The American Bald Eagle

Because the 4th of July is almost here, we are going to talk today about the American Bald Eagle and its significance. It seems that hundreds of years ago, the English word "bald" meant "white head".

White-headed eagle is specific to the United States and is known as the national bird, symbolizing the strength of the nation. When presented with an olive branch in his right leg symbolizes peace intentions.

The bald eagle has been the national bird since 1782 when it was placed with outspread wings on the Great Seal of the United States. It appears in many government institutions and on official documents, making it the most pictured bird in all of America. The eagle appears on the president's flag, the mace of the House of Representatives, one-dollar bills and military insignia.

The white-headed eagle became the emblem of the president of the United States and is currently in the Oval Office of the White House presented as a carpet. He is also currently on the CIA emblem (Central Intelligence Agency).

The bald eagle first appeared as an American symbol on a Massachusetts copper cent coined in 1776. Since then it has appeared on the reverse side of many U.S. coins, notably the silver dollar, halfdollar and quarter. For six years, the members of Congress held a bitter dispute over what the national emblem should be. It wasn’t until 1789 that the bald eagle was finally chosen to represent the new nation. One of the opponents was Benjamin Franklin.

Today, the American bald eagle is protected under the National Emblem Act of 1940.Although once plentiful throughout the continental United States, the bald eagle population has greatly declined in recent times. Farmers and fishermen have killed many eagles for getting too close to their poultry or fishing nets. Game keepers have captured them for falconry and pesticides have killed many eagles. Most of the bald eagle population can now be found in northern regions of North America and Florida breeding sanctuaries.

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The Imperial Palace in Tokyo

Probably many of you knew that Japan is still run by an emperor. What you probably did not know is that the Imperial Palace is only open to the public two days a year .

The Imperial Palace in Tokyo is now on the site of the Edo-jo, a stronghold of the sixteenth century, which was restored by Tokugawa Ieyasu shogun in 1950. In the middle of seventeenth century the Edo-jo was the largest castle in the world, actually, it was a proper city. Its buildings were burned (especially during fire in Meireki 1965) and have been rebuilt several times. The castle was demolished for the Meiji Emperor to live in the new construction when he moved to Tokyo, in 1868. The Emperor  stayed at the Akasaka Palace until the new palace building was stood in 1888 on the site of initial Alas castle.

The new palace was destroyed in the 1945 bombing and the current building was completed in 1968. The massive walls and water ditches around are part of the original complex Edo-jo, and so is the restored gate, Otemon, which is beyond the famous bridge called Nijubashi and in front of the Eastern Garden, current place of Edo-jo. In addition to an elegant landscape with ponds and pines, the garden contains ruins of Edo-jo and the 100 Guards building, built in 1863.

In the middle of this garden, there is the actual Imperial Palace. It is open to the public only on 2nd January and on the birthday of the Emperor, but the huge line turns this event into a very unpleasant experience.

The garden outside the palace is a public park. It offers an impressive view over the Nijubashi bridge. This area is excellent for runners, businessmen and couples.

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5 Facts About Brain and Memory

Our memory defines ourselves. From our childhood memories, up to the moment when we remember where we left our keys, the memory plays a vital role in our everyday lives. There are many unknown facts about our brain, but down billow we have a list of 5 facts talking about this subject:

1. Our short-term memory is limited. experts believe that you can keep around seven thing in our short-term memory for a limited period, which is about 20 to 30 seconds. Of course, there are strategies or exercises that can help us improve this type of memory. One good example is gathering similar pieces of information into smaller groups.

2. Tests help us remember - Though it seems that repeating the information so many times may be the best way to remember it, researchers have discovered that tests are a good method to improve your learning skills. A study showed that students who learned and then took a test, could even remember information that did not appear in the test. On the other hand, students who didn't take a test, hardly remembered what they had learned.

3. Amnesia isn't what we see in the movies - Have you ever watched a movie where a person who had suffered a shock lost his memory, and then, suddenly, he recovers it after the second shock? You need to know that there are two types of amnesia: anterograde amnesia and retrograde amnesia. The first one makes impossible to memorize new things, while the other one doesn't let us remember things from the past.

 4. Our long-term memory "takes a brake" during our sleep. This is why we can dream about a thing that we saw that day, and from the same reason, we can't remember our dream after we wake up. Though we dream a few times during a night, these dreams aren't kept in our long-term-memory.

 5. TV can affect your brain - It's true that sitting in front of the TV after a log and stressful day sounds good, but you shouldn't watch TV more than two hours a day. A study showed that with every extra hour you spend in front of the TV, the risk of developing Alzheimer's later is increased by 1.3%. All in all, think, practice, test your brains!
 

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