Alexander Hamilton

Alexander Hamilton is the only non-president to be on the US. currency.  Thomas Jefferson and James Madison opposed Hamilton.  It is probably because he was chief/staff for General Washington.  He was Secretary of the treasury, which is probably how he got addicted to money.  He was born January 11, 1755, and he served in the American Revolutionary War.  He died on July 12, 1804.  Burr killed him in a duel.

Two Bookers, and their similarities and differences

Quite some time ago, there were two men, named "Booker."  Booker T. Washington and Booker Wright both strove to lift the black race in order to make them equals in the American society.  They were both black people in tough times for the blacks.  Black men were not allowed to have as many rights as the white children.  Both the Bookers fought to prevent their children from going through what they experienced.

Booker T. Washington and Booker Wright were able to express their feelings about the treatment of the black race to several people.  Booker T. Washington expressed his thoughts in a public building, but Booker Wright expressed himself on TV.  Both of them owned a public building to spread joy and education to other people.  Could you keep a smile and be nice to everyone after going through what they did?

Booker T. Washington  got a good education at the Hampton Institute, but Booker Wright didn't even learn how to read.  Instead, he had to recite the menu!  Booker T. Washington owned a big school, but Booker Wright just owned a little place.  Booker T. Washington went to Europe, but Booker Wright never got a special trip like that.  But finally, and most importantly, they both fought to bring up the black race.

Silas Marner (Book Review)

Silas Marner starts as a  member of the chapel in the city of Lantern Yard.  But he is then falsely accused for a murder and robbery.  He decides to go away in the country after his loved one doesn't want him anymore.  He owns a hoard of gold after working as a weaver.  But then he is robbed.  An orphan girl named Eppie comes to him on a cold and fateful night.  Eppie gives Silas love and happiness throughout his life.

 I think it was a touching story.  Everybody thinks Silas is a bit creepy, or bad because he's a weaver with bad eye-sight.  But a little girl named Eppie gives Silas's life meaning.  It's just the kind of book  I think was a good experience reading.  You should read it too.

Opossums

Opposums are nature's vacuum cleaners. They will eat anything they can find.  They'll eat fruits, nuts, birds, worms, frogs, garbage, and even dead animals.  They will eat dirt, wrappers, and packaging.  Imagine if your kid ate like an opposum.  You could save a lot of money!

Opposum's "Playing opposum" trick is a safe, yet disgusting way to stay alive when a predator attacks!  The opposum first shows all of its teeth to frighten the foe.  If this does not work, it will play dead.  An opposum can play dead from about four minutes to four hours. It will  build up saliva, then release snot from its blush pink nose, and it will even fart a disgusting smelly green fluid fom its butt.  The predator will probably be disgusted out by then and leave.
 
Opossums are also good at climbing.  Their small tails are prehensile,  meaning they can wrap around things.  Opposums have thumbs on thier feet, called halluxes.  This special toe helps them climb.  They are specially built for tree climbing.  Opposums are definitely more than meets the eye.

Birth of the Chess Queen

(The book by Marilyn Yolum is reviewed by Emperor)

A very good book indeed. Jolly good book. I'd rate it as 10 out of 10 .  The pictures are good and the book was thought over, perfect.

Some things that I have learned from the book:

Chess is beleived to have originated in India, sixteenth century.  The Queen used to be called a vizier.  No one wanted or thought of a female being on the chess board.  It was thought a trait of wisdom to play chess.  Nobles and knights usually played chess.  Females used to play chess a lot more back three to ten centuries ago. 

The church banned chess because people would bet on the outcome.  But chess was kept alive.  Eventually the church had accepted chess again, and chess was a popular game again.  Chessboards were great gifts; they were usually made of ivory.

Chess has been known as a love game, so chess romance scenes were everywhere.  The King and Queen were in these scenes, as the lovers.  These "Scenes" were on coins, mirrors, on windows, and all through out Valentines day,they were everywhere. 

Both men and women were connected to chess.  Kings and Queens were also connected to themselves.  When mixed sexes played, the man was often dazzeled by his female opponent, thus he would lose the game.  But I don't get distracted when I play girls.

In 1831 somewhere, a laborer dug up the most intricate chess peices.  They were called the "Lewis Chessman".  There were 128 peiees altogether. Today there are only 93 pieces.  82 in the British museum, and 11 in the national museums in Scotland.

Buy it is my suggestion.  Just go to www.Amazon.com to buy it!

My mom forced me to write this post about friendship

Friendship is important in a household with six children.  Today I got in a fist-fight with one of my brothers.  It ended when my oldest brother split us up.  And later my mom settled the fight in long-term punishment style.  The lesson is; don't fight with your brother or you'll get what you deserve.  And always remember, when moms are mad, they give worse punishments.

The "Space Race."

The Russians and Americans were in the "Cold War" at the time, and they were very afraid of each other.  Some people would aim their telescopes for the heavens and see parts of the final frontier, space.  Once rockets were invented, humans could safely travel through outer space.  Of course people have tried firing other humans into space by large cannons.  It didn't work because it takes an extreme force to pull from the earth's gravity.

Yuri Gagarin was the very first human in space.  Before him, people would send animals and sputniks up into space.  But no one really knew what it was like.  Gagarin flew at a speed of about 16,000 miles per hour and flew for about 108 minutes!  Gagarin actually didn't go the entire way flying.  He was supposed to stay in the capsule, but he used his parachute because the ship would've crashed to fast.  No one dis-counted his flight, though.  People will never forget  April 12, 1961, the day he set off.

Roses

The typical roses you might find in your backyard probably have thorns, a vascular system and a red flower.  A vascular system being a tube system that contains some of the ingredients the plant needs for its sugars. An example of a rose without a red bud is the Graham Thomas.  It has a yellow flower and grows from 5-10 feet.

The parts of the rose are important.  The "union" is where all the roots meet/intersect.  A sucker is a shoot that comes from a root.  Suckers should be removed if the rose was budded.  The taproot transports the nutrients the plant needs all across the plant.  Leaves and new shoots and leaves are made at the node.  And the primary stem makes the outer shell of the plant.  Roses would/are a very pretty contribution to your garden.

Akobian with Me

Me and GM.Akobian!

This me with well-known GM Akobian.  He gives a lesson on every Wednesday at the Kansas City Chess Club.  He has a very high rating on chess which is 2707!  If you're asking, this a picture of him in the flesh, so he is not a cardboard cut-out.  This was taken in October.

Nuclear Power

I think nuclear power is deadly.  The nuclear power plants today are sitting modern weapons.  They may generate electricity and do not produce much carbon, but I think nuclear isn't a thing to mess with.  But to get rid of it is a problem.  We have an energy problem that several scientists are working to this day.  I think I have a solution although I am just a kid.  I think we should place several solar panels on the moon and connect the power to earth.  Because the moon is almost always getting sunshine.  

 I may not know the catches but it's an idea.  We should all look at Chernobyl and then compare it to the United States.  Do we want the U.S to look like Chernobyl?  Well, the Chinese have learned faster than us.  They have solar panels to power almost everything in some places.  But our government is plainly asking for a disaster.  And I am not saying coal is better, though.  I say we should not play and take energy from Mr. Atom.  I say, "Ditch Nuclear!" 

Robin Hood

Robin became an outlaw because he was provoked into it.  The sheriff kidnapped maid Marian was one reason he went against the law.  Another was that everyone kept making traps for him.  The king also charged the people of Nottingham too much in taxes.  And no one in the royal court really liked Robin anyway.  It was enough reason to become an outlaw. You'd probably do the same!

Mercury Has a Party

Mercury got his name because he runs really fast.  Mercury is deathly afraid of baths and vets.  For instance, he ran away to avoid the vet once. Mercury hates disasters but loves  LOVES pizza and dog wings.  They are his favorite foods.

It was Extra-Super-Deluxe-Slow day, so Mercury bought his favorite food for the holiday on account of making a celebration.  Mercury convinced his master to go on a blind date for a week. So he got a pizza with 8 slices, then he gathered 15 other dogs for a party.  Mercury gave a slice per dog except to 8 dogs who were left out.  The eight dogs who were left out were sad but cheesed at Mercury.  The mad/sad dogs told Mercury to "let the master plan the party next time" and  the other 8 dogs ripped the party planner book that Mercury kept to plan the party.

Then Mercury said, "Now there may not be a next time because you demolished my planner.  Unless I can find a discount."  Then the dogs who were left out left without food. The party was a disaster!

Grendel Goes to Wal-Mart

(By Emperor.  Based on his modern interpretation of the Beowulf character. Reprinted with permission.)

One day, in a bog, Grendel ate his breakfast. Later he said to his dad, "I'm tired of cooked mortal meat EVERY day! We should get some raw!"

Then his dad said, "Fine, then we go shopping!" So they left Grendel's mom home and went on foot to Wal-Mart. Grendel asked his dad if he could eat a customer while his dad shopped. Dad thought and said, "If the manager is not watching and only one." He also warned Grendel to wash his hands after he ate because Mom doesn't like blood on her carpet.

Well, something came on the news at Grendel's home while they were out. The news reporters were speaking of a missing customer. They talked about some bones on the floor and they say it may be some evidence for us wise reporters and detectives.

Grendel's mom panicked. "My poor innocent Grendel is at that store!"

She drove like a speeder to the Wal-Mart parking lot. In her hurry, she forgot to dress up and she only had her underwear on. When she got out of the car, some customers just ignored her thinking that she was a crazy person.

She ran into the store and took a look at the evidence. She saw no claws, so she reasoned that Grendel just ate another customer. She went looking for Grendel and his dad. She eventually found Grendel's dad alone with a worried look on his face. She yelled, "What's going on?!"

"Grendel is on an Easter hunt," he said. "He is hoping to get a big chocolate bunny for dessert."

"Ok, let's get out of here, then," she said. They found Grendel eating the bunny without checking it out. They put the bunny back on the shelf half-eaten. Then they got a new one and checked out.

Chess

Chess is a very popular game.  Chess was made in India and based off the ancient Indian army.  In the game, two players battle to take the other king.  When you capture the king, you win the game.  It is called checkmate.

The pieces in the ancient days are a lot different than they are in the modern days.  The ancient chess king is similar to the king piece today.  The visior now is the queen.  The cavalry is the knight (Horsey).  The Elephant became the bishop, and the chariot is the rook.  Chess is my favorite board game.  You should play it if you don't already.

Me and Elf in February

(This paper was written under duress.)

Assorted Chess Photos



Our new Monroi.




Little sister is learning to play chess, too!  She knows the names of all the pieces.



We have to have a quick way to clean up the pieces at the end of our chess day.  Polish pottery to the rescue!



Emperor using his new MonRoi to analyze a previously played game on the board.

The Kansas Open

Emperor recently competed in the Kansas Open in Overland Park, KS, for three days.  There were over 100 players, mostly adults.  Emperor is now working through "500 English Miniatures" by Bill Wall.  The "English" means that the white player always begins by moving his pawn to c4.  Yes, an entire book about one pawn move.  At some point, we will also work through an entire book about the Caro-Kann (white moves to e4, then black to c6), the Blackmar-Diemer Gambit (BDG) which begins 1. d4 d5 2. e4 dxe4 3. f3 and Ruy Lopez (e4 e5).  I'm hoping to get through the English Miniatures book this year and get midway through another; however, Emperor plays two games in the books on most weekdays and gets to decide which book and which games.  Emperor had a hard time in this last tournament and wants to sharpen his game.

Our Nature Walk

Feel free to guess the flower name!  This is a little over six feet tall.

Tiny parking lot flowers

I don't know what this is but I'm not sure it is touchable.

Looks like a wild raspberry of some sort. 

Allegedly, Queen Anne's Lace only grows to about four feet in height.  This is almost five feet tall.

A black walnut tree.  Apparently Missouri is one of the world's biggest exporters of black walnut wood. 

These are called asters.  They look like daisies, but they're smaller and there are several flowers on one stalk.

I'm tempted to say that this is not a wild grape, but a "deadly nightshade" vine.

The Mighty Nile

Obviously the Pyramids weren't that close to the Nile, but we fit everything into the old/rusty cake pan as best as possible.  The "Nile" is made of aluminum foil and is flooded weekly (instead of annually).  Potting soil on the banks contain grass seed and Lego farmers.  The grass gets pretty bent up because the local giants enjoy petting it.