By: Jayden Walker Picture via wikipedia.com Mount Rushmore is carved in the Black Hills of South Dakota. The construction of the monument began on October 4, 1927 and was fully completed on October 31, 1941. The creators were a father and son duo named Guzton and Lincoln Borglum. There are four presidents on the mountain: The first President George Washington, the third President Thomas Jefferson, the 26th President Theodore Roosevelt, and the 16th President Abraham Lincoln. The monument is about 700-meters long and 300-meters wide. Each face is about 60-feet tall and the noses about 20-feet. Their mouths are about 18-feet wide. But why are these four presidents on this iconic mountain? In this article, I will be talking about each president and what they did for the country. Pictures via Wikipedia.com
George Washington George Washington was born on February 22, 1732 in Westmoreland County, Virginia. He was born to Augustine and Mary Washington. He became America’s first president. He was inaugurated on April 30, 1789. Washington served two terms as president and introduced five new states and ratified the Bill of Rights, He signed the first United States copyright law, protecting the copyrights of authors, and he made November 26 a national day of thanksgiving for the end of the war for American independence and the successful ratification of the Constitution. In 1796, Washington would decline going for a third term and retired. Three years later, Washington caught a cold and eventually died on December 14, 1799. His plantation would eventually become a national historic landmark. Washington is now known as “Father of the Country.” Thomas Jefferson Thomas Jefferson was born on April 13, 1743 in what is now Charlottesville, Virginia. He was born to Peter and Jane Jefferson. Jefferson was the third president of the United States. He was inaugurated on March 4, 1801 and was the first president to be inaugurated in Washington, D.C. Jefferson also made the famous Louisiana Purchase from France and sent Lewis and Clark to explore the land. He lowered the national debt from $80 million to $57 million in his first two years in office. He deployed new ships to stop pirates from attaching American merchants. Jefferson died on July 4, 1826, which was the 50th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence. Theodore Roosevelt Theodore Roosevelt Jr. was born on October 27, 1858 to Martha and Theodore Roosevelt Sr. He was the 26th president of the United States and was inaugurated September 14, 1901. He made foreign policy a way to maintain peace and order. Roosevelt also intervened in the Russo-Japanese War when he brought both nations together and mediated an end to the war. He helped Panama gain its independence from Colombia. He made a waterway called the Panama Canal, which helps ships sail faster from Panama to America and vice versa. He died on January 6, 1919. Abraham Lincoln Abraham Lincoln was born on February 12, 1809 to Thomas and Nancy Lincoln. He became the 16th president of the United States and was inaugurated on March 4, 1861. One month later, on April 15, 1861, Lincoln declared a civil war with the southern union in order to unite the country and to free the slaves. In 1863, Lincoln signed the Emancipation Proclamation, which was made to free all the slaves. Lincoln won the war two years later on April 9th, 1865. Six days later, Lincoln was assassinated while watching a theater play. He died on April 16th, 1865.
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By: Prescious Kyles Who isn’t a fan of chocolate? It’s sweet, smooth, and melts in your mouth. It’s absolutely delicious and scientifically proven to make whoever eats it happy. As you bite into that rich and sweet chocolate, you might taste something a little different. It’s bitter and unpleasant. You know what it is? It’s child labor. That bar of chocolate you’re enjoying almost cost a little kid her hand. Let’s take a deeper look at just how chocolate is made. Chocolate is made from cocoa beans, which grow on trees in a pod. Each cocoa pod is about the size of a football and is hard to open by hand. The only real way to open the pod without damaging the cocoa beans inside of it is with a machete. Imagine a 10 year old using a machete. It’s not a very pleasant image. Well that’s happening almost everyday on most cocoa farms. Cocoa farms are sprayed with deadly pesticides that children are breathing in daily. The ages of the children range from about five to nineteen, and most of the kids never even go to school like they were originally supposed to. Of course this is extremely illegal almost everywhere, but when has that stopped anyone? Even though a good majority of us know that child labor is bad, some companies still buy cocoa from farms that use it. They don’t care how the cocoa is harvested, just as long as they get it. All they have on their minds is money, even big corporations like Hershey Company buy from child-labor cocoa farms. So how do you determine which chocolate company to buy from so you're not accidentally supporting child labor? By following the chocolate scorecard. Picture via Green America
A chocolate scorecard is a list of different chocolate companies and if you should buy from them or not. The companies in the green make sure that they are buying from cocoa farms that have no child labor and are certified for it. The ones in blue aren’t too bad but are a little suspicious when it comes to answering questions about which cocoa farms they buy from. The ones in yellow are also something to be weary about. The ones that are in orange and red should be avoided as much as possible. Some haven’t been certified child-labor free and just flat out refuse to answer any questions about it. So next time when you’re buying chocolate for either yourself or someone else, consider doing some research or turning to the chocolate scorecard. You want sweet and rich chocolate, not ones that have turned bitter from child labor. By: Prescious Kyles
Valentine’s Day is a very well known holiday; it’s a day when love is in the air. The expectation of the "perfect" date goes up, as well as people's courage to face their crushes. You know what else goes up? Prices. You want to buy that special someone chocolate? Well you better do it in early January because the moment business owners smell February closing in, prices skyrocket. Chocolate is the most common thing to buy your special someone on this love-filled day. It’s sweet, delicious, almost everyone enjoys it, and it’s not hard to find. If you're actually going to buy the fancy chocolates and not be a cheapskate, then prepare for your wallet to cry. Normally a box of chocolate would range for about $17, not too bad considering the process of actually making the chocolate. Yet when February hits, you can expect to pay about $23, even more if you’re going to a really famous chocolate shop like See’s Candies, where you’ll be paying from $30-$60 per pound. You want your sweetheart to know you care? Make them cupcakes or something along the lines. It’s cheaper, and you’ll seem like a decent person because you actually put your time and effort into it. Now diamonds aren’t as common for Valentine’s Day, but it’s still nice to buy someone a pair of diamond earrings. Diamonds are already expensive as is, ranging at about $330 if they’re real, but they’ll be sold at about $334 when Valentine’s Day hits. Sure, it’s not that much of a change, but your bank account will say otherwise, especially if you’re buying more than one diamond. If your special someone wants jewels, buy them fake ones. If they look really good, they’ll never know the difference. Just don’t tell them, and they'll be happy thinking you spent a ton of money on some sparkling rocks. If you’re under the age of 21, then don’t even consider buying champagne. If you are the drinking age, then be prepared to spend about $52 per bottle. Just like chocolate, the fancier the champagne is, the more expensive it’ll cost. Authentic French champagne can range from $50-$300, and if it's really well-made you can be spending in the thousands range. Unless you’re the owner of a multi-millionaire business, which I highly doubt, I suggest you do some research and buy a nice tasting $10 champagne. It’ll make your partner and wallet happy, and that’s guaranteed. Finally, it’s time to talk about dinner. Taking your love bug out to eat is one of the most practiced Valentine’s Day traditions there is. You go out, buy some good food, go home, and wake up the next day wondering why a moth just flew out your wallet. Since restaurants are normally fully booked on Valentine’s Day, you may be able to make an excuse on why you’re not taking your significant other out to eat. But if you planned ahead and managed to book a spot, you may as well book a spot to throw your money out a window. Since restaurants, especially fancy ones, know they’ll have a lot of people coming, they’ll change their menus to a more fancier one whose prices would slap you across the face. You’ll be spending up to $100 dollars for a dinner for two, even more if you tip your waiter generously. They’re spending their Valentine’s Day with you and not their loved one, so don’t be rude. If you want to avoid going bankrupt, you can either schedule to go a few days after Valentine’s Day or just make dinner at your house. If you really want to turn up the love meter, have your partner help you. That way you both have quality time together, and if the food turns out badly, it’s on both of you. There is one way to save the most money, though. Celebrate Valentine’s Day by yourself. Buy a pint of ice cream, turn on the T.V, wrap yourself in your favorite blanket, and enjoy. Sure, you might not get with that one person you’ve been making goo-goo eyes at, but at least your wallet will be thanking you. Love is an amazing feeling, but it’s not worth going broke over. By: Mya Starks and Jacob Pelayo With all the negative and endless tragic stories from 2021, the year has finally come to an end. To end 2021 on a good note, a story from December, in the Swedish city of Trollhättan, a 71-year old man survived a cardiac arrest through a miraculous method. A cardiac arrest is when the heart suddenly stops beating and leads to unconsciousness and unresponsiveness. When someone has an attack, they have around ten minutes to get help before the attack completely takes over them. Fortunately for the man, a telephone call was immediately made to get emergency services. Just a couple of minutes later, a drone safely delivered an automated external defibrillator (AED). Even more fortuitous, a doctor was driving around and was able to help. The patient was rushed to the hospital and has made a speedy recovery. He is in the small ten percent of people who survive a sudden cardiac arrest. Picture via Good News Network
Within this first month of this year, many positive, uplifting, and inspirational stories have been shared and created. This story comes from Alabama, where two children were almost stolen away by an oncoming car during a family party. One child, a six-year-old boy, Kayden saved his younger sister from being hit by the car. Unfortunately, trying to save his sister, he was hit and now had to be hospitalized. He’s recovered now and has received a hero’s welcome from his local fire department as he came back home. Upon the young boy’s arrival home, he was granted a tour of a fire truck from his local fire department. Donald Huisenga, who is now a 98-year-old man from Texas, finally received his school diploma earlier this year in January. In March of 1943, when Huisenga was just six weeks away from graduating high school, he was drafted into the U.S. Army to fight in World War ll. He said, “He turned 18 in the fall of his senior year, got drafted the spring of his senior year and was supposed to graduate in May.” He mentioned that he had never received his high school diploma and regretted it for many years. As he was drafted for World War ll, he served for two years but became a prisoner of war (POW). He spent eight months in a German POW camp. After his service, he returned to civilian life in the United States but still had never got his high school diploma. He spoke about his deep regret with Tess Gooding, a VA social worker, and she called Huisenga’s former high school, Auburn High School. She asked if they would be able to help Huisenga get his diploma, and Principal Kevin Litterer assured her he could. As a principal, Litterer believes, “Everyone who wants a diploma and really wants it, should be able to get one.” So, school officials started tracking down a high school diploma from Auburn High School from 1943 so a replica could be made for Huisenga. Litterer also spoke with the school board and superintendent to see if they would count Huisenga as a high school graduate in the state of Iowa, and they unanimously voted yes. While that was happening in Iowa, Gooding and Huisenga were in Texas trying to get his health care in order so he could attend the diploma ceremony. Within a few weeks, everything was sorted out, and Litterer drove down to Texas to present Huisenga with his diploma on January 5. |
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