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young. Cubs are weaned when they are about seven months old and will remain with the female until the second summer of their lives. Then, the young bears, especially the males, may travel great distances in search of their own territories. Yearling females frequently settle near their mother’s home range. Young bears are often forced into less preferred habitat. The |
black bear is an intelligent animal with keen senses of smell and hearing. It can detect the slightest aroma of food, which may lead the bear to campsites and near homes. Odor from carelessly stored food and garbage can lure bears long distances. Black bears travel and feed primarily at night, but can be active any time of the day. |
Climatic factors, such as drought, may result in a food shortage, causing bears to travel many miles in search of food. Black bears are generally shy and secretive and usually fearful of humans. However, if they regularly find food near houses and areas of human activity, they can lose their fear of humans. Unlike grizzly bears, black bears are seldom |
aggressive toward humans. Females with cubs tend to have restricted home ranges which average six to 19 square miles, while males move about widely in home ranges of 12 to 60 square miles. The size of a home range varies geographically and often depends on the quality of habitat. Most ranges are used by more than one bear, but specific |
areas are rarely used at the same time. Male and female ranges can overlap, but overlap among the same sex is less common. In their home territories, bears may mark trees (called “bear trees”) along their travel routes by clawing and biting the bark. Black bears are good tree climbers and strong swimmers. They also can run up to 35 |
miles per hour. Black bears are not classified as true hibernators but their body temperature is lowered and heart rate slowed during winter denning. Denning enables bears to overcome unfavorable weather conditions and lack of food during winter. Denning bears do not eat, drink, urinate, or defecate. However, they will usually wake up if disturbed during their winter dormancy. Bears |
commonly den under fallen trees or in brush piles, but varied sites are used, including rocky ledges. Most dens are lined with leaves, grass, or rotted wood. In New Jersey, most bears den from late November through mid-March. Some individuals den for shorter periods. Bears, particularly young bears, may be seen near residential areas. The DEP's response will depend on |
the specifics of each bear situation. The mere presence of a bear does not necessitate its removal. In most cases, if left alone, the bear will make its way to a more natural habitat. Removing food attractants, such as bird feeders, reduces the chance that bears will go near homes. The DEP seldom relocates bears. An exception is the removal |
of a bear from an urban location when there is little likelihood that it can leave safely on its own and when the bear is in a position where it can be safely immobilized. DEP Tranquilizing Teams, consisting of Environmental Conservation Police Officers and wildlife biologists, are trained and equipped to immobilize wildlife. Bears cannot be relocated to another state |
because no other state allows it. Bears that have persistent, serious, negative behavior, such as killing protected livestock or entering buildings, may have to be destroyed. If people do not take precautions, problem behavior by bears can increase, possibly leading to bears being removed or destroyed. If you see a bear: Enjoy it from a distance. Advertise your presence by |
shouting and waving your arms or walk slowly away. Never attempt to feed or attract bears. Bears near your home In wilderness settings bears usually avoid people. But food attractants near homes can cause them to grow habituated to humans and disturbances, such as dogs and other noises. Bears are attracted by bird feeders, garbage, outdoor pet food, compost piles, |
fruit trees, and berry-producing shrubs. If you see a bear on your property you can either leave the bear alone and wait for it to leave or make loud noises from a safe distance to attempt to scare the bear away. Bears seen while hiking or camping Black bear attacks on humans are exceptionally rare. In most hiking areas, bears |
normally leave once they have sensed a human. However, at campsites and campgrounds bears can be attracted by poorly stored food and garbage. If you see a bear when hiking or camping, make your presence known by making noise and waving your arms. If you surprise a bear at close range, walk away slowly while facing the bear. Avoid direct |
eye contact and do not run. Try to stay calm as you make your retreat. Black bears will sometimes "bluff charge" to within a few feet of you when they feel threatened. If this happens, stand your ground and shout at the bear. Do not climb a tree because black bears are excellent tree climbers. Make sure your dog is |
on a leash and under control. Sometimes bears are attracted to food that is prepared outside. Do not cook near your tent or store food inside your tent. Instead, keep your food in a vehicle or use a rope to suspend it 10 or more feet off the ground and at least six feet away from tree trunks. Even clothes |
that you have cooked in should be stored out of a bear’s reach. Bears, livestock, pets, and beehives Bears occasionally attack livestock and damage beehives. Livestock can be protected with electric fencing or by moving them into a secure building at night. Store livestock and pet foods in airtight containers and clean up any spilled feed. Bears may attack sheep, |
You are here Words came easily to Schumann. In his youth he produced unpublished plays and poems and was as well known in his day as an essayist and journalist as he was for his musical compositions. He is still famous for his review of Chopin’s early Variations on ‘La, ci darem la mano’, which contained the often quoted phrase |
“Hat’s off, gentlemen, a genius.” (As a side note, both composer and reviewer were only just entering their 20s, and Chopin was at the time already famous as a performer, so the conventional understanding that Schumann introduced Chopin to the musical public is inaccurate.) Given Schumann’s sensitivity to verbal matters, we should pay close attention to the evocative titles Schumann |
attributed to his compositions. He wrote: “Titles for pieces of music, since they again have come into favor in our day, have been censured here and there, and it has been said that ‘good music needs no signpost.’ Certainly not, but neither does a title rob it of its value; and the composer, in adding one, at least prevents a |
complete misunderstanding of the character of his music. If the poet is licensed to explain the whole meaning of his poem by its title, why may not the composer do likewise? What is important is that such a verbal heading should be significant and apt.” Kinderszenen or as it is usually translated, Scenes from Childhood, was the product of a |
troubled time in the composer’s life. Schumann’s marriage to his beloved Clara would not take place for more than a year and the couple was busy petitioning the courts for permission to marry, over Clara’s father’s objection to the union. Robert had been courting Clara since 1835 and by the time of their eventual marriage in 1840 (the day before |
the bride’s 21st birthday), the couple had known each other for more than 10 years. During this time of courtship, Schumann’s compositions had become more experimental and complex. Their overt emotionalism and unconventional structures were baffling to the average audiences and even controversial to experts. The C-major Fantasy, the Third Sonata (known as the “Concerto without Orchestra”), and Kreisleriana were |
all products of this fertile period. One composition, Kinderszenen, bucked the trend and was a popular best-seller. It remains today an audience favorite. But we shouldn’t fall under the mistaken impression that this is music for children to play or intended for an audience of children. This is music of emotional maturity and sophistication evoking the emotional world of children. |
One is reminded of the famous poem of e.e. cummings which begins: spring when the world is mud- luscious the little whistles far and wee An adult looks back upon, but does not inhabit, a past. The vocabulary may be simple, but what is conveyed is not. Please read over the translations of the titles of the individual movements in |
the program listing, Schumann’s “significant and apt” signposts. And take particular note of the two most obvious intrusions of an adult sensibility into the cycle. The first comes at the emotional and literal heart of the 13 pieces, the seventh and best known, Träumerei, or reverie. And the second comes at the end, when a remarkable shift in tone takes |
place and the voice of the poet is heard in conclusion, suspended in nostalgia. Grant Hiroshima is the Executive Director of a private foundation in Chicago and the former Director of Information Technology for the Los Angeles Philharmonic Association. |
This section is in advanced English and is only intended to be a guide, not to be taken too seriously! With dictionary look up. Double click on any word for its definition. One story of the origins of Valentines Day comes from the time of the Roman Empire, under the rule of Emperor Claudius the Second. Rome was involved in |
many bloody and unpopular military campaigns. Claudius the Cruel, as he was known at the time, was having a difficult time getting soldiers to join his military leagues. He believed that Roman men did not want to leave their loves or families. As a result, Claudius cancelled all marriages and engagements in Rome. During this time a Christian priest named |
Valentine came to defend love in the empire. Valentine began to secretly marry couples despite the emperors orders. When Emperor Claudius was informed of these ceremonies, Valentine was sent to prison where he remained until his death on February 14 in the year 270. The festival is like Christmas a combination of both pagan ritual and a Christian tradition. Another, |
more gruesome, story of its origins is that St. Valentine helped Christians flee the city of Rome during the persecutions, he was tortured to make him renounce his faith and clubbed to death, then beheaded (which seems a bit of overkill) on February 14 AD 273. It is also linked to the pagan festival of Lupercalia, which was celebrated on |
February 15 by young Romans centuries before Christ. The celebration was held in honour of the goddess Februata Juno, and concerned all young people of marriageable age. The names or tokens representing all the young girls in the district were placed in a love urn and the young lads each drew a token and the couples paired off. This was |
a kind of mating lottery game. During the Roman occupation of Britain, the idea was brought to this country and adopted by the ancient Britons. When people were converted to Christianity the pagan and Christian festivals were merged; the festival of Lupercalia was put back a day and celebrated on St. Valentine's day, February 14. The old pagan customs still |
continued and in Britain up to the beginning of the present century it was customary for local lads and lasses to draw lots for partners. In Lancashire, on St. Valentine's eve, the names of eligible young people were written on separate slips of paper and divided into two groups, male and female. The boys drew a slip from the girls' |
pile and vice versa. Thus each person received two sweethearts and then had to work out for themselves the most satisfactory arrangement. After the final selection had been made the boys treated their maidens to all sorts of outings and surprises including dances and gifts. In Saxon England and after, on St. Valentine's day it was customary for a boy |
to give the girl of his choice a love token, usually a pair of gloves. The glove was a sign of authority in olden times. In Norwich, years ago, it was the general custom to give presents on St. Valentine's eve and packages containing all kinds of gifts were laid on doorsteps all over the city. They were anonymous and |
usually just bore the message "a Good-morrow to you Valentine". It was normal practice to ring or knock on the door after depositing the package and then disappear. Some parcels contained valuable presents while others were given as a kind of joke, being wrapped in many layers of paper punctuated at intervals by little notes of encouragement such as "Never |
despair". It was not until the 15thC that the first greeting card was produced because, until that time, parchment was scarce and the majority of people were illiterate. The forerunner of the paper Valentine was first seen in the 17th C and the first printed Valentine may have been the title page of a book of verses published in 1669 |
entitled A Valentine Writer. With the introduction of the penny postage and the use of envelopes in 1840 the popularity of the Valentine card increased. The Valentine card took on a much more delicate form in Victorian times. It was often made out of lace paper, velvet and satin ribbons, embossed with the best quality material. These cards often had |
trick or secret panels in them, hiding secret messages to the girls concerned. Messages were also often hidden under folds of lace or ribbons. This was because Victorian fathers were very strict and would not allow their daughters to receive any sort of correspondence unless they had first read it and decided whether or not it was suitable. Later the |
traditional card printed its love messages in the form of a verse similar to those repeated by people centuries before. In 1872 the Post Office declared that parcels not exceeding 12 ounces in weight could be sent by letter post. This news meant that in Norwich alone two days before St. Valentine's eve 150,000 letters containing small gifts were sent |
through the post. From that time, the custom of leaving presents on doorsteps decreased in importance. However, giving Valentine presents in Norwich continued through the purchase of gifts for the office, domestic and personal use. Local papers advertised, wall placards advertised and the town criers, too, advertised by ringing bells and shouting the advantages of buying gifts at certain local |
stores. The presents sent in a secret manner included oranges, work boxes, squeaking dolls, silver pencils and holders, books and various trinkets. In other parts of Britain, presents were also distributed: in Peterborough, sweet plum buns called Valentine Buns were made and eaten; in Uppingham, gingerbread was given to lovers; in Rutland, buns shaped like a weaver's shuttle and called |
a Plum Shuttles' were made and are still being made for children on this day. Weaving and lace-making were cottage industries in that area. The aristocracy, in the 17th C, often drew names for Valentines and the pairing lasted until the next Valentine day. Gifts were expected by the ladies and often expensive gifts such as silk stockings, garters, jewelry |
and perfume were given. The censorship of strict Victorian fathers and the element of mystery and surprise experienced by those who in former times played the lottery pairing game has undoubtedly contributed to the reason why Valentine cards are, by tradition, anonymous. The custom of sending Valentine cards almost came to an end in the early part of the present |
century. However, in the thirties it was revived and has now been highly commercialised. The early hand engraved and painted Valentine cards are collector's items and are often displayed in libraries and museums during the season of Valentine's Day. Gifts have always been a traditional aspect of the lovers' holiday. As a tradition in Wales, wooden love spoons are carved |
and given as gifts. Hearts, keys and keyholes are favorite decorations on the spoons, meaning "You unlock my heart." Today Valentine's cards are sent anonymously by a 'secret admirer', a common practice is to put a personal message in the local or national newspapers. Flowers are the most common gift given, a dozen red roses or (more romantically and cheaper) |
just one red rose. It is just as common for a woman to send a man a message of undying love, especially during a leap year, and on Valentine's Day in a leap year it is the custom for women to ask their boyfriend or partner to marry them! So watch out! Several Valentine's Day superstitions have even made their |
way into our modern-day vocabularies. For example, in the Middle Ages, young men and women drew names from a bowl to see who their valentines would be. They would wear these names on their sleeves for one week, and "to wear your heart on your sleeve" now means that it is easy for other people to know how you are |
feeling. Other Valentine's Day superstitions revolve around predicting who you're going to marry. Some people used to believe that the first bird a single woman saw on Valentine's Day would give her an indication of the kind of man she'd marry. If a woman saw a robin flying overhead on Valentine's Day, it meant she would marry a sailor. If |
she saw a sparrow, she would marry a poor man and be very happy. And if she witnessed a goldfinch flying above, she would marry a millionaire. I dread to think what it would mean if you saw a vulture, luckily they're not common round these parts. These superstitions probably come from the belief that birds, particularly lovebirds, began to |
mate on February 14th. Although not directly related to Valentine's Day, similar modern-day superstitions deal with love and predicting future marriage partners. According to tradition, thinking of five or six names of boys or girls one may like to marry and twisting the stem of an apple until it falls off will reveal a future spouse. The person whose name |
was being said when the stem fell off is the future winner of a set of marriage vows. The number of children a person will have can also be superstitiously predicted by blowing the seeds of a dandelion into the wind. The number of seeds remaining on the stem reveal the number of children the person will have. Valentine's Day |
Controversy Valentine's Day has become a popular celebration in many parts of the world. I mean, who wouldn't want to celebrate love and marriage? Unfortunately not everyone is happy about this. Every year the fun police in many parts of the world issue warnings and edicts to young people who wish to celebrate this "Pagan Christian ritual". Thank goodness my |
vicar never warned me against the sins of celebrating Diwali, the Chinese New Year or Eid. Just remember, keep safe, and you can celebrate it in your heart. |Engagements and Proposals| "Roses are red, If all this talk of romance has inspired you to write your own love sonnet, you can send your sweetheart a Valentine's Day card using one |
SPECIAL OFFER: - Limited Time Only! (The ad below will not display on your printed page) You will be making your bird pinata out of papier-mache. Ours is made of strips of newspaper soaked in a flour-and-water mixture. When the papier-mache dries, it will be very hard.What You Need: 1. Download the free patterns for this project. (Downloading requires Adobe Acrobat software.) 2. Blow |
up the balloon and tie it. With a black marker, draw a circle on the bottom, about 3 inches in diameter, to help you remember to leave this hole uncovered. 3. Tear or cut the newspaper into strips that are about 1-1/2 inches wide. You will need enough strips to cover the balloon with three layers. 4. Pour 1 cup of water into your |
container. Add 1 cup of flour to the water (always add the flour to the water). Mix the water and flour until it is thick like gravy, adding more flour if needed. 5. Dip each strip of newspaper into the flour mixture and put it directly onto the balloon. Cover the entire balloon with strips of paper going in all directions, except leave the |
circle you marked uncovered. Let this layer dry. 6. After the first layer is dry, make the eyes. Wad up two little pieces of newspaper about the size of a Ping-Pong ball. Tape these to the dry papier-mache with masking tape where you want the eyes to be. Now start the second layer of papier-mache by dipping the newspaper into the flour mixture and |
placing it over the eyes and all over the balloon. Do not cover the area marked with the circle. Allow this layer to dry. 7. If you want your pinata to be extra-strong, apply a third coat. Always be sure to leave the circle uncovered. The balloon may begin to shrink a little, but that is all right. 8. After the last layer is |
dry, pop the balloon -- this is fun! Reach in the hole and pull out the remains of the balloon. Fill the papier-mache sphere with wrapped candies and tape over the hole securely with masking tape. 9. Using the white paint, paint the eyes. Put a black dot in the middle of the eye with a white dot highlight. Using black paint, paint a |
large circle in the center of the pinata. This is where the beak will go after the tissue paper is on the pinata. 10. Cut the tissue paper into squares that are about 2x2 inches square. It doesn't matter if these are cut perfectly. The size can vary a little. You will need a lot of these squares (at least 100), so cut several |
of them at once. With good scissors, you can layer at least five or six pieces of tissue paper at a time and cut through all of the layers. 11. Mark a 3-inch circle where you painted the black paint. You will not cover this part, because the beak will go here when you are done. Also, leave an area without tissue paper at |
the bottom of the bird where the tape is (about a 3-inch circle), so you can glue the feet to the bottom of the bird. 12. You are now ready to cover your pinata with tissue squares. To make your fluffy tissue feathers, put some glue on a disposable plate. Using the eraser end of the pencil, wrap a tissue square around the pencil |
and dip it into the glue. Put the pencil with the tissue and glue onto the pinata. Do this again and again (and again!), placing the little pieces close together. It will take a lot of time to cover the whole balloon. Remember to leave the spots for the beak and feet. 13. Trace the beak and feet patterns onto typing paper and cut |
out. Lay these patterns onto the orange paper and cut out two feet and two beak pieces. 14. Fold the beak pieces as marked on the pattern. Glue the beak pieces on the pinata on the black paint that you left without tissue paper. Glue the feet to the bottom of the bird where you left a spot. Glue some feathers on top of |
America: History & Life The America: History and Life database covers United States and Canadian history and culture from prehistoric times to the present. Each year over 1,700 journal titles |
published worldwide are scanned for relevant articles and book/media reviews of special interest to historians of United States and Canadian history and related fields. Annually, over 16,000 new abstracts and |
citations to journal articles, book/media reviews, and dissertations are added to the database. It provides strong English-language journal coverage balanced by an international perspective on topics and events covered. Subject |
areas: American History, Canadian History, Popular Culture, American Studies, Literature/Folklore, Genealogy, Women's Studies/Gender Studies, Multicultural Studies, Interdisciplinary Studies, Anthropology, Sociology, History of Science, Economics, Business, Education, Music, Art, and Law. |
Help is available via a link in the upper right corner of every screen. For help using these indexes see: How do I find an article on my topic? User |
tools and features Journal articles, book/media reviews, and dissertations. Type of coverage Indexing with abstracts and citations with links to JSTOR and other full text resources. Print counterpart or America: |
Eating local means more for the local economy. According to a study by the New Economics Foundation in London, a dollar spent locally generates twice as much income for the local economy. When businesses are not owned locally, money leaves |
the community at every transaction. (reference) Locally grown produce is fresher. While produce that is purchased in the supermarket or a big-box store has been in transit or cold-stored for days or weeks, produce that you purchase at your local |
farmer's market has often been picked within 24 hours of your purchase. This freshness not only affects the taste of your food, but the nutritional value which declines with time. Local food just plain tastes better. Ever tried a tomato |
that was picked within 24 hours? 'Nuff said. Locally grown fruits and vegetables have longer to ripen. Because the produce will be handled less, locally grown fruit does not have to be "rugged" or to stand up to the rigors |
of shipping. This means that you are going to be getting peaches so ripe that they fall apart as you eat them, figs that would have been smashed to bits if they were sold using traditional methods, and melons that |
were allowed to ripen until the last possible minute on the vine. Eating local is better for air quality and pollution than eating organic. In a March 2005 study by the journal Food Policy, it was found that the miles |
that organic food often travels to our plate creates environmental damage that outweighs the benefit of buying organic. (reference) Buying local food keeps us in touch with the seasons. By eating with the seasons, we are eating foods when they |
are at their peak taste, are the most abundant, and the least expensive. Buying locally grown food is fodder for a wonderful story. Whether it's the farmer who brings local apples to market or the baker who makes local bread, |
knowing part of the story about your food is such a powerful part of enjoying a meal. Eating local protects us from bio-terrorism. Food with less distance to travel from farm to plate has less susceptibility to harmful contamination. (reference) |
Local food translates to more variety. When a farmer is producing food that will not travel a long distance, will have a shorter shelf life, and does not have a high-yield demand, the farmer is free to try small crops |
of various fruits and vegetables that would probably never make it to a large supermarket. Supermarkets are interested in selling "Name brand" fruit: Romaine Lettuce, Red Delicious Apples, Russet Potatoes. Local producers often play with their crops from year to |
year, trying out Little Gem Lettuce, Senshu Apples, and Chieftain Potatoes. Supporting local providers supports responsible land development. When you buy local, you give those with local open space - farms and pastures - an economic reason to stay open |
The most common method of thinking in the Western world is verbal thinking. Although we have a range of intelligences including numerical, musical, spatial, emotional, verbal and kinaesthetic intelligences, it is verbal intelligence that we depend on most. We tend |
to think and express ourselves in words. It can be argued that mastery of the use of words and verbal intelligence is the most important skill we develop because acquiring further skills depends on our comprehension of language. A tremendous |
proportion of the early learning for an infant is in developing verbal skills – learning to speak, to understand speech, to read and to write. Whether a baby is brought up in Beijing, Madrid, Sydney or Moscow it will surely |
spend thousands of hours acquiring expertise in its native language. He or she will become proficient with the amazing range, power, complexity and sophisticated subtleties of language. However, once a certain competence has been acquired most people stop developing verbal |
skills. Studies have shown that there is a strong correlation between people’s abilities with words and range of vocabulary and with success in their chosen fields. People who can express themselves clearly are perceived as more intelligent and higher status. |
They are accorded greater respect. So why do we not continue to enhance our verbal skills? Why do we stop doing what we spent most of our early years doing? The trouble is that we take our verbal abilities for |
granted. Once we have mastered reading, writing and speaking we move on to other things. We have acquired the most important tool in our mental toolbox. We depend on it for all sorts of tasks but we rarely sharpen it. |
It makes better sense to maintain, enhance and extend the tool. Here are some ways we can do that. 1. Get a good dictionary and thesaurus Two of the most loyal companions on your desk should be a dictionary and |
a thesaurus. Use the dictionary to learn the meanings and derivations of new words you encounter. Also use it to check the exact meanings and spellings of words that you are not sure of. The thesaurus is very helpful whenever |
you are writing and need an alternative to a word in order to avoid repetition or to achieve a variation in meaning. Your computer probably offers a spellchecker and a thesaurus so by all means use them but they should |
be seen as handy digital aids to be used alongside the mighty physical volumes. It may seem silly to advise someone who is reading this text that they should read, but in the modern world we are so busy with |
work and we are bombarded with so much information by TV broadcast, telephone and internet that reading books and articles can be squeezed out of our agenda. Reading the works of really good writers is one of the best ways |
to develop our abilities with words. Modern and classic novels, leading non-fiction books and top quality newspaper and magazine articles are all important sources for us. How often do you find time to read poetry? Try some new poems and |
re-read old favourites for inspiration and appreciation of the sublime skills of the poet. Reading works that are well written helps at two levels. It will increase our understanding of concepts and our acquisition of knowledge and at the same |
time it helps develop our core skills at comprehension, vocabulary and expression. Most of our reading should be speed reading so that we are taking in the information rapidly. There are various books and courses on speed reading. However, when |
we occasionally encounter a piece of text which is extremely cogent or well written we should re-read it, taking time to examine what it is that makes it so successful. We should savour the words and metaphors that the author |
uses, analyse his or her arguments, underline the key points and perhaps make a note to mimic some of this style in our own writing. If you are fortunate enough to have a partner who likes reading then try reading |
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