Thursday, January 30, 2020

DVD Technology Essay Example for Free

DVD Technology Essay It is truly a fact that we are living in this modern world which all technologies are advanced and improved. One of these technologies is in the DVD technology. Before, we normally used CDs as main novelty to the PC’s world but now, DVD is more used and preferred by multitudes of masses due to its admirable features which the CD doesn’t have. DVD was formerly represented as Digital Video Disc but then changed into Digital Versatile Disc and is considered as the next generation of the optical disc storage technology which is predicted and awaited to quickly substitute the CD-ROM disc along with audio compact disc around the following several years. DVD contains 4. 7 information’s gigabytes on one of its both sides or sufficient for a 133-minute movie. Having two layers on every of its both sides, it will keep up to 17 gigabytes of audio, video and other data. DVD-Video is the typical term for the DVD format designed for full-length motion pictures and which will drive with our television set. The DVD-ROM keeps computer information and is read through a DVD-ROM drive which is connected to a computer, the DVD-RAM is the writeable version while the DVD-Audio is a player which is designed to substitute our compact disc player (see Bellis, Mary. â€Å"DVD†. http://inventors. about. com/library/inventors/bldvd. htm). A DVD with correctly structured and formatted video substance is a DVD-Video. The DVDs with correct structured and formatted audio are termed as DVD-Audio discs. And everything as well is named as a DVD-Data disc as well as the other types of DVD discs which have video (Wikipedia, free encyclopedia. August 27, 2006). The purposes of this study are to: (1) know the history of DVD technology; and (2) be acquainted with its useful features and its functions; and how it is being distinct from CD. History The invention of DVD was all started in early of 1990s which two high-density optical storage standards were being technology advanced: the first one was the MultiMedia Compact Disc which was supported by Sony and Philips; and the second one was the Super Density disc which was approved and accepted by Time-Warner, Hitachi, Pioneer, JVC, Mitsubishi Electric, Toshiba, Thomson, and Matsushita Electric. The IBM president named Lou Gertsner has exerted an effort to join and bring together the two companies to back up solitary standard, getting ahead a repeat of the expensive and inflated format war amongst Betamax and VHS in 1980s (Wikipedia, free encyclopedia. August 27, 2006). In 1994 of May, Philips and Sony promulgated that they would be willingly and jointly develop a newfangled high-density medium popularly known as Digital Video Disc or DVD. This new technology was considered as the successor to compact discs or CD-ROM for computers and substitute laserdiscs and VHS tapes in the amusement industry. Just like a CD, DVD discs have similar diameter-about 120mm and thickness is about 1. 2 mm- just as Compact disc has but DVD is more advance and useful due to its capability to use both discs’ sides for data storage. The large video games which need and require a number of CDs would merely necessitate only one DVD disc. Later on, newfangled technology’s development instantaneously induced dilemmas of a political nature. The Warner Home Entertainment and Toshiba declared their own project to work out the same but yet precisely distinct from DVD technology at the same time. Associations like the Hollywood Digital Video Disc Advisory Group had a sensible and rational interest in this technology’s development. Movie suppliers started to stir up disagreements and controversies which concern the essential of copy protections in the DVD requirement and description. But then, Sony was the first to display its DVD technology. In 1995, John Eargle explained and illustrated the presentation which was conducted at the Winter Consumer Electronics Show. In his writings entitled â€Å"The Great DVD debate† stated that: â€Å"its color and sharpness was more than a match for the Laserdisc â€Å". But Eargle’s attention was on the technological requirements which had been formally and legitimately promulgated in December of the same year. The DVD’s intensification and enlargement data density was credited to a laser of a color advanced in the light spectrum and a technology that were being technologically advanced with 3M which permit the laser to be focus again to one second â€Å"layer† in the disc. It has a double-layer disc which amplifies the volume and dimensions to 7. 4 gigabytes. Throughout the spring of 1995, the disagreement of both developers had been stimulated through Toshiba’s personal growth and advancement of a two-layer disc named as SD or Super density (Chapin, R. â€Å"History of DVD†). DVD recordable and rewritable DVD recordable and DVD rewritable denote to DVD optical disc formats which can be â€Å"burned† either rewritable or write once format. DVD recordable is an overall name which denotes to both rewritable and writes-once formats, while DVD writable denotes solely to rewritable formats. The DVD promoted and marketed as 4. 7 GB might seem to keep not more than that for the reason that manufacturers quote the volume of a writable DVD disc utilizing decimal prefixes instead of the binary prefixes utilized by number of software. On the other hand, a 4. 7 GB DVD can be able to accumulate 4. 7 billion bytes, utilizing the binary prefixes which has similar capacity is approximately 4. 38 GiB (Wikipedia, free encyclopedia. August 18, 2006). Dual Layer Recording Dual Layer recoding permits DVD-R and DVD+R discs to accumulate and put in storage extensively more info or data which is capable of 8. 5 Gigabytes per disc, when contrasted with 4. 7 Gigabytes designed for single-layer discs. The DVD-R DL or â€Å"dual layer† was technologically advanced for the DVD Forum by the Pioneer Corporation while the DVD+R DL or â€Å"dual layer† was technologically advanced intended for the DVD+RW Alliance by Sony. Below are the two figures of DVD-R DL and DVD+R DL (Wikipedia, free encyclopedia. August 28, 2006). Figure of DVD-R DL Double Layer DVD+R Its Restrictions The DVD-Video includes four corresponding systems designed to limit and constraint the DVD user in a variety of procedures and these are the Content Scrambling System, Region codes, disabled user operations (UOP) and Macrovision. *Content Scrambling System* It is a Digital Rights Management or DRM plan make used on various DVDs. It make uses a weak, proprietary 40 bit stream cipher algorithm which has successively been compromised. It was in 1996 that the system was presented and established (wikipedia, free encyclopedia. August 26, 2006). *Region Codes* it is the programming practice, chip, physical barrier, or code which is make used to stop or block the playing media designed for a device which comes from a place where it is introduced and distributed on the version of similar device distributed in another place. It is a kind of a form of vendor lock-in (Wikipedia, free encyclopedia. August 26, 2006). *Disabled User Operations* DVD-Video permits the disc to identify or indicate whether or not the handler may carry out any operation like skipping chapters, rewinding or forwarding, selecting a menu which is fundamentally any function on the remote control. This system is named as Prohibited User Operations or User Operation Prohibitions. *Macrovision* It is a company which makes electronic prevention plans and was established in 1963. The term is occasionally used to denote to specific video copy prevention plans which were technologically advanced by the company. Its features Some of the DVDs main features are: (1) copy protection built into standard; (2) DVD-ROM for improved multimedia and games applications; (3) every format uses a common file system; (4) DVD-Audio for advanced quality music, graphics and other features and surround sound and optical video and many others; (5) Backwards compatibility with current CD media and many others (see DVD (Digital Versatile Disk)†. http://www. usbyte. com/common/dvd. htm#Introduction). Hence, DVD it is widely used now globally. ______________________________________________________________________________ References: 1. Bellis, Mary. â€Å"DVD†. http://inventors. about. com/library/inventors/bldvd. htm) 2. †DVD†. August 28, 2006. http://en. wikipedia. org/wiki/DVD 3. Chapin, R. â€Å"History of DVD†. http://www. miqrogroove. com/writing/History%20of%20DVD. html 4. â€Å"DVD recordable†. Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. August 18, 2006http://en. wikipedia. org/wiki/DVD_recordable 5. â€Å"Content Scramble System†. August 26, 2006. http://en. wikipedia. org/wiki/Content_Scrambling_System 6. â€Å"DVD (Digital Versatile Disk)†. http://www. usbyte. com/common/dvd. htm#Introduction

Wednesday, January 22, 2020

george gershwin :: essays research papers

In 1910, the Gershwins had acquired a piano for Ira's music lessons, but George took over, successfully playing by ear. He tried out various piano teachers for two years, then was introduced to Charles Hambitzer, who acted as George's mentor until Hambitzer's death in 1918. Hambitzer taught George conventional piano technique, introduced him to the music of the European masters, and encouraged him to attend orchestral concerts. (At home following such concerts, young George would attempt to reproduce at the keyboard the music he had heard). He later studied with classical composer Rubin Goldmark. His 1916 novelty rag "Rialto Ripples" was a commercial success, and in 1918 he scored his first big national hit with his song "Swanee". In 1924, George and Ira collaborated on a musical comedy, Lady Be Good. It included standards as "Fascinating Rhythm" and "The Man I Love." This was followed by Oh, Kay! (1926); Funny Face in (1927); Strike Up the Band (1927 & 1930); Girl Crazy (1930), which introduced the standard "I Got Rhythm"; and Of Thee I Sing (1931), the first musical comedy to win a Pulitzer Prize. It was in Hollywood, while working on the score of The Goldwyn Follies, that George Gershwin collapsed and, on July 11, 1937, died of a brain tumour. He was interred in the Westchester Hills Cemetery, Hastings-on-Hudson, New York. Gershwin had a ten-year affair with composer Kay Swift. Swift was a frequent consult of Gershwin; he named the musical Oh, Kay after her. Posthumously, Swift arranged some of his music, transcribed some of his recordings, and collaborated with Ira on several projects. Gershwin died intestate and all his property passed to his father.

Tuesday, January 14, 2020

Four planes of development age 6 to 12 by Dr. Maria Montessori. Essay

Absorbent mind: first plane of development where the child has the capability to absorb large amounts of information with ease, as they are sensitive to specific skills characteristic: distinguishing feature or qualities of something childhood development: Child development refers to the biological, psychological and emotional changes that occur in human beings between birth and the end of adolescence emotional development: the development of a full range of emotions from sad to happy to angry, and learning to deal with them appropriately. fine motor: is the action involving the small muscles of the hands, as in handwriting, sewing or knitting. Four planes of development: Dr. Montessori saw the human being going through four planes, or stages, of development with each plane having unique characteristics and opportunities for learning gross motor. Gross motor involves the large muscles of the body, as in walking, running or swimming. intellectual development: being capable of analysing understanding and evaluating concepts to make sense out of the world around them moral sense: the ability to distinguish between right and wrong. physical development: is the development of the body and organs. prosocial behaviour: or â€Å"voluntary behaviour intended to benefit another†, consists of actions which â€Å"benefit other people or society as a whole,† â€Å"such as helping, sharing, donating, co-operating, and volunteering social development: refers to an alteration in the social order of a society this may include nature, social institutions, social behaviours, or social  relations spiritual development: is a journey in maturity of an individual’s identity from spiritual infancy to spiritual adulthood. In this process, the secular mind decreases as the sacred increases through a series of disciplines. In this academic paper we are going to look at the child age six to twelve and the characteristic the child posses in one of four planes of development by Dr. Maria Montessori. Within this plane of development I will be explaining physical, social, emotional, spiritual and cognitive development of the child and how this develops throughout childhood. For many children, these years from six to twelve are the glory years a time of â€Å"calm and steady growth† and â€Å"expansion of interests†. At this development plane called â€Å"childhood development or the age of serenity-rudeness† (notes, 4th February, Connelly A) children experience a major transformation. This transformation leads from the sponge-like absorbent mind of early childhood to the reasoning, thinking adult mind. What I understand is that the absorbent mind, learning happened almost automatically, but the â€Å"reasoning mind† needs to be consciously somewhat forced in to the learning proce ss. First we are going to look at physical development of the child between 6 and 12 years. â€Å"Physical growth over all is slow but still steady, this is the time where girls are generally taller than boys. Another gender difference is that boys out preform girls in certain physical task.† Girls may also out preform boys in some tasks. â€Å"Muscle coordination and control are uneven and incomplete in the early stages, but children become almost as coordinated as adults by the end of middle childhood. Gross motor development is one factor that improves at this stage because of the muscle co-ordination and strength that develops over time†.(Bailey, D.R. iTunesU) â€Å"There are some known gross motor deferences between genders that is, girls are superior in accuracy movements as where boys are superior in forceful, less complex task.† All this deferences between boys and girls begin to emerge and they notice that they are not the same. â€Å"Fine motor skills impr oves rapidly at this age, they learn to use their hands independently and at the end of the middle childhood stage they have mastered this skill and continue to use this throughout adolescence†.(Bailey, D.R. iTunesU). Children may also over estimate their physical abilities and take risk in  some tasks.(Dr. Meyer, J. iTunesU) Children at this stage uses high energy levels and are in most cases really active.(notes, 4 February. Connelly. A) I believe that may be one of the reasons that children between the age of 6 and 12 need more sleep. â€Å"Intense activity may bring tiredness. Children need around 10 to 11 hours of sleep each night† There are a lot of factors that play a role in the physical development of a child at this age; â€Å"nutrition, health and deceases, genetic factors, stress, hormone† play a role in the physical development(Bailey, D.R. iTunesU). Talking about physical development I notice that there is some connections between this and social, emotional, intellectual and spiritual development. Statistics shows us that â€Å"Physical attractiveness† one of 6 â€Å"popularity settings† in a social environment the others are; â€Å"prosocial behaviour, assertiveness but not aggressiveness, outgoing personality, self control, ability to enter a group and initiate interactions†.(Dr. Meyer, J. iTunesU) To be social is a way of life and a basic need for any human. According to Erik Erikson’s social development studies this age group fall in to â€Å"stage 4 namely the industry vs inferiority.†(Dr. Meyer, J. iTunesU) What I understand about the â€Å"industry vs inferiority stage† is that they earn a sense of accomplishment and pride in their abilities but at the same time needs encouragement and in some ways to be praised or to just be acknowledge. â€Å"The question of good and evil comes into the light of consciousness as a special characteristic of this age†.(The absorbent mind, pg. 138) This means that the child have a good sense of right and wrong and also believe in strong morals. The child creates them selfs and there personality or â€Å"character† in this stage of development. â€Å"The period from 6 years is therefore the most important part of life regarding character too, since here it is formed.†(The absorbent mind, pg. 138) â€Å"In the social setting the child has a herd instinct† , they tend to follow a group. â€Å"Friend become important at this stage. Females tend to have fewer but closer friends then males. They generally have several best friends but will tend to only spend time with one or two at a time†.(Dr. Meyer, J. iTunesU) â€Å"There is a sense of freedom and independence as there is some separation between the parents and the child e.g. sleep overs.†(notes, 4 February. Connelly. A) In social circle â€Å"intimacy and similarity† play an important role in the age 6 to 12 when it comes to friendships between children for they â€Å"understand one another and is there  for emotional support† .(Dr. Meyer, J. iTunesU). Emotional development children are very â€Å"sensitive especially criticism but jet they are critical of them selves, They can be touchy, irritable, and very aware of being treated unfairly. They also have a strong moral sense. their moods may change easily. they appear to be more cautious and less impulsive and self centred.† (notes, Connelly. A) As I noticed in middle childhood girls tend to be more interested in self-improvement and has worries and fears relative to school and friends. â€Å"In a spiritual sense of development the child seems to be more observant and interacts with the world in search of the answer of where they fit in in this world†.(notes, Connelly. A) â€Å"It is a revelation of the spiritual man to know, to love and to serve. It comes only by one’s own experience and development, not through preaching.† in this statement by Maria Montessori in The absorbent mind pg. 162. I believe that spiritual development can only be practiced by oneself and that your own actions grow your spirality. This actions can be â€Å"creativity, to be observant, relationships , looking for reason and awakening of ones self and inner-being.† (notes, Connelly. A) Talking about reason, in this â€Å"childhood development sage† intellectual development is all about â€Å"logic and the active and appropriate use†. Piaget theory states that the child is at the â€Å"concrete operation stage.†(Dr. Meyer, J. iTunesU) The â€Å"concrete operation stage† in my opinion means to be able to feel, touch and manipulate the task at hand and makes it easer to understand the logic behind it. â€Å"Piaget also states that the child acquires mental ability of seriation, classification, concentration this allows for logical thinking.†(Dr. Meyer, J. iTunesU) At this stage the children also learn and build their skills to â€Å"think without concrete materials and use their imaginations moving from concrete to abstract†(Dr. Meyer, J. iTunesU) The child also develops the skills and concept of â€Å"reversibility† this is where the child does a task and can go backwards to see and understands the process more clearly . â€Å"The child can now see the relations of other people and there point of view in other words they can take multiple aspects into account†.(Dr. Meyer, J. iTunesU) The child understands the feeling of empathy and is more desiring. â€Å"Developmental physiologist suggest that the difficulty children face in solving problems [in preschool] may stem from memory limitation and not cognitive† (Dr. Meyer, J. iTunesU) the child has the ability but not the  memory and in the next development plane they attain this skill. Thus the child has an â€Å"increase ability to handle information and short term memory improves†(Dr. Meyer, J. iTunesU). for instance when the memory improves the cognition improves. â€Å"The secret of good teaching is to regard the child’s intelligence as a fertile field in which seeds may be sown, to grow under the heat of flaming imagination. Our aim therefore is not merely to make the child understand, and still less to force him to memorise, but so to touch his imagination as to enthuse him to his inmost core.† (To educate the human potential, pg. 15) â€Å"It has been found that during this period, the child can submit to the mental work necessary in schools. He understands what a teacher says and he has enough patience to listen and to learn. During this whole period, he is constant in his work, as well as strong in health. It is because of these characteristics that this period is considered as the most profitable for imparting culture.† (The Absorbent Mind, pg.17) â€Å"Children can deal with and understand more complicated concepts and ideas. They make conclusions based on things they have learned in the past.†(notes, Connelly. A) The child at the stage has a really â€Å"good imagination† and is really â€Å"curious about the world around them† â€Å"they have a global view† and this should be seen as a chance to use that to the best advantage to learn as â€Å"learning does not come automatically.†(notes 4 February. Connelly, A) The outcome of this academic paper gave us and insight in to the child age six to twelve. We noticed that there are many aspects of the child and that it is a complex study. Each stage in life is a time of growth. Childhood is a time to link dependence with independence. children in this development stage are exploring their future potential they are expanding there world outwards. All that we can do as adults is to be role models for them and to encourage them in any way possible. Bibliography Bailey, D.R. 2011. PSYC 209. Life cycle development. iTunes U Connelly, A. 4 February 2013. Lecture notes, methodology. Dr. Meyer, J. 2013. Lecture 17. Principals op human development, Missouri state university. iTunes U Dr. Meyer, J. 2013. Lecture 18. Principals op human development, Missouri state university. iTunes U Dr. Meyer, J. 2013. Lecture 19. Principals op human development, Missouri state university. iTunes U Montessori, M. 1967. To educate the human potential, Clio Montessori series: Kalakshetra Publications Montessori, M. 1949. The absorbent mind, Printed by C. Subbarayudu, at the Vasanta Press, The Theosophical Society, Adyar, Madras http://tsl.org/family/2010/06/montessori-for-ages-6-12/ http://www.webmd.com/parenting/guide/sleep-children

Monday, January 6, 2020

Writing Prompts for Journal Topics and Writing Ideas

May is often a beautiful month, full of flowers and sunshine. May also celebrates a week for teachers during  Teacher Appreciation Week. Many of the following writing prompts for each day of May are written to take advantage of this time of year. These prompts provide teachers a great way to add more writing time in class. Some have two suggestions, one for middle school (MS) and one for high school (HS). These can be simple writing assignments, warm-ups, or journal entries. Feel free to use these any way you wish. May Holidays American Bike MonthFlower MonthAsthma Allergy Awareness MonthNational Bar-B-Que MonthNational Physical Fitness and Sports MonthOlder Americans MonthNational Hamburger Month Writing Prompt Ideas for May May 1 - Theme: May Day(MS) May Day is a traditional celebration of Spring in countries around the globe, often including dancing and flowers around a maypole. However, May Day is rarely celebrated in the United States. Do you think that Americans should celebrate May Day? Why or why not?(HS) In Chicago 1886, 15 people were killed during the Haymaker Riot strikes held to protest poor working conditions. In sympathy, European nations, many  socialist or communist, established May Day to honor the cause of the worker.   May 2 - Theme: Holocaust Remembrance DaySome people argue that the Holocaust is too disturbing for students to learn about  in middle school or even in high school. Write a persuasive paragraph explaining why it should be included in the curriculum.   May 3 - Theme: National Day of Prayer is usually observed on the first Thursday of May. This  day is an inter-denominational event when faiths from across the country pray for the United States and its leaders. The word pray was first used in the  early 13th century to mean ask earnestly, beg. What would you like to  ask earnestly, beg for  in your life?  Ã‚     May 4 - Theme: Star Wars DayThe date comes from the  catchphrase, May the 4th [force]  Be With You.What is your opinion about the Star Wars film franchise? Do you love it, hate it? Are there reasons to appreciate the series? For example,   from 2015 to the present, the   film series has made millions of dollars: Star Wars: The Force Awakens (2015)   over $900 millionStar Wars: The Last Jedi (2017) over $600 millionRogue One: A Star Wars Story (2016)   over $500 million May 5 - Theme:  Cinco de MayoMany people across the United States celebrate the day, but they do not know what Cinco de Mayo commemorates. The day recognizes when  Mexican Armys victory over the French at the  Battle of Puebla, in 1862. Should there be more education on knowing this holiday or other international holidays?  Ã‚   May 6 - Theme: American Bike Month(MS) 40% of Americans have a bicycle. Do you know how to ride a bike?   Do you have a bicycle? What could be the advantages of having a bicycle? What are the disadvantages of riding a bike?(HS) Urban planners include more bike lanes to reduce car traffic. The benefits of bicycles in cities are the reduction of car emissions and the increase of exercise. Is this planning a good thing? Or, is this planning something cities should do? Could this planning be like the idiom the says something is needed like a fish needs a bicycle  ? May 7 - Theme: Teacher Appreciation  (Week May 7-11)What qualities do you think a great teacher must have? Explain your answer.Do you have a favorite teacher from your school experiences? Write a letter of appreciation to that teacher. May 8 - Theme: National Train DayHigh-speed trains can travel fast with some prototypes with speeds over 400 mph. In theory, a high-speed train could race up the East Coast, from NYC to Miami, in seven hours. The same trip would take a car about 18.5 hours. Should Americans invest in high-speed rails for trains or in roads for cars?     Why or why not?May 9 - Theme: Peter Pan DayPretend you were in J.M. Barries story about Peter Pan, a boy who never grows up and remain eternally young. Which part would you most like to see or do: fly, visit with mermaids, fight the pirate Captain Hook, or meet the mischevious fairy Tinkerbell? Explain your answer. May 10 - Theme: Civil Disobedience.In 1994, political activist  Nelson Mandela was sworn in as South Africas 1st black president. Mandela followed the example of the civil disobedience practices used by Gandhi and Martin Luther King.   Consider Kings statement, Any man who breaks a law that conscience tells him is unjust and willingly accepts the penalty by staying in jail to arouse the conscience of the community on the injustice of the law is at that moment expressing the very highest respect for the law.For what injustice would you practice civil disobedience?ORMay 10: Theme: PostcardsIn 1861, the US Post Office authorized the first postcard.  Postcards are usually sent from a vacation place or as a greeting card to mark an event, or even just to say hello.Design a postcard and prepare a message. May 11 - Theme: Asthma Allergy Awareness MonthDo you have asthma or allergies? If so, what are your triggers? (What makes you have an attack or sneeze, etc.) If not, do you think that schools do enough to help those who have asthma and allergies? Why or why not?May 12: Theme: National Limerick DayLimericks are poems with the following scheme: five-lines of an anapestic  meter (unstressed syllable, unstressed syllable, stressed syllable)   with a strict  rhyme scheme  of AABBA. For example: There was an Old Man in a tree,Who was horribly bored by a Bee;When they said, Does it buzz?He replied, Yes, it does!Its a regular brute of a Bee! Try to write a limerick.   May 13 - Theme: Mothers DayWrite a descriptive paragraph or poem about either your Mother or someone who is a Mother figure to you.ORMay 13 - Theme: Tulip DayIn the 17th century, tulip bulbs were so prized that traders would mortgage their houses and fields.   (provide a picture or bring in real tulips). Describe a tulip or another flower using all five senses. May 14 - Theme: Lewis and Clark ExpeditionWilliam Clark of the Lewis and Clark Expedition was able to create a map of the Louisiana Purchase by merely walking through and exploring it. Today Google uses  cars with custom cameras over  five million miles  to develop their Google Maps apps. How do maps figure in your life? How might they figure in your future?May 15 - Theme: L. F. Baums Birthday - Author of the Wizard of Oz books and creator of Dorothy, the Wicked Witch of the West, the Scarecrow, the Lion, the Tin Man, and the Wizard.Which character from the world of Oz would you most like to meet? Explain your answer. May 16 - Theme: National Bar-B-Que MonthThe  word barbecue comes from the Caribbean word â€Å"barbacoa.† Originally, barbacoa was not a way of cooking food, but the name of a wooden structure used by indigenous Taino Indians to smoke their food. Barbeque ranks in the top 20 most popular foods in the USA. Whats your favorite picnic food? Do you like bar-b-que, hamburgers, hot dogs, fried chicken, or something else entirely? What makes it so special? May 17 - Theme: Kentucky Derby(MS) This horse race is also called  The Run for the Roses for the draped blanket of roses placed over the winning horse. This idiom uses a rose, as do many other idioms. Choose one of the following rose idioms, or any other idiom you know, and give an example as to when it could be used: a bed of rosesa rose by any other namebed of rosesbloom is off the rosebring the roses to (ones) cheekscome out smelling like a rose (HS) Just before the race at the Kentucky Derby, the crowds sing My Old Kentucky Home. The revised lyrics of the original song by Stephen Foster changed the  word darkies,   and substituted the word people. Crowds now sing: The sun shines bright in the old Kentucky homeTis summer, the people are gay... Should songs with questionable lyrics from years ago continue to be used for public events? Are there songs that are so inappropriate that they should be dropped entirely? May 18 - Theme: International Museum DayThere are numerous world-class museums around the world. For example, there is The Louvre, The Metropolitan Museum of Art, The Hermitage. There are also some oddball museums such as Museum of Bad Art or the National Mustard Museum.If you could create a museum about any topic, what would it be about? Describe two or three exhibits that would be in your museum.May 19 - Theme: Circus MonthIn 1768, the English equestrian  Philip Astley demonstrated trick riding by trotting in a circle rather than a straight line. His act was named a circus. As today is circus day, you have a choice of topics: If you were in a circus, which performer would you be and why?Do you like circuses? Explain your answer.Do you think circuses should feature animals? Why or why not? May 20 - Theme: National Physical Fitness and Sports MonthEach state requires a specific number of minutes that students should participate in physical activity.   If your state requires  physical fitness activity for the next 30 minutes, what activity would you choose? Why? May 21 - Theme: Lindbergh Flight DayOn this day in 1927, Charles Lindbergh took off on his famous flight across the Atlantic. Would you like to learn how to fly a plane? Why or why not? May 22 - Theme: Older Americans MonthDo you believe that older Americans are treated with enough respect today? Explain your answer. May 23 - Theme: World Turtle/Tortoise DayToday is World Turtle Day. Conservation efforts are demonstrating success, and turtle populations are up.   Tortoises can live long lives. One,  Adwaita the Tortoise (1750-2006), is reputed to have lived over 250 years. What events would a tortoise who lived that long have witnessed? What event would you like to have seen? May 24 - Theme: First Morse Code Message SentA simple substitution code is when you replace each letter with a different letter. For example, all As become Bs, and Bs become Cs, etc. I have written the following sentence using this type of code so that each letter of the alphabet is written as the letter that comes after it. What does my sentence say? Do you agree or disagree with it?Dpef csfbljoh jt fbtz boe gvo. May 25 - Theme: John F. Kennedys Speech About Sending a Man to the MoonOn this day in 1961, John F. Kennedy said that America would send a man to the moon before the end of the 1960s.   We choose to go to the moon in this decade and do the other things, not because they are easy, but because they are hard, because that goal will serve to organize and measure the best of our energies and skills, because that challenge is one that we are willing to accept, one we are unwilling to postpone, and one which we intend to win, and the others, too. Why is this speech so significant? Should Americans continue space exploration because it is hard?   May 26 - Theme: National Hamburger MonthOn average, Americans eat three hamburgers a week. What is your favorite type of hamburger or veggie burger? Is it plain or with toppings like cheese, bacon, onions, etc.? If not a hamburger, what food do you (or could you) eat three times a week? Describe a favorite food using at least three of the five senses. May 27 - Theme: Golden Gate Bridge OpensThe Golden Gate Bridge is a symbol of San Francisco, recognizable by people all over the world. Do you have any symbols or monuments for your city or community? What are they? Even if you dont have a symbol that you can think of,   explain why you think these types of symbols are important to people. May 28 - Theme: Amnesty International DayThe goal of Amnesty International is to protect and promote human rights across the world. Their motto is, Fight injustice and help create a world where human rights are enjoyed by all.  In some countries, genocide (the systemized killing of an entire ethnic group) is still being carried out. What is the responsibility of the United States? Do we have a duty to step in and stop these types of human rights violations? Explain your answer. May 29 - Theme: Paper Clip DayThe paperclip was created in 1889. There is a paperclip game  to play that pits you against market forces. There is also a movie,  Paper Clips, featuring middle school students who collected  one  paper clip  for each  person  exterminated by the Nazis. The paper clip was also a symbol of resistance in Norway against  Nazi  occupation.   This small everyday object has made its way into history. What other uses could you come up with for a paper clip?ORTheme: Memorial DayMemorial Day is a federal holiday that originated when decorations were placed on the graves of Civil War soldiers. Decoration Day gave way to Memorial Day, the last Monday in May.What are three things that we can do to honor those men and women who died while serving in our military?   May 30- Theme-Emerald GemstoneThe emerald is Mays gemstone. The stone is a symbol of rebirth and is believed to grant the owner foresight, good fortune, and youth. The color green  is associated with new life and the promise of spring. What promises of spring do you see now?   May 31 - Theme: Meditation DayA combination of anecdotal and scientific evidence  suggests that meditation in schools may help improve grades and attendance. Yoga and meditation may help students at all grade levels feel happier and more relaxed. What do you know about meditation and yoga? Would you like to see meditation programs brought into your school?