Destruction of Habitat Humans destroy precious habitat–the natural environment of a living thing–when they fill swamps and marshes, dam rivers and cut down trees to build homes, roads and other developments. Pollution Oil spills, acid rain and water pollution have been devastating for many species of fish and birds. Hunting and Fishing Many animals are over-hunted because their meat, fur and other parts are very valuable. Exotic Species When animals or plants arrive into a new habitat from a foreign place they sometimes introduce diseases that the native species can’t fight....

burrow (n.) A hole or tunnel in the ground made by a rabbit, fox, or similar animal for habitation and refuge: The wombat escaped the heat of the day by crawling into his burrow. dermal shield (n.) A plate of bone, muscle, and cartilage: When a wombat is threatened, it hurries inside its burrow and blocks the entrance with its dermal shield, located on its behind. herbivore (n.) Animals whose diets consist wholly or largely of plant matter: The wombat is a herbivore, consisting on grasses, roots, and bark....

Religion has also been an arena for American women activists. Many abolitionists and other early social reformers were motivated in part by religious belief. Beginning in the 1800s, numerous Christian women, black and white, and Jewish women founded religious schools and aid organizations. Many of the African-American women who helped power the civil-rights movement in the 1860s drew strength from their religions and organized through their churches. Here are some notables in the history of women and American religion....

The Palestinians agreed to remove language from their founding charter that called for the dismantling of the Jewish state; Israelis agreed to cede an additional 13% percent of the West Bank. But several highly sensitive issues—Palestinian statehood, the drawing of borders, and the status of Jerusalem—went unbroached, although only six months remained before the Oslo Accord deadline of May 4, 1999. If significant progress were not made by then, Arafat threatened to unilaterally declare a Palestinian state, which would inevitably lead to retaliation by Israel....

Information Please® Database, © 2013 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved.

The sport of the Vikings Related Links 2018 Winter OlympicsCross-Country Through the YearsEncyclopedia: Skiing Memorable Moments Bjorn Daehlie The Vikings were the world’s first cross-country skiers. There is evidence that the Scandinavian warriors used skis for transportation, especially while hunting. Originally, the sport of cross-country skiing was simply one half of the Nordic combined event made popular by the Norwegian ski festivals of the late 1800s. Separate cross-country-only competitions gained popularity quickly, and two men’s events were included at the first Winter Olympic Games in 1924....

Common ingredients: beef, pork, lamb, seafood, chicken, cabbage, onions, carrots, lettuce, rice Popular dishes: kimchi (spiced cabbage); barbecued beef or pork mixed with garlic and onions and wrapped in lettuce; soups; ginseng tea More Information:

Four years later, on Nov. 6, 2012, Obama was re-elected, narrowly defeating Republican nominee Mitt Romney. Obama prevailed in both the electoral college (303 to 206) and the popular vote (50% to 48%), buoyed largely by taking several crucial battle states, including Colorado, Iowa, Ohio, New Hampshire, Virginia, and Wisconsin. Obama’s First Term On his second day in office in January 2009, President Barack Obama signed executive orders to suspend military tribunals of terror suspects, close all secret prisons and detention camps run by the CIA—including the infamous Guantanamo Bay prison—and ban coercive interrogation methods....

The four taste zones on your tongue are bitter (back), sour (back sides), salty (front sides), and sweet (front). The five senses are sight, hearing, smell, touch, and taste. Your body contains eight pints (3.79 liters) of blood. You use 14 muscles to smile and 43 to frown. The strongest muscle of the body is the masseter muscle, which is located in the jaw. Muscles normally account for 40% of one’s body weight....

In biblical times, the main job of apothecarists was to grind minerals, vegetable oils, and animal fats to make medicines as well as cosmetics and perfumes. Today, pharmacists buy perfumes and cosmetics to sell. Their main role is to prepare and fill prescriptions ordered by doctors for their patients. Animals used to be the principal means of transportation for both people and things. Although useful, they were also messy, and one of the carter’s jobs was to remove animal waste from the streets....