среда, 21 марта 2012 г.

USA Swimming is the national governing body for competitive swimming in the United States. It is charged with selecting the United States Olympic Swimming team and any other teams which officially represent the United States, as well as the overall organization and operation of the sport within the country, in accordance with the Amateur Sports Act. The national headquarters is located at the U.S. Olympic Training Center in Colorado Springs, Colorado.

The motto of these sport in USA is: "Build the base, promote the sport, achieve competitive success"

If you are interested in history of swimming of USA, click there:

http://www.usaswimming.org/ViewMiscArticle.aspx?TabId=1599&Alias=Rainbow&Lang=en&mid=7128&ItemId=3511

There are several parts and levels that make up USA Swimming. There is the National governing body (national) level, the Zone (regional) level, and the Local Swimming Committee (local/state) level.

Michael Phelp is considered to be the world's best swimmer.

It was really interesting for me to learn about his proffecional life, you can also find this information on this site:

http://www.buzzle.com/editorials/8-27-2004-58516.asp

All time top 100 in USA

http://www.usaswimming.org/DesktopDefault.aspx?TabId=1487&Alias=Rainbow&Lang=en

воскресенье, 11 марта 2012 г.

Badminton

Badminton is a racquet sport played by either two opposing players (singles) or two opposing pairs (doubles), who take positions on opposite halves of a rectangular court that is divided by a net.
Since 1992, badminton has been an Olympic sport with five events: men's and women's singles, men's and women's doubles, and mixed doubles, in which each pair consists of a man and a woman. At high levels of play, especially in singles, the spor
t demands excellent fitness: players require aerobic stamina, agility, explosive strength, speed and precision. It is also a technical sport, requiring good motor coordination and the development of sophisticated racquet movements.

I am not a professional player, but I do like this game. It was just really exciting for me to discover, that the beginnings of Badminton can be traced to mid-18th century British India, where it was created by British military officers stationed there.
If you are interested in its history, click there:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Badminton#History_and_development

As every other sport, badminton has its own rules. Interesting? You can find them there:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Badminton#Rules

Some outstanding participants from England:

Emma Jackson, Jenny Meadows, Marilyn Okoro, Jemma Simpson. If you want to see the list of all participants, click there:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Great_Britain_at_the_2012_Summer_Olympics
And, of course, our own pride and hope:
Vasyl Lomachenko, Denys Berinchyk, Taras Shelestyuk, Oleksandr Gvozdyk, Oleksandr Usyk.
For more information, you can visit this site:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ukraine_at_the_2012_Summer_Olympics

среда, 18 января 2012 г.

James Madison, Jr. (March 16, 1751 (O.S. March 5) – June 28, 1836) was an American states
man and political theorist. He was the fourth President of the United States (1809–1817) and is hailed as the “Father of the Constitution” for being instrumental in the drafting of the United States Constitution and as the key champion and author of the United States Bill of Rights. He inherited tobacco land and owned slaves although he spent his entire adult life as a career politician.

After the constitution had been drafted, he became one of the leaders in the movement to ratify the constitution. He was also a delegate to the Virginia constitutional ratifying convention, and was instrumental to the successful ratification effort in Virginia. Like most of his contemporaries, his political views changed over his life. During the drafting and ratification of the constitution, he favored a strong national government, though later he grew to favor stronger state governments, before settling in in between the two extremes late in his life.

After his election to the presidency, he presided over renewed prosperity for several years. As president (1809–17), after the failure of diplomatic protests and an embargo, he led the nation into the War of 1812. The war was an administrative nightmare without a strong army or financial system, leading Madison afterwards to support a stronger national government and a strong military, as well as the national bank that he had long opposed.

If you're interested in his personality and contribution to the development of America, I advice you to visit these sites:

четверг, 17 ноября 2011 г.

Tunica Tribe

The Tunica people were a group of linguistically and culturally related Native American tribes in the Mississippi River Valley, which include the Tunica (also spelled Tonica, Tonnica, and Thonnica); the Yazoo; the Koroa (Akoroa); and possibly the Tioux.They first encountered Europeans in 1541 - members of the Hernando de Soto expedition.
Over the next centuries, under pressure from hostile neighbors, the Tunica migrated south from the Central Mississippi Valley to the Lower Mississippi Valley. Eventually they moved westward from the river and settled at present-day Marksville, Louisiana.

Since the early 19th century, they have intermarried with the Biloxi tribe, an unrelated Siouan-speaking people from the vicinity of Biloxi, Mississippi and shared land. Remnant peoples from other small tribes also merged with them. The Tunica-Biloxi Tribe of Louisiana, which shares a reservation, was federally recognized in 1981.
To find more about the history and the origins of this state, click on this sites:
http://www.knowla.org/entry.php?rec=623

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tunica-Biloxi#History

It was extremely interesting for me was to read about the treasure of this tribe. So, I would like to share with you some information, which you can read on this link:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tunica-Biloxi#Tunica_treasure

I am sure, that curios people would like to know a bit more information about the style of life, which this tribe has been leading till nowadays. That's why, I have selected issues, which were especially interesting to me and can make a wider understanding of Tunica's life.

How do you pronounce "Tunica"? What does it mean?
It's pronounced "too-nih-kah." It comes from a word in their own language that means "the people."

What language do the Tunicas speak? Most Tunica people speak English today. Other Tunicas, especially older people, speak French. In the past, Tunica Indians spoke their own Tunica language. The Tunica language has not been spoken since the early 1900's, but some Tunica people are trying to learn their ancestral language again. You can read a Tunica picture glossary here.

What was Tunica culture like in the past? What is it like now?
Here is a link to the Tunica-Biloxi Tribe of Louisiana, where you can learn about the Tunica people past and present: http://tunicabiloxi.org/

What were men and women's roles in the Tunica tribe?
Tunica men were hunters and sometimes went to war to protect their families. Tunica women made pottery and did most of the child care and cooking. Both genders took part in farming, storytelling, music, and traditional medicine. In the past, Tunica chiefs were always men, but today, both men and women participate in Tunica tribal government.
What were Tunica homes like in the past?
The Tunica people lived in villages of thatched houses. One Tunica family lived in each house. Some Tunica villages had palisades (reinforced walls) around them, to guard against attack. Today, the Tunicas live in modern houses and apartment buildings, just like you.

What was Tunica clothing like? Did they wear feather headdresses and face paint?
Tunica men wore breechcloths and leather leggings. Tunica women wore wraparound skirts made of deerskin or woven fiber. Shirts were not necessary in the Tunica culture, but men and women both wore mantles in cooler weather. The Tunicas also wore moccasins on their feet. Here are some photographs and links about Indian apparel in general.
The Tunicas didn't wear long headdresses like the Sioux. Most of the time they went bare-headed, but Tunica warriors sometimes did wear a porcupine roach. Both men and women usually wore their hair long. The Tunicas didn't usually paint their faces, but they did decorate their bodies with tribal tattoos. Both men and women wore tattoos in the Tunica tribe.

Today, some Tunica people still wear moccasins, but they wear modern clothes like jeans instead of breechcloths... and they only wear roaches in their hair on special occasions like a dance.
What are Tunica arts and crafts like?
The Tunicas were known for their pottery, baskets, and woodcarvings. They also made textiles from mulberry bark, which they used to weave clothing and blankets.
What kinds of stories do the Tunicas tell?
There are many traditional Tunica legends and fairy tales. Storytelling is very important to the Tunica Indian culture.

Learn More About The Tunicas

пятница, 28 октября 2011 г.

The state of Georgia

Susie Baker King Taylor

I would like to share with you a story of one women people still remember.

Susie Baker King Taylor was the first African American to teach openly in a school for former slaves in Georgia. As the author of Reminiscences of My Life in Camp with the 33rd United States Colored Troops, Late 1st S.C. Volunteers, she was the only African American woman to publish a memoir of her wartime experiences.
Susie Baker, the daughter of slaves, was born in Liberty County on August 6, 1848. When she was about seven years old, her owner allowed her to go to Savannah to live with her grandmother. Despite Georgia's harsh laws against the formal education of African Americans, she attended two secret schools taught by black women. From them she gained the rudiments of literacy, then extended her education with the help of two white youths, both of whom knowingly violated law and custom.
More about this story you can find on these links:

Women were there...

The Civil War brought enormous hardship and tragedy to America's female population. Yet, it also provided women of all races and social classes with unprecedented opportunities to participate in civic, economic, and military activities that had previously been closed to them. Although officially banned from serving in combat by both the Union and Confederate governments, women played a vital role in their side's war efforts.
During the bloodiest conflict in U.S. history, some risked their lives as spies, scouts, and saboteurs, and in some instances, even disguised themselves as men to challenge their nation's foes directly on the battlefield.

Women from the state of Georgia provide a stark reminder of the Confederate perspectives on the war. Among those included are Sarah Thompson, the Union spy and nurse who brought down the famous raider John Hunt Morgan; Elizabeth Van Lew, the Union spy who was instrumental in the success of the largest prisonbreak of the Civil War; Sarah Malinda Blalock, who fought for the Confederacy as a soldier and then for the Union as a guerrilla raider; Dr. Mary Walker, a doctor for the Union and the only woman to receive the Congressional Medal of Honor for her service during the Civil War; and Jennie Hodgers, who had the longest length of service for any woman soldier, was the only woman to receive a soldier’s pension and the first woman to vote in Illinois.

Others produced and donated desperately needed supplies for the troops, or cared for ill and wounded soldiers. Those at home kept farms and businesses running while their male relations were off fighting.

You can find more about women in the Civil War here:

I am just amazed at how many women posed as men so they could fight on both sides of the Civil War! The courage and bravery of these women who were also spies and smugglers was astounding.

среда, 21 марта 2012 г.