147 résultats pour "least"
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Astronaut - astronomy.
Every operation during a flight is important and interesting, but many might be boring to an observer. Much of an astronaut’s job is entering computer instructions,preparing samples, making measurements, recording data, fixing what breaks, and adjusting the checklist when something unexpected happens. Sometimes astronautsretrieve or repair satellites, rendezvous or dock with other spacecraft, and do important emergency repairs. The adaptability of the human crew is crucial to the successof missi...
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Community and communitarianism
makes fundamental ethical criticism's of one's own community impossible. The success of communitarianism as a political theory depends upon whether it can be demonstrated that liberal political institutions cannot provide adequate conditions for the flourishing of community or secure appropriate support for persons' identities so far as their identities are determined by their membership in communities. 1 Community If I am a member of a community, I conceive of the goals and values I shar...
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Human Disease.
disease can be transmitted through food infected with mutated proteins. B Spread of Infectious Disease Some pathogens are spread from one person to another by direct contact. They leave the first person through body openings, mucous membranes, and skin wounds,and they enter the second person through similar channels. For example, the viruses that cause respiratory diseases such as influenza and the common cold are spreadin moisture droplets when an infected person coughs or sneezes. A hand that...
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Northwest Territories - Geography.
million years ago by the severe bending (folding) and faulting (breaking) of sedimentary rock that was once part of the Interior Plains. During the Wisconsin Ice Age,alpine glaciers covered the Cordillera, and the movement of the glaciers created razor-sharp peaks and ridges in these mountains. The moving glaciers also createdbroad U-shaped valleys. To the east of the Interior Plains, the ancient rocks of the Canadian Shield are exposed at the Earth’s surface, resulting in a rough, rolling terra...
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Northwest Territories - Canadian History.
million years ago by the severe bending (folding) and faulting (breaking) of sedimentary rock that was once part of the Interior Plains. During the Wisconsin Ice Age,alpine glaciers covered the Cordillera, and the movement of the glaciers created razor-sharp peaks and ridges in these mountains. The moving glaciers also createdbroad U-shaped valleys. To the east of the Interior Plains, the ancient rocks of the Canadian Shield are exposed at the Earth’s surface, resulting in a rough, rolling terra...
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Babylonia - USA History.
Pharmacology, too, doubtless had made considerable progress, although the only major direct evidence of this comes from a Sumerian tablet written several centuriesbefore Hammurabi. C Legal System and Writing Law and justice were key concepts in the Babylonian way of life. Justice was administered by the courts, each of which consisted of from one to four judges. Often theelders of a town constituted a tribunal. The judges could not reverse their decisions for any reason, but appeals from their...
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"A Modest Proposal" - anthology.
I SHALL now therefore humbly propose my own Thoughts; which I hope will not be liable to the least Objection. I HAVE been assured by a very knowing American of my Acquaintance in London; that a young healthy Child, well nursed, is, at a Year old, a most delicious, nourishing, and wholesome Food; whether Stewed, Roasted, Baked, or Boiled; and, I make no doubt, that it will equally serve in a Fricasie, or Ragoust. I DO therefore humbly offer it to publick Consideration, that of...
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James Monroe.
In October 1786, Monroe resigned from Congress and settled with his bride in Fredericksburg, Virginia, where he began a law practice. His retirement from politics wasbrief. He was soon elected to the town council, and then once again to the Virginia legislature. However, Monroe never lost touch with national politics. He corresponded regularly with both Jefferson and Madison. In 1786 Monroe attended the AnnapolisConvention, which had been called to consider interstate commerce and other matters...
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James Monroe - USA History.
In October 1786, Monroe resigned from Congress and settled with his bride in Fredericksburg, Virginia, where he began a law practice. His retirement from politics wasbrief. He was soon elected to the town council, and then once again to the Virginia legislature. However, Monroe never lost touch with national politics. He corresponded regularly with both Jefferson and Madison. In 1786 Monroe attended the AnnapolisConvention, which had been called to consider interstate commerce and other matters...
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Arctic - geography.
B Rivers and Lakes Low precipitation is characteristic of the Arctic, so large and elaborate river and lake systems are rare. In many places, however, permafrost (permanently frozen subsoil)restricts the downward drainage of meltwater from snow, and the water accumulates on the surface as shallow lakes, ponds, and marshes. In addition, rivers from morehumid regions flow seaward across the dry Arctic terrain. Several large rivers are in the Russian Arctic, and the Mackenzie and Yukon rivers are...
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Wetland.
Other plants and animals have special adaptations suited for living in a wet environment. Most emergent plants have air spaces in their stems that enable oxygen to betransported to roots that grow in sediments with no oxygen. Some of the trees that grow in swamps form a set of roots above the soil surface or above the water thatallows them to get oxygen to the lower roots. In saltwater wetlands, specialized cells can limit the amount of salt that enters a plant, or specialized organs can excrete...
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Exercise.
broad, and most studies suggest a positive relationship between physical fitness and mental achievement. The relationship between regular aerobic exercise and cardiovascular health and longevity is well established. Regular exercise leads to a reduction in the risk ofcoronary heart disease, in which fatty deposits (plaque) form in blood vessels supplying the muscular wall of the heart, compromising oxygen delivery to the heartmuscle. In addition, with regular exercise the efficiency of the heart...
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Law.
I
INTRODUCTION
Law, body of official rules and regulations, generally found in
their rules are reviewable by the courts. U.S. constitutional law is the most extensive and pervasive of any country in the world. It is embodied in the Constitution and in the opinions of the U.S. Supreme Courtrendered over time. Through its power of judicial review, the Supreme Court may invalidate any legislation or other governmental actions that it finds to be in violationof the Constitution. Constitutional courts in some civil-law countries have similar powers. In the United Kingdom no equ...
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Depression (psychology).
IV CAUSES Some depressions seem to come out of the blue, even when things are going well. Others seem to have an obvious cause: a marital conflict, financial difficulty, or somepersonal failure. Yet many people with these problems do not become deeply depressed. Most psychologists believe depression results from an interaction betweenstressful life events and a person’s biological and psychological vulnerabilities. A Biological Factors Depression runs in families. By studying twins, researche...
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Parkinson Disease.
III SYMPTOMS Parkinson disease most notably affects motor control (muscle activity). The disease progresses differently for each individual—symptoms develop swiftly in some peopleand slowly in others. Some Parkinson patients may develop problems that affect their intellect or ability to reason, or they may suffer from depression or anxiety. A Motor Control Problems Doctors look for the presence of four principal symptoms in patients they suspect may have Parkinson disease. Tremor (the involun...
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Environment.
escape into space of the infrared energy radiated back out by Earth. This process is referred to as the greenhouse effect. These gases, primarily carbon dioxide,methane, nitrous oxide, and water vapor, insulate Earth’s surface, helping to maintain warm temperatures. Without these gases, Earth would be a frozen planet with anaverage temperature of about -18°C (about 0°F) instead of a comfortable 15°C (59°F). If the concentration of these gases rises, they trap more heat within theatmosphere, caus...
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Mars (planet) - astronomy.
The Martian core is probably much like Earth’s, consisting mostly of iron, with a small amount of nickel. If other light elements, particularly sulfur, exist there as well, thecore may be larger than presently thought. From studying Earth’s magnetic field and core, scientists theorize that the motions of the liquid rock in Earth’s core generateits magnetic field. Mars does not have a significant magnetic field, so scientists believe that Mars’s core is probably solid. However, spacecraft data in...
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Japanese Literature
I
INTRODUCTION
Japanese Literature, literature of Japan, in written form from at least the 8th century
AD
to the present.
The Man’yō’sh ū contains about 4,500 poems, most of them composed in the Nara period (710-784). Some of the poems are far older, however, and some of the verses date to earlier collections that have not survived. The work demonstrates a gradual change from basic verses on simple subjects to more sophisticated expressions with a broad range of subject matter. This text also shows the development of poetic forms such as the tanka (short poem), a form structured around alternating lines of 5 an...
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Alice's Adventures in Wonderland - anthology.
“Do you mean that you think you can find out the answer to it?” said the March Hare. “Exactly so,” said Alice. “Then you should say what you mean,” the March Hare went on. “I do,” Alice hastily replied; “at least—at least I mean what I say—that's the same thing, you know.” “Not the same thing a bit!” said the Hatter. “Why, you might just as well say that ‘I see what I eat’ is the same thing as “I eat what I see’!” “You might just as well say,” added the March Hare, “that ‘I l...
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Golf.
I
INTRODUCTION
Golf, outdoor game in which individual players use specially designed
caddie or caddy. (Caddies, once an integral feature of the game, have now been replaced on many courses by motorized carts and pull carts.) In England the game was made popular by the attention given it by James VI of Scotland, later James I of England, and his son Charles I. In the 18th century the first golf associations were established. They included the Honourable Company of Edinburgh Golfers (founded 1744) in Edinburgh, Scotland;the Saint Andrews Society of Golfers (1754) in Saint Andrew...
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Human Evolution.
Strepsirhines are the most primitive types of living primates. The last common ancestors of strepsirhines and other mammals—creatures similar to tree shrews andclassified as Plesiadapiformes—evolved at least 65 million years ago. The earliest primates evolved by about 55 million years ago, and fossil species similar to lemursevolved during the Eocene Epoch (about 55 million to 38 million years ago). Strepsirhines share all of the basic characteristics of primates, although their brains are notpa...
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Human Evolution - biology.
classified as Plesiadapiformes—evolved at least 65 million years ago. The earliest primates evolved by about 55 million years ago, and fossil species similar to lemursevolved during the Eocene Epoch (about 55 million to 38 million years ago). Strepsirhines share all of the basic characteristics of primates, although their brains are notparticularly large or complex and they have a more elaborate and sensitive olfactory system (sense of smell) than do other primates. B Haplorhines B1 Tarsiers T...
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Saturn - astronomy.
measurements of the magnetic field made by the Voyager space probes in the 1980s. Additional Cassini findings reported in March 2007 suggested that particles originating from geysers on the moon Enceladus may provide a partial explanation for thechange. The neutral gas particles become electrically charged and are captured by Saturn’s magnetic field, forming a disk of hot, ionized gas around the planet’sequator. The charged particles interact with the magnetic field and slow down the rotation of...
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Asteroid - astronomy.
Asteroids of the S type, related to the stony iron meteorites, make up about 15 percent of the total population of asteroids that can be seen from Earth. Much rarer arethe M-type objects, corresponding in composition to the meteorites known as “irons.” These objects are made up of an iron-nickel alloy and may represent the cores ofbodies that were large enough to differentiate into layers and to melt deep inside. Their rocky outer layers may have been removed by impacts with other asteroids . A...
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Algebra
I
INTRODUCTION
Algebra, branch of mathematics in which symbols (usually letters) represent unknown numbers in mathematical equations.
B Order of Operations and Grouping Algebra relies on an established sequence for performing arithmetic operations. This ensures that everyone who executes a string of operations arrives at the sameanswer. Multiplication is performed first, then division, followed by addition, then subtraction. For example: 1 + 2 · 3 equals 7 because 2 and 3 are multiplied first and then added to 1. Exponents and roots have even higher priority than multiplication: 3 · 2 2 = 3 · 4 = 12 Grouping symbols override...
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Earthquake.
III CAUSES Most earthquakes are caused by the sudden slip along geologic faults. The faults slip because of movement of the Earth’s tectonic plates. This concept is called theelastic rebound theory. The rocky tectonic plates move very slowly, floating on top of a weaker rocky layer. As the plates collide with each other or slide past eachother, pressure builds up within the rocky crust. Earthquakes occur when pressure within the crust increases slowly over hundreds of years and finally exceeds...
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Economics.
Malthus, nature's check was “positive”: “The power of population is so superior to the power of the earth to produce subsistence for man, that premature death must insome shape or other visit the human race.” The shapes it took included war, epidemics, pestilence and plague, human vices, and famine, all combining to level theworld's population with the world's food supply. The only escape from population pressure and the horrors of the positive check was in voluntary limitation of population, no...
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Soccer.
Two assistants, known as linesmen or referees’ assistants, aid the referee. Their primary job is to alert the referee when balls go out of the playing area and to assist inmaking offsides calls (see Rules section below). The assistants carry flags, which they wave when the ball leaves the playing area or use to point to the spot where a foul was committed. V EQUIPMENT Soccer is played with a round leather ball. It is between 68 and 71 cm (27 and 28 in) in circumference and weighs between 396...
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North America - Geography.
D Climate Although North America has considerable climatic variety, five principal climatic regions can be identified. The northern two-thirds of Canada and Alaska, as well as all ofGreenland, have subarctic and arctic climates, in which long, dark, bitterly cold winters alternate with brief, mild summers. Most of the region, which receives relativelylittle precipitation, is covered with snow and ice during much of the year. A second climatic region is made up of the eastern two-thirds of the U...
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Congress of the United States.
senator, a person must be at least 30 years old, a citizen for nine years, and a resident of the state from which he or she is elected. Most members of Congress haveserved in state legislatures, city councils, or other elected bodies. See United States Senate: Campaigning for the Senate ; United States House of Representatives: Campaigning for the House. The 435 House seats are divided among the states in proportion to each state’s population. Every state is guaranteed at least one seat. State...
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Minnesota - geography.
C Climate Minnesota’s climate is classified as humid continental because normally there is a sufficient amount of precipitation to provide at least some surplus for runoff, andbecause Minnesota’s temperature conditions are largely controlled by its location in the interior of the large landmass of North America. The result is extreme seasonaltemperature variations. The average January temperature is about -18°C (about 0°F) in the northwest and about -10°C (about 14°F) in the south, but thetherm...
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Minnesota - USA History.
C Climate Minnesota’s climate is classified as humid continental because normally there is a sufficient amount of precipitation to provide at least some surplus for runoff, andbecause Minnesota’s temperature conditions are largely controlled by its location in the interior of the large landmass of North America. The result is extreme seasonaltemperature variations. The average January temperature is about -18°C (about 0°F) in the northwest and about -10°C (about 14°F) in the south, but thetherm...
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Native Americans of Middle and South America.
A line that snakes across central Mexico near the Tropic of Cancer forms the northern boundary of Mesoamerica; north of this line rainfall sharply declines and theclimate is much drier. The ancient civilizations of Mesoamerica all arose and developed in the area between this line and the Guatemalan highlands far to the south. Richvolcanic soils are found throughout much of the region. A2 People and Languages Mesoamerica was a great melting pot, home to many peoples and interrelated cultures. In...
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Native Americans of North America.
addition to smallpox and measles, explorers and colonists brought a host of other diseases: bubonic plague, cholera, typhoid fever, scarlet fever, pleurisy, mumps,diphtheria, pneumonia, whooping cough, malaria, yellow fever, and various sexually transmitted infections. Despite the undisputed devastation wreaked on Indian populations after European contact, native populations showed enormous regional variability in their response todisease exposure. Some peoples survived and, in some cases, even...
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Native Americans of North America - Canadian History.
addition to smallpox and measles, explorers and colonists brought a host of other diseases: bubonic plague, cholera, typhoid fever, scarlet fever, pleurisy, mumps,diphtheria, pneumonia, whooping cough, malaria, yellow fever, and various sexually transmitted infections. Despite the undisputed devastation wreaked on Indian populations after European contact, native populations showed enormous regional variability in their response todisease exposure. Some peoples survived and, in some cases, even...
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Japan - country.
island’s fertile soils support agriculture and provide the vast majority of Japan’s pasturelands. In addition, Hokkaidō contains coal deposits, and the cold currents off itsshores supply cold-water fish. Winters are long and harsh, so most of Hokkaid ō is lightly settled, housing about 5 percent of Japan’s population on approximately 20 percent of its land area. However,its snowy winters and unspoiled natural beauty attract many skiers and tourists. Hokkaid ō is thought of as Japan’s northern fr...
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Vietnam War.
rigged, since about 150,000 more people voted in Saigon than were registered. Diem then deposed Bao Dai, who had been the only other candidate, and declaredSouth Vietnam to be an independent nation called the Republic of Vietnam (RVN), with himself as president and Saigon as its capital. Vietnamese Communists and manynon-Communist Vietnamese nationalists saw the creation of the RVN as an effort by the United States to interfere with the independence promised at Geneva. III THE BEGINNING OF THE...
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Vietnam War - History.
rigged, since about 150,000 more people voted in Saigon than were registered. Diem then deposed Bao Dai, who had been the only other candidate, and declaredSouth Vietnam to be an independent nation called the Republic of Vietnam (RVN), with himself as president and Saigon as its capital. Vietnamese Communists and manynon-Communist Vietnamese nationalists saw the creation of the RVN as an effort by the United States to interfere with the independence promised at Geneva. III THE BEGINNING OF THE...
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Vietnam War - U.
rigged, since about 150,000 more people voted in Saigon than were registered. Diem then deposed Bao Dai, who had been the only other candidate, and declaredSouth Vietnam to be an independent nation called the Republic of Vietnam (RVN), with himself as president and Saigon as its capital. Vietnamese Communists and manynon-Communist Vietnamese nationalists saw the creation of the RVN as an effort by the United States to interfere with the independence promised at Geneva. III THE BEGINNING OF THE...
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Concepts
suggested that concept possession need not consist in knowing a definition, but in appreciating the role of a concept in thought and practice. Moreover, he claimed, a concept need not apply to things by virtue of some closed set of features captured by a definition, but rather by virtue of ‘family resemblances' among the things, a suggestion that has given rise in psychology to ‘prototype' theories of concepts. Most traditional approaches to possession conditions have been concerned with t...
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Canadian Parliament.
government’s legislative program. Members of Commons can also present a motion in response to the Budget Speech, which reviews the government’s economicrecord, taxation, and expenditure plans, and to Supply Motions, which concern budgets for individual departments. If a majority of MPs support a no-confidence motion,the government must resign. Also, if Parliament rejects a significant government proposal, the government is expected to resign and request the governor-general to call an election....
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New York (city) - geography.
The Bronx is the fourth largest and the northernmost of the five boroughs, and the only one on the American mainland. Even so, it is surrounded by water on threesides: Long Island Sound on the east, the Harlem and East rivers on the south, and Hudson River on the west. Encompassing 109 sq km (42 sq mi), it had 1,332,650inhabitants in 2000. Largely residential, the Bronx includes dozens of vibrant neighborhoods. Fieldston is particularly elegant, with great stone houses set among spacious lawns a...
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Puerto Rico - geography.
the length of the day remains fairly constant throughout the year. San Juan has a mean July temperature of 28°C (83°F) and a mean January temperature of 25°C (77°F). The average temperature of the seawater surrounding theisland is 27°C (81°F), with little variation during the course of the year. The entire island is cooled by the trade winds from the northeast. This air also contains much water vapor. As the air is forced to rise over the mountains, it becomescooler and the water vapor condenses...
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William Shakespeare
I
INTRODUCTION
William Shakespeare (1564-1616), English playwright and poet, recognized in much of the world as the greatest of all dramatists.
Shakespeare’s reputation today is, however, based primarily on the 38 plays that he wrote, modified, or collaborated on. Records of Shakespeare’s plays begin toappear in 1594, when the theaters reopened with the passing of the plague that had closed them for 21 months. In December of 1594 his play The Comedy of Errors was performed in London during the Christmas revels at Gray’s Inn, one of the London law schools. In March of the following year he received payment for two playsthat had been per...
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William Shakespeare.
Shakespeare’s reputation today is, however, based primarily on the 38 plays that he wrote, modified, or collaborated on. Records of Shakespeare’s plays begin toappear in 1594, when the theaters reopened with the passing of the plague that had closed them for 21 months. In December of 1594 his play The Comedy of Errors was performed in London during the Christmas revels at Gray’s Inn, one of the London law schools. In March of the following year he received payment for two playsthat had been per...
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Diving (underwater).
compensator (or control) device (BCD or BC), which the diver wears as a vest. By adding air to the BCD, the diver becomes more buoyant and rises. By releasing air,the diver becomes less buoyant and sinks. With minor adjustments of air, the diver can achieve neutral buoyancy. A third hose attaches to pressure gauges that diversuse to monitor how much air remains in the tank. A fourth hose attaches to a backup breathing device called an alternate air source, or octopus. Divers also wear a belt w...
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Excerpt from Barnaby Rudge - anthology.
Mr. Dennis rolled lazily over upon his breast, and resting his chin upon his hand in imitation of the attitude in which Hugh lay, said, as he too looked towards thedoor: “ Ay, ay, you knew him, brother, you knew him. But who'd suppose to look at that chap now, that he could be the man he is! Isn't it a thousand cruel pities, brother,that instead of taking his nat'ral rest and qualifying himself for further exertions in this here honourable cause, he should be playing at soldiers like a boy?...
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Camping.
Commercial campgrounds serve as campsites for RV and car campers on the outskirts of national and state parks and along highways throughout North America.Owners of commercial campgrounds charge campers on a daily or weekly basis, and provide campsites equipped with hookups for electricity and water. They may alsoprovide such amenities as showers, laundry facilities, or a swimming pool. Many commercial campgrounds belong to a club or network that allows its members toreserve campsites in advance....
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United States Senate.
providing for military forces, and declaring war. Article I, Section 8, also gives Congress implied powers—to “make all laws which shall be necessary and proper” forcarrying out the enumerated powers, and to investigate and oversee the executive branch. The Senate also has the power to conduct impeachment trials against thepresident, federal judges, and other officials. The Senate can only impeach someone after the House brings charges, however. A two-thirds majority vote of thesenators in the c...
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Christianity.
history of architecture. See Basilica; Church; Early Christian Art and Architecture;Prayer. C Christian Life The instruction and exhortation of Christian preaching and teaching concern all the themes of doctrine and morals: the love of God and the love of neighbor, the twochief commandments in the ethical message of Jesus (see Matthew 22: 34-40). Application of these commandments to the concrete situations of human life, bothpersonal and social, does not produce a uniformity of moral or polit...