Christian books

http://www.ardisheights.org/christian-literature

http://steeplemedia.com/blogs/ccl/default.aspx

http://www.gracegems.org/28/Mason_Believers%20Pocket%20Companion.htm

8th grade reading list

Providence Christian Academy
TITLE AUTHOR
Appointment in Jerusalem Prince
Boy of Old Prague, A Ish-Kishor
Complete Tales & Poems Poe
Crucible, The Miller
Dark is Rising, The Cooper
David Copperfield Dickens
Death Be Not Proud Gunther
Early Moon Sandberg
Ethan Frome Wharton
Fahrenheit 451 Bradberry
Fun of It, The Earhart
Gift of the Magi & Other Stories, The Henry
Good Earth, The Buck
Great Expectations Dickens
Great Gatsby, The Fitzgerald
Harriet Tubman: Conductor Petry
House of Seven Gables, The Hawthorne
Hunchback of Notre Dame, The Hugo
Ivanhoe Scott
Journey Home Uchida
Kim Kipling
Kon-Tiki Heyerdahl
Last of the Mohicans, The Cooper
Legend of Sleepy Hollow & Rip Van Winkle, The Irving
Les Miserables Hugo
Lost World, The Doyle
Madame Curie: A Biography Curie
Midsummer Night's Dream, A Shakespeare
Moves Make the Man, The Brooks
Mutiny on the Bounty Nordhof & Hall
National Velvet Bangold
Neighbor Rosicky Cather
Night Journey, The Lasky
Northanger Abby Austen
Old Man and the Sea, The Hemingway
Plague, The Camus
Pride and Prejudice Austen
Eighth Grade Literature List
Eight Grade Literature List, page 2
Profiles in Courage Kennedy
Raisin in the Sun, A Hansberry
Separate Peace, A Knowles
Silver Sword, The (aka Escape from Warsaw) Serraillier
Story of King Arthur and His Knights, The Pyle
Story of My Life Keller
Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, The Stevenson
Tempest, The Shakespeare
Through the Looking-Glass Carroll
To Kill a Mockingbird Lee
Up From Slavery Washington
Virginian, The Wister
Washington: The Indispensable Man Flexner
Wizard of Oz, The Baum
Wuthering Heights Bronte

http://www.providencechristian.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/10/eighth_grade_literature_list.pdf

http://www.providencechristian.com/students/literature-list/

Never get a cold

Pop a Probiotic
The buzz around gut-friendly probiotics just got a little louder. Not only do some of the microorganisms combat gastrointestinal woes, but they can also influence your body's T cells, the crucial white blood cells that help power your immune system. According to recent research published in the journal Postgraduate Medicine, women who downed daily probiotics saw their T-cell count skyrocket, making them much less vulnerable to infections. Though you can score some of the healthful stuff in a variety of foods like yogurt, miso, and tempeh, you're better off taking a 60- to 90-milligram supplement every morning during cold season, says lead study researcher Mira Baron, M.D., an internist in Cleveland.

Raise Your D Levels
Supernutrient vitamin D strengthens bones, fights inflammation, and boosts your mood. Turns out, it can also help slay infections. In a national study, people with low D levels were 36 percent more likely to catch respiratory ailments. Other current research shows that, when people with ample D do get sick, they may recover faster. "Vitamin D helps your body produce a protein called cathelicidin that fights bacteria and viruses," says Carlos Camargo, M.D., an associate professor of medicine at Harvard Medical School. Because it's nearly impossible to get enough D from food—even if you regularly nosh on salmon and dairy products—it's best to invest in 1,000 IU supplements. Take two a day in the winter months, when the sun's rays aren't as strong. (Soaking up natural sunlight prompts the body to make its own vitamin D. However, experts caution against too much D-producing sun exposure because it can lead to a heightened risk of skin cancer.)

Get Pampered
Regular 20-minute, moderate-pressure rubdowns decrease the body's level of cortisol, a stress hormone that can take a toll on your immune system, says Tiffany Field, Ph.D., director of the Touch Research Institute at the University of Miami School of Medicine. "Massage stimulates your nervous system to slow the production of cortisol," she explains. "And by lowering cortisol, you're increasing your immune response." No time to squeeze in a spa appointment? Lie faceup on the floor with a foam roller positioned perpendicularly under your back and slowly roll over it in an up-and-down motion

Cut Some Calories
Even slightly overweight people who slashed their caloric intake by just 10 percent ended up with heartier T cells, according to the Journal of Gerontology, possibly because a little extra weight can prompt the body to release a certain immune-suppressing hormone-like compound. Stash a pack of sugar-free gum in your bag and reach for a stick when you crave a midafternoon snack, says Sharon Zarabi, R.D., a nutritionist in New York City. Or swap your regular latte for plain green tea; you'll not only save hundreds of calories but also ward off infection. (The brew is brimming with antioxidants called catechins, which may have serious immune-aiding abilities.) Or, when you're lagging, take a 10-minute walk—even if it's just around the house—instead of reaching for a sugary pick-me-up.

Clock in Face Time
Surprise: All of your friends come with benefits. People with the most types of relationships—everything from close friends to neighbors—have a greater resistance to infectious diseases, according to Health Psychology. Conversely, that same research shows that loners' immune systems suffer. "Lonely people often have high stress levels, which can have a negative effect on the immune system," says Sheldon Cohen, Ph.D., a psychologist at Carnegie Mellon University. The exact number of friends you need to help you stay cold-free is unclear, but don't let that stop you: Set a goal of making one new connection a month, whether it's at the office, the gym, or the coffee shop

Foods that fight infections

Chamomile, according to researchers from London's Imperial College, is the one that'll help prevent sickness. In a recent study, they found people who drank five cups of the brew a day for 2 weeks had increased blood levels of plant-based compounds called polyphenols, some of which have been associated with increased antibacterial activity. Levels remained high for 2 weeks after subjects stopped drinking the tea, says lead researcher Elaine Holmes, Ph.D. (Bonus: chamomile tea also raised levels of glycine, a mild nerve relaxant and sedative.)

So eat your oatmeal.There's a killer living in all of us. Known as a macrophage and produced deep in your bone marrow, it's a white blood cell that roams the body, picking fights with bacteria, viruses, or any other intruders. But it only works if you help it. These killer cells are activated by beta-glucans, a component of fiber foods. The best source? Oats, steel-cut oats, like McCann's Irish Oatmeal, have double the amount found in the rolled, quick-cooking kind.

salad for lunch is smart. Drowning it in fat-free dressing isn't. A recent study from Iowa State University found that without dietary fat, your body doesn't absorb some of the disease-fighting nutrients in vegetables. Researchers fed seven people salad for 12 weeks and tested their blood after each meal. Those who topped their salads with fat-free dressing consistently failed to absorb carotenoids, antioxidants that have been linked to improved immunity. Fat is necessary for the carotenoids to reach the absorptive intestinal cells, says lead researcher Wendy White, Ph.D. Choose dressings with healthy fats from olive or nut oils, such as Many Seeds of Change (available at Whole Foods or in the crunchy section of your neighborhood market) and many Annie's Naturals dressings. If you're feeling adventuresome, try making your own. For an Italianate, try 2 or 3 parts extra virgin olive oil to 1 part balsamic vinegar; for something with an Asian influence, go 3 parts sesame oil to 1 part rice wine vinegar.

whey protein is a much more effective immune-boosting cocktail. Whey is rich in an amino acid called cysteine, which converts to glutathione in the body. Glutathione is a potent antioxidant that fortifies cells against bacterial or viral infection. For the highest concentration of protein, try something called powdered whey protein isolate, which is more pure—and more expensive—than concentrate. Fortify your morning smoothie with whey protein powder or try another source: yogurt. The clear liquid that forms on top of most cartons of yogurt is pure whey protein—so don't drain it off, just stir it back into the yogurt.

To beat back a cold, you slurp chicken noodle soup. To avoid getting sick in the first place, ladle out some tomato. In a study published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, 10 subjects ate a tomato-rich diet for 3 weeks, followed by a tomato-free diet for 3 more weeks. While subjects were on the tomato diet, their infection-fighting white blood cells sustained 38 percent less damage from free radicals—atoms in the body that damage and destabilize cells—than when they ate no tomato products. Researchers speculate that the lycopene in tomatoes acts as an antioxidant, helping white blood cells resist the damaging effects of free radicals.

Butterbur may sound like something that makes you sneeze. But the herbal supplement actually helps you fight allergies. Scottish researchers found that patients with grass and pollen allergies who popped 50 mg of the plant extract twice daily had 13 percent better nasal airflow than those who took a placebo. Another study published in the British Medical Journal reported that butterbur treated seasonal allergies nearly as well as the prescription medication Zyrtec. It's effective against all symptoms of allergic rhinitis, including sneezing, itching, and conjunctivitis, says Andreas Schapowal, M.D., Ph.D., the author of the study. Butterbur is believed to block leukotriene, a chemical that causes allergic reactions, while at the same time controlling eosinophils, the white blood cells that accumulate when allergic reactions take place, says Dr. Schapowal. What's more, there's no drowsy effect with butterbur. You can buy the supplement ($25 for 60 capsules) at most health food stores or at iherb.com.

Gatorade help your body recover from a tough workout, but it may also protect you from the latest strain of the flu. According to a study published in the International Journal of Sport Nutrition, when 10 triathletes drank more than 1 cup of sports drink every 15 minutes during intense exercise, they had significantly better immune response than they did when they drank a placebo.

Drinking wine with your meal, in addition to being good for your heart, may help ward off food poisoning before it happens. Scientists at Oregon State University recently found that wine can put the kibosh on three common food pathogens: E. coli, listeria, and salmonella. In lab studies, the wine's combination of ethanol, organic acids, and low pH appeared to scramble the bugs' genetic material. All wines have some effect, say researchers, but reds are the most potent.

Several animal and laboratory studies have shown that capsaicin—the compound that gives chili peppers their fire—can help stop sickness before it starts. Mice in one study were given a daily dose of capsaicin and had nearly three times more antibody-producing cells after 3 weeks than those given no capsaicin. More antibodies mean fewer colds and infections. Results of other studies suggest that eating food containing hot components such as capsaicin may improve immune status, says Rina Yu, Ph.D., of the University of Ulsan in South Korea, the lead researcher. The point is, it can't hurt. At the very least, a dash or two of hot sauce might help flush out some toxins.

Losing a little extra baggage will not only reduce your risk of cardiovascular disease and diabetes, but also will help shape up your immune system. Researchers at Tufts University asked a group of slightly overweight people to cut 100 to 200 calories from their daily food intake. The result, in addition to weight loss and a drop in cholesterol counts? Participants boosted their immune system response to disease-causing microorganisms. Researchers aren't exactly sure why, but speculate that the benefit comes from a combination of effects. One thing is certain: Cutting 200 calories out of your daily diet is easy. At your next restaurant meal, ditch the baked potato with sour cream and order steamed vegetables instead.