Pallas Athena!!!!!!!

For my last blog post I will talk about my favorite Goddess from Greek Mythology. Athena (also known as Pallas Athena), in Greek Mythology is the goddess of Battle Strategy and Wisdom. She is the daughter of Zeus and Metis. She wasn' t born like every other being. She was born from Zeus' head. There is a long story behind this. Basicllay Zeus challenged Metis into a shapeshifting competition. when she turned into a fly Zeus ate her and she lived in his head from that point on. Metis is the goddess of prudency and wisdom. hence how her daugher recieved these abilities. When Metis found out that she was going to have a child, she started getting ready. She wove beautiful white robes and started forging armor for Athena. it gave Zeus a headache that was so bad, he started howling in pain. All the gods came to the aid of Zeus, and Hephaestus had to split his head open. Out of the split sprung forht a fully grown Athena, dressed for battle. All of the Olympians were amazed at the sight of the magnificent goddess. Athena is Zeus' most trusted advisor. He would even let her carry his Aegis, which was the silver shield of Zeus that had the horrible head of the Gorgon Medusa on it. Athena is the Patron Goddess of Athens. Her sacred tree was the Olive Tree and her sacred animal was the Owl.

The Fates

The Fates in Greek Mythology were an ultimate force that even the gods could not stop or hinder. They were not on the side of good or evil. They simply existed to determine the fates of the gods and mortals. They are normally depicted as three old crones that sit in a triangle. The first one is Clotho, The Spinner. Clotho would spin the thread of life for a person to signal that the life was beginning. The second Fate is Lachesis, The Allotter. Lachesis would measure the Thread of Life to determine what the person would do and how long that person would live. The last Fate is Atropos, The Unturnable. Atropos was the one who had the ultimate decision. She was the one who would cut the Thread of Life at the end of some one's life. These three goddesses are some of my favorite because they wield such power. It is frighting to think about it, really. They could not be swayed and you cannot do a thing about it. Normally there is a saying that you need to change fate or do something about it. While I do think that this is valid, it's more about destiny that you need to change. Fate is unwavering and it is determined when you are born. There is no changing it. The Fates were not just in Greek Mythology. They also appeared in Roman and Norse Mythology. In Greek, they were known as the Moirai; Roman, Parcae, and  Germanic, Norns. They held the same kind of power in all of the these cultures and religions. 

The Olympians

The Olympians were the most powerful Gods in the Greek World. They were Zeus, Poseidon, Hera, Athena, Ares, Hephaestus, Aphrodite, Hermes, Apollo, Artemis, Demeter, and Dionysus. These gods and goddesses held the ultimate power, although there were two forces that they could not interfere with. That will be another post. Lets go over what these beings were the gods of and what their duties were. Zeus is the King of the Gods and Ruler of the Skies. Poseidon is the Lord of the Seas and he is also known as the Earthshaker. Hera is the Queen of the Gods and she is the Goddess of Marriage and Family. Athena is the Goddess of Wisdom and Battle Strategy (Favorite Olympian by the way). Ares is the God of War and Aphrodeite is the Goddess of Love. Hephaestus is the God of Blacksmiths as well as the Blacksmith of the Gods. Hermes is the God of Messengers, Travelers, Merchants, and Thieves. Hermes is also the Messenger of the Gods and the Jack of  All Trades sort of guy. Apollo is the God of Light and Music and his twin sister Artemis is the Goddess of the Hunt and the Moon. Demeter is the Goddess of the Harvest and Crops. Finally, Dionysus is the Goddess of Revalry, Wine, and Wild Behavior.
You might be wondering about Hestia and Hades. While these two Gods were children of Kronos and Rhea, they were not Olympians. Hestia used to be an Olympian, but she gave her seat up for Dionysus, seeing that her spot was at the center of the Throne Room by the Hearth. She is the eldest Olympian and is the Goddess of the Hearth and Protector of Homes. Hades is the God of the Underworld, but is not an Olympian and rarely if not ever visits Olympus.

The Primordial Beings

The Primordial Beings are a catagory that most people don't hear about in Greek Mythology. These were the very beings of creation. They were the first entinties in the Greek World. I use the word entities because they never really took the form of humans. These beings were personifications of certain things. Gaea was a primordial being. She was the personification of the Earth and the mother of most living things. Even though they didn't really take the form of humans, Gaea still had a husband. His name was Ouranous. He was the personification of the Sky. There was a personification of the Sea too, he was Pontus. There was also Chaos. Chaos is even older than Gaea or Ouranous. He was the first thing that existed. These gods were respected and there are many myhts about Gaea and Ouranous. These two were the parents of the Titans, Cyclopes, and the Hekatonkheires or the Hundred-Handed Ones.

The Three Brothers

 

For those Harry Potter fans out there, I am not talking about the Three Brothers and the Deathly Hallows. I am talking abou the original Three Brothers. They were Zeus, Poseidon, and Hades. These three gods were some of the most powerful in the Greek World. After they deated Kronos in the Titan War, they split up the powers to rule the three  domains. Zeus became king and ruled the skies. Poseidon took the seas, and Hades got the Underworld and everything that was in the earth belonged to him. The Three Cyclopses forged for them some of the most famous weapons in Greek Mythology. For Zeus, they forged the lightning bolt to rule the skies. For Poseidon, thebasicy forged a trident to command the seas. For Hades, they forged a Helm of Darkness, which would make him invisible, as goes with the ruler of the Underworld. 

One thing that I would like to note is that Hades is not the god of the Dead in Greek Mythology. He is the ruler of the Underworld. Thanatos is the real god of the Dead. This is where we get the present words that have meanings of death such as a Thanatologist and Thanatology. 

For those Harry Potter fans out there, I am not talking about the Three Brothers and the Deathly Hallows. I am talking abou the original Three Brothers. They were Zeus, Poseidon, and Hades. These three gods were some of the most powerful in the Greek World. After they deated Kronos in the Titan War, they split up the powers to rule the three basic domains. Zeus became king and ruled the skies. Poseidon took the seas, and Hades got the Underworld and everything that was in the earth belonged to him. The Three Cyclopses forged for them some of the most famous weapons in Greek Mythology. For Zeus, they forged the lightning bolt to rule the skies. For Poseidon, they forged a trident to command the seas. For Hades, they forged a Helm of Darkness, which would make him invisible, as goes with the ruler of the Underworld. 

One thing that I would like to note is that Hades is not the god of the Dead in Greek Mythology. He is the ruler of the Underworld. Thanatos is the real god of the Dead. This is where we get the present words that have meanings of death such as a Thanatologist and Thanatology. 

Websites

People, organizations, and businesses have websites for many reasons. One of the most important reasons is because they want to be noticed and they want their information to be accessible. By information I mean business numbers, addresses to business locations, and sometimes statistics. They also have websites so that people can become more familiar with the organization. People in general use websites if they personally run a business.
Take, for example, a man started a bakery. The website might contain the list of items that they bake and the ingredients that they use. The man also might want to add that some things might be gluten free or sugar free. The website will also probably have the phone number to contact the bakery and place an order. There should also be an address for the site of the bakery and maybe a map that shows the location to give a person context. You may also find a page that gives information on whether the bakery caters and if so what events they specialize in.
Appearances are also a big thing for websites. People either try to make the site mimic the theme that they are going for or just try to make the site look appealing. Lets use the bakery example from above. The bakery website might either look really appealing or have certain things like cakes and certain baked goods in the background. This is just another way to get people to stay on your website because it looks good.

Renweb: Since I am a student, my most frequently visited wbsite is renweb. Renweb is a site that basically is a planner, a gradebook, and a school directory all in one. It is a very valuable resource that helps all the students at my school. What I like about Renweb is that it has all the information we need for school and it is easy to find info. The one thing that I do not like about Renweb is that there is a login system that is fairly long.

Gaggle: Another student resource is my gaggle email. This is how most of my school comunicates. It is a necessatry resource in our school beclouse otherwise you wouldn't know what was going on. The thing that I like about gaggle is that it is a great form of communication and it is easy to use. The one thing that I don't like about gaggle is not everyone in our school checks it frequently so communication can become frustrating.

Google: Anyone can say that google is the at least in their top five list of most frequently visited websites. Google is the most popular search engine in the world. Google has many different apps such as google docs that can help people communicate and work together from long distances. The one thing that I like about google is that there is always a result for a search. The one thing that I do not like about google is that sometimes searches do not always find what you are looking for and that could be frustrating.

BBC.com: Because of a Geography assignment I frequently use BBC News to find articles about current events. BBC.com has hundreds of articles about world news and are constantly updated to keep up with the world. The one thing that I like about BBC news is that it is a great resource for learning about current events. The one thing that I do not like about BBCnews is that sometimes it can be hard to find what you are looking for.

VHL.com: The last website that I visit frequently is Vist Higher Learning.com. It is basically my Spanish textbook in an online version. My teacher also puts regular assignments on there for us to complete.  The one thing that I like about vhl is that it allows me to leave my textbook at school which makes my backpack lighter. I do not have any dislikes for VHL only because it is a good student resource.

The Mighty Dwarves

SEO

Search Engine Optimization is the process of controlling parts of Web sites to improve the rankings in search engines.

Google: Google is the most popular search enginge in the world. It is also probably one of the most used terms in the world too. There are two things that I like about Google and one thing that I do not like about Google:

• I like Google for the obvious reason that it is the most widely used search engine. 
• Another reason that I like google is because it finds results fast.
• The one thing that I do not like Google is that you have to sometimes be very specific, and even then it sometimes does not find the results you are looking for. 

Bing: Bing is probably a close second in the category for most used search engine. I have two likes and one dislike for Bing

• One thing that I like about Bing is that it is very unique in the result formats that they come up with. 
• Another thing that I like abut Bing is that it is a failsafe if Google crashes
• The one thing that I do not like about Bing is that it is not Google.

Yahoo: Yahoo is another search engine that I use periodically and it is a good search engine. 

I have two likes and one dislike:

• I like the multiple things that yahoo offers such as astrology and all the different things that make it unique. 
• I also use yahoo because my email is yahoo
• The one dislike that I have about yahoo is that sometimes it can become a little confusing with the many different options that they have. 

Greek Mythology

ISAS Arts Festival

On Thursday some of my classmates and I went to Fort Worth to go to ISAS. ISAS is an arts festival that takes place in a different city in the country every year. This year it was in Fort Worth and Lakehill Prep got the opportunity to attend. We entered numerous things. There was 2D and 3D art adjudications which included photography, painting, drawing, ceramics, basket weaving (exclusively me), and other forms of 3D art. I only entered two things into the festival. I entered in my basket that I have been weaving since the beginning of the year and I entered in a small statue of the Athena Parthenos. There was not a competition, so there was no ranking but there were judges that critiqued what we had made. I got a lot of positive feedback and it was a lot of fun. The only downside is that I got a pretty bad sunburn on the back of my neck.

The Trolls of the Horde

The trolls are and are not what you would expect them to be. The women stand upright and have small tusks protruding from their mouths. The males do not have the same posture. They are more bent over when they are idle. The males also have tusks protruding from their mouths, but theirs are considerably larger.The skin color of the trolls varies a lot too. It can be blue or green and some colors in between. The leader of the trolls is Vol'jin and the capital city is Darkspear Isle. Trolls can be Druids, Shamans, Rogues, Priests, Warriors, Death Knights, Magi, Hunters, and Warlocks. The reason why I like trolls is probably just because they look really cool and because of their racial abilities. The one racial ability that I like is regeneration which increases health regeneration by 10%

Troll Icon

Troll 

The Tribal Tauren

The Tauren are basically giant bison that walk on their hind legs. Hence the racial name "Tauren" which derives from the Latin root for bull. The Tauren are most like the North American Indians. They are very spiritual and live in tepees and live in a prairie-like landscape. Their leader is Baine Bloodhoof and the capital city of the Tauren is Thunder Bluff. Thunder Bluff is situated on a series of very high plateaus. There is a giant totem pole in the middle of the city that allows people to access various levels of Thunder Bluff. There are numerous reasons why I love the Taurens. One is just because of their massive stature. This also makes the weapons that they hold equally massive and this just makes it a lot more awesome. Another reason is because of the spiritual aspect of the race. They are also able to become Druids and Shamans which is a bonus in my opinion. The racial ability that stands out with the Tauren is War Stomp which stuns 5 enemies within 8 yards for 2 seconds.

Tauren Icon & Tauren Paladin

Announcement

I know that initially I said that I would be writing about both the Horde and the Alliance races but since I mainly play on the Alliance I will limit the Horde Races to my two favorite. Theses are the Tauren and the Trolls. You can definitely research to see if the Horde suits you but this is my plan.

The Wise Night Elves

Night Elf Crest "Icon of Wisdom"

The Night Elves are an ancient race and were once immortal. Unfortunately they lost their immortality after a great war that caused them to come out of hiding. The Night Elves are very naturalistic in all aspects of their lives. To give an example, they live in a massive tree that was created by the Druids that is approximately the size of a small island. In the society, while the males are present, the female night elves appear to be more dominant. The Sentinels, which are the protectors in every night elf city are all female. The night elves also rely on The Ancients to protect them as well. Going with the nature route, the ancients are giant living trees that roam the forests. The Night Elves do not dabble in dark, corrupting magic like warlocks do. They are very pure and are still trying to purge the taint that their former queen Azshara brought upon their race. The current leaders of the Night Elves are High Priestess Tyrande Whisperwind and Archdruid Malfurion Stormrage. The druids are a very important part of Night Elven life. This is because nature surrounds them and they live as one with nature. In terms of technology, the Night Elves are lacking, but that does not apply to their survival for nearly 10,000 years. The night elves have relied on nature to provide them with everything that they need. They even live inside of trees. Literally the trees have semicircular holes which provides a living area. Of course this does not harm the trees as that would go against a lot of the things that they stand for in protecting nature. Night Elves can be a number of classes which are: Druids, Magi, Priests, Warriors, Hunters, Monks, Death Knights, and Rogues. The Night Elves, along with the Draenei, are one of my favorite races. This is due to the fact that they can be druids, which is my favorite class. It is also because their capital city of Darnassus is so beautiful. I also just like the model of the night elves. The one racial ability that I will mention is Shadowmeld which allows the player to basically disappear into the shadows. You can't move your character or else the effect will be canceled.

Tyrande Whisperwind

Malfurion Stormrage & Tyrande Whisperwind

The Noble Draenei

Draenei Crest

   

The Draenei are in basics an alien race in WoW. They come from their homeland of Argus. Originally they were called the Eredar and their race was once a whole in unity but a greater power sought to take away that unity. There was a triumvirate of three very powerful leaders. One of those was Velen, now leader of the Draenei. He had a vision that showed him what was to become of their race and he tried to warn others. Unfortunately corruption and the promise of power was too great for most of the Eredar. So Velen fled Argus with his followers which he later named the Draenei or "Exiled Ones." The journey was very dangerous and the Draenei ended up crashing in the northern part of Kalimdor. The crash was very unfortunate and killed many but nonetheless many also survived. The Draenei are sided with the Alliance and are a very peaceful and strong race. The capital city of the Draenei is the Exodar which is the ship that they crashed in. As I mentioned before their leader is Velen. Most of the times he is referred to as a prophet because he saw what was to become of them and saved many people. The Draenei are an alien race and they do look like aliens, but not in the stereotypical way. Their skin colors are various shades of blue, some pale white colors, and sometimes a bit of purple. The Draenei do not have feet, but instead they have hooves and tails. The women have horns while the men have bony crests that resemble horns. The Draenei are one of my favorite races for a few reasons. One is because of how they look. I think the hooves and the tails are awesome. I also really like them because of what they stand for. Draenei can become Priests, Magi, Shamans, Paladins, Monks, Warriors, Hunters, and Death Knights. The one racial ability that I will mention is the Gift of the Naaru. It is a healing ability that heals the target for 20% of the caster's total health over five seconds.

Draenei Priest

Draenei Paladin

End It Movement

Hello everyone,

This post is going to be a little unorthodox but it is for a good cause. It is about slavery in modern day times. It is more common than most people think and it needs to be stopped. Here are a few facts in a brief  paragraph. 

In the ancient times slavery was something that was not uncommon. It could be found all over the world. As time progressed, people started to see that it was not humane to have forced slavery. While this did cause an impact, it wasn't enough to totally end slavery. The U.S. is one of the more famous countries to have slavery. It was the cause to the Civil War which caused countless deaths over a subject that was wrong. The U.S. ended slavery eventually, but I’m sure it would surprise some of you if I said that slavery is the second largest organized crime in the world. As of now there are 27,000,000 slaves worldwide. That is enough people to go around the world once if they held hands. That is the current population of Texas, the second largest state in the U.S.  Currently, there are 60,100 slaves in America.  On a global scale, there are 167 countries that have slavery. This is 85% of the countries in the world! We need to stop slavery. We thought that it was an ancient problem that doesn't exist anymore, but the fact is that it is still extant. Slavery is more of a problem now that it ever was and it has to end.

All of the information is from www.enditmovement.com. For more information go to this website. It sheds a whole new light on modern day slavery. Even I was surprised at how common slavery was. If you visit the website, make sure to scroll down and take a look at the trend that is going on. All you have to do is follow the steps on the bottom half of the page. 

The Vicious Worgens

The Worgens are any teenage girl's definition of a werewolf. Normally werewolves are caught in a love story, but the story of the worgens is a bit more tragic. They used to all be humans but then a curse spread through the land and they became infected. This curse turned them into half-man and half-wolf. Most people didn't understand what was going on so they retaliated against their own kind. This was until everyone had pretty much been cursed, including their leader, Genn Greymane. The worgen race was included with the Cataclysm expansion and therefore not only do you start with the city being plagued by the curse but it is also being destroyed. As you progress you constantly have to keep moving from place to place because everything is falling into the sea. The capital city of the Worgens used to be Gilneas, but their home was destroyed. Now they make their home in the Night Elven capital of Darnassus. The Night Elves took pity on them and excepted them into their homes seeing that they had no where else to go. The designs of the worgen models are okay. The male model is great. It looks vicious and cunning in nature. The female form of the worgen is not so great. You don't perceive that viciousness from them. I saw one picture that compared their face to a chihuahua and let me say that they weren't that far off. I kinda wish that they would update the female model to make it look more frightening. The worgens are probably number three on my favorite race list. The classes they can choose are diverse. They can be magi, priests, warriors, druids, hunters, death knights, rogues, and warlocks. The racial abilities for the worgens are:

Worgen Crest
http://www.wowwiki.com/Crests

• Darkflight: It activates true form and increases your movement speed by 40% for 10 sec.
• Viciousness: Critical strike increased by 1%
• Aberration: Resistance to shadow and nature damage
• Flayer: Skinning skill is increased by 15 and you skin faster. 
• Two Forms: Allows you to switch between Human and Worgen form.
• Running Wild: This is like the racial mount for worgens, except that you are the mount.Your character will drop onto all forms like a wild animal and run. This ability increases speed based on the ability you have. It can be a 60% increase or a 100% increase. 

The Mighty Dwarves of Ironforge

Dwarf Crest
http://www.fanpop.com/clubs/world-of-
warcraft/images/510262/title/dwarf-crest-photo

The Dwarves of Ironforge are the typical picture of a dwarf if it is from the realm of J.R.R. Tolkien. Dwarves, in my opinion are built like tanks. They are short but with that shortness comes a very sturdy build. They are resilient just like most of the other things that are connected to them. Dwarves are also very foolhardy and a bit rowdy but they make for a good crowd. They are also brave and courageous with the will, determination, stubbornness that makes them a great ally. The Dwarves are sided with the Alliance and their Capital City is Ironforge. Like the dwarves, Ironforge is a strong and magnificent city. It is carved into a mountain in the center of Khaz Modan. This is just like the Dwarven kingdom of Erebor form J.R.R. Tolkien's The Hobbit. If you haven't noticed, I am a huge Tolkien fan/nerd and I think this deserves a little back story. In Middle Earth, there are many races of beings. There are Humans, Elves, Hobbits, Dwarves, Wizards (only five exist), Goblins, and Orcs. There were seven dwarf kingdoms in Middle Earth. The greatest of them all was Erebor. Erebor was the wealthiest kindom in all of Middle Earth. It was carved into the heart of a mountain and it went miles deep into the earth. Sometimes I wonder if the WOW creators got the inspiration for Ironforge from Erebor. If you have seen The Hobbit movies and if you play WOW and have seen Ironforge, then you would know what I am talking about. The head of the Dwarf race is a triumvirate of sorts. There are three clans and there is one leader from each clan. Dwarves are my third favorite race because of Tolkien and because of Ironforge. I love how it provides a feeling of protection because you feel safe and welcome inside the mountain. That and also because of the giant iron door at the entrance that not event the most powerful mage could break. The special abilities for the dwarves are:

• StoneForm: This is an ability that turns the dwarf into a stone form that rids the character of any poisons and other harmful effects and provides natural armor.
• Frost Resistance: Dwarves have a natural resistance to frost damage. Just look at where they live and you'll know why. 
• Explorer: Dwarves have an increase in the skill of archaeology. 
• Might of the Mountain: Dwarves are very tough both in battle and in nature so they have a natural increase in critical strike. 

Clever Gnomes

The appearance of Gnomes are just as you would expect it to be. The only difference is that they can be deadly. Gnomes are very clever and are the most technologically advanced races in the Alliance besides the Dwarves. The leader of the gnomes is High Tinker Mekkatorque and the capital city is a little bit hard to determine. The Gnomes first capital city is New Tinkertown, but with the destruction of the city the Gnomes found refuge in Ironforge. This is the capital city of the Dwarves. With the new expansions, the Gnomes are found to have been ousted from Ironforge. They are currently trying to regain their lost land. Gnomes can be Mages, Monks, Death Knights, Priests, Rogues, Warlocks, and Warriors. The special racial abilities and perks are:

• Arcane Resistance. This is a resistance to arcane damage of 1%.
• Engineering Specialization. Engineering skill is increased by 15. It make sense that they benefit from this because of their infatuation with tinkering and building things. 
• Escape Artist. Gnomes have the ability to escape any movement impairing effects or speed reduction effects. It is obvious that they are able to do this because of their short stature. 
• Expansive Mind. Maximum resource increased by 5%. Which means that the mana is increased by 5%. As a reminder, mana is the resource for all magical abilities and spells. 
• Nimble Fingers. Haste increased by 1%. Haste increases attack speed and casting time for spells. 

Humans of the Alliance

The humans are the leading race for the Alliance faction. Their capital city is Stormwind City and their king is Varian Wrynn. As leader of the human race, he is therefore the leader of the Alliance. Humans can be many different classes. Every option is available except for druids, shamans. In my opinion I personally do not like to play as a human because I find it boring. Why play as a human when you already are one. Again this is just my opinion. Every race comes with certain benefits. The human race benefits are:

• 10% increase in reputation gains. So that means that if you were trying to earn a higher level of reputation with a race it would be a bit easier with the human race. 
• Every Man For Himself. This is a racial ability that removes all movement impairing effects. 
• The Human Spirit. Versatility increased by 100. Versatility gives a boost to heals, damage, etc.

Human Crest
http://hu.wow.wikia.com/wiki/Human

Intro to Blog

Hello Everyone,
I have created this blog to tell people about World of Warcraft. Most of my posts will be information about the different races and the different classes that people are able to choose. I will also post about which races and which classes are my favorite. I am looking forward to writing future posts!