More Credit Ratings in Morningstar

Hundreds More Credit Ratings and the Fourth-Quarter Market Outlook

In an effort to keep growing their bond database, Morningstar has added over 300 more corporate credit ratings to Morningstar Investment Research Center. You can find the ratings under the Companies section of the database by clicking on Bond Ratings. For questions on their methodology, visit the Help & Education page and click on The Rating for Bonds.

October marks the beginning of the fourth quarter, and they have updated the Markets page with their newest Market Outlook. You will find the document under Q3 of the Quarterly Industry Reports section. The piece looks at what happened during the past quarter and includes analyst insights for industries in the fourth quarter.

Brain Teasers – Abbreviations

This brainteaser is all about abbreviations, which can be letters like UN (= United Nations) or shortened words like Thur (= Thursday).  Need help?  Use Credo Reference to find the answers.

1. Flu is an abbreviation of which illness?

2. DIY is the practice of doing one’s own household repairs. What does DIY stand for?

3. The standard abbreviation for pence is now “p”. Which letter was used for pence or penny before decimalization in 1971?

4. The capital of the USA is Washington DC. What does the DC stand for?

5. A unit of measurement called “dB” is generally used to express sound intensity. What does “dB” stand for?

6. A pixel is the smallest unit into which an image can be divided. It is an abbreviation of which two words?

7. As a computer storage device, what does CD-ROM stand for?

8. Which American state is abbreviated as MA?

9. In information technology, what does ASCII stand for?

10. MRSA is a bacterial strain that causes serious problems in hospitals. What does MRSA stand for?

Questions set by Tony Augarde (www.augardebooks.co.uk).

Mexico Celebrates 200 Years – Lesson Plan

 

Image via Wikipedia

 

Mexico Turns 200! Lesson Plans

View Mexico’s Controversial Bicentenary Celebration

Discussion Guide

History of Mexico–Lesson Plan 1

Objective:

Students will research the major events in Mexican history over the past 200 years and display information via a timeline

Timeline Expectations

Mexican Culture–Lesson Plan 2

Objective:

Students will complete a multi-faceted project on Mexican culture

Project Expectations




Research Paper–Lesson Plan 3

Objective: Students will write a formal research paper on the problems Mexico currently faces

Research Paper Expectations




21^st Century Core Content
History
Government and Civics
Geography

21^st Century Themes
Global Awareness
Civic Literacy

21^st Century Skills
Think Creatively
Work Creatively With Others
Reason Effectively
Make Judgments and Decisions
Solve Problems
Communicate Clearly
Use and Manage Information
Analyze Media
Create Media Products

Recommended Online Resources:

CulturalGrams (good for younger students)

World History in Context (good for older students)

World History – Modern Era (ABC-Clio) (good for middle/high school students)

Additional Resources:

Mexico Turns 200, Hundreds of Thousands Party

Mexico Wants Violence-Free 200^th Birthday

Mexico Country Overview

Mexico’s Problems Go Beyond Cartels

Facts About Mexico

Great Reads for Guys

Books with Beat – Just in Time for Teen Read Week!

Checkout these downloadable eBooks and eAudio books from our eMedia Catalog that guys will enjoy.

History of Chemistry

Image by Chemical Heritage Foundation via Flickr

Great digital collection added to our Hot Topics – Science Projects and Homework Quick Start.

The History of Chemistry – The Chemical Heritage Foundation tells the story of Chemistry through their digital collection of rare books, photos, oral histories, scientific instruments and artifacts.   Includes biographies of chemist & activities for students.

Link can also be found on del.icio.us – Las Vegas-Clark County Library Bookmarks