The Greatest Fair

Our county fair is the greatest fair on earth. There is so much to see and do. There is so much to like and to enjoy.

I like our fair because of all the projects I get to do for the fair, especially the animals. I like the smells of the Small Animal Barn, the smells of all  the good food. Walking down the Midway, I smell French Fries and Corn Dogs. I like eating the good food like French Fries, deep fried Oreos, donuts, and Elephant Ears. I also like the rides, like Freak Out, Tilt-a-Whirl, and the Starship 3000.  Also there are the tractor pulls, the Demolition Derby, and the Combine Derby. I like these because of explosions and smashed up cars and combines. The lights at night that come from the rides make everything bright and colorful. I like the old lady at the path that crosses the track, who’s there every year gives us someone to share our smiles with even if she does look so grim. Sigh. Working at the 4-H  Kitchen and getting a free lunch is something I look forward to. Looking to see if you got honorable mention on your Legos [Jake will beat me every year]. Helping out at the Small Animal Barn by sweeping and moving cages. Letting little kids pet my rabbits. Doing the rabbit show and trying your best. Doing rabbit and turkey chores. Walking around the fair grounds and getting cotton candy.

These are the things that make our county fair the best in the world.

Martin Luther a Reformer

 

Martin Luther was a reformer of religion in his day. He taught that the Bible should be the authority in the church. He also taught that people are justified through faith in Christ. Martin Luther’s religious movement led to the beginning of Protestantism.

Martin Luther was born on November 10, 1483 in Eisleben, Germany. When Martin was old enough he went collage to study Latin and law. One day a storm came up when Martin was walking to Erfurt. Lighting was hitting the ground everywhere. He was afraid and promised to become a monk.

But while Martin was in the monastery he became troubled about his soul. He wondered if he was doing what God wanted him to do? He wasn’t sure everything the priests were saying was right or biblical. Martin Luther was so worried about it that he spent hours in spiritual turmoil.

One day Martin was called to Wittenberg, by Dr. Staupitz, a professor. He told Martin to become a professor and a preacher. While Luther was teaching at Wittenberg he began to believe that the Bible was more important than the teachings of the priests. He decided to preach that the Indulgences practiced by the Catholic Church were wrong. Indulgences were part of a church practice called penance. Penance meant one was truly sorry for their sins, confessing to a priest and having the priest forgive them. Martin Luther’s opponent Tetzel, a Dominican monk, began to sell indulgences to the people. When Luther spoke out about the church’s practices on indulgences, some of the church fathers refuted what Martin Luther said.

All the interest in indulgences bothered Luther. So following the custom of that time period he invited his fellow professors to debate. Martin Luther put his thoughts about the church’s practices into writing. These became the Ninety-five thesis, or ideas. In the Thesis he objected indulgence money to build a great church in Rome and to the pope’s claim that he had power over whether people’s souls would go to purgatory. It also stated that religion was a personal relationship between God and man. And that the forgiveness given by Jesus Christ was important.

The Roman church court met for six months to study the case of Luther. At the end of this period they had wrote a report that stated: Luther was declared a heretic and should be excommunicated. That was when Luther lost patience and began to burn Catholic books and pamphlets in Wittenberg. Luther was then declared an outlaw.

On April 15, 1521, Luther was called to court so he could be tried for his writings against the Catholic Church. Martin Luther would not recant for what he believed. The room broke out in loud noise. Charles V, the emperor at that time, had enough and walked out of the room. With that, the meeting broke up before anything could be decided.

During this time of unrest, Luther was kidnapped by his own friends and taken to Wartberg so he would be safe. During his time in Wartburg Luther finished translating the Bible into German. While he was in Wartburg, Luther grew a beard. This made it safe for him to travel and he did so disguised as a knight.

In 1521 riots started in Wittenberg over what practices should be allowed in churches. Luther packed his bags and headed to Wittenberg to help stop the riots. After a while Martin was able to help calm people down.

Many monks and nuns began to run away from monasteries, because they read and agreed with the books of Martin Luther. One of these nuns was Katherine von Bora who Martin later married.

Martin Luther died on February 18, 1546. Before his death he started the Lutheran Church and wrote many books on the Christian faith. Martin’s German translation of the Bible helped more than any other single source to form the modern German language. Luther is recognized as a major figure in the history of the Christian faith. He continues to be the source of some of the most powerful ideas in Christianity.

 

 

 

Works Cited

Nohl, Fredrick: Luther, Biography of a Reformer. St. Louis: Concordia Publishing House, 2003.

“Martin Luther”, World Book, 2008

The Effects of Acid Rain

Does acid rain affect your town? If you live in Northeastern United States, Southeastern Canada or Europe, acid rain may be effecting where you live.  Acid rain is created when pollution from cars and industries combines with water droplets.  The sulfur and nitrogen released from the fossil fuels which combine with water droplets are acidic and cause damage to the earth.

One of the effects of acid rain is that it lowers the PH of bodies of water.  As acid rain falls it goes directly into rivers and lakes. It also runs off the soil into the water.  If the acidity level gets to high then life in these bodies of water cannot be sustained. It is estimated that around 50,000 lakes in the United States and Canada have a PH lower than normal.

Acid rain also damages forests. When acid rain falls on forests it can it can make them lose their leaves, damage the bark and stunt their growth.  Damage to forests by acid rain is seen all over the world, but the most advanced cases are in Eastern Europe. It’s estimated that in Germany and Poland, half of the forests are damaged, while 30% in Switzerland have been affected (source: www.geography.about.com).

Acid rain is dangerous to our environment.  It causes damage to the beauty that God created. I believe it is important to reduce pollution and thus lower acid rain.

Interview With a Medieval Knight

Field editor Isaac Bowers has gone onto the battle field to interview the knight, Sir Walter of Canterbury.

Isaac: Sir Walter, what kind of training did the first stage of knighthood require?

Sir Walter:  When a young boy of noble birth turns seven he goes into service as a page. It requires taking care of horses, reading, and taking care of the people of the castle. I found this to be a long period of time and often I was bored with the work.

Isaac: What type of training did the second stage of knighthood require?

Sir Walter: The second stage is when the boy turns 14. He then become a esquire. It requires learning horsemanship, the rules of Heraldry, the code of Chivalry, and attending to the knights and horses.

Isaac: What takes place during the ceremony to turn the squire into a knight?

Sir Walter: A ritual bath on the eve of the ceremony, then an all night vigil prayer. Then the master of the castle dubs the new Knight with a sword. It is a very exciting time for a young man.

Isaac: What was the Code of Chivalry?

Sir Walter: It required the knight to defend his lord.

Isaac: What is chain mail?

Sir Walter: Protective clothing made out of metal rings.

Isaac: How much does a full suit of armor weight?

Sir Walter: I full suit of armor can with between 40 to 60 pounds. I find it very difficult to move in at times. Especially when I begin to get weary after a long day at battle.

Isaac: How are you paid for your work?

Sir Walter: Yes, I am paid in either gold or land. I prefer land.

Isaac: Why are hot horseshoes put on the horses hooves?

Sir Walter: When the shoe is put on hot it is easier to the hoof.

Isaac: Why do Knights have tournaments?

Sir Walter: To show how skilled they are. And also, not many would admit this, we do it because we like to show off our abilities! We are a proud group!

Isaac What is heraldry?

Sir Walter: A special system of identification in order to help distinguish fully armored knights on the battle field.

Isaac: Thank you Sir Walter of Canterbury. 

The Bronze Bow~ Book Review

The Bronze Bow by Elizabeth George Speare is about a boy named Daniel bar Jamin who lived in Galilee during Jesus’ time. In the beginning of the book, Daniel is homeless and lives with outlaws in the mountains until Simon, one of Daniels friends gives him his house, because he is going to follow Jesus. Daniel dislikes the Romans, so Daniel and his friend Joel organize a group of boys who also dislike the Romans.

The boys meet secretly and form ideas of how to cause trouble for the Romans.  Meanwhile Daniel has the opportunity to listen to Jesus. Jesus tells Daniel to love the Romans, his enemies. If you are looking for a book that has adventure and conflict in it you will enjoy the Bronze Bow.  It is an excellent book.

Athens and Sparta

Athens and Sparta, in ancient Greece, had many differences and a few similarities. The education of children in these two city-states was very different from one another. However, the food that the ancient Greeks ate was pretty uniform throughout the country.  The government styles between Athens and Sparta varied greatly from each other.  Even though, these two city-states were in the same country, they were very different.

Education in Athens was primarily for the boys. At the age of six the boys started school. They studied math, writing, reading, music and spent a good portion of the day in the gymnasium learning sports.  The boys studied epic poems by Homer and learned to dance.  The arts were very important to the Athenians. The continued in this schooling until the age of sixteen. From the age of sixteen to twenty they attended a government sponsored gymnasium.

In Sparta, the boys were taken from their homes at the age of seven. They lived cruel lives in barracks. The boys were not allowed to go home. The boys were fed little and encouraged to steal food, cheat and lie.  Their education was to be trained as a soldier. The Spartans wanted to have war-like citizens, who were tough and cunning.

The people of Athens and Sparta ate similar foods.  Common foods for this time were, bread, olives, figs, cheese, fruit, vegetables, wheat, barley, cakes and porridge and dried fish. Beef was rarely eaten because it was expensive.

Athens became the most successful democracy in ancient Greece. Every male Athenian had the right to vote. The voters also elected Athenian generals.

Sparta was the most powerful oligarchy of ancient Greece. Most people were serfs who farmed. Citizens only made up ten percent of the population. Two kings headed the army of the Spartans.

Although, Athens and Sparta were both city-states in Greece they were very different from each other.  Their differences were so great that they did not get along. Those who lived in Athens thought their way of life was superior to the Spartans and the Spartans felt the same about Athens.  Their varied ways of life caused strife between the two cities.

My Stream

The ground slopes to the waters edge. There the water is contained in a small pond, which flows over the dam made of swamp grass, sticks, rocks and mud. The water continues to flow between banks covered with wildflowers, on it’s never ending journey across the road. There it collects in a swamp full of life.