September 10, 2007 HW= None Y= Plot picture book T= DOL Finish Picture book plot Background on India

DOL athens, a city in greece named after athena the greek goddess of war and wisdom (7) In greek myth centaurs were half man and half horse apparently that did not seam totally weird too people back than (9)

Correct Answers Athens is a city in Greece named after Athena, the Greek goddess of war and wisdom. In Greek myth, centaurs were half man and half horse. Apparently, that did not seem totally weird to people back then.

Background Information In 1498 Vasco da Gama, a Portuguese navigator, reached the western coast of India and began seizing port cities. The English East India Company set up trading stations during the 1600’s. Indian peasants were exploited, or taken advantage of, in the growing textile industry. The British also ordered certain traditional practices, such as female infanticide and sati, to be stopped.

In the mid-1800’s, the English crushed the last armed Indian revolt, the Sepoy Mutiny. About 1860, responsibility for ruling India was transferred from the East India Company to the British Parliament. Finally, in 1947, India achieved its independence from Great Britain.

Mongooses are small, weasel-like creatures indigenous to India. In the 1800’s mongooses were imported into the sugar cane-producing islands of the Caribbean to kill rats. Unfortunately, with no natural enemies, the mongooses multiplied rapidly. Today, mongooses living on the islands eat small pets, threaten endangered species, and spread rabies. Mongoose vs. Cobra

The Cobra’s Side of the Story Cobras are venomous snakes. A cobra bite can kill a person in as little as fifteen minutes. The venom attacks the nervous system, causing dizziness, blurred vision, and pain. Cobras are particularly dangerous when guarding their eggs. In India, villages have been evacuated when cobra eggs were found.