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I will write down the things which we learned during the lecture of first week...
There are 173 US troops stationed in 173 countries.
There are only three countries in North America, which are Mexico, U.S. and Canada.
Canada doesn`t have a president. It has a prime minister, because Canada is one of the Commonwealth countries. As you know in commonwealth countries Queen of the UK is the head of the state.
USA does not have an adjective. Its adjective is US American. In American English you should write United States  with dots (U.S.) as in the example. However, in British English US is preferred.
There are 50 states in the US. Obama is the president of the 50 states, and each state has a governer.
Each satate has a different political system. In some states, homosexuel marriages are allowed. However, most of the states do not allow this. States have different tax systems. If you buy furniture or an Ipod from the other state, you should inform the authorities if you bring this goods to your state.
VAT = Value added tax.
IRS has the right to search your property which is undeclared.
There is capital punishment in 27 states.
Oral sex is not allowed in Georgia.
There are big differences in terms of ethnic backup.
In 48 states, English is the official language.
In Iloina where Obama comes from, American is the official language.
In Hawai, the official langauges are Hawaian and English.
SAT test. It means Scolastic aptitude test. Students are asked questions from Mathematics and languages.
They are expected to take at least 1400 points in order to study at Yale, Harward and such worldwide famous universities. If a student cannot get 1400 points, then he can study at the state universities.
At the state universities there are different kind of scholarships such as sports scholarship, ethnic scholarship, etc. For example, Brian is bad at some lessons, but he is in the school`s hockey team. Sports bring money to the university. Universities have tournements among one another. For that reason, university teams visit different state universities to have matches. Those sports competitions and matches bring money to the university. If Brian is bad at Maths, most probably his hockey team coach will speak to his Maths teacher, and will tell him help Brian pass the class.
State says that universities accept at least 10% of their students from black students.
Unlike Austrian universities, in the US universities there are dormitaries and police officers at the campusses.
In 1507, a Geography teacher Martin Waldseemüller drew a map, and on this map he used the name America for this continent for the first time. His map is called Universalis Cosmographia.
Amerigo Vespucci came to Venezuella. He lived between 9 March 1454- 22 February 1512. He is an explorer and cartographer from Florence Italy. The continents of America derive their name from the feminized Latin version of his first name.
In Greek:  A meri gen.
A is negative.
meri is divided.
gen is land.
So it means an undivided land. Scholars dispute over the name of America today. Some say it comes from ancient Greek, others say it derives from the Latin feminine version of Amerigo Vespucci.
There are more than 600 native populations in the States which are called tribes, and these so-called Indians have at least 600 kind of populations and languages.
Nobody knows that how many Indians were there living in 1600.
The year 1600 is the contact time.
We can divide the time like this:
Precontact time     contact time      colonial time
Estimated population of Indians in 1600 is 1 million.
in 1890, the Indians were counted for the first time. Their population was two hundred thousand.
Decimate means to kill every ten percent. It comes from Latin. A lot of Indians were decimated by the newcommers.
John Smith wrote `The General History of Virginia` in 1624.
American English: raccoons (alternatively, racoons - this word, originally Powhatan Algonquian, has also been Englished as Rahaugcums, Raugroughcums, arocoune, Arathkone, Aroughcun, Rarowcun).

Pocahontas risks her neck for Captain Smith

[Smith recounts that in December, 1607, he was attacked by two hundred Indians, and, although he used his own Indian guide as a shield against their arrows, he was at last taken prisoner.] Because he killed 3 Powhatan men.
Six or seven weeks those barbarians kept him prisoner. Many strange triumphs and conjurations they made of him. Yet he so demeaned himself amongst them, as he not only diverted them from surprising the fort, but procured his own liberty, and got himself and his company such estimation amongst them, that those salvages [sic] admired him more than their own Quiyouckosucks.
Their order in conducting him was thus: Drawing themselves all in file, the king in the middle, had all their pieces and swords borne before him. Captain Smith was led after him by three great savages, holding him fast by each arm, and on each side went [p.108] six in file with their arrows nocked. Smith they conducted to a long house, where thirty or forty tall fellows did guard him; and ere long more bread and venison was brought him than would have served twenty men. I think his stomach at that time was not very good. What he left they put in baskets and tied over his head.
At midnight they set the meat again before him. All this time not one of them would eat a bit with him, till the next morning they brought him as much more; and then did they eat all the old, and reserved the new as they had done the other, which made him think they would fatten him to eat him.
At last they brought him to Wero-wocomoco where was Powhatan their emperor. Here more than two hundred of those grim courtiers stood wondering at him, as if he bad been a monster; till Powhatan and his train had put themselves in their greatest braveries. Before a fire upon a seat like a bedstead with a great robe made of Rarowcun skins, and all the tails hanging by. On either hand did sit a young wench of sixteen or eighteen years, and along on each side of the house, two rows of men, and behind them as many women, with all their heads and shoulders painted red; many of their heads bedecked with the white down of birds; but everyone with something; and a great chain of white beads about their necks.
At ills entrance before the king, all the people gave a great shout. The Queen of Appamatuck was appointed to bring him water to wash his hands, and another brought him a bunch of feathers, instead of a towel, to dry them. Having feasted him after their best barbarous manner they could, a long consultation was held, but the conclusion was, two great stones were brought before Powhatan.
Then as many as could laid hands on him, dragged him to them, and thereon laid his head, and being ready with their clubs, to beat out his brains, Pocahontas the king's dearest daughter, when no entreaty could prevail, got his head in her arms, and laid her own upon his to save him from death. Whereat the emperor was contented he should live to make him hatchets, and her bells, beads, and copper; for they thought him as well of all occupations as themselves. For the king himself will make his own robes, shoes, bows, arrows, pots; plant, hunt, or do anything so well as the rest.

John Smith 1626

The END.
Kind Regards.