A Ton of Crap (32 page)

THINKING

Consciousness
Consciousness refers to an awareness or ability to sense feelings, memories, sensations, or thoughts. It is can also be understood as a feeling of being “awake.” One’s consciousness is an unbroken stream of ever-changing thoughts. You might be doing something one minute, and then your mind will think about something else the next. This continues forever, without any breaks or stops.

GRAPHS

Flow Charts
Flow charts are used to describe how all of the steps in a process fit together. They represent a progression and are useful in depicting the various stages that go into a project. Flow charts use three symbols that are all labeled according to their description. There are elongated circles, representing the start and finish; rectangles, which show the steps or instructions; and diamonds, which show the decisions that have to be made. Arrows connect the symbols to one another, showing the progression in the process.

THE EARTH’S LAYERS

The Outer Core
The core of the Earth is about 15 percent of the Earth’s volume, made of iron-nickel, and is roughly the size of Mars. The outer core is 1,800 to 3,200 miles below the surface and is made of mostly molten iron. The temperature of the molten core ranges from 7,200°F to 9,032°F. The motions of the molten core create the Earth’s magnetic field.

ALBANIAN

The Albanian Alphabet
Over the course of history, the Albanian alphabet has been written in several different ways, including using the Greek alphabet, the Turkish alphabet, and Cyrillic. In the 1900s, the Albanian government made a form of the Latin alphabet the standard alphabet. The Albanian alphabet appears as:

A B C Ç D Dh E Ë F G Gj H I J K L Ll M N Nj O P Q R Rr S Sh T Th U V X Xh Y Z Zh

THE CRUSADES

The Sixth and Seventh Crusades
The Sixth Crusade was from 1228 to 1229, and though there was very little fighting, control of Jerusalem was regained temporarily by the crusaders. The Seventh Crusade lasted from 1248 to 1254, and was led by King Louis IX of France. The Christians were defeated by the Egyptian army led by the Ayyubid sultan, with support from the Mamluks, and the king and thousands of European soldiers were captured.

THINKING

Imagination
Imagination is the ability to create mental sensations, images, concepts, and ideas without these things having been seen, felt, touched, heard, or tasted. It is the work of the mind that gives meaning to experiences and knowledge. Imagination allows people to think outside of the confines of the reality that is presented to them and it is crucial in the thought process.

GRAPHS

Organizational Charts
Organizational charts are used to show the formal and informal relationships in an overall structure. They are mostly used in the workforce, showing the ranks and relationships between employees. Organizational charts also show how different departments can be connected. Generally, they are shaped like pyramids, with the top rectangle representing the highest position such as the president or CEO, and other rectangles descending according to rank. The size of the rectangles relates to the level of authority, and arrows are used to represent the flow.

THE EARTH’S LAYERS

The Inner Core
The inner core is 3,200 to 3,960 miles below the surface and is the hottest part of the Earth, with a temperature of 9,032°F to 10,832°F. There is so much pressure in the inner core that it is actually solid metal, and it is believed to be made of a nickel-iron alloy. The extreme heat of the core directly affects the movement of plate tectonics and the Earth’s magnetic field.

ALBANIAN

Grammar
Nouns in Albanian have a case, a gender, and indefinite and definite forms. Definite and indefinite articles (such as the word
the
) are attached to the words as suffixes, and not stand-alone words. Adjectives come after the nouns, and match the gender and number of the nouns. The conjugation of verbs shows tense and person.

THE CRUSADES

The Eighth and Ninth
Crusades The Eighth Crusade of 1270 only lasted one year and was led by King Louis IX once again. It was originally meant to aid Crusader states but was diverted to Tunis, where two months later, King Louis IX died. The Ninth Crusade was the final Crusade, and it lasted from 1271 to 1272. Prince Edward of England led the Crusade following the death of Louis IX. It failed due to the rising power of the Mamluks in Egypt and low morale among the Crusaders.