Vol. I, Is. 5: Treasure Island... and more!
Treasure Island, Darwin's Journals, Alexander the Great, "Pecos Bill," "Going to St. Ives"
Welcome to Volume I, Issue 5, of The Jim Bucket List, an encyclopedic look at the things that "everybody ought to know"!
Today's topics:
LITERATURE: Treasure Island
TIDBITS: Common Mistakes
SCIENCE: The Journals of Charles Darwin
TIDBITS: Fun with Words: Pangrams
HISTORY: Alexander the Great
TIDBITS: Truly Trivial
FOR YOUNG READERS: "Pecos Bill," American Folk Hero
READ-ALOUD-RHYME: "Going to Saint Ives"
A WORD TO THE WISE: "Look before you leap"
VOCABULARY BUILDER: economy
THIS WEEK'S BIRTHDAYS: Nov. 29-Dec. 5
Let's go!
LITERATURE: Treasure Island
Listen to the audio of this article:
Treasure Island
The Pirates of the Caribbean series of films--and many, many other books, films, and TV shows besides, as well as the ride at Disneyland--trace their origins to a common ancestor, the Scottish writer Robert Louis Stevenson's 1883 Treasure Island, with its captivating villain, a pirate named Long John Silver.
Young Jim Hawkins works at his mother's inn in England. One night an old "sea dog" named Billy Bones lodges there, and tells Jim to watch out for "a one-legged seafaring man." Some of Bones's former confederates attack him and are run off, but Bones dies of a stroke. Jim and his mother take some of Bones's cash to cover his rent, and a mysterious packet that was in his sea chest.
In the packet, they find the map of an island where the notorious Captain Flint is said to have hidden his treasure. They seek the help of the local physician and a nobleman, who form an expedition under a Captain Smollett to recover the loot. Jim will go along as cabin boy.
Unfortunately, many of the sailors recruited for the voyage are former "mates" of Captain Flint. One of these, a one-legged cook with a parrot on his shoulder, is Long John Silver himself. Jim overhears the confederates' plan to mutiny after the treasure is recovered, and reports it to the captain.
On the island, Jim meets a marooned pirate named Ben Gunn. The pirates attack Smollett's men, who take refuge in an old stockade, but Jim reaches the ship and sets it adrift. With the help of a man on board, Israel Hands, Jim sails the ship to the other side of the island, but then Hands tries and fails to kill the boy.
Back ashore, Jim returns to the stockade, only to find that Silver and his men now occupy it; they also now have possession of the map.
When Silver and the other pirates find the site of the treasure--with Jim in tow--old Ben Gunn makes noises that cause the pirates to think the site is haunted. They discover the treasure is gone: it had been removed years before by Gunn, who has hidden it in a cave. The "good guys" capture the pirates, remove the treasure to the ship, and sail away, with Silver and his men in chains.
But at their first stop, still in Spanish America, Silver escapes with some of the loot. The party returns to England and divides up what they have recovered.
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PRACTICE:
Vocabulary: Match the words to their meaning. Answers below.
1. adrift
2. captivating
3. in tow
4. loot
5. marooned
6. mutiny
7. notorious
8. recruited
9. seafaring
10. trace
A. left behind; stranded
B. being taken along
C. rebel against a ship captain
D. not tied down
E. infamous; famous for being bad
F. follow back in history
G. signed up for service
H. fascinating; attractive
I. riches gotten illegally
J. traveling on the ocean
QUESTIONS TO ANSWER
Answer the following questions in your own words. Suggested answers below.
What influence has Treasure Island had on popular entertainment?
How did Jim Hawkins get involved in this pirate adventure?
What was wrong with the sailors recruited for the voyage to find the treasure?
Who helps Jim and his shipmates on the island?
What happens to Long John Silver?
QUESTIONS TO THINK ABOUT:
These questions do not have "right" or "wrong" answers. They only ask your opinion.
Why do we find stories of buried treasure so fascinating?
Long John Silver is the "bad guy." Why do Jim (and countless readers of the book) find him so captivating?
What kind of life do you think Jim might have had after returning to England?
TIDBITS: Common Mistakes
WRONG: If you think I'm giving up that easily, you have another thing coming.
RIGHT: If you think I'm giving up that easily, you have another think coming.
MEANING: You are wrong.
TIP: Think of "think" here as meaning "thought."
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WRONG: Joe has started coming to work late. We need to nip this in the butt.
RIGHT: Joe has started coming to work late. We need to nip this in the bud.
MEANING: Stop something before it becomes worse.
TIP: The "bud" is the earliest stage of the flower; "nip" it at that stage, and it will never fully blossom.
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WRONG: When the scandal broke, his campaign was over for all intensive purposes.
RIGHT: When the scandal broke, his campaign was over for all intents and purposes.
MEANING: in effect; perhaps not actually (yet), but might as well be
TIP: "Intents and purposes" means something like "plans and reasons." They are *two things, not an adjective and a noun.
SCIENCE: The Journals of Charles Darwin
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The Journals of Charles Darwin
[Introduction] Whenever we see someone who is an "overnight success," we need to ask ourselves how many years of work went into achieving that status.
Such is the case with Charles Darwin, the world's most famous biologist. He stunned the world in 1859 with the publication of On the Origin of Species by Means of Natural Selection, or the Preservation of Favoured Races in the Struggle for Life. That, and the follow-up The Descent of Man, and Selection in Relation to Sex in 1871, caused a furor that has never died down. But he actually had been publishing treatises and monographs for years, the earliest in 1829--fully thirty years before the Origin of Species, and even before his voyage on the ship HMS Beagle.
One of the most readable of his works, and the first of his books per se (after appearing in parts), was originally titled Journal and Remarks (1839), though we often call it The Voyage of the Beagle. It is a record of Darwin's voyage around the world aboard the Beagle (December 27, 1831, to October 2, 1836). As a geologist and naturalist, he was tasked with making observations and collecting specimens--work that led directly to his theory of evolution. He was also to serve as companion to the ship's arrogant and somewhat fundamentalist captain, Robert FitzRoy, with whom he often argued about theories.
The Voyage of the Beagle brought Darwin some fame (though it didn't cause anything like the stir created by Origin of Species). Furthermore, it gives us a glimpse into the workings of his mind in addition to observations of "untouched" places before they were affected by the long arm of "civilization."
Darwin once said, "The journey on the Beagle was, by far, the most important event in my life, and shaped my whole career."
Aside from his keen powers of observation, Darwin was also a superb writer (which I'm sure is responsible for no small measure of his success). Rather than attempt to summarize what he wrote in his journals, I'd rather share selected direct quotes, with just the minimum of commentary. Enjoy!
A note for readers: Darwin's writing, while elegant, is that of a well-educated person of the 19th century, and may be difficult for some modern readers. One way to approach this is to "slow read" one passage, again and again, until its full meaning sinks in, before moving on to the next one.
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[1] Early in the journey we experience some of the rich poetry in Darwin's writing. Here he reflects on the phenomenon called bioluminescence, and ties it in to the works of John Milton, author of Paradise Lost. (Milton's work was the only personal book Darwin brought along when he made land excursions away from the Beagle.)
The night was pitch dark, with a fresh breeze.-- The sea from its extreme luminousness presented a wonderful -- most beautiful appearance; every part of the water, which by day is seen as foam, glowed with a pale light. The vessel drove before her bows two billows of liquid phosphorus, -- in her wake was a milky train.-- As far as the eye reached, the crest of every wave was bright; -- from the reflected light, the sky just above the horizon was not so utterly dark as the rest of the Heavens.-- It was impossible to behold this plain of matter, as it were melted -- consuming by heat, without being reminded of Miltons description of the regions of Chaos and Anarchy. (Chapter V -- Bahia Blanca)
[2] Here Darwin reflects on the effect of colonists on what we would now call the "ecology" of South America:
...few countries have undergone more remarkable changes, since the year 1535, when the first colonist of La Plata landed with seventy-two horses. The countless herds of horses, cattle, and sheep, not only have altered the whole aspect of the vegetation, but they have almost banished the guanaco, deer, and ostrich. Numberless other changes must likewise have taken place; the wild pig in some parts probably replaces the peccari; packs of wild dogs may be heard howling on the wooded banks of the less-frequented streams; and the common cat, altered into a large and fierce animal, inhabits rocky hills. (Chapter VI -- Bahia Blanca to Buenos Aires)
[3] Darwin sees a natural connection between the dwindling population of a species and its extinction, pointing out that calling on the hand of an "extraordinary agent" is unnecessary:
To admit that species generally become rare before they become extinct--to feel no surprise at the comparative rarity of one species with another, and yet to call in some extraordinary agent and to marvel greatly when a species ceases to exist, appears to me much the same as to admit that sickness in the individual is the prelude to death--to feel no surprise at sickness--but when the sick man dies to wonder, and to believe that he died through violence. (Chapter VIII -- Banda Oriental and Patagonia)
[4a] In one of my favorite passages in the book, Darwin describes his experience in an earthquake in Valdivia, Chile, on February 20th, 1835 (known as "the 1835 Concepción earthquake"). Here is his full journal entry for that day:
This day has been memorable in the annals of Valdivia, for the most severe earthquake experienced by the oldest inhabitant. I happened to be on shore, and was lying down in the wood to rest myself. It came on suddenly, and lasted two minutes, but the time appeared much longer. The rocking of the ground was very sensible. The undulations appeared to my companion and myself to come from due east, whilst others thought they proceeded from south-west: this shows how difficult it sometimes is to perceive the directions of the vibrations. There was no difficulty in standing upright, but the motion made me almost giddy: it was something like the movement of a vessel in a little cross-ripple, or still more like that felt by a person skating over thin ice, which bends under the weight of his body. A bad earthquake at once destroys our oldest associations: the earth, the very emblem of solidity, has moved beneath our feet like a thin crust over a fluid;--one second of time has created in the mind a strange idea of insecurity, which hours of reflection would not have produced. In the forest, as a breeze moved the trees, I felt only the earth tremble, but saw no other effect. Captain Fitz Roy and some officers were at the town during the shock, and there the scene was more striking; for although the houses, from being built of wood, did not fall, they were violently shaken, and the boards creaked and rattled together. The people rushed out of doors in the greatest alarm. It is these accompaniments that create that perfect horror of earthquakes, experienced by all who have thus seen, as well as felt, their effects. Within the forest it was a deeply interesting, but by no means an awe-exciting phenomenon. The tides were very curiously affected. The great shock took place at the time of low water; and an old woman who was on the beach told me that the water flowed very quickly, but not in great waves, to high-water mark, and then as quickly returned to its proper level; this was also evident by the line of wet sand. The same kind of quick but quiet movement in the tide happened a few years since at Chiloe, during a slight earthquake, and created much causeless alarm. In the course of the evening there were many weaker shocks, which seemed to produce in the harbour the most complicated currents, and some of great strength. (Chapter XIV -- Chiloe and Concepcion: Great Earthquake)
[4b] The changes wrought by the quake helped Darwin realize that the prevailing theory of gradualism--the idea that the earth changed through processes over long periods of time--was not always so; change was sometimes quite sudden. Here's part of his next entry, for March 4th:
The island [of Quiriquina, up the coast from Valdivia] itself as plainly showed the overwhelming power of the earthquake, as the beach did that of the consequent great wave. The ground in many parts was fissured in north and south lines, perhaps caused by the yielding of the parallel and steep sides of this narrow island. Some of the fissures near the cliffs were a yard wide. Many enormous masses had already fallen on the beach; and the inhabitants thought that when the rains commenced far greater slips would happen. The effect of the vibration on the hard primary slate, which composes the foundation of the island, was still more curious: the superficial parts of some narrow ridges were as completely shivered as if they had been blasted by gunpowder. This effect, which was rendered conspicuous by the fresh fractures and displaced soil, must be confined to near the surface, for otherwise there would not exist a block of solid rock throughout Chile; nor is this improbable, as it is known that the surface of a vibrating body is affected differently from the central part. It is, perhaps, owing to this same reason, that earthquakes do not cause quite such terrific havoc within deep mines as would be expected. I believe this convulsion has been more effectual in lessening the size of the island of Quiriquina, than the ordinary wear-and-tear of the sea and weather during the course of a whole century. (Chapter XIV -- Chiloe and Concepcion: Great Earthquake)
[5] In a later chapter, we see Darwin's curious mind unable to fathom why others were not as curious about their world as he was:
My geological examination of the country generally created a good deal of surprise amongst the Chilenos: it was long before they could be convinced that I was not hunting for mines. This was sometimes troublesome: I found the most ready way of explaining my employment, was to ask them how it was that they themselves were not curious concerning earthquakes and volcanos? – why some springs were hot and others cold? – why there were mountains in Chile, and not a hill in La Plata? These bare questions at once satisfied and silenced the greater number; some, however (like a few in England who are a century behind hand), thought that all such inquiries were useless and impious; and that it was quite sufficient that God had thus made the mountains. (Chapter XVI -- Northern Chile and Peru)
[6] Darwin finds wonder in the mighty works of the smallest things: a coral reef is built by a colony of polyps just a few millimeters in diameter and a few centimeters high. Yet their work can stand against the eroding action of waves and be rebuilt after the destructive action of hurricanes:
It is impossible to behold these waves without feeling a conviction that an island, though built of the hardest rock, let it be porphyry, granite, or quartz, would ultimately yield and be demolished by such an irresistible power. Yet these low, insignificant coral-islets stand and are victorious: for here another power, as an antagonist, takes part in the contest. The organic forces separate the atoms of carbonate of lime, one by one, from the foaming breakers, and unite them into a symmetrical structure. Let the hurricane tear up its thousand huge fragments; yet what will that tell against the accumulated labour of myriads of architects at work night and day, month after month? [...] We feel surprise when travellers tell us of the vast dimensions of the Pyramids and other great ruins, but how utterly insignificant are the greatest of these, when compared to these mountains of stone accumulated by the agency of various minute and tender animals! This is a wonder which does not at first strike the eye of the body, but, after reflection, the eye of reason. (Chapter XX -- Keeling Island: Coral Formations)
[7] In this passage Darwin turns his formidable intellect on one of the most pressing social problems of the day: slavery. Though his legacy appears complex through the lens of history--he regularly refers to aboriginal peoples as "savages," for example--he was an ardent abolitionist, as seen here ("palliate," by the way, means "excuse" or "lessen the effect of"):
It is often attempted to palliate slavery by comparing the state of slaves with our poorer countrymen: if the misery of our poor be caused not by the laws of nature, but by our institutions, great is our sin; but how this bears on slavery, I cannot see; as well might the use of the thumb-screw be defended in one land, by showing that men in another land suffered from some dreadful disease. Those who look tenderly at the slave owner, and with a cold heart at the slave, never seem to put themselves into the position of the latter; what a cheerless prospect, with not even a hope of change! picture to yourself the chance, ever hanging over you, of your wife and your little children -- those objects which nature urges even the slave to call his own -- being torn from you and sold like beasts to the first bidder! And these deeds are done and palliated by men, who profess to love their neighbours as themselves, who believe in God, and pray that his Will be done on earth! It makes one's blood boil, yet heart tremble, to think that we Englishmen and our American descendants, with their boastful cry of liberty, have been and are so guilty... (Chapter XXI -- Mauritius to England)
[8] Darwin was on the path to become a minister when he took ship on the Beagle, and Christians have made claims of a "deathbed" recanting of his theories (he did not do so). The Voyage makes frequent reference to "God," but in this passage we see that there is something else at work here--"the God of Nature"--although he affirms that humans are more than just material beings:
Among the scenes which are deeply impressed on my mind, none exceed in sublimity the primeval forests undefaced by the hand of man; whether those of Brazil, where the powers of Life are predominant, or those of Tierra del Fuego, where Death and decay prevail. Both are temples filled with the varied productions of the God of Nature: -- no one can stand in these solitudes unmoved, and not feel that there is more in man than the mere breath of his body. (Chapter XXI -- Mauritius to England)
[9] A final thought on our "small world," from the concluding paragraphs of the book:
There are several other sources of enjoyment in a long voyage, which are of a more reasonable nature. The map of the world ceases to be a blank; it becomes a picture full of the most varied and animated figures. Each part assumes its proper dimensions: continents are not looked at in the light of islands, or islands considered as mere specks, which are, in truth, larger than many kingdoms of Europe. Africa, or North and South America, are well-sounding names, and easily pronounced; but it is not until having sailed for weeks along small portions of their shores, that one is thoroughly convinced what vast spaces on our immense world these names imply. (Chapter XXI -- Mauritius to England)
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The Voyage of the Beagle is easily found online; I encourage you to locate it and read large portions. It's a delight.
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PRACTICE:
Vocabulary: Match the words to their meaning. Answers below.
1. accumulated
2. bows
3. conviction
4. displaced
5. glimpse
6. horizon
7. overwhelming
8. preservation
9. prevail
10. reflection
11. rendered
12. tender
13. utterly
14. vessel
15. yield
A. soft; delicate
B. a brief look
C. made (sometimes, made visible)
D. the front end of a ship
E. a firm belief
F. careful consideration; deep thinking
G. unable to be withstood
H. moved from its proper place
I. give way; submit
J. " win"; appear widely
K. the act of keeping something in existence
L. taken together; total
M. boat; ship
N. the seeming line between the earth and sky
O. completely; absolutely
QUESTIONS TO ANSWER
Answer the following questions. Correct answers are given below. Each question is labeled to match a passage above.
[Introduction] Which of these was Darwin's first book?
A. On the Origin of Species
B. The Voyage of the Beagle
C. The Descent of Man
D. Paradise Lost
[1] What reminds Darwin of "the regions of Chaos and Anarchy"?
A. the bow of his ship
B. the horizon
C. the crest of every wave
D. shining organisms in the water
[2] Which is NOT one of the animals introduced to the ecology of South America by the colonists?
A. horses
B. sheep
C. deer
D. pigs
[3] Darwin says extinction is like:
A. a sick man dying of illness.
B. one species being rarer than another.
C. an extraordinary agent.
D. a sick man dying through violence.
[4a] Which of these did Darwin NOT experience in the earthquake in Valdivia?
A. the rocking of the ground
B. difficulty in standing upright
C. feeling almost giddy
D. a breeze moving the trees
[4b] What conclusion did Darwin reach about the earthquake after visiting Quiriquina Island?
A. It had been blasted by gunpowder.
B. The surface was affected more than the deeper layers of rock.
C. There were fissures in the yard.
D. They caused terrific havoc in deep mines.
[5] What did Darwin notice about the "Chilenos" (the people of Chile)?
A. They preferred hot springs to cold.
B. They there were mountains in Chile.
C. They were hunting for mines.
D. They were not curious about their world.
[6] Darwin was amazed that:
A. tiny, soft creatures could build something that withstood the power of waves.
B. hurricanes could tear up a coral reef.
C. islands made of rock could be destroyed by waves.
D. travelers talked about the size of the Pyramids.
[7] Darwin was opposed to slavery. He felt slavery was:
A. appropriately compared to poverty.
B. the right thing for Christians to do.
C. something to get angry about.
D. caused by the laws of nature.
[8] True or False: Darwin felt that humans were just breathing machines.
[9] Darwin felt that:
A. islands were bigger than continents.
B. only by travelling can you realize how big the world is.
C. the kingdoms of Europe were the biggest things on earth.
D. the map of the world is blank.
QUESTIONS TO THINK ABOUT:
These questions do not have "right" or "wrong" answers. They only ask your opinion.
1. Do you think Darwin was a "religious" man?
2. How do you think Darwin felt about the colonizing of South America?
3. Why were people so upset at the idea that humans descended from other forms of life on earth?
TIDBITS: Fun with Words: Pangrams
Question: What do you notice about these sentences?
Waltz, bad nymph, for quick jigs vex.
Sphinx of black quartz, judge my vow.
The five boxing wizards jump quickly.
Got it? Each one contains all 26 letters of the alphabet!
"Pangram" kind of means "all writing"; when we write a pangram, we write all the letters.
This one is very famous, and was used to practice typing (now keyboarding), and also for displaying different typefaces or fonts.
The quick brown fox jumps over the lazy dog.
You'll notice that "The quick brown fox..." is slightly longer than the others; keeping it short is considered a virtue in writing pangrams.
So is there any such thing as a perfect pangram, one that uses only the 26 letters? (This is, in reality, an anagram of the entire alphabet.)
A few have been tried, but most of them make no sense at all. Here's the only coherent one I've found:
Mr. Jock, TV quiz PhD, bags few lynx.
And even that one is pretty weird!
HISTORY: Alexander the Great
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Alexander the Great
Though you may not realize it, you have certainly heard of Alexander III of Macedon (356 BCE-323 BCE), but it was probably under his sobriquet: "Alexander the Great."
Much is known of this regional king who came to conquer much of the known world, from Greece to India and modern Pakistan, creating one of the largest empires in the ancient world that included parts of three continents (Europe, Asia, and Africa). But what is not known has been filled in by colorful legends, many of them developed in the Middle Ages.
We know that he was the son of Philip II (whose grave was discovered in recent years). After being tutored until age 16 by the philosopher Aristotle, Alexander became king at age 20, upon his father's death. By age 30 he had completed his conquests, remaining undefeated; legend says that he wept that "there were no more worlds to conquer." (Julius Caesar, in turn, is said to have wept when he saw a statue of Alexander, because Caesar had not matched up to Alexander's achievements.)
Alexander turned back toward Greece only when his troops refused to go any farther, and died at age 32 in Babylon, where he would have established his capital. After his death, the empire rather quickly broke up, but the influence of Greek culture was to last for centuries. For example, although Palestine in the time of Jesus was a Roman colony, the Christian Bible is written in a dialect of Greek--a vestige of Alexander's influence. The style of Greek sculpture can be seen in Buddhist images from central Asia. And Alexandria in Egypt (where Euclid was born) is but one of around 20 cities named for the young conqueror.
Beginning shortly after Alexander's death, a collection of legends began to coalesce, culminating in The Alexander Romance. It was first written down in Greek sometime before 338 CE (long after Alexander's demise), and embroidered through the ages as late as the 16th century in numerous languages, from Greek and Latin through the vernaculars of Western Europe, as well as Slavonic, Hungarian, Arabic, Persian, Ethiopic, Hebrew, Turkish, and even Mongolian. It purported to be a "true" account of Alexander's exploits. In fact, it was just a framework on which was hung a number of traditional tales, some of them based on more genuine works.
The Romance contains, for example, a "first person account" of Alexander's (fictional) meeting with the "King of China." This potentate schooled the young conqueror in the virtue of humility, saying, "If your own luck turns against you, your name and power will perish. Fortune never settles in one place; instead, men make plans and seize countries, but, in the end, everything is taken from us by death. All we have left is a plot of land the size of this cloak," at which he handed Alexander a cloak he had had made, along with jewels and silks.
It's too bad that this vast body of stories is not popular today, like those of King Arthur, or the Germanic sagas popularized by Wagner and Tolkien.
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PRACTICE:
Vocabulary: Match the words to their meaning. Answers below.
1. coalesce
2. conquests
3. culminating
4. empires
5. regional
6. sculpture
7. sobriquet
8. troops
9. undefeated
10. wept
A. victories; also, things which have been conquered
B. soldiers
C. the art of making statues
D. cried
E. reaching the highest point of development
F. nickname
G. groups of nations ruled over by one person
H. come together; develop into a single thing
I. not beaten; having never lost
J. of a relatively small area
QUESTIONS TO ANSWER
Answer the following questions in your own words. Suggested answers below.
In what century did Alexander the Great live?
What did Alexander accomplish?
Who was Alexander's tutor?
Why did Alexander decide to turn back toward Greece?
Does *The Alexander Romance give us an accurate biography of Alexander?
QUESTIONS TO THINK ABOUT:
These questions do not have "right" or "wrong" answers. They only ask your opinion.
Do you think being taught by a great philosopher helped Alexander be successful?
Why do you think various legends are often "attached" to famous people like Alexander the Great?
How would you express the point of the story about Alexander's meeting the "King of China"?
TIDBITS: Truly Trivial
Did you know?
That's some old sh*t: The oldest traces of human life in North America were found in the Paisley Caves in south-central Oregon. Radiocarbon dated to between 12,750 and 14,290 years ago, the evidence is: poop. Yes, poop (called by archaeologists "coprolites").
Does this bug you?: The natural dye carmine is also called cochineal. It can be (or until recently was) found in everything from sausages and pastries to yogurt, maraschino cherries, and the Starbucks Strawberry Frappuccino. And it comes from bugs. Cochineal bugs. That's right: it takes about 70,000 little cactus parasites from Peru, Mexico, and the Canary Islands to make just one pound of "natural red 4" (among other names). Recent consumer action is causing a reduction in its use, putting lots of tiny critters out of work.
Only the lonely: It's Friday night. You're a nematode (a roundworm), and there aren't a lot of eligible members of the opposite sex around. You just might--if you're the right species--be able to change your sex, widening the field of potential partners. Furthermore, some nematodes don't need a partner at all: they can self-fertilize. Imagine how complex their dating apps must be.
FOR YOUNG READERS: "Pecos Bill," American Folk Hero
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"Pecos Bill"
This article is designed for younger readers, with activities more suitable for children.
Each night when their work was done, the cowboys would sit around their camp fires and tell stories of the type called "tall tales." One of their favorite subjects was a character named "Pecos Bill." Many of his adventures "explained" things the cowboys saw.
For example, once bad men stole some of Bill's cows. When he caught the men, he hit them very hard, and knocked the gold fillings from their teeth. People can still find that gold in the desert.
Another time, he and his horse were lost in the desert, and were dying of thirst. He got a stick and dug a ditch that became the Rio Grande, the biggest river in Texas.
Once Texas had no rain for a long, long time. So Bill rode out to California and threw a rope around a cloud full of rain. He dragged it back to Texas, where it rained so much that it filled the Gulf of Mexico.
He also rode a tornado like it was a bucking horse. When he was finished, it had calmed down to just a breeze.
In another adventure, he chased some Indians so much that their face paint came off. You can still see it in the "Painted Desert" of Arizona.
(Do you believe any of these stories are true?)
Some words to talk about:
breeze: a gentle, pleasant wind
bucking: jumping around, like a horse trying to get someone off his back
desert: a place with very little rain and few plants
ditch: a long, narrow hole in the ground, often carrying water
fillings: something the dentist puts in your teeth to fill cavities (holes)
tornado: a very strong wind, the kind that can knock down houses
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QUESTIONS TO ANSWER:
Choose the best answer. Answers below.
Why did Bill hit some bad men very hard?
A. Because he wanted to get the gold from their fillings.
B. Because they took his cows.
C. Because he wanted to put gold in the desert.
Why did Bill make the Rio Grande?
A. Because he and his horse were thirsty.
B. Because he had a stick.
C. Because it was a big river.
How did Bill make the Gulf of Mexico?
A. He dug it with a stick.
B. He hit some men very hard.
C. He brought rain from California.
How did Bill make the tornado calm down?
A. He rode it like cowboys ride bucking horses.
B. He hit it very hard.
C. He dug a ditch with a stick.
Where did the "paint" in the "Painted Desert" come from?
A. Bill painted it there in his spare time.
B. It came off of some Indians' faces when Bill chased them.
C. It fell from the tornado.
QUESTIONS TO THINK ABOUT:
These questions do not have "right" or "wrong" answers. They only ask your opinion.
Stories about Pecos Bill are called "tall tales." Do they really "explain" anything? Why do you think people tell them?
Do you think Pecos Bill always behaved in a good way? What would happen to you if you hit people, chased them, and so on?
Why do you think so many of the stories about Pecos Bill talk about water and weather?
READ-ALOUD-RHYMES: "Going to Saint Ives"
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"Going to Saint Ives"
Parents and teachers can read these rhymes aloud, and encourage little ones to repeat and even memorize them (I did when I was a kid!)
This old rhyme poses a "simple" question. But the answer may not be as easy as it seems!
As I was going to Saint Ives
I met a man with seven wives.
Each wife had seven sacks,
Each sack had seven cats,
Each cat had seven kits.
Kits, cats, sacks, and wives,
How many were going to Saint Ives?
Some words to talk about:
sacks: bags
kits: kittens (baby cats)
ACTIVITIES
Ask your kid to mime the various actions: the speaker meeting a "man"; the wives carrying sacks; the cats (or kits) inside the sacks; and anything else you can think of. (How big would a sack be with seven cats and 49 kittens?)
Discussion: Ask your kid what his or her answer is to the question of "how many?". Then discuss some of the several answers!
1: This is the traditional answer. The speaker ("I") was going to Saint Ives; the people she or he "met" were going the other way.
2,802: one man + seven wives + 49 sacks + 343 cats + 2,401 kits, PLUS the speaker. This is the answer the traditional rhyme wants to trick you into figuring out, but really: who says they're not going to Saint Ives?
2,800: The rhyme actually asks for the total of "kits, cats, sacks, and wives," excluding the man and the speaker.
0: Again, if we want only "kits, cats, sacks, and wives," and they were coming from Saint Ives, then the answer is zero; the speaker cannot be counted.
9: Only the speaker, the man, and the seven wives were "going"; the sacks, cats, and kits were all being carried!
2: The man the speaker met had seven wives (who had sacks, cats, and kits) but they weren't with him at the time; at most, only the man and the speaker were going.
An unknown number: How do we know the speaker was traveling alone?
Of course, no child of "nursery rhyme" age can appreciate all of this. But I would ask the kid for her or his answer, then maybe start with "1," and perhaps talk about 2,802 (since we don't know which way "the man" and his "wives" were going).
Words to the Wise: "Look before you leap"
Proverb: Look before you leap.
Samuel Butler phrased it like this in his Hudibras (1684):
...look before you ere you leap ["ere" means "before"]
For, as you sow, you're like to reap.
Meaning: Before you act on a decision, always be prepared for what might happen.
Mini-Dialogue: Jean sees her friend Roy reading some brochures in a coffee shop.
Jean: Hi, Roy. What are you doing?
Roy: I'm thinking about buying a house.
Jean: Well, that's a big commitment. Just look before you leap!
QUESTION:
In which situation would you use the proverb, "Look before you leap"? The correct answer is below.
A. A friend says he's thinking about getting married.
B. A friend says he got married last week.
C. A friend says he's never getting married.
Vocabulary Builder: economy
economy (noun)
Meaning:
economy (plural: economies): the system of buying, selling, etc., in a place: "the U.S. economy"
economy: careful management of money: "Try to conduct your affairs with economy."
This can also be used to mean "less effort," for example "economy of movement"
Noun Forms:
economics: the study of economies: "She majored in economics in university."
economist (plural: economists): a person who studies economics
Verb Forms: economize, economized, economizing: save money: "We'll need to economize if we're going to meet our budget."
Adjectives:
economy: meant to save money: "Economy cars use less gasoline."
economic: related to the economy: "Economic indicators" tell how the economy is doing
economical (antonym uneconomical): in an inexpensive way: "Riding the bus is an economical alternative to owning a car."
Adverbs:
economically: in a way that saves expense or effort: "Let's try to complete the project economically, without spending too much."
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PRACTICE:
Place the correct form of "economy" in each sentence. Answers below.
1. economic
2. economical
3. economically
4. economics
5. economies
6. economists
7. economized
8. economizing
9. economy (not about money)
10. economy (adj.)
11. economy (noun)
12. uneconomical
A. American ________ have won several Nobel Prizes in recent years.
B. This year's ________ forecast is grim.
C. The ________ of several countries were affected by the hurricane.
D. ________ requires an understanding of supply and demand, efficiency, and other topics.
E. He ________ as much as he could, but he still couldn't afford to live in the city.
F. Eating out all the time is ________.
G. If you plan ahead, you can get a seat on an ________ flight.
H. If you try ________ a little more, you can build up your savings account.
I. Being a concise writer requires a certain ________ of language.
J. Having a roommate is an ________ alternative to living alone.
K. The American ________ is bouncing back from the pandemic slowdown.
L. Two can live as ________ as one.
THIS WEEK'S BIRTHDAYS: Nov. 29-Dec. 1
The following "Great Minds" were born this week:
November 29
Louisa May Alcott (1832-1888) American novelist and poet; Little Women; Little Men; Jo's Boys
C. S. Lewis (1898-1963) British novelist, poet, essayist, and lay theologian; Allegory of Love; The Chronicles of Narnia; The Space Trilogy; Mere Christianity; The Screwtape Letters; The Problem of Pain
Madeleine L'Engle (1918-2007) American author of children's literature (among others), known for A Wrinkle in Time and other books in the "Kairos" and "Chronos" series.
November 30
John Bunyan (baptized, 1628-1688) English minister who wrote the Christian allegory The Pilgrim's Progress; sermons
Jonathan Swift (1667-1745) Anglo-irish satirist, poet, and cleric known for Gulliver's Travels; A Tale of a Tub; A Modest Proposal
Mark Twain (Samuel Clemens) (1835-1910) American author of novels such as Huckleberry Finn and Tom Sawyer, as well as short stories like "The Man Who Corrupted Hadleyberg" and "The Jumping Frog of Calaveras County"
L. M. Montgomery (1874-1942) Canadian author of children's literature; Anne of Green Gables and sequels; Rilla of Ingleside; Emily of New Moon and two more; the Avonlea stories
Winston Churchill (1874-1965) British statesman, historian, writer, and orator; The Second World War; A History of the English-Speaking Peoples
December 1
Black Elk (1863-1950) Native American elder and writer; Black Elk Speaks (with John Neihardt)
Woody Allen (1935 - ) American filmmaker; Annie Hall; Interiors; Manhattan; The Purple Rose of Cairo; Hannah and Her Sisters; Bullets over Broadway; Mighty Aphrodite; Stardust Memories; Match Point; numerous Academy Awards
December 2
Björnstjerne Björnson (1832-1910) Norwegian writer and Nobel winner (1903) known for his "peasant tales" such as A Happy Boy; with Ibsen, Lie, and Kielland, one of Norway's "Four Greats."
Georges Seurat (1859-1891) French painter; Sunday Afternoon on the Island of La Grande Jatte; Bathers at Asnières; Jeune femme se poudrant
December 3
Joseph Conrad (1857-1924) Polish-British novelist; The Nigger of the "Narcissus"; Heart of Darkness; Lord Jim; Typhoon; Nostromo; The Secret Agent; Under Western Eyes
Nagai Kafu (1879-1959) Japanese novelist, short-story writer, playwright, essayist, and diarist; Ude Kurabe (Geisha in Rivalry); Amerika Monogatari (American Stories); Sumidagawa (Sumida River); Bokuto Kidan (A Strange Tale from East of the River); films The Strange Story of Oyuki; Bungō: Sasayaka na yokubō; Yume no onna (Yearning)
Taneda Santoka (1882-1940) Japanese poet; Somokuto (Grass and Tree Cairn); For All My Walking
December 4
Thomas Carlyle (1795-1881) Scottish philosopher; On Heroes, Hero-Worship, and The Heroic in History; The French Revolution: A History; Sartor Resartus
Samuel Butler (1835-1902) English author; Erewhon; The Way of All Flesh
Rainer Maria Rilke (1875-1926) Bohemian-Austrian poet and novelist; poetry collections Duineser Elegien (Duino Elegies) and Die Sonette an Orpheus (Sonnets to Orpheus); novel Die Aufzeichnungen des Malte Laurids Brigge (The Notebooks of Malte Laurids Brigge); and a collection of Letters to a Young Poet
December 5
Christina Rossetti (1830-1894) English poet; Goblin Market; Remember
Fritz Lang (1890-1976) Austrian-German filmmaker; Metropolis; M; The Big Heat; Fury; You Only Live Once; The Woman in the Window; While the City Sleeps
Walt Disney (1901-1966) American filmmaker and entrepreneur responsible for dozens of animated and live-action films (which earned a record 22 Academy Awards, plus four honoraries) as well as theme parks and other enterprises. His films include Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs; Fantasia; Pinocchio; Dumbo; Bambi; Cinderella; and Mary Poppins.
Werner Heisenberg (1901-1976) German physicist; The Physical Principles of the Quantum Theory; Nobel Prize in Physics (1932)
Otto Preminger (1905-1986) Austrian American filmmaker; Laura; Fallen Angel; The Man with the Golden Arm; Anatomy of a Murder; Exodus; Advise and Consent; The Cardinal
Audio from this issue:
ANSWERS
Treasure Island
Vocabulary: 1. D; 2. H; 3. B; 4. I; 5. A; 6. C; 7. E; 8. G; 9. J; 10. F
Questions to Answer (suggested answers; yours may be written slightly differently)
Many books, films, and TV shows were inspired by the book, as well as the "Pirates of the Caribbean" ride at Disneyland.
An old man named Billy Bones stayed at Jim's mother's inn, and Jim and his mother found Billy's treasure map.
Many of the newly-recruited sailors had served with the pirate captain who buried it.
Ben Gunn, a sailor marooned by Captain Flint, helped Jim and his shipmates.
Long John Silver is arrested and put in chains, but he escapes with some of the loot while the ship is still in Spanish America.
Questions to Think About do not have any single correct answer. However, any answers you give should be supported by what you read or by things you know ("I think... because...").
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The Journals of Charles Darwin
Vocabulary: 1. L; 2. D; 3. E; 4. H; 5. B; 6. N; 7. G; 8. K; 9. J; 10. F; 11. C; 12. A; 13. O; 14. M; 15. I
Questions to Answer: [Introduction] B; [1] D; [2] C; [3] A; [4a] B; [4b] B; [5] D; [6] A; [7] C; [8] False; [9] B
Questions to Think About do not have any single correct answer. However, any answers you give should be supported by what you read or by things you know ("I think... because...").
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Alexander the Great
Vocabulary: 1. H; 2. A; 3. E; 4. G; 5. J; 6. C; 7. F; 8. B; 9. I; 10. D
Questions to Answer (suggested answers; yours may be written slightly differently)
Alexander the Great lived in the 4th century BCE.
Alexander the Great created one of the largest empires in the ancient world, occupying parts of three continents.
The famous philosopher Aristotle was Alexander's tutor.
Alexander turned back toward Greece because his troops refused to go any farther.
No, The Alexander Romance is a collection of stories from many sources, with many later additions including traditional tales.
Questions to Think About do not have any single correct answer. However, any answers you give should be supported by what you read or by things you know ("I think... because...").
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"Pecos Bill"
Questions to Answer: 1. B; 2. A; 3. C; 4. A; 5. B
Questions to Think About do not have any single correct answer. However, any answers you give should be supported by what you read or by things you know ("I think... because...").
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"Look before you leap"
Question: 1. A
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Vocabulary Builder: economy
Practice: 1. B; 2. J; 3. L; 4. D; 5. C; 6. A; 7. E; 8. H; 9. I; 10. G; 11. K; 12. F