports in Jamaica, It is a big recreational thing that goes all around in Jamaica. The biggest sports are cricket, Running, and soccer I like this because in the U.S we play sports for recreation. The Economy in Jamaica concludes a lot of imports and exports. The 4 main exports are Crude Petroleum, Alcohol, and Cars. These four combine to about 2.8 billion dollars in imports and for imports the 4 main imports are Alcohol, Aluminium Oxide, Refined petroleum, and Aluminum Ore. These four combine to about 1 Billion dollars in exports. I enjoyed working on this project and this country and I am very happy with the idea that I will be able to learn more about my country throughout the whole year.
https://www.pinterest.com/jgoldperiod3/eli-plofsky-8-jamaica/

Finland Facts And Opinions

Finland Facts And More

The country that I researched is FInland. Finland is located in the continent of Europe. Finland is pretty similar to America with their religious beliefs and school systems. I find Finland to be pretty cool since it has one of the best school systems in the world even though it is one of the smaller countries.

The leader of Finland is Sauli Niinistö. Unlike America, the leader can be  re-elected any number of times which means they can be elected for more than 2 terms. The prime minister's name is Juha Sipilä who is the head of government. In 2000, they made a new constitution that replaces the old one guaranteeing everyone the freedom of speech, religion and equality.

The holidays in Finland are pretty similar to the ones we have here. 78% of people in Finland are Lutheran which is a kind of Christian/Catherine. Because of this, most people celebrate Christmas and Easter.

The food in Finland comes from many cultures. Some include Russian and French. Some popular food in Finland include Potatoes and Cheeses. They also have something called a smorgasbord which contains a variety of hot and cold meats and salads. I think it's cool how their food is from all different places and they have a lot of diversity.

Calvin Krochock Pintrest Board

The country I am working on  is Israel.  Israel is in Asia. I learned Reuven Rivlin is President of Israel .  I also learned women and men are split up at the Western Wall.  

https://www.pinterest.com/jgoldperiod3/josh-radis-p8-israel/

Estonia: A Beautiful European Country

Estonia

Estonia is in Europe, as you can see above, it is bordered by Latvia, Russia, and Finland. I am going to tell you about Estonia. It has water on two sides and has an airport in Tallinn its capital. Estonia is a very small country. It is smaller than the size of Vermont and New Hampshire. 

I chose Estonia for my project because I did not know about it. As I went along in the project, I really like Estonia and how their government is run. They have a president that serves for five years who gets elected by the one hundred-one parliament members. The president then chooses the prime meridian and the parliament votes on him or her. Currently the president is Toomas Hendrik Ilves who works in the Capital of Estonia, Tallinn. I like the location of the capital and that it is near the coast. Estonia has two independence days which I think is unique on February 24, 1918 and also on August 20, 1991 which is probably why Russia and Estonia don't like each other. But, some of the countries Estonia is allied with are the United States of America, Sweden, and Germany.

Their sports are also interesting their soccer teams are 87th best for men and 77th best for females in the world. They are also really good in the Olympics their best winter events are Cross-country Skiing and Figure Skating, and their best Summer Olympic Sport is Rowing and Track and Field. They have set many records and won many medals in both the Summer and Winter Olympics.

The average family makes $27, 000 Euros each year which is a lot of money in my opinion compared to some other countries in the world. The unemployment rate is relatively low at 7%. There are 200 churches in Estonia, there are some wooden churches on Saaremaa Island even though only 30% of Estonia believes in religion mainly Lutheran. There are more females than males in Estonia. The population is 1,265,420 which is decreasing recently probably because the Fertility Rate is only 1.53 or maybe it is from the cold weather. The weather ranges from 17.1 to -7.6 degrees Celsius year round and a lot of the country is covered by trees. For farmers at least the land is low lying with a peak elevation of 318 Meters. Many Estonians go to the Great Song Festivals where 25,000 people sing along to the song by great musicians.

I loved researching about Estonia because it is a cool country.

My Pinterest Link = https://www.pinterest.com/jgoldperiod1/patrick-hayden-carow/

Incredible Iceland

Incredible Iceland

I did Iceland as my country for Pinterest. It was very interesting to learn about Iceland and I learned a lot. Iceland is in Europe, but is very close to Greenland in the North Atlantic Ocean. Iceland is a island because it’s surrounded by water. 
The school system in Iceland is very different then the one in the US. They have preschool until six years old. Then they have compulsory school for ages 6-16. Next, is upper secondary school for ages 16-20. I think they should split compulsory school into two school with ages 6-12 in one school and 12-16 in another. I think this because you have young kids with kids that are much older. It’s like having first graders with sophomores’ in high school I don’t think that’s good.
Some exports from Iceland is metals such as aluminum, fish, and even animal meal. There are many imports to Iceland because of how small it is and it’s location. Some imports are cars, electronics like phones and computers, and refined petroleum. Icelanders have to pay very high taxes due to all the imports that they have to bring in from different countries. I think that Iceland should start production in their own country. They should start making cars, phones, and computers in Iceland. It will give people more jobs and the people don’t have to pay as high of taxes. 
The government in Iceland is a constitutional republic. It has three branches just like the US. Judicial, Legislative, and Executive. The prime minister is terms of four. The current prime minister Sigmundur David Gunnlaugsson has been serving since 2013. The president of Iceland Olafur Ragnar Grimmson has been serving as the president in Iceland since 1996. In Iceland the president has less power then the prime minister. The government in Iceland is good. It’s very similar to the US. It’s a good government because they make sure that one person doesn’t get to much power just like in the US. 
The US and Iceland are not as different as people probably thought. I really liked learning about Iceland for this project.
https://www.pinterest.com/jgoldperiod1/max-wilhelm-period-8-iceland/

Spain!!!!!

Spain is a wonderful country in Europe. What’s really surprising about Spain that they have a crazy celebration called the running of the bulls. It’s where ton’s of people run away from bulls in a very narrow street. You have to run about half a mile to an arena.

Spain has a king called Juan Carlos who eventually gave his throne to his son Felipe IV. Felipe gives fair rules and treats people fair so that means the country is fair.

Spain has a big soccer culture. They have a Spanish league called Liga BBVA it’s where the teams compete to be the best. One of those events are called El Clasico it’s where the two best teams compete to be the best. One of the best teams that play in El Clasico are Real Madrid and Fc Barcelona. A lot of kid’s play the sport at school or at a private club. A lot of kids in Spain like to eat churros as a sweet dessert.The churros are really thick just like warm pudding. Spain’s biggest export is olive oil and wine. The capital of Spain is Madrid. Spain mostly has Roman Catholics than other religions like Islam,Judaism, and no religion. If you are caught doing illegal drugs in Spain you will serve a really long time in jail or pay heavy fines. Spain uses the euro and Spaniard under the age of 25 have hard times finding jobs. Mozos are young boy adults and Mozas are young girl adults. The rhythm played for Flamenco is fast and is played by the guitar and you need to use castanets. Spain was a cool country to study.

https://www.pinterest.com/jgoldperiod2/matthew-covaci-period-8spain/

Communist Cuba

The country that I researched on was Cuba. Cuba is in North America near the Bahamas. I learned a lot about Cuba after I researched, some of things I learned were the state of government, what they do for fun and what kinds of foods they eat. After learning all these things I have concluded that Cuba would be a very fun place to visit but not to live. The reason why think this is because Cuba is a socialist country that firmly believes in communism. Living in Cuba may be hard because of the many laws and restrictions that people have in their daily lives. These restrictions make it hard for the people of Cuba to advance financially and this frustrates the younger generations. The government tries to change the people's minds but it does not seem to be working. On the other hand it would be a fun place to visit because of all the different foods and activities you can endure in. Some of the foods in Cuba include churros, pizza and most famously Cuban sandwiches. These sandwiches traditionally have meat, cheese, pickles and mustard. All of these foods sound delicious. Another thing that is very fun is baseball. Around every corner you can pretty much see kids playing in the streets or at parks playing baseball. I think it would be fun to join in on a game of baseball with kids and have a good time. I think it would be very fun to visit Cuba but not to live in the country.
https://www.pinterest.com/jgoldperiod1/michael-san-jose-8-cuba/

Fantastic Japan

Pinterest Project on Japan

Fantastic Japan 

By Sydney Holubow

For my country, I did Japan. Japan is in Asia. It is located off the west coast of Asia. It is a good sized island that is a great place to visit. Their are so many people that come to see the wonderful things in japan, like Architecture, temples, shrines, food, towns, and other things. Over 1.82 million tourists have visited japan as of 2015. 63.8% increase from 2014. it is not that popular compared to all of Asia. it is the 7th most popular country visited in Asia. tokyo is #1tourist spot in japan. all other towns lack the luxury or space. Tokyo is a big city with lots of things to explore. Although tokyo is a more modern city, it has some old cultural things to see and go visit. Another great town to visit is Kyoto, Kyoto was the old capital of Japan. Now less people live there so it is not as modern. Kyoto is a great place to find little tea houses or ancient temples. Japan overall is a phenomenal place to visit. One very important thing about Japan is its government. Shinzo Abe is the prime minister of Japan and was reelected for another term on 9/1/15. He comes from a high-profile political family and works very hard. He is a proud democratic.s The Prime Minister is appointed by the Emperor of Japan. They must enjoy the confidence of the House of Representatives to remain in office. Government plays a big role in japan’s lifestyle. it keeps Japan in balance. There are many laws to keep the people safe and make things fair. Japanese also belong to a religion so they can believe in something. Shinto is one of the 2 religions in Japan. It is defined as an action-centered religion, focused on ritual practices to be carried out diligently, to establish a connection between present-day Japan and its ancient past. There are many shinto shrines around Japan. You pray to the shrines and gods to bring good luck. There are many rituals like saying a prayer, ringing a bell, or leaving a candle all shinto shrines have a bowl where you throw in your offerings; usually yen(money). Buddhism is another religion. Buddhism is 2,500 years old and began in India. Buddhist beliefs and practices are based on the teachings of the Buddha. They pray to buddhas to bring good luck upon themselves and family and friends. You leave offerings at the buddha like money, food, candles, and other stuff. some wealthy people offer gold and gems as their offering. This religion is popular in Japan and China. Japan is a great place to visit and I would totally recommend for you to visit.

Beautiful Belize

The country I learned about is Belize. Belize is a small country located in Central America. Belize is a great country with a good government. 

The type of government Belize uses is a democracy. A democracy is a government where the citizens have a part by selecting leaders. The way Belize's government works is great because Britain helps run it and Britain has a great government. In a Democracy there is a Prime Minister and Head of state. The Prime Minister is Dean Barrow and the Head of State is Queen Elizabeth. Belize has a very stable government.

Popular sports in Belize are soccer, basketball, volleyball, softball and cricket. Belizeans play theses sports to entertain themselves. They also enjoy these sports. Personally, I enjoy some of the sports too. The reason these sports are so popular is because they are fun to play.

Belize has pretty good weather. The temperature is warm to hot year long which I love and others do too. Due to the heat, Belize is very humid. Most people don’t like the sticky and wet feeling of humidity. Personally I can’t stand it.

A negative about Belize is that it is a poor country. Around 42% of the people are below the poverty line and around 13% of the people are jobless. Although Belize has Some nice sights like the 2nd biggest coral reef in the world, it has a lot of bad places due to the lack of money. Overall Belize is a very nice Country. There are lots of good things about Belize event though it is only 8,867 sq. miles. Belize is a Fantastic Country.

Joshua Gallender Pinterest Board

Sudanese Superscoop

The name of the country I studied in Social Studies is called Sudan. Sudan is a country located in Africa, which is best known for being the home of a group called The Lost Boys of Sudan, who are young boys and men who became separated from their families when they were young.

The president of Sudan is a man named Omar Hassan al-Bashir. He’s been in the position of president of Sudan since 6/30/1989. He was half responsible for Sudan being voted a free country in summer of 2011. The capital of the country is a town called Khartoum. It has been called by “The Guardian News”, one of the rudest and cruelest towns in Africa. That sounds pretty rough, because I feel Deerfield is one of the nicest town in Illinois

 

Sudan may be a free country, but a majority of the people that live there are very, very poor. However, despite their lack of money, they happen to have a very advanced education plan, even without any materials. I do feel bad for those too poor to buy any materials for school, and I’d actually be willing to give some of mine away to make them happy. Anyway, back on topic. Sudan’s school plan goes from Kindergarten to College graduate. Because of all the people living there, there are over 31 different universities in the country of Sudan. That’s a lot of schools.

Because of their poorness, not many people in Sudan have all the stuff people in other countries and states have. However, that doesn’t mean they can’t have any fun. Why, music and dance are very important parts of Sudanese culture. They also serve recreation as religious purposes. Other common folk arts include needlework, pottery, and beaded jewelry. Compared to us in America, the people in Sudan definitely stay outside more, rather than wasting time playing games on your Xbox One or Playstation 4(I didn’t count Wii U because not many people care about that one), or texting.

Overall I have learned that despite the people not having much money for their needs, Sudan is still an interesting place to live, because it has many nice people, a very good education plan, and nice places to call home. I can’t wait to impress the Lost Boys when they come to our school later in the year.

https://www.pinterest.com/jgoldperiod2/jack-reiter-period-sudan/

Hina Matsumoto Period 8 Austria

Amazing Austria

By: Hina Matsumoto 

My country is Austria, which is in Europe. This unique country has a rich culture, especially with their food. I think that Austria is unique from the rest of Europe, because they have a slightly different culture, and their food they eat is very unique. Though they have a unique and delicious sense of food, they eat a lot of meat.Even though they do have delicious food, I think that they should have a larger amount of vegetables. One of their popular food with meat are, wiener schnitzels. Wiener schnitzels are thinly cut breaded veal. It is usually served with lemon, and potatoes. I think that Austria also has a very interesting kind of government. Austria is ruled by a federal government, which is the same as the U.S.. A federal government is where a government divides up into smaller governments, and big national governments. Just like our 50 states and our national system, Austria leads their country this way. Austria is lead by Heinz Fischer, who has been the leader of this country for more than 4 years. He has been re-elected,  and been the leader since July 8th, 2004. I think that he is a great president, he led his country in a very proper manner. I think that Austria is a very unique, interesting, fun country to learn about.

Pinterest

Erin Burnstine Period 8 Greece

Great Greece
By: Erin Burnstine

My country is Greece. It is located in Europe. I have learned a lot about Greece. The three things I learned the most about where government, economy, and history. I think that Greece's government has a good set up but I don't like how the president is just head of state and not head of government. I also don't think they should have a prime minister because the president could just do that job because they basically have the same job. Greece's government is similar to ours because they have a president just like us. But their government is different because they have a prime minister and we don't. Greece also has a lot of debt. I think they should not result to a bunch of budget cuts at once and do a little at a time. Greece also had to take multiple loans from the European Union and The International Monetary Fund. Their economy is similar to the our economy because we are both in debt. The summer travel to Greece was even affected by the money issues. I think America manages their money issues better than Greece because America's summer travel was not affected by their money issues. The most interesting thing I learned about Greece's history was Greek mythology. I really like Greek mythology except that the king of all gods and goddesses is married to his sister. But that was the only thing I didn’t like. I thought all the gods and goddesses were very interesting, and I liked how they each had a different thing that they were the god or goddesses of. I really enjoyed learning about the country Greece.  

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Interesting Italy

The Wonderful Land of Italy

My country was Italy. Italy is located in the continent of Europe. I liked the project, I learned a lot of new things about Italy. Italy's most popular sport is soccer. Soccer is very important to Italy, kids play it and their national is really good. They have won multiple world cups. Italian food is also really good, cheese and pasta are in a lot of Italian meals. People in America think Italian food is noodles and pizza but there is a lot more than that. Wine is in a lot of Italian meals. Tomatoes are also in a lot of meals. There are lots of different kinds of cheeses and noodles. The majority of the people in Italy are Roman Catholic. The Pope is Roman Catholic. The president of Italy is Sergio Mattarela he gets elected for a seven year term. He also gets to appoint the prime minister which is Matteo Renzi. There is some information on Italy.
One thing that is really historical in Italy is the ancient city of Rome. Rome was founded in the earlier days of civilization. Rome was ruled by kings. Julius Caesar lived in Rome. He was a famous politician. He was one of the many emperors that Rome had. Italy also had a lot of famous artists. Some famous ones were Leonardo Da Vinci, MIchelangelo, Donatello, and Raphael. They were all part of the Italian renaissance and if you have seen Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles the turtles are based of them.

https://www.pinterest.com/jgoldperiod1/ben-seed-period-8-italy/

Leah Hamilton Period 8 Madagascar

All About That Madagascar

By: Leah Hamilton

My country is Madagascar. Madagascar is a very small isolated island that's off the east coast of Africa. I think Madagascar is different than other countries in the world. Despite them being the poorest country in africa; they have many unique customs. The coolest on to learn about was the bone ceremony is when family members dig up another dead family member after they’ve been dead for 5 years. Then after they have the body the take out the bones and clean them. After that it’s up to the family to decide what they want to do with the bones, they either put the bones back into the tomb where they were or they dress up the bones in a shirt and hat and dance with it and pass it around, shortly after the family has each has their turn with the bones, the bones go in a family tomb or in the side of a cliff. I think is very cool and different than what we do in the US but I also think this custom can get very gross, especially when you take the bones out. Another trait I had was food. I thought the food one was very interesting because most every meal in Madagascar has some sort of meat in it that's then  served over rice, even the drink that have burnt rice in it. The most popular meal in Madagascar is Romazava. It’s main ingredients are beef garlic ginger and different assortments of vegetables and spices. I thought the meals in Madagascar were cool because we Americans only eat rice maybe 3 time every few weeks but if a Madagascar family has no rice they barely have a meal. Another one of my trait is my government one. For my government trait was about the Capital of Madagascar, Antananarivo. It was founded in 1600 by french soldier, the soldier's named this part of the land after their king, King Antananarivo. The placing of Antananarivo is very convenient because it is easy to see enemy attacks. I think the capital is very interesting because in all the photos I found and saw made the city look very pretty. The coolest fact about Antananarivo as the placing of it. The last trait I chose was one of my religion traits. I chose this one because it was my favorite one to look up. My trait was about the 2 most popular holidays, Independence day (June 26) and New Years. Since these holidays are so close, people in Madagascar celebrate them together. When they celebrate them the start off by having brunch with the family. After that in the evening, certain people throw balls at their house or at a fancy restaurant. At these balls, they start with a traditional dance called afindrafindrao, a line dance. One couple leads off dancing and the others following in a train. After this the people light up candles and put them in lanterns and walk up and down the streets. People are very happy during this time because they get new clothes and lots of rice to eat. This was my favorite trait to look up because I love how all the people get new clothes and always start off their balls with the same traditional dance. I think Madagascar is a very cool and unique country that has special and rich history that I wish I knew more about. 

Pinterest Link

Exciting Egypt

Exciting Egypt

   My country is Egypt. Egypt is in Northeastern Africa. I think that Egypt was very interesting to learn about. I was really surprised that Egypt and the United States had so many similarities. The Egyptian government is set up very similarly to our own. Their government has three branches, a legislative branch, and executive branch, and a judicial branch. Also like us, Egypt is a republic. I was really surprised that Egypt and the United States had such a similar government. I figured that because Egypt was in a totally different continent on the other side of the world, its government would be almost opposite to our own, but I guess not. One difference between Egypt and the United States is their religion. The United States is full of different religions, while in Egypt, the majority of Egyptians are Arab. Because of this, quite a few laws in Egypt reflect the Arabic customs. I think that is is very interesting how Egypt’s government chooses to allow Arabic customs to effect their government. I have never heard of that before. Another similarity of Egypt and the United States is the education. However, public schools are free. Egyptian school teach math, history, social studies, science, and art. Unlike the United States, Egyptians are not taught to read and write in school. That is the reason most Egyptians cannot read. Private schools focus more on foreign languages because most students speak them. English and French are very common. I think that Egypt is a very interesting country, and I can’t wait to learn more about it.

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