You Need These Everyday
![You Need These Everyday](http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-UjnFgzczuKY/Vg30JpHe7DI/AAAAAAAAAC4/B5pzH-hEBtM/s1600-r/parts-of-speech-chart.jpg)
Sunday, October 25, 2015
We are Part of Nature,Remember these Quotes,Love and Protect the Nature.
1."Let nature be your teacher."
William Wordsworth
2."Land,then,is not merely soil; it is a fountain of energy flowing through a circuit of soils,plants and animals.
Aldo Leopold
3."When we see land as a community to which belong,we may begin to use it with love and repsect."
Aldo Leopold
4.Harmony with land is like harmony with a friend;you cannot cherish his right and cut off his left."
Aldo Leopold
5."A man's interest in a single bluebird is worth more than a complete,but, dry list of the fauna and flora of a
town."
Henry David Thoreau
6."One can measure the greatness and the moral progress of a nation by looking how it treats its animals."
Mahathma Gandhi
7."I feel like Iam nothing without wildlife.They are the stars.I feel awkward without them."
Bindi Irwin
(The above quotes were taken from a project given by the students,Dumindu Jayaratne and Disal
Jayaratne of Grade 8D)
Sunday, October 18, 2015
France Back to Normal
The monarchy was restored to France,with Louis 16 s younger brother becoming King Louis 18.(There was no Louis 17 as a mark of respect to Louis 16 s son ,who died soon after his father.)
Louis 18 ruled carefully and with a moderate constitution.He kept Napoleon's civil code,his system of local government and the education system.
The privileges of the nobility were not restored.When Louis' successors, Charles 10 ignored the constitution and tried to rule as a despot, he was overthrown by another revolution in 1830.Charles was replaced by a more liberal monarch,Louis Phillippe,nicknamed
the 'Citizen King'
Sunday, October 11, 2015
A Tribute for Our Mothers
Mother of Mine
Mother of mine you gave to me;
All of my life to do as l please,
I owe everything l have to you.
Mother sweet mother of mine.
Mother of mine,when l was wrong;
You showed me the right way that things should be done,
Without your love,where would l be?
Mother sweet mother of mine.
Mother,you gave me happiness;
Much more than words can say,
l thank the Lord,that He may bless you,
Every night and every day.
Mother of mine,now Iam grown
And I can walk straight all on my own,
I'd like to give you; what you gave me,
Mother sweet mother of mine.
Sunday, October 4, 2015
Learn About Napoleon Bonaparte
Napoleon Bonaparte
The Rise of Napoleon
( 1794 – 1799}
The reign of terror in France was over, the guillotine was
also abolished.The middle classes now took firm control of the government. Paris
were full of rich young people,dressed in fancy fashionable clothes.The
French army continued its conquests.Its
career system allowed able young officers to rise quickly in the ranks and
become generals.One of these was a young Corsican,Napoleon Bonaparte. He
invaded and conquered northern Italy.Napoleon was ambitious,he had close links
with one of the Directors,Paul Barrs.
A new government of three consuls was declared,with Napoleon
as first consul.Within an year,the constitution was twisted to give Napoleon
supreme power.
Napoleonic France
He devided France into forty-seven departments and each was
controlled by a prefect,sub prefects and mayors.To achieve national unity he
healed the religious divisions.Roman Catholism was made the recognized religion
and he signed an agreement with Pope Pius in 1802.
Crowned as Emperor
Napoleon appeared as his best. A young ( he was barely
thirty},vigorous,listening seriously to the advice of the ablest men he could find.Napoleon became Emperor
with the right to pass the title to his children after his death.He and his
wife, Josephine were crowned at a spectacular ceremony in the Cathedral of
Notre Dame,in Paris.
Stamping Out
Opposition
In 1800,he suppressed sixty out of seventy three newspapers
in Paris.By1811,strict censorship had reduced the number to four..A new
ministry of police imprisoned opponents without trial.In 1809 ,he created the
University of France,a government department to control all schools and make
sure that loyalty to the Emperor was taught at all levels.
Napoleon’s European
Empire
By 1802,France controlled Belgium,Holland,most of northern
Italy and Switzerland.Spain became Napoleon’s ally.The only neighbour to remain
independently was Britain.It was the main threat to him.
Two Thousand ships were gathered at Boulogne,ready to invade
Britain.However in 1805,the British Navy led by Nelson,fought and destroyed the
Spanish and French fleets at Trafalgar in sourthern Spain.
Other Major Victories
Napoleon defeated the armies of Russia and Austria at the
battle of Austerlitz.He crushed the Prussian Army.At the end the Russian tsar
and the Austrian Emperor made peace with France.
A Grand Dynasty
Napoleon placed his generals and members of his family as
the heads of the conquered nations.
In Germany - Jerome Bonaparte – King of Westphalia.
In Naples – Joseph Bonaparte – King of Naples
In Holland – Louis Bonaparte – King of Holland
Northern Italy – Napoleon’s step son
The state was a disguised dictatorship
The Thorn in
Napoleon’s Side
Britian remained the thorn in Napoleon’s side.He knew that
Britian’s wealth came from seaborne trade.
He decided to destroy it and believed that the British would
submit if he did so.In 1793 the French government forbid the import of British
goods.The ban extended to Holland,Germany,Russia and Prussia.This blocade of
trade was known as the “Continental System”.It indeed damaged the British
trade,but they managed to smuggle goods via the Papal State,Spain and
Portugal.Britian made trade with South America and USA.This made Napoleon very
angry.He occupied the Papal State and made the Pope a prisnor and made his
brother the king of Spain.
Opposition Within the
French Empire
Napoleon’s struggle to enforce the “Continental
System”aroused opposition within the French empire.In Spain local committees of
priests and nobles called the “juntas”raised a rebellion.In Portugal the French
army was defeated by the British Expeditionary Force.
Anti-French Feelings
in Other Nations
Anti- French feeling began to stir in Germany and Austria.Austria
declared war on France.The effects of the “Continental System “became worse and
worse.In Holland and Germany all British goods were seized and burnt.Sugar,cotton
and many goods were short supply.To pay for his war Napoleon imposed heavier
and heavier taxation,and young men were taken from all over the empire,to fight
whenever he wanted.Throughout Europe people
began to object to the high price of Napoleon’s government.
Napoleon’s Fall and
His Legacy
From 1809,onwards,the French position in Spain got worse and
worse.
The British Army occupied Portugal,the commander later to
become the Duke of Wellington.
In Spain the French forces were continually troubled by
bands of guerilla soldiers who attacked out posts,stores and roads.In1812,the
British advanced and inflicted a crushing defeat to France.
France’s relationship with Russia too was bad,because
Napoleon wanted to marry a Russian princess to which the tsar did not agree.The
tsar re opened his ports to British
trade.
The Battle With
Russia
Napoleon advanced to Russia in June 1812,with 450,000men,in
a Grand Army.The Russians
retreated,burning their towns and crops.It was called the ‘Scorched
Earth’ policy.The French could not replenish their supplies.At Borodino the two
armies met in a desperate battle,Napoleon lost 30,000 men.Two weeks later he
entered Moscow,only to find the city on fire and all the Russian officials
fled.Napoleon had order the retreat from Moscow across barren land,repeatedly attacked by Russian forces
and soon floundered in the snow of the Russian winter.Thousands starved or
froze to death.Of the Great Army ,only 40,000 managed to struggle back home.
Paris Surrendered
Finally when the allies invaded France,the country was exhausted
and war-weary.Paris surrendered,.Napoleon abdicated,and a treaty with the
allies made him ruler of Elba,a tiny island off the coast of Italy.
Has He Given Up…..?
Napoleon soon resolved to act.In Elba he raised a small army
and in March 1815 escaped to the south of France with a thousand men,by 20 th March
reached Paris and was reinstalled triumphantly at the Tuileries Palace.
On 15 th
June,Napoleon launched 120,000 men against Wellington,they met ay
Waterloo,Belgium,and the French were defeated.He was sent as a prisnor to
St.Helena, a tiny,remote island in the South Atlantic.He died there in 1812
r
Thursday, October 1, 2015
THE SIMPLE TRUTH ABOUT LYING
Nearly any adult will
tell you that lying is wrong. But when it comes to avoiding trouble, saving
face in front of the boss, or sparing someone’s feelings, many people find
themselves doing it anyway. In fact, more than 80 percent of women admit to
occasionally telling what they consider harmless half-truths, says Susan
Shapiro Barash, author of Little White
Lies, Deep Dark Secrets: The Truth About Why Women Lie (St. Martin’s Press,
$15, amazon.com). And 75 percent admit to lying to loved ones about money in
particular. The tendency to tell tales is “a very natural human trait,”
explains David L. Smith, Ph.D., associate professor of philosophy at the
University of New England, in Biddeford, Maine. “It lets you manipulate the way
you want to be seen by others.” To pinpoint how people stretch the truth from
time to time and the potential fallout from it, learn the six most common ways
that people mislead.
Deception Points
Most lies aren’t meant
to be hurtful to others; rather, they’re meant to help the one doing the
fibbing. These are the six top ways people lie.
1. Lying to Save Face
What it sounds like:
“Gosh, I never got the shower invitation!” “Sorry I’m late, but there was a
huge pileup on the freeway.”
Why people do it: For self-preservation. While it may be
instinctual, people who frequently cover up innocent errors may start to feel
as if they have permission to be irresponsible. What’s more, it can become
grueling for them to keep track of those deceptions. (“Now, why did I tell her
I couldn’t cochair that event?”) Eventually those lies hinder people from
having close connections, says Smith. “Of course, there are relationships in
which it doesn’t matter as much,” he says.
How you can avoid it: Think long-term. When you’re tempted to be
less than truthful, consider your ultimate goal: to have a happy marriage, say,
or a solid friendship. Then, when torn between fact and fiction, ask yourself,
“Which will put me closer to my goal?” Usually the choice is clear.
Keep it simple. Most of
the time, a short apology is all that’s needed, and you can omit some details
without sacrificing the truth. Something like “Sorry that I didn’t call you
back sooner” is usually sufficient and effective.
What it sounds like:
“It’s my boss’s decision, not mine.” “My husband never told me you called.”
Why people do it: “To
effectively give away power and control,” says Smith. “When done habitually,
this can diminish a person’s ability to deal with life’s bigger problems.” When
someone constantly saddles other people with his responsibilities, others can
grow resentful of carrying this burden. Also, eternally passing the buck is
downright exhausting. The deceiver keeps fielding requests but is only
postponing the inevitable. Eventually the issue will have to be dealt with.
How you can avoid it: Dig deep. In some cases, blame shifting
can signal difficulty with accepting responsibility for your actions, says Joseph
S. Weiner, chief of consultation psychiatry at North Shore University Hospital,
in Manhasset, New York. Maybe you were criticized for making mistakes as a
child, for example, and so now you’re afraid to own up because of what other
people may think of you. Once you realize this is a behavior that can be
changed, however, you can start to regain the power you may feel you don’t
have. Flip it around. Before
using a colleague or a loved one as a decoy in a minor deception, think of how
the other person would feel in the same scenario. If the deception puts other
people in an unfavorable light, it’s best to leave them out of it.
3. Lying to Avoid Confrontation
What it sounds like:
“That’s a wonderful idea, Mom. I’ll make sure to get to the airport three hours
before my flight.” “You’re doing a great job, but we can’t afford a housekeeper
anymore.”
Why people do it: A
believable excuse may help someone avoid an uncomfortable talk or keep that
person from feeling guilty. But relying on nonconfrontation too often
eventually does relationships―both personal and professional―a disservice. With
people to whom one is deeply tied, it’s important to remember that “closeness
is not always pleasant, and that interpersonal dealings, by their very nature,
have highs and lows,” says Smith. “When you try to avoid the lows at all cost,
it can have an overall deadening effect on these connections.” Even if the
person on the receiving end of a lie isn’t closely tied to the fibber, the one
deceiving still has to keep track of―and live by―those lies. What’s more, she
may have to deal with the consequences of the lie anyway (for example, if the
housekeeper finds out someone else was hired in her place).
How you can avoid it: Consider the options. Before you tell a fib,
it helps to make a list of all the ways you could handle the situation―from
delivering a total fairy tale to telling the stark truth. If, after thinking it
through, you still decide a fabrication is the best choice, “it may signal that
you don’t value having an honest relationship, and that in itself is worth
pondering more,” says Marlene Chism, a relationship expert in Springfield,
Missouri, and the author of Success Is a Given (ICARE Publishing, $15,
amazon.com). On the other hand, maybe there is an option that will allow you to
tell the truth but that will still provide your desired outcome. Pair it with
the positive. Look for the bright, true spot buried within the lie. Saying to
your mother, “Your ideas are always appreciated―I called that tutor you
recommended last week!―but this time I just don’t agree,” makes the truth
easier to swallow for both of you.
4. Lying to Get One’s Way
What it sounds like: “I
won’t be at work today. I caught that bug that’s going around.” “Officer, my
speedometer must be broken.”
Why people do it: For
personal gain. But when a lie like this is uncovered, the recipient is unlikely
to be charitable. And the more hurtful the lie is to the person on the
receiving end, the less it’s likely to be forgiven. “When getting what a person
wants drives his every word and action, he will not earn people’s trust or
love,” says Weiner.
How you can avoid it: Stop
justifying. Maybe you think you deserved that day off. Or you figured it was
late and there was no one on the road when you were speeding. While both
rationalizations may be true, “that doesn’t make the lie any more acceptable in
the end,” says Smith. If you have to convince yourself the lie is OK, chances
are it’s not. Think of the
alternative. Consider if honesty could still bring about a positive result.
Example: “I know I don’t have any vacation left, but I’d be willing to come in
Saturday or stay late every day next week if I could have Friday off.” Or admit
to the police officer that you lost your concentration going down the hill and
apologize. That may result in a warning instead of a ticket. You never really
know until you try.
5. Lying to Be Nice
What it sounds like: “That
dress looks fantastic on you.” “This is the best meat loaf I’ve ever tasted.”
Why people do it: In some
cases, the little white lie is altruistic, says Smith, but when used
excessively, it can make interactions with people less authentic. At its worst,
others may feel that a person isn’t being genuine or trustworthy.
How you can avoid it: Walk
in the other person’s shoes. People often underestimate the information that
others can tolerate and even benefit from, particularly when the words are said
out of friendship, says Weiner. For example, you would generally want someone
to mention it if you had a piece of spinach stuck in your teeth, if your blouse
had a stain, or if your pot roast could use a pinch of salt. Tone it down. If
you feel that a certain amount of truth stretching is a vital social lubricant,
the best thing to do is to avoid gushing. “That’s a great color on you” is a
lot more plausible than “That’s the most stunning sweater I have ever seen in
my entire life.” Track it. Keeping a
tally of the tales you tell for a day or a week can help you distinguish
between the instances where being truthful matters and where it doesn’t. Maybe
you didn’t need to tell the supermarket checkout gal that you loved her
(hideous) earrings. But it made you feel better to say it, plus you got a
pleasant reaction from her. Most experts say there’s no huge harm in that.
6. Lying to Make Oneself Feel Better
What it sounds like: “Eating
my kids’ French fries doesn’t count.” “I’ll charge this stuff now because I’m
going to pay off the credit-card bill as soon as I get my bonus.” “I never
watch television.”
Why people do it: To
reassure themselves. But when people start to believe their self-deceptions, it
can snowball, which is especially dangerous. A clean-your-plate habit can lead
to an extra 10 pounds. One shopping spree can trigger can’t-pay-the-mortgage
debt. And while denying hours spent in front of the TV isn’t a crime, it might
cause a person to wonder where all her time is going―or get busted humming the
Law & Order theme song.
How you can avoid it: Plan
honesty ahead. Because self-deception can become almost automatic, “stopping
isn’t simply a matter of just saying in the moment, ‘Hey, should I lie to
myself right now?’” says Smith. Instead, pledging to face reality in the
situations where you’re most likely to deceive yourself is a smarter tactic. Keep
your goals in sight. Whatever you want to accomplish, from sticking to a
healthy diet to keeping your bank account in the black to cutting down on those
television marathons, lying about what’s really going on puts you one step
farther from that objective. Instead, it’s a good idea to visualize, in full
detail, what it will look, feel, sound, smell, or taste like when you attain
your goal. “Painting a detailed picture in your mind will help you maintain
your motivation, even in the face of temptation to sabotage yourself with
deception,” says Weiner. Help others be accountable. When people who tend to
deceive themselves spend too much time with frequent fibbers or even others who
tolerate that type of mendacity, their destructive habits won’t be challenged
or corrected. In the most serious situations, where lying is causing someone
serious damage, it helps to be a particularly truth-conscious friend and lend
support as well as a gentle, watchful eye.
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