The theory of plate tectonics

Theories about the movement of the continents have evolved ever time as the ability to conduct scientific study of the continents has improved. Thus, Today's theory of plate tectonics, rather than contradicting its predecessor,had its roots in the older theory of continental drift.
According to the theory of continental drift, the continents are not fixed in position but instead move slowly across the surface of the earth, constantly changing in position relative to one another. This theory was first proposed in the eighteenth century when mapmakers noticed hos closely the continents of the earth fit together when they were matched up. It was suggested then that the present-day continents had once been one large continent that had broken up into pieces which drifted apart.
Today the modern theory of plate tectonics has developed from the theory of continental drift. The theory of plate tectonics suggests that the crust of the earth it divided into six large, and many small, tectonic plates that drift on the lava that composes the inner core of the earth. These plates consist of ocean floor and continents that quite probably began breaking up and moving relative to one another more than 200 million years ago.

Cardamom

Cardamom is not a widely used as a spice in United States as it is in other parts of the world. This fruit of the ginger plant provides an oil that basically has been used
solely as a stimulant in American and English medicines. Other cultures have recognized the multipurpose benefits of this aromatic fruit. In Asia it is used to season sauces such as curry;in Middle Eastern countries it is steeped to prepare a flavorful,golden-colored tea; in parts of Northern Europe it is used as a spice in various types of pastry.

BigFoot

Bigfoot is a humanlike creature reportedly living in the Pacific Northwest. Bigfoot sightings have been noted most often in the mountainous areas of Northern California, Oregon,and Washington in the United States. The creature has also been spotted numerous times in British Columbia in Canada, where it is known as Sasquatch.
The creature described by witnesses is tall by human standards, measuring 7 to 10 feet( 2 to 3 meters) in height. It resembles an ape with its thick, powerful, fur-covered arms and shorts, strong neck; however, its manner of walking erect is more like that of Homo sapiens.
Although there have been hundreds of reported sightings of Bigfoot, most experts have not seen enough evidence to be convinced of its existence . The fact that some purported evidence has been proven fake may have served to discredit other more credible information.

The life of elephant

The life span of an elephant that dies from natural causes is about sixty-five years. Of course, an elephant can perish from a number of "unnatural causes"; e.g., if can be killed by hunters,most probably for the valuable ivory in its tusks; it can die from diseases that spread throughout an elephant herd; or it can die from drought or from the lack of food that almost certainly accompanies the inadequate supply of water.
If, however, an elephant survives these disasters, it falls prey to old age in its mid-sixties. Around this age, the cause of death is attributed to the loss of the final set of molars. When this last set of teeth is gone, the elephant dies from malnutrition because it is unable to obtain adequate nourishment. In old age, elephants tend to search out a final home where there is shade for comfort from the sun and soft vegetation for cushioning; the bones of many old elephants have been found in such places.

The idea of determinism

The idea of determinism,that no event occurs in nature without natural causes,has been postulated as a natural law yet is under attack on both scientific and philosoplical grounds. Scientific laws assume that a specific set of conditions will unerringly lead to a predetermined outcome.
Howover,studies in the field of physics have demonstrated that the location and speed of minuscule particles such as electrons are the result of random behaviors rather than predictable results determined by pre-existing conditions. As a result of these studies, the principle of indeterminacy was formulated in 1925 by Werner Heisenberg. According to this principle, only the probable behavior of an electron can be predicted. The inability to absolutely predict the behavior of electrons casts doubt on the universal applicability of a natural law of determinism. Philosophically, the principal opposition to determinism emanates from those who see humans as creatures in possession of free will. Human decisions may be influenced by previous events, but the ultimate freedom of humanity may possibly lead to unforeseen choices, those not preordained by preceding events.

piece of eight

The "piece of eight" was the nickname of the spanish "peso," which was the rough equivalent of the American dollar in early America; the peso was acceped coin in much of the Americas,particularly during the period when the stores of Spanish ships were regularly stripped by pirates on the waters off the Americas and "redistributed" throughout coastal towns. The nickname "piece of eight" derived from the fact that the peso was equal to eight "reals" and therefore has the numeral 8 stamped on it. The "piece of eight" was sometimes actually cut into pieces,or bits, and one popular size was one-quarter of a "piece of eight" or two bits. As a consequence,the U.S. quarter of a dollar is sometimes refered to today as two-bits, particularly in the western part of the country. A visitor to that area,if told "It'll be two-bits," should take it that the price of an item is being given.

Jazz

American jazz is a conglomeration of sounds borrowed from such varied sources as American and African folk music,European classical music,and Christian gospel songs. One of the recognizable characteristics of jazz is its use of improvisation:certain parts of the music are written out and played the same way by various performers,and other improvised parts are created spontaneously during a performance and vary widely from performer to performer.
The earliest from of jazz was ragtime,lively songs or rags performed on the piano, and the best-known of the ragtime perfomers and composers was Scott Joplin.Born in 1868 to former slaves, Scott Joplin earned his living from a very early age playing the piano in bars along the Mississippi. One of his regular jobs was in the Maple Leaf Club in Sedalia,Missouri. It was there that he began writing the more than 500 compositions that he was to produce, the most famous of which was "The Maple Leaf Rag."

Solar eclipse

A Solar eclipse occurs when the Moon moves in front of the sun and hides at least some part of the sun from the earth.In a partial eclipse, the Moon covers part of the Sun; in an annular eclipse,the Moon covers the center of the Sun,leaving a bright ring of light around the Moon; in a total eclipse, the Sun is completely covered by the Moon.
It seems rather improbable that a celestial body the size of the Moon could completely block out the tremendously immense Sun, as happens during a total eclipse, but this is exactly what happens. Although the Moon is considerably smaller in size than the Sun,the Moon is able to cover the Sun because of their relative distancds from Earth. A total eclipse can last up to 7 minutes, during which time the Moon's shadow moves across Earth at a rate of about 6 kilometers per second.

The rattlesnake

The rattlesnake has a reputation as a dangerous and deadly snake with a fierce hatred for humanity. Although the rattlesnake is indeed a venomous snake capable of killing a human,its nature has perhaps been somewhat exaggerated in myth and folklore.
The rattlesnake is not inherentlly aggressive and generally strikes only when it has been put on the defensive. In its defensive posture the rattlesnake raised the front part of its body off the ground and assumes an S-shaped form in preparation for a lunge forward. At the end of a forward thrust.
the rattlesnake pushes its fangs into the victim,thereby injecting its venom.
There are more than 30 species fo rattlesnakes, varying in length from 20 inches to 6 feet.In the United States there are only a few deaths annually from rattlesnakes,with a mortality rate
of less than 2 percent of those attached.

Aricle 01

Most people think of deserts as dry,flat areas with little vegetation and title or no rainfall,but this is hardly true. Many deserts have varied geographical formations ranging from soft,rolling hills to stark,jagged cliffs,and most deserts have a permanent source of water.Although deserts do not receive a high amount of rainfall- to be classified as a desert,an area must get less than twently-five centimeters of rain fall per year - there are many plants that thrive on only small amounts of water,and deserts are often full of such plant life.
Desert plants have a variety of mechanisms for obtaining the water needed for survival. some plants , such as cactus,are able to store large amounts of water in their leaves or stems; after a rainfall thest plants absorb a large supply of water to last until the next rainfall. other plants ,such as the mesquite,have extraordinarily deep root systems that allow them to obtain water from far below the desert.s arid surface.