On October 31, 1864, now celebrated as "Nevada Day", Nevada was made the 36th state in the United States. It was given the distinct shape resembling a rectangle with a triangle. It was named "Nevada" meaning "snowy land" in Spanish, because it was snowy in the North. Later, on May 5, 1866, Nevada got its current borders because the Pah-Ute County in Arizona was taken as part of Nevada. It is now Clark County, Nevada. It was also agreed upon that the western part of Utah would become Eastern Nevada.
On May 8th, 2020 Gov. Steve Sisolak allowed phase 1 re-opening of Nevada's economy, allowing restaurants and other previously non essential businesses to open.
Tourism is very important to the economy of Nevada. Many people visit Las Vegas, which has many casinos and resorts. There is not as much farming as there is in some other states, because Nevada is so dry. However, mining is big in Nevada. More gold is mined in Nevada than in any other state.
Comoros
Comoros (officially called Union of the Comoros) is a small island nation in the Indian Ocean. It is between Madagascar and mainland Africa. The capital is Moroni on Grande Comore. The population (except for Mayotte) is about 798,000 people.
The Comoros Islands are in the Indian Ocean, between Mozambique and Madagascar. It is the southernmost member state of the Arab League.
There are 4 islands from west to east: Grande Cormore, Moheli, Anjouan and Mayotte. All the islands are of volcanic origin. Islam is the official religion of Comoros with over 90% of the population being Sunni Muslims.
Mayotte is also a territory that is claimed by Comoros but is under occupation by the French as an overseas territory. The other islands form the independent state of Comoros.
The country has a history with many "coup d'état" since independence in 1975. As of 2008, about half the people live below the international poverty line of US$1.25 a day.
Mount Karthala is the country's highest point. Karthala is an active shield volcano on Grand Cormore. It had a minor eruption in May 2006.
The Comoros is formed by Ngazidja (Grande Comore), Mwali (Mohéli) and Nzwani (Anjouan), the three major islands in the Comoros Archipelago. There are also many minor islets. The islands are officially known by their Comorian language names. International sources still use their French names (given in parentheses above). The capital and largest city is Moroni on Ngazidja.
At 2,034 km2 (785 sq mi), it is one of the smallest countries in the world. The interiors of the islands vary from steep mountains to low hills.
The climate is generally tropical and mild. The rainy season runs from December to April. It is called kashkazi/kaskazi, meaning north monsoon. The cool, dry season is from May to November. It is called kusi, meaning south monsoon.
The temperature reaches an average of in March, the hottest month. The average low is in the dry season. The islands are rarely subject to cyclones.
The islands have their own ecoregion, the Comoros forests.
The President of the Comoros is both head of state and head of government. The constitution was adopted on 23 December 2001. It was last amended in May 2009.
In November 1975, the Comoros became the 143rd member of the United Nations. The citizens of Mayotte chose to become French citizens and keep their island as a French territory.
There is a small standing army. This includes a 500-member police force and a 500-member defense force. A treaty with France provides navy protection for territorial waters.
The Comoros is one of the world's poorest countries. Agriculture is the leading sector of the economy. Agriculture includes fishing, hunting, and forestry.
The Comoros is the world's largest producer of ylang-ylang. It is a large producer of vanilla.
Oat
Oats ("Avena sativa") are a type of cereal grain. People use them as food for themselves and other animals, for example, chickens and horses. Oatmeal is made from oats. Oat straw is used as bedding for animals.
Porridge is made only from whole grain oats. It forms an excellent part of a balanced diet for the following reasons:
The wild ancestor of "Avena sativa" and the similar minor crop, "A. byzantina", is the hexaploid wild oat "A. sterilis". Science of DNA shows that the ancestor forms of "A. sterilis" grew in the Fertile Crescent of the Near East. Domesticated oats appear later. They are also far from the Near East, in Bronze Age Europe. Oats are like rye. They are normally thought as a less important crop, i.e. coming from a weed out of the main cereals wheat and barley As these cereals spread into cooler, wetter places, this may have favored the oat weed. This quickly leads to its common use.
Oats are grown all over temperate places. They have a lower summer heat need and are able to survive more rain than other cereals like wheat, rye or barley. Oats are an annual plant, and can be planted either in autumn (for late summer harvest) or in the spring (for early autumn harvest).
Historical attitudes towards oats are very different. Oat bread was first made in England, where the first oat bread factory was made in 1899. In Scotland, are well liked, as a good part of the national diet. The English writer Samuel Johnson, famously wrote in "A Dictionary of the English Language" that the oat was "a grain, which in England is generally given to horses, but in Scotland supports the people." Which the Scottish quickly said back "and England has the best horses, and Scotland the best men."
Oats have many uses in food. Most of the time they are rolled or crushed into oatmeal, or ground into oat flour. Oatmeal is also eaten as porridge, but may also be used in many of baked goods, such as oat cakes, oatmeal cookies, and oat bread. Oats are also an substance used in many cold cereals, in particular muesli and granola. Without cooking, oats may also be taken as food.
Oats are also sometimes used in drinks. In Britain, it is used for making beer. Oatmeal stout is one of many beers using some oats. A cold, sweet drink made of ground oats and milk is a well liked drink in Latin America. 'Oatmeal caudle', made of ale and oatmeal with spices was a usual British drink and well-liked by Oliver Cromwell.
In Scotland a dish called "Sowans" was made by putting the husks from oats in water for a week so that the fine, dusty part of the meal remained at the bottom to be strained off, boiled and taken as food (Gauldie 1981). Oats are also widely used there as a thickener in soups, as barley or rice might be used in other countries.
Oats are also commonly used as feed for horses - as whole or rolled oats or as part of food bits. Cattle are also fed oats, either whole, or ground into a flour using a mill.
Oat straw is prized by cattle and horse makers as bedding, because its soft, almost dust-free, and takes in liquid. The straw can also be used for making corn dollies. Tied in a cotton bag, oat straw was used to soften bath-water.
Things take out of oatscan also be used to make pain less sharp in the skin, as in skin lotions. It is the main substance in the Aveeno line of products.
Oats are mostly thought as "healthy" food. The finding of the healthy cholesterol-lowering properties has led to more liking of oats as human food.
Oat is the only cereal having a globulin or legume-like protein, avenalin, as the major (80%) storage protein. Globulins can be taken up by weak salt water. The more common cereal proteins are gluten and zein. The minor protein of oat is avenin.
Oat protein is almost the same in quality as soy bean protein, which has been shown by the World Health Organization to be equal to meat, milk, and egg protein. The amount of protein of the hull-less oat kernel ranges from 12–24%, which is the highest among cereals.
Kapingamarangi
Kapingamarangi is an atoll in the Pacific Ocean. It is part of the Federated States of Micronesia. There are about 700 people living in Kapingamarangi. The inhabitants speak the Kapingamarangi language, a Polynesian dialect.