Saturday 25 February 2012

EL SACRIFICIO MÁXIMO

EL SACRIFICIO MÁXIMO

Linda Birtish literalmente se entregó. Linda era una excelente profesora convencida de que si tuviera tiempo, se dedicaría al arte y la poesía. Sin embargo, a los veintiocho años, empezó a sufrir fuertes dolores de cabeza. Los médicos descubrieron que tenía un enorme tumor cerebral. Le dijeron que sus probabilidades de sobrevivir a una operación eran de un dos por ciento. Por lo tanto, en lugar de operarla enseguida, optaron por esperar seis meses.

Ella sabía que poseía un gran talento artístico. Por eso, durante esos seis meses escribió y dibujó febrilmente. Todas sus poesías, excepto una, fueron publicadas en revistas. Toda su producción pictórica, excepto una obra, fue expuesta y vendida en algunas de las galerías más importantes.

Al cabo de los seis meses, la operaron. La noche anterior a la operación, decidió literalmente entregarse. Ante la posibilidad de morir, escribió un “testamento” en el que donaba todas las partes de su cuerpo a quienes las necesitaran más que ella.

Por desgracia, la operación de Linda fue fatal. Posteriormente, sus ojos fueron a un banco de ojos en Bethesda, Maryland, y de allí a un receptor en Carolina del Sur. Un joven de veintiocho años pasó de la oscuridad a la visión. Ese muchacho estaba tan conmovido que escribió al banco de ojos para agradecer su existencia. ¡Fue tan sólo el segundo agradecimiento que recibía el banco después de haber donado más de treinta mil ojos!

Además, dijo que quería dar las gracias a los padres de la donante. Debían de ser sin duda gente fantástica, si su hija había entregado sus ojos. Le dieron el nombre de la familia Birtish y él decidió tomar un avión para ir a verlos a Staten Island. Llegó sin anunciarse y tocó el timbre. Después de escucharlo, la señora Birtish lo abrazó. Le dijo: “Joven, si no tiene adonde ir, a mi marido y a mí nos gustaría que pasara el fin de semana con nosotros”.

Se quedó y mientras miraba la habitación de Linda vio que leía a Platón. Él había leído a Platón en Braille. Leía a Hegel. Él había leído a Hegel en Braille.

A la mañana siguiente, la señora British lo miró y dijo: “Estoy segura de haberlo visto antes, pero no sé dónde”. De pronto, recordó. Subió la escalera corriendo y sacó el último cuadro que había dibujado Linda. Era un retrato de su hombre ideal.

La imagen era virtualmente idéntica a la del muchacho que había recibido los ojos de Linda.

Entonces, la madre le leyó la última poesía que Linda había escrito en su lecho de muerte. Decía así:

Dos corazones que pasan en la noche

Y se enamoran

Sin poder volver a verse nunca más.

Jack Canfield y Mark Victor Hansen

Saturday 5 November 2011

PAY ATTENTION

PAY ATTENTION

Jason provenía de una buena familia con dos padres amorosos, dos hermanos y una hermana. Todos gozaban de éxito, tanto académico como social. Vivian en un vecindario elegante. Jason tenía todo lo que un niño podría desear. Pero siempre estaba metido en alguna travesura. No era un niño malo que ocasionara problemas, pero siempre terminaba metido en ellos.

En su primer año se sugirió que Jason requería de educación especial. Intentaron sacarlo de las clases regulares. En secundaria era “el inadaptado que ocasionaba problemas”. En preparatoria, aunque nunca le hicieron un examen con validez oficial, se le catalogó como un estudiante que sufría de desorden de déficit de atención. Con mucha frecuencia sus maestros lo sacaban de clase. Sus mejores calificaciones eran de diez y todas las demás eran cincos.

Un domingo, la familia disfrutaba del almuerzo en el club campestre cuando un maestro se detuvo al pasar junto a ellos y dijo:

- Jason se está comportando muy bien estos últimos días. Nos da gusto y estamos muy complacidos.

- Temo que debe de estarnos confundiendo con otra familia. – dijo el padre -. Nuestro Jason es caso perdido. Siempre se mete en problemas. Nos sentimos avergonzados y no entendemos la causa.

Cuando el maestro se alejó, la madre hizo el siguiente comentario:

- ¿Sabes?, cariño, ahora que lo pienso, Jason no se ha metido en problemas en todo el mes. Hasta está yéndose más temprano a la escuela y se queda más tarde. ¿Me pregunto por qué será?

El segundo periodo o lapso terminó. Como era usual, los padres de Jason esperaban calificaciones bajas y comentarios sobre su mal comportamiento. En lugar de eso, Jason obtuvo cuatro veintes y tres diecinueves, así como mención honorifica de civismo. Sus padres estaban desconcertados.

- ¿Junto a quien te sentaste para sacar esas calificaciones? – preguntó sarcástico su padre.

- Junto a nadie, lo hice solo – respondió Jason con humildad.

Perplejos e intrigados, sus padres lo llevaron a la escuela para entrevistarse con el director. Él les aseguró que Jason estaba haciendo un gran esfuerzo.

- Tenemos una nueva consejera estudiantil y parece que ella ha logrado establecer una comunicación especial con su hijo – dijo él -. Su autoestima ha aumentado y está obteniendo logros este periodo. Creo que deberían pasar a conocerla.

La mujer miraba hacia abajo cuando los tres se le acercaron. Pasaron unos instantes antes de que ella se diera cuenta de que tenia visitas. Cuando se dio cuenta, ella saltó para levantarse y empezó a hacer señas con las manos.

- ¿Qué es esto? – pregunto indignado el padre de Jason -, ¿Lenguaje de señas? ¿Por qué?, ni siquiera puede oír.

- Por eso es tan buena, papá – dijo Jason parándose en medio de ellos - Ella hace mucho más que sólo oír, papá. ¡Ella escucha! (She pays attention)

Dan Clark.


Saturday 29 October 2011

El Zar y el halcón

El Zar y el halcón

Un día el Zar de Rusia se fue de cacería con un halcón. Después de haber caminado mucho le entró sed, y llevando sobre un brazo su halcón predilecto, se alejó a caballo, en busca de una fuente. Buscó mucho, y finalmente, encontró una vena de agua que goteaba lenta, lenta, de una roca. Puso una copa bajo aquel diminuto manantial y esperó con paciencia que se llenara.

Después trató de beber el agua recogida, pero el halcón se agitó y, con un golpe de ala, derramó la copa. De nuevo, el Zar llenó el recipiente y como lo vio lleno de agua fresca, trató de llevarlo a la boca. Pero también esta vez el halcón, revoloteando alrededor, derramó la copa.

Bastante contrariado, el Zar la llenó por tercera vez e hizo por beber. Pero el halcón se lanzó encima, esparciendo toda el agua alrededor.

Entonces el Zar, montado en cólera, tomó al halcón por el cuello y lo mató. Estaba para llenar otra vez la copa, cuando uno de sus siervos llegó al galope.

— ¡Majestad, no! –le gritó. ¡No beba esa agua! ¡Es una fuente envenenada!

El Zar arrojó lejos la copa y un velo de lágrimas cubrió su mirada.

¡Cuántos errores cometemos a causa de la precipitación y de la falta de reflexión!, dijo con amargura, recogiendo del suelo a su amigo muerto. ¡Guiado por su instinto, mi halcón, me ha salvado la vida por lo menos tres veces. Y he ahí cómo yo lo he recompensado.

Leon Tolstoi (Narraciones)

Wednesday 9 June 2010

THE HORRIBLE WAR

THE HORRIBLE WAR
.


They fought the longest war in American history. In 1965 Vietnam seemed like just another foreign war. But it wasn't. It was different in many ways. And so were those who did the fighting. In World War II the average age of the combat soldier was 26. In Vietnam he was 19.
The heaviest fighting of the past two weeks continued today 25 miles North West of Saigon. I wasn't really sure what was going on. In Vietnam the combat soldier typically served a twelve-month tour of duty, but he was exposed to hostile fire almost every day.
In Saigon a U.S. military spokesman said today that more than 700 enemy troops were killed last week in that sensitive border area. Throughout all of South Vietnam, the enemy lost a total of 2.689 soldiers.
"You're eighteen years old and you're wearing some bodies’ brains around on your shirt, because they got their heads blown off right next to you and that's not suppose to affect you" "I could never understand" "What would scare me?
It is that we were to send a group of eighteen year olds 12.000 miles away, and subject them to in a year of that insanity, and have them not be affected ..." "That's what would frighten me". All those who remember the war won't forget what they've seen; destruction of men in their prime whose average age was 19.
According to a Veteran's Administration study, half of the Vietnam combat veterans suffer from what psychiatrists call Post-Traumatic-Stress-Disorder. Many vets complain of alienation, rage, or guilt. Some succumb to suicidal thoughts. Eight to ten years after coming home.
Almost eight-hundred-thousand men are still fighting the Vietnam War. None of them received a hero's welcome. Purple Heart, Saigon, I wasn't really sure what was going on…

Instrucciones:
Lea el texto una vez. (por encima/skimming)
Extraiga una lista de palabras y haga un glosario con la ayuda del diccionario.
Trate de determinar (más o menos) de qué se trata el texto. (cuál es el tema)
Traer diccionario bilingüe, creyones, imágenes, pegas, tijera, papel doble carta.

Ubaldo Gandica.

Saturday 24 January 2009

YOUNG JESUS IN THE TEMPLE

YOUNG JESUS IN THE TEMPLE

Look at the young boy talking to these older men. They are teachers in God’s temple at Jerusalem. And the boy is Jesús. He was grown up quite a bit. Now he is 12 years old.

The teachers are very surprised that Jesús knows so much about God and the things written in the Bible. But why aren’t Joseph and Mary here too? Where are they? Let’s find out.

Every year Joseph brings his family to Jerusalem for the special celebration called the Passover. It’s a long trip from Nazareth to Jerusalem. No one has a car, and there are no trains. They didn’t have them in those days. Most of the people walk, and it takes them about three days to get to Jerusalem.

By now Joseph has a big family. So there are some younger brothers and sisters of Jesús to look after. Well, this year Joseph and Mary have left with their children on the long trip back home to Nazareth. They think that Jesús is with others traveling along. But when they stop at the end of the day, they can’t find Jesús. They look for him among their relatives and friends, but he’s not with them! So they return to Jerusalem to look for him there.

At last they find Jesús here with the teachers. He is listening to them and asking questions. And all the people are amazed at how wise Jesús is. But Mary says: ‘Child, why have you done this to us? Your father and I have been very worried trying to find you.’

‘Why did you have to look for me?’ Jesús answers. ‘Didn’t you know that I had to be in the house of my Father?’

Yes, Jesús loves to be where he can learn about God. Isn’t that the way we should feel too? Back home in Nazareth, Jesús would go to meetings for worship every week. Because he always paid attention, he learned many things from the Bible. Let’s be like Jesús and follow his example.

THE CURSE OF TUTANKHAMEN

THE CURSE OF TUTANKHAMEN

People call him King Tut, and he lived in Egypt around 1350 B.C.
The boy king died at the young age of eighteen. His body was rest for more than 3.000 years in a tomb.
In November 1922, the British Egyptologist Howard Carter discovered
his tomb. It still contained many beautiful and valuable objects from the king’s time. And the pharaoh’s mummy was still inside a coffin of 240 pounds or 110 kilograms of pure gold. Carter and King Tut became famous. This was an important discovery because the coffin was in perfect condition.
And then there was the story of the mummy’s curse. The curse predicted bad things for those who touched a pharaoh’s mummy.
The curse said, “Death will come to those who disturb the sleep of the pharaohs.”
Lord Carnavon paid for Carter’s expedition. Several months after the tomb’s discovery, he died in his hotel in Cairo. At the same time, at Carnavon’s house in England, his dog made a terrible howl in the middle of the night. Then it suddenly died. In the next few years, other members of Carter’s expedition died. Six years after the opening of the tomb, twelve of those present were dead.
Of the original group, only Carter lived to a ripe old age. All the others died. Was this just, a coincidence? Or was it the pharaohs’ curse?

LET’S CONSIDER THESE QUESTIONS:

1- What do you know about the Egyptian pyramids?
2- Did you ever hear about Tutankhamen? What do you know about him?
3- Where and when did Tutankhamen live?
4- When did Carter discover the tomb?
5- What was in the tomb?
6- What happened to the people who touched the pharaoh’s mummy?
7- Did Carter die soon after his discovery?

The Beatles

The Beatles

1957. Paul McCartney, a 15 year-old, met John Lennon, a 16 year-old. Paul joined The Quarrymen, band lead by John. George Harrison, a 14 year-old, joined the band to play lead guitar and Stuart Sutcliffe joined The Quarrymen later as the bass player.

1960 The name of the band changed from The Quarrymen to Johnny and the Moondogs to The Silver Beetles to The Beatles.
Pete Best joined the group as the drummer.

1961 Brian Epstein offered to manage The Beatles.
George Martin, a record producer, agreed to produce The Beatles. Pete Best was fired.
Ringo Starr joined the group as the drummer.
“Love Me Do” reached # 17 on the British chart.

1962 Stuart Sutcliffe died of a brain hemorrhage.

1963 “I Want to Hold Your Hand” was number one in England and America.

1964 The Beatles traveled to America for the first time.

1965 Rubber Soul was released. Paul McCartney recorded “Yesterday”.

1966 The Beatles released their Revolver LP.

1967 The Beatles released their greatest work to date: Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band.

1970 Paul quit The Beatles.

1980 John Lennon was murdered.

1996 The surviving members of The Beatles reunited for the Anthology project which yielded a three CD set of out-takes and demos, a ten-hour video series and two new singles, Free As A Bird and Real Love.

WILLIAM SHAKESPEARE

WILLIAM SHAKESPEARE

William Shakespeare was born on April 23, 1564 in Stratford-on-Avon. He was the most famous playwright of his epoch. Shakespeare died on April 23, 1616.

John Shakespeare, William's father, was a glover and a tanner. He was a highly successful and respected man of high status. Mary Arden was Shakespeare’s mother. She had eight children with John Shakespeare.

William attended Stratford Grammar School where he studied classics written in Greek and Latin. On November 27, 1582, Shakespeare married Ann Hathaway who was twenty-eight years old at the time.

No evidence was found of Shakespeare between the years of 1585-1592. These years of Shakespeare’s life were called “The Hidden Years”. In 1592, Shakespeare established himself in London. There he began to write. In 1599, “The Globe” was built. The plays in this theater usually lasted three days. The first day, expenses were paid, the second day, the actors were paid, and the third day, the playwright was paid. Other theaters to follow were “The Curtain”, “The Rose”, “The Swan”, “The Fortune”, “The Red Bull”, and “The Hope”.

As an actor, writer, director, and a stockholder, Shakespeare had multiple sources of income. He was becoming a very wealthy person. In 1597, Shakespeare bought “New Place”, a very large house for his family to live in.

Shakespeare left London in 1611 and retired from public life. He died on April 23, 1616.

Steven Spielberg

Steven Spielberg

Steven Spielberg is the most successful filmmaker ever. At the age of 27, he was already one of the most popular directors in Hollywood.

Steven Spielberg was born on December 18, 1947, in Cincinnati, Ohio. He was the oldest of four children. As a boy, he was interested in filmmaking. He was the “official family photographer” and used his father’s 8 mm camera. His love for films continued through high school and college.

When his family moved to California, Spielberg talked his way into the movie studios and watched famous directors such as Alfred Hitchcock. During this period, he continued to make personal films. In 1970, after his successful short movie Amblin, he signed a contract with Universal Pictures.

Spielberg’s first blockbuster was Jaws, about a killer shark that terrorizes a beach community. Spielberg has made many successful movies such as ET, Indiana Jones, Jurassic Park, Schindler’s List, and Saving Private Ryan. A recent film is A.I. about society in the future. Spielberg now has his own film company, called DreamWorks. He has won several Oscars, and his films have made billions of dollars around the world.

GLORIA ESTEFAN

GLORIA ESTEFAN

People call her the “Queen of Latin Pop”, and she has sold over 45 million records and has received many awards. Today she is famous and rich, but Gloria’s early years were not easy.

Gloria Maria Fajardo was born on September 1, 1957, in Havana, Cuba. She was under two years old when her family had to leave the country. The family moved to a poor area in Miami, Florida.

Then, Gloria’s father was sick, and she looked after him and her sister while her mother went out to work. Gloria’s comfort was her guitar. She sang the top hits for hours alone in her room.

In 1975, Gloria sang at a wedding where a local group called the Latin Boys was playing. The band leader, Emilio Estefan, was very impressed by her voice. He asked Gloria to join the band.

Because it now had a girl, the band changed its name to the Miami Sound Machine. In 1978, Gloria married Emilio and became Gloria Estefan.

The popularity of their music grew all over Latin America. In 1984, Epic Records released their all-English album Eyes of innocence. One of the songs, Dr. Beat, hit number 10 on the U:S charts.

Other successes followed, such as Conga and the Grammy Award-winning album, Mi Tierra. Gloria Estefan has become the most successful performer in Latin music history.

HECTOR LAVOE. THE SINGER

HECTOR LAVOE

A great among greats, this great artist’s life was marked by a tragic destiny.
Héctor Lavoe's interest in music began in his native Puerto Rico. In search of new opportunities, he traveled to New York with a suitcase full of dreams and the firm goal of landing a job in the music world.
The road ahead was not an easy one. There were many obstacles to overcome, and the price was high, as it often is for immigrants. He held down precarious day jobs for bad pay; but at night, he gave free rein to his dreams, performing in various night clubs.
Johnny Pacheco happened to hear him perform at one of those night clubs. In Lavoe he discovered a powerful voice and the easiest of manners. He was so impressed that he told Willie Colón he had found a singer for the recording of his first album, “El malo.”
The combination of Héctor Lavoe and Willie Colón enriched the world of salsa and set the stage for their collaboration, which lasted seven years. It also gave birth to 10 albums, full of vibrant songs that spoke the language of the street, a type of musical narrative that the public identified with, one that cemented salsa as a genre.
In 1975, Fania Records decided to launch its singers with the most hits as soloists. Thus began a new phase of Héctor Lavoe’s career, just as brilliant and successful, boasting the release of many albums that are now part of his rich musical legacy.
His life was an open book, each page of which documented the tragedy and heartbreak that marked and influenced the rise and fall of his brilliant professional career. Héctor Lavoe died on June 29, 1993, at 46.

http://faniarecords.com/fania/site/Artists.aspx?ID=573

Spanglish

Spanglish

Spanglish – espanglish, espaninglish, el Spanish broken, ingléspañol, ingleñol, espan'glés, espanolo, (blends of the language names "English" and "Spanish") or jerga fronteriza – refers to the range of language-contact phenomena, primarily in the speech of the Hispanic and Anglo population of the United States and the population of Mexico living near the Mexican-American border, who are exposed to both Spanish and English.
These phenomena are produced by close border contact and large bilingual communities along the United States-Mexico border and California, Oregon, Texas, Arizona, New Mexico, Florida, Puerto Rico, The City of New York, and Chicago. It is common in Panama, where the 96-year (1903-1999) U.S. control of the Panama Canal influenced much of local society, especially among the former residents of the Panama Canal Zone, the Zonians.
Spanglish also is known by a regional name, e.g. "Tex-Mex" in Texas, (cf. "Tex-Mex cuisine").
In Mexico, the term pochismo applies to Spanglish words and expressions. Spanglish is not a pidgin language. In the late 1940s, the Puerto Rican linguist Salvador Tió coined the terms Spanglish and inglañol, a converse phenomenon wherein Spanish admixes with English; the latter term is not as popular as the former.
There is another dialect, known as Llanito, that arose in British-controlled Gibraltar and is not a part of the "Spanglish" phenomenon.

This is a code switching dialogue from the Spanglish novel Yo-Yo Boing!, by Giannina Braschi:

Ábrela tú.
¿Por qué yo? Tú tienes las keys. Yo te las entregué a ti. Además, I left mine adentro.
¿Por qué las dejaste adentro?
Porque I knew you had yours.
¿Por qué dependes de mí?
Just open it, and make it fast.
Translation:
You open it.
Why me? You have the keys. I gave them to you. Anyways, I left mine inside.
Why did you leave them inside?
Because I knew you had yours.
Why do you always depend on me?
Just open it, and make it fast.

[1]. Additional Spanglish words can be found at
http://www.courtinterpreter.net/node/29

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spanglish

Daily Health Tasks

Daily Health Tasks

ü Exercise daily.

You should walk, run or jump for a minimum total of 20 minutes a day.

ü Protect your skin.

You should apply sun block on your face, neck, arms and hands. It protects against climatic toxins.

ü Eat fruits, vegetables, grains, low-fat dairy products and small amounts of protein.

You should avoid sweets and other processed foods.

ü Mediation is necessary to be healthy.

You should meditate or spend a minimum of five minutes daily in quiet time.

ü Find your spiritual self.

Discover what inspires you, it raises your level of consciousness, motivates you, and satisfies your soul.

ü Exercise your brain.

You should read, study, solve problems, and learn new skills. The brain atrophies with lack of use.

ü Hug somebody everyday.

Loves cures.

VITAMINS

VITAMINS

The term vitamin has been applied to a number of complex substances known to exist in certain foods. An adequate supply of these vitamins is essential if we are to maintain good health. Lack of such a supply leads to so-called “deficiency” diseases such as pellagra, rickets, and beri-beri. Pellagra can be described as a chronic disease caused by niacin deficiency, while a lack of vitamin D and a lack of thiamine (B1) are the causes of rickets and beri-beri respectively. The symptoms produced by lack of vitamins have been recorded since 2600 B.C. in the writings of our ancient ancestors, and long before the first vitamin was discovered, medical men were convinced that such food factors existed.

However, vitamin A was not discovered until 1915. Its role in nutrition was determined, and a start was made toward its isolation. Since that time, some 15 other vitamins have been found. At first they were known only by letters of the alphabet: B, C, D, E, and K. However, it was later discovered that these were really vitamin families with several members. Scientists have therefore discarded the vague alphabetical designations. They now know the structure of each vitamin and its chemical properties. Each one can now be called by its right name. In contrast to the past, when accurate knowledge about vitamins was still unclear, today the whole field of vitamins has been so thoroughly investigated it has attained the status of an exact science.

The chemical structure of all the vitamins is known precisely, and investigators have recently devised tests making it possible to determine the amounts of certain vitamins which are contained in various body tissues. One of the more interesting discoveries reveals that vitamins are closely related to the hormones, those complex glandular secretions which govern many functions of the body. Along with this has come the realization that in the case of one vitamin, at least, an overdose may be just as harmful or dangerous as a deficiency.[EyA1]

CANADA THE LAST BORDER

CANADA THE LAST BORDER

o Area: 9.970.610 Sq Km.
o Population: 28.386.000 inhabitants
o Languaje: English and French
o Capital: Ottawa
o Other major cities: Montréal, Toronto, Calgary, Vancouver Québec,
Edmonton and Winnipeg.
o Form of government: Federal Parlamentary Stab
o Religion: RC. United Church of Canada and Anglicanism.
o Currency or Monetary Unit: Canadian dollar.
o Highest Point: Mount Logan in the Yukon

Canada is the second largest country in the world and the largest in North America. It is a land of great climatic and geographical extremes. It lies to the north of the USA and has Pacific, Atlantic and Arctic coasts. Canada is rich in forest reserves which cover more than half the total land area.

Canada is a Commonwealth’s member.. The country is constituted by 10 provinces, each one has its own parlament and government.

Montreal is the main French-speaker city in the world after Paris. It is located in the confluence of the rivers San Lorenzo and Ottawa. Montreal has become in a great port. In fact, it is the capital of Canadian finances.

Toronto’s skyscrapers show the dynamism of this city. It was built over a rectangular plateau. Its streets conform a real chess board.

Calgary was a small town which had about 4000 inhabitants in 1900. Later, the construction of the Canadian Pacific Railway and the Oil exploitation in Turney Valley have become it in an outstanding industrial and commercial center that has 768.082 inhabitants.

Vancouver The skyscrapers of the commercial center of this beautiful city break monotony of low single-family houses which spread through the mountain, the sea and the United States’ border.

Québec is the Canadian city that more looks like Europe. It was founded in 1608 by Samuel de Champlain. In 1759 the British army occupied the city which began to be a part of the British Crown. Nowadays the most Canadians who speak French live there.

Edmonton is the capital of Alberta province. It is a commercial and industrial center. Due to it is situated at the Rocky Mountains’ skirts, at the border of North Saskatchewon is a crossroad to north and north-west lands.

Adapted by Ubaldo Gandica

THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA

THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA

The United States, a great federal republic of North America, extends from the Gulf of Mexico to Canada and from the Atlantic to the Pacific, having an area of 3.020.000 square miles. Along the western border, near the seacoast are the Rocky Mountains, and in the east, nearly, parallel to the coast line, are the Appalachians. Between those two great ranges of mountains lies the valley of the Mississippi River a vast area of fertile agricultural land, devoted to the growing of wheat, corn, and other cereals, cotton, tobacco, sugar cane, sugar beets, vegetables of all kinds, and fruits in abundance. The country is extremely rich in deposits of minerals, such as gold, silver, copper, iron, zinc, and lead, and it also has great beds of coal and salt, extensive forests, and rich deposits of petroleum and natural gas. It ranks high as an industrial and agricultural nation because of its wealth of natural resources and the enterprising spirit of its people.

There are 48 states and two territories, together with the District of Columbia, in which is located Washington, the national capital. The executive power of the government is conferred on a President, elected for a term of four years. The federal legislative power is vested in the Congress, consisting of the Senate and the House of Representatives. Each state likewise has its executive, in the person of a Governor, and a Legislature, or law-making body , the latter deliberating on state matters not under control of the federal government.

The population of the United States is more than 130 millions, much of which resulted from immigration during the closing decades of the nineteenth century.

But laws are now in force restricting immigration to a small percentage of the former annual influx.

In the sixteenth century, colonies of settlers appeared at various points along the eastern seaboard. By the beginning of the seventeenth century there were thirteen such colonies, composed for the greater part of British subjects. They were Maine, New Hampshire, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, Connecticut, New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Maryland, Virginia, North Carolina, South Carolina, and Georgia.

On account of oppression and unjust taxes levied on them by the British government, the thirteen colonies rebelled, and 1775 saw the beginning of the Revolutionary War. In 1776, on July 4, the colonies proclaimed their independenceasa free nation, under the name of the United Stated of America, through the historic document know as the Declaration of Independence. The war came to an end in 1783, with the complete separation of the United States from the mother country. Its successful conclusion was due largely to the wisdom and courage of General George Washington and his staff, assisted by the Frenchmen Lafayette and Rochambeau.

By the treaty of September 3, 1783, Great Britain recognized the sovereignty of the United States. General Washington was chosen as the first president of the new republic and served two terms, from 1789 to 1797.

The nation grew rapidly and prospered, until the election of Lincoln in 1861. At that time negro slavery in the southern part of the country was widespread. The northern states believed the practice to be wrong and wished to see it suppressed. The division of opinion between the two sections became so marked that, in 1861, the southern states separated themselves from the union of states, resulting in a civil war, know as the War of Secession, that lasted for four years. It ended with the defeat of the seceding states, which had called themselves the Confederate States of America, and the triumph of the anti-slavery states of the North.

In the closing years of the nineteenth century, and as the result of a war with Spain, the United States came into possession, through a treaty, of the Philippine Islands and Porto Rico, thus adding about 720.000 square miles to its territory, including the Sandwich Islands or Hawaii, which was annexed to the United States in 1898 also.

Illiteracy in the United States is very low, due to the rigid enforcement of the laws making education compulsory. Each state supports free primary and secondary schools for the education of children between the ages of 6 and 16, and fines are imposed on the parents of children who are found on the streets during school hours.

Vaccination, inoculation against infectious diseases, and dental care are dispensed freely at public schools, which are equipped with up-to-date material. When a modern and hygienic building is seen in any humble village, it is not necessary to inquire what it is–it is the school house.

The habit of reading is as extensively developed among the masses as among the upper classes.

One of the great achievements of the country in the early years of the twentieth century was the construction of the Panama Canal, forming a waterway from the Atlantic to the Pacific.

SPAIN A LITTLE CONTINENT

SPAIN A LITTLE CONTINENT

There are about 40.202.160 inhabitants in Spain. Its capital city is Madrid and the country’s major cities are Barcelona, Seville, Valencia and Zaragosa. Spain’s language is Spanish. Its currency is the Euro and the religion is Catholic.

Spain is a crossroad country because it is a bridge between Africa and Europe. Spain is located in south-west Europe and occupies the greater part of the Iberian Peninsula, which it shares with Portugal. It is a montainous country, seal off from the rest of Europe by the Pyrénées, which rise to over 3400 m (11155 ft).

Much of the country is a vast plateau, the Meseta Central, cut across by valleys and gorges. The highest point in Spain is the Teide which is located in Tenerife. one of the Canary Islands (north-west Africa). This peak rises to over 3718 m. Its longest shoreline is the one that borders the Mediterranean Sea. Most of the country has a form of Mediterranean climate with mild moist winters and hot dry summers.

Spain’s major rivers such as the Douro, Tagas and Guardiana flow to the Atlantic Ocean while the Guadalquivir is the deepest. Although not generally navigable, they are of use for hydroelectric power.

Industry represents 72% of the country’s export value, and production includes textiles, paper, cement, steel and chemicals.

Spain’s principal agricultural products are cereals, vegetables and potatoes. Large areas are under wines for the wine industry. Livestock production is important, particularly sheep and goats.

Spain is the first olive oil producer and exporter in the world. The region of the most production is Andalucia. Galicia is an important seafood producer with an exceptional quality.

Spanish is a language originated in Castile. Nowadays, it is a formidable comunication instrument spoken by more than 400 million people in Spain, Greater Antilles, America, Philippine Islands, Sephardim Comunities in Asia Minor, The Balkans and north Africa. Spanish language has received 10 Literature Nobel Prizes.

Tourism is a major revenue earner of Spain in Euro’s time, specially from the resorts on the east coast. In fact, Mallorca is a retreat paradise of hundred foreigners from north Europe.

In Madrid, the capital, is located the Cibeles, it is an universal symbol of La Villa de Madrid.

Barcelona is a modern city which unique artstic patrimony attracts to a thousand tourists every year. The city was remodelled in 1992 just before the Olympic Games. Barcelona has become in one of the most attractive cities in the world.

In the north of the country is located Lekeitio, a beautiful and typical Cantabrian town of fishers. Its church named Santa María de la Asunción was consecrated in 1289 and rebuilt in the fifteenth century. It is an outstanding example of the Biscayan Gothic.

In Bilbao you can find the Guggenhelm Museum that is the flagship of the modern Bilbao. It’s a wonderful building made of
titanium sheets and it receives more than a million tourists every year. Then, you can be sure to come to Spain.

Spain is a varied mosaic that contains all the ladscapes as it is a little continent. Now you can be sure to come to Spain.

Ubaldo Gandica.

GREAT BRITAIN

GREAT BRITAIN

Although this country is often called England, or alluded to as the United Kingdom, the British Empire, or Albion, no error will be made in referring to it as Great Britain, or in writing this name on a letter addressed to any town or city of the British Archipelago.

Before the union of the various Kingdoms, the term Great Britain was applied only to the island composed of England, Scotland, and Wales. After the union, that term included Ireland, the Isle of Man, and the Channel Islands. However, with the change that has taken place in the status of Ireland, which is now a dominion of the British Empire, the inclusion of Ireland is no longer accurate.

The total area of the country named is almost 122.000 square miles, and the population is close to 47.000.000. the eastern part of the island of England is level or slightly rolling, with hills in the northern and western part. Scotland is largely mountainous and, Wales is rather hilly. Ireland is low in the south, rolling in the center, and hilly in the north. The climate is moist, with frequent fogs, but equable.

The most important natural resources are coal and iron, but the fisheries are also extremely valuable. Agriculture is very highly developed, and large crops of wheat, barley, oats, rye, hops, peas, beans, and turnips are raised. But the yield is not sufficient to feed the population, and so there must be extensive imports of foodstuffs. In Ireland, potatoes and flax are important crops.

The merchant marine of Great Britain exceeds in size that of any other nation and carries a large part of the trade of the world, both passengers and freight.

Transportation facilities are extraordinarily good, there being 23.000 miles of railway and numerous canals. The railways center in London, the capital, and radiate to all parts of the island. The island waterways, although important, carry less than one-tenth as much freight as the railroads.

Study unlocks Latin American past

Study unlocks Latin American past

European colonisation of South America resulted in a dramatic shift from a native American population to a largely mixed one, a genetic study has shown.

It suggests male European settlers mated with native and African women, and slaughtered the men.
But it adds that areas like Mexico City "still preserve the genetic heritage" because these areas had a high number of natives at the time of colonisation.
The findings appear in the journal Public Library of Science Genetics.
The international team of researchers wrote: "The history of Latin America has entailed a complex process of population mixture between natives and recent immigrants across a vast geographic region.
"Few details are known about this process or about how it shaped the genetic make-up of Latin American populations."

'Clear signature'

The study examined 249 unrelated individuals from 13 Mestizo populations (people from a mixed European/native American origin) in seven countries, ranging from Chile in the south to Mexico in the north.

Not only did the European settlers take away land and property, they also took away the women Dr Andres Luiz-Linares,
University College London
"There is a clear genetic signature," explained lead author Andres Luiz-Linares from University College London.
"The initial mixing occurred predominately between immigrant and European men and native and African women."

He said that the study showed that it was a pattern that was uniform across Latin America.
"We see it in all the populations we examined, so it is clearly a historical fact that the ancestors of these populations can be traced to matings between immigrant men and native and African women."
The researchers found that within the genetic landscape of Latin America, there were variations.
"The Mestizo with the highest native ancestry are in areas which historically have had relatively large native populations," they reported.
This included Andean regions and cities such as Mexico City, where major civilisations were already established by the time Europeans reached the continent in the late 15th Century.
"By contrast, the Mestizo with the highest European ancestry are from areas with relatively low pre-Columbian native population density and where the current native population is sparse," they added.

Bloody past

Explaining the fate of native males when the Europeans arrived, Professor Luiz-Linares said: "It is a very sad and terrible historical fact, they were basically annihilated.
"Not only did the European settlers take away land and property, they also took away the women and, as much as possible, they exterminated the men."
He said the findings could help people change their perception of Latin American history.
"It is very important in terms of rescuing the past and recognising the roots of the population, and the living presence of natives within the current population," Professor Luiz-Linares explained.
As well as providing an insight into the past, the team hopes that the findings will also help shape studies aimed at identifying and analysing diseases.

Story from BBC NEWS:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/pr/fr/-/2/hi/science/nature/7307563.stm
Published: 2008/03/21 10:43:31 GMT
© BBC MMVIII

Naguanagua

Naguanagua
(Revised and adapted by Ubaldo Gandica)

Naguanagua is a Carabobian city that forms part of the great Metropolitan Area of Valencia. It is in the valley of the Cabriales River at the base of Cerro El Café and the El Trigal Mountain. Valencia and Naguanagua form a continuous urban area. The highway that runs from the centre of Valencia towards Puerto Cabello passes through this community; Bolivar Avenue in Valencia becomes University Avenue in Naguanagua from its Southern side of a traffic roundabout Known as Redoma de Guaparo.

Tourism and Places of interest

· Downtown Naguanagua features the Parochial Church of Naguanagua, the Parochial House and Bolívar Square.
· Near the Carabobo Hospital is the Spaniards Road (Camino de Los Españoles), Colonial Way in the San Esteban National Park (Parque Nacional San Esteban), where one can go down to San Esteban town near Puerto Cabello.
· Also, you can visit La Entrada, a village in Naguanagua where there is the Atanasio Giradot Monument.
· Among the Sport Squares are the "Don Bosco Field" (Campo Don Bosco) in the downtown, the "Simón Bolívar Bicentennial Sport Complex" in La Granja, the "Patinodrome of Capremco" and the "University City Sport Complex" in the Campus of Bárbula.
· Naguanagua has the numerous shopping centres such as Sambil, a Mall located in Ciudad Jardín Mañongo, La Granja Shopping Center, Cristal Shopping Center in Las Quintas. and Via Veneto Shopping Center in Ciudad Jardín Mañongo.
· Others places include the offices of El Carabobeño newspaper on University Avenue, Los Guayabitos Park, the Botanical Garden of Naguanagua (Salvador Feo La Cruz Avenue), Paseo La Granja Park (Venezuela Avenue), Liberty Park or the Peace Park (Liberty Corner, 10th Street Avenue of Las Quintas, La Granja). Also you can find amusement parks such as "Dunas" and "Ditto Park" (Tazajal).

Universities

Naguanagua is home of the main studies campus of Carabobo which is the University of Carabobo (U.C). Its administrative offices are in Valencia. This university is quite large and operates as an autonomic community with its own security, transportation, and legislative body.

Also, there are other universities such as University College of Administration and Trade (Colegio Universitario de Administración y Mercadeo CUAM) near Bárbula Bridge, the National Open University (Universidad Nacional Abierta UNA) in la Campiña, the National Experimental Polytechnic University of the Armed Forces (Universidad Nacional Experimental Politécnica de las Fuerzas Armadas UNEFA) in Las Quintas, and the Bicentennial University of Aragua (Universidad Bicentenaria de Aragua UBA) in La Campiña.

Roads

Road transportation inside the city is provided by the Centre Regional Highway (Autopista Regional del Centro) and major arterials such as University Avenue, Paseo Cabriales Avenue or Cemetery Avenue, Valencia Avenue, Naguanagua's Bolívar Avenue, Salvador Feo La Cruz Avenue, 190 Avenue, Salvador Allende Avenue in the University of Carabobo.

History

The toponymic name of Naguanagua means "Abundance of Waters". Naguanagua was originally founded as a parish or curacy district between Valencia and Puerto Cabello on May 14th 1782 by the Bishop of Caracas Don Mariano Marti. Today Naguanagua is the capital city of the municipality, similar to a county.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Naguanagua

Training to be a Geisha

Training to be a Geisha

The white face, dark eyes and hair, and blood-red lips: both foreigners and the Japanese are fascinated by these beautiful and mysterious women.

Makiko is training to be a geisha. Not many girls want to become geishas in Japan today. Makiko’s parents wanted her to go to college, study medicine, and become a doctor. But Makiko’s grandfather paid for her training and bought the kimonos she needed. It’s very expensive to become a geisha. You have to have a different kimono for each month of the year, and today a kimono costs three million yen – that’s about $30.000.

It’s a hard life for a trainee geisha. She has to leave her family and move into a special boarding house called a “Maiko house.” Here, she has to learn traditional Japanese arts such as playing instruments, the tea ceremony, flower arranging, singing, and dancing. She has to take many difficult test and exams. Only the best will pass everything and become geishas many year later.

We asked Makiko to describe exactly what a geisha does.

“A geisha has to serve customers and also entertain them. She has to sing and dance and make good conversation.”

Does she enjoy her life as a trainee geisha?

“I love it, but it’s hard work. Sometimes I get tired of wearing the kimonos, and I want to put on a pair of jeans and go to school like a normal teenager. But I can’t have a normal life now. I don’t mind. I feel very lucky.”

And what about later – can she have a family?

“Of course. A geisha can have relationships like anybody else, and she can get married when she chooses.”

In Japan today there are fewer than a thousand geishas, but thy play an important role in preserving Japanese culture and history.

Great Love Affairs

Great Love Affairs

a. The Duke & Duchess of Windsor

After the death of his father in 1936. Edward VIII became King of England. He was in love with Mrs Wallis Simpson, an American divorcee, and he wanted to marry her. But the British government did not accept her as Queen of England because she was divorced. He had to choose –continue as King of England or marry Mrs. Simpson. He chose to stay with the woman he loved.

b. Paul & Linda McCartney

When Paul McCartney left the Beatles in April 1970, many people blamed Linda, his American photographer wife. Linda was the love of Paul’s life, and in thirty years they spent only one night apart. She died of cancer in 1998 with Paul by her side.

c. Charles & Camilla

When Charles met Camilla at a polo match in 1970, he fell in love with her. But then he waited too long before asking her to marry him. She got tired of waiting and married somebody else. Now, two marriages and a funeral later, Charles and Camilla are together again.

d. Shah Jahan & Mumtaz Mahal

In the 17th century, Emperor Shah Jahan built the Taj Mahal in memory of his wife. He was heartbroken when his wife died after nineteen years of marriage. One year after her death, construction of the Taj Mahal began, and it took twenty-two years to complete. Six years later, Jahan died and was buried with his true love in one of the most romantic buildings in the world.

e. Marilyn Monroe & Joe DiMaggio

Their marriage lasted less than ten months, but DiMaggio was always there for Marilyn. He organized her funeral, and, until his death in 1999, he sent six red roses to her crypt three times a week.

Schooldays of a Rock Star

Schooldays of a Rock Star

Bill Wyman, now in his sixties, was a member of The Rolling Stones, one of the most successful rock bands in the world. Here he tells us about his childhood.

I was one of three kids out of my primary school to get a place at grammar school. I was delighted because I liked learning, but my father wasn’t very pleased because I didn’t have to wear a uniform. The uniform was expensive, and we were very poor. Also, I had to get a bicycle because the school was a long way from where I lived.

One day, a boy from school invited me to his house. It was a lovely house – a palace compared with mine. My father said I couldn’t invite my friend back to my house. In fact I didn’t want my friends to come to my house – it was too embarrassing. We had no electricity or running water, and the toilet was in the garden.

There was no heating in the house. In winter there was ice on the inside of our bedroom windows, so getting out of bed was really hard. The only good thing about it was that we couldn’t have a bath every night. The water was too cold.

School was going well, I was about sixteen and about to take my exams. But one day my father said, “Right, I’ve had enough of you in that school. You’re leaving.”

I had to leave school and start earning some money for the family. The headmaster asked my father to let me take the exams, but he refused, and after that I couldn’t go to college.

A Hole in the Ozone

A Hole in the Ozone

At first, it was a dream come true for Matt Mckay, lead singer of chart-topping boy band Ozone. Matt Mckay always wanted to be a pop star. He was only 17 when he joined boy band Ozone as lead singer. A year later, Ozone had its first number one hit. By the time he was 20, Matt was a millionaire. Ozone concerts sold out overnight, and the future looked rosy.

Then Matt announced that he was leaving the band. At the height of their success, he suddenly gave it all up.

In Mat’s first interview since the split, he talks openly about his decision to leave Ozone and his plans for the future.

WHO WAS SAINT FRANCIS OF ASSISI

WHO WAS SAINT FRANCIS OF ASSISI?

St. Francis of Assisi, the patron saint of animals and the ecology, was a Roman Catholic saint who took the gospel literally by following all Jesus said and did.
Who Was St. Francis? by Leonard Foley, O.F.M.
Francis of Assisi was a poor little man who astounded and inspired the Church by taking the gospel literally—not in a narrow fundamentalist sense, but by actually following all that Jesus said and did, joyfully, without limit and without a mite of self-importance.
Serious illness brought the young Francis to see the emptiness of his frolicking life as leader of Assisi's youth. Prayer—lengthy and difficult—led him to a self-emptying like that of Christ, climaxed by embracing a leper he met on the road. It symbolized his complete obedience to what he had heard in prayer: "Francis! Everything you have loved and desired in the flesh it is your duty to despise and hate, if you wish to know my will. And when you have begun this, all that now seems sweet and lovely to you will become intolerable and bitter, but all that you used to avoid will turn itself to great sweetness and exceeding joy."From the cross in the neglected field-chapel of San Damiano, Christ told him, "Francis, go out and build up my house, for it is nearly falling down." Francis became the totally poor and humble workman

“Smile and the World Smiles You. Cry and You Cry Alone”

“Smile and the World Smiles You. Cry and You Cry Alone”

According to research from the United States, we smile for many different reasons.

1. There’s the listener/response smile. When two people are having a conversation, the listener smiles to encourage the speaker.

2. There’s the polite smile. This is the kind of smile you make when your aunt gives you a horrible birthday present.

3. There’s the miserable smile – for example, when you go to the dentist and he tells you that you need to have a tooth taken out.

Very often, these social smiles are not real; they are “fake” smiles. Fake smiles are easy to do – you just have to tighten the muscles on your mouth.

But there’s only one smile that is the smile of true enjoyment. This smile is extremely hard to fake. It involves the muscles at the corners of the cheek and the muscles around the eyes.

When someone gives a true smile, the eyes get smaller, and you see little wrinkles around the edge. The eyebrows go up, and on some people, dimples appear in their cheeks.

The genuine smile of enjoyment not only makes us feel good, but makes others feel good too.

16 Ways to De – stress

16 Ways to De – stress

1. Take off your watch.
2. Turn off your cell phone.
3. Don’t eat your breakfast on your feet – sit down and enjoy it.
4. Put on your most comfortable clothes.
5. Don’t run after the bus – let it go.
6. Smell the roses.
7. Give up the gym.
8. Fall in love.
9. Turn on your television only if there’s something you really want to watch.
10. Throw away any clothes you haven’t worn in the past two years.
11. Laugh.
12. Hang up your clothes when you take them off.
13. Spend ten minutes doing absolutely nothing.
14. Walk.
15. Do the ironing only if you love it.
16. Put on your favorite music and turn up the volume.

THE GREAT VALENCIA

Valencia, Carabobo

Valencia is the capital city of Carabobo State, Venezuela. The city is an economic hub that contains Venezuela's top industries and manufacturing companies. The population of Valencia reached some 1.2 million in the year 2003, and it is expected to grow dramatically in the years to come. Valencia is known for its racial and international diversity.
The elevation of the city is 520 meters. Valencia is located in a valley, surrounded by a mountain range called the Coastal Range. On the eastern outskirts of the city lies Lake Valencia, Venezuela's second largest lake.

History

Valencia was founded by Captain Alonso Díaz Moreno on March 25,1555. He invaded this valley joined a group of Spaniards from Andalucia. It was the first Spanish settlement in central Venezuela and its official name was Nuestra Señora de la Anunciación de la Nueva Valencia del Rey. The infamous Lope de Aguirre besieged the city in 1561. In 1677 it was raided by French pirates, who burnt down its City Hall, The German scientist Alexander von Humboldt visited the city on his trip through the Americas. He reported that at the time of his visit the city had around 6000 to 7000 inhabitants.
It is the capital city of Carabobo State from 1824 when Simon Bolívar created the province of Carabobo. In that city took place a lot of facts that let Venezuela separate from La Gran Colombia. The separation from La Gran Colombia was signed in a historic house located downtown. Valencia was three times the capital city of Venezuela.
In the 20th century Valencia received many foreigners from Europe, Asia and South America. At the same time the city was becoming an important pole of development in trade and industry. Nowadays Valencia is named to be one of the most important cities in Venezuela and America.

Transportation

The city is well connected with the rest of the country by a network of highways and roads well mantained. A modern metro system is being constructed that will connect the city's remote suburbs with the downtown area.
The airport, Arturo Michelena International Airport, is the nation's third busiest.

Sightseeing: Art:

Athena of Valencia
Municipal Theater of Valencia
University Art Gallery Braulio Salazar

Museums

Casa Páez
Casa de los Celis, settlement of the Museum of Art and History and the Lisandro Alvarado Foundation.
Museum of History and Anthropology
Iturriza Palace, or Quinta Isabela.
Casa de la Estrella
Museo de la Cultura
Museo de Historia y Antropología

Parks and points of interest

Plaza Monumental de Valencia
Negra Hipólita Park
Fernando Peñalver Park
Metropolitan Park
Valencia Aquarium, ranks as largest aquarium in Latin America.
Plaza Monumental de Valencia, second largest bullring in Latin America
University of Carabobo
Arturo Michelena University
Sambil Shopping Center Valencia
Metrópolis Shopping

Newspapers

El Carabobeño
Notitarde
La Calle

Culture Celebrations

Fairy of Valencia
Arturo Michelena Hall
International Arts Festival
Artes del Fuego Hall
Valencia Rock Festival
Carnivals "My People"
Carnivals of San Diego

Some Important Sport Complexes

Settlement of Los Navegantes del Magallanes, "José Bernardo Pérez" Stadium.
Settlement of Los Trotamundos de Carabobo, Forum of Valencia.
Sport Complex "Misael Delgado"
Sport Complex "Bicentenario Simón Bolívar"
La Villa Deportiva of Naguanagua.

Organization:

Ø State Carabobo
Ø Municipal Municipal Valencia
Ø Postal Code 2001
Localization:
Ø Latitud 10º 10´11" N
Ø Longitude 68º.59´12" O
Ø Superficies xx km²
Ø Altitud 479.
Ø Fundación 25 de marzo de 1555
Population:
Ø Total 1.385.202 (2001)
Ø Density 1.3 million hab/km²

Stars

Stars

A star is an extremely hot and bright sphere of gases. Our own Sun is a star. Some scientists estimate that our Sun has burned for 5 billion years, and that it is about halfway through its life cycle.

Stars vary in size, heat and light. Some stars burn 600,000 times as bright as our Sun.

The closest star to Earth beside our Sun is called Alpha Centauri.

Stars come in all colors. There are small stars called White Dwarfs, medium size Yellow Stars like our own Sun, and colossal Red Giants. Scientists believe that the color of a star indicates its age. A Yellow Star is young, a Red Giant is a Yellow Star that has consumed most of its fuel and is starting to lose its cohesion, and a White Dwarf exist near the end of a star’s life cycle when it begins to collapse on itself.

The light of the stars you see at night takes a long time to get to us, sometimes tens of thousands of years! Astronomers say that some of the stars we see burned out a long time ago, and no longer exist! It is estimated that on any given night you can see less than 1/10 of 1% of all stars in our galaxy.

When a star dies, it goes into what is called a Super Nova. The star going nova collapses into a massive explosion. A Super Nova is the brightest thing in the galaxy, giving off the equivalent light of over a million stars.

THE PRINTING PRESS AND THE BIBLE

THE PRINTING PRESS AND THE BIBLE

Imagine a world without telephones, televisions, or computer. Well, you’d still have books, right? Now imagine a world without books! In the Middle Ages, very few people had books, which were rare and expensive because each and every book had to be copied by hand, page by page, line by line, by people called scribes.

But around 1.440 something happened that changed all this. Johannes Gutenberg invented the first printing press. Books could be made faster, cheaper, and in greater numbers. In less than 100 years, more than ten million books were printed and sold.

The first book Gutenberg printed was the Bible – two hundred copies. How do you think having the Bible and other books in their homes made a difference in the way people lived? One major change was that people wanted books printed in their own languages – English, Spanish, German, French, Italian – rather than the Latin they heard at church and school.

Another difference was that it took away some of the authority of the church. Before Gutenberg’s press, most people could not read the Bible because it was in Latin. Once they could read the Bible themselves in their own language, many people began to have their own ideas on how the Bible should be understood.

One of those people was Martin Luther (for whom the great American leader Martin Luther King. Jr., was named). The preaching and writings of Martin Luther set off a sweeping change in religious ideas and institutions.