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Dr. J. M. RIGGS

PYORRHEA ALVEOLARIS

Scientific American Supplement, No. 358

http://www.gutenberg.org/files/8504/8504-h/8504-h.htm#29

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Dr. W. N. Morrison, St. Louis, referring to the method of treating pyorrhea alveolaris described by Dr. Riggs, said he cheerfully bore testimony to the importance of loosening the scales of tartar, and teaching patients the value of cleanness of the mouth. In his experience he had found that all instruments will occasionally fail to dislodge the deposit. In such cases he used as an assistant a little ring of para gum about an eighth of an inch wide. This was sprung on the tooth at the edge of the gum. If this is done and the ring allowed to remain a few hours, you will see an entirely new revelation, and you will readily be able to get at the tooth to clean it. He had found it advisable to give patients practical showing how the brush should be used.

Ramaswami Raju

The Camel and the Pig

Junior Classics Vol. 1

http://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/3152/pg3152.html

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They came to a garden, inclosed by a low wall without any opening. The Camel stood on this side of the wall, and reaching the plants within by means of his long neck, made a breakfast on them. Then he turned, jeeringly to the Pig, who had been standing at the bottom of the wall, without even having a look at the good things in the garden, and said, "Now, would you be tall or short?" Next they came to a garden, inclosed by a high wall, with a wicket gate at one end. The Pig entered by the gate, and, after having eaten his fill of the vegetables within, came out, laughing at the poor Camel, who had had to stay outside because he was too tall to enter the garden by the gate, and said, "Now, would you be tall or short?" Then they thought the matter over and came to the conclusion that the Camel should keep his hump and the Pig his snout, observing, "Tall is good, where tall would do; of short, again, 'tis also true!"

Messrs. Ellwanger & Barry, of the Mount Hope Nurseries

THE CULTURE OF STRAWBERRIES.

SCIENTIFIC AMERICAN SUPPLEMENT NO. 299

http://www.gutenberg.org/files/8408/8408-h/8408-h.htm

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The Soil and Its Preparation.--The strawberry may be successfully grown in any soil adapted to the growth of ordinary field or garden crops. The ground should be well prepared, by trenching or plowing at least eighteen to twenty inches deep, and be properly enriched as for any garden crop. It is unnecessary to say that if the land is wet, it must be thoroughly drained. Season for Transplanting.--In the Northern States, the season for planting in the spring is during the months of April and May. It may then be done with safety from the time the plants begin to grow until they are in blossom. This is the time we prefer for setting out large plantations. During the months of August and September, when the weather is usually hot and dry, pot-grown plants may be planted to the best advantage. With the ball of earth attached to the roots, they can be transplanted without any failures, and the trouble and annoyance of watering, shading, etc., which are indispensable to the success of layer plants, are thus in a great measure avoided.

F.R. CAMPBELL, A.B., M.D.

CEREAL FOODS IN THEIR RELATION TO HEALTH AND DISEASE.

Scientific American Supplement, No. 392

http://www.gutenberg.org/files/8742/8742-h/8742-h.htm

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Pappenheim divides the diseases of the cereals into two classes, internal and external. The internal diseases are those depending upon conditions of soil, climate, cultivation, etc., and may be neglected in our discussion, as they produce no special disease of the body, only impairing the nutritive value of the grain. The external diseases are of much greater importance, as they probably produce some of the most fatal maladies to which the human race is subject. These external diseases of the cereals are due to parasites, which may be either of an animal or vegetable nature. Among the animal parasites may be mentioned the weevil, vibrio tritici, which feeds upon the starch cells of the grain. Grain attacked by this parasite was at one time supposed to be injurious to health. In 1844 the French Commission appointed to examine grain condemned a large quantity imported with this parasite, but afterward reconsidered their decision and permitted its sale, concluding that it was deficient in nutritive properties, but not otherwise unwholesome. Rust is the most common disease of the cereals, produced by vegetable parasites. Like the other diseases of this class, it is most prevalent in warm, damp seasons.

Louisa May Alcott

Marjorie's Three Gifts

http://www.gutenberg.org/files/5352/5352-h/5352-h.htm

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Marjorie was rather afraid of the fat pony, who tossed his head, whisked his tail, and stamped his feet as if he was of a peppery temper. But she liked to be useful, and just then felt as if there were few things she could NOT do if she tried, because it was her birthday. So she proudly let down the rein, and when Jack went splashing into the brook, she stood on the bridge, waiting to check him up again after he had drunk his fill of the clear, cool water. The old gentleman sat in his place, looking up at the little girl, who was smiling to herself as she watched the blue dragon-flies dance among the ferns, a blackbird tilt on the alderboughs, and listened to the babble of the brook. "How old are you, child?" asked the old man, as if he rather envied this rosy creature her youth and health. "Twelve today, sir;" and Marjorie stood up straight and tall, as if mindful of her years.

CommonLit Staff

Frank Abagnale

CLD

https://www.commonlit.org/texts/frank-abagnale

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PG-13

Frank Abagnale was born in Bronxville, New York, and lived there until he was sixteen. His first con victim was his father, who gave him a gasoline credit card and a truck when he was fifteen, so that he could get to and from his part-time job. Instead of using the card to buy gas as intended, Abagnale used it to buy tires, batteries, and other products at gas stations and then sold the products to people for cash. His father was liable for a bill of $3,400 for all the products Abagnale charged to the card. Abagnale's next tricks focused mostly on cashing personal checks for money that was not in fact in his bank account. This never works for long at a single bank, so he began to open other accounts at different banks, eventually adopting several different identities to enable this. Abagnale's cons grew in scale and sophistication. He became very skilled over time, and he devised a variety of schemes for defrauding banks. As his crimes became increasingly serious, Abagnale went on the run and adopted a variety of false names and identities to evade police.

Angela Lee Duckworth

Grit: The Power of Passion and Perseverance

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https://www.commonlit.org/texts/grit-the-power-of-passion-and-perseverance

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Grit is passion and perseverance for very long-term goals. Grit is having stamina. Grit is sticking with your future, day in, day out, not just for the week, not just for the month, but for years, and working really hard to make that future a reality. Grit is living life like it's a marathon, not a sprint. A few years ago, I started studying grit in the Chicago public schools. I asked thousands of high school juniors to take grit questionnaires, and then waited around more than a year to see who would graduate. Turns out that grittier kids were significantly more likely to graduate, even when I matched them on every characteristic I could measure, things like family income, standardized achievement test scores, even how safe kids felt when they were at school. So, it's not just at West Point or the National Spelling Bee that grit matters. It's also in school, especially for kids at risk for dropping out. To me, the most shocking thing about grit is how little we know, how little science knows, about building it. Every day, parents and teachers ask me, "How do I build grit in kids?"

Edgar Rice Burroughs

The Girl from Hollywood

http://www.gutenberg.org/files/62409/62409-h/62409-h.htm

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The two horses picked their way carefully downward over the loose shale of the steep hillside. The big bay stallion in the lead sidled mincingly, tossing his head nervously, and flecking the flannel shirt of his rider with foam. Behind the man on the stallion a girl rode a clean-limbed bay of lighter color, whose method of descent, while less showy, was safer, for he came more slowly, and in the very bad places he braced his four feet forward and slid down, sometimes almost sitting upon the ground. At the base of the hill there was a narrow level strip; then an eight-foot wash, with steep banks, barred the way to the opposite side of the cañon, which rose gently to the hills beyond. At the foot of the descent the man reined in and waited until the girl was safely down; then he wheeled his mount and trotted toward the wash. Twenty feet from it he gave the animal its head and a word. The horse broke into a gallop, took off at the edge of the wash, and cleared it so effortlessly as almost to give the impression of flying.

California Energy Commission

Energy Story

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https://www.commonlit.org/texts/energy-story

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Each atom has a specific number of electrons, protons and neutrons. But no matter how many particles an atom has, the number of electrons usually needs to be the same as the number of protons. If the numbers are the same, the atom is called balanced, and it is very stable. So, if an atom had six protons, it should also have six electrons. The element with six protons and six electrons is called carbon. Carbon is found in abundance in the sun, stars, comets, atmospheres of most planets, and the food we eat. Coal is made of carbon; so are diamonds. Some kinds of atoms have loosely attached electrons. An atom that loses electrons has more protons than electrons and is positively charged. An atom that gains electrons has more negative particles and is negatively charged. A "charged" atom is called an "ion." Electrons can be made to move from one atom to another. When those electrons move between the atoms, a current of electricity is created. The electrons move from one atom to another in a "flow." One electron is attached and another electron is lost.

By Rose Terry Cooke.

AN OLD-FASHIONED THANKSGIVING

Good Cheer Stories Every Child Should Know

http://www.gutenberg.org/files/19909/19909-h/19909-h.htm#AN_OLD-FASHIONED_THANKSGIVING

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She ate her supper with a hearty appetite, said her prayers with John, and curled down on the featherbed in the cart, while John heaped on more wood, and, shouldering his musket, went to lengthen the ropes that tethered his oxen, and then mounted guard over the camp. Hannah watched his fine, grave face, as the flickering light illuminated it, for a few minutes, and then slept tranquilly till dawn. And by sunset next day the little party drew up at the door of the log hut they called home. It looked very pretty to Hannah. She had the fairy gift, that is so rare among mortals, of seeing beauty in its faintest expression; and the young grass about the rough stone doorstep, the crimson cones on the great larch tree behind it, the sunlit panes of the west window, the laugh and sparkle of the brook that ran through the clearing, the blue eyes of the squirrel caps that blossomed shyly and daintily beside the stumps of new-felled trees—all these she saw and delighted in.

Andrew Lang

A Short History of Scotland

http://www.gutenberg.org/files/15955/15955-h/15955-h.htm

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If we could see in a magic mirror the country now called Scotland as it was when the Romans under Agricola (81 A.D.) crossed the Border, we should recognize little but the familiar hills and mountains. The rivers, in the plains, overflowed their present banks; dense forests of oak and pine, haunted by great red deer, elks, and boars, covered land that has long been arable. There were lakes and lagoons where for centuries there have been fields of corn. On the oldest sites of our towns were groups of huts made of clay and wattle, and dominated, perhaps, by the large stockaded house of the tribal prince. In the lochs, natural islands, or artificial islets made of piles (crannogs), afforded standing-ground and protection to villages, if indeed these lake-dwellings are earlier in Scotland than the age of war that followed the withdrawal of the Romans.

Elbert Hubbard

John Jacob Astor

http://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/412/pg412-images.html

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Suddenly a messenger came with news that the ship was in the bay. We can imagine the interest of Mr. and Mrs. Astor as they locked their store and ran to the Battery. Sure enough, it was their ship, riding gently on the tide, snug, strong and safe as when she had left. The profit on this one voyage was seventy thousand dollars. By Eighteen Hundred and Ten, John Jacob Astor was worth two million dollars. He began to invest all his surplus money in New York real estate. He bought acreage property in the vicinity of Canal Street. Next he bought Richmond Hill, the estate of Aaron Burr. It consisted of one hundred and sixty acres just above Twenty-third Street. He paid for the land a thousand dollars an acre. People said Astor was crazy. In ten years he began to sell lots from the Richmond Hill property at the rate of five thousand dollars an acre. Fortunately for his estate he did not sell much of the land at this price, for it is this particular dirt that makes up that vast property known as "The Astor Estate."

Katherine Mansfield

The Fly

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https://www.commonlit.org/texts/the-fly

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But he did not draw old Woodifield's attention to the photograph over the table of a grave looking boy in uniform standing in one of those spectral photographers' parks with photographers' storm clouds behind him. It was not new. It had been there for over six years. "There was something I wanted to tell you," said old Woodifield, and his eyes grew dim remembering. "Now what was it? I had it in my mind when I started out this morning." His hands began to tremble, and patches of red showed above his beard. Poor old chap, he's on his last pins, thought the boss. And, feeling kindly, he winked at the old man, and said jokingly, "I tell you what. I've got a little drop of something here that'll do you good before you go out into the cold again. It's beautiful stuff. It wouldn't hurt a child." He took a key off his watch-chain, unlocked a cupboard below his desk, and drew forth a dark, squat bottle. "That's the medicine," said he. "And the man from whom I got it told me on the strict Q.T. it came from the cellars at Windor Castle."

Willa Cather

My Antonia

http://www.gutenberg.org/files/242/242-h/242-h.htm

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It was pleasant there in the kitchen. The sun shone into my bathwater through the west half window, and a big Maltese cat came up and rubbed himself against the tub, watching me curiously. While I scrubbed, my grandmother busied herself in the dining room until I called anxiously, ‘Grandmother, I'm afraid the cakes are burning!' Then she came laughing, waving her apron before her as if she were shooing chickens. She was a spare, tall woman, a little stooped, and she was apt to carry her head thrust forward in an attitude of attention, as if she were looking at something, or listening to something, far away. As I grew older, I came to believe that it was only because she was so often thinking of things that were far away. She was quick-footed and energetic in all her movements. Her voice was high and rather shrill, and she often spoke with an anxious inflection, for she was exceedingly desirous that everything should go with due order and decorum. Her laugh, too, was high, and perhaps a little strident, but there was a lively intelligence in it. She was then fifty-five years old, a strong woman, of unusual endurance.

simple wiki

Global_warming

https://simple.wikipedia.org/wiki/Global_warming

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Global warming is a slow steady rise in Earth's surface temperature. Temperatures today are 0.74 °C (1.33 °F) higher than 150 years ago. Many scientists say that in the next 100–200 years, temperatures might be up to 6 degrees Celsius higher than they were before the effects of global warming were discovered. The basic cause seems to be a rise in atmospheric carbon dioxide, as predicted by Svante Arrhenius a hundred years ago. When people use fossil fuels like coal and oil, this adds carbon dioxide to the air. When people cut down many trees (deforestation), this means less carbon dioxide is taken out of the atmosphere by plants. If the Earth's temperature becomes hotter the sea level will also become higher. This is partly because water expands when it gets warmer. It is also partly because warm temperatures make glaciers melt. The sea level rise may cause coastal areas to flood. Weather patterns, including where and how much rain or snow there is, will change. Deserts will probably increase in size. Colder areas will warm up faster than warm areas.

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WHEAT TESTS.

SCIENTIFIC AMERICAN SUPPLEMENT NO. 365

http://www.gutenberg.org/files/18763/18763-h/18763-h.htm

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There was considerable complaint last season, on the part of wheat raisers in sections tributary to Minneapolis, on account of the rigid standard of grading adopted by the millers of that city. It was asserted that the differentiation of prices between the grades was unjustly great and out of proportion to the actual difference of value. In order to ascertain whether this was the case or not, the Farmers' Association of Blue Earth County, Minn., decided to have samples of each grade analyzed by a competent chemist in order to determine their relative value. Accordingly specimens were secured, certified to by the agent of the Millers' Association of Minneapolis, and sent to the University of Minnesota for analysis. The analysis was conducted by Prof. Wm. A. Noyes, Ph.D., an experienced chemist, who has recently reported as follows: "The analyses of wheat given below were undertaken for the purpose of determining whether the millers' grades of wheat correspond to an actual difference in the chemical character of the wheat. For this purpose samples of wheat were secured, which were inspected and certified to by M. W. Trexa on April 13th of this year."

Ann Logialan

Honest girl

African Storybook Level 2

https://www.africanstorybook.org/

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There lived a beautiful girl. One day she was very hungry. She thought of ways of getting something to eat. She met a man who asked her, "How are you, young girl? What makes you sad?" The girl answered, "I am hungry." The man was sorry for the girl. He told her there was a feast in the neighborhood and she should go and steal food. The girl had never stolen before. The girl stood up quickly and went to the home that was holding the feast. When she got near, she forgot the instructions on how to steal. She sang repeatedly: I have come to steal food, f-o-o-d, I am walking slowly, slo-wly. People heard the song of the girl from far until she got into the homestead. People were amazed by the nature of the song and asked her, "Where do you come from? What do you want? Why are you singing?" The girl told them how hungry she was, and they gave her food. Later, she was advised that stealing is bad!

Frederic William Farrar

Eric

http://www.gutenberg.org/files/12083/12083-h/12083-h.htm

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On the Monday evening, the head boy reported to Dr. Rowlands that the perpetrator of the offence had not been discovered, but that one boy was very generally suspected, and on grounds that seemed plausible. "I admit," he added, "that from the little I know of him he seems to me a very unlikely sort of boy to do it." "I think," suggested the Doctor, "that the best way would be for you to have a regular trial on the subject, and hear the evidence. Do you think that you can be trusted to carry on the investigation publicly, with good order and fairness?" "I think so, sir," said Avonley. "Very well. Put up a notice, asking all the school to meet by themselves in the boarders' room tomorrow afternoon at three, and see what you can do among you." Avonley did as the Doctor suggested. At first, when the boys assembled, they seemed inclined to treat the matter as a joke, and were rather disorderly; but Avonley briefly begged them, if they determined to have a trial, to see that it was conducted sensibly; and by general consent he was himself voted into the desk as president.

Charles Kingsley

A Sea-Fight in the Time of Queen Bess

Junior Classics Vol. 7

http://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/6302/pg6302-images.html

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When the sun leaped up the next morning, and the tropic night flashed suddenly into the tropic day, Amyas was pacing the deck, with dishevelled hair and torn clothes, his eyes red with rage and weeping, his heart full—how can I describe it? Picture it to yourselves, picture it to yourselves, you who have ever lost a brother; and you who have not, thank God that you know nothing of his agony. Full of impossible projects, he strode and staggered up and down, as the ship thrashed close-hauled through the rolling seas. He would go back and burn the villa. He would take Guayra, and have the life of every man in it in return for his brother's. "We can do it, lads!" he shouted. "If Drake took Nombre de Dios, we can take La Guayra." And every voice shouted, "Yes."

Friedrich Wilhelm Nietzsche TRANSLATED BY ANTHONY M. LUDOVICI

The Twilight of the Idols

The Twilight of the Idols - The Antichrist Complete Works, Volume Sixteen

http://www.gutenberg.org/files/52263/52263-h/52263-h.htm

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There is a time when all passions are simply fatal in their action, when they wreck their victims with the weight of their folly,—and there is a later period, a very much later period, when they marry with the spirit, when they "spiritualise" themselves. Formerly, owing to the stupidity inherent in passion, men waged war against passion itself: men pledged themselves to annihilate it,—all ancient moral-mongers were unanimous on this point, "il faut tuer les passions." The most famous formula for this stands in the New Testament, in that Sermon on the Mount, where, let it be said incidentally, things are by no means regarded from a height. It is said there, for instance, probably with an application to sexuality: "if thy eye offend thee, pluck it out": fortunately no Christian acts in obedience to this precept. To annihilate the passions and desires, simply on account of their stupidity, and to obviate the unpleasant consequences of their stupidity, seems to us today merely an aggravated form of stupidity.

MARY E. N. HATHAWAY

PIGGY'S SPOON

The Nursery, May 1881, Vol. XXIX A Monthly Magazine for Youngest Readers

http://www.gutenberg.org/files/40756/40756-h/40756-h.htm#Page_146

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On one side of his house there was a door that opened into a pen. The pen was in the orchard where the sweet apples grew. Sometimes in summer the apples would fall down from the trees into the pen; then piggy would pick them up and eat them. Sometimes they would strike him on his back when they fell; but he did not mind that; he was always glad to get them. He had his bed of warm straw to sleep in at night, and every day he had as much as he wanted to eat. He had all a pig could wish for: so he was contented. One morning farmer Jackson brought a pailful of milk for piggy's breakfast. He poured the milk into the trough, and piggy made haste to come and eat it. While he was eating, something hard and cold came into his mouth. He bit it, but found that it was not good: so he left it. He ate up all the milk. When it was gone, he saw a bright silver spoon in the bottom of the trough.

Rianna Burnham

Learning About Whales by Listening for Their Calls

https://kids.frontiersin.org/article/10.3389/frym.2020.00055

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The first thing we need to know to help save whales from extinction is how many of each type of whale there are, and where they are located. You might think it would be easy to count very large whales, but they can be hard to find in the deep offshore waters. Scientists also want to know where whales might get together to be social, feed, and breed, as these actions are very important for whales' survival. Scientists also want to know other things, like whether the whales have enough food, and whether people are changing the oceans in ways that make it harder for whales to live. Sometimes scientists cannot look for the whales in person—it might be hard, dangerous, or just too far. Instead, we use underwater microphones, called hydrophones to listen for them. We will describe how hydrophones were used to listen for whale calls in the Canadian Pacific Ocean, off the coast of Vancouver Island. These hydrophones were located both on the ocean floor and on ocean gliders, which are small submarines.

Various

Grade 11 - Physical Sciences

https://drive.google.com/file/d/0Bz69EszGvRvaYnlFU1Zfb0hHNXc/view

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Imagine you are indoors on a sunny day. A beam of sunlight through a window lights up a section of the floor. How would you draw this sunbeam? You might draw a series of parallel lines showing the path of the sunlight from the window to the floor. This is not exactly accurate — no matter how hard you look, you will not find unique lines of light in the sunbeam! However, this is a good way to draw light and to model light geometrically. We call these narrow, imaginary lines of light light rays. Recall that light can behave like a wave and so you can think of a light ray as the path of a point on the crest of a wave. We can use light rays to model the behaviour of light relative to mirrors, lenses, telescopes, microscopes, and prisms. The study of how light interacts with materials is called optics. When dealing with light rays, we are usually interested in the shape of a material and the angles at which light rays hit it.

Dr. Eder

IMPROVED DEVELOPERS FOR GELATINE PLATES

Scientific American Supplement No. 415

http://www.gutenberg.org/files/11344/11344-h/11344-h.htm#12

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Dr. Eder has for a considerable time directed especial attention to the soda and potash developers, either of which seems to offer certain advantages over the ammoniacal pyrogallol. This advantage becomes particularly apparent with emulsions prepared with ammonia, which frequently show with ammoniacal developer green or red fog, or a fog of clayish color by reflected, and of pale purple by transmitted light. Ferrous oxalate works quite well with plates of that kind; so do soda and potassa developers. For soda developers, Eder uses a solution of 10 parts of pure crystallized soda in 100 parts of water. For use, 100 c.c. of this solution are mixed with 6 c.c. of a pyrogallic solution of 1:10, without the addition of any bromide. More pleasant to work with is Dr. Stolze's potassa developer. No. 1: Water, 200 c.c.; chem. pure potassium carbonate, 90 gr.; sodium sulphite, 25 gr. No. 2: Water 100 c.c.; citric, 1½ gr.; sodium sulphite, 25 gr.; pyrogallol., 12 gr. Solution No. 2 is for its better keeping qualities preferable to Dr. Stolze's solution. The solutions when in well stoppered bottles keep well for some time.

Payoshni Saraf

Shikari's Cycling Adventure

https://freekidsbooks.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/07/shikari-s-cycling-adventure-pratham-FKB.pdf

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Shikari just could not stay still. He loved playing football, hockey, kabaddi, cricket and enjoyed running and cycling. His real name was Shivaprakash, but because his hometown was Shikaripura, his friends called him Shikari. Shikari worked at a sports store after graduating from college. The work kept him busy but he was bored. He longed to play sports and was always dreaming of adventure. It seemed to Shikari that his life had suddenly taken a pause. Until one day, Shikari heard something on the radio. "India is hosting the Asian Games." "Delhi," Shikari thought, "I have never been to Delhi and I must go to see the Games!" A brilliant idea entered his mind. The idea of a thrilling adventure. A thrilling cycling adventure! "What if I cycle till Delhi? I have never cycled so far. It will be exciting to travel through new cities and towns." His friend Richard offered him his cycle for the trip. Shikari wrote a letter to his parents to seek their permission. At first, they were hesitant. It was such a long journey and there were no mobile phones back then. But seeing his enthusiasm, they gave in.

first Turkish communiqué of the war, appearing in the Turkish press on Oct. 31, 1914

War Declared

The European War, Vol. 1 - No. 6

http://www.gutenberg.org/files/20521/20521-h/20521-h.htm#How_Turkey_Went_to_War

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Information received from our fleet now in the Black Sea is as follows: From accounts of Russian sailors taken prisoners and from the presence of a mine-layer among the Russian fleet, evidence is gathered that the Russian fleet intended closing the entrance to the Bosphorus with mines and destroying entirely the imperial Ottoman fleet after having split it in two. Our fleet, believing that it had to face an unexpected attack, and supposing that the Russians had begun hostilities without a formal declaration of war, pursued the scattered Russian fleet, bombarded the port of Sebastopol, destroyed in the city of Novorosiysk fifty petroleum depots, fourteen military transports, some granaries, and the wireless telegraph station. In addition to the above, our fleet has sunk in Odessa a Russian cruiser and damaged severely another. It is believed that this second boat was likewise sunk. Five other steamers full of cargoes lying in the same port were seriously damaged. A steamship belonging to the Russian volunteer fleet was also sunk, and five petroleum depots were destroyed.

Anaya & Daphne Bavelier

Ever Wondered What Playing Video Games Does to Your Brain?

https://kids.frontiersin.org/article/10.3389/frym.2013.00015

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A number of other benefits to video game play have been documented in the past 10 years. Beyond vision, action video game play changes for the better skills as varied as how well one can pay attention, multitask, or mentally rotate objects' in one's head as when reading a map to finds one's way. This is not to say that all aspects of behavior change, and certainly not always for the better! Commercially available action video games all happen to be violent and exposure to violent media results in more aggressive behavior just after being exposed. In the future, we hope to be able to have access to games devoid of violence but that have the same mechanics of action games to better harness their positive potential for change. The impact of gaming on everyday life is well illustrated by recent studies showing that laparoscopic surgeons, or surgeons who perform computer-aided surgery, are better surgeons when they play video games . A study contrasting young inexperienced surgeons who played video games to seasoned surgeons who had years of surgery experience but little gaming experience found that the young surgeons performed the surgery faster and made less errors.

Ingrid Schechter, Maya Marshak

A tiny seed

African Storybook Level 3

https://www.africanstorybook.org/#

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Wangari loved being outside. In her family's food garden, she broke up the soil with her machete. She pressed tiny seeds into the warm earth. Her favorite time of day was just after sunset. When it got too dark to see the plants, Wangari knew it was time to go home. She would follow the narrow paths through the fields, crossing rivers as she went. Wangari was a clever child and couldn't wait to go to school. But her mother and father wanted her to stay and help them at home. When she was seven years old, her big brother persuaded her parents to let her go to school. She liked to learn! Wangari learnt more and more with every book she read. She did so well at school that she was invited to study in the United States of America. Wangari was excited! She wanted to know more about the world. At the American university Wangari learned many new things. She studied plants and how they grow. And she remembered how she grew: playing games with her brothers in the shade of the trees in the beautiful Kenyan forests.

Joseph Jacobs

The Sea-Maiden

Tales of Wonder Every Child Should Know

http://www.gutenberg.org/files/19461/19461-h/19461-h.htm#The_Sea-Maiden

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The king's daughter was now mournful, tearful, blind-sorrowful for her married man; she was always with her eye on the loch. An old soothsayer met her, and she told how it had befallen her married mate. Then he told her the thing to do to save her mate, and that she did. She took her harp to the sea-shore, and sat and played; and the sea-maiden came up to listen, for sea-maidens are fonder of music than all other creatures. But when the wife saw the sea-maiden she stopped. The sea-maiden said, "Play on!" but the princess said, "No, not till I see my man again." So the sea-maiden put up his head out of the loch. Then the princess played again, and stopped till the sea-maiden put him up to the waist. Then the princess played and stopped again, and this time the sea-maiden put him all out of the loch, and he called on the falcon and became one, and flew on shore. But the sea-maiden took the princess, his wife.

wikipedia

Civil_engineering

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Civil_engineering

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Civil engineering is the application of physical and scientific principles for solving the problems of society, and its history is intricately linked to advances in the understanding of physics and mathematics throughout history. Because civil engineering is a wide-ranging profession, including several specialized sub-disciplines, its history is linked to knowledge of structures, materials science, geography, geology, soils, hydrology, environment, mechanics and other fields. Throughout ancient and medieval history most architectural design and construction was carried out by artisans, such as stonemasons and carpenters, rising to the role of master builder. Knowledge was retained in guilds and seldom supplanted by advances. Structures, roads, and infrastructure that existed were repetitive, and increases in scale were incremental. One of the earliest examples of a scientific approach to physical and mathematical problems applicable to civil engineering is the work of Archimedes in the 3rd century BC, including Archimedes Principle, which underpins our understanding of buoyancy, and practical solutions such as Archimedes' screw. Brahmagupta, an Indian mathematician, used arithmetic in the 7th century AD, based on Hindu-Arabic numerals, for excavation (volume) computations.

Anna Matejko

White Matter Counts: Brain Connections Help Us Do 2<U+2009>+<U+2009>2

https://kids.frontiersin.org/article/10.3389/frym.2014.00019

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In order to look at this question of whether differences in white matter are related to differences in math abilities, some researchers in our laboratory measured white matter in children aged 7–9. The children also completed two math tests. The first test involved solving simple arithmetic problems like adding, subtracting, multiplying, and dividing. The second test included more complex math questions such as identifying patterns and interpreting graphs. The researchers were then able to take the FA values from different white matter tracts in each child's brain, to see if the strength of those tracts were related to performance on the math tests. Two white matter tracts seemed to be important in predicting how well the children performed on these math tests: a tract called the SCR and another tract called the ILF. The SCR is a tract that goes from the bottom of your brain to the top, and the ILF is a tract that goes from the front to the back of your brain. In other words, children who had stronger connections in these tracts (had FA values closer to 1) also did better on the math tests!

E. Nesbit

The Railway Children

http://www.gutenberg.org/files/1874/1874-h/1874-h.htm#link2HCH0001

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Father had been away in the country for three or four days. All Peter's hopes for the curing of his afflicted Engine were now fixed on his Father, for Father was most wonderfully clever with his fingers. He could mend all sorts of things. He had often acted as veterinary surgeon to the wooden rocking-horse; once he had saved its life when all human aid was despaired of, and the poor creature was given up for lost, and even the carpenter said he didn't see his way to do anything. And it was Father who mended the doll's cradle when no one else could; and with a little glue and some bits of wood and a pen-knife made all the Noah's Ark beasts as strong on their pins as ever they were, if not stronger. Peter, with heroic unselfishness, did not say anything about his Engine till after Father had had his dinner and his after-dinner cigar. The unselfishness was Mother's idea—but it was Peter who carried it out. And needed a good deal of patience, too.

Frank R. Stockton

A Jolly Fellowship

http://www.gutenberg.org/files/20651/20651-h/20651-h.htm

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There were but few passengers on deck, for it was quite cold, and it now began to grow dark, and we went below. Pretty soon the dinner-bell rang, and I was glad to hear it, for I had the appetite of a horse. There was a first-rate dinner, ever so many different kinds of dishes, all up and down the table, which had ridges running lengthwise, under the table-cloth, to keep the plates from sliding off, if a storm should come up. Before we were done with dinner the shelves above the table began to swing a good deal,—or rather the vessel rolled and the shelves kept their places,—so I knew we must be pretty well out to sea, but I had not expected it would be so rough, for the day had been fine and clear. When we left the table, it was about as much as we could do to keep our feet, and in less than a quarter of an hour I began to feel dreadfully. I stuck it out as long as I could, and then I went to bed.

Amanda Minnie Douglas

A Little Girl in Old Detroit

http://www.gutenberg.org/files/20721/20721-h/20721-h.htm

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The spring came in with a quickening glory. A fortnight ago the snow was everywhere, the skaters were still out on the streams, the young fellows having rough snowballing matches, then suddenly one morning the white blanket turned a faint, sickly, soft gray, and withered. The pallid skies grew blue, the brown earth showed in patches, there were cheerful sounds from the long-housed animals, rivulets were all afloat running in haste to swell the streams, and from thence to the river and the lakes. The tiny rings of fir and juniper brightened, the pine branches swelled with great furry buds, bursting open into pale green tassels that moved with every breath of wind. The hemlocks shot out feathery fronds, the spruce spikes of bluish green, the maples shook around red blossoms and then uncurled tiny leaves. The hickories budded in a strange, pale yellow, but the oaks stood sturdy with some of the winter's brown leaves clinging to them.

Patricia Bado, Maria Stewart, and Jorge Moll

Training Your Emotional Brain: From Science Fiction to Neuroscience

Frontiers for Young Minds

https://kids.frontiersin.org/article/10.3389/frym.2016.00021

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Technologies from science fiction movies and books sometimes become true in real life. Our research project was inspired by a Sci-Fi story from a book by Philip K. Dick called "Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep" (1968), which was later turned into a movie called "Blade Runner" (1982). The story takes place in the year 2019, when androids made of artificial flesh, bones, and brains became so similar to humans that they could hardly be recognized as "machines." A detection device had to be used to find the only difference between androids and humans: the fact that only humans could have deep emotions, truly care for someone else, and experience what the other person is feeling – something we call empathy. Empathic emotions such as affection are very important for humans, since the ability to build and sustain connections to other people is critical for our wellbeing and survival . These empathic emotions are important for things such as loving relationships, the care of a mother for her children, team spirit, and cooperation, or even something as simple as helping a friend. These emotions also lead to behaviors, such as unselfishness, that help people to live together in society .

Frederic Harrison

Concerning the German Professors

The New York Times Current History of the European War, Vol 1, Issue 1

http://www.gutenberg.org/files/13635/13635-h/13635-h.htm

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For my part, nothing in this war since July 30 has at all surprised me, unless it be the foul cruelty with which Belgian civilians have been treated. Indeed, in January, 1913, I wrote a warning which reads now like a summary of events that have since happened. I was denounced as a senile alarmist by some who are now the loudest in calling to arms. Alas! too late is their repentance. May I ask why our eminent academicians and scholars who still profess "friendship and admiration" for their German confrères never even suspected the huge conspiracy of which civilization has been the victim? Why did they accept the stars and crosses of Caligula-Attila? Why hob-nob with the docile creatures of his chancery, and spread at home and abroad the worship of Geist and Kultur? Are they fit to instruct us about politics, public law, and international relations, when they were so egregiously mistaken, so blind, so befooled, with regard to the most portentous catastrophe in the memory of living men? I am glad that they see their blindness now—but why this sentimental friendliness for those who hoodwinked them?

simple wiki

Vaccine

https://simple.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vaccine

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start

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A vaccine gives immunity to an infectious disease caused by a particular bacterium or virus. This means the vaccine makes a person less likely to get that disease. For example, the flu vaccine makes it less likely that a person will get the flu. Vaccines are usually made from something that is alive, or was alive. The word "vaccine" comes from the Latin words vaccin-us (from the word vacca, meaning "cow"). In 1796, Edward Jenner used cows infected with cowpox (variolae vaccinae) to protect people against smallpox. The use of vaccines is called vaccination. Edward Jenner created the first vaccine in the 1770s. At this time, smallpox was a deadly disease. Jenner noticed that people who had already had cowpox (a disease that is related to smallpox) usually did not get smallpox. He thought that getting cowpox protected people against smallpox. To test this idea, Jenner gave a boy cowpox. Then he infected the boy with smallpox. The boy did not get sick because he had already had cowpox. Jenner was right: having cowpox protected people against smallpox.

Bertrand Russell

The Problems of Philosophy

http://www.gutenberg.org/files/5827/5827-h/5827-h.htm

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Descartes (1596-1650), the founder of modern philosophy, invented a method which may still be used with profit—the method of systematic doubt. He determined that he would believe nothing which he did not see quite clearly and distinctly to be true. Whatever he could bring himself to doubt, he would doubt, until he saw reason for not doubting it. By applying this method he gradually became convinced that the only existence of which he could be quite certain was his own. He imagined a deceitful demon, who presented unreal things to his senses in a perpetual phantasmagoria; it might be very improbable that such a demon existed, but still it was possible, and therefore doubt concerning things perceived by the senses was possible. But doubt concerning his own existence was not possible, for if he did not exist, no demon could deceive him. If he doubted, he must exist; if he had any experiences whatever, he must exist.

Natasha Clark, Zoe Skinner, & Catrin Sian Rutland

Can Toothache Cause Heartbreak?

https://kids.frontiersin.org/article/10.3389/frym.2020.00087

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While studies have shown links between periodontal and heart disease in humans and dogs, exactly how one leads disease to the other needs further investigation. Researchers have proposed that bacteremia. (bacteria in the bloodstream) is the main cause. There are more than 700 species of bacteria that can live in the mouth, and some of these bacteria can move from the mouth into the blood. The tongue, palate, cheeks, and teeth each have their own diverse range of bacteria. Due to the high numbers and variety of bacteria in the mouth, bacteremia occurs naturally as a result of tooth brushing and chewing. Normally, these bacteria are cleared from the blood by the immune system and no infection develops. However, in people with severe periodontal disease, the gums (also called gingiva.) become inflamed, resulting in a condition called gingivitis. Gingivitis can often be treated with good mouth care and help from dentists, but the inflammation can enable oral bacteria to be released directly into the bloodstream, increasing the risk of bacteremia.

Hamilton Wright Mabie

KING ARTHUR

Title: Heroes Every Child Should Know

http://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/4265/pg4265-images.html

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Among those who rode to London at Easter was the good Sir Ector, and with him his son, Sir Kay, newly made a knight, and the young Arthur. When the morning came that the jousts should begin, Sir Kay and Arthur mounted their horses and set out for the lists; but before they reached the field, Kay looked and saw that he had left his sword behind. Immediately Arthur turned back to fetch it for him, only to find the house fast shut, for all were gone to view the tournament. Sore vexed was Arthur, fearing lest his brother Kay should lose his chance of gaining glory, till, of a sudden, he bethought him of the sword in the great anvil before the cathedral. Thither he rode with all speed, and the guards having deserted their post to view the tournament, there was none to forbid him the adventure. He leapt from his horse, seized the hilt, and instantly drew forth the sword as easily as from a scabbard; then, mounting his horse and thinking no marvel of what he had done, he rode after his brother and handed him the weapon.

Daniel Defoe

ROBINSON CRUSOE

Journeys Through Bookland V3.

http://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/5902/pg5902-images.html

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We then came back to our castle; and there I fell to work for my man Friday; and first of all, I gave him a pair of linen drawers, which I had out of the poor gunner's chest I mentioned, which I found in the wreck, and which, with a little alteration, fitted him very well; then I made him a jerkin of goat's skin, as well as my skill would allow, and I was now grown a tolerably good tailor; and I gave him a cap which I had made of a hare's skin, very convenient, and fashionable enough; and thus he was clothed, for the present, tolerably well; and was mighty well pleased to see himself almost as well clothed as his master. It is true, he went awkwardly in these clothes at first: wearing the drawers was very awkward to him, and the sleeves of the waistcoat galled his shoulders and the inside of his arms; but a little easing them where he complained they hurt him, and using himself to them, at length he took to them very well.

Rabindranath Tagore

THE HOME-COMING

Stories from Tagore

http://www.gutenberg.org/files/33525/33525-h/33525-h.htm

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The boys began to heave at the log with all their might, calling out, "One, two, three, go!" At the word "go" the log went; and with it went Makhan's philosophy, glory and all. The other boys shouted themselves hoarse with delight. But Phatik was a little frightened. He knew what was coming. And, sure enough, Makhan rose from Mother Earth blind as Fate and screaming like the Furies. He rushed at Phatik and scratched his face and beat him and kicked him, and then went crying home. The first act of the drama was over. Phatik wiped his face, and sat down on the edge of a sunken barge by the riverbank, and began to chew a piece of grass. A boat came up to the landing and a middle-aged man, with grey hair and dark moustache, stepped on shore. He saw the boy sitting there doing nothing and asked him where the Chakravortis lived. Phatik went on chewing the grass and said: "Over there," but it was quite impossible to tell where he pointed.

Peter Omoko

The kingfisher and the sea

African Storybook Level 3

https://www.africanstorybook.org/

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The day before the king and his family left, he held a feast. Everyone attended. Leopards, snakes, rabbits, snails, birds and even ants came to the feast. The king addressed the people, "My family and I are going away to the other part of Okugbe Island. We want to feel the pain that other people feel." People whispered amongst themselves. The elders did not believe him. But who could question the king? So, everyone drank and feasted. The next day, the king and his family sailed away. For the first two days, the boats rolled through the waters. The sky was clear, the sea was calm, and the trip was a happy one. On the third day, the sea became rough. The sky became cloudy. A great storm came upon them. The boats were overturned. The king was helpless as his wealth and family were lost to the sea. The king alone survived.

ALFRED SELWYN

THE TWO RATS

The Nursery, December 1881, Vol. XXX A Monthly Magazine for Youngest Readers

http://www.gutenberg.org/files/42161/42161-h/42161-h.htm#Page_362

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Crafty had studied the ways of the human race for many years. In his view man was created for the benefit of rats. He had known men who were almost as sly as rats; but on the whole he looked upon them as inferior beings. Simple, who lived close by, had also a great contempt for men and women. He often boasted that he got his board and lodging all at their expense. But he did not know half as much as he thought he did; and many a time he had been kept from getting into a scrape by his good friend Crafty. One night, about twelve o'clock, Crafty and Simple started out together to see what they could find. Having poked into every corner of Farmer Rural's cellar, without getting any thing better than raw potatoes, they made their way up stairs.

Woodrow Wilson

The Spirits of Mankind

The European War, Vol 2, No. 2

http://www.gutenberg.org/files/15479/15479-h/15479-h.htm

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For we are not in this world to amuse ourselves with its affairs. We are here to push the whole sluggish mass forward in some particular direction, and unless you know the direction in which you want to go your force is of no avail. Do you love righteousness? is what each one of us ought to ask himself. And if you love righteousness are you ready to translate righteousness into action and be ashamed and afraid before no man? It seems to me, therefore, that it is worth suggesting to you that you are not sitting here merely to transact the business and express the ideals of a great church as represented in the State of Maryland, but you are here also as part of the assize of humanity, to remind yourselves of the things that are permanent and eternal, which if we do not translate into action we have failed in the fundamental things of our lives.

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CHARLES DICKENS

Journeys Through Bookland, vol 6

http://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/21864

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His early days were thus very happy; but when he was about eleven years old, money difficulties beset the family, and they were obliged to move to a poor part of London. Mrs. Dickens made persistent efforts to open a school for young ladies, but no one ever showed the slightest intention of coming. Matters went from bad to worse, and finally Mr. Dickens was arrested for debt and taken to the Marshalsea prison. The time that followed was a most painful one to the sensitive boy—far more painful, it would seem, than to the "Prodigal Father," as Dickens later called him. This father, whom Dickens long afterward described, in David Copperfield, as Mr. Micawber, was, as his son was always most willing to testify, a kind, generous man; but he was improvident to the last degree; and when in difficulties which would have made melancholy any other man, he was able, by the mere force of his rhetoric, to lift himself above circumstances or to make himself happy in them.

Guy de Maupassant Translated by ALBERT M. C. McMASTER, B.A. A. E. HENDERSON, B.A. MME. QUESADA and Others

THAT COSTLY RIDE

Maupassant Original Short Stories

http://www.gutenberg.org/files/3090/3090-h/3090-h.htm

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On the day appointed, the carriage and the riding horse arrived at the same moment before the door. Hector went down immediately to examine his mount. He had had straps sewn to his trousers and flourished in his hand a whip he had bought the evening before. He raised the horse's legs and felt them one after another, passed his hand over the animal's neck, flank and hocks, opened his mouth, examined his teeth, declared his age; and then, the whole household having collected round him, he delivered a discourse on the horse in general and the specimen before him in particular, pronouncing the latter excellent in every respect. When the rest of the party had taken their seats in the carriage he examined the saddle-girth; then, putting his foot in the stirrup, he sprang to the saddle. The animal began to curvet and nearly threw his rider. Hector, not altogether at his ease, tried to soothe him: "Come, come, good horse, gently now!" Then, when the horse had recovered his equanimity and the rider his nerve, the latter asked: "Are you ready?" The occupants of the carriage replied with one voice: "Yes." "Forward!" he commanded.

Harold Begbie

As America Sees the War

The New York Times Current History of the European War

http://www.gutenberg.org/files/16702/16702-h/16702-h.htm

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But it was only last night in this old and mighty city of Philadelphia that the greatest of reasons for an alliance was brought sharply home to my mind. I had thought, loosely enough, that since we speak the same language, share many of the same traditions, and equally desire peace for the prosperity of our trade, surely some alliance between us was natural, and with a little effort might be made inevitable. The deeper, more political, and far grander reason for this comradeship between the two nations had never definitely shaped itself to my consciousness. Enlightenment came to me in the course of conversation with two thoughtful Philadelphians whose minds are centered on something which transcends patriotism and who work with fine courage and remarkable ability for the triumph of their idea. One of these men said to me: "You speak of an alliance between England and America; do you mind telling us what you mean by that term alliance?"

MANUEL EISSLER

THE PANAMA CANAL

Scientific American Supplement, No. 344

http://www.gutenberg.org/files/8717/8717-h/8717-h.htm#1

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Nobody in Europe dreamt that Columbus had discovered a new continent, and when Balbao, in 1513, discovered the South Sea, then it was known that Asia lay beyond, and navigators directed their course there. On his deathbed, in 1506, Columbus still held to his delusion that he had reached Zipanga, Japan. In 1501 he was exploring the coast of Veragua, in Central America, still looking for the Ganges, and announcing his being informed on this coast of a sea which would bear ships to the mouth of that river, while about the same time the Cabots, under Henry VII, were taking possession of Newfoundland, believing it to be part of the island coast of China. Although these were grave blunders in geography and in navigation, the discoveries really made in the rich tropical zones, the acquirement of a new world, and the rich products continually reaching Europe from it, for a time aroused Spain from her lethargy. The world opened east and west. The new routes poured their spices, silks, and drugs through new channels into all the Teutonic countries.

Amanda Clacy, Daniel F. Hermens, Kathryn M. Broadhouse, and Jim Lagopoulos

Sports Are Good for Your Mood, But a Concussion Is Not

Frontiers for Young Minds

https://kids.frontiersin.org/article/10.3389/frym.2019.00055

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The brain goes through a lot of changes during adolescence. In regard to mental health in young people, these changes can make the brain quite sensitive to injuries. Let us start by talking about how the various areas of the brain are connected to each other. Regions of the brain need to communicate with each other so that we can think, plan, and carry out tasks in everyday life. The brain is made up of gray matter and white matter. Gray matter contains the cell bodies of neurons (which are the building blocks of the brain that process information). White matter consists of parts of neurons called axons, which are the connections that link different regions of gray matter together. During adolescence, the white matter begins to decide which brain areas need to be connected the most. Think of this like a road map. Big cities get visited by more people more often, so highways are built to make sure that people can access these places quickly and easily. On the other hand, little country towns might only have dirt tracks connecting them, because they do not get visited as often.

William Osler

The Student Life

Modern Essays SELECTED BY CHRISTOPHER MORLEY

http://www.gutenberg.org/files/38280/38280-h/38280-h.htm

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The strength of a student of men is to travel—to study men, their habits, character, mode of life, their behavior under varied conditions, their vices, virtues, and peculiarities. Begin with a careful observation of your fellow students and of your teachers; then, every patient you see is a lesson in much more than the malady from which he suffers. Mix as much as you possibly can with the outside world, and learn its ways. Cultivated systematically, the student societies, the students' union, the gymnasium, and the outside social circle will enable you to conquer the diffidence so apt to go with bookishness and which may prove a very serious drawback in after-life. I cannot too strongly impress upon the earnest and attentive men among you the necessity of overcoming this unfortunate failing in your student days. It is not easy for every one to reach a happy medium, and the distinction between a proper self-confidence and "cheek," particularly in junior students, is not always to be made.

Mike Ludwig

How Your Brain Cells Talk to Each Other—Whispered Secrets and Public Announcements

Frontiers for Young Minds

https://kids.frontiersin.org/article/10.3389/frym.2017.00039

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Neurons come in many forms, shapes and sizes, but it is helpful to think of a neuron like a tree. A neuron has three main parts, the cell body, an axon, and the dendrites. The tree trunk (cell body) stores genetic information (DNA) in a compartment called the nucleus. The cell body also contains the chemical machinery to produce the neurotransmitters that the neuron uses to communicate with each other. The tree's branches (dendrite, the word déndron comes from the Greek language and actually means "tree") are the parts of a neuron that receive signals. Dendrites were once thought to be like antennae, just receiving signals from other neurons, but, as I explain, they can do more than this. The tree root (axon) is the structure used by a neuron to connect with and talk to another neuron. An axon carries information similar to a cable that carries electricity. When one neuron wants to share a message with another, it sends an electrical impulse, called an action potential, down its axon until it reaches the axon terminal, at the end of the axon.

Ruth Stiles Gannett

My Father's Dragon

http://www.gutenberg.org/files/30017/30017-h/30017-h.htm

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My father and the cat became good friends, but my father's mother was very upset about the cat. She hated cats, particularly ugly old alley cats. "Elmer Elevator," she said to my father, "if you think I'm going to give that cat a saucer of milk, you're very wrong. Once you start feeding stray alley cats you might as well expect to feed every stray in town, and I am not going to do it!" This made my father very sad, and he apologized to the cat because his mother had been so rude. He told the cat to stay anyway, and that somehow, he would bring her a saucer of milk each day. My father fed the cat for three weeks, but one day his mother found the cat's saucer in the cellar and she was extremely angry. She punished my father and threw the cat out the door, but later on my father snuck out and found the cat.

Muz-Muz

WHAT I SAW AT THE SEASHORE

The Nursery, September 1873, Vol. XIV. No. 3

http://www.gutenberg.org/files/24940/24940-h/24940-h.htm#Page_82

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On the brightest days of all, I noticed a pale-faced lady who came to sit a while in the sunshine, propped up with shawls and pillows. She always brought with her a little sky-terrier, of which she seemed as fond as if it had been a real baby. After a while, I got acquainted with the lady, and found that her name was Miss Dean, and that her dog was named Skye. He was a shaggy-looking little creature; but he had very bright eyes, and he knew almost as much as the children who played with him. He was very fond of his mistress, and very thoughtful of her comfort. Let me tell you one thing about him that made me think so. Skye slept in the room with his mistress, on a soft cushion, with a little blanket spread over him; and in the morning, when he woke, if she was still asleep, he never disturbed her. He just sat up on his cushion as still as he could be, and watched her till she woke.

NELSON H. DARTON

ON THE MINERALOGICAL LOCALITIES IN AND AROUND NEW YORK CITY

Scientific American Supplement No. 415

http://www.gutenberg.org/files/11344/11344-h/11344-h.htm#22

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In selecting specimens of serpentine, care should be taken to procure that which is the most translucent, and that holding miniature veins of asbestos. These are not so plentiful as those of the pure serpentine alone, but occur in the southern end of the main quarry. The width of these veins of asbestos is seldom over an inch, but those of even much less are highly prized as specimens. These veins of asbestos are, in places, several inches in length, but are generally much broken in removing them, as their fibrous structure, at right angles to their length, makes them very fragile, and pure specimens of asbestos can seldom be found. However, they make much finer specimens when with the serpentine. Frequently these specimens may be obtained with a layer of gurhofite above them, and separated by the serpentine; this assortment is very interesting, revealing to us the manner in which they were formed, which was by a process termed segregation.

Simone Reppermund, Janelle Weise, Rachael Cvejic, & Julian Trollor

How Can We Provide Better Healthcare for People With An Intellectual Disability?

https://kids.frontiersin.org/article/10.3389/frym.2019.00124

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There are different levels of intellectual disability: mild, moderate, severe, and profound. You may know someone with Down syndrome, which is the most common genetic cause of intellectual disability. Usually, people with Down syndrome have mild or moderate intellectual disability. Around 85% of people with an intellectual disability have a mild form. Many people with mild intellectual disabilities can go to regular schools, get jobs, and live independent lives. People with moderate intellectual disabilities need more help with planning and organizing their lives. They might need help communicating, by using pictures or other communication tools. They often live with family members or in homes with other people who help them with things like looking after their money. People with severe or profound intellectual disabilities need a lot more support and are not able to live on their own. They may not be able to speak and might communicate using facial expressions or simple gestures. They need help with all basic skills, like dressing, toileting, and eating, and they live with people who help them and look after them at all times.

Horatio Alger

FRANK AND FEARLESS OR THE FORTUNES OF JASPER KENT

http://www.gutenberg.org/files/19592/19592-h/19592-h.htm#I

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Thorne was now thoroughly exasperated. His authority was openly defied. He rushed at Jasper, intending to overwhelm him by the suddenness and momentum of his attack. But Jasper was prepared for him. He turned swiftly aside and planted a blow on Thorne's right ear which sent him staggering to the earth. The bully was astonished, but rallied. Almost foaming at the mouth with rage, he sprang to his feet and renewed the attack. He attempted to throw his arms round the waist of Jasper and throw him. Had his tactics been successful, probably Jasper would have been borne to the earth by the superior weight of his opponent. But here, again, he was prepared. He stepped back and received Thorne with a blow on his breast, so firmly planted that he staggered again. By this time he had lost all control of himself and was thoroughly under the dominion of passion. He "pitched into" Jasper, trying to get in a blow wherever he could, and in so doing exposed himself to the skilful blows of his slighter foe, who had some knowledge of boxing, while Thorne had none whatever.

Gabeba Brown

Rebirth of a kingdom

African Storybook Level 4

https://www.africanstorybook.org/

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The battle-weary king led his tired followers to settle on the sandy dunes of the Cape Flats. Majestic Table Mountain tried to protect them from the harsh weather as best she could. The king's subjects complained bitterly about their new home. They could not bear the scorching summers nor the cold, wet winters. They could not bear the stinging sand and howling wind. Fynbos and Rooibos were the king's trusted advisors. One day, they approached their king. "Everyone suffers living under these difficult conditions. Can we move to a place where life will be easier?" they asked. King Protea smiled at his advisors and spoke in a gentle voice. "You are loyal and I hear your concerns. However, this is our home. Together we can overcome any difficulty," said the king. The sun beat down on the kingdom of the Cape Flats. The heat was relentless. A wildfire broke out. Furious winds fanned the raging fire. The flames crept across King Protea's kingdom, destroying everything. When the fire finally died, it left behind a sad sight that stretched from Hoerikwaggo across the Cape Flats. The landscape lay bare for months. The seasons changed, as seasons do. Winter rains pelted the earth.

Willa Cather

Henry James

http://www.online-literature.com/willa-cather/4306/

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Their mania for careless and hasty work is not confined to the lesser men. Howells and Hardy have gone with the crowd. Now that Stevenson is dead I can think of but one English speaking author who is really keeping his self-respect and sticking for perfection. Of course I refer to that mighty master of language and keen student of human actions and motives, Henry James. In the last four years he has published, I believe, just two small volumes, "The Lesson of the Master" and "Terminations," and in those two little volumes of short stories he who will may find out something of what it means to be really an artist. The framework is perfect and the polish is absolutely without flaw. They are sometimes a little hard, always calculating and dispassionate, but they are perfect. I wish James would write about modern society, about "degeneracy" and the new woman and all the rest of it.

By Kate Upson Clark.

MISTRESS ESTEEM ELLIOTT'S MOLASSES CAKE

Good Cheer Stories Every Child Should Know

http://www.gutenberg.org/files/19909/19909-h/19909-h.htm#MISTRESS_ESTEEM_ELLIOTTS_MOLASSES_CAKE

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There had been very peculiar weather in Colchester during this month of October, 1705. First, on the 13th (Old Style), an unprecedently early date, had come a "terrible cold snap," lasting three days. This was followed by two days of phenomenal mildness. The river had frozen over during the "cold snap," and the ice had melted during the warm days, until, on the 19th, it was breaking up and preparing to go out to sea. In the night of the 19th had descended a frigid blast, colder than the original one. This had arrested the broken ice, piled it up in all sorts of fantastic forms, and congealed it till it looked like a rough Alaskan glacier. After the cold wind had come a heavy snowstorm. All Colchester lay under three feet of snow. Footpaths and roads were broken out somewhat in the immediate village, but no farther. It was most unusual to have the river closed so early in the season, and consequently the winter supplies, which were secured from New London and Norwich, had not been laid in. Even Mr. Chapin, the storekeeper, was but poorly supplied with staples of which he ordinarily kept an abundance on hand.

The Ukuqonda Institute with the participation of the Department of Basic Education of South Africa (DBE) with funding from the Sasol Inzalo Foundation(SaIF).

Technical Science Grade 10

http://ukuqonda.co.za/digicom/Grade-10-Technical-Science/TechSci_Gr10_LB_Eng_lowres.pdf

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The candle clock was used years ago to indicate the passing of time. Special candles were marked with lines spaced so that, as the candle burned down, one line would disappear each hour. The process of marking the lines is called calibration. In this activity you will calibrate a candle to make a candle clock. A. Plan the activity a few days ahead as it might take most of the day to complete. AND plan a strategy to convince the principal to use your candle to run the school for a day. B. Decide what marks you will make on the candle. You might choose, for example to make marks for 15-minute periods of time. Thin candles burn faster than thick candles. C. Place the candles firmly in the holders. D. Put the candle holders close together and check that the candles are the same height. E. Light one candle. After the chosen period of time make a mark on the second candle opposite the top of the burning candle. Carry on marking the second candle until about one third of the candle has burned.

RUTH KENYON

THE CHICKENS THAT WERE WISER THAN LOTTIE

The Nursery, Volume 17, No. 101, May, 1875

http://www.gutenberg.org/files/14335/14335-h/14335-h.htm#Page_140

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Out in the field Old Biddy Brown has four wee chickens, little soft downy balls, scarcely bigger than the eggs they came from just one week ago. They are very spry, and run all about. When the mother Biddy finds any nice bit, she clucks; and every little chick comes running to see what is wanting. When it grows chilly, and she fears they will take cold, she says, "Cluck, cluck, cluck!" and they all run under her warm feathers as fast as they can. Just now Mother Biddy gave a very loud call, and every chicken was under her wings in a minute; and up in the sky I saw a hawk, who had been planning to make a good dinner of these same chickens. I could not help thinking, how well for them, that they did not stop, like Lottie, to ask, "Why?" Down came the hawk with a fierce swoop, as if he meant to take the old hen and the chickens too; but Mother Biddy sprang up and faced him so boldly, that he did not know what to make of it.

F.J.P., U.S. Army.

FLYING

Scientific American Supplement, No. 388

http://www.gutenberg.org/files/15417/15417-h/15417-h.htm

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What do we find transformed? Simply the energy, or potential, contained in the fuel or food we put into the machine. Its exact equivalent we find transformed to another form of energy, known as animal strength, which is simply heat within the system available for the working of its mechanical parts. How, then, is this energy which exists in the shape of animal strength used and distributed? This is the question the answer of which underlies this whole discussion as a principle. It is distributed to the different parts of the machine in proportion to the relative amount of physical work that nature has made it the office of any particular part to perform. Let us see how it is with the bird machine. In course of flight he is called upon to remain in the air, which means that should he cease to make an effort to do this, i.e., should he cease to expend energy in doing it, he would fall during the first second of time after ceasing to make the effort some sixteen feet toward the center of the earth.

Sabine Heim and Andreas Keil

Too Much Information, Too Little Time: How the Brain Separates Important from Unimportant Things in Our Fast-Paced Media World

Frontiers for Young Minds

https://kids.frontiersin.org/article/10.3389/frym.2017.00023

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One smart trick the human brain has for noticing important events is to pick out a few things that we see or hear and to hold on to those things and examine them more closely to make sense of them. This prevents us from being overwhelmed by all the many things we see, hear, or feel. For example, even when typing in a quiet office, there are birds chirping outside, cars driving by the window, e-mail notifications on the computer, and many other things that we would better ignore if we wish to get our work done. Selective attention is the term that researchers use for the process of paying attention to only a few of the things that we notice with our senses. Having smart phones and tablets available all the time challenges the brain's selective attention in completely new ways. These technologies create an environment in which we constantly switch attention on and off rapidly, between important and unimportant things. This is the thing you have to focus on, so at the present time it is important to you.

L. Frank Baum

Mary Louise in the Country

http://www.gutenberg.org/files/22225/22225-h/22225-h.htm

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Colonel Hathaway and his granddaughter stood silently upon the platform of this shed, their luggage beside them, and watched their trunks tumbled out of the baggage car ahead and the train start, gather speed, and go rumbling on its way. Then the girl looked around her to discover that the primitive station was really the only barren spot in the landscape. For this was no Western prairie country, but one of the oldest settled and most prosperous sections of a great state that had been one of the original thirteen to be represented by a star on our national banner. Chargrove might not be much of a railway station, as it was only eleven miles from a big city, but the country around it was exceedingly beautiful. Great oaks and maples stood here and there, some in groups and some in stately solitude; the land was well fenced and carefully cultivated; roads—smooth or rutty—led in every direction; flocks and herds were abundant; half hidden by hills or splendid groves peeped the roofs of comfortable farmhouses that evidenced the general prosperity of the community.

USHistory.org

An Incredible Job: Being America’s President

CLD

https://www.commonlit.org/texts/an-incredible-job-being-america-s-president

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The Constitutional power as "Commander in Chief" has evolved into the very important modern role of "crisis manager." In the 20th century, as the United States gained world leadership powers, the President has become a key player in international crises. In the case of war (such as the Korean War, the Vietnam War, and the Persian Gulf War) or less famous regional conflicts (such as those in Kosovo, Somalia, or Haiti) the President must go into "emergency mode" and concentrate on the immediate problem. Domestically, crises may occur — such as urban riots, hurricanes, or forest fires — that require the President to schedule time to coordinate government responses to the situation. More than anyone else, the President symbolizes the country — its people and its beliefs. In this role, a President performs many ceremonial duties, such as receiving foreign dignitaries, throwing the first baseball of the season, and waving to crowds. These actions are not trivial. Strong Presidents must exude confidence, not just in themselves, but in the American people as well. The best ones have had an intangible charisma that creates public confidence.

Megan Smith Elissa Alvey Dane Stogner

Fungus

https://freekidsbooks.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/11/FKB-Kids-Stories-Fungus.pdf

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Plants and animals live on the Earth. So does fungus. Fungus is the name for mushrooms and living things like them. There are a lot of different types of fungus. Fungi can seem like plants but they are very different. Because their bodies are so different, scientists put them in their own group. The group is called a kingdom. Plants and animals are also kingdoms. One way that fungi are different from plants is that most of their bodies live underground. Mushrooms are like the flowers of a fungus. They are the part we see most often. Mushrooms can be found in many places. Sometimes they are colorful and sometimes they are plain or ugly. Fungi like to grow in areas with some rain and a lot of dead plants. There are a lot of fungi in a forest, but not many in a desert. Fungi grow near their food. Dead plants, animals, and dirt are food for fungi. Fungi don't need light like plants. This is why you find them in dark, smelly places. You can see mushrooms growing on dead trees. When the plant dies, the fungus uses it for food.

George Bernard Shaw

Bernard Shaw's Terms of Peace

The European War, Vol 2, No. 3

http://www.gutenberg.org/files/15480/15480-h/15480-h.htm

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At that time scarcely one of the leading newspapers took heed of my insistence that this war was an imperialistic war and popular only in so far as all wars are for a time popular. But I need hardly assure you that if Grey had announced: "We have concluded a treaty of alliance with Germany and Austria and must wage war upon France and Russia," he would have evoked precisely the same patriotic fervor and exactly the same democratic anti-Prussianism, (with the omission of the P). Then the German Kaiser would have been cheered as the cousin of our King and our old and faithful friend. As concerns myself, I am not unqualifiedly what is called a pan-German; the Germans, besides, would not have a spark of respect left for me if now, when all questions of civilization are buried, I did not hold to my people. But neither am I an anti-German.

Joseph Farrell

Black-out

http://www.gutenberg.org/files/62426/62426-h/62426-h.htm

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It was Rofan who first felt that something was wrong. The novelty was wearing off, and an elusive thought made him uncomfortable. Something was wrong with the picture ... what was it? Suddenly he realized. He turned to Thak. "But—the lights, Mor Thak? The signals—" Thak's face looked as old as Mars itself as he gazed at his pupil. He started to speak several times before he could manage. "We have failed," he said, in heavy tones. "Our signals must have been too weak for the beings of the blue planet to detect. I had hoped—" He arose and looked sadly into the evening sky. "I had hoped I was wrong. For two years now—our years—I have watched through my small telescope, and the lights have been disappearing, one by one, sometimes, but more often several at a time. I thought it was the weakness of my instrument. I was wrong. Every light on the blue planet has been blacked out..." His voice was a low wail. "And—the blacking out of those lights means a blackout of life on Mars. A planet-wide blackout...."

Arthur Conan Doyle

The Adventure of the Cardboard Box

The Memoirs of Sherlock Holmes

http://www.gutenberg.org/files/834/834-h/834-h.htm

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It was a blazing hot day in August. Baker Street was like an oven, and the glare of the sunlight upon the yellow brickwork of the house across the road was painful to the eye. It was hard to believe that these were the same walls which loomed so gloomily through the fogs of winter. Our blinds were half-drawn, and Holmes lay curled upon the sofa, reading and re-reading a letter which he had received by the morning post. For myself, my term of service in India had trained me to stand heat better than cold, and a thermometer at ninety was no hardship. But the morning paper was uninteresting. Parliament had risen. Everybody was out of town, and I yearned for the glades of the New Forest or the shingle of Southsea. A depleted bank account had caused me to postpone my holiday, and as to my companion, neither the country nor the sea presented the slightest attraction to him. He loved to lie in the very centre of five millions of people, with his filaments stretching out and running through them, responsive to every little rumour or suspicion of unsolved crime.

IRENE SARGENT

Dr. Irene Sargent's Reply to Dr. Dernburg

The New York Times Current History of the European War

http://www.gutenberg.org/files/16702/16702-h/16702-h.htm

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The truth stands that the whole Schleswig-Holstein question is one that involves the modern principle of "nationality," and, as such, enters of necessity into the present European crisis. It is broadly understood by Dr. Eliot and willfully misapprehended by his critic. Passing on to consider Alsace-Lorraine, Dr. Dernburg declares that "it had belonged to Germany until it was taken, against the will of the people, under Louis XIV." In this statement, as in the treatment of the previous question, facts are mutilated and wrong impressions are given. Alsace, it is well known, was included within the confines of ancient Gaul, its original population was Celtic, and it passed, late in the fifth Christian century, under the rule of the Franks, one of whose chieftains, Clovis, became the founder of the first French monarchy. In dealing with its later history Dr. Dernburg confuses the Holy Roman (Germanic) Empire with Germany, considered in its modern sense. He appears to forget that the reign of Louis XIV was an age of absolutism and not of plébiscites.

Commonwealth of Learning

Grade 10 ESL Textbook - Nambia

https://freekidsbooks.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/12/EnglishSecondLanguage10-FKB.pdf

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The Kavango River is one of Namibia's largest perennial rivers. Although it is shared with two other countries and flows only for a very short distance through Namibian territory, it supports life in the Okavango Region and provides people of the region with water, fish, building materials and a host of other valuable resources. Agnes lives with her husband and children in a home built with the traditional materials of wood and reeds. Their home is located not far from the Kavango River. It can be found on a high patch of land that is well out of the way of the floods. These floods reach over the banks of the river each year and cover the flood plain on either side with water. "My name is Agnes, and I have lived here with my family for many years. It is a good place to live — close to the river, so there is always water, and not far from the road, so it is not a problem to get a lift into Rundu. Every year, after the rainy season, the river rises up and covers the flood plain here in front of my house."

NASA

What Is a Spacewalk?

CLD

https://www.commonlit.org/texts/what-is-a-spacewalk

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When astronauts go on spacewalks, they wear spacesuits to keep themselves safe. Inside spacesuits, astronauts have the oxygen they need to breathe. They have the water they need to drink. Astronauts put on their spacesuits several hours before a spacewalk. The suits are pressurized. This means that the suits are filled with oxygen. Once in their suits, astronauts breathe pure oxygen for a few hours. Breathing only oxygen gets rid of all the nitrogen in an astronaut's body. If they didn't get rid of the nitrogen, the astronauts might get gas bubbles in their body when they walked in space. These gas bubbles can cause astronauts to feel pain in their shoulders, elbows, wrists and knees. This pain is called getting "the bends" because it affects the places where the body bends, Scuba divers can also get "the bends." Astronauts are now ready to get out of their spacecraft. They leave the spacecraft through a special door called an airlock. The airlock has two doors.

wikipedia

Crystal

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Crystal

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A crystal or crystalline solid is a solid material whose constituents, such as atoms, molecules or ions, are arranged in a highly ordered microscopic structure, forming a crystal lattice that extends in all directions. In addition, macroscopic single crystals are usually identifiable by their geometrical shape, consisting of flat faces with specific, characteristic orientations. The scientific study of crystals and crystal formation is known as crystallography. The process of crystal formation via mechanisms of crystal growth is called crystallization or solidification. The word crystal is derived from the Ancient Greek word krustallos, meaning both "ice" and "rock crystal", from kruos, "icy cold, frost". Examples of large crystals include snowflakes, diamonds, and table salt. Most inorganic solids are not crystals but polycrystals, i.e. many microscopic crystals fused together into a single solid. Examples of polycrystals include most metals, rocks, ceramics, and ice. A third category of solids is amorphous solids, where the atoms have no periodic structure whatsoever. Examples of amorphous solids include glass, wax, and many plastics.

Eleanor H. Porter

Pollyanna

http://www.gutenberg.org/files/1450/1450-h/1450-h.htm

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In due time came the telegram announcing that Pollyanna would arrive in Beldingsville the next day, the twenty-fifth of June, at four o'clock. Miss Polly read the telegram, frowned, then climbed the stairs to the attic room. She still frowned as she looked about her. The room contained a small bed, neatly made, two straight-backed chairs, a washstand, a bureau—without any mirror—and a small table. There were no drapery curtains at the dormer windows, no pictures on the wall. All day the sun had been pouring down upon the roof, and the little room was like an oven for heat. As there were no screens, the windows had not been raised. A big fly was buzzing angrily at one of them now, up and down, up and down, trying to get out. Miss Polly killed the fly, swept it through the window (raising the sash an inch for the purpose), straightened a chair, frowned again, and left the room.