1. Introduction
2. Sponsor's Spot: The Grace Academy
3. Weekly Topic: Gibraltar
4. What You are Missing This Week
5. Quote of the Week
6. Subscription Management
#1. August 20, 2008
Dear Reader
There is a growing backlash in some communities and states wanting to forbid teachers from using social networking and text messaging to communicate with students. Based on the argument that online "friending" crosses the appropriate boundary between teacher and student, these communities are proposing laws that would forbid it.
Gibraltar is a British colony occupying 2.25 square miles on the southern tip of the Iberian Peninsula, sharing a border with Spain. It sits on the Strait of Gibraltar, which separates the Atlantic from the Mediterranean, and Europe from Africa. In ancient times, the towering limestone Rock of Gibraltar was known as one of the Pillars of Hercules; the other being across the Strait in Morocco.
Discover Gibraltar
With over 300 pages, and more than 1000 photographs, Discover Gibraltar is the biggest of today's websites. Use the drop-down menu to navigate to sections about Gibraltar's history, its relationship with Spain, and an answer to the frequently asked question: Why is Gibraltar British? "On the 4th August 1704, the English fleet, under Admiral Sir George Rooke, entered the Gibraltar Bay. At 3 P.M. 1,800 English and Dutch marines were landed close to the Rock with the Dutch Prince Hesse at the head. After several days of fierce fighting, the Spanish surrendered the Rock."
Gibraltar Official Website
This official tourism site has a number of sections of interest to students: History & Politics, Barbary Apes, and Nature & Wildlife. "In a den high on the Rock live Gibraltar's most famous residents, the Barbary Apes, the only wild primates in all Europe. Friendly, charming and inquisitive, the apes have lived on the Rock for centuries. Legend says that when the apes leave, Gibraltar will cease to be British."
Gibraltar Rock Tours
Even if you do not need a land tour because your only mode of travel is the Internet, this Gibraltar tour company has some nice pages about the most popular sites in Gibraltar. The Great Siege tunnels were built starting in 1782 as a way to get cannons onto the north face of the Rock. "The tunnelers relied on the strength of their arms, on their skill with a sledgehammer and a crowbar and were aided with gunpowder for blasting." One hundred fifty years later, during World War II, the tunnels were extended another thirty miles.
Dear Reader 
