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Hello Winter!

Winter is the coldest season of the year in some parts of the northern and southern hemisphere, this season is characterized by falling snow and freezing cold temperatures, usually exacerbated by strong winds. The season which usually lasts about three months is caused by the winter-stricken area being farthest away from the sun in the earth’s orbit around it.

Most schools take breaks during this period, whilst business in offices slows and schedules are rearranged according to the whims of the season. Around this time, the days are short and nights longer, this usually reverse slowly as the season progresses. The sun comes out very late on winter mornings and when it does is not hot.

People rarely come outdoors until daylight; most sit indoors by the fireside in the mornings and evenings. Everyone sees the essence of the weather report during winter, this service assumes added importance as the information they present can be the difference between having proper protective clothing and freezing to death, knowing if the roads would be navigate-able tomorrow morning, or if the night’s blizzard has called off engagements on their behalf.

Most people wake up to shovel snow out of their paths on winter mornings. On some particularly severe occasions, snow and strong winds has blocked roads and grounded flights, even frozen rivers for days, week and months.

People clothe themselves in thick apparels during winter to ward off the cold and keep their bodies warm, over the year’s winter clothing has evolved, today styles and designs are incorporated into them, far from the tattered animal skin that early man in these areas used to protect himself from the same grim weather.

In winter affected areas of the world, several outdoor and sporting activities have been designed to take advantage of the weather and give the people a chance to exercise and bring themselves some joy. These activities, taken as tradition and practiced at every winter (some depending on the ice level) includes; curling, ice skating, ice racing, ice sculpture, ice hockey, ice fishing, ice climbing, ice boating and more.

Plants and animal life respond to winter in varying ways. Some animals such as birds migrate when the winter season is approaching and only return during the summer, this is to ensure food supply as most of their food sources freeze in the winter.

Others go into hibernation, a state resembling sleep where the animal remains inactive, usually housed in a shell, remaining so until summer arrives. Some animals profusely gather and store food, in preparation for winter months when the sources are dead and gathering impossible. In response to the weather most animals have also adapted themselves, by developing thick furs that keep them warm during this season, others such as the snowshoe hare changes color to white and becomes indistinguishable from the snow as a survival tactic.

Whilst some plants completely die off in winter, others actually need the season to complete their life cycle. Some plants buried in snow are as a result insulated by it and survive the weather, some trees lose all their leaves during this season, but their roots are active, protected by the thick layers of snow that covers the earth surface.

Winter is also a time of fruits, many fruits such as guava and oranges as well as many vegetables become available during winter. Often times people complain of winter, cursing the cold and praying for the summer, but if we did not have winter, can we truly appreciate summer and vice versa?

6 Health Benefits of Black Pepper You Don’t Know About

Some foods are considerably healthier than others from a nutritional perspective, and certain foods are considered extra beneficial by health professionals and nutritionists. Black pepper is just such an example. Not only is black pepper a useful flavoring element, but it’s also a rich source of minerals and nutrients. Best of all, it’s easy to incorporate black pepper into your diet. Read this guide to find out more about this versatile seasoning.

Black Pepper Defined

Black pepper is actually a flowering vine indigenous to India that is grown for its fruit. When it is ripe, the plant’s fruit is dried and the peppercorn is born. You can buy peppercorns whole or purchase the product as a pre ground pepper seasoning.

An alkaloid called piperine gives black pepper its familiar spicy bite. Some people grind peppercorns in a mill at home. Many prefer this practice because it usually produces a fresher, more flavorful seasoning. Black pepper has been a part of human culture for millennia, both as a flavoring agent and as a medicinal remedy.

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Juneteenth marks an incredibly important moment in U.S. history that you probably never learned

Though many attribute the end of slavery to President Abraham Lincoln’s issuance of the Emancipation Proclamation on January 1, 1863, the truth is that not every slave — especially those who lived in the Confederacy — was made entirely free by the decree.

Numerous Confederate loyalists refused to obey Lincoln’s executive order and continued to hold out, even well after General Robert E. Lee surrendered to the Union Army at Appomattox Court in Virginia in April 1865.

According to African American history scholar Henry Louis Gates Jr., slaveowners who had previously lived in Mississippi, Louisiana and other states decided to escape the Union’s reach by moving to Texas. In choosing to do so, they moved nearly 150,000 slaves, many of whom were unaware of Lincoln’s order. A number of slave masters, who had been aware of the proclamation, purposely chose to delay the news in an effort to maintain control, while others — including the Confederate mayor of Galveston — defied Lincoln’s proclamation by forcing free slaves back to work.

As Gates notes, the few slaves who eventually learned of their freedom acted on it at their own risks. Many were reportedly shot during their attempt to cross the Sabine River, which runs through Texas and Louisiana. It wasn’t until June 19 — two-and-a-half years after the Emancipation Proclamation — that General Gordon Granger, along with an army strong enough to combat the resistance, arrived to announce General Orders No. 3: “The people of Texas are informed that, in accordance with a proclamation from the Executive of the United States, all slaves are free.” Thus, the last of America’s slaves —  all 250,000 of them in Texas — were finally free.

One year later, in 1866, the free Black men and women in the Lone Star State came together and, as Gates points out, “transformed June 19 from a day of unheeded military orders into their own annual rite.” Since then, this celebration, which features gatherings, prayer services, reflection and more, has become known as Juneteenth — a holiday recognized by nearly all of the country’s 50 states and the oldest national celebration commemorating the end of slavery. It still has yet to be recognized as a federal holiday.

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International Women’s day!

All around the world, International Women’s Day is celebrated on March 8. From small, informal gatherings to large, highly-organized events, this day honors women of the past, present, and future as it inspires all women to achieve their full potential. For Women’s History Month, then, let’s pay homage to some of America’s women.

_ Virginia Dare was the first person born in America to English parents. It happened in Roanoke Island, VA.

_ Anne Bradstreet’s book of poems was published in England, thus making her the first published American woman writer.

_ Mary Katherine Goddard became the first woman postmaster in the country. It was in Baltimore.

_ Deborah Samson enlisted in the 4th Massachusetts Regiment disguised as a man because women were not allowed to fight as soldiers during the Revolutionary War.

_ Mother Bernardina Matthews established a Carmelite convent near Port Tobacco, MD, the first community of Roman Catholic nuns in the original Thirteen Colonies.

_ Anne Parrish established the House of Industry in Philadelphia, the first charitable organization for women in America.

_ Mary Kies became the first woman to receive a patent. It was for a method of weaving straw with silk.

_ Elizabeth Blackwell received her M.D. degree from the Medical Institution of Geneva, NY, thus making her the first woman doctor.

_ Dr. Mary Edwards Walker was awarded a Medal of Honor for her service as a surgeon during the Civil War, the only woman to receive this highest military award.

_ Frances Elizabeth Willard became the president of Evanston College, thus making her the first woman college president.

_ Victoria Claflin Woodhull was nominated to be President of the United States by the Equal Rights Party, thus making her the first woman presidential candidate.

_ Belva Ann Lockwood became the first woman lawyer to argue a case before the U.S. Supreme Court.

_ Susanna Madora Salter became the first woman elected mayor. It happened in Argonia, KS.

_ Alice Guy Blache, as the first American woman film director, shoots her first film, La Fee aux Choux (The Cabbage Fairy).

_ Women were first allowed to compete in the Olympics. They numbered 19 out of 1,225 athletes.

_ Kate Gleason became the first woman president of the First National Bank of East Rochester, thus making her the first woman president of a national bank.

_ Edith Wharton was the first American woman novelist to win a Pulitzer Prize for fiction. It was awarded for her novel, The Age of Innocence.

_ All American women were granted the right to vote by the 19th Amendment to the Constitution.

_ Nellie Tayloe Ross became the first woman governor, being elected to replace her deceased husband in Wyoming.

_ Janet Gaynor became the first woman to receive the Academy Award for Best Actress in a Leading Role.

_ Jackie Mitchell was signed to be a pitcher for the Chattanooga Baseball Club, thus making her the first woman in organized baseball.

_ Amelia Earhart was the first woman to fly solo across the Atlantic Ocean.

_ Frances Perkins was appointed Secretary of Labor, thus making her the first woman member of a presidential cabinet.

_ Lettie Pate Whitehead became the first American woman director of a major corporation. It was the Coca-Cola Company.

_ Annie G. Fox was the first woman to receive the Purple Heart.

_ Jerrie Cobb was the first Americn woman to undergo astronaut testing.

_ Birth control pills were approved by the Food and Drug Administration.

_ Muriel Siebert was the first woman to own a seat on the New York Stock Exchange.

_ Susan Lynn Roley and Joanne E. Pierce became the first women FBI agents.

_ Dr. Sally K. Ride became the first American woman in space.

_ Dr. Antonia Novello was sworn in as the first woman, and Hispanic, U.S. Surgeon General.

_ Lt. Kendra Williams, USNFree Reprint Articles, became the first U.S. woman combat pilot to bomb an enemy target. It was during Operation Desert Fox in Iraq.

_ Julia Roberts became the first actress to earn the same top-dollar amount as men for starring in a movie.

_ Nancy Pelosi became the first woman Speaker of the House of Representatives.

Activities

  1. I intentionally left out the dates so your children can do the research and create a timeline.
  2. Categorize the events above and list the appropriate women’s names in each.
  3. Find out about other women by areas of interest or decades.
  4. Choose a country and find out about its women’s progress.

Always believe in yourself!!I hope these ideas are useful and have inspired your own creativity.

Source: Free Articles from ArticlesFactory.com

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Freda J. Glatt, MS, is a retired K-6 teacher. Helping others reinforce reading comprehension through FUNdamental Reading Activities, including games and worksheets, is her new educational goal. Visit her site at http://www.sandralreading.com.

02/02/2020 is a rare palindrome that hasn’t happened in over 900 years

While various forms of palindrome dates are fairly common, 02/02/2020 has the unique distinction of reading the same backward and forward when written out in eight digits in multiple date systems, according to University of Portland professor Aziz Inan.

“We are so lucky to have such a special palindrome date occurring in our lifetime because it’s so rare,” Inan told USA TODAY Saturday.

For starters, it’s an eight-digit palindrome: 02022020. Many palindrome dates are only symmetrical if you write the date with seven digits (1-10-2011) — or in some cases even fewer (9-10-19).

But even more rare, according to Inan, is that Sunday’s date is an international palindrome: It works whether you write the date as “Month/Day/Year” or “Day/Month/Year,” as many countries do.

Inan calls such dates “ubiquitous palindromes,” and there won’t be another one for 101 years. After that, you’ll have to wait until March 3, 3030.

According to Inan’s calculations, the last such palindrome date to occur was 11/11/1111 – more than 900 years ago.

For years, Inan has been crunching numbers using a basic calculator and a pad of paper to find unique patterns  in dates.

“I advocate for these things because they’re so valuable for STEM education,” he said.

It’s an accessible kind of puzzle that he has used to engage students and get people talking about math.

And Inan sees puzzle everywhere – dates that form square roots (3/3/9), dates that make sequential numbers (11/12/13) and even his own name (if you write it in all caps, switch the vowels in “AZIZ” and rotate the Z’s to make N’s – “AZIZ” becomes “INAN”).

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Sunday’s date is a rare palindrome that hasn’t happened in over 900 years

Celebrating Black History Month

To celebrate Black History Month, learn about these African-American inventors and their inventions. Activities are included.

What do Sarah Boone, Alexander Miles, Garrett Morgan, Robert F. Flemmings, and John Standard all have in common? They were all African-American inventors! As part of Black History Month, have your children learn about them and their inventions. African-American Inventors and Their Inventions

1.Sarah Boone – ironing board

2.Alexander Miles – elevator

3.Garrett Morgan – traffic signal

4.Robert F. Flemmings – guitar

5.John Standard – refrigerator

6.George T. Sampson – clothes drier

7.D. Johnson – lawn mower

8.Bessie Blount – a device that allows amputees to feed themselves

9.Otis Boykin – a variable resistor used in guided missile parts

10.George Grant – world’s first patent for a golf tee

11.John Lee Love – pencil sharpener rotated by hand

12.Richard Spikes – automobile directional signals

13.William Purvis – self-inking hand stamp

14.Kevin Woolfolk – hamster workout wheel

15.Patricia Bath – first African-American woman doctor to receive a patent for a medical invention, a method for removing cataract lenses using a laser device

16.W. A. Martin – lock

17.G. W. Murray – planter

18.F. M. Jones – air conditioning unit

19.A. C. Richardson – bottle

20.E. R. Robinson – electric railway trolley

21.J. R. Winters – fire escape ladder

22.B. H. Taylor – rotary engine

23.Donald Cotton – propellants for nuclear reactors

24.Norbert Rillieux – a method for refining sugar

25.Emmett W. Chappelle – techniques for the detection of bacteria in urine, blood, drinking waterArticle Submission, and foods

26.J. W. Smith – lawn sprinkler

27.W. U. Moody – game board design

28.A. L. Cradle – ice cream mold

Activities

1.Research other inventions by African Americans.

2.Find the dates of these inventions and make a timeline of them.

3.Discuss how life would be very different without these inventions.

4.Discuss the process of inventing something and have your students come up with their own inventions. They should give their inventions a name and write a description.

5.Classify these inventions into such categories as Things Around the House and Things for Safety.

6.Alphabetize the inventors’ names.

7.Have some children cut out pictures of the inventions and paste them on the left side of index cards. Have other children use sticky labels to write or type the invention and paste them on the right side of the index cards to match the pictures. Make puzzles by cutting down the center of these cards using different patterns. You can also use craft scissors which come in a variety of patterns.

8.Create a criss-cross puzzle or a word-find puzzle with these inventors’ last names.

I hope these ideas are useful and have inspired your own creative thinking!

Source: Free Articles from ArticlesFactory.com

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Freda J. Glatt, MS, is a retired K-6 teacher. Helping others reinforce reading comprehension through FUNdamental Reading Activities, including games and worksheets, is her new educational goal. Visit her site at http://www.sandralreading.com.

It turns out money can kind of buy happiness after all

Does winning the lottery even make you happier? For a long time, researchers said no. Research hadn’t found any conclusive evidence that people who won large sums of money were happier afterward. There was even some evidence they were worse off.

This fact became widely known, partially because it’s so appealing to many people. It’s nice to think that life satisfaction isn’t just about how much money you have, that other things matter more, that we can’t solve all our problems with a sudden infusion of cash.

But there’s a problem with that research: It’s probably wrong. At least, that’s what is argued by economists Andrew J. Oswald and Rainer Winkelmann at the University of Warwick in the new academic book The Economics of Happiness. Their chapter in the book makes the case that past research about the lottery was badly designed, which is why it found the counterintuitive conclusion that lottery winnings don’t make us happy, instead of the much more boring truth: They totally do.

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15 Amazing Facts About U.S. Presidents You Never Knew

U .S. presidents are some of the most studied, discussed, and well-known figures in history. Yet there is so much about them that still manages to surprise. From odd hobbies and strange coincidences to just downright quirky behavior, presidents of the United States are colorful characters you may only think you understand. To get a better sense of who these guys were (and are), here are 30 astonishing facts about the men who have sat behind the Resolute Desk.

1. | George Washington Was in the Whiskey Business

Aside from the five farms his home, Mount Vernon, included, you could also find a distillery. It wasn’t in the original plans, but Washington had a bounty of rye planted in his farms as a cover crop (what farmers use to hold soil in place to safeguard against elements). He and his plantation manager figured, hey, why let it go to waste? The distillery was established in 1797 (after he was president) and produced about 11,000 gallons of whiskey per year. Today, the distillery still releases a limited number of bottles annually.

2. | John F. Kennedy Illegally Joined the Navy

Kennedy was plagued with a bad back that kept him from enlisting in the Army. But no matter: he used his father’s resources to have a family doctor fake a good bill of health, so he could sneak into the Navy and eventually become a lieutenant. Where many presidents found ways to get out of serving—from dodging the draft to paying people to serve in their place—he was an example of true grit and strength. At one point, while serving as a skipper, a Japanese destroyer sunk his boat in burning flames, after which he swam four hours to safety by holding the life jacket strap with his teeth.

3. | Teddy Roosevelt Continued a Speech After Getting Shot in the Chest

During his third campaign running for president (which he lost), Roosevelt was set to deliver a speech in Wisconsin when a would-be assassin by the name of John Schrank shot him in the chest. Thankfully, Roosevelt’s speech was so long that the 50 pages of notes in his chest pocket slowed the bullet (though it did still pierce his chest), and he went on to finish his 84-minute speech. According to the Roosevelt Association, he addressed the audience then and there with the news:

“Friends, I shall ask you to be as quiet as possible. I don’t know whether you fully understand that I have just been shot; but it takes more than that to kill a Bull Moose. But fortunately, I had my manuscript, so you see I was going to make a long speech, and there is a bullet—there is where the bullet went through—and it probably saved me from it going into my heart. The bullet is in me now, so that I cannot make a very long speech, but I will try my best.”

4. | Ronald Reagan Was Really into Astrology

Reagan loved astrology so much that he even had an astrologer (Joan Quigley) on-hand, which he paid through a third party, since astrological guidance wasn’t exactly presidential. Nancy and Ronald Reagan confirmed that astrology was not used for making any presidential policy decisions, but rather just to consult before scheduling any events or announcements. A “forecast” color code was established for his schedule, where each day was given a color: green for days Reagan was in the clear, yellow for days in which people should exercise caution, and red for bad days.

5. | President Lincoln Established the Secret Service

Lincoln signed legislation on April 14, 1865, authorizing the creation of a government agency that would gain its fame for protecting the President of the United States: the U.S. Secret Service. He was shot and fatally wounded just hours later. However, even if established earlier, the agency probably wouldn’t have been any help: the original purpose of the Secret Service was to investigate and stop counterfeit money trading, as fake money accounted for up to 50 percent of the currency in circulation at the time.

6. | Clinton Lost the Nuclear Codes for Months and Nobody Knew

The president of the United States must always have the codes needed to launch a U.S. nuclear site close by. It’s not really a guarded button that’s always kept on hand, but rather a set of codes that authorize a launch. Every 30 days, a Pentagon staffer is required to check the codes to ensure they’re correct. Then, they’re replaced every four months.

For one of those four-month spans, every time that member was dispatched to check the codes, President Clinton’s aide would say that he was too busy, and the Pentagon official would leave. It wasn’t until the fourth month, when it was time to collect the old codes to replace with new codes, that it became clear that Clinton had totally lost them. Since then, measures have been put in place so that even if the President is “too busy,” the Pentagon official must physically wait (for however long necessary) to verify the codes.

7. | Franklin Pierce Didn’t Swear on the Oath

Upon inauguration, most presidents swear an oath—generally, on the Bible—to the office. Franklin Pierce, the 14th president, didn’t. He merely vocally affirmed it. (In fact, there is actually no law or mandate requiring that oaths in any office be taken on a bible. It has simply become customary.)

Also, Pierce’s vice president, William R. King, was the only VP to ever have been sworn in on foreign soil. King was in Cuba at the time of inauguration, nursing a bad bout of tuberculosis. He died 45 days into the Pierce’s tenure, and the VP office stayed empty for the rest of the term.

8. | President Harrison Only Served One Month

William Harrison died 32 days after becoming President, holding the title for “shortest serving president in American history.” He died of a cold he got while standing in the rain giving is inauguration speech—which, in stark contrast to his time in office, is still the longest running inaugural address in American history. And for more wild presidential stories, check out the 30 Craziest Things U.S. Presidents Have Done.

9. | President Obama Rules the Court

Barack Obama played basketball on JV and Varsity from 1970 to 1970. He was so good, his nickname on his high school basketball team was “Barry O’Bomber,” named after his jump shot. To this day, he’s still pretty good, and he’s mentioned that playing basketball is one of his favorite activities. While he was in office, he would always play a game of basketball on election days, and one got so competitive that he was actually elbowed in the faced and needed 12 stitches!

10. | Jefferson Was Afraid of Public Speaking

Thomas Jefferson was an incredibly intelligent and skilled man, but he preferred to move in silence. In fact, he only made two speeches during his entire eight-year presidency. And when he did, they were “hardly audible.” Many congressmen have been recorded as describing him as quiet, and he has been noted as saying that he would like to “go on in a strict but silent performance of my duty: to avoid attracting notice.”

11. | Donald Trump Doesn’t Drink Alcohol

Despite his reputation for being an partier from the Manhattan 1980s heyday, Donald Trump claims to be a total teetotaler.. In fact (he claims), he’s never done drugs or smoke cigarettes, either. He himself will say that he doesn’t like to ever be out of control, and therefore doesn’t take the risk of consuming alcohol. His alcoholic brother’s death probably played a role in his view toward abstinence as well.

12. | Two Women Shot at President Ford

Two completely unrelated women, 17 days apart, shot at Gerald Ford while he was on his campaign trail in 1975. One, Lynette Fromme, was a member of Charles Manson’s cult, while the other, Sara Jane Moore, was by all accounts “normal.” It’s not clear what exactly prompted these women to shoot at Ford.

13. | President Wilson is on the $100,000 Bill

Yes, the $100,000 bill exists, but they’re very hard to find: they were only created during a three-week stretch of time in 1934. The bills were designed for circulation among the Federal Reserve banks but fell out of use with the invention of the wire transfer.

14. | Cherries and Milk Killed War Hero Zachary Taylor

Though he was a pretty tough guy—a war hero, in fact—Zachary Taylor was done in by two fairly innocuous little thing: cherries and milk. It’s still unclear whether it was the cherries or the milk, but one (or both) of them were contaminated with bacteria that infected him with cholera. He died five days later.

15. | President Garfield Was Shot—But Doctors Caused His Death

President Garfield was shot at in a train station by a deranged writer; the bullet hit his spine and lodged in his abdomen. Keep in mind, this was in the 1830s, and germ theory wasn’t established until 30 years later, so the doctors that rushed to the scene were literally digging through the open wound to try to find the bullet.

Unable to do so, they brought Garfield back to the White House, attempting to widen the wound and dig further. This didn’t work, so in came Alexander Graham Bell (yes, the same guy who invented the phone) with a rudimentary electromagnetic induction device that he had previously experimentally used to detect bullets in meat. Unfortunately, they still couldn’t get it, and eventually his body simply shut down from having to fight off infections for 80 days.

Source : https://bestlifeonline.com/us-president-facts/