Duolingo Courses/Language Classes That I am taking

I am taking Italian and Spanish, but I have also decided to reset my progress. I did that because I feel by me doing it then it helps me not to rush and I can take my time without rushing. I also decided that if I either finish Spanish or Italian at different times, or I finish one of them before the other than the next one I am wanting to take is Irish and then who knows which one I will want to take if I pass/finish the third one. No matter what I want to continue with my Duolingo Education because I feel like I'm in college, but the nice thing about it is , it's free and I am not paying for anything. I don't know how many of you have kids that you homeschool, but if you do and they are old enough to read and want to learn a language then I highly recommend Duolingo, because I love it. I can do my lessons on my time and I don't have to worry about rushing and I can do it on the computer or my phone. I can't wait to continue doing my duolingo everyday because that's what I have been doing and I am not going to give up on that now. I also believe that Duolingo is the best for me. Now some of you might think other language sites might be better for you and that's fine, I'm just sticking with Duolingo because that is what works for me. Other people have different opinions and that's fine. I'm not saying that whatever site you might be learning from is not the greatest site. I don't think that at all, I just think Duolingo works too. I hope everyone has been having a good day and I hope everyone  will enjoy their summer as well. Anyway, if you want to, just leave a comment on what you'll be doing over the summer or what language site you're using or how learning a language from the site you use has impacted and helped you.

Memorial Day History

Memorial Day is an American holiday, observed on the last Monday of May, honoring the men and women who died while serving in the U.S. military. Memorial Day 2018 occurs on Monday, May 28. Originally known as Decoration Day, it originated in the years following the Civil War and became an official federal holiday in 1971. Many Americans observe Memorial Day by visiting cemeteries or memorials, holding family gatherings and participating in parades. Unofficially, it marks the beginning of the summer season. The Civil War, which ended in the spring of 1865, claimed more lives than any conflict in U.S. history and required the establishment of the country’s first national cemeteries. By the late 1860s, Americans in various towns and cities had begun holding springtime tributes to these countless fallen soldiers, decorating their graves with flowers and reciting prayers. Each year on Memorial Day a national moment of remembrance takes place at 3:00 p.m. local time. It is unclear where exactly this tradition originated; numerous different communities may have independently initiated the memorial gatherings. Nevertheless, in 1966 the federal government declared Waterloo, New York, the official birthplace of Memorial Day. Waterloo—which first celebrated the day on May 5, 1866—was chosen because it hosted an annual, community-wide event, during which businesses closed and residents decorated the graves of soldiers with flowers and flags. On May 5, 1868, General John A. Logan, leader of an organization for Northern Civil War veterans, called for a nationwide day of remembrance later that month. “The 30th of May, 1868, is designated for the purpose of strewing with flowers, or otherwise decorating the graves of comrades who died in defense of their country during the late rebellion, and whose bodies now lie in almost every city, village and hamlet churchyard in the land,” he proclaimed.

The date of Decoration Day, as he called it, was chosen because it wasn’t the anniversary of any particular battle. On the first Decoration Day, General James Garfield made a speech at Arlington National Cemetery, and 5,000 participants decorated the graves of the 20,000 Union and Confederate soldiers buried there. Many Northern states held similar commemorative events and reprised the tradition in subsequent years; by 1890 each one had made Decoration Day an official state holiday. Southern states, on the other hand, continued to honor their dead on separate days until after World War I. Memorial Day, as Decoration Day gradually came to be known, originally honored only those lost while fighting in the Civil War. But during World War I the United States found itself embroiled in another major conflict, and the holiday evolved to commemorate American military personnel who died in all wars. For decades, Memorial Day continued to be observed on May 30, the date Logan had selected for the first Decoration Day. But in 1968 Congress passed the Uniform Monday Holiday Act, which established Memorial Day as the last Monday in May in order to create a three-day weekend for federal employees; the change went into effect in 1971. The same law also declared Memorial Day a federal holiday. Cities and towns across the United States host Memorial Day parades each year, often incorporating military personnel and members of veterans’ organizations. Some of the largest parades take place in Chicago, New York and Washington, D.C. Americans also observe Memorial Day by visiting cemeteries and memorials. On a less somber note, many people take weekend trips or throw parties and barbecues on the holiday, perhaps because it unofficially marks the beginning of summer. https://www.history.com/topics/holidays/memorial-day-history Also here is the link of where I got everything from if you want to read it for yourself as well. I also hope everyone has a good but safe Memorial Day tomorrow.

Thank You post, Thoughts, and Encouragement

Over months, and years I've posted, shared and written about facts and many different things. Although I have written about these things on my blog, has there been a post that has stood out to you? A post or video or even photo that you thought this is so awesome, or maybe you thought I enjoy every post and you can't wait to see what I write about next. Well here is your chance. Your chance to tell me what you want me to write about next. Whatever you want me to write about next just leave it in the comments and I will do my best to try and write about it. Also what are you looking forward to in the summer? What do you like about it? I'm also interested in knowing what you like to do when there is no school or what you look forward to when school starts. Whatever it may be just leave it in the comments as well, and I will do my best to respond to each one. I don't have much to write about in this blog entry but I promise to write about more next time. Anyway, thank you to every single person who has read or commented on my blog. I appreciate all of you very much and for those who haven't gotten a chance to read it before, I encourage you to do so. I also encourage you to check out Matthew West's song and video of Becoming Me featuring his daughter LuLu West, which I will now share the link with you. https://youtu.be/GSY2psr8RNQ . If you haven't heard of him before then I encourage you to check out his songs such as, Broken Things, All In, Hello My Name Is, The Motions, Mercy Is A Song, Never Give Up, Unto Us, and so much more. Matthew West is a great christian artist who is hosting the Klove Fan Awards again this year along with Mandisa, who is another artist who has songs like Overcomer and We All Bleed The Same, and other songs as well. I hope everyone has a wonderful day, and is doing good too. I also encourage you to watch the Klove Fan Awards as well, if you haven't seen them before either.

Facts About Queen Elizabeth The I

Elizabeth I was the long-ruling queen of England, governing with relative stability and prosperity for 44 years. The Elizabethan era is named for her. 

Who Was Queen Elizabeth I?

Queen Elizabeth I (September 7, 1533 to March 24, 1603) claimed the throne in 1558 at the age of 25 and held it until her death 44 years later. The daughter of King Henry VIII and his second wife Anne Boleyn, Elizabeth I was born a princess but declared illegitimate through political machinations. Eventually, upon her half-sister Mary Tudor’s death, she took the crown. During her reign, Elizabeth I established Protestantism in England; defeated the Spanish Armada in 1588; maintained peace inside her previously divided country; and created an environment where the arts flourished.

Elizabethan England

Queen Elizabeth I’s reign was sometimes referred to as the Golden Age or Elizabethan England, an era of peace and prosperity when the arts had a chance to blossom with Elizabeth's support. While she worked hard at court, Elizabeth took time for leisurely pursuits. She loved music and could play the lute. Thomas Tallis and William Byrd were among her court musicians. Elizabeth also enjoyed dancing and watching plays. Elizabeth's reign supported the creation of works by such greats as William Shakespeare and Christopher Marlowe.

Writers paid tribute to the queen in many literary forms. The poet Edmund Spenserbased his character of Gloriana in The Faerie Queen on Elizabeth, and she was sometimes referred to by this name. Portraiture was the reigning form of painting at the time, and artists honored Elizabeth by painting her portrait. These images reveal that Elizabeth was an early fashionista in many ways. She loved jewelry and beautiful clothing; her garments were often made with gold and silver. With the help of makeup, Elizabeth cultivated a dramatically pale look.

Queen Elizabeth I’s Reign

In 1558, Elizabeth took the reins of her country after her sister Queen Mary died and ruled until her death in 1603. Elizabeth I inherited a number of problems stirred up by Mary. The country was at war with France, which proved to be a tremendous drain on the royal coffers. There was also great tension between different religious factions after Mary worked to restore England to Roman Catholicism by any means necessary. In fact, she earned the nickname Bloody Mary for ordering the execution of 300 Protestants as heretics.

Elizabeth acted swiftly to address these two pressing issues. During her first session of Parliament in 1559, she called for the passage of the Act of Supremacy, which re-established the Church of England, and the Act of Uniformity, which created a common prayer book. Elizabeth took a moderate approach to the divisive religious conflict in her country. "There is one Jesus Christ," she once said. "The rest is a dispute over trifles." However, Catholics did suffer religious persecution and some were executed under her reign, though historians differ on the extent. The Roman Catholic Church took a dim view of her actions, and in 1570, Pope Pius V excommunicated Elizabeth.

With the assistance of her key advisor, William Cecil, Elizabeth ended the war with France. She was able to avoid clashing with the other superpower of the age, Spain, for much of her reign. Finally, in 1585, Elizabeth entered the fray to support the Protestant rebellion against Spain in the Netherlands. Spain then set its sights on England, but the English navy was able to defeat the infamous Spanish Armada in 1588. According to several reports, the weather proved to be a deciding factor in England's victory.

Death

Queen Elizabeth I died on March 24, 1603, at Richmond Palace in Surrey. It’s believed that the cosmetic concoction Elizabeth used to cultivate her infamously pale look, called the spirits of Saturn — made by mixing white lead and vinegar — may have impacted her health.

Successor

Because Elizabeth I had no children, with her death came the end of the house of Tudor — a royal family that had ruled England since the late 1400s. The son of her former rival and cousin, Mary Stuart, queen of Scots, succeeded her on the throne as James I.

During Elizabeth’s rule, Mary Stuart posed one of the greatest internal threats to remove her cousin from the throne. The daughter of King James V of Scotland, Mary united her country with France in 1558 when she married the future King Francis II. After Francis' death, Mary returned to Scotland in 1561. She was raised Catholic and was considered by many English Catholics to be the rightful monarch of England, and Mary had previously lay claim to the English crown. Elizabeth jailed her cousin in 1567 in connection with several assassination attempts, including the Babington Plot. Elizabeth kept Mary imprisoned for nearly 20 years before she finally agreed to have her cousin executed in 1587.

When Was Queen Elizabeth I Born?

Queen Elizabeth I was born on the September 7, 1533 in Greenwich England.

Family and Early Life

Elizabeth I was the daughter of King Henry VIII and his second wife, Anne Boleyn. Perhaps England's most famous monarch, Queen Elizabeth I grew up in complex and sometimes difficult circumstances. She was only two years old when her mother, Anne Boleyn, was beheaded on the orders of her husband and Elizabeth’s father, King Henry VIII, based on questionable charges of adultery and conspiracy.

Elizabeth was raised much like any other royal child. She received tutoring and excelled at languages and music. After her father's death in 1547, Elizabeth spent some time under the care of her stepmother Catherine Parr. Parr hired tutors on Elizabeth's behalf, including William Grindal and Roger Ascham. Tensions with Parr over Parr's new husband, Thomas Seymour, led Elizabeth to return to the royal estate at Hatfield, away from the court. Her relationship with Seymour later came under scrutiny, and Seymour was later tried for conspiring to wed Elizabeth in a bid to gain power. Found guilty, Seymour was executed.

Elizabeth and her older half-sister, Mary Tudor, were declared to be illegitimate as her father sought to pave the way for a male heir: their half-brother, Edward, who was the king’s first and only legitimate son with his third wife, Jane Seymour. Mary and Elizabeth were later reinstated as potential heirs. Born in 1537, Edward succeeded his father to the throne as King Edward VI upon Henry VIII’s death in 1547.

When Edward VI died just six years later, in 1553, Elizabeth found herself embroiled in political intrigue. Her older half-sister Mary and their cousin, Lady Jane Grey, both were in line for the crown. Edward had appointed Grey to be his successor, but her reign proved to be short-lived. Mary gained the support of the English people and unseated Grey after only nine days on the throne.

Even though Elizabeth supported Mary in her coup, she was not free from suspicion. A staunch Roman Catholic, Mary sought to restore her country back to her faith, undoing her father's break from the Pope. While Elizabeth went along with the religious change, she remained a candidate for the throne for those who wanted a return to Protestantism.

In 1554, Thomas Wyatt organized a rebellion against Mary with the hopes of making Protestant-raised Elizabeth queen. But his plot was uncovered, and Elizabeth was quickly imprisoned by Mary. Elizabeth disputed any involvement in the conspiracy, but her sister was not wholly convinced.

Although she was soon released, Elizabeth's life was firmly in her sister's hands. Wyatt was executed, but he maintained that Elizabeth was not aware of the rebellion. Elizabeth eventually returned to Hatfield and continued with her studies. In 1558, Elizabeth ascended to the throne upon Mary Tudor’s death.

The Virgin Queen

Succession was a pressing issue for Queen Elizabeth I. During her reign, she showed her talents as a diplomat, managing a number of suitors and potential royal matches. Through her father and her sister, Elizabeth had seen the troubles and challenges of royal marriages. Mary had made an unpopular choice in marrying Phillip II of Spain, who shared her devotion to the Roman Catholic faith. In the hopes of reuniting their two countries once more, Phillip even offered to wed Elizabeth at one time.

Other suitors for Elizabeth's hand included the king of Sweden, Archduke Charles of Austria, and the future King Henry III of France. She used her availability as a means to political ends, but she never agreed to marriage. She herself seemed to have some interest in a member of her court, Robert Dudley, and their relationship was the subject of much gossip and speculation. Both parties came under suspicion after the mysterious death of Dudley's wife.

Elizabeth, however, seemed to have no interest in sharing power with a spouse. Over time, she cultivated her image as a queen married to her job and her people. For this dedication Elizabeth earned the nickname the "Virgin Queen."

Later Years

Troubled times marked the final years of Elizabeth's reign. The country suffered from failed crops, unemployment and inflation. There were riots over food shortages and rebellions in Ireland. Elizabeth faced many challenges to her authority, including from one of her favorite noblemen, Robert Devereaux, the Earl of Essex. She had sent him to Ireland to quell the rebellion led by Hugh O'Neill. Instead Essex returned to England and sought to start his own rebellion. He was executed for treason in 1601.

Elizabeth I’s Golden Speech

Despite her fading power, Elizabeth still showed her devotion to her people. She gave one of her most famous speeches in 1601 to the Parliament. During what is referred to as her "Golden Speech," a self-reflective Elizabeth seemed to look back on her long reign. "Of myself I must say this, I was never any greedy, scraping grasper, nor a strait, fast-holding prince, nor yet a waster. My heart was never set on worldly goods but for my subjects' good."

While the end of her reign had been difficult, Elizabeth has largely been remembered as being a queen who supported her people. Her lengthy time on the throne provided her subjects with stability and consistency, and her sharp wits and clever mind helped navigate the nation through religious and political challenges.

Also here is the link where I got the facts from: https://www.biography.com/people/queen-elizabeth-i-9286133

Cinco De Mayo facts and history

1. Cinco de Mayo, or the fifth of May, is a holiday that celebrates the date of the Mexican army’s 1862 victory over France at the Battle of Puebla during the Franco-Mexican War. Cinco de Mayo 2018 occurs on Saturday, May 5. A relatively minor holiday in Mexico, in the United States Cinco de Mayo has evolved into a commemoration of Mexican culture and heritage, particularly in areas with large Mexican-American populations.
2. In 1861, Benito Juárez—a lawyer and member of the indigenous Zapotec tribe—was elected president of Mexico. At the time, the country was in financial ruin after years of internal strife, and the new president was forced to default on debt payments to European governments.
3. In response, France, Britain and Spain sent naval forces to Veracruz, Mexico, demanding repayment. Britain and Spain negotiated with Mexico and withdrew their forces.
4. France, however, ruled by Napoleon III, decided to use the opportunity to carve an empire out of Mexican territory. Late in 1861, a well-armed French fleet stormed Veracruz, landing a large force of troops and driving President Juárez and his government into retreat.
5. Certain that success would come swiftly, 6,000 French troops under General Charles Latrille de Lorencez set out to attack Puebla de Los Angeles, a small town in east-central Mexico. From his new headquarters in the north, Juárez rounded up a ragtag force of 2,000 loyal men—many of them either indigenous Mexicans or of mixed ancestry—and sent them to Puebla.
6. The vastly outnumbered and poorly supplied Mexicans, led by Texas-born General Ignacio Zaragoza, fortified the town and prepared for the French assault. On May 5, 1862, Lorencez gathered his army—supported by heavy artillery—before the city of Puebla and led an assault.
7. The battle lasted from daybreak to early evening, and when the French finally retreated they had lost nearly 500 soldiers. Fewer than 100 Mexicans had been killed in the clash.
8. Although not a major strategic win in the overall war against the French, Zaragoza’s success at the Battle of Puebla on May 5 represented a great symbolic victory for the Mexican government and bolstered the resistance movement. In 1867—thanks in part to military support and political pressure from the United States, which was finally in a position to aid its besieged neighbor after the end of the Civil War—France finally withdrew.
9. The same year, Austrian Archduke Ferdinand Maximilian, who had been installed as emperor of Mexico in 1864 by Napoleon, was captured and executed by Juárez’s forces. Puebla de Los Angeles was renamed for General Zaragoza, who died of typhoid fever months after his historic triumph there.
10. Within Mexico, Cinco de Mayo is primarily observed in the state of Puebla, where Zaragoza’s unlikely victory occurred, although other parts of the country also take part in the celebration.
11. Traditions include military parades, recreations of the Battle of Puebla and other festive events. For many Mexicans, however, May 5 is a day like any other: It is not a federal holiday, so offices, banks and stores remain open.
12. In the United States, Cinco de Mayo is widely interpreted as a celebration of Mexican culture and heritage, particularly in areas with substantial Mexican-American populations.
13. Chicano activists raised awareness of the holiday in the 1960s, in part because they identified with the victory of indigenous Mexicans (such as Juárez) over European invaders during the Battle of Puebla.
14. Today, revelers mark the occasion with parades, parties, mariachi music, Mexican folk dancing and traditional foods such as tacos and mole poblano. Some of the largest festivals are held in Los Angeles, Chicago and Houston.
15. Many people outside Mexico mistakenly believe that Cinco DE Mayo is a celebration of Mexican independence, which was declared more than 50 years before the Battle of Puebla.
16. Independence Day in Mexico (Día DE la Independencia) is commemorated on September 16, the anniversary of the revolutionary priest Miguel Hidalgo y Costilla’s famous “Grito de Dolores” (“Cry of Dolores”), a call to arms that amounted to a declaration of war against the Spanish colonial government in 1810.

Facts About William Shakespeare

• Romantic poet John Keats kept a bust of Shakespeare near his desk in the hope that Shakespeare would spark his creativity
• Bardolatry' was a term coined by George Bernard Shaw to illustrate the reverence held by many Victorians for anything Shakespeare.
• By 1592, Shakespeare was receiving his first literary criticism with playwright Robert Greene, criticising Shakespeare for being a 'Jack of all trades' - a second rate tinkerer with the work of others.
• This criticism may be motivated by the fact Shakespeare was not university educated like contemporary writers such as Christopher Marlowe. 
• Early praise for Shakespeare came from writers such as Ben Johnson. Ben Jonson remarked of Shakespeare he was the -  “Soul of the age, the applause, delight, the wonder of our stage”
• Shakespeare acted in many of his plays.
• Shakespeare was acquainted with Queen Elizabeth I.
• After the death of Queen Elizabeth I, Shakespeare's company was awarded a royal patent by the new King James I and changed its name to the Kings Men. 
•      Shakespeare is often referred to as Elizabethan playwright, but most of his players were written in the Jacobean period.
• In 1599, the company built their own theatre, The Globe on the south banks of the River Thames.
• Shakespeare lived through an outbreak of the bubonic plague in London (1524-94) and 1609. The plague also came to Stratford, when Shakespeare was just 3 months old
• Many of Shakespeare’s plays were based on historical accounts, dramatised by Shakespeare. He also dramatised stories from classical writers such as Plutarch and Holinshed.
• Hamlet was based on a well known Scandinavian legend called -Amleth,
• Shakespeare’s plays contain 200 references to dogs and 600 references to birds.
• In 1890, Eugene Schiffelin an American ‘Bardolator’ decided to import every kind of bird mentioned in Shakespeare but not native to America. This included a flock of 60 starlings released in New York. Starlings have now driven many native birds to the edge of extinction.
• Shakespeare’s plays are usually separated into three main divisions
  Comedies – ‘All’s well that Ends Well’, ‘Much Ado About Nothing’
  Histories – ‘Henry V’
  Tragedies – ‘Romeo and Juliet’, ‘Hamlet’, and ‘Othello’.
• There are those who question whether William Shakespeare was actually the author of the plays, attributed to him. Other contenders include the ‘Oxford school’ – suggesting Edward de Vere, 17th Earl of Oxford was a better contender.
• Shakespeare was the most quoted author in Samuel Johnson’s early “Dictionary of the English Language’
• Before Shakespeare, the English language was much less codified with no official dictionary and many variations on spelling.
• Shakespeare has given many words (estimate of 1,700 – 3,000) to the English language.
• Estimations of Shakespeare’s vocabulary range from 17,000 to 29,000 words.
• Shakespeare has given many memorable phrases to the English language, such as “wild goose chase”, “foregone conclusion” “in a pickle”
• Shakespeare has given many memorable insults, “Thou art like a toad; ugly and venomous.”, “You scullion! You rampallian! You fustilarian! I’ll tickle your catastrophe!”, “Thou clay-brained guts, thou knotty-pated fool, thou whoreson obscene greasy tallow-catch!”
• Shakespeare never seemed to spell his name properly, often signing his name “Willm Shakp,”
• By others, he was referred to by over 80 different names, such as Shaxberd.” and “Shappere”
• Macbeth was often unpopular for its reference to witches which created fear in the middle ages. There remains a long theatre superstition of saying aloud the name ‘Macbeth’
• In his will, he appeared to only give his wife (Anne) a bed.
• Shakespeare’s grave includes a curse against moving his bones.

Facts About William Shakespeare

• Shakespeare was born on April 26th 1564, Stratford. [only later to be changed to Stratford Upon Avon]
• Shakespeare is widely considered the world's greatest dramatist.
• Shakespeare wrote 38 plays and 154 sonnets.
• Shakespeare is most likely to have received a classical Latin education at King's New School in Stratford.
• Shakespeare married Anne Hathaway when he was only 18;
• Anne {26} was 3 months pregnant when they married.
• Their first child, Susanna was born six months after their marriage.
• They later had two twins, Hamnet and Judith.
• Shakespeare had seven brothers and sisters
•   Shakespeare worked as an actor, writer and co-owner of a drama company called the 'Lord Chamberlain's Men'- Later known as the King's Men.
• His greatest plays include Hamlet, King Lear, Othello, Macbeth and Romeo and Juliet.
• In the introduction to the First Folio, playwright Ben Johnson wrote a preface to Shakespeare's  work with the quote '[Shakespeare] is not of an age, but for all time.'
• Shakespeare's popularity blossomed after the Romantic period and during the Victorian period- receiving the praise of poets, such as Samuel Taylor Coleridge, Victor Hugo and Voltaire.