TSI Authors purpose

Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks support a wide diversity of animal species, reflecting the range in elevation, climate, and habitat variety there. Over 260 native vertebrate species are in the parks; numerous additional species may be present but have not been confirmed. Of the native vertebrates, five species are extirpated (or extinct), and over 150 are rare or uncommon. There have been some studies of invertebrates in the area, but there is not enough information to know how many species occur specifically in the parks. Many of the parks’ caves contain invertebrates, some of which exist only in one cave and are known nowhere else in the world. In the foothills, where summers are hot and dry and winters are mild, plant life is largely chaparral on the lower slopes, with blue oak and California buckeye in the valleys and on higher slopes. A number of animals live in this area year-round; some breed here, while others winter here. Local species include the gray fox, bobcat, striped and spotted skunks, black bear, wood rat, pocket gopher, white-footed mouse, California quail, scrub jay, lesser goldfinch, wrentit, acorn woodpecker, gopher snake, California king snake, striped racer, western whiptail lizard, and the California newt.

• entertain

• bore

• persuade

• inform

• humor

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Grapes are one of the oldest cultivated fruits. Hieroglyphics show that Egyptians were involved in grape and wine production. Also, the early Romans were known to have developed many grape varieties.

Grapes have been grown in California for more than 200 years. The tradition of viticulture (growing grapes) began in 1769 when Spanish friars established missions throughout California. Then the boom in grapes planted for eating arose in the early 1800s. William Wolfskill, founder of California’s citrus industry, planted the first table grape vineyard in 1839 near Los Angeles.

By the 1850s, the United States had officially acquired California from Mexico, and 80,000 gold prospectors had moved to the region. A few of these had the foresight to realize that there was money in grapes as well as in gold.

Today, California wine, table grapes, and raisins are all important agricultural commodities, with approximately 700,000 acres planted in vineyards. About 85 percent of California’s table grape production is in the southern San Joaquin Valley region, with the Coachella Valley region accounting for most of the remaining production.

• entertain

• persuade

• humor

• inform

• sway

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The symptoms of perimenopause are a normal manifestation of the aging process and do not ordinarily require treatment. Some physicians may choose to monitor the levels of certain hormones-particularly thyroid function-if the symptoms are severe. Under normal circumstances, this is unnecessary. However, if bleeding is extremely heavy, lasts longer than a week, or occurs between periods, a medical professional should be consulted. Symptoms such as these may indicate a more serious underlying gynecological problem.

The purpose of the article is to...

• Describe the treatment of perimenopause.

• Enumerate the symptoms that women may experience when going through perimenopause

• Give an overall description of perimenopause

• Compare perimenopause to menopause itself.

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The United States has always been a pluralistic society, meaning it has embraced many points of view and many groups with different identities from its beginning. That is not to say that these groups always saw eye to eye. The first political parties developed in the United States as a result of conflicting visions of the American identity. Many politicians believed that wealthy merchants and lawyers represented the country’s true identity, but many others saw it in the farmers and workers who formed the country’s economic base.

The event that brought this disagreement to the surface was the creation of the Bank of the United States in 1791. The bank set out to rid the country of the debts it had accumulated during the American Revolution. Until then, each state was responsible for its own debts. The Bank of the United States, however, wanted to assume these debts and pay them off itself. While many people considered this offer to be a good financial deal for the states, many states were uncomfortable with the arrangement because they saw it as a power play by the federal government. If a central bank had control over the finances of individual states, then the people who owned the bank would profit from the states in the future. This concern was the basis of the disagreement: Who should have more power, the individual states or the central government?

The Democratic-Republican Party developed to protest the bank, but it came to represent a vision of America with power spread among states. The Federalist Party was established in defense of the bank, but its ultimate vision was of a strong central government that could help steer the United States toward a more competitive position in the world economy. These different points of view-central government versus separate states-would not be resolved easily. These same disagreements fueled the tension that erupted into the Civil War over half a century later.

• To persuade the reader to accept the Federalist Party’s point of view

• To explain the disagreements between early American political parties.

• To explain the importance of a strong central government

• To criticize the founders of the Bank of the United States.

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