Mayan Facts

#10- The Mayan Enemies

Climate changes and many droughts brought the Mayans to fight amongst themselves. Deforestation was done to clear way for more crops, but actually brought on the doom even faster. The humidity change brought drought faster, and soon crops died all over the place. The Mayans would fight over food. Also, because no one could survive any longer, people had to move away. This brought the downfall of the Mayans and the steep decline in the population. The Spanish only came near the end to finish the process.

#11- Mayan Political Structure

At the time of Spanish attacks, there were 18 different Mayan states. 9 were under rule of an ahaw, a very powerful ruler, and the other nine were under rule of elites or allied with stronger states. Rulers were succeeded by their sons, brothers, or a suitable candidate who was selected by the priests and council if no relatives existed.  

#12- Mayan Gods and Religious Beliefs

While the Mayans worshipped many gods of nature, the most important one to them was Itzamna, the creator god, the god of fire and the hearth. Among the others were the gods of the moon, sun, corn, and water. Each had a special gift that the Mayans believed would be granted for sacrifice. Many statues and carvings of the gods were placed in temples and pyramids for religious reasons. Among the most popular is the Feathered Serpent Kukulcan.

#13- Mayan weapons

Mayan weapons don’t differ from what we consider weapons today. They had the bow and arrow, invented 2500 years ago. They also had wooden spears, with sharp obsidian tips. They were usually decorated with colorful feathers. These were used for throwing or stabbing. Mayans also had various knives, used for close up stabbing. Clubs were probably the most popular weapon. These were used for crushing the enemy, not stabbing.

#14- The different Mayan Pecking Order

Mayans, much like chickens, had their own pecking order. Nobility and priests were shown the highest respect of all, because of their role to the Mayans. Crafters, tradesmen and warriors were given a regular amount of respect, because of their talent and serving the Mayans. At the very bottom of the chain there was the peasants and slaves, who were frowned upon and yelled at and ordered around. (Slaves were commonly warriors captured from other tribes.)

#15- Mayan Living Conditions

Mayans lived in small houses, usually one or two rooms, made of wood (or occasionally stone), with thatched roofs. The houses were built out in the open to maximize exposure to the sun, so the thatched roof would not rot. Walls were often made of a wooden frame covered with adobe and then layered over with lime to whiten it. The Mayans used materials from the nearby rainforests to make their houses.

More Mayan

#6- Mayan Games

The Mayans built many ball courts out of stone so that they could play games. Many were ball games, still played today in Mayan cities. But there were also other reasons. They were a good public space, being as big as they were, and many festivals and ceremonies were held here as well as game tournaments. Among these games were:          

Bul was mainly a game of pure chance. The board was made of fifteen kernels of corn which were put in one row; they then used the fourteen spaces in between the corn for the actual play. Then they burnt one side of four pieces of corn to use as dice. When they threw the corn to figure out the score they counted the burnt side but if the corn all landed with no burnt sides the player got a score of five. Each player gets five game pieces which can be represented with anything. Each player gets one piece on each side of the board. Each player was allowed to throw the dice two times in a row. Once they reached the other side of the board they turned around and started back the other way. The object of the game was to land on the opponents spot then you would have captured the opponent and he would have no way to free himself/herself. If you were playing in teams your partner wouldn’t be able to capture you but if you were captured by the opponent your partner could land on your captive and drag both of you to the end of the board then you would be free to go and your opponent’s piece would be out.

Pok-a-tok

Unlike the game of Bul, Pok-a-tok was taken very seriously and only the best of athletes could play. It was a combination of Soccer, Basketball, Racquetball, and Volleyball. It was played with a six inch rubber ball and a hoop which was placed vertically, could barely fit the ball in it and was placed twenty to thirty feet above the ground. The object was not only to get the ball in the hoop but to also keep the ball in motion. They did this with any part of their body except their hands. It was taken so seriously that only Priests could coach teams. Unlike our sports now the losing team of Pok-a-tok was executed.

#7- Mayan Saunas

 A very important part of purification to the ancient Maya was a sweat bath, or zumpul-ché. Similar to a modern sauna, sweat baths were constructed of stone walls and ceilings, with a small opening in the top of the ceiling. Water was poured onto the hot rocks in the room and created steam, offering a setting in which to sweat out impurities. Sweat baths were used for a range of conditions and situations. New mothers who had recently conceived a child would seek revitalization in them, while individuals who were sick could find healing power in sweating. Maya kings made a habit out of visiting the sweat baths as well because it left them feeling refreshed and, as they believed, cleaner.

#8- 1697 was the end of the last independent Maya state

The island city of Tayasal was the last independent Mayan kingdom. Some Spanish priests peacefully visited and preached to the last Itza king, Canek, as late as 1696. The Itza kingdom finally surrendered to Spanish rule on March 13, 1697, to forces led by Martín de Ursua, governor of Yucatán. The famous archeological site and home to the beautiful monuments was in Chichen Itza, located in this last independent region. Interestingly, much of the land under the monuments is privately owned by one family, whilst the government owns and administers the monuments themselves.

#9- 2012 is not the end of the world, according to Mayan “Calendar”

The calendar that has given rise to the myth of the end of the world is the Mayan long count calendar. According to Mayan Mythology, we are living in the fourth world or “creation”. The last creation ended on 12.19.19.17.19 of the long count calendar. That sequence will occur again on December 20, 2012. According to the Mayans this is a time of great celebration for having reached the end of a creation cycle. It does not mean the end of the world but the beginning of a new “age”. 

Amazing Mayan Facts

Amazing Mayan Facts- By Madison Nef

#1- Continuing Culture

Mayans very strongly believe in repetition, and have been holding traditions for over 3000 years now. There are over 7000000 Mayans still living on the ground on which their ancestors were born. While some get caught up in modern times, many are stuck in the old Mayan ways and still speak Mayan as fluently as we speak English.

#2- Controlled Beauty at Young Ages

The Mayans had a thing about how their children looked. As babies, boards would be pressed on the young ones’ foreheads so as to flatten it down to the parents’ liking. Another odd practice was to cross the babies’ eyes.  To do this, dangling objects were held in front of the babies’ eyes until they were permanently crossed. There was also a naming pattern according to the day, month and year they were born in. All parents were expected to follow this rule.

#3- Weird Medicine Practices

Most Mayans were not given a very good education. Only a select few who had been given proper teaching were selected to be the doctor, or in Mayan terms, shaman for their village. The shaman was devoted to practicing sorcery involving seeing the future etc., but must also have good medicine training. The Mayans were known to be very good healers, covering raw wounds with human hair to keep it from infection. They were also semi-advanced dentists, using iron pyrite to fill teeth.

#4- Blood Sacrificing

Many people already know that the Mayans used to be real big into sacrificing people to the gods by tossing them down wells, chopping them up, etc., but most do NOT know that some Mayans STILL practice sacrificing. However, some changes have been made to this process. People are still sacrificed, but chicken blood has been exchanged for human blood, making it a tiny bit less gory.

#5- Mayan Painkillers

Many natural drugs were used in sacrifice services. They also can be used for painkillers. The most common type is hallucinogenic, which was regularly used in religious ceremonies. Other popular natural drugs include: peyote, the morning glory, certain mushrooms, tobacco, and plants used to make alcoholic substances.

Yesterday Again

Yesterday, I went out with my friend Cassie. It was her birthday, and she invited me along. We had a ton of fun. First we went to the Keene Buffet, which is a Chinese buffet. It was really good food. My courses were as follows:

Round 1: Lo Mein, Egg Roll, some type of Peanut Chicken, a biscuit thing,  a chicken finger.
Round 2: Lo Mein, biscuit, rice
Round 3: A bowl of chocolate pudding
Round 4: Ice cream

After the restaurant, we went back to Cassie's house to get the rest of her family and change into our swimsuits. After that, we went to Gilmore Pond to swim. It was awesome. After this, I went home. It was still a great day though.

Other than that, I guess the only thing I have to say is.....

HAPPY BIRTHDAY CASSIE!!! :)
That's all for today.
Maddie

Baltasar Gracian

Gracian was a Jesuit, and as a child he lived with his uncle, who was a priest. His father was a doctor, busy most of the time. He studied at a Jesuit school when he was 20, and in his 30's, committed himself to teaching at a Jesuit school.
The Jesuits were an elite Catholic race dedicated to preserving the Catholic Faith. They played a major role in the Counter-Reformation. They were a very smart race, known for their deep research of the bible. By writing a book totally unrelated to God, Baltasar got in trouble with the head of the Jesuits.
Later in life, Gracian wrote the book THE ART OF WORLDLY WISDOM. He wrote a few other books that are not as well-known as well, but the head of his order didn't like his writing style and the cheekiness of it. He was punished by only being able to eat bread and water.

"Reticence is the seal of capacity. A heart without a secret is an open letter. Where there is a solid foundation secrets can be kept profound- there are specious cellars where important things may be hid. 

Reticence springs from self-control and to control oneself in this is a true triumph. You must pay ransom to each you tell. The security of wisdom consists of inner temperance. The risk that reticence runs lies in the cross-questioning of others, in the use of contradiction to worm out secrets, in the darts of irony. To avoid there the prudent become more reticent than ever. What must be done need not be said, and what must be said need not be done." - Baltasar Gracian, The Art of Worldly Wisdom.

I agree with this statement all the way. I would hate to have my every move predicted just because I was totally open to everyone. I keep my secrets to myself, though I sometimes tell SOME to my friends. I usually pay the price for telling them. Some of my friends cannot keep a secret to save their lives.

I think that Baltasar might have been too open with his feelings in his book, and that's why he got punished. His superior thought it was too much off of the beaten path of God, and didn't like the honest truth that he told.

Little Men

Yesterday, I went to see an awesome play with my nanny.  It was called Little Men, and it was derived from the book "Little Men" by Louisa May Alcott. It was super advanced stage that must have cost over 1000 dollars. The actors and actresses were stunning. There were musical numbers too, and the costumes were so cool.

The play centers off of Jo, who in the last book was a young woman, starting her own life and running a school for boys. As the story progresses, more boys (and girls) are welcomed into the family of Jo and her family, and it unfolds into a really funny story.

It was a really good play, and it is a good opportunity for aspiring actors to get a taste of what acting is like. The play was very kid friendly also. At the end of each kids performance, there is a chance to get the autograph of each actor/actress.

That's all I really have to say for today. Tomorrow I will talk about the AWESOME time I had today with my friend Cassie, but for now, be satisfied with what I told you.
Later,
Maddie

Contest Suspense

I entered quite a few Wizard101 raffles, and I am still waiting to see if I won. I know that I lost on two of them(BOO!!!!!) but I have 3 left. One gets drawn tomorrow, and one is drawn later today, and another is drawn today. I am on edge.

I have these houses that I lost and could possibly win:
The Royal Playhouse (Given by Paige's Page)
The Watchtower Hall  (Given by the Friendly Necromancer)
Celestial Observatory (Given by Wizard101 Central)
Life House (Given by Diary of a Wizard)
Ice House (Given by Ravenwood Radio)

I also entered a raffle for 5000 crowns that is going until tomorrow. If I win that, it would be a nice thing for losing the other contests. Please wish me luck with my contests. Thanks,
Maddie

P.S. If I DO win, the prize is going to be a gift for dad :)

Poetry

A wonderful sister

Small and fast

Hair like silk

Loving and kind

Everyone's friend

Intelligent and funny

Good as gold

Her eyes twinkle 

Funny and fun

A wonderful dad

The best person on earth

Helpful and kind

Entertaining

Responsible for me and my sister

Miss you a lot

Oblivious to how much I love and care about you

Mending

My mom

Young

ME!!

Adventurous

Decent

Decorous

Intelligent

Energetic

Hospital by day, Hospital by night

I have been in and out of the hospital this week with my mom, who is having problems with breathing and is getting bloated. It is either a problem with the liver or spleen, and she might have to get her stomach drained. YUCK. As long as it makes her feel better.

I spent the night at the hospital 2 nights ago until about 11:00 at night, and it was very boring and terrible. Ashleigh and me both got to bed late and were tired and cranky the next day. 2 days later (namely today,) we ended up going back to a different hospital, one that was equally if not MORE boring.

It took hours and hours, and they barely did anything, just kept us waiting. Mom STILL isn't better. But she got a prescription today that should help her, so I am going to wait and see if she gets better.

Me and Ashleigh semi-entertained ourselves by playing "My Couch" and Hide n' Seek. We also went for walks and trips to the cafeteria with dad. Still, it was pretty awful.
Well, that's about all I have to say.
Next Week,
Maddie

New Blog Out

My latest blog was created by me and my sister. It is pretty lame right now, as I haven't had too much time to work on it. It is going to be a Wizard101 fan blog, once I am finished with it. I already DESIGNED it really well. It just needs some cool stuff about W101. At the moment, it has a post about the current House-Apalooza.

Speaking of which, the apalooza is still going on for those of you who are interested. There is 50% off of select housing items (what a sale, at least for W101). But enough about the sale. I have been blogging, sharing, liking, etc. like crazy for the past few days so that I can win a house.

Please take the time to check out my newest blog, me and my sister worked hard on it. Well, mostly I worked hard. But she is part of it too. Anyway, the blog is called The Opposite Wizards, since me and my sister are life and death wizards. You can view it through this link:
www.oppositewizards.blogspot.com

Thanks!
Maddie and Ashleigh
Owners of The Opposite Wizards

More Wizard101 Contest Details

I am blogging about this once again, because I want another entry. This contest is really important to me.

(via @Wizard101) Are you a decorating pro in the game or wanting to get your feet wet with your first Wizard101 house? If so, welcome to House-a-Palooza to save on all your housing needs!

Starting August 14th through August 21st, save up to 50% OFF Houses and Housing Items in the Crown Shop!

• Houses and select Housing Items are up to 50% OFF! their Crowns prices!
• 12 New Avalon furniture items
• Additional Castle Space Elixir now available in the Crown Shop!
• 50% OFF Emperor’s Attic Pack
• Fansite contests, code giveaways and more!

Create the Wizard101 house of your dreams during House-a-Palooza. All Crown houses, including the amazing Magic School houses, have their Crowns prices dropped! On top of the great deals, we’ve also added new Avalon housing items to the Crown Shop. These items are available for purchase in either Crowns or Gold.

For the first time ever, the Additional Castle Space elixir is available in the Crown Shop. Now you can have even more houses!

Stay tuned for more House-a-Palooza giveaways and contests!

Now, While I told you all that last time, I forgot to mention some of the websites that were giving away the houses and stuff. 

Diary of a Wizard is giving away the Life House

Paige's Paige is giving away The Royal Playhouse

Ravenwood Radio is giving away the Ice House

Wizard101 Central is giving away the Celestial Observatory

The Friendly Necromancer is giving away the Watchtower Hall

Ok, so there is the stuff you can win. I won from Diary of a Wizard, their contests are probably the easiest to enter. Raffles have to be my favorite. W101 Central also offers a wide selection.

Good Luck to All!

Maddie

Housing Giveaways Through Wizard101

I had to blog about this to enter the giveaway. Here you go!

(via @Wizard101) Are you a decorating pro in the game or wanting to get your feet wet with your first Wizard101 house? If so, welcome to House-a-Palooza to save on all your housing needs!

Starting August 14th through August 21st, save up to 50% OFF Houses and Housing Items in the Crown Shop!

• Houses and select Housing Items are up to 50% OFF! their Crowns prices!
• 12 New Avalon furniture items
• Additional Castle Space Elixir now available in the Crown Shop!
• 50% OFF Emperor’s Attic Pack
• Fansite contests, code giveaways and more!

Create the Wizard101 house of your dreams during House-a-Palooza. All Crown houses, including the amazing Magic School houses, have their Crowns prices dropped! On top of the great deals, we’ve also added new Avalon housing items to the Crown Shop. These items are available for purchase in either Crowns or Gold.

For the first time ever, the Additional Castle Space elixir is available in the Crown Shop. Now you can have even more houses!

Stay tuned for more House-a-Palooza giveaways and contests!

Best Day Ever!!!!

I am having a super awesome day today! At first it started off pretty sucky, with tons of school work and extra math. I went to my swimming lesson, came back, ate lunch, and by the time I was done with that, good news was waiting for me in my email.

This was the good news:
Congratulations!

You were picked as a winner in the Ravenwood Ball & Birthday Bash Giveaway from Diary of a Wizard with prizes from Wizard101!

You can redeem the code at http://www.wizard101.com/redeem

1 - Majestic Bundle Code OR Pagoda Gauntlet Code:

PL58D9L3J53546MQQ548 ( this code has now been used, sneaky rip off people! hahaha! )


Thanks for participating & enjoy your Wizard101 loot!
~Fallon Shadowblade
http://www.diaryofawizard.com

I went online, redeemed my code, and I won.... the MAJESTIC BUNDLE!! I was sooooo excited. I couldn't believe I had actually WON! Nothing like that usually happens to me.. but now I have an awesome house with pets and stuff. I am very happy!

Lincoln 4

Abraham Lincoln and Slavery--- The Untold Story:

Many people see Abraham Lincoln as the main reason slavery was demolished- a peace-lover and slavery stopper. Many think of him as a wonderful president. But this is only the top story, most likely derived from what Lincoln himself wrote. People never like to be frowned upon, but the truth always comes out sometime or another.

Now, let’s do a refresher course:

Lincoln stops slavery because he doesn’t like it. HEY! Wait one second. Is this really true? No. Lincoln actually used his protests against slavery to annoy and manipulate his enemies. Some of you may not know that Lincoln actually sent all of the freed slaves packing to Africa, where they were likely to be re-captured.

Lincoln would never, ever put people into concentration camp, right? He might as well have sent them back into slavery if he did that. But YES!! Lincoln did put people into concentration without trial, thinking that they were southern sympathizers. No background checks were ever run. Just POW! Off into concentration camp. Why protest slavery if you are just going to enforce it all over again???

Suddenly, Abe Lincoln doesn’t look as honest as he claims. And that isn’t even HALF of his wrongdoings. He sent useless generals off into war, and if they failed, he replaced them.  He is said to be a man of peace, yet was the cause of many bloody battles in which hundreds died and many families were left in sorrow. Really peaceful, huh?

Slave hater of lover? You decide. Peacemaker or the reason of many deaths, sorrows, and blood spilling? I can’t decide if I really like Abraham Lincoln. He used to be my favorite president…. Until I found out the truth.

Lincoln #3

In November of 1863, Abraham Lincoln was invited to deliver remarks, which later became known as the Gettysburg Address, at the dedication ceremony for the National Cemetery of Gettysburg in Pennsylvania, on the site of one of the bloodiest battles of the Civil War. This speech is called the Gettysburg address. It is a well remembered piece of writing, and was named one of the most important speeches in history. This is how it goes:

Four score and seven years ago our fathers brought forth on this continent, a new nation, conceived in Liberty, and dedicated to the proposition that all men are created equal.
Now we are engaged in a great civil war, testing whether that nation or any nation so conceived and so dedicated, can long endure. We are met on a great battle-field of that war. We have come to dedicate a portion of that field, as a final resting place for those who here gave their lives that that nation might live. It is altogether fitting and proper that we should do this.
But, in a larger sense, we cannot dedicate -- we cannot consecrate -- we cannot hallow -- this ground. The brave men, living and dead, who struggled here, have consecrated it, far above our poor power to add or detract. The world will little note, nor long remember what we say here, but it can never forget what they did here. It is for us the living, rather, to be dedicated here to the unfinished work which they who fought here have thus far so nobly advanced.
 It is rather for us to be here dedicated to the great task remaining before us -- that from these honored dead we take increased devotion to that cause for which they gave the last full measure of devotion -- that we here highly resolve that these dead shall not have died in vain -- that this nation, under God, shall have a new birth of freedom -- and that government of the people, by the people, for the people, shall not perish from the earth.

That is the Gettysburg Address, one of the major things Lincoln did before his death. It was to the dispute of slavery, one of the main things Lincoln stood against. The states argued for a long time over slavery and freedom until Lincoln passed the Thirteenth Amendment to the Constitution, allowing freedom at last.

The Gettysburg battle was not the smartest war, but it WAS the bloodiest one by far. Many people died, and many were missed. Lincoln gave the Address 4 months after the battle was over. Not only did it honor those who had sacrificed their lives, it showed WHY they had sacrificed. Preservation of the Union, and as I said before, the end of slavery.

Lincoln, who was an inspiring writer and orator, wrote the speech himself, and though in it he said, "the world will little note nor long remember what we say here," the ten sentences of the Gettysburg Address have become among the best known, not just in America, but around the world.

Abe Lincoln Part 2

Abraham Lincoln responded to the crisis wielding powers like no other president before him. He distributed over two million dollars from the Treasury for war materials without an appropriation from Congress; he called for 75,000 volunteers into military service without declaring a war; and he suspended the right of habeas corpus, arresting and imprisoning suspected Confederate sympathizers without a warrant or warning.

 Crushing ANY rebellion would be difficult under any circumstances, but the Civil War, with its many decades of red-hot partisan politics, was especially difficult. From all directions, Lincoln faced anger and defiance. He was often fighting with his generals, his Cabinet, his party, and a majority of the American people.

The Union Army’s first year and a half of battlefield defeats made it especially difficult to keep hopes held high and support strong for a reunification the nation. With the hopeful, but by no means conclusive victory at Antietam on September 22^nd of 1862, Lincoln felt confident enough to reshape the cause of the war from “union” to abolishing slavery.

 Very slowly, the war effort improved for the North, though more by attrition then by brilliant military victories. But by 1864, the Confederacy had hunkered down to a steady war and Lincoln was convinced he would be a one-term president. His nemesis, George B. McClellan, the former commander of the Army of the Potomac, challenged him for the presidency, but the contest wasn’t even close.

 Lincoln received 55 percent of the popular vote and 212 of 243 Electoral votes. On March 28^th, 1865, General Robert E. Lee, commander of the Army of Virginia, surrendered his forces to Union General Ulysses S. Grant and the war for all intents and purposes was over.

On April 14^th of 1865, Lincoln was assassinated by John Wilkes Booth. Booth had been a former actor, taking the lead in many famous Shakespeare plays. He was against Lincoln, as he stood for everything that Booth hated. He gathered up people like him to help him kidnap Lincoln and hold him prisoner so that he might change his ways.

Booth and his conspirators planned to kidnap him March 17^th, 1865, when he went to a local hospital play in town. They were all set up and ready when they found out that the play had been canceled, and that Lincoln would not be attending. Therefore, their kidnapping plan did not work.

This enraged Booth still further. It was about a month before he had his chance. This time, he succeeded. At about 10:50, Booth crept into Ford Theater, where Lincoln and his family were watching the play. Booth knew his way around the theater since he had previously acted there, and crept up to the state box.

With one shot, Lincoln was dead. Booth jumped down to the stage, an 11 foot fall, breaking his ankle. He held his knife up to the audience, then worked his way across the stage in front of over 1000 people. He escaped using the Navy Bridge.

5 page series on Abraham Lincoln Page 1

Report on Abraham Lincoln By Madison Nef

When it comes to Abraham Lincoln, I don’t know where to start. He was such a great man, and did such wonderful things for our country. But even the greatest leaders start as children, so I suppose I’ll start there. He was born on February 12^th of 1809, on the floor of a one room log cabin. His father was Thomas Lincoln, and his mother was Nancy Lincoln.

Nancy brought young Abe and his older sister Sara up until Abe was 9. She died of milk sickness in 1818. After this, his older sister took care of him until his father remarried in 1819. His father remarried to Sarah Bush Johnston, who had 3 children of her own.  Lincoln warmed up to her very quickly, and was very close with her. He called her mother.

As Lincoln got into his pre-teens, he became lazy, and hated the thought of any frontier work at all. As he became a teenager however, he changed his personality and looked for jobs to do continuously. He gained respect for brawn after defeating the leader of a renowned street gang, The Clarys Grove boys in a wrestling match.

As Lincoln’s family was poor, he self taught himself a lot of things. He learned to read, and soon began reading everything and loving it. He loved learning new things, and experimenting. In 1830, an outbreak of milk sickness once again struck the Ohio River, and The Lincoln family packed up bags and moved to Illinois, another slave-free state.

Once he reached Illinois, Lincoln decided it was time to have a life of his own, and set out canoeing down Sangamon River. Lincoln soon arrived in New Salem, where he got a job as a river salesman. He traveled all over selling goods until he got to New Orleans and witnessed slavery in process. He then turned tail and walked all the way home to Illinois.

Abraham’s first love died of typhoid fever shortly after he moved to New Salem. Soon after her death he met Mary Owens, a lady from Kentucky who was visiting her sister. They began dating, but then Mary moved away. Abe agreed to marry her, should she ever return to New Salem. She soon sent him a letter, saying that she no longer wished to date him.

Soon after, Lincoln became engaged to Mary Todd, a lady of wealthy background. The marriage was called off by Lincoln, who was not comfortable. They met again at a party later in the year and were married.  By then, Lincoln was already elected president. The couple had 4 children together: Willie, Tad, Edward, and Robert. Robert, the eldest, was the only one who survived into adulthood.

The Lincoln’s were very loose parents. They let their kids do whatever they wanted. Once, Lincoln was holding a very important meeting, and one of his kids ran in, saying that one of their dolls needed to be officially killed and that they needed the president’s signature. Lincoln let them write out a death sentence on official White House paper, and then signed it himself, all in the middle of a business meeting. 

Lucky's Dream

When my dog Lucky is asleep, I assume that he dreams. He always drools, and occasionally, he will bark and it looks like he is running. I am guessing that other dog owners wonder what THEIR dog dreams about. Here is a chart that I created.

CAUTION: THIS CHART WAS MADE BY MADDIE AND WILL NOT ACTUALLY TELL WHAT YOUR DOG DREAMS ABOUT. THIS WAS MADE AS A FUN CHART TO WHAT I THINK.


Maddies Think A Thought Dreams For Dogs Chart

Dream Motion	Dream	Should You Wake Your Dog???
Drool	Probably food… what else do dogs slobber over???	Yes, probably. Wake them up and promptly give them real food!
Whimpers	A bigger, intimidating dog- or you scolding your dog.	Yes, of course! Why let your dog suffer a nightmare? Do we like them? No. So I doubt that dogs do either.
Barking	Probably a cat. Or dreaming of running after a squirrel. For Lucky, probably being put on his chain.	No. Do not wake your dog if he is barking or growling. Lucky almost bit Dad once when he tried to wake him.
Sleep-running	Chasing something. Why else would a dog run???	No. Chasing is a good dream for your dog. Leave him be and let him have his good dream.

80 Days

Has anyone checked out my newest blog, Around The World In 80 Days? Based on the book, AROUND THE WORLD IN 80 DAYS, this blog is my internet exploration of the world. Every day I travel to a new place. Recently, I visited Egypt. Here is a part of my blog from Egypt:


Hello Egypt! I have found many interesting places to visit, including my first stop: Pompey's Pillar.  Often mistaken for a memorial to someone, this is actually a remaining piece from an old worshipping temple, taken down by the Christians when Paganism was driven out. Only one pillar was left standing, and the catacombs underneath were left in decent shape. Once I found out that they gave tours, I was all over it.


I decided I would go to a museum and do some research on Alexandria. Not only did the museum house over 1000 beautiful Egyptian artifacts, it gave me just the things I wanted to know. Alexandria was founded in 331 B.C. by Alexander the Great (hence the name). It's most famous attraction, Lighthouse of Pharos, was one of the original 7 wonders of the world.



My rule is only to go 1000 miles a day. I must find history and different things to do in each place. It is a very fun project for me. I hope you will check it out and follow my blog. It teaches you good world facts and is a fun read.

The Old House

This is a story that I wrote about an abandoned house down the street from me.

It was 1999. The wind was blowing on East Main Street, and a storm was brewing. Little Emily Ponnely sat in her room, huddled under the covers. She had never liked lightning and thunder that accompanied the brutal thunder storms. She hugged her pillow tight, and fell asleep. She had a horrible nightmare, of murder and ghosts and witchcraft. Lightning crashed and she woke up with a start.

Her door creaked open. She dared to peak her head out from under the covers. She looked. Her door was wide open. She screamed, but there was no answer form either of her parents. Suddenly, she looked up and saw him. He stood over her with a jagged knife in his hand, the psychotic grin on his face. He laughed a menacing laugh, the last thing that Emily ever heard before her throat was slashed open.

The burglar was caught half an hour later. He was sentenced to life in prison. He died there of starvation.    After the murder, a rockstar moved into the house. Not 5 days later he moved out, claiming that the place had too much weirdness for him. More families came, the last being the Hals. They left after seeing objects move around in midair with no reason. Stories spread, and soon, no one wanted to buy the house. 


It sat there for years before it was turned over to the bank. By then, it had broken windows, spray painting, caving in floors, and rickety stairs, and the bank wanted nothing to do with it. It has sat there til this day, in disrepair, waiting for a new family to take care of it.

The Dalai Lama

A Report on the Dalai Lama

By Madison Nef

The Dalai Lama is a Tibetan monk said to have been reincarnated 14 times over the past 700 years.Tenzin Gyatso, the 14th Dalai Lama, is both the head of state and the spiritual leader of Tibet. Gyatso was born in July of 1935 to a farming family, in a small hamlet located in Taktser, Amdo, and northeastern Tibet.  At the age of two, Tenzin, who was named Lhamo Dhondup at that time was recognized as the reincarnation of the 13th Dalai Lama. The Dalai Lamas are believed to be manifestations of Avalokiteshvara or Chenrezig, the Bodhisattva of Compassion and official saint of Tibet.  Bodhisattvas are enlightened beings who have postponed going to heaven and chosen to take rebirth in order to help others. The 14^th Dalai Lama is our current one.

At 6 years old poor Lhamo started going to school at a monastery. At age 15 he was given full political power after China attacked Tibet. At 19, he was allowed to go to China and do peace talks to have China stop attacking. In September 1987, Dalai Lama #14 proposed the Five Point Peace Plan for Tibet as the first step towards a peaceful solution to the worsening situation in Tibet. He envisaged that Tibet would become a sanctuary; a zone of peace at the heart of Asia, where all sentient beings can exist in harmony and the delicate environment can be preserved. China has failed to respond to the different peace proposals put forward by the Dalai Lama.

The Dalai Lama is a man of peace. In 1989 he was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize for his peacful struggle for the freedom of Tibet. He has consistently advocated policies of non-violence, even in the face of extreme stress and sadness. He also became the first Nobel Laureate to be recognized for his concern for environment problems. Dalai Lama has travelled to more than 62 countries, covering  6 of the seven continents.  He has met with presidents (Tibet has presidents???), prime ministers, and crown rulers of major nations.  He has had various conversations with the heads of different religions and many well-known scientists. Since 1959, he has received over 84 awards, honorary doctorates, prizes, etc., in recognition of his message of peace, non-violence, inter-religious understanding, universal responsibility and compassion. The Dalai Lama has also authored more than 72 books (yikes!). The Dalai Lama describes himself as a simple Buddhist monk.

The Dalai Lama has received many awards through the years, many for peace and peace talks. Dalai Lama made his first foreign visit outside Tibet in 1954 when he spent almost a year in China meeting with its leaders and touring various places (and lets not forget doing peace talks). In 1956, he made his second visit abroad to India at the invitation of the Mahabodhi Society of India to attend the 2500th Celebrations of Lord Buddha (little did he know, he would soon return to India as an exile). In 1959, he returned to India once more, this time escaping the brutal Chinese occupation of Tibet, and beginning his life in exile.

With the initial years of exile being focused on the rehabilitation of tens of thousands of Tibetan refugees in India, he made many visits within India visiting the refugees and their newly established camps. In 1967, he made his first visit abroad since becoming an exile, visiting Japan and Thailand. In 1973, he made his first visit to the West, visiting 12 European countries within 75 days! His first visit to America was in 1979. (Why anyone would give up heaven to do THIS life all over again, I don’t know.)

Dalai Lama had to leave Tibet because China attacked, wanting more control over land. Some Tibetan monks were very attached to their land, as it had been handed down through ancestors.  They did not want some strange culture taking their family’s land away. So they fought for it. Since the Dalai Lama was the one who gave the peace talks, it enraged the Chinese. He only barely escaped Tibet in time.

 The Dalai Lama has three main commitments in his life.

Firstly, The Dalai Lama's commitments is the promotion of human values such as compassion, forgiveness, tolerance, contentment and self-discipline.  All humans are the same (No we are not, idiot!!!).  We all want happiness and do not want suffering.  Even people who do not believe in religion recognize the importance of these human values in making life happier.  The Dalai Lama refers to these human values as secular ethics.  He remains committed to talk about the importance of these human values and share them with everyone he meets.

( Dalai Lama is walking down the street.)
(He sees a man.)
(Dalai Lama: starts talking about the importance of human values)
(Man: ?!?)

Secondly, on the level of a religious practitioner, The Dalai Lama’s next commitment is the promotion of religious harmony and understanding the world’s major religious traditions.  Despite religious differences, all major world religions have the same potential to create good human beings.  It is very important for all religious traditions to respect one another and recognize the value of each other’s respective traditions.  As far as one truth, one religion is concerned; this is relevant on an individual level.  However, for the community at large, several truths and religions are necessary.

Thirdly, The Dalai Lama is a Tibetan and carries the name of the ‘Dalai Lama’.  Tibetans place their trust in him.  Therefore, his third commitment is to the Tibetan issue.  The Dalai Lama has a responsibility to act as the free spokesperson of the Tibetans in their struggle for justice.