Summer!

By maris and chin2

The seasons are popularly considered in some Western countries to start at the equinoxes and solstices, based on astronomical reckoning. Thus, in the Southern Hemisphere, based on astronomy, summer begins on the day of the December solstice and ends on the March equinox. When it is summer in the southern hemisphere it is winter in the northern hemisphere, and vice versa. But, because the seasonal lag is less than 1/10th of a year (except near large bodies of water), the meteorological start of the season, which is based on average temperature patterns, precedes by about three weeks the start of the astronomical season.[1] According to meteorologists, summer extends for the whole months of December, January and February in the southern hemisphere, and the whole months of June, July and August in the northern hemisphere. This meteorological definition of summer also aligns with the commonly viewed notion of summer as the season with the longest (and warmest) days of the year, in which daylight predominates. From the astronomical perspective, spring days lengthen from equinox to solstice and summer days shorten from solstice to equinox, while meteorological summer encompasses the build-up to the longest day and a diminishing thereafter, so that summer has many more hours of daylight than spring.

Today, the meteorological reckoning of the seasons is used in Australia, Denmark and the former USSR; it is also used by many people in the United Kingdom, where summer is thought of as extending from mid-May to mid-August. Meanwhile, the astronomical definition is more frequently used in the United States.

In general, seasonal changes occur later in coastal regions, so countries lying near coastlines (except Ireland)[citation needed] experience the start of summer later than those lying inland.[citation needed] Elsewhere, however, the solstices and the equinoxes are taken to mark the mid-points, not the beginnings, of the seasons. In Chinese astronomy, for example, summer starts on or around May 5, with the jiéqì (solar term) known as Lixia (立夏), i.e. "establishment of summer", and it ends on or around August 6. An example of Western usage would be William Shakespeare's A Midsummer Night's Dream, where the play takes place over the shortest night of the year, which is the summer solstice.

In southern and southeast Asia, where the monsoon occurs, summer is more generally defined as lasting from March to May/early June, their warmest time of the year, ending with the onset of the monsoon rains.[citation needed]

From a popular culture point of view, in the United States summer season, is often considered to begin at the Memorial Day weekend (the last Monday in May) and end at the Labor Day weekend (the first Monday in September). Likewise, another set of pop-cultural reference points for summer is the time when elementary and secondary schools close down for the "summer vacation". This period usually lasts from around early to mid June until around late August to early September, depending on where the school is located.



source: WIKI

 

Argentina

By maris and chin2

Argentina is a South American country with a population of thirty one million people. Argentina's capital is Buenos Aires, which is one of the largest cities in South America. Buenos Aires is situated on the coast of Argentina, which makes Buenos Aires a major trade route in Argentina and in South America. Argentina's national language is Spanish and the major religion is Roman Catholicism.

Argentina is a country with much natural beauty. It has miles of beautiful beaches and is also surrounded by the majestic Andes mountains. The Andes mountains are among the highest mountains in the world. Argentina's tallest mountain is the Cerro Aconcagua. This mountain reaches an amazing height of 22,200 ft. America's tallest mountain only reaches the height of 20,000 ft.

 

Shopping in France

By maris and chin2
Shopping is a big attraction in France. In Paris, department stores are good places to shop. In Normandy, shops have a rich selection of antiques. Sunday is a good day to shop on in Normandy because many stores have discounts. Normandy has a lot of lace too. The prices are high and the pieces are labor intensive. There are some good beaches in Normandy. It has lots of seaside coasts. There are many widely spaced resorts. On the Atlantic coast there are many waterslides, wavepools, and other water goodies. Paris has lots of culture. The Eiffel Tower was built in 1889. It costs $8 to go to the top. It's open daily from 9:30 A.M. to 11 P.M. At night you can almost see all of Paris. In case you get hungry there are cafes to eat at on the Eiffel Tower. The Louvre has a collection of great art works throughout history. It was built in the 13th century. It has the Mona Lisa by Leonardo Divinci. There are seven sections at the Louvre. They are ancient civilizations, sculptures, furniture, drawings, paintings, prints, and arms armor. Don't try to see it all at once. The hours are wed-Mon. 9-6 and Tuesday open til 9:45. Admission $10 for adults, $7 for ages 18-25, 18 and under are free.
 

PLACE OF BRAZIL

By maris and chin2

The landscape of Brazil is covered with plains, plateaus, and tropical grasslands. The plains has a fertile ribbon of lowlands, about ten through thirty miles wide which are along the country's coastline. Behind the plains sits a huge interior plateau that runs steeply near the lowlands in front of it. This drop forms an escarpment, steep cliff that separates two level areas. In Brazil there is much poverty. People make a living there by subsistence farming. Even though they do farming subsistintly, they use much advanced farming there. Aside from farming there is much more to there culture. People there are involved a lot in astronomy and mathematics. Architecture is another way of living there. This used not only as a money making job, but private uses also.

 

Australia

By maris and chin2

Most Australians are governed by three levels of government - local, state and federal. For instance,
a family living in Sydney would have the Sydney City Council (local) looking after such things as
garbage collection, park maintenance and dog controls. Australians pay their local government by
paying "rates" - paid according to the area and position of any land that you own. They would then
be governed by the New South Wales Government, which would look after such things as roads,
and the police force. Finally, they are governed by the Australian (Federal) Government, which is
involved with trade, foreign affairs and the national treasury. Both the State and Federal
Governments are paid through income tax.

Australian governments at a State and Federal level are run according to the Westminster System,
used in England. This means that there are two houses of Parliament, a lower house (The House Of
Representatives) and an upper house (The Senate). Decisions put forward and approved in the
House of Representatives must then be approved a second time by the Senate. The only exception
to this is the Queensland Government, which has only a House of Representatives.

Local governments are stationed in centre of the town or city that they provide to. State
governments are run from the state capitals, while the Federal Government sits in Canberra, in the
Australian Capital Territory.

There are six states, and two major territories in Australia. The states are: Queensland, New South
Wales, Victoria, Tasmania, South Australia and Western Australia. The two territories are the
Northern Territory and the Australian Capital Territory. Australia also has a number of areas run by
the Federal Government (dependent areas). These include the Ashmore and Cartier Islands,
Christmas Island, the Cocos (Keeling) Islands, the Coral Sea Islands, Heard Island, the McDonald
Islands and Norfolk Island.

Britain originally ruled Australia as a penal colony after it was discovery in 1788. However, on
January 1st, 1901, Australia's six states were unified ("federated") into one nation, formally known
(and still known) as the Commonwealth Of Australia. Australia was originally governed from
Melbourne, however in 1907 the Federal Parliament moved to Canberra, where it has been ever
since.

The biggest political debate at the moment in Australia is whether or not Australia should become a
republic. This means that Australia would be (in official terms) completely separated from its mother
country, England, and would have an Australian Head Of State. This change to a republic could
occur as early as the year 2001, exactly one hundred years after Federation.