An Ol' Broad's Ramblings
Archive for 27 October 2007
Are You As Smart As An 8th Grader…..In 1895?
Could You Have Passed the 8th Grade in 1895?
…Take a Look:
This is the eighth-grade final exam from 1895 from Salina, KS. USA. It was taken from the original document on file at the Smoky Valley Genealogical Society and Library in Salina, KS and reprinted by the Salina Journal.
8th Grade Final Exam: Salina, KS – 1895
Grammar (Time, one hour)
1. Give nine rules for the use of Capital Letters.
2. Name the Parts of Speech and define those that have no modifications.
3. Define Verse, Stanza and Paragraph.
4. What are the Principal Parts of a verb? Give Principal Parts of do, lie, lay and run.
5. Define Case, Illustrate each Case.
6. What is Punctuation? Give rules for principal marks of Punctuation.
7 – 10. Write a composition of about 150 words and show therein that you understand the practical use of the rules of grammar.
Arithmetic (Time, 1.25 hours)
1. Name and define the Fundamental Rules of Arithmetic.
2. A wagon box is 2 ft. deep, 10 feet long, and 3 ft. wide. How many bushels of wheat will it hold?
3. If a load of wheat weighs 3942 lbs., what is it worth at 50 cts. per bu., deducting 1050 lbs. for tare?
4. District No. 33 has a valuation of $35,000. What is the necessary levy to carry on a school seven months at $50 per month, and have $104 for incidentals?
5. Find cost of 6720 lbs. coal at $6.00 per ton.
6. Find the interest of $512.60 for 8 months and 18 days at 7 percent.
7. What is the cost of 40 boards 12 inches wide and 16 ft. long at $20 per m?
8. Find bank discount on $300 for 90 days (no grace) at 10 percent.
9. What is the cost of a square farm at $15 per are, the distance around which is 640 rods?
10. Write a Bank Check, a Promissory Note, and a Receipt.
U.S. History (Time, 45 minutes)
1. Give the epochs into which U.S. History is divided.
2. Give an account of the discovery of America by Columbus.
3. Relate the causes and results of the Revolutionary War.
4. Show the territorial growth of the United States.
5. Tell what you can of the history of Kansas.
6. Describe three of the most prominent battles of theRebellion.
7. Who were the following: Morse, Whitney, Fulton, Bell, Lincoln, Penn, and Howe?
8. Name events connected with the following dates:
1607
1620
1800
1849
1865
Orthography (Time, one hour)
1. What is meant by the following: Alphabet, phonetic, orthography, etymology, syllabication?
2. What are elementary sounds? How classified?
3. What are the following, and give examples of each: Trigraph, subvocals, diphthong, cognate letters, linguals?
4. Give four substitutes for caret ‘u’.
5. Give two rules for spelling words with final ‘e’. Name two exceptions under each rule.
6. Give two uses of silent letters in spelling. Illustrate each.
7. Define the following prefixes and use in connection with a word: Bi, dis, mis, pre, semi, post, non, inter, mono,super.
8. Mark diacritically and divide into syllables the following, and name the sign that indicates the sound: Card, ball, mercy, sir, odd,cell, rise, blood, fare, last.
9. Use the following correctly in sentences, Cite, site, sight, fane,fain, feign, vane, vain, vein, raze, raise, rays.
10. Write 10 words frequently mispronounced andindicate pronunciation by use of diacritical marks and by syllabication.
Geography (Time, one hour)
1. What is climate? Upon what does climate depend?
2. How do you account for the extremes of climate in Kansas?
3. Of what use are rivers? Of what use is theocean?
4. Describe the mountains of North America.
5. Name and describe the following: Monrovia, Odessa, Denver, Manitoba,Hecla, Yukon, St. Helena, Juan Fermandez, Aspinwall and Orinoco.
6. Name and locate the principal trade centers of the U.S.
7. Name all the republics of Europe and give capital of each.
8. Why is the Atlantic Coast colder than the Pacific in the same latitude?
9. Describe the process by which the water of the ocean returns to the sources of rivers.
10. Describe the movements of the earth. Give inclination of the earth.
H/T: Taxing Tennessee – Gas prices vs Public Education?
Really Dumb Idea
Italy: Koran toilet seat cover angers cleric
The imam of the Lazio town of Latina’s mosque, Sheikh Yusuf on Friday heckled interior minister Giuliano Amato as he visited Rome’s mosque to present the new ‘charter of values’ for immigrants.
“There is a toilet seat cover on sale in local stores that features verses of the Koran. This is an insult to the Muslim faith that we must react to,” he called out.
Amato however reassured Yusuf, saying: “I would like to tell our friends from Latina that we have been informed of this matter and are taking action because it is offensive.”
“Developed in consultation with various religious and civil society representatives, it establishes the principles for the harmonious integration in Italian society of non-Catholic communities.”
The charter, which has symbolic rather than legal value, is aimed at immigrants belonging to Muslim and other faiths and highlights the “values and principles that make up Italian identity and which are rooted in the Italian Constitution.”
I’d be angry too. However, I hope they don’t react like they usually do, with violence. I can’t imagine someone finding putting verses from the Bible on a toilet seat cover as appropriate, why would they think the opposite would be? Dumb. Really dumb.
Psychological Abuse of Kids
Jaw Drops
I was snooping Townhall blogs and came across this. Go there, watch the video,
read the post. Then go check out the website of those white supremacist. Talk about some scary people! I found this particular thread quite telling.
The REAL Target
Why Bother?
Seriously. Why even bother to present a budget to Dopey Doyle? He’s going to change it, thanks to the ‘Frankenstein veto’, to please himself and his buds.
Governor gets last word(s)
Expansive veto authority enables Doyle to raise limit on local property tax levies
Democratic Gov. Jim Doyle signed the new state budget into law Friday after loosening property tax limits on local governments by wielding the most powerful veto pen in the country.
By striking out words and numbers with his so-called Frankenstein veto power, Doyle raised the levy limits on local governments from 2% to 3.86% – a move that could add $41.4 million to property tax bills mailed in December, according to the Legislative Fiscal Bureau.
So, with his magic marker, or whatever, he turns what might be a reasonable budget into something totally unrecognizable, and likely, unreasonable and unacceptable.
Here’s what the budget will mean for:
Cigarette taxes: Will go up by $1 a pack to $1.77.
Car registration: Fees will go up $20 to $75.
Property taxes: Tax on a typical home will go up in December by $93, or 3.4%, and another $14 in December 2008.
Schools: Two-thirds funding for public schools; more funds for free school breakfasts, smaller class sizes and for high-poverty districts, including $17 million for Milwaukee Public Schools.
Children: Greater access to health care coverage through BadgerCare Plus.
Honestly, why do those elected to represent the REAL people of Wisconsin even bother coming up with a budget?
Also vetoed were a surprise budget provision – which no legislator has admitted sponsoring – that would have allowed grocery stores to offer free samples of hard liquor and an accelerated construction schedule for state Highway 23 in Fond du Lac and Sheboygan counties.
“To me, it’s just absurd that you walk into a grocery store and start taking shots of liquor,” Doyle said after signing the budget.
Holy cow! I actually agree with Dopey. This just never made a bit of sense.
Take a look at the results of the ‘tool’ Wisconsin governors have:
With that kind of power, why should the legislature even bother to negotiate?
Dan has a perfect example of the Frankenstein!
Heh.
Morning Coffee 10/27/07
Schwarzenegger tells state agencies: Cut red tape for fire victims
Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger issued a series of emergency orders Friday that will make it easier for Southern California fire victims to get unemployment benefits, reproduce documents lost in the blazes and remove debris from the burned-out foundations of what used to be their homes.
“Hundreds of thousands of Californians had their lives turned upside down, and my administration will not rest until their lives are returned to normal,” Schwarzenegger said at a news conference at the Office of Emergency Services in Rancho Cordova.
If they can pull it off, I’ll be impressed. Governments tend to love wrapping people up in said ‘red tape’, for no better reason than…..they can!
Bush says time wasted on SCHIP
President Bush said yesterday that congressional Democrats are “wasting time”passing legislation to expand children’s health coverage that they know he will veto, and he also said lawmakers are dragging their feet on a slew of other bills and one key nomination.
“This is not what congressional leaders promised when they took control of Congress earlier this year,” the president said. “In January, one congressional leader declared, and I quote: ‘No longer can we waste time here in the Capitol, while families in America struggle to get ahead.’ “
Bush didn’t really believe them when they made all those claims, did he? I thought only the Dhimmis bought into that BS. Time to scrap the lot of ‘em!
Nashville Kurds protest Turks’ strikes at rebels
About 100 Nashville-area Kurds, members of a 50 million-person ethnic group spread mostly across five countries bordering northern Iraq and the largest population in the world without a distinct nation-state, gathered to protest Turkish incursions across the border with Kurdish-controlled northern Iraq.
The Turkish parliament recently approved such raids, while the U.S. government has chosen not to become directly involved in the burgeoning conflict.
Why don’t they just carve out a piece of land, and say this is it. It’s yours, flourish or fail. Too simplistic?
Appeal to halt execution is denied
Berry has hoped that if the U.S. Supreme Court sides with two Kentucky inmates challenging lethal injection as cruel and unusual punishment, the decision will benefit his case. The high court has granted stays for inmates in about a dozen states pending its decision in the Kentucky case, which won’t be heard until next year.
(…)
Berry, 48, has been on death row since 1988 for kidnapping and beating to death Mary Bounds, 56, of Houston. She was murdered Nov. 19, 1987, after leaving choir practice. Her body was found in Chickasaw County. Berry confessed to killing her.
I hope he loses. IMHO, lethal ejection is more than humane compared to what I’d recommend for his demise.
Overstock.com Founder Refuses to Apologize for Comments About Minority Dropouts
On the YouTube video clip, Byrne says: “Right now, 40 percent of Utah minorities are not graduating from high school. You may as well burn those kids. That’s the end of their life. That’s the end of their ability to achieve in this society if they do not get a high school education. You might as, just throw the kids away.”
So, just what is he suppose to apologize for? Speaking the truth? Cuz honestly, most kids who don’t bother with an education aren’t going to far in life.
Wait a week to turn back clocks
Step away from the clock.
Falling back to standard time is not Sunday. It’s Nov. 4, a week later than in recent years.
Your calendar says the time change is Sunday? Well, a lot do. But your calendar is wrong – and lazy. It might get it right next year.
Ok, so is this just for Alabama, or the whole lot of us? Cuz I haven’t heard a word about clock changing, anywhere. How ’bout we just stop doing this every year. Seriously, what purpose does it serve now days?
Schools’ food unit wasted millions
A preliminary audit of the Central Nutrition Center at Memphis City Schools shows myriad waste, deception and evasions of state bidding laws led to a loss of more than $3.6 million since July 2006.
“My gut reaction was, ‘Oh no.’ I was horrified,” said school board member Jeff Warren.
Among the most egregious failures: The district ordered so much frozen food that 42 truckloads — or 243 tons — spoiled.
Memphis is starting to remind me of that old saying about the inmates being in charge of the asylum.
Militants behead 13 in Pakistan
“(The civilians) were travelling in a van. The militants took them out of the van and slaughtered them,†Badshah Gul Wazir, a top provincial home ministry official, told Reuters.
The corpses of the slain police and soldiers were found in the same area.
“All six of them have been found beheaded,†he added.
Nice folks, real peaceful. But yet there are those who get bent out of shape when you use the words Islamo-Facist. Do they not think they also apply when it’s Muslim against Muslim? Or doesn’t that count!?
Fox Bars Candidates From Using Its Images
The Fox News Channel sent notices to the campaigns of the leading Republican presidential candidates ordering them to stop using images from their Fox appearances in their campaign ads. The notices were sent out after the network was criticized for singling out only Senator John McCain’s campaign in barring use of the images.
Odd. You’d think they’d take it as free advertising. The term ‘getting too big for their britches’ comes to mind. Since it’s been obvious that most of the pundits on Fox are supporting Guiliani, I’m starting to question the ‘fair and balance’ bit.
Radical environmentalist pleads guilty
An informant who helped convict many of the 10 radical environmentalists known as “The Family” pleaded guilty in federal court to arson and attempted arson.
Jacob Ferguson admitted Friday that he set fire to the U.S Forest Service Ranger Station in Detroit, Ore., and a government pickup in 1996.
Ferguson, 35, turned informant three years ago as investigators closed in on the group that had set 20 fires across the West from 1996 to 2001, causing more than $40 million in damage.
All 10 were sentenced this year after pleading guilty to arson and other charges.
Sentencing for Ferguson was set for Jan. 10.
The logic of these whackos totally escapes me. “Yes, lets burn down the forest, roast SUVs, etc., and save the environment.”
