The Book Castles Die...

It is heart-rending to see the demise of the once-great Border's Books. The company is closing 200 stores, has $1.29B in debt and $1.27B in assets. Border's always struck me as a more genteel, understated version of Barnes & Noble. The ambiance is muted, the interior decoration elegant but not bold and the coffee shop a milder Seattle's best vs. the hustle and bustle of a Starbuck's inside Barnes & Noble.

I felt more comfortable sitting at Barnes & Noble for many hours reading books on topics ranging from ancient history to comics, while exploring the recesses of my own mind during challenging periods every year. Border's was a place where I went in, bought something, and got out.

Perhaps Barnes was more welcoming and had a sense of openness to students and itinerants. But I do feel bad that the great book castles - places where one was able to relax, browse, even read entire books - with access to coffee and restrooms - are closing one by one. A sense of community existed among bibliophiles - people who love books - and a sense of shared nerdiness. Will it be replaced by groups of people reading Kindles, while sitting together in a common area? I wonder.

The library is dead, so is the book castle. What's next in the world of shared spaces for reading?

Fascinating Infographic on College in America


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An Ancient Text on Politics from India - Arthashastra

The Arthashastra is an ancient Indian treatise on statecraft, economic policy and military strategy which identifies its author by the names Kautilya and Viṣhṇugupta, who are traditionally identified with Chāṇakya (c. 350–283 BC),who was a scholar at Takshashila and later the prime minister of the Maurya Empire.

Because of its harsh political pragmatism, the Arthashastra has often been compared to Machiavelli's The Prince.

Is there any other book that talks so openly about when using violence is justified? When assassinating an enemy is useful? When killing domestic opponents is wise? How one uses secret agents? When one needs to sacrifice one's own secret agent? How the king can use women and children as spies and even assassins? When a nation should violate a treaty and invade its neighbor? Kautilya — and to my knowledge only Kautilya — addresses all those questions. In what cases must a king spy on his own people? How should a king test his ministers, even his own family members, to see if they are worthy of trust? When must a king kill a prince, his own son, who is heir to the throne? How does one protect a king from poison? What precautions must a king take against assassination by one's own wife? When is it appropriate to arrest a troublemaker on suspicion alone? When is torture justified? At some point, every reader wonders: Is there not one question that Kautilya found immoral, too terrible to ask in a book? No, not one. And this is what brings a frightful chill. But this is also why Kautilya was the first great, unrelenting political realist.

—Boesche (2002, p. 1)

Thus, Max Weber observed

Truly radical 'Machiavellianism', in the popular sense of that word, is classically expressed in Indian literature in the Arthasastra of Kautilya (written long before the birth of Christ, ostensibly in the time of Chandragupta): compared to it, Machiavelli’s The Prince is harmless.

—Max Weber, Politics as a Vocation (1919)^[16]

However, the scope of the work is broader than usual accounts indicate, and in it can also be found compassion for the poor, for slaves, and for women. For instance he advocates what is now known as land reform, and elsewhere ensures the protection of the chastity of female slaves.

Books of Arthashastra

Arthashastra is divided into 15 books:

• 1 Concerning Discipline
• 2 The Duties of Government Superintendents
• 3 Concerning Law
• 4 The Removal of Thorns
• 5 The Conduct of Courtiers
• 6 The Source of Sovereign States
• 7 The End of the Six-Fold Policy
• 8 Concerning Vices and Calamities
• 9 The Work of an Invader
• 10 Relating to War
• 11 The Conduct of Corporations
• 12 Concerning a Powerful Enemy
• 13 Strategic Means to Capture a Fortress
• 14 Secret Means
• 15 The Plan of a Treatise

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Twenty questions about the lead-up to the Civil War

1. Question: Harriet Beecher Stowe wrote a book by this title, which revealed the cruelty of slavery and helped to open the eyes of many. Hundreds of thousands of copies were published and it went on to have a huge historical impact.
Answer: "Uncle Tom's Cabin".

2. Question: True or false. Fugitive Slave Law was enforced more strictly after people read Beecher Stowe's book.
Answer: False

3. Question: True or false. Harriet Beecher Stowe had witnessed slavery first hand while living on her family's plantation.
Answer: False

4. Question: Written by Hinton R. Helper, this book was banned in the South. It suggested that those who suffered most from slavery were not the slaves, but rather the white people who did not own slaves.
Answer: "The Impending Crisis of the South".

5. Question: Having originally been excited about the Kansas-Nebraska split, what angered Southern people?
Answer: Newcomers were crossing from Nebraska to Kansas, some being abolitionists. The South assumed that they intended to take slavery out of Kansas and were furious.

6. Question: What incident involving abolitionist John Brown made the free-soil party look bad in 1856 and started a Civil War in Kansas?
Answer: He led an attack on five men who presumable supported slavery, actually chopping them up at Pottawatomie Creek.

7. Question: When Kansas tried to apply for statehood, those who were proslavery created a document called _____________________. It said that people could vote only "with" or "with no" slavery, rather than on the whole constitution. Consequently the polls were boycotted and the proslavery men got their way.
Answer: Lecompton Constitution.

8. Question: Who essentially stopped the Lecompton Constitution from going into effect by insisting on popular sovereignty? In other words, he insisted that people be able to vote on it, and when they did, it did not pass.
Answer: Senator Stephen A. Douglas.

9. Question: Kansas remained a territory until what year? a. 1858. b. 1860. c. 1861. d. 1863.
Answer: C. 1861

10. Question: He was a Senator from Massachusetts, who was strongly disliked in the political circle, and was a passionate abolitionist. He delivered a scathing message against proslaverites and was consequently physically attacked by a South-Carolina Congressman. a. Stephen A. Douglas. b. Charles Sumner. c. Preston S. Brooks. d. John Brown.
Answer: B. Charles Sumner

11. Question: He was a South Carolina Congressman who attacked a Senator from Massachusetts, and though what he did was frowned upon by the North, he was reelected to Congress. a. Stephen A. Douglas. b. Charles Sumner. c. Preston S. Brooks. d. John Brown.
Answer: C. Preston S. Brooks.

12. Question: Who did the Democrats nominate for president in 1856?
Answer: James Buchanan.

13. Question: What was the biggest issue of the 1856 presidential election?
Answer: Slavery

14. Question: Ex-president Millard Fillmore was nominated by this secretive party, which was opposed to immigrants and catholics.
Answer: American party (or Know-Nothing party).

15. Question: On March 6, 1857, the Supreme Court made a history changing decision, which may have ignited the Civil War. A black slave, having lived on free soil for years, sued for his freedom, but was denied it on the basis that he was not a citizen, but only a slave.
Answer: Dred Scott decision.

16. Question: During the financial crash of 1857, who was most affected by the resulting hardships? a. North. b. South. c. Both. d. Neither.
Answer: A. North

17. Question: After debating for years, Congress tried to pass the Homestead Act, but president Buchanan vetoed it. What would the plan have done had it been allowed to go into action? a. Given free land to farmers. b. Sold the land to farmers for a profit. c. Made the land available for $0.25 per acre. d. Gave pioneers 160 acres of land for farming.
Answer: C. Made the land available for $0.25 per acre.

18. Question: Give one economic platform of the Republican party during the election of 1860.
Answer: Farms for farmless people. Or Protection for unprotected Northernites.

19. Question: This lawyer from a poor Kentucky family, was largely self-educated and very honest. He had served only one congressional term before being nominated for Republican Senator in Illinois in 1858.
Answer: Abraham Lincoln

20. Question: How did John Brown die?
Answer: Intending to get an uprising of armed slaves to stand up against the South, he attacked an arsenal at Harper's Ferry, Virginia, and killed several innocent people. Captured by Robert E. Lee, he was hanged for murder and treason, becoming somewhat of a martyr for the abolitionist cause.

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Enolates and Amines

1. Enolate anion is formed by treating acetaldehyde with__________.
Ans: base
2. Enolate anion is a hybrid having an electronegative ________atom.
Ans: oxygen
3. Enolate anions are synthetic reagents which react at ________bonds in the chemical reactions.
Ans: carbon
4. Write the name of this structure.
Ans: Enolate Anion
5. _________________is produce if any reaction with the enolate anion occurs at the carbonyl oxygen.
Ans: Vinyl ether
6. If any reaction with the enolate anion occurs at ___________it leads to alkylation.
Ans: α-carbon
7. The counterion reduces the collision with the_________________.
Ans: oxygen
8. If an enolate anion were to react at the________________, the product would contain a C = O π bond.
Ans: alpha carbon
9. Complete this equation
Ans: The product of two acetones is a β-hydroxyketone.
10. When catalyzed by base the Aldol reactions are_______________.
Ans: reversible
11. Formaldehyde does not produce an enolate anion because it has no_____________.
Ans: α-hydrogen
12. Draw the structure of Benzaldehyde.
Ans:
13. ______________ charge into the nitro group causes acidity of the α-hydrogen of a nitroalkane.
Ans: Negative
14. In the intramolecular aldole reactions smaller rings form faster than larger rings because the reacting
groups are___________ together.
Ans: closer
15. Isopentenyi pyrophosphate has the carbon skeleton of___________, the unit into which terpenes can be divided.
Ans: isoprene
16. Enamines are superior to enolate anions as they are ________basic and consequently give higher ratios of substitution to elimination products.
Ans: less
17. Enamines undergo ________when treated with acid chlorides and acid anhydrides.
Ans: acylation
18. The acetoacetic ester synthesis is useful for the preparation of monosubstituted_____________.
Ans: acetone
True and False
1.Enolate anions can act as nucleophiles in sulfonate reactions.
Ans: True.
2. The majority of positive charge of an enolate anion is on the carbonyl oxygen.
Ans: False. The majority of negative charge of an enolate anion is on the carbonyl oxygen.
3. Li+ is a counter ion always associated with the enolate anion.
Ans: True.
4. The counter ions are tightly bonded with the alpha carbon in the enolate anions
Ans: False. The counter ions are tightly bonded with the oxygen atom.
5. Enolates are larger aggregates containing several counterions associated with several enolate oxygen atoms.
Ans: True.
1. Enolate anion is formed by treating acetaldehyde with__________.
Ans: base
2. Enolate anion is a hybrid having an electronegative ________atom.
Ans: oxygen
3. Enolate anions are synthetic reagents which react at ________bonds in the chemical reactions.
Ans: carbon
4. Write the name of this structure.
Ans: Enolate Anion
5. _________________is produce if any reaction with the enolate anion occurs at the carbonyl oxygen.
Ans: Vinyl ether
6. If any reaction with the enolate anion occurs at ___________it leads to alkylation.
Ans: α-carbon
7. The counterion reduces the collision with the_________________.
Ans: oxygen
8. If an enolate anion were to react at the________________, the product would contain a C = O π bond.
Ans: alpha carbon
9. Complete this equation
Ans: The product of two acetones is a β-hydroxyketone.
10. When catalyzed by base the Aldol reactions are_______________.
Ans: reversible
11. Formaldehyde does not produce an enolate anion because it has no_____________.
Ans: α-hydrogen
12. Draw the structure of Benzaldehyde.
Ans:
13. ______________ charge into the nitro group causes acidity of the α-hydrogen of a nitroalkane.
Ans: Negative
14. In the intramolecular aldole reactions smaller rings form faster than larger rings because the reacting
groups are___________ together.
Ans: closer
15. Isopentenyi pyrophosphate has the carbon skeleton of___________, the unit into which terpenes can be divided.
Ans: isoprene
16. Enamines are superior to enolate anions as they are ________basic and consequently give higher ratios of substitution to elimination products.
Ans: less
17. Enamines undergo ________when treated with acid chlorides and acid anhydrides.
Ans: acylation
18. The acetoacetic ester synthesis is useful for the preparation of monosubstituted_____________.
Ans: acetone
True and False
1.Enolate anions can act as nucleophiles in sulfonate reactions.
Ans: True.
2. The majority of positive charge of an enolate anion is on the carbonyl oxygen.
Ans: False. The majority of negative charge of an enolate anion is on the carbonyl oxygen.
3. Li+ is a counter ion always associated with the enolate anion.
Ans: True.
4. The counter ions are tightly bonded with the alpha carbon in the enolate anions
Ans: False. The counter ions are tightly bonded with the oxygen atom.
5. Enolates are larger aggregates containing several counterions associated with several enolate oxygen atoms.
Ans: True.

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25 Questions in Organic Chemistry

PERIODIC TABLE

1. The three forms of elements at room temperature and pressure are __________, ____________ , ____________ .

Answer: solids, liquids, gases

2. How will you show that though elements are different as a group they show same property?

Answer: Elements of the same group for example fluorine ,chlorine , iodine combine with sodium in a ratio 1:1 to form NaF , NaCl ,NaBr, and NaI. These all are white solids that dissolve in water and conduct electricity. This shows that though elements are different as a group they show same property.

3. Periodic table was first proposed by ________________ .

Answer: John Newlands

4. The elements were arranged by John in the increasing order of ___________ .

Answer: atomic mass

5. The pattern designed by Newlands is called ---------------

Answer: law of octaves

6. According to Newlands elements of a row have similar ___________

Answer: physical and chemical property.

7. ___________ was the first to in vent periodic table.

Answer: Mendeleev

8. Moseley’s periodic table is based on _____________

a. Atomic number

b. Atomic mass

c. Molecular number

Answer: atomic number

9. How does Mendeleev ‘s table differ from Moseley’s table

Answer: In Mendeleev’s table which is arranged according to the increasing order of atomic mass all the elements do not fit inside whereas in Moseley’s table all elements fit inside as they are arranged according to the increasing order of atomic number.

10. Define periodic law

Answer: Periodic law states that when the elements are arranged according to their atomic number elements with similar properties appear at regular intervals.

11. The electrons in the outermost energy level are called __________ .

Answer: valence electrons.

12. True or false:

Elements with same valence electrons have similar property.

Answer: True, because only valence electrons participate in a reaction , they have same property.

13. Why do elements in the far left have one valence electron while that in the far right has eight electrons?

Answer he s and p orbital’s are filled in a sequential order. As they are arranged in the increasing order from left to right in the table the far left element has one electron and the far right has eight electrons.

14. Elements in the same period have _____________ occupied energy levels.

Answer: same

15. What do you mean by an element is placed in period 2?

Answer: It means the element’s electrons occupy two principal energy levels including the 2s and 2p orbital.

16. A periodic table is required to tell to which element

Answer: False, based on its electronic configuration its position can be predicted.

17. What do you understand from the fact that the electronic configuration of germanium

Is [Ar} 3d10 4s2 4p2

Answer: It means a. its principal quantum number is 4

b. It has four occupied energy levels.

c. It is placed in the period 4

18. What is the basic information you get from a periodic table?

Answer: The atomic number, symbol, name, atomic mass, electronic configuration of an element can be known.

The macronutrient essential for muscle action is ____________-

Answer: magnesium

19. The macronutrient essential for nerve action is __________-

Answer: potassium

20. The element that is required in small quantities for human life is ___________

Answer: micronutrients

21. The main group elements are also called _________________

Answer: representative elements

22. The main group elements have their outer most configuration as ___________

Answer: s and p orbitals

23. What are the elements that are found most abundantly in the earth?

Answer: silicon, oxygen

24. The main macronutrients our body needs are _____________

a. Hydrogen , oxygen , carbon

b. Potassium , magnesium , calcium

c. Titanium , germanium , silver

Answer: a

25. Why does potassium react with water?

Answer: Potassium is a alkali metal which tends to lose its outer most one valence electron easily to attain the stable configuration. Hence it reacts readily with water.

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25 Questions on Social Psychology

1. Question: What is social psychology?

Answer: The study of the way that people relate to one another, influence each other and the way they think.

2. Question: People tend to explain behavior either by assuming it is part of a person's disposition or as a result of the situation. This explanation is called the _________________.

Answer: Attribution theory

3. Question: The frequent tendency to overestimate personality traits as being the main influence on behavior, while underestimating the influence of a given situation is called _______________________.

Answer: The fundamental attribution error

4. Question: Where would the fundamental attribution error be strongest?

a. In East Asian cultures

b. In tribal cultures

c. In Western cultures

d. In teenagers of any given culture.

Answer: C

5. Question: Our feelings, which come out of what we believe, and make us respond in a certain way to the object of our judgment are called ______________.

a. Attitudes

b. Judgments

c. Convictions

d. Predispositions

Answer: A

6. Question: Explain foot-in-the-door phenomenon

Answer: When a person agrees to a small favor or request, their tendency is to agree to agree to do something even bigger later. The smaller act makes the bigger one easier to agree to.

7. Question: A set of norms about particular positions we assume such as being married, starting a new job, etc. They tell us how we should behave in those positions and are called _____________.

a. Attitudes

b. Roles

c. Obligations

d. Responsibilities

Answer: B

8. Question: Leon Festinger proposed a theory, which explained that due to a feeling of discomfort for actions that are troubling, we might change our attitudes to fit our actions. This theory is called _____________________.

Answer: Cognitive dissonance theory

9. Question: People who tend to be most empathic to others and are liked by people, tend to

a. Unconscioulsy repeat most things the people around them say

b. Unconsciously mimic gestures and actions of the people they are around

c. Go out of their way to analyze what the people they speak to say

d. Put on a fake appearance of happiness to not bring people down.

Answer: B

10. Question: The adjustment of one's thinking and acting to match that of a group is called ________________.

a. Adaptation

b. Conformity

c. Personality camoflauge

d. Dissonance

Answer: B

11. Question: Which of the following factors is not likely to increase conformity?

a. The person is made to feel insecure and not confident of their answer

b. Person comes from a culture in which social standards are highly valued

c. Only one other person in the group has dissented

d. The group's status is one of appeal and power

Answer: C

12. Question: Explain normative social influence.

Answer: The influence, which comes from our attempts to avoid rejection or to fit in socially by getting approval.

13. Question: When we are willing to accept the opinions of other people concerning reality, we are being influenced by ____________________.

Answer: Informational social influence

14. Question: Stanley Milgram assigned volunteers to role or teacher, while confederates sat in a chair, attached to electric shocks. The teacher had to ask questions and administer electric shock to other person for wrong answers. What did this experiment show?

a. Most people are unwilling to cause pain to others, even if the other person is a stranger

b. Most people complied with the commands and felt little remorse

c. Most people agreed to continue experiment only if they assumed person was in perfect health and would not be negatively affected in the long run

d. Most people complied with the commands despite feeling stress and discomfort

Answer: D

15. Question: True or False. In Milgram's experiments, when subject complained of a heart condition, the 'teacher' was more sympathetic and felt more reluctant to administer shocks.

Answer: False.

16. Question: When such experiments were conducted in highly intellectual places such as a prestigious university, the people complied with commands to give shocks

a. Less often than other places

b. More often than other places

c. Same as anywhere else

d. Depended on whether person was a student at such university

Answer: B

17. Question: The occurence of performing better on fairly simple tasks, while someone else is present, is called _____________________.

Answer: Social facilitation

18. Question: True or false. Performance on high skill tasks is hindered by the presense of other people.

Answer: True

19. Question: A person is likely to exert less effort when doing a task as part of a group versus alone. This occurence is called _______________________.

Answer: Social loafing

20. Question: A person who seems to lose their self-restraint when in a group, and participate in something they might not usually, such as a food fight, is feeling riled up, but also invisible as a result of being in a group. This is called ___________________.

a. Deindividuation

b. Polarization

c. Dissociation

d. Loafing

Answer: A

21. Question: A person who is identifiable or alone, is ___________ likely to cause injury to others.

a. More

b. Less

c. Just as

d. Not at all

Answer: B

22. Question: As a result of discussion within a group on a topic agreed upon by the group ____________________ occurs, meaning that opinion is enhanced.

Answer: Group polarization

23. Question: In a high school where students are highly prejudice against a particular race, over time their prejudice is likely to

a. Lessen

b. Strengthen

c. Stay the same

d. Disappear

Answer: B

24. Question: Explain groupthink

Answer: The tendency, without strong opposition, to go ahead with group consesus in order to keep harmony, but ignoring realistic alternative

25. Question: True or False. A minority or individual almost never has the same power as a majority when it comes to making change happen.

Answer: False.

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iPhone apps from Crush That Test

Crush That Test Announces the release of iPhone applications for College Biology, College Psychology and College US Government

Redwood City, Calif., Aug 6, 2010 – Building on the foundation of deep research into learning styles and adaptive learning, Crush That Test, LLC. has released iPhone applications for College Biology 101, College Psychology 101 and College US Govt. 101 at http://itunes.apple.com/app/college-psych-101/id383031225?mt=8 designed for college students in their freshman and sophomore years.

The revolutionary applications are designed to be more appealing, interactive and engaging to capture and keep the attention of media savvy college students who are often exposed to a wide array of online learning solutions. Crush That Test Flashcards for Biology 101, for instance, assist students study faster and retain more biology concepts, particularly among those who struggle with memorization.

“An excellent GPA in college has become a requirement, not an option, for admission into the top graduate schools and to secure jobs in today’s tough economy. We are very excited about our eFlashcards and their potential to help students succeed in their quest for AP success,” said Crush That Test’s Senior Project Manager Jenya Mendelenko. “We have received rave reviews of our eFlashcards from students at a top University in Texas, who have said that they saw a direct improvement in their academic achievement. Early adoptions by students all over the world will allow us to work with experienced AP teachers who will help us demonstrate online learning’s clear strengths.” Using research-based methodologies, eFlashcards and eStudyguides at http://www.crushthattest.com engage all learners with media-rich content and comprehensive knowledge in Biology, Chemistry, Psychology, US Government, French, Physiology and US History. Organic Chemistry, Physics, and other subjects will follow in the coming weeks. The new iPhone-based courseware also provides anytime, anywhere access and empowers students to choose their preferred learning approach, thereby making lessons more personalized and has the greatest educational impact for each student.

“Numerous national studies show that the U.S. is experiencing near crisis proportions of students who are not proficient in the sciences as they enter college” said Crush That Test’s President and CEO, Sundar Nathan. “We built the new iPhone applications specifically to help students, colleges and professors meet the challenges of college admissions. Based on our initial feedback from pre launch demonstrations, educators and students are finding that it does that very well.” More than 500 teachers and 3000 students recently participated in customer advisory panels to review the new Crush That Test eFlashcards and eStudyguides.

Among those were a group of students whose feedback can be seen at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vedx0uwo__s

About Crush That Test®

Crush That Test, LLC. has offices in Redwood City, California, Austin, Texas and Chennai, India. The company is a cutting-edge publisher of online learning solutions that make learning easier and more efficient with their patented and scientifically proven tools

Best iPhone apps at AppStoreHQ

Leadership Secrets from Ancient India - the Mahabharata War

Winning Strategy in the MAHABHARATA

View more presentations from Yaswanth Ravella.

PHYSICS IS BEAUTIFUL - A COLLAGE in VUVOX...

Hilarious Parody of the Old Spice Commercial!

A ridiculously good read!

Amazon.com: SuperFreakonomics eBook: Levitt, Steven D., Dubner, Stephen J.: Kindle Store http://amzn.to/crdu3C

SuperFreakonomics challenges the way we think all over again, exploring the hidden side of everything with such questions as:

• How is a street prostitute like a department-store Santa?
• Why are doctors so bad at washing their hands?
• How much good do car seats do?
• What's the best way to catch a terrorist?
• Did TV cause a rise in crime?
• What do hurricanes, heart attacks, and highway deaths have in common?
• Are people hard-wired for altruism or selfishness?
• Can eating kangaroo save the planet?
• Which adds more value: a pimp or a Realtor?

Levitt and Dubner mix smart thinking and great storytelling like no one else, whether investigating a solution to global warming or explaining why the price of oral sex has fallen so drastically. By examining how people respond to incentives, they show the world for what it really is – good, bad, ugly, and, in the final analysis, super freaky.

Freakonomics has been imitated many times over – but only now, with SuperFreakonomics, has it met its match.

I'll BET you didn't know about THESE dead presidents!

There have been many Presidents of the United States since the Declaration of Independence was signed in 1776, but few people realize that the Presidential history also includes a series of Presidents who lead the Colonies long before the United States was founded as a free nation. Even though the colonies were controlled by King George III, the Congress which governed the colonies under the King was lead by a President. By the time July 2, 1776 rolled around and the Declaration of Independence was signed, the colonies had already had two Presidents, Peyton Randolph and Henry Middleton. John Hancock was President during the year the United States declared our Independence from Britain.

John Hancock was, for all intents and purposes, the first President of the confederacy from 1776 through 1781. John Hancock was one of the first true patriots who led the fight for independence from the crown. It is for good reason that his signature comes first on the Declaration of Independence. He led the revolution in Boston and fought against the crown ahead of all other patriots. King George wanted John's head from the very moment the Declaration was delivered to the King. Once the revolution was won, all members of the new congress finally signed their names to the Declaration of Independence in 1771, and all 13 states ratified the new Confederacy in 1781.

Once Lord Cornwallis surrendered in 1781, Thomas McKean became the elected President of Congress. From 1781 through 1789, Presidents John Hanson, Elias Boudinot, Thomas Mifflin, Richard Lee, John Hancock, Nathaniel Gorham, Arthur St. Clair, and Cyrus Griffin, all served terms. Finally, George Washington was elected in 1789. By all accounts, George Washington was the certainly the first President who brought the States together as a united country.

George Washington's life leading up to his presidency was interesting. He impressed people around him, not with great speaking ability or charisma, but with his good sense and patriotic views. He started his military career as a young man on the Frontier. He fought with French soldiers at the start of the French and Indian War. After bravely leading the British to safety after a battle in Virginia, Washington was promoted to command Virginia's military. After winning various battles and bringing peace to Ohio, at twenty-seven years old, he married Martha Dandridge Custis, and retired to a plantation onMount Vernon. After farming for a number of years, in 1775 when he went from serving in the Continental Congress to once again commanding an army, but this time it was the Continental Army against the British in Boston.

After a number of crushing defeats before Washington's troops crossed the Delaware, Washington turned his troops around on Christmas night of 1776, in one of the greatest military operations inAmerican history. On that night, Washington's troops crossed back over the Delaware and overpowered the garrison at Trenton, and subsequently overtook the garrison at Princeton as well. After gaining Cornwallis' surrender in Yorktown, the Revolutionary war was won. Once again, Washington retired to his plantation on Mount Vernon.

The First "United States" President

Washington watched public affairs with dismay, as the union was weakened with debts from the war, inability to collect revenue, and overall impotence of the Confederation Congress. Washington wrote to James Madison that Congress needed a powerful Constitution. In 1787, Washington went to Philadelphia to attend the convention set up to modify the Articles of Confederation. After the Constitution was approved, the first presidential election was held, and despite his desire to retire once again to Mount Vernon, he received a vote from every single voter. George Washington remains the only president in U.S. history who has been voted for president unanimously by the people.

Please visit ListofPresidents.net for a great list of resources about United States Presidents!

Teaching History with Classroom Games

Teaching history with classroom games can be fun as well as educational.

Games are a useful addition to the history lesson plan in that they break the routine of book-based activities. They also make for more interaction between students and teachers while promoting team work within the lesson when group activities are involved.

The kind of games incorporated into the lesson depends on the age-group of the students involved. There are also other considerations to take such as the budget of a given institution. Will there be finances available for the purchase of game-based educational technology and software?

Expensive educational software is not necessary for effective educational playing in lessons. Fill-in-the blanks questionnaires, word games, trivia tests and even guess who identification games can be prepared simply and cost effectively on the teacher’s computer and then either printed out and given to students or electronically sent to the students emails before lessons on history PowerPoint lessons.

History PowerPoint lessons are among the most popular form of educational technology for presenting classroom games. Not only can they be stored easily on CD-ROMs, but they can also be circulated among students electronically and also saved for next year’s class.

There are also games in which students imagine themselves as archaeologists recreating the past or explorers unearthing new continents in 3D form are examples of activities popular with most age groups. It is also advisable to spend time before the lesson finding your way around the site and what it involves. This will help you to be on your toes when students ask questions during the lesson.

The best thing about classroom games is that they are so versatile. The same format of activities can be used for U.S. History lesson plans as for World History lesson plans.

Professionally made classroom games can be purchased over the internet, and emailed directly to you. They can be re-used every year, giving teachers a lot of mileage from a single purchase. Also, given the hours it would take a teacher to produce the same materials, the prices are low.

They can be bought along with complete PowerPoint lesson plans, which is like having a "classroom in a box" with packages that include lessons, games, exams and more.

Besides being able to hold the attention of students, they are linked to national history standards and major state standards, which helps with state test prep, and can improve students' state test scores.

Besides being able to hold the attention of students, they are linked to national history standards and major state standards, which helps with state test prep, and can improve students' state test scores.

Classroom games are fun and educational and can be especially effective when combined with professionally produced PowerPoint materials.

Written by Muireann Prendergast. MultiMedia Learning LLC provides history classroom games, World history PowerPoints, as well as, and U.S. History PowerPoints. Learn more at http://www.multimedialearning.org.