Even though the earthquake in Japan was last year, it still affects many people. This earthquake and the tsunami that resulted from the earthquake were devastating. It was approximated that Japan's economy lost about 309 billion US dollars from the earthquake. It had a magnitude of 9.0 which is really horrible for an earthquake. This ruined Japan's economy. Over 330,000 buildings and over 2,100 roads were destroyed, which means that many people were unemployed. Over 15,500 people were killed. Lots of bridges and railways were also destroyed. This way, people couldn't get anywhere. The power was out for a really long time. People thought that there was no hope for Japan, but Japan is recovering from the tsunami. Slowly but surely, they are building their country back up. Visit http://earthquake.usgs.gov/earthquakes/eqinthenews/2011/usc0001xgp/#summary for more details about how this catastrophe affected Japan and how they are recovering.

What would a world without pictures be like? I think that it would be really boring. In a book, pictures can help you to see the stories. There would be no TV, movies, photos, or art. Some people might not be able to learn as well because some people learn with pictures. Presentations would be really boring because they would just be words on a slide or a page. Walls would be blank. Artists, directors, photographers, and actors wouldn't have jobs. I think that a life without pictures would be really hard to live with.

I am reading The Project by Brian Falkner. I think that the boys, Luke and Tommy, will keep the book, Leonardo's River, and try to sell it. They will try to protect the book from the people that are trying to steal it. I think that the kids will find out about the plans that Hitler hid and I think that the kids will figure out who the thugs really are. I think that the thugs will eventually steal the book from the kids and the kids try to get it back. The Renaissance reference is that the book mentioned in the story, Leonardo's River, is by the Renaissance inventor and artist, Leonardo da Vinci. I think that he may come into play in the book somehow. I really like my book so far and I can't wait to find out what happens next!

What is philosophy? How was it used in the Middle Ages? My topic was Medieval Philosophy. A main part of philosophy was called Scholasticism. That means that medieval thought centered around religion. People thought that philosophy centered around God and the Bible, and people thought that the Bible was the best philosophy book. Some philosophers did not always agree with the Bible. This changed when a man named Thomas Aquinas spread the thought that religion and philosophy were two different things. This was the end of scholasticism. I have learned a lot about philosophy in the Middle Ages, and I hope that you have too. I can't wait to present our project!

What did people think like in the Middle Ages? What were some new ideas and inventions? My area of focus is Middle Ages Philosophy. I am excited about this because I think that it will be interesting to hear about how people thought in the Middle Ages. I also want to learn about some inventions and ideas because I want to learn about how inventions and ideas have changed since the Middle Ages. I think that the ways of thinking have affected how we think in modern day times. I want to learn by reading books because I love reading. I hope that what I learn will help my group when we make our project.