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Want to Live More Sustainably? ‘Just Don’t Buy Stuff’
Annual SUNY-ESF Earth Day survey says cutting consumerism is place to start
Environmentally minded people who want to take steps toward sustainable living can start by simply reducing their consumption, according to the second annual Earth Day survey at the SUNY College of Environmental Science and Forestry (ESF).
Just in time for the 40th anniversary of the first Earth Day observance (April 22), the faculty and staff at the college, where environmental issues are the sole academic focus, were asked to suggest one thing people could do to live more sustainably.
Reducing consumption came out on top, followed by a suggestion that people change their eating habits to include less meat, especially red meat, and more locally produced foods.
"The crises the earth faces are not environmental problems," said Dr. Susan Senecah, an environmental studies professor whose research focuses on public participation and public policy. "They are human problems-human appetites, human decisions for behavior, human-created policies, human decisions for research, etc."
More than 25 percent of the respondents said curbing consumption is the first step toward a more sustainable lifestyle.
"Think before you act. Think about everything you do and ask if it might make the world a better place," said research biologist Dr. H. Brian Underwood. "Use the most important tool of sustainability nature has ever crafted: your brain."
"Curb your consumerism. In plain English, just don't buy 'stuff' when you shop. Just look," suggested Dr. Chad Dawson, who teaches wilderness and forest recreation management.
About 20 percent of the respondents said a change in eating habits is a good way to start.
"The easiest thing an individual can do is to plant a vegetable garden and go off a red meat diet," said Dr. Allan Drew, a forest ecologist.
Growing vegetables eliminates shipping, cuts costs and reduces the need to mow part of a lawn, Drew said. For people who won't give up beef, eating beef from locally raised, grass-fed cattle eliminates overuse of antibiotics and preservatives and allows land to return to a forested state so it can sequester more carbon, Drew said.
Bradley K. Woodward, the food service manager at the ESF Ranger School in the Adirondacks, made a suggestion closely related to his own area of expertise: "Eat less meat."
The third most common answer was to reduce the use of fossil fuel by walking or riding a bike.
"Walk or bike instead of drive, take the stairs instead of the elevator, rake instead of leaf blow, use a manual mower instead of a gas-driven one. Use exercise to do productive things," said John Auwaerter, a staff member in the Department of Landscape Architecture.
Other suggestions were having fewer children (overpopulation is the world's biggest environmental challenge, according to the 2009 ESF survey), using wood for construction and energy because it's a renewable resource, and increasing energy efficiency.
Outreach staff member Sharon Weis said she changed her light bulbs to compact fluorescents, which use less energy than incandescent bulbs.
"Starting with something simple that puts money back in your pocket is sure to make people consider other 'green' suggestions that they used to downplay," she said.
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- ‘Amazing Experience’ with Animals Leads to Career Goal
Office of Communications
122 Bray Hall
1 Forestry Drive
Syracuse, NY 13210 | <urn:uuid:98025fa1-be82-450e-bdf0-5d594835f941> | CC-MAIN-2016-26 | http://www.esf.edu/communications/view.asp?newsID=373 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2016-26/segments/1466783396459.32/warc/CC-MAIN-20160624154956-00059-ip-10-164-35-72.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.942924 | 930 | 2.796875 | 3 |
This category contains information about the science of agriculture specific to the United Kingdom. Information about agricultural businesses can be found in the linked categories.
Related categories 3
Agroforestry Research Trust
A non-profit making UK body which researches into temperate agroforestry and all aspects of plant cropping and uses, including tree, shrub and perennial crops.
Dairy Development Centre
Organisation aims to develop the Welsh dairy industry through the provision of a technology transfer service and market intelligence.
European Agency for Safety and Health at Work
Information and additional resources on safety in the agriculture sector, focused on the EU.
Forest Stewardship Council
Sets forest management standards for the UK and provides an information service.
Linking Environment and Farming (LEAF)
Details about the organisation that helps farmers and growers protect the environment, together with information for producers and consumers.
Low Luckens Organic Resource Centre
A non-profit making charity in north-east Cumbria. Site provides information about organic meat, foot and mouth, sustainability in farming, and local conservation programmes.
Multidisciplinary-based research institute investigating rural economic development and the protection and enhancement of natural resources. Site provides details of research and publications plus information about the Institute.
National Institute of Agricultural Botany
Independent body specialising in agriculture, horticulture and food. It supplies a number of services including consultancy, training, and technical advice to governments, supra-governmental agencies, agribusiness and farmers.
Oxford Sandy & Black Pig Society
A society dedicated to preserving and enhancing this endangered breed.
Provides information on swine health and diseases, and safety of pork. Has nearly 1000 articles and links on the subject matter and has a book shop on pig topics. Includes coverage of 2001 foot and mouth outbreak.
The Royal Agricultural Society of England
Charity devoted to the advancement of British agriculture through good science and stewardship. Organisers of the Royal Show, the Town and Country Festival and The Amateur Gardening Spring Show.
Royal Forestry Society
Information on trees, forest management and careers in arboriculture and forestry.
Secure Your Fertiliser
Advice to farmers from the National Counter Terrorism Security Office.
A guide to farming practices, the history of agriculture, the history of the countryside, conservation in practice and a 'field to fridge' series.
Last update:November 5, 2015 at 1:15:04 UTC | <urn:uuid:4c2bb8b8-52af-4e1e-bf2b-5d5d9903557a> | CC-MAIN-2016-26 | http://www.dmoz.org/Regional/Europe/United_Kingdom/Science_and_Environment/Agriculture/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2016-26/segments/1466783397865.91/warc/CC-MAIN-20160624154957-00149-ip-10-164-35-72.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.85621 | 500 | 2.6875 | 3 |
Types of Watch Movements
A watch movement (also known as a “calibre”) is the engine of a watch that acts as the powerhouse to make the watch and its functions work. This internal mechanism inside the timepiece moves the hands and powers any complications such as a chronograph, annual calendar or a dual time zone. Driving all of the timekeeping functions, the movement is the essential component in a watch and keeping accurate time; a watch would not function without it.
There are countless different movements that are created by watch manufactures utilizing proprietary innovations, but each of these movements will fall into one of two categories—quartz or mechanical.
An easy way to differentiate a quartz from a mechanical movement is by looking at the second hand. On a quartz watch, the second hand has the tick-tick motion that moves once per second while mechanical watches have a smooth, sweeping seconds motion.
Quartz movements are very accurate and require minimal maintenance aside from battery replacements. They tend to be low cost since they are battery powered and have few moving parts. Quartz watches aren’t as desirable to most watch enthusiasts because they lack the technical craftsmanship and engineering that mechanical timepieces have. Quartz movements in fine Swiss watch brands, such as Patek Philippe, are designed to comply with their strict quality standards.
How a Quartz Movement Works:
A quartz movement utilizes a battery as its primary power source and is typically the type of movement that you will find in your standard, no frills watch. To create power in quartz watch movements, a battery sends an electrical current through a small quartz crystal, electrifying the crystal to create vibrations. These vibrations keep the movement oscillating and drive the motor to move the watch hands.
Mechanical movements are often chosen over quartz movements for luxury watches because of the level of quality and craftsmanship of mechanical movements. Skillfully created by expert watchmakers, these movements contain an intricate series of tiny components working together to power the timepiece. Although the general design of mechanical watches hasn’t changed much in centuries, technology has allowed for more precise engineering and a greater attention-to-detail.
How a Mechanical Movement Works:
Unlike quartz movements, a mechanical movement uses energy from a wound spring, rather than a battery, to power the watch. This spring stores energy and transfers it through a series of gears and springs, regulating the release of energy to power the watch.
Differences Between Mechanical Movements
There are two types of mechanical movements found in luxury timepieces today, manual and automatic, each with unique characteristics. Although mechanical movements are the preferred movement, the type of mechanical movement comes down to personal preference.
Considered to be the most traditional movement, manual movements are the oldest type of watch movement. Manual-wind watches that we carry are often loved for their beautiful display of the watch movement, which can usually be seen through the case-back. These movements are often referred to as “hand-wound movements” because they have to be manually wound by hand to create energy in the watch’s mainspring.
How a Manual Movement Works:
The wearer must turn the crown multiple times to wind the mainspring and store potential energy. The mainspring will unwind slowly and release energy through a series of gears and springs that regulate the release of energy. This energy is then transferred to turn the watch hands and power the watch’s complications.
Winding intervals for manual-wind watches will depend on the power reserve capacity of the movement, which could be 24 hours to five days or more. Some watches will require daily winding while others like the Panerai Luminor 1950 GMT, which has an eight day power reserve, only needs to be wound approximately every eight days. Many manual wind watch owners are simply in the habit of winding their watch before they put it on.
The second form of mechanical movements are automatic. Often referred to as “self-winding”, automatic movements harness energy through the natural motion of the wearer’s wrist. Watches with automatic movements are very popular because the wearer doesn’t have to worry about winding the watch daily to ensure constant operation. As long as the watch is worn regularly, it will maintain power without requiring winding.
How an Automatic Movement Works:
An automatic movement works largely the same way that manual movements do, with the addition of a metal weight called a rotor. The rotor is connected to the movement and it can rotate freely. With each movement of the wrist, the rotor spins, transferring energy and automatically winding the mainspring.
Watches featuring an automatic movement will still require winding, but dramatically less than a manual watch. If the watch is worn every day, it will maintain timekeeping functions without winding; but if the watch hasn’t been worn for an extended period of time, it will need a quick wind to garner initial power. A great alternative to hand winding automatic watches is to use a watch winder, which will keep the watch fully wound when it’s not being worn. | <urn:uuid:728a700f-3eb6-4bbf-be62-875c0c94d1b6> | CC-MAIN-2016-26 | http://www.wixonjewelers.com/education/swiss-watches/watch-movements/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2016-26/segments/1466783395039.24/warc/CC-MAIN-20160624154955-00066-ip-10-164-35-72.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.945486 | 1,036 | 2.78125 | 3 |
- Water Quality
- Coastal Hazards
- Ocean Conditions
- Marine Ecosystems
- Data Management
Turbidity Plume Model The plume position and turbidity values are determined using the results from the ROMS Ocean Circulation Model configured for the south shore of O‘ahu. The model simulates the plume advection and dispersion using near real-time river runoff and turbidity measurements for the Ala Wai canal, along with waves (SWAN) and atmospheric (WRF) model forcings. The results could indicate the fate of large discharges from the Ala Wai due to heavy rains or other events and the generation of a coastal "brown water" plume. It is important to emphasize that the plume position and turbidity values are predictions and --- like a weather forecast --- contain uncertainties.
Turbidity and Water Quality (Note: Please refer to sensor data records for actual turbidity values) Turbidity is a measure of water clarity. Tiny solids suspended in the water column can increase turbidity levels. After a significant storm event "brown water" runoff from the land can raise turbidity levels in coastal waters. "Brown water" or storm water runoff can contain pollutants and contaminants, including sewage, harmful micro-organisms and chemicals from residential, commercial and recreational sources. Please visit the State of Hawai‘i Department of Health Clean Water Branch for more information on storm water runoff.
Turbidity Plume Model Example (Note: The example is an extreme event that typically occurs every few years.) The animation below serves as an example of a high rainfall event in December 2011, resulting in a large turbidity plume off the coast of Waikiki. The movement and lifespan of the turbidity plume through time depends on oceanic and atmospheric conditions. Examples of a few mechanisms that can affect the turbidity plume are: tidal currents, freshwater outflow as well as wind speed and direction. | <urn:uuid:4090f610-8c46-4664-984a-042f6d5941b0> | CC-MAIN-2016-26 | http://oos.soest.hawaii.edu/pacioos/focus/modeling/roms_turb.php | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2016-26/segments/1466783402479.21/warc/CC-MAIN-20160624155002-00179-ip-10-164-35-72.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.91579 | 397 | 3.3125 | 3 |
SYDNEY, Australia (AP) -- A piece of flint the size of a small cell phone and hundreds of tiny sharp "knives" unearthed deep in a rock shelter in Australia date back at least 35,000 years, archaeologists said Monday.
While the archaeologists hailed the find as one of the oldest inhabited sites uncovered so far in Australia, one local Aboriginal elder saw it as vindication of what his people have said all along -- that they have inhabited this land for tens of thousands of years.
"I'm ecstatic, I'm over the moon, because it's now indisputable," Slim Parker, an elder of the Martidja Banyjima people, told The Associated Press by telephone from Western Australia. "This area of land, in regard to our culture and customs and beliefs, is of great significance to us. We have songs and stories relating to that area as a sustaining resource that has provided for and cared for our people for thousands of years."
The tools, along with seeds, bark and other plant material, were found nearly two meters (6.5 feet) beneath the floor of a rock shelter on the edges of an iron ore mine site in Australia's remote northwest, about 950 kilometers (590 miles) northeast of Perth, the capital of Western Australia.
The excavation was carried out between October and February by archaeologists from Australian Cultural Heritage Management who were hired by the local Aborigines to find and preserve heritage sites within the mine area run by resource giant Rio Tinto.
Archaeologist Neale Draper said the tools included at least one "beautifully made" piece of flint from which sharp knifelike shards were knocked off, hundreds of tiny knives, and pieces of grindstones. He hopes that testing of the knives will reveal residue that could indicate what the people ate.
"Very old sites are rare, and this is one of the oldest" in this region, Draper said by telephone from Adelaide in south Australia.
He said the oldest sites found so far in that part of Australia "have been about 20,000 years or just over."
"All of a sudden we're at 35,000. We're filling in a picture of who the first Australians were and what they were doing where they were really, really early," Draper said.
He said the team has sent other materials for carbon sampling -- including a piece of charcoal -- that were found in the dirt layers below the tools.
"These could be another 5,000 to 10,000 years old, and that would be really exciting," Draper said, adding that a dozen other shelters in the area would also be excavated.
Australian's Aborigines have been called the world's oldest continuous culture; some archaeological sites elsewhere in Australia date an Aboriginal presence to at least 40,000 years ago.
They are now an impoverished minority of 450,000 within Australia's population of 21 million. They have been battling to reclaim their traditional lands since the early 1990s, when the country's highest court cleared the way for so-called native title claims.
Rio Tinto, which had been expanding its Hope Downs mine, halted all work when the rock shelter was discovered, company spokesman Gervase Greene said.
He said the company will amend construction plans to preserve the shelter. | <urn:uuid:bd782e27-16f6-4183-8907-0beb53ecf5bf> | CC-MAIN-2016-26 | http://www.wctv.tv/weather/headlines/17353934.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2016-26/segments/1466783394605.61/warc/CC-MAIN-20160624154954-00062-ip-10-164-35-72.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.978131 | 670 | 3.21875 | 3 |
Energy generated from wind turbines or windmills is seen as a very green source of power. It produces no emissions and doesn’t rely on any raw materials that will run out. You simply need a big wind turbine positioned in a relatively windy area.
Such wind turbines can be a bit of an eye sore, though, and there are limited locations where they can be erected, but nobody said wind turbines had to be big. Research being carried out at the University of Texas Arlington is looking at ways to use windmills so tiny, you could fit ten of them on a grain of rice. And yet, they could one day be used to recharge the batteries in your mobile devices.
These so-called micro-windmills have been designed by researchers Smitha Rao and J.C. Chiao. They are created using an advanced semiconductor manufacturing process offered by WinMEMS Technologies Co. with each micro-windmill no larger than 1.8mm at its widest point. Each one still relies on a source of wind with which to generate energy from, but as they are so small artificial wind, like that generated by a person moving their hand through the air, suffices.
Each micro-windmill is manufactured from nickel alloy to stop them being brittle, but do rely on an advanced fabrication system. With that in mind, UT Arlington is holding on to the IP rights while WinMEMS handles manufacturing and commercialization of the technology.
For consumers, it means the potential for a revolution in the way we recharge our devices. A case for your smartphone, tablet, or laptop could be coated in these micro-windmills which then spin even at the slightest movement of air around them. With the complementary electronics embedded into the casing, we get a passive recharge system that keeps your battery topped up throughout the day. And if you need a bigger charge, then just start moving your device more vigorously through the air. | <urn:uuid:ab600448-047c-4415-aec0-345d28e65dda> | CC-MAIN-2016-26 | http://www.geek.com/mobile/micro-windmills-may-one-day-charge-your-phone-battery-1581995/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2016-26/segments/1466783396959.83/warc/CC-MAIN-20160624154956-00155-ip-10-164-35-72.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.959054 | 394 | 3.671875 | 4 |
The project consists of two bronze structures which covers the unique runic stones and secure and preserve them for the future. The runic stones mark Denmark’ transition to Christianity in year 965, and the monument is also known as Denmark’s “birth certificate”. The monument is included on UNESCO’s list of World Heritage. The project was inaugurated in December 2011 and it is based on the winning competition project made by NOBEL arkitekter in March 2010.
The architectural composition emphasizes the experience of the runic stones, and forms a stylized dialogue between the two stones, which represents the first two kings of Denmark – Gorm and Harald Bluetooth. The bronze angles form one gable and the roof for each runic stone, while the other sides are designed with large glass surfaces. The coverings provide an architectural composition and allow spectators to get very close to the runic stones.
Preservation of Runic Stones, Jelling, Denmark, by NOBEL Arkitekter | <urn:uuid:4d81f9cb-b6a5-40db-b620-567cd0f6df7e> | CC-MAIN-2016-26 | http://www.dailyicon.net/2012/07/preservation-of-runic-stones-by-nobel/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2016-26/segments/1466783396538.42/warc/CC-MAIN-20160624154956-00013-ip-10-164-35-72.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.954895 | 210 | 2.8125 | 3 |
The authors looked at 36 vernal pools on two different geologic formations on a 5000-ha ranch in eastern Sacramento County, California. Their experiments found that removal of grazing reduced the duration of wetland flooding by an average of 50 days per year. Their simulations show that climate change could compound these impacts, potentially, leaving endangered fairy shrimp and tiger salamanders without enough time to mature before their temporary aquatic environments disappear. "Consequently, land managers can play an important role in climate change impacts, i.e. they can exacerbate or ameliorate, the local impacts of global change." Pyke adds. Conservationists may find that grazing is not always a negative factor, and it presents real opportunities to adapt to climate variability and climate change.
This study is published in the October issue of Conservation Biology. Media wishing to receive a PDF of this article please contact firstname.lastname@example.org
Conservation Biology is a top-ranked journal in the fields of Ecology and Environmental Science and has been called, "required reading for ecologists throughout the world." It is published on behalf of the Society for Conservation Biology.
Christopher R. Pyke conducted the work while he was a David H. Smith fellow at the National Center for Ecological Analysis and Synthesis. He now works with the U.S. EPA's Global Change Research Program. He has a long standing interest in developing practical climate adaptation strategies. Dr. Pyke is available for media questions. | <urn:uuid:a9217bf5-f938-4a7a-a523-648da402ee7e> | CC-MAIN-2016-26 | http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2005-10/bpl-cgm101205.php | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2016-26/segments/1466783408828.55/warc/CC-MAIN-20160624155008-00097-ip-10-164-35-72.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.930065 | 302 | 3.53125 | 4 |
Dr. Martin Luther King's Economics: Through Jobs, Freedom
By Mark Engler
King argued in one of his last sermons, "If a man doesn't have a job or an income, he has neither life nor liberty nor the possibility for the pursuit of happiness. He merely exists."
The solution, he believed, was to "confront the power structure massively."
Four decades later, as our country struggles with disappearing jobs and growing desperation, much of the critique of the U.S. economy offered in the Poor People's Campaign is newly resonant. As the country celebrates Dr. King's life and legacy, it is an opportune time to ask: How did the reverend approach issues like poverty, unemployment, and economic hardship? And--given that he offered his criticisms amid one of the greatest periods of economic expansion in our country's history--how might he respond to today's crises of foreclosure and recession?
To Read the Entire Essay | <urn:uuid:94d63510-b132-4124-9f2e-89d0ea0a871b> | CC-MAIN-2016-26 | http://dialogic.blogspot.com/2010/01/mark-engler-dr-martin-luther-kings.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2016-26/segments/1466783403826.29/warc/CC-MAIN-20160624155003-00124-ip-10-164-35-72.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.946868 | 198 | 2.65625 | 3 |
They don't stop. The Kepler CCDs read out the signals collected during the accumulated time of 6.02 seconds. The fixed read out time is 0.52 seconds. So each CCD gets one frame every (6.02 + 0.52) = 6.54 seconds. Then Kepler sums up every 9 frames (short cadence) and 270 frames (long cadence). The time between two short cadences is (6.54 x 9) = 58.9 seconds, and (6.54 x 270) = 1766 seconds between two long cadences, but the exposure time is (6.02 x 9) = 54.2 seconds for a short cadence, and (6.02 x 270) = 1625 seconds for a long cadence.
There are totally 95 million pixels available on Kepler CCDs, but the spacecraft can store only 5.4 million. The maximum number of targets is about 170,000. see http://archive.stsci.edu/mast_faq.php?mission=KEPLER | <urn:uuid:ffc101e6-3641-45c0-b55f-4a6c048f8a11> | CC-MAIN-2016-26 | http://astronomy.stackexchange.com/questions/6064/how-does-kepler-stop-exposure-after-a-5-minuate-or-30-minute-cadence-time | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2016-26/segments/1466783400031.51/warc/CC-MAIN-20160624155000-00038-ip-10-164-35-72.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.89465 | 217 | 2.9375 | 3 |
SBAShort for the U.S. Small Business Administration, a government agency that helps Americans start and manage small businesses by providing loans, disaster assistance, advocacy and training.
One of the programs offered by the SBA is the Small Business Technology Transfer (STTR), in which specific Federal funding is set aside for award to small businesses in partnership with nonprofit research institutions to move ideas from laboratory to marketplace, to foster high-tech economic development and to address the technological needs of the Federal Government.
The SBA was created by Congress in 1953.
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Network Topology refers to layout of a network. How different nodes in a network are connected to each other and how they communicate is... Read More » | <urn:uuid:248cad37-3a3d-4d7d-b312-782bc2e0e438> | CC-MAIN-2016-26 | http://www.webopedia.com/TERM/S/SBA.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2016-26/segments/1466783395346.6/warc/CC-MAIN-20160624154955-00134-ip-10-164-35-72.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.88721 | 324 | 3.34375 | 3 |
Tolerance of Video Game Violence Changed Over Time
Violence in video games is nothing new, but it has been changing along with the technology that drives the games. The tolerance of the virtual violence has also been changing, and according to researchers at the University of Missouri, Columbia the tolerance has actually increased with the realism of violence, instead of decreasing.
For their study, the researchers examined the issues of GamePro Magazine released in the 1990s, as it was the most popular video game magazine at the time. They found that in the beginning of the decade, the journalists showed a great deal of concern over the violence in the video games they covered. As the decade continued, and more powerful game systems were released, this concerned lessened, despite the increasing realism of the depicted violence.
The researchers suggest some reasons for this inverse relationship. One is that as gamers matured, so did their tolerance of the violence, and the journalists reflected this in their writings. Another is that the video game rating systems we use today enable a defense against criticisms of violence, as anyone can be informed of a game's content. Finally the researchers also point out that society has changed over the years, developing a greater interest in violence, with more R rated films and violent music being released.
Source: University of Missouri, Columbia | <urn:uuid:82d97f03-b2b5-43fa-9526-7f5af55646b6> | CC-MAIN-2016-26 | http://www.overclockersclub.com/news/35951/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2016-26/segments/1466783396959.83/warc/CC-MAIN-20160624154956-00108-ip-10-164-35-72.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.974287 | 263 | 2.609375 | 3 |
Publisher: Oxford University Press
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This landmark history describes the role of the medieval Orthodox Church in the Byzantine Empire (c.600-1453). As an integral part of its policy it was (as in western Christianity) closely linked with many aspects of everyday life both official and otherwise. It was a formative period of Orthodoxy. It had to face doctrinal problems and heresies; at the same time it experienced the continuity and deepening of its liturgical life. While holding fast to the traditions of the fathers and the councils, it saw certain developments in doctrine and liturgy as also administration.
Part I discusses the landmarks in ecclesiastical affairs within the Empires as well as the creative influence exercised on the Slavs and the increasing contacts with westerns particularly after 1204. Part II gives a brief account on the structure of the medieval Orthodox Church, its officials and organization, its monasticism, the development of the eucharist and the liturgical year, and the spirituality of laity, monks, and clergy.
This paperback reissue of Hussey's classic text includes a new foreword and updated bibliographical note by Andrew Louth, reflecting developments in the field of Byzantine Studies since first publication in 1986.
J.M. Hussey (1907-2006) was an Honorary Fellow of St. Hugh's College, Oxford and for many years Professor of History in the University of London. Her many publications included Church and Learning in the Byzantine Empire 867-1185, The Byzantine World, Cambridge Medieval History, Volume IV, Parts I & II (editor and contributor), and The Finlay Papers.
Andrew Louth is Professor in the Department of Theology and Religion, Durham University. He is an editor of the Oxford Early Christian Studies and Oxford Early Christian Texts Series and publishes extensively in Patristic and Byzantine Studies. | <urn:uuid:b985e7cf-e038-4405-90b1-5ea188965ef4> | CC-MAIN-2016-26 | http://www.svspress.com/orthodox-church-in-the-byzantine-empire/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2016-26/segments/1466783395679.18/warc/CC-MAIN-20160624154955-00041-ip-10-164-35-72.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.93429 | 394 | 2.546875 | 3 |
♦ Review G major chord in the open position
♦ Learn G chord "variation"
♦ Play G chord finger style progression
Here is an easy finger picking riff based on the G major chord in the open position. This riff can be played with only the thumb and the 1st finger. (see "Fret & Finger Numbering")
Take a look at the TAB below. If you are unfamiliar with reading a TAB chart please see "How to Read TAB".
The first measure is based on the G chord in the open position. The easiest way to play this is to form a G chord by placing the 3rd finger on the 3rd fret of the 6th string, the 2nd finger on the 2nd fret of the 5th string, and the 4th finger on the 3rd fret of the 1st string.
Forming the complete chord will make the transition to the G chord "variation" much smoother, even though you will only be using one note (the "root") of the G chord.
In the G chord "variation" you will keep the 3rd finger in place, and then place the 2nd finger on the 2nd fret of the 4th string, and the 1st finger on the 1st fret of the 2nd string.
If you are unsure of the string numbers please see "Naming the Open Strings".
In this progression you will pick the root notes on the 3rd fret of the 6th string with your thumb. All other notes will be picked with the first finger of the picking hand.
Try this very slowly to begin with and get used to the picking pattern before working on speed. | <urn:uuid:3378f1c2-fd5b-442b-a5e7-4abdd17b6270> | CC-MAIN-2016-26 | http://www.adultguitarlessons.com/free-guitar-lessons/finger-picking-qgq | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2016-26/segments/1466783396027.60/warc/CC-MAIN-20160624154956-00186-ip-10-164-35-72.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.94927 | 345 | 2.6875 | 3 |
EPISODE 3: THE ART OF PERSUASION
ART, ADVERTISING AND PROPAGANDA
The role played by the art of sculpture, coinage and portraiture in the ancient world to celebrate the power of rulers has been taken up by advertising in our present time. Through public media like television, images of wealth, status and success are used to enhance ideas like honesty, courage, and common sense. Whether in a political advertisement or a staged “photo-opportunity,” politicians, policies and events are packaged to represent the good intentions and skills of those who propose to lead us. In fact, all advertising is built around the creation of an image which can be understood as both a picture of something and an ideal representing some personal or social good thing: This or that politician tells the truth and is on your side. This product will make you beautiful and popular, the envy of everyone else. In fact, contemporary advertising often equates democratic ideals about the freedom to vote and express opinion with the consumer’s choices about the quality, price and benefits of competing products. To be free is to make choices about the relative merits of products and leaders, life styles and laws.
The following activities incorporate the analysis of images and their accompanying text as used in print advertisements, the design of an advertising campaign for a commonplace object, and the invention of a fictitious political candidate and the development of his or her campaign theme, image, and logo, etc. The activities are not sequential and can be addressed individually.
- Analyze images using several perspectives or entry points
- Create images and develop accompanying texts that support a specific purpose or function
- Assess the effectiveness of collected images and those of their own creation
Homework; 1 classroom period
- Advertisement collected from magazines
- Drawing materials and paper
- Access to photocopier
- Using knowledge of structures and functions.
- Students demonstrate the ability to form and defend judgments about the characteristics and structures to accomplish commercial, personal, communal, or other purposes of art.
- Making connections between visual arts and other disciplines.
- Students compare the materials, technologies, media, and processes of the visual arts with those of other arts disciplines as they are used in creation and other types of analysis.
View images of Persian reliefs, the tomb of Philip of Macedon, and Augustus included in the Gallery, and discuss how they reflect the ideas described above and relate to contemporary advertising. (See Image Galleries)
HOW DOES AN ADVERTISEMENT TELL ITS STORY?
Have students bring magazine advertisements to class. Discuss the basic elements in an advertisement: picture, captions, description, logos, intended audience. How does the advertisement makes its case? What does it ask the viewer or consumer to believe or care about? What words does the advertisement use, how do they explain or emphasize the picture and vice versa? After this discussion, have students describe the design and messages in their ads.
“EXQUISITE AND IMPOSSIBLY RARE”
While a material like gold used in ancient sculpture was both scarce and beautiful, products that advertising asks us to buy are not always hard to find or unusual. Sometimes they are not even things we really need. It is advertising’s goal to get us to believe in their value as things we might enjoy and need to have. Divide the class into groups, and assign each an everyday object, i.e. a spoon, toothbrush, rubber duck, pencil. The goal of each group is to create an ad campaign that will present their common object as something--whether rare, essential, glamorous or magical--that will change the lives of those that own it.
MY CANDIDATE IS BETTER THAN YOUR CANDIDATE!
What would you say about a political candidate to make him or her seem important, honest, intelligent, practical, brave, on your side? Divide the class into groups and assign each an ideal candidate represented by a photograph from a book or magazine. Each group should then name the candidate, and his or her party, and then imagine a campaign theme with ideas, slogans and a representative picture or logo. What does the politician promise and how will he or she accomplish their goals?
Once they have developed their approach, each student group should create two campaign posters: One picturing the candidate and campaign slogan, the other presenting his or her ideas. These should be photocopied and posted around school. Have students ask others at school for their response and then discuss in class the overall success or failure of the campaigns.
Student may wish to view again the images of Augustus included in the Gallery, noting how his image was developed and refined.
- How Art Made the World: “Persian Political Art” (image gallery)
How Art Made the World: “Image Power” (image gallery)
How Art Made the World: “Augustus Shapes his Lie” (image gallery)
- Art:21:Mediating Media
- Art:21:Cartoon Commentary
About the Authors
Toby Tannenbaum is currently the Director of Education, at the Los Angeles County Museum of Art. She was previously Associate Director of Education at The Museum of Contemporary Art, Los Angeles (MOCA). Tannenbaum has served as part-time faculty in the School of Critical Studies, California Institute of the Arts, as adjunct faculty in the School of Fine Arts and the School of Education at the University of Southern California, and as an assistant professor of art education at California State University, Los Angeles.
Paul Zelevansky is an artist and writer living in Los Angeles. He has published widely on the use of text and image, web art, popular culture and educational and aesthetic theory and has taught at several schools in the Los Angeles area on visual culture, artists books, design and art history. His website greatblankness.com is a collection of flash animation loops which explore language, philosophy, and storytelling. | <urn:uuid:548cb2cb-fd7e-43bc-9202-cad8051cedaf> | CC-MAIN-2016-26 | http://www.pbs.org/howartmadetheworld/resources/lesson3/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2016-26/segments/1466783391634.7/warc/CC-MAIN-20160624154951-00182-ip-10-164-35-72.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.943747 | 1,232 | 3.59375 | 4 |
"Can it be shown that learning our first language, like any other skill, is a personal work of art emerging from the interaction of body and brain, in making one 'common sense' of the world? Through exploring the basic structure and dynamics of language can we rediscover it as the resolution of a creative synthesis?" In searching for the child's learning secret, or conversely the adult's burden of "innocence lost," the author explores examples of both everyday skills and scientific knowledge to discover his "quartet of consciousness." He shows how this quarrelsome four-the artist and idealist of the arts and the theorist and empiricist of the sciences-emerge naturally through how feel, think, experiment and act, and remerge creatively in language. It challenges academics to recognize the limitations of "nature versus nurture" debates in learning psychology and even biology. Through clear and simple images, van Koeverden presents a unique and dynamic understanding of learning-bringing a delightful new voice into the discussion.
Gerald van Koeverden survived 23 years of schooling to work in a range of professions on three continents. He lives with his family on an apple farm in Thamesville, Ontario, Canada. | <urn:uuid:7950f229-84f7-4b49-a9dc-27352bfbc799> | CC-MAIN-2016-26 | http://bookstore.iuniverse.com/Products/SKU-000081875/The-Childs-Secret-of-Learning.aspx | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2016-26/segments/1466783396459.32/warc/CC-MAIN-20160624154956-00075-ip-10-164-35-72.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.918669 | 243 | 2.578125 | 3 |
Actual (Unedited,Uncorrected) Kindergarten Writing Samples
These samples show typical results of students in my kindergarten classroom. The September
sample was taken on the first day of school. The class was asked to write anything they knew
how to write. In the May sample, the class was given the topic "My Trip" and asked to write about
a trip they would like to take.
"Student A" 's writing samples:
The story "My Trip" reads:
I would like to go to Africa and I would film the animals. They would be amazing, especially the
giraffes and the elephants and the water buffaloes.
|Last modified: 10/15/2005 | <urn:uuid:8dab8bb0-c7c7-4a27-9f6e-ef26fe67bb01> | CC-MAIN-2016-26 | http://focusonfonemes.com/samples.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2016-26/segments/1466783399522.99/warc/CC-MAIN-20160624154959-00197-ip-10-164-35-72.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.971649 | 152 | 2.734375 | 3 |
Biofeedback is a popular non-drug treatment for a number of conditions. Biofeedback migraine treatment is a major example, as well as treatment for back pain, asthma, and stress.
According to The Association for Applied Psychophysiology and Biofeedback, research has found biofeedback to be most helpful for:
Biofeedback is a way to learn how to control things that your body normally does automatically, such as heart rate, muscle tension, breathing patterns and skin temperature. Often this is done using an electronic device that measures your success, but there are also non-technical methods.
|A device may be hooked up to your skin to measure changes in your pulse or other patterns. With the help of your therapist, and these measurements, you will learn how to control these functions to some extent.|
To the right you can see a biofeedback device. This is a personal version of some of the larger ones found in a practitioner's office.
A biofeedback migraine treatment device
There are various types of treatment that can be effective for migraine.
Learning to breath properly is very important, as well as learning to
control muscle tension (Electromyography (EMG) is used for this
purpose). One of the treatments that has been specifically helpful in
controlling headaches from migraine is thermal biofeedback.
In thermal biofeedback, the goal is to control the warming of your hands. Believe it or not, this has helped people control their migraine symptoms, and because it's a non-drug treatment, it's great for children and pregnant and breast feeding moms. (See Migraine and headache in childhood and adolescence by Annequin D, Tourniaire B, Massiou H)
You can use a device like the one above (click the picture for more) or
search for a biofeedback practitioner in your area.
The best time to apply this treatment is during the early stages of migraine treatment.
There are no known dangers to biofeedback, although it's always good to
consult a doctor. Biofeedback treatment is one of the safest
ways to combat headache.
Read here for more on biofeedback migraine treatment and other uses for migraine, at the Mayo Clinic. | <urn:uuid:a8a57b75-85a2-4758-b6c3-f7492561eaeb> | CC-MAIN-2016-26 | http://www.relieve-migraine-headache.com/biofeedback-migraine.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2016-26/segments/1466783392069.78/warc/CC-MAIN-20160624154952-00194-ip-10-164-35-72.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.937863 | 462 | 2.53125 | 3 |
OVERCOMING LIMITATIONS OF COOPERATIVE LEARNING
AMONG COMMUNITY COLLEGE STUDENTS
By Paris S. Strom & Robert D. Strom.
[Excerpt from The Community College Journal of Research and Practice,
by Paris S. Strom & Robert D. Strom, 26, 315-331, 2002.*]
A 21st Century View of Teaching
The preparation of teachers has been based upon models emphasizing direct
instruction. In this orientation, teachers are considered experts who
broadcast what the students need to know. The corresponding responsibilities
of students are to pay attention to whatever the teacher communicates,
take good notes, and memorize the pertinent information for testing. However,
technology has produced new tools that require transformation of the educational
process. One of the greatest challenges for colleges of education is to
help future teachers set aside the no longer reasonable expectation that
they should be the source of most learning and students ought to play
a passive role. Some observers believe there is a simple solution, reduce
the amount of teacher talk and allocate greater amounts of time for student
discussion. But, the needed changes are more comprehensive because the
new paradigm must make room for appealing and powerful influences like
computers, the Internet, satellite television, personal digital assistants,
films, videotapes, and simulations. In addition, methods must be found
to incorporate the cultural, ethnic, and generation resources that students
rely on outside school. Structured interviews and discussions with parents,
relatives, and neighbors seem essential so students can integrate the
insights and viewpoints of these cohorts that are usually left out of
the educational process. Sharing the resulting impressions with teammates
during class can yield a broader perspective and a more constructive outlook
than can interaction limited to the perceptions of peers.
No one knows how to include and to connect the many resources for learning
available today. Bold and creative alternatives should be described, implemented,
and subjected to evaluation. Toward this goal, a new outlook on learning
and instruction called Collaboration-Integration Theory is described here
along with definitions of student roles leading to practical application.
The opportunity to experiment with elements of this theory is intended
to help prospective teachers determine whether it should be adopted as
the orientation in their own classes. Collaboration-Integration Theory
for educators is based on the following assumptions:
• Students need to practice the teamwork skills that are required
in the workplace
• Perspective is enriched by incorporating learning sources from
outside the school
• Cultural and generational differences in perspective deserve student
• Assigning separate roles to team members increases the scope of
• Accountability can be determined by how well students perform
• Observations about peer and self contributions to group work improve
• Individual productivity can be motivated by anonymous recognition
These theoretical assumptions call on students to look beyond their own
cohort to gain a larger frame of reference for interpreting events, ideas,
and problems. The need for consideration of an integration strategy is
reflected by the following questions.
(1) Is it reasonable for educators to complain about a lack of parent
involvement if homework rarely includes tasks that enable parents to be
viewed by adolescents as important sources of learning? (2) How can students
be expected to acquire respect for older adults if homework seldom identifies
elders as having observations or ideas worth soliciting? (3) Why should
educators appeal for greater cultural awareness and cultural appreciation
if homework never requires students to explore, examine, and share their
unique and common heritage with teammates?
A key to ensure that relatives and other out-of-school advisors of students
are not left out of the instructional equation is for teachers to focus
less on themselves as performers and more on designing homework tasks
permitting input from additional community assets. Creative assignments
can help students discover unfamiliar modes of thinking in much the same
way as anthropologists discover understanding by conducting interviews
and interacting with informants of the host culture.
Cooperative Learning Exercises and Roles
The method of instruction to transform the Collaboration-Integration Theory
into practice is referred to as CLEAR, an acronym for Cooperative Learning
Exercises and Roles. The purposes of CLEAR are to
(1) shift the role of students from passive to active learners;
(2) make the collaboration process the focus for group work;
(3) enable every teammate to provide a unique contribution;
(4) reduce boredom by differentiating the roles of individuals;
(5) ensure enough observation time in groups to support peer evaluation.
This approach can provide the greatest benefit when members of teams have
some roles in common and additional ones are based on individuals choosing
tasks for which they are willing to be accountable. The strategy requires
the development of many exercises that match the content of lessons studied
in a class. When teachers prepare enough tasks, each teammate can be given
a separate role to perform. This makes it easier to establish accountability,
support development of self-directedness, increase sources of information,
and expand the scope of group learning. Furthermore, the collaboration
students need to practice becomes the focus of their combined efforts.
The CLEAR paradigm is flexible in permitting teams to decide their allocation
of tasks and determine when to modify the guidelines provided them. This
strategy calls on each student to make a continuous contribution to learning
of teammates by assuming responsibility for particular roles. The dominance
that exists whenever someone takes over a group is minimized because differentiated
roles obligate every person to pay attention and listen to teammates while
they report the results of their tasks. It is recommend that, for each
class meeting, all students share the three roles of discussant, reader,
and participate in the group review of the lesson. Sometimes an instructor
may invite teams to present their projects to the whole class. Teams can
take turns choosing tasks, sharing outcomes, and combining interview data.
Inter- group collaboration occurs when students who perform the same role
on their team come together to merge their results. Students are likely
to detect additional options for implementing CLEAR that will increase
group flexibility and team learning.
CLEAR enables teams to practice the multi-tasking necessary for expanding
the scope of group learning and improving efficiency of group production.
This is consistent with the potential of simultaneity that is offered
by the Internet. It also illustrates the need for changes in what is to
be expected of teams and individuals. An abundance of exercises for each
unit of instruction make it possible for all students to practice a broad
range of relevant roles and thereby improve overall benefits of group
interaction. Eventually, everyone should participate in each role several
times instead of repeatedly performing a favorite function. Teams should
avoid repetitious assignment of particular roles to individuals just because
they carry them out well.
One way to ensure cooperative roles are practiced in a balanced way is
to keep track of the ones you perform. Tasks are differentiated so that,
during a semester, each student will practice twelve roles that enrich
learning for every lesson. Mutual understanding of the purposes and anticipated
outcomes for every role guides group expectations and clarifies accountability
expected of individuals. Knowing the defined responsibilities for each
role helps to establish common expectations, minimizes misunderstanding,
and improves accountability. Consider the descriptions of functions which
team members perform in each of these roles: summarizer, discussant, reader,
generation reporter, cultural reporter, challenger, voter, organizer,
review guide, evaluator, improviser, and storyteller.
Most of us summarize everyday when we share experiences with relatives
and friends. We want them to be familiar with what pleases and bothers
us, know some of the things we find hard to comprehend or accept, and
be aware of the circumstances that cause disagreement or disappointment.
It is more difficult to summarize team reactions and reflections because
collective experience is more complex than the experience of an individual.
Some of the common problems in summarizing for a team include being self-centered,
not providing sufficient detail, and leaving out information that is disliked
or presumed irrelevant. Summarizing saves time but it also poses the danger
of reporting a distorted impression of what actually took place during
The summarizer is expected to present a coherent glimpse of considerations,
conclusions, and recommendations for a team. It is essential to state
the important points raised during discussion, identify the main themes,
and describe elements of agreement or differences of opinion. A summarizer
writes down ideas expressed by every speaker no matter how the teammates
react to their comments. If someone's remarks seem unclear, the summarizer
encourages clarification so the speaker is better understood and more
fairly represented in the synthesis. After a discussion, the summarizer
prepares a report for submission to the teacher. Sometimes other teammates
may be asked to read the summary and initial signifying their agreement
that it is correct. These reports are submitted to the teacher for group
credit or for points and might be heard as an oral report in class.
Periodically, a summarizer may be asked by the teacher to monitor input
of individual team members. This task can be achieved by placing a tally
mark beside the name of each person on the team every time they speak,
thereby developing a frequency of speech indicator. Such records yield
participation ratios. For example, during the discussion John spoke twice,
Mary once, Ellen did not have anything to say, and Brian commented five
times. Using these indicators of inclusion can detect the persons who
dominate discussions, identify non-participants, and make known whether
the students from minority groups or special education are integrated
or left out of the group process.
The benefits of conversation increase when students are given the agenda
ahead of time. Having advance notice allows them to act like teachers
in preparing for a dialogue by referring to previously read materials
and bringing resources to show the team. Listening carefully to what teammates
say makes it possible to gain new insight, combine and build on ideas
expressed by others, monitor the logic of peers, and provide feedback.
The quality of a discussion can also be influenced by individual attendance,
being on time, allowing others to speak without interruption, limiting
length of remarks, and avoiding put down statements as a way of reacting
to opposing viewpoints.
Students typically spend a greater amount of time in the discussant role
than performing other cooperative learning functions. Still, personal
initiative necessary to fulfill this shared task is usually underestimated.
When some students prepare for discussions and others fail to do so, there
is bound to be disappointment and reduction in the amount of learning.
In addition to having many opportunities to learn from conversations with
teammates, students benefit from being an audience for other teams who
present their tasks and outcomes to the class.
Educators should encourage learning that they themselves do not provide.
One way to make sure this happens is for all students to participate in
the reader role. The purpose of this role is to bring more to discussions
than personal opinion. Reading is a powerful way to go beyond the collective
experiences of a team. By searching the Internet, journals, and books,
students can discover written materials that add new insights to direct
instruction by teachers or a text. Being able to find suitable sources
of information is an undervalued aspect of reading that can do much to
support team research.
Students who are self-directed read different materials than teammates
do and can be counted on in discussions to refer to the sources they find
relevant. Sometimes the views of an author can be reported to support
personal opinions. Another way to share impressions of outsiders is by
bringing documents to class and reading selected passages aloud before
giving teammates a chance to look them over. These kinds of activities
reinforce curiosity and promote more productive interaction. For each
of the topics in a course, students should share additional resources,
which confirm, clarify, or offer alternative perspectives. This strategy
demonstrates the greater learning that can occur when everyone regularly
takes the initiative of bringing relevant materials to class without being
told to do so by the teacher.
The main purpose of generational reporting is to provide a broader outlook
about events, ideas, and life than can be obtained from one's own peer
group. Some homework tasks in middle school, high school, and college
should implicate the relatives of students as primary sources of ideas,
feelings, and opinions. To ignore out-of-school advisors that students
rely on as frames of reference prevents the formation of a teaching partnership.
Students benefit from interviewing parents, other relatives, friends,
neighbors, and target populations about particular issues. A structured
agenda, which corresponds to topics covered in class, allows student interviewers
to raise questions and find out the impressions of persons representing
other age groups. This role can produce a more comprehensive orientation
than what emerges if team discussions are restricted to the normative
outlook of peers.
The appreciation of diversity requires consideration of events and circumstances
from the perspective of other cultures. Unfortunately, many students admit
they have little knowledge about their ethnic heritage. Consequently,
they are unable to acquaint outsiders with the ways in which their culture
is unique or similar to others. Still, they have access to informants
such as relatives and friends who possess knowledge about the traditional
customs, beliefs and lifestyles associated with their background. Interviewing
these people is a way for students to become better informed, promote
reciprocal learning, and compare personal heritage with the background
of classmates from other cultures.
There is also value in listening to people with firsthand experiences
of living in another society, reading opinions of authors reflecting other
cultural outlooks, and watching films which present unfamiliar ways to
look at common difficulties. These kinds of activities can create the
awareness and empathy that is vital to get along in an increasingly complex
social environment. Then too, when cultural pride is joined by a capacity
to think critically about one's ethnic group, the best elements of culture
can be preserved while aspects that have become inappropriate because
of social change are modified or left behind. Instead of limiting cultural
awareness to what the teacher knows and can communicate, greater variance
can be portrayed by students who are likely to represent multiple cultures.
Acting as a cultural reporter can support personal identity and encouraging
inclusion in cooperative groups.
During polite conversation people might say they would act as the devil's
advocate. By warning ahead of time that an opposing viewpoint is about
to be expressed, the challenger also makes known that subsequent comments
may not reflect his or her own opinion. Instead, the goal is to increase
the factors, which receive consideration in a dialogue. This well-established
strategy is advantageous to everyone. First, the individuals whose views
are challenged must address concerns they might otherwise overlook in
the presence of a less critical audience. Comfort is provided for challengers
who usually want to avoid giving the impression that their friendships
or motives are in question. Instead, they are recognized as just playing
the cooperative learning role assigned to them. The practice of showing
support for friends by agreeing with their ideas is common at every age
and in certain settings is viewed as a critical factor to remain in good
standing with the group.
Legitimizing the challenger role so that teammates recognize their mutual
responsibility to help one another monitor the quality of their thinking
can enhance the merits of loyalty. Are people who agree with us trustworthy
or could they have other purposes in mind? Challengers assume the responsibility
to identify concerns that are overlooked, question assumptions, seek examination
of the implications that flow from decisions, and urge caution in reaching
generalizations based upon singular events or situations. Adolescents
are often reluctant to assume the challenger role since they fear it may
result in rejection from peers. However, when this role is seen as beneficial
for the entire group, students feel more comfortable because they can
pursue it without risking social status.
The practice of voting compliments cooperative learning. Voting provides
students with opportunities to practice democratic behavior in the institution
that is expected to teach them the value of this form of government. Voting
makes known the feelings and opinions of students that deserve consideration
in education reform. Many adults presume to speak for adolescents, wanting
to persuasively assert their needs and rights. Still, some perceptions
can become known only by hearing from students themselves. They should
be polled on a regular basis about experiences at school, obstacles that
inhibit learning, and reactions to possible classroom changes. To illustrate,
school boards usually establish dress code policies without any input
from students. More than other methods, polling demonstrates to students
that the community and its schools care about how they feel and want to
take their opinions into account.
Along with detecting normative attitudes and beliefs of students, polling
can also identify problems of adolescents that require attention. Polls
can be designed to match the units of instruction for a course. When students
conduct a poll, it should be copied for the informants so they read the
questions while students write answers on their own copy. After individual
team members gather the data, a summarizer from each team can collaborate
to tally class results. Then, collective findings can be read aloud so
everyone records the outcomes on their poll before discussing implications.
Teams are more productive when their efforts are organized. One person
should be responsible for leading a group discussion, identify group goals,
assign tasks, keep time, monitor progress, and interact with the teacher
as the group representative. The organizer is expected to ensure that
conversations remain focused on the assigned topic, everyone is given
an opportunity to speak, length of remarks are limited to ensure balance
of views, and time spent on issues is allocated so that the assignments
are completed on schedule.
The emphasis on equality in cooperative learning groups can sometimes
result in conflict. Students usually rely on compromise and persuasion
as the means to reconcile their differences of opinion. However, when
a group is unable to reach consensus on an issue where it is needed, someone
has to break the deadlock and make a decision about the next steps. As
a last resort, the organizer is expected to serve as judge to resolves
disputes, which could jeopardize productivity of the team.
Team reviews for each unit of instruction contribute to individual learning.
The process begins outside class as each individual underlines the important
and interesting comments in the readings and lecture notes. Students reflect
upon these questions in preparing themselves for the group review:
(1) What are the main points and key issues presented in this lesson?
(2) Which ideas made a difference in the way I think about this topic?
(3) What insights from the lesson can be applied to my own situation?
(4) How does the lesson link with previous discussions and readings?
(5) What aspects seem confusing or require additional instruction?
The person acting as the review guide takes the lead by telling the page
and paragraph from the reading s/he will read from in response to the
first question. In turn, the other teammate answer the same question specifically
identifying references they draw upon. This process is used with each
of the review questions. The review guide may be called on to meet with
the teacher to discuss outcomes, give feedback to teammates, and make
known aspects of a lesson that students report they would like to better
Students need opportunities to evaluate decision-making. Specifically,
some skills that require practice include exploring views that may not
be liked at first, using logic to assess the thinking and work methods
of a team, and taking the time needed for reflection so as to avoid reaching
hasty decisions. In addition, evaluators should learn to build upon ideas
expressed by others, and discover different ways of looking at things
as well as resolving problems.
Teachers should share some aspects of evaluation with students. There
is a need to consider team observations about peer and self-performance
in group work. Students are the best source to identify colleagues who
influence their thinking and ways in which help is given to them. Based
on collective observations that are kept anonymous, each student receives
a profile containing confidential feedback about personal strengths and
limitations. Every student can fulfill the evaluator role when it is time
to record his or her formative and summative observations of group work.
In addition to evaluating teamwork skills, students need to have experience
with product evaluation. Teachers are the most qualified persons to judge
the quality of assignments but students can help by suggesting ways to
improve work presented by teams or individual team members. During a formative
critique the group or class accepts the purposes stated by the producer(s)
as their guide. Comments from peers can initially focus on assets of the
product and then shift to recommend possibilities for enhancement. Learning
to provide creative feedback calls for practice and can increase student
receptivity to constructive criticism.
The ability to improvise, to make the best of any situation, is a quality
that supports personal adjustment, mental health, and success throughout
life. Some aspects of creative thinking that call for improvisation include
looking at things in novel ways with an eye to detecting favorable possibilities,
asking questions about how specific conditions could be modified, and
generating alternatives to minimize the disadvantages associated with
a specific arrangement or event. As the students brainstorm, they can
share the improvisor role. Individuals can also be assigned improvisation
tasks to complete outside the class and report results to teammates. Scenarios
drawn from student experiences are powerful motivators to practice the
imaginative skills needed to become effective improvisors.
The purposes of a storyteller are to present imaginary or real life examples
that illustrate how some concept or method applies for a particular situation.
People like to listen to stories, they pay close attention to the procession
of events and often remember key elements of a tale for a longer period
than the related factual information. Whether storytellers read from a
book or written report, describe a videotape or movie, convey an incident
another person shared with them, or relate a personal recollection, their
stories can enable teammates to make connections which increase the value
of a lesson, grasp concepts that previously seemed abstract, and realize
why specific issues deserve more attention. The potential impact that
stories can have on motivation, comprehension, and relationships is difficult
to gauge but the magic is there for those who experience it.
Scholars studying the natural sciences propose theories that sometimes
lead to discoveries of immutable laws and principles. These theories are
then relied upon by future generations. In contrast, social science theories
vary in the duration of their applicability and usefulness to guide practice.
Because such theories are time-bound, the pace and scope of cultural change
influence viability. As a result, contemporary events must be taken into
account so a theory can be modified to remain in fit with the times or
be left behind. Unfortunately, teachers in training are expected to study
and adopt theories of learning and instruction that were proposed before
the advent of computers, the Internet, satellite television, personal
digital assistants, pagers, and cell phones. Consider an analogy. What
would happen if people turned television on and found that the news they
expect to provide awareness of current events present instead only reports
of events from the 1960s? Spectators would soon stop watching because
the stories portrayed do not reflect concerns of the present time.
Educators need to explore new theories of learning and instruction that
link the current array of unprecedented resources. They can benefit from
considering how such theories could transform their role from acting as
a solo performer in the classroom who provides direct instruction to also
enabling students to become active learners. In addition, they can facilitate
ways for relatives, neighbors, and other out-of-school advisors to make
a unique contribution to the way students perceive events. The Collaboration-Integration
Theory (CIT), implemented by Cooperative Learning Exercises and Roles
(CLEAR) helps teachers to transition to their emerging and more comprehensive
role of preparing students for success in an interdependent team-oriented
Cooperative Learning Exercises and Roles (CLEAR)
Summarizer-states team considerations, conclusions, and recommendations
Discussant-listens to teammates and builds on ideas expressed by others
Reader-shares views of outsiders and brings resources peers can examine
Generational Reporter- conveys the ideas and feelings of other age groups
Cultural Reporter-studies subculture and helps peers appreciate diversity
Challenger-reflects an opposing view to increase the factors in a dialogue
Voter-identifies anonymous viewpoints of a particular cohort by polling
Organizer-leads discussions, maintains balance, and tracks group progress
Review Guide-monitors information sharing on lessons by text references
Evaluator-provides assessment of peer and self group work performance
Improviser-looks into novel ways to detect possibilities and disadvantages
Storyteller-conveys examples that help recognize how to apply the lesson | <urn:uuid:e4f60a14-1418-4e32-8f74-7f5c5164674e> | CC-MAIN-2016-26 | http://www.public.asu.edu/~rdstrom/CITtheory.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2016-26/segments/1466783394605.61/warc/CC-MAIN-20160624154954-00077-ip-10-164-35-72.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.932071 | 5,265 | 2.890625 | 3 |
define the functions and role of law in business and society. Be sure to properly cite at least two references from your reading.... I have done this. See below what I have so far, I am having problems finding the "role" information. I have to have at least 500 words and I think I have 249...
Law plays a significant role in the successful operation of business and society. Laws regulate social behavior, which leads to society that runs efficiently. Laws also supply ethical standards and expectations, while providing rules of conduct, measures to enforce those rules, and a means for settling disputes (Bushman, 2007)
According (Mallor, Barnes, Bowers, and Vangvardt, 2004) most lawmakers today treat law as a flexible tool or instrument for the accomplishment of chosen purposes. The most important functions of law are:
There are three common classification of law, criminal and civil law, substantive and procedural law, and public and private law. It is important to note that the different classifications of law are not mutually exclusive (Mallor, Barnes, Bowers, and Vangvardt, 2004).
In conclusion, (Bushman, 2007) it is important to note that without laws to govern the actions of people and businesses, society would not be able to function effectively, and commerce would likely collapse.
Bushman, Melissa (07/02/10). The Role and Functions of Law in Business and Society. Accociated Content, 76, Retrieved 05/08/2008, from http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/139783/the_role_and_functions_of_law_in_business.html?page=2&cat=3
Mallor, J, Barnes, A, Bowers, L, & Langvardt, A (2004). The Ethical, Global, and E-commerce Environment (13th ed.). 2004: McGraw Hill. | <urn:uuid:95d2bbcd-f2bd-49c3-9efb-f096dd59d39a> | CC-MAIN-2016-26 | http://www.justanswer.com/homework/16y6n-define-functions-role-law-business.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2016-26/segments/1466783396147.66/warc/CC-MAIN-20160624154956-00129-ip-10-164-35-72.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.929621 | 395 | 3.015625 | 3 |
Abortion and Homosexuality –So What Did the Pope Actually Say?
When Two Jesuits Talk
||Today, October 4th, the Catholic Church celebrates the Feast of St. Francis of Assissi. Our Pope, Jorge Mario Bergoglio, a Jesuit, made a bold gesture of love in adopting the name of St. Francis, patron of the Franciscans. St. Francis is commonly pictured with animals. He was renowned for his love, not only of animals, but more importantly, of all human beings. St. Francis lived his love to the extreme of adopting poverty himself. This discussion of Pope Francis’ controversial America Magazine interview is dedicated to this unbelievable Pope on his feast day.
|St Francis of Assisi (1181 – 1226)
Francis was the son of a prosperous cloth merchant in Assisi. When his father objected to having his goods sold without his
consent to pay for the restoration of a church, the bishop commanded Francis to repay the money. He did. He also renounced his father and gave back everything he had ever been given, even his garments.
He began a life of perfect evangelical poverty, living by begging and even then only accepting the worst food that people had to give. He preached to all the love of God and the love of the created world; because, having renounced everything, he celebrated everything he received, or saw, or heard, as a gift.
A rich man sold everything and joined him in living next to a leper colony; a canon from a neighbouring church gave up his position and joined them also. They looked into the Gospel and saw the story of the rich young man whom Jesus told to sell everything; they saw Jesus telling his disciples to take nothing with them on their journey; they saw Jesus saying that his followers must also carry his cross.
And on that basis they founded an order. Francis went to Rome himself and persuaded the Pope to sanction it, though it must have seemed at once impractical and subversive, to set
|thousands of holy men wandering penniless round the towns and villages of Europe.
Because Francis was wearing an old brown garment
begged from a peasant, tied round the middle with string, that became the Franciscan habit. Ten years later 5,000 men were wearing it; a hundred years later Dante was buried in it because it was more glorious than cloth of gold.
There is too much to say about Francis to fit here. He tried to convert the Muslims, or at least to attain martyrdom in doing so. He started the practice of setting up a crib in church to celebrate the Nativity.
Francis died in 1226, having started a revolution. The Franciscans endure to this day.
Is the Pope Reversing the Catholic Church’s Ban on Abortion and Homosexual Marriage?
Recently there has been a media stir reflecting some confusion on Pope Francis’ position on abortion and on homosexuality, based on an interview he recently gave to America magazine.
Some in the media implied that the Pope is directing the Church not to concern herself with the issues of abortion and homosexuality.
ABC went so far as to say that Pope Francis wants the Church to shake off “small-minded” rules on abortion and homosexuality.
Bloomberg claimed “Pope Says Church Should Stop Obsessing Over Gays, Abortion.”
Reuters reported somewhat more correctly that the Pope is asking for a change in tone.
And yet, the same Pope Francis, in the same America magazine interview in question, in the same paragraph, two sentences later, stated “The teaching of the church, for that matter, is clear and I am a son of the church,” thus confirming his loyalty to Catholic Church teaching.
Also, the same Pope Francis just excommunicated a dissident priest in Australia the same month, who advocated gay marriage and female priests.
A Pope who just excommunicated someone for their stance on gay marriage is not likely to announce any changes in Church teaching on gay marriage, as liberal media seems to hope. Excommunication by the Vatican is very rare; there have only been 5 since the year 2000, and this is the first one under Pope Francis.
So, What’s the Story?
So is the Pope for abortion and gay marriage, or against?
Is the Church changing age-old teachings, is the Pope a radical progressive, or is the media botching their reporting?
Short answer: the media is botching their reporting.
Longer answer? Keep reading.
Ignorance, Wishful Thinking or Deceitful Intent?
So the media is botching their reporting, yet again.
Out-of-context quotes from Pope Francis have gone viral a number of times already this year, and it’s hard to guess what the media is thinking by reporting so sloppily.
It’s difficult to determine whether the liberal media’s unprofessional reporting is due to ignorance of religion, to wishful progressive thinking, or to a deceitful intent to recruit more Catholics into the progressive political agenda, by leading them to think that the Pope approves progressive thought.
But far more interesting than speculating on media motivation is to ask what did the Pope actually say, and what is he trying to tell Catholics and the world?
What did the Pope actually say?
When Two Jesuits Talk
The Pope is a Jesuit, America is a Jesuit magazine, and the interviewer, Antonio Spadaro, is a Jesuit with an impressive Jesuit resume.
Jesuits are not feebleminded. In fact, Jesuits are renowned for their scholarly talent.
When two Jesuits talk, not everybody can follow.
When two Jesuits talk, the discussion is rarely short.
The conversation in question here, the interview between these two Jesuits was 12,000 words long.
If we typed that up as a college paper, it would be 50 pages long.
In the age of tweets and texting, that’s TMI (too much information) for most people.
We need an interpreter, and the one-liner produced by the mainstream media might not be very representative of what the Pope was really trying to say.
When two Jesuits talk, the discussion is always quite intellectual. In addition to using theological references, biblical references, Latin phrases and Italian phrases, Jesuits also use references to the classics, to music, to literature, to history, and to numerous other things that leave most of us in the dust.
Pope Francis’ 50-page interview included references to Puccini, Alessandro Manzoni, Caravaggio, Chagall, Mozart, Beethoven, Prometheus, Bach, Wagner, La Scala, Knappertsbusch, Fellini, Anna Mabnani, Aldo Fabrizi, Cervantes, and El Cid, in addition to his theological and biblical references, and references to saints.
I’ll be up front and admit that I had to do some googling on more than a couple of those!
Bottom Line, When Two Jesuits Talk
When two Jesuits talk,
i.e. when Antonio Spadaro (Editor of the influential Jesuit journal Civiltà Cattolica) interviews Jorge Mario Bergoglio (Pope Francis),
we are not on the View with Joy Behar, Whoopi Goldberg, and Barbara Walters. Whoopi might give a brilliant performance in Sister Act, but in real life, she’s no Jesuit.
When two Jesuits talk, the conversation will be deep, it will be significant, it might take the rest of us some ploughing to get through it, but what we unearth will be worth the effort.
So my recommendation would be to read Pope Francis’ interview in it’s entirety. Pope Francis is inspired, and he’s delightful. I enjoyed the experience. The interview can be found at America Magazine.
Bishop Robert C. Morlino of Madison
Failing that, if you’re looking for some Cliff notes and an interpreter, where better to get that than from Jesuit #3, Madison’s Bishop Robert Morlino?
Bishop Morlino’s synopsis and observations on the Pope’s interview can be found at the Catholic Herald’s Bishop’s Column, September 26th, 2013. Bishop Morlino’s got it down to under 2,000 words, or about a 7 page term paper. Bishop Morlino is always a good read. And he’s very good at bringing it to our level.
Finally, if you want the perspective of one in-the-pew-Catholic like me, read on at your own (spiritual) peril. It will probably be way longer than Bishop Morlino’s version, and way less accurate. But here we go… thoughts from the pew…
The Controversial Paragraph
The media had to dig through half of Pope Francis’ 12,000 word interview, or through about 25 pages, before they could find one sentence that could be morphed by media into being “controversial,” albeit out of context. Here is the relevant paragraph (highlighting mine):
We cannot insist only on issues related to abortion, gay marriage and the use of contraceptive methods. This is not possible. I have not spoken much about these things, and I was reprimanded for that. But when we speak about these issues, we have to talk about them in a context. The teaching of the church, for that matter, is clear and I am a son of the church, but it is not necessary to talk about these issues all the time.
Note that the first highlighted item is the primary one reported by the media, while the second one, asserting that Church teaching has not changed and that Pope Francis is faithful to that unchanged teaching, was ignored by the media.
Rather then focusing on this out-of-context media implication that Pope Francis may be open to changing fundamental Catholic Church teaching, which is clearly disproved by the second highlighted sentence and by the recent excommunication, I’d like to focus instead on the title of the Pope’s interview, and on three points that leaped out at me when I read the interview document. These items illustrate very clearly and succinctly the message the Pope was trying to send us.
The title of the Interview, approved by Pope Francis, was A Big Heart Open to God.
O.K., the Pope is saying we must have a big heart. A big heart means love, self-explanatory. No small hearts in the Church, please. We do everything with love.
The Pope is also saying that we must be Open to God. What does that mean, to be open to God? Well, we should be listening and seeking what God wants of us, as opposed to demanding what we want from God. We should not ordering God, not ranting against God. Open to God means obedience to Christ’s teachings, obedience to the Church. Our hearts should be open, waiting to be filled.
A Big Heart Open To God.
In six words, the Pope has managed to teach lovingly to both extremes in his unruly Church. Disciplinarian dogmatists are reminded to have a big heart. No Pharisees, please. And liberal progressives are reminded to listen to God, to obey God. No rebellion against Christ’s Church.
Pope Francis, the good parent, has spoken kindly and gently to his unruly bickering children, calling for unity, and reminding us in six words what we have to do.
The First Question
The first question asked of the Pope was “Who is Jorge Mario Bergoglio?”
Of all possible answers, Pope Francis chose “I am a sinner.”
Not “I am the grand high exalted holy ruler of 1 billion people.”
Not “I am a holy man.”
Not “I am a priest.”
Not “I am a Jesuit.”
Not “I am an Argentinian.” or “I am an Argentinian-Italian.”
Not “I am the son of Mario and Regina Bergoglio.”
No, instead the Pope said “I am a sinner.”
This Jesuit was not faking humility. His words were carefully chosen, not to be about him, but to teach us.
The good gentle shepherd is reminding us “Let the one among you who is without sin be the first to throw a stone at her.” (John 8:7) By calling himself a sinner, he is reminding us not to throw stones at each other.
Pope Francis is telling us to treat sinners with mercy, because we are all sinners.
He is teaching gently by example, by announcing that he too is a sinner.
We must all remember that we are sinners, if we want to attract anyone to the Truth.
There is no room in the Catholic Church for holier-than-thou condemnation.
We must start with compassion, and not with condemnation.
In the interview, Pope Francis identifies his own calling with the calling of St. Matthew, the tax collector. Our Pope says “ I am a sinner whom the Lord has looked upon.” Pope Francis wants to reach out lovingly to other sinners, and he wants us to do the same.
What Does It Mean for a Jesuit to be Bishop of Rome?
Early in the interview, Pope Francis was also asked “What does it mean for a Jesuit to be Bishop of Rome?”
Blessed Pope John XXIII
The Pope’s answer, quoting Pope John XXIII’s philosophy and motto, jumped out at me as illustrating his loving and nurturing approach to exercising authority, and as illustrating what he is asking of us:
The Pope said See everything; turn a blind eye to much; correct a little.
Again, our Pope, like a good shepherd, guides gently and slowly, rather than overwhelming us with condemnation and criticism. He asks us to extend the same courtesy to each other.
The Pope also emphasized the importance of prioritizing discernment (discernment always done in the presence of the Lord). This means that time and prayer are the most appropriate means for approaching problems, and we must be wary of impulses and hasty decisions.
This is how Pope Francis sees the role of a Jesuit in the Chair of Peter.
The Church as a Field Hospital
The Pope gives us a third window into his philosophy in this interview, in his comparison of the Church with a field hospital:
I see clearly, that the thing the church needs most today is the ability to heal wounds and to warm the hearts of the faithful; it needs nearness, proximity. I see the church as a field hospital after battle. It is useless to ask a seriously injured person if he has high cholesterol and about the level of his blood sugars! You have to heal his wounds. Then we can talk about everything else. Heal the wounds, heal the wounds…. And you have to start from the ground up.
It’s pretty clear that the Pope is not advocating or approving high cholesterol, but he recognizes that wounds have to be prioritized over cholesterol concerns. He’s telling us to examine what we prioritize when we look at each other. Do we turn a blind eye to much, identify the biggest wounds, and tend to those, before launching into overwhelming criticism?
We are not likely to get our culture on board with giving up abortion and homosexual marriage by condemning them. It is by offering the love and peace of Christ that we will attract them, and the rest will follow in due course.
Respect for others does dictate kindness and a gentle approach. Which one of us would like to be approached first with recriminations about our sins? Who are we to decide that the degree of evil in the sins of others (gay lifestyle, abortion) is greater than the degree of evil in our own sins (pride, greed, lust, anger, gluttony, envy and sloth?).
Take Home Message
We could go on, quoting from and discussing the Pope’s interview. But then this article would become longer than the Pope’s interview, and you are much better served reading Pope Francis’ actual interview yourself.
The biggest take home message this Catholic found in reading the Pope’s interview was that when evangelizing, our Church needs to proceed with love, humility, and gentleness, and we need to prioritize humanity’s biggest wounds. We also need to work on obedience and on unity.
And what are humanity’s biggest wounds?
Our Pope, discerning carefully in the presence of the Lord, will help us to identify those.
He’s been remarkable so far, flooding the world with his love, and including all of humanity in his flock.
His outreach to atheists is symbolic of his profound love for all of humanity.
A Club of 1 Billion
The Catholic Church is a global club of of 1 billion people.
Like any other large group, including large nations, we have our conservatives and we have our liberals. Some liberals and conservatives make good points. Others take a good thing too far.
The person in charge of 1 billion people, in this case the Pope, should be a unifier, an educator and a leader, not a divider. He should not start with criticism, blame and attack. A good leader observes, waits, and corrects a little at a time; he breaks up job assignments into small manageable parcels.
This is what Pope Francis is doing, and his approach should not be taken to mean that he approves sin or that he has changed Catholic Church teaching.
The Pope has given us our marching orders in the gentlest manner: time for authoritarians to tone it down and to lead with love, and time for rebels to prioritize the will of God over their own will.
What Jesuits Do
What do Jesuits Do?
Jesuits were founded by St. Ignatius of Loyola, and are noted for their educational, missionary, and charitable works.
Then we should not be surprised when Pope Francis, a Jesuit, wants to teach, to teach the faith, and to teach the faith with love.
Pope Francis’s interview illustrates that he is a deep thinker, a compassionate shepherd, and a well-educated intellectual.
He’s made a great start in less than one year, with discernment, with humility, and with love.
The Best is Yet to Come
Few of us are qualified to judge a Pope.
Those of us who think we are probably have an issue with pride.
So when the Pope says something that surprises us, we need to examine what he said with an open heart, and have the humility to admit that his correction may be deserved.
In my judgement, this Pope is remarkable. As were the previous ones in my lifetime.
Pope Francis’ Global Adoration effort and his day of prayer and fasting for Syria are among his first official actions.
With these actions, the Pope illustrated to us the importance of bringing faith into life, and into public life.
Pope Francis demonstrated the urgency of interconnection between Church and State. Interconnection not from the top down, but from the bottom up. The State does not dictate the faith of the citizens, but the citizens must use their faith and their God-given conscience and must stand up for what is right.
The results global prayer and fasting combined with interconnection between Church and State are just beginning to roll in. The best is yet to come.
Not Just for Catholics
This is not just for Catholics. Everyone should get on board.
This Pope is reaching out to all of humanity, including atheists.
He seems to be getting a very positive response to his call.
Pope Francis’ interview can be summed up pretty simply-
- Drop the finger-wagging, get out the smiles, treat people with respect, pray hard, pray globally, and correct just a little at a time.
- Remember, respect includes not calling people out publicly for their sins, at least not as the first resort.
- We attract more bees with honey than with vinegar.
- Sin is still sin, what’s wrong is still wrong, but let’s not forget the beam in our own eye when pointing out the splinter in someone else’s eye.
Does that mean that we give up the struggle to eliminate abortion or to preserve marriage?
But those are not our opening efforts, before we break out mercy and love.
We don’t lead with those items while evangelizing.
Appendix: More VIRAL QUOTES from Pope Francis:
From the Washington Post: Pope Francis’ Viral Quotes on Wealth, Abortion, Atheists, War and Gay Catholics.
|We can never serve God and money at the same time. It is not possible: either one or the other. This is not Communism. It is the true Gospel!
Pope Francis poses for a photo after meeting with young people in downtown Cagliari, Italy, on Sept. 22, 2013. He spoke of the ‘idol’ of money during a trip to the region, one of the poorest areas in Italy.
|Every unborn child, though unjustly condemned to be aborted, has the face of the Lord, who even before his birth, and then as soon as he was born, experienced the rejection of the world. . . . They must not be thrown away!
Francis spoke about abortion on Sept. 20, the day after the publication of an interview in which he said that abortion, gay marriage and contraception should not become “obsessions” for faithful Catholics.
|We cannot insist only on issues related to abortion, gay marriage and the use of contraceptive methods. This is not possible, Pope Francis said in an interview that appeared in Jesuit publications around the world on Sept. 19, 2013. “I have not spoken much about these things, and I was reprimanded for that. But when we speak about these issues, we have to talk about them in a context. The teaching of the church, for that matter, is clear, and I am a son of the church, but it is not necessary to talk about these issues all the time.
|If someone is gay and he searches for the Lord and has good will, who am I to judge? Francis remarked to reporters aboard the papal flight on its way back from Brazil on July 29, 2013.
Pope Francis reached out to gays during the news conference on the plane, saying he wouldn’t judge priests for their sexual orientation in a remarkably open and wide-ranging conversation as he returned from his first foreign trip.
|War is madness. It is the suicide of humanity. It is an act of faith in money, which for the powerful of the Earth is more important than the human being.
Pope Francis celebrates a worldwide Eucharistic adoration ceremony after his comments on war at St. Peter’s Basilica at the Vatican on June 2, 2013.
|Eternity “will not be boring,” Francis declared May 31, 2013. Later that day, nuns held up candles during a ceremony led by Pope Francis in St. Peter’s Square.
|The Lord has redeemed all of us, all of us, with the Blood of Christ: all of us, not just Catholics. Everyone. ‘Father, the atheists?’ Even the atheists. Everyone! Pope Francis said during Mass on May 22, 2013.
In the photo, Pope Francis delivers a speech during a meeting with young people in September 2013 in Cagliari, Italy.
|If the investments in the banks fall slightly . . . [it is] a tragedy . . . what can be done? But if people die of hunger, if they have nothing to eat, if they have poor health, it does not matter! This is our crisis today!
Pope Francis speaks after meeting with the faithful of ecclesial movements on the occasion of a Pentecost vigil in St. Peter’s Square on May 18, 2013. | <urn:uuid:e17bac1b-6f02-4b57-a91c-a1e36bd7165e> | CC-MAIN-2016-26 | http://sytereitz.com/category/abortion/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2016-26/segments/1466783398075.47/warc/CC-MAIN-20160624154958-00144-ip-10-164-35-72.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.964663 | 5,059 | 2.984375 | 3 |
Halite commonly known as rock salt, is a type of salt, the mineral form of sodium
chloride (NaCl). Halite forms isometric crystals. The mineral is typically colorless
Detailed description, properties, locality information guide about the mineral
halite and rock salt.
Comments: Hoppered pink halite crystals from the evaporation ponds. The pink
color is due to the organism Halo bacterium that lives in the concentrated brine.
Halite (named after the mineral) is a C++ BitTorrent client based on the excellent
libtorrent library developed by Arvid Norberg. The program also relies heavily ...
halite - DEPRECATED: A client-side web application interface to a running Salt
Description and history of the mineral Halite, includes its physical properties.
Chemical Composition, NaCl, Sodium Chloride. Color, Usually clear or white, but
small amounts of impurities may give halite a red or orange hue and bacterial ...
Apr 15, 2003 ... What's that on your chips? It's a mineral called halite! If you look closely at
ordinary table salt, you will see that, just like other minerals, it looks ...
Naturally occurring sodium chloride (NaCl), common or rock salt. Halite occurs
on all continents in beds that range from a few metres to more than 300 m (1000
These five halite crystal fragments show halite's cubic cleavage (three cleavages
at right angles). Note that minerals do not always break into perfect 6-sided ... | <urn:uuid:c51122dc-d63e-45e6-a892-0118161c59eb> | CC-MAIN-2016-26 | http://www.ask.com/web?qsrc=60&o=41647999&oo=41647999&l=dir&gc=1&q=Halite | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2016-26/segments/1466783399425.79/warc/CC-MAIN-20160624154959-00128-ip-10-164-35-72.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.797487 | 325 | 3.5 | 4 |
That seems to be a significant difference between walled and ditched enclosures in Portugal.
Tor in the top of a hill used to built Castro de Santiago during Chalcolithic
Naturally, as argued before (for instance here), no building is performed in an insignificant space. Everything built is in dialogue with a local landscape, with its meanings, visibilities, resources, particularities. And all of those previous conditions are, in one way or another, incorporated in the building.
But when we compare walled and ditched enclosures we can observe that the former tend to present a great variety of forms of adaptation and incorporation of previous elements of the landscape, while the ditched enclosures mainly reflect a dialogue with topography, geology and visibility conditions.
Rocks, tors or cliffs, are usually incorporated as part of the structures that enclose. Although in other parts of Europe we can see that also in ditched enclosures (like the French “enceinte à éperon”), so far those solutions were not identified in Portuguese ditched enclosures.
Large wall from rock to rock that defines the inner enclosure at Castro de Santiago.
In terms of the architectonic features, walled enclosures seem to use the available natural conditions in a different way. Perhaps one of the reasons is that the design, the layout, was less significant than the ones presented by ditched enclosures and answered to different goals.
Plan of the several walled structures that, together with the previous rocks, define Castro de Santiago enclosure. | <urn:uuid:e7c07957-fbd3-45fe-af99-9d565e267cd2> | CC-MAIN-2016-26 | http://portugueseenclosures.blogspot.com/2013/04/0178-adapting-and-incorporating.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2016-26/segments/1466783396959.83/warc/CC-MAIN-20160624154956-00151-ip-10-164-35-72.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.952606 | 317 | 3.203125 | 3 |
Teacher resources and professional development across the curriculum
Teacher professional development and classroom resources across the curriculum
Thought-provoking questions are required for class, during which there are critical literature discussions, focusing on the conflict and characters’ actions in the novel.
As the class discusses Langston Hughes’ short story, "Passing," in a seminar, they react and respond to the unique perspectives on equality and oppression.
What are the differences and similarities between how young captive-bred and wild-bred cranes deal with their environment?
Why do some bird species fly in V formation? How do birds fly long distances?
Read and discuss a poem about the migration of the crane. Write your own poem or story.
Researchers observe the individual physical and behavioral characteristics of a specific group of whooping cranes.
What are the dangers whooping cranes face during the migratory journey and what percentage of these dangers are directly related to human activities?
Design your own stamp to help carry the conservation message around the country.
Factor trinomial expressions of the formx2 + bx + c. Use algebra tiles to identify the binomial factors and the graphing calculator to verify the result.
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Patrick Moore, Co-Founder of Greenpeace Says “There is No Scientific Evidence that Humans are the “Dominant Cause” of Climate Change
So much for “settled science” on global warming/climate change, eh Barack …
Patrick Moore, co-founder of Greenpeace said on Tuesday in front of a Senate panel that there is no scientific evidence to back claims that humans are the “dominant cause” of climate change. Hold the phone, a co-founder of Green Peace said what? Moore was a member of Greenpeace from 1971-86, but he left the organization in 1986, accusing the organization of political activism and being more interested in politics, rather than concern for the environment.
Um, how do we lie to Americans now?
A co-founder of Greenpeace told a Senate panel on Tuesday that there is no scientific evidence to back claims that humans are the “dominant cause” of climate change.
Patrick Moore, a Canadian ecologist who was a member of Greenpeace from 1971-86, told members of the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee environmental groups like Greenpeace use faulty computer models and scare tactics in further promoting a political agenda, Fox News reported.
“There is no scientific proof that human emissions of carbon dioxide (CO2) are the dominant cause of the minor warming of the Earth’s atmosphere over the past 100 years,” Mr. Moore said. “Today, we live in an unusually cold period in the history of life on earth and there is no reason to believe that a warmer climate would be anything but beneficial for humans and the majority of other species.
“The fact that we had both higher temperatures and an ice age at a time when CO2 emissions were 10 times higher than they are today fundamentally contradicts the certainty that human-caused CO2 emissions are the main cause of global warming,” he said.
Patrick Moore, Greenpeace Co-Founder, Says ‘No Scientific Proof’ Climate Change Is Caused By Humans. … it is as simple as this:
“Perhaps the simplest way to expose the fallacy of ‘extreme certainty’ is to look at the historical record. …When modern life evolved over 500 million years ago, CO2 was more than 10 times higher than today, yet life flourished at this time. Then an ice age occurred 450 million years ago when CO2 was 10 times higher than today. There is some correlation, but little evidence, to support a direct causal relationship between CO2 and global temperature through the millennia,” Moore argued | <urn:uuid:d420a8bc-d395-4192-ad51-1553ee96555e> | CC-MAIN-2016-26 | http://scaredmonkeys.com/2014/02/27/patrick-moore-co-founder-of-greenpeace-says-there-is-no-scientific-evidence-that-humans-are-the-dominant-cause-of-climate-change/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2016-26/segments/1466783404826.94/warc/CC-MAIN-20160624155004-00084-ip-10-164-35-72.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.948656 | 527 | 2.625 | 3 |
To Love Is...
Excerpts from "A Guide to Psychology & its Practice" - Sexuality & Love
by Dr. Raymond Lloyd Richmond, PhD
philosopher and theologian Thomas Aquinas said that “To love is to will the
good of another.” So if you think about it, all the moral
decisions about marriage and family actually derive psychologically from love—
Real Love , not the “love” of
popular fantasy. Infidelity, contraception, abortion, divorce, and even
stem-cell research, all defile love through a focus on personal pleasure and
convenience, at the expense of the dignity—and even the life—of another human
contemporary culture tends to think of “love” as a way to find personal
fulfillment in life. That
is, each person in a relationship expects the other to fill up the existential
void in his or her life. Ultimately, this is impossible, and so when there are
problems, the conflicts are usually about one partner complaining of not getting
what he or she wants. In this situation, only one psychological solution can be
possible: Take responsibility for your own life satisfaction. True love is about
giving, not receiving. If you’re mainly concerned about getting pleasure or
security, you’re being selfish, not loving.”
What is “truly sought” is
something we all experience as painfully missing from life: some comforting
sense of absolute belonging and acceptance.
French psychoanalyst, Jacques Lacan, points out that although love—as
commonly conceived—is, in essence, a futile chasing after something that doesn’t
exist, there is nevertheless a love beyond this “making love,” a love
that exists beyond lack and limitation and that involves a sort of ecstasy of
being. The irony is that in making love we think we know what we want, but it
turns out to be an illusion, while this other love touches on a real experience
of which we know nothing. It’s a mystical sort of thing, as Lacan
don’t realize this, but the common, or popular, view of love involves an element
of receiving something. “I love chocolate” really means that “I enjoy getting
the experience of the taste of chocolate.” Similarly, “I love you” commonly
implies “I enjoy touching your body,” or “I enjoy believing that you will give
me security or protection,” or “I enjoy having sex with you” (or “I want to have
sex with you"). As a result, Lacan, in his teachings about love, described
the typical act of love as “polymorphous perversion.”
Don’t be put off
by the big words. You already know what perversion means. Polymorphous simply
means “having many forms.” So this amounts to saying, like the popular song from
the 1980s, that we’re looking for love in all the wrong places. That is, we
look for satisfaction in all the various titillating parts of the body but never
find what is truly sought.
Lacan doesn’t say it this way, the difference between these two kinds of love
can be conceived of as the difference between receiving and giving. It’s why
St. Francis of Assisi was led—led right to the point, actually—to pray that he
might seek “not so much to be loved as to love.”
As shocking as it might sound, most of us who claim to be “giving” or “loving” are not giving selflessly. Instead, we are addressing a covert psychological desire to avoid being abandoned. Sad to say, the apparent generosity is more an act of bribery than of love.
"And so here is the psychological lesson: As long as you pursue sexuality out of a need to be loved—as a form of something you want—you will be led right behind illusions straight into perversion. Only a renunciation of what you think you want and a dedication to loving rather than being loved can lead to anything productive, and it’s the only attitude that can begin to carry you through the agony of human limitation and mortality.
I’ll be honest
here and say that this view is not at all popular in the U.S., and especially
not in San Francisco. But I can say confidently that the surest way to prove me
right is to try to prove me wrong. So go ahead and chase after perversion, and
see for yourself if you don’t find anything, in the end, but emptiness.
It is interesting
to note that a religious perspective can be even more focused than the
psychological perspective. It has long been understood that chastity is a core
aspect of religious experience. Sexuality, after all, is not a recreational
sport. It is grounded in the concept of a man and a woman joining their lives
together in order to form a family. Severed from the family, the sexual desire
for “recognition” in another person—arising from the contemporary social
pressure for every individual to be in a “relationship”—amounts to nothing but a
narcissistic renunciation of love itself.
Think about that.
Are you tired of AIDS, sexual diseases, prostitution, pornography, unwanted
pregnancies, abortion, adultery, divorce, and using others and being used? All
great religious mystics have discovered for themselves the same secret: until
you stop being obsessed with getting sexual pleasure you will never be able to
find true spirituality; until you stop insisting that God accept your sexual
perversions before you can accept God, you will never truly know God; until you
stop looking for yourself in the desire of others, you will never find God;
until you die to yourself—and your selfish desires—you will never have life.
But regardless of whether you approach the matter from moral theology or from the psychology of the unconscious, you will discover that the final choice in regard to sexuality is really between glorifying yourself and glorifying something greater than yourself. So take consolation and remember—if you only partially apply this principle to your life you will still experience great psychological benefits."
Link to the full article: http://www.guidetopsychology.com/sex_love.htm
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This paper originally appeared in the journal European Review in May 1998, published by Cambridge University Press (UK) for the Academia Europaea. © Academia Europaea. Posted with permission.
Citation: European Review, Vol. 6, No. 2, 137-156 (1998).
Toward green mobility: the evolution of transport
*Program for the Human Environment, The Rockefeller University, 1230 York Avenue, New York, NY, 10021.
+International Institute for Applied Systems Analysis, Laxenburg, Austria, A-2361.
We envision a transport system producing zero emissions and sparing the surface landscape, while people on average range hundreds of kilometers daily. We believe this prospect of 'green mobility' is consistent in general principles with historical evolution. We lay out these general principles, extracted from widespread observations of human behavior over long periods, and use them to explain past transport and to project the next 50 to 100 years. Our picture emphasizes the slow penetration of new technologies of transport adding speed in the course of substituting for the old ones in terms of time allocation. We discuss serially and in increasing detail railroads, cars, aeroplanes, and magnetically levitated trains (maglevs).
Transport matters for the human environment. Its performance characteristics shape settlement patterns. Its infrastructures transform the landscape. It consumes about one-third of all energy in a country such as the United States. And transport emissions strongly influence air quality. Thus, people naturally wonder whether we have a chance for 'green mobility', transport systems embedded in the environment so as to impose minimal disturbance.
In this paper we explore the prospect for green mobility. To this end, we have sought to construct a self-consistent picture of mobility in terms of general laws extracted from widespread observations of human behavior over long periods. Here we describe this picture and use the principles to project the likely evolution of the transport system over the next 50 to 100 years.
Our analyses deal mostly with averages. As often emphasized, many vexing problems of transport systems stem from the qualities of distributions, which cause traffic jams as well as costly empty infrastructures. 1 Subsequent elaboration of the system we foresee might address its robustness in light of fluctuations of various kinds. Although the United States provides most illustrations, the principles apply to all populations and could be used to explain the past and project the future wherever data suffice.
General travel laws and early history
Understanding mobility begins with the biological: humans are territorial animals and instinctively try to maximize territory. 2,3,4The reason is that territory equates with opportunities and resources.
However, there are constraints to range -- essentially, time and money. In this regard, we subscribe to the fundamental insights on regularities in household travel patterns and their relationships gained by Zahavi and associates in studies for the World Bank and the US Department of Transportation in the 1970s and early 1980s. 5,6,7,8
According to Zahavi, since ever and in contemporary societies spanning the full range of economic development, people average about 1 hour per day traveling. This is the travel time budget. Schafer and Victor, who surveyed many travel time studies in the decade subsequent to Zahavi, find the budget continues to hover around one hour. 9 Figure 1 shows representative data for studies of the United States, the state of California, and sites in about a dozen other countries since 1965. We take special note of three careful studies done for the city of Tokyo as well as one averaging 131 Japanese cities. 10 Although Tokyo is often mentioned as a place where people commute for many hours daily, the travel time budget proves to be about 70 minutes, and the Japanese urban average is exactly one hour. Switzerland, generally a source of reliable data, shows a 70 minute travel time budget. 11
Figure 1 . Travel time budgets measured in minutes of travel per person per day, sample of studies. Sources of data: Katiyar and Ohta 10, Ofreuil and Salomon8,, Szalai et al. 14, US Department of Transportation 33,34, Wiley et al .12,, Balzer 13. Other data compiled from diverse sources By Schafer and Victor 9.
The only high outlier we have found comes from a study of 1987-1988 activity patterns of Californians, who reported in diaries and phone surveys that they averaged 109 minutes per day travelling. 12 The survey excluded children under age 11 and may also reflect that Californians eat, bank, and conduct other activities in their cars. If this value signaled a lasting change in lifestyle to more travel rather than bias in self-reporting or the factors just mentioned, it would be significant. But, a study during 1994 of 3,000 Americans, chosen to reflect the national population, including people aged 18-90 in all parts of the country and economic classes, yielded transit time of only 52 minutes. 13 After California, the next highest value we found in the literature is 90 minutes in Lima, where Peruvians travel from shantytowns to work and markets in half-broken buses.
We will assume for the duration of this paper that one hour of daily travel is the appropriate reference point in mobility studies for considering full populations over extended periods. Variations around this time likely owe to diverse survey methods and coverage, for example, in including walking or excluding weekends, or to local fluctuations. 14
Why 1 hour more or less for travel? Perhaps a basic instinct about risk sets this budget. Travel is exposure and thus risky as well as rewarding. MacLean reports evolutionary stability in the parts of the brain that determine daily routine in animals from the human back to the lizard, which emerges slowly and cautiously in the morning, forages locally, later forages farther afield, returns to the shelter area, and finally retires. 15 Human accident rates measured against time also exhibit homeostasis. 16
The fraction of income as well as time that people spend on travel remains narrowly bounded. The travel money budget fluctuates between about 11% and 15% of personal disposable income (Table 1).
Table 1. Travel expenditures, percent of disposable income, various studies. Sources Of Data: Eurostat 40, UK Department of Transport 41, Schafer and Victor 9, Central Statistics Office 42, US Bureau of the Census 21,28, Zahavi 5; Institut National De La Statistique et des Etudes Economiques 43.
|Country||Year||Percent of Income Spent on Travel|
The constant time and money budgets permit the interpretation of much of the history of movement. Their implication is that speed, low-cost speed, is the goal of transport systems. People allocate time and money to maximize distance, that is, territory. In turn when people gain speed, they travel farther, rather than make more trips.
'Speed' means inclusive speed, like Darwin's inclusive fitness. It spans the time from when the traveler leaves home to when she or he walks in the office, for example, including minutes spent waiting for a bus or searching for parking.
On average, people make 3-4 trips per day, rich or poor. 8,17Hupkes asserts a 'Law of Constant Trip Rates' as well as travel time. 18 The 3-4 trips per day matter, because they limit the main round trip to 40-50 minutes. Thus, what most people use or access daily is what can be reached in 20 minutes or so.
Passenger fluxes switch by an order of magnitude when crossing the 20-minute boundary. For example, in the old days ferries in Hong Kong between Victoria and Kowloon took about 60 minutes and carried about 300,000 people per day, operating at 30% capacity. When tunnels opened a few years ago, requiring only 5-10 minutes for the underwater crossing, traffic soared to 2 million crossings per day, shocking all the planners. 19 New bridges traversible in minutes have multiplied local traffic ten times in Lisbon and five times in Istanbul.
Just as people average 3-4 round trips per day, they also average 3-4 trips per year outside their basic territory. Trip frequency falls off fast with distance, that is, with travel time. A German even now takes on average one air flight per year. 20 At the height of the rail era, an American took one rail trip each year. 21
Also, people mostly travel to meet people. Of American travel time, about 30 percent is to work, 30 percent for shopping and child care, 30 percent for free-time activities, and the remainder for meals out and other personal care. 22 Moreover, travel is home-centered. In fact, life is home-centered (Figure 2). People spend 2/3 of their time indoors at home. Surprisingly, Californians, for all their avowed love of nature, spend only about 90 minutes each day outside. 12As mentioned earlier, exposure is felt as dangerous. Home-centered trips occupy about 90% of all travel time.
Figure 2 . Percent of time spent in major locations by Californians. Source of data: Wiley et al .12
People also want to return nightly to their home beds. About 60% of all air trips in Europe are businessmen who make a same day return. Given the height of European airfares, these travelers could surely afford to spend the night at their destination, but the gravity of home pulls powerfully.
Given the abiding budgetary laws, why does transport have a dynamic history? While the human brain and thus the time budget may not have changed in a million years, the money budget has, usually upward. During the past 200 years personal income has risen steeply.
With growing wealth, technology introduces faster means. The new modes are faster, but usually not cheaper, especially at the outset, so travelers do not rush to use them. Rather the new means gradually capture the market, as people can afford more, come to be familiar with how a new system operates, and as the system itself improves in many dimensions. The picture is slow penetration of new technologies of transport adding speed in the course of substituting for the old ones in terms of time allocation. Figure 3 shows the story for the United States. US per capita mobility has increased 2.7% per year, with walking included. Excluding walking, Americans have increased their mobility 4.6% each year since 1880. The French have increased their mobility about 4% per year since 1800. 23 We note that the development and diffusion of communication technologies have not lessened the urge to travel or its realization. In fact, better telecommunications systems enable more and faster travel.
Figure 3 . US passenger travel per capita per day by all modes.
Sources of data: Grubler 23, US Bureau of the Census 21,28, US Department of Transportation 33,35.
Thinking about the evolution of mobility naturally begins with our feet. We used to walk 5 km per day, and now Americans walk perhaps 1 km. In France, mechanical mobility equalled walking only during the 1920s. 23 We walk about 5 km/hour. Walking 5km/hour for 1 hour gives a radius of 2.5 km and an area of 20km 2, the distances which define a village. In fact, the area that can be traversed in one hour with prevailing modes of transport functionally defines a city.
Although tiring, running is three to four times faster than walking and quite reliable for the able-bodied. High speed lasts only an hour or two. The Incas sustained a large empire for centuries on foot, with the furthest outposts 2 weeks from the center for the relay runners.
The wheel greatly enhanced the foot. The wheel multiplies our ability to move goods an order of magnitude over dragging material on poles. Even today human rickshaws carry freight and passengers in Calcutta and elsewhere.
Horses can run faster and longer than people. They can sustain 20 km per hour for several hours per day and reach a speed of 50 km per hour for a few minutes. Horses topped transport for a few thousand years. They made big empires for the Romans, Chinese, and Huns.
Horses also greatly expanded personal territory. The horse, of course, is the image of the American West. Horses were cheap in the United States because they did not compete with people for land for food. In effect, they established the low price of a gallon of gasoline in the United States. The vast American West was quickly divided into territories controlled by ranchers, farmers, and 'Indians', all with horses. The story of the village and the Western range show that spatial organization is homothetical to speed available, for all creatures.
Even in the United States, France, and other industrializing countries, horses kept their lead until the middle of the 19 thcentury. Munching hay and oats, horses did 70% of the work in the United States until about 1900. In 1920 America still stabled 20 million non-farm horses, which also produced about half a million tons per day of effluent.
Trains (commercialized about 1830) and motor cars (first produced in the 1890s) displaced horses. 24 Figure 4 shows how canals (on whose tow-paths horses and mules pulled the barges), rails, roads, and airways have successively occupied shares of the overall length of the US transport infrastructure, enabling the sequence of moving technologies. The steady substitution fits closely with a model based on growth and decline following the S-shaped logistic equation. 25 Depiction of the rates of growth of the infrastructure reveals a rhythm to its history peaking in intensity every 50-60 years and gives us confidence for prediction (Figure 5). Let us now discuss serially and in increasing detail the characteristics of the market leaders: railroads, cars, and aeroplanes, and their destined successor, magnetically levitated and driven trains (maglevs).
Figure 4 . Shares of the actual total length of the US transport infrastructure (squiggly lines) analyzed with the logistic substitution model (smooth lines). F is the fraction of total length or the market share. The logarithmic scale in the ordinates renders the S-shaped logistic linear. Sources of data: Gruebler 23, US Bureau Of The Census 21,28, US Department Of Transportation 33,34.
Figure 5 . Smoothed historic rates of growth (solid lines) of the major components of the US transport infrastructure and conjectures (dashed lines) based on constant dynamics. The inset shows the actual growth, which eventually became negative for canals and rail as routes were closed. Delta t is the time for the system to grow from 10% to 90% of its extent. Sources of data: Gruebler 24, US Bureau of the Census 21,28, US Department Of Transportation 33,37.
This history of trains emphasize that the roadbed as well as the vehicle changes. The Romans employed a large workforce in making and placing paving stones. In time, we have had wood, cast and wrought iron, and steel rails. On smooth rails, trains required low force (low energy) to pull them and could carry great loads. Low friction also meant high speed.
High speed unified countries. Riding the rails, Garibaldi and Bismarck conducted the formation of Italy and Germany. In the United States the rails ended the functional independence of the States and created the chance to integrate many more. The Golden Spike joining the Pacific and Atlantic rail networks at Promontory Point in Utah in 1869 recognized the unification of the continental United States.
Wood first fired trains. The demand on forests for fuel and ties cleared vast acreages and caused fears of timber famine, even in the United States. 26 Trains could not fulfill their maximum role until coal fuel became widely available, although creosote and other preservatives lessened structural wood demand. Coal's energy density doubled that of wood, and thus system range and flexibility. Belching coal smoke from steam locomotives became the sooty symbol of travel. In fact, at the time of the break-up of the USSR coal to power the railroads still formed almost half the cargo of the Soviet railroads. Diesel-fueled electric locomotives again doubled the range and halved the emissions of coal and steam. System-wide electrification eliminated the need to carry fuel and centralized the emissions. In France, cheap, smokeless nuclear electricity has helped the train, sometimes 'a grand vitesse' (TGV), retain a niche in the passenger transport system.
Although we may think of trains as fast, in practice their inclusive speed has always been slow, because of travel to and from the stations, changes, stops, and serpentine routes. Today European intercity trains still average only about 60 km/hour, measured as air distance between stops. German trains, perceived as efficient, average 65 km/hour with a peak of only 95 km/hour. A TGV may reach 400 km/hour on its rails, but inclusive speed is perhaps half this value.
Trains as we know them today will thus form a small part of future transport. Their slow inclusive speed limits them to low-value cargoes. Making money is easier flying an express letter for $20 than hauling a ton of soybean meal 1500 km by rail from Illinois to Connecticut for the $20. For passengers, the TGVs should probably concentrate on the 200 km range, where a one-hour trip time appears convenient for business travel, and especially on even shorter segments. For the latter, the high speed could quadruple the base territory of daily personal round-trips for working and shopping that the car offers.
Shrinking the present slow rail infrastructure will continue to cause pain, especially in Europe, where it remains pervasive. In France in 1995 the prospect of closing some almost unused rural spurs nearly brought down the government.
Compared to railroads, cars have the great advantages of no waiting time and no mode change, offset in some places by parking shortages. One could say cars have infinite frequency.
In practice, cars are about eight times as fast as pedestrians. Their mean speed is about 40-50 km/hour, combining inter and intra city. Public vehicles such as buses go about 20 km/hour, or 10 km/hour in midtown Manhattan.
Expanding in linear space 8 times, one acquires about 60 times the area. Cars thus expand territory from about 20 km 2for the pedestrian to about 1200 km 2 for the licentiates. Sixty villages become one town. The car effectively wipes out two levels in the former hierarchy of settlements in which, in Christaller's classic formulation, clusters of seven (pedestrian) villages support a town, which in turn joins with six other towns to support a city. 27 The car thus reshuffles 60% of the population into larger urban areas.
Because 90% of all passenger kilometers occur within the territorial niche established by the daily travel budgets, the size of the personal niche matters greatly. Eighty percent of all mileage is currently traveled within 50 km of home.
The car is a personal prosthesis, the realization of the "Seven League Boots" that enabled the wearer to cover about 35 km in each step in the fairy story 'Hop o' my Thumb'. Although late adopters of new technologies consistently saturate lower than pioneers, car populations seem to saturate at a car for each licensable driver. 23 Perhaps the proportion will rise somewhat as more people acquire second homes.
In the United States, the annual average distance a car travels has remained about 9-10,000 miles since 1935. 21,28The time a car works each day has also remained about 1 hour, so the average speed of a car has stayed constant at about 40 km/hour. Because per capita daily car travel time also does not change with income but stays at just under an hour, gasoline taxes take a larger share of earnings from those who earn less.
Since the 1920s cars have set the tone for travel fuel. Americans now use about 1.5 gallons of gasoline per person daily for travel, the largest single use of energy. In the past 50 years, motor fuel consumption in the United States has multiplied fivefold to about 150 x 10 9 gallon per year, while motor vehicle kilometers multiplied sevenfold. Therefore, fuel economy increased less than 1% per year, although classes of cars show decadel intervals of as much as a 2% per year efficiency rise.
Motor vehicles remain energetically inefficient, so the scope for reducing per car consumption is large. With the numbers of cars saturating in the developed countries and constant driving time and vehicle size, motor fuel consumption in these countries will tend to decrease, with the rate contingent on population change. Inspection of the total passenger kilometers traveled in various modes (Figure 6) confirms that the car (and bus) travel market, while huge, provides little opportunity for growth in fuel deliveries. In the United States, the rise of population at about 1% per year continues to offset roughly the efficiency gains. The taste for large personal 'sport' and 'utility' vehicles also demands more fuel but will level and perhaps pass. In Europe and Japan, where populations are imploding, market saturation and rising efficiency will shrink car fuel consumption. To sell more energy, oil companies will surely try to market more natural gas and electricity in coming decades.
Figure 6 . US domestic intercity passenger travel. Sources of data: US Bureau Of The Census 21,28.
In any case, the population of personal vehicles will remain very large. In the United States it will likely grow from about 200 to about 300 million during the 21 stcentury, as the number of Americans heads for 400 million. Environmentally, the one-license one-car equation means that each car on average must be very clean. Incremental efficiency gains to internal combustion engines will not suffice. The alternative of three hundred million large batteries made with poisonous metals such as lead or cadmium also poses materials recycling and disposal problems.
The obvious answer is the zero-emission fuel cell, where compressed hydrogen gas mixes with oxygen from the air to give off electric current in a low-temperature chemical reaction that also makes water. If refining is directed to the making of hydrogen, its cost should resemble that of gasoline. Moreover, the electrochemical process of the fuel cell is potentially 20%-30% more efficient than the thermodynamic process of today's engines, an efficiency in line to be attained by the middle of the next century (Figure 7). Daimler-Benz, Ford, and other vehicle manufacturers are already building prototype cars powered by fuel cells. 29 Daimler-Benz plans to begin to penetrate the market within 10 years starting at about 100,000 cars per year. Because of the large, lumpy investments in plant required, the traditional ten-year lifetime of cars, and gradual public acceptance, it will take two to three more decades before the fuel cell cars dominate the fleet. City air, now fouled mostly by cars, could be pristine by the year 2050.
Figure 7 . Improvement in the efficiency of motors analyzed as a sigmoid (logistic) growth process, normalized to 100% of what appears achievable from the actual historic innovations, which are shown. Seventy percent efficient fuel cells, which are theoretically attainable, are due in 2050. After Ausubel and Marchetti 35.
Trains and cars seek smooth roadbeds. Flying finesses the problem by smoothing Earth itself, elevating to levels where the mountains and valleys do not interfere. 30 (Marine shipping similarly reduced friction and smoothed coastlines and other terrestrial impediments. For an eccentric exposition, see Ref 30.) For animals, flying is energetically cheaper than running, but requires extremely sophisticated design. Flying has a high fixed energy cost, because support is dynamic. One must push air down to stay up. Energy cost thus depends on time in flight and penalizes slow machines.
So, the successful machines tend to be fast. The mean speed of a plane is 600 km per hour with takeoff and landing, an order of magnitude faster than the intercity trains.
During the past 50 years passenger kilometers for planes have increased by a factor of 50. Air has increased total mobility per capita 10% in Europe and 30% in the United States since 1950. A growth of 2.7% per year in passenger km and of the air share of the travel market in accord with the logistic substitution model brings roughly a 20-fold increase for planes (or their equivalents) in the next 50 years for the United States and even steeper elsewhere. Figure 8 shows the airways heading for half the US market in intercity travel around 2025.
Figure 8 . Shares of actual US domestic intercity passenger travel (squiggly lines) analyzed and extrapolated with the logistic substitution model (smooth lines). The scale used renders the S-shaped logistic linear. Sources of data: US Bureau of the Census 21,28.
Europeans currently travel at about 35 km/hour (or per day, because people travel about 1 hour per day). Of this, Europeans fly only about 15 seconds or 2.5 km per day. A continuing rise in mobility of 2.7% per year means doubling in 25 years, and an additional 35 km per day or about 3 minutes on a plane. Three minutes per day equal about one round-trip per month per passenger. Americans already fly 70 seconds daily, so 3 minutes certainly seems feasible for the average European a generation hence. The jet set in business and society already flies a yearly average of 30 minutes per day. The cost in real terms of air transport is decreasing, so a larger stratum could allocate some share of its money budget to this mode. However, for the European air system the projected level requires a 14-fold increase in the next 25 years or about 12% per year, a hard pace to sustain without a basic rethinking of planes and airport logistics.
One bottleneck is the size of the aeroplanes. Boeing 747s now carry two-thirds of air passenger traffic (in km). The 50-fold increase in traffic has come with a very small increase in the fleet. For a long time the number of commercial aeroplanes was stable around 4000, and in recent years increased to about 5500, many of which are old and small. Nevertheless, commercial productivity in passenger kilometres/hr has soared. Compared with the Queen Mary, a marine alternative for crossing the Atlantic taken out of service in 1967 when the Boeing 747 was about to be introduced, the Jumbo Jet had three times the productivity in passenger km per hour, the same engine power and cost, and 1/100 the crew and weight. The B-747 outperformed its predecessor planes, the B-707 and the DC-8 of the 1950s and 1960s by one order of magnitude and the DC-3 of the 1930s by two orders. To achieve a further order of magnitude growth, the air system requires a 1000-1200 passenger 0.8 Mach plane now and a jumbo hypersonic (greater than Mach 5) soon.
Freight compounds the pressure. Planes started by carrying only the mail and a few pricey people. They have progressively captured lower value goods. (Railroads also started this way and now carry essentially only coal and grain. The declining market for coal will further diminish rail, in turn limiting coal. We wonder how the grain will get around.) Freight still accounts for only 15% of air ton km, so much potential growth remains in the system. The largest air freighter now carries 200 tons. With an increase in traffic, airframe companies will design a variety of planes for freight. One thousand tons seem technically portable. Air freighters could in fact revolutionize cargo transport and reduce the role of the road in long-distance distribution of goods.
As implied, top planes can meet the productivity need in part with greater speed and size. The super- and hyper-sonic machines can work well for intercontinental travel, but at the continental range, noise and other problems arise, especially in the 500-1000 km distances which separate many large continental cities. A single route that carries one million passengers per year per direction, or 30,000 per day, would require 60 take-offs and landings of Jumbos, a lot to add on present airports. Moreover, in our outlook, aeroplanes will consume most of the fuel of the transport system, a fact of interest to both fuel providers and environmentalists. Today's jet fuel will not pass the environmental test at future air traffic volumes. More and more hydrogen needs to enter the mix and it will, consistent with the gradual decarbonization of the energy system (Figure 9). Still, we clearly need a high density mode having the performance characteristic of top aeroplanes without the problems.
Figure 9 . Ratio of hydrogen (H) to carbon (C) for global primary energy consumption since 1860 and projections for the future, expressed as ratio of hydrogen to carbon (H/(H+C)). The ratio is analyzed as a sigmoidal (logistic) growth process, and is plotted on a scale that renders the S-shaped logistic linear. The projection shows two scenarios: one for a methane economy in which the 'average' fuel stabilizes at the H/C ratio of natural gas, and one for a hydrogen economy, in which hydrogen produced by the separation of water using nuclear or solar power would eventually fully decarbonize the energy system. Source: Ausubel 44.
According to our rhythmic historical model (Figure 5), a new, fast transport mode should enter about 2000. The steam locomotive went commercial in 1824, gasoline engine in 1886, and jet in 1941. In fact, in 1991, the German Railway Central Office gave the magnetic levitation system a certificate of operational readiness and a Hamburg-Berlin line is now under construction. 31,32 Maglev prototypes have run up to 600 km/hour.
Maglevs have many advantages: not only high mean speed, to which we will recur, but acceleration, precision of control, and absence of noise and vibration 33,34,. They can be fully passive to forces generated by electrical equipment and need no engine on board. Maglevs also provide the great opportunity for electricity to penetrate transport, the end-use sector from which it has been most successfully excluded.
While resistance limits speed, the induction motors that propel maglevs do not. These motors can produce speeds in excess of 800 km/hour and in low pressure tunnels thousands of km per hr. In fact, electromagnetic linear motors have the capacity to exert pull on a train independent of speed. A traditional electric or internal combustion engine cannot deliver power proportional to speed. In contrast, the new motors allow constant acceleration. Constant acceleration maglevs (CAMs) could accelerate for the first half the ride and brake for the second and thus offer a very smooth ride with high accelerations.
Linear motors can absorb high power, gigawatts for a 100-ton train approaching the centre of its trip. 35 Because the power demand constantly goes from such levels to zero in a matter of minutes, the system places a heavy strain on the electric grid. But, a technical fix may exist. Distributing an energy storage system along the line could largely solve the problem of power. The constant pull force means constant energy per unit distance. The system would store the energy recovered from braking trains locally and re-deliver it to accelerating trains. Recovery could be quite good with linear motors. High-temperature superconductors in fact could permit almost complete energy recovery in deceleration as well as hovering at zero energy cost. The external grid would provide only, on a quasi-continuous basis, the make-up for the losses due to trains, motors, and storage, which could be based on magnetic storage coils in the ground. Such storage systems need research.
High speed does entail problems: aerodynamic and acoustic as well as energetic. In tunnels, high speed requires large cross sections. The neat solution is partially evacuated tubes, which must be straight to accommodate high speeds. Low pressure means a partial vacuum comparable to an altitude of 15 thousand meters. Reduced air pressure helps because above about 100 km per hour the main energy expense to propel a vehicle is air resistance. Low pressure directly reduces resistance and opens the door to high speed with limited energy consumption. Tunnels also solve the problem of landscape disturbance.
For a subsurface network of maglevs, the cost of tunneling will dominate. The Swiss are actually considering a 700 km system. 36 For normal high-speed tunnels, the cross-section ratio of tunnel to train is about 10-1 to handle the shock wave. With a vacuum, however, even CAMs could operate in small tunnels, fitting the size of the train. In either case the high fixed cost of infrastructures will require the system to run where traffic is intense--or huge currents can be created, that is, trunk lines. Because the vehicles will be quite small, they would run very often. In principle, they could fly almost head-to-tail, ten seconds apart.
Acceleration might be limited to 0.5 G or 5 m/s 2, the same as a Ferrari or Porsche (a person feels 1 G lying down on a bed, but the vector is different). In fact, present maglev designs go up to 3 m/s 2. The Six Flags Magic Mountain Amusement Park in Valencia, California, USA is operating a high-tech roller coaster, 'Superman: The Escape', 37with a linear induction motor whose cars accelerate passengers with a force up to 4.5 G. Within a couple of seconds the thrill seekers hurtle upward at 160 km per hour. Such playful implementations of maglev technology can be an important signal of public acceptance.
Initially, maglevs will likely serve groups of airports, a few hundred passengers at a time, every few minutes. They might become profitable at present air tariffs at 50,000 passengers per day.
In essence maglevs will be the choice for future Metros, at several scales: urban, possibly suburban, intercity, and continental.
As the Hong Kong tunnel and Lisbon bridge suggest, the key to traffic development is to switch a route functionally from intercity to intracity. If the Channel Tunnel transit time, London-Amsterdam or London-Paris, were to drop to 20 minutes, traffic could rise an order of magnitude, assuming also the fading of the frontier effect, which strongly reduces traffic between cultures. Our picture is small vehicles, rushing from point to point. The comparison is with the Internet -- a stream of data is broken down into addressed packets of digits individually switched at nodes to their final destination by efficient routing protocols.
Alternately, the physical embodiment resembles, conceptually, that of particle accelerators, where 'buckets' of potential fields carry bunches of charged particles. Maglevs may come to be seen as spin-offs of the physics of the 1970s and 1980s, as transistors are seen as realizations of the quantum mechanics of the 1920s and 1930s.
With maglevs, the issue is not the distance between stations, but waiting time and mode changes, which must be minimized. Stations need to be numerous and trips personalized, that is, zero stops or perhaps one.
Technically, among several competing designs the side-wall suspension system with null-flux centering, developed in the United States by the Foster-Miller company, seems especially attractive: simple, easy access for repair, and is compact. 38 Critically, it allows vertical displacement and therefore switches with no moving parts.
The suspension system evokes a comparison with air. Magnetic forces achieve low-cost hovering. Planes propel by pushing air back. Momentum corresponds to the speed of the air pushed back, that is, energy lost. Maglevs do not push air back, but in a sense push Earth, a large mass, which can provide momentum at negligible energy cost. The use of magnetic forces for both suspension and propulsion appears to create great potential for low travel-energy cost, conceptually reduced by 1-2 orders of magnitude with respect to energy consumption by aeroplanes with similar performance.
Because maglevs carry neither engines nor fuel, the weight of the vehicle can be light and total payload mass high. Aeroplanes at takeoff, cars, and trains all now weigh about 1 ton per passenger transported. A horse was not much lighter. Thus, the cost of transport has mainly owed to the vehicle itself. Maglevs might be 200 kg per passenger. Heavy images of trains and planes continue to haunt discussions of maglevs. In eventual practice, a very light envelope suspended on a moving magnetic field modeled with a computer will surely have very different characteristics from a classic train.
For the intracity maglev, metro stations might be spaced 500 meters apart, with very direct access to trains. Vertical displacement can be precious for stations, where trains would pop up and line up, without pushing other trains around. It also permits a single network, with trains crossing above or below. Alternatively, a hub-and-spoke system might work. This design favors straight tubes and one change.
In Paris, a good Metro city, access to Metro stops is about 5 min on foot, leaving 15-20 min for waiting and travel. Our wagon navigating in a magnetic bucket at 0.5 G constant acceleration could cover 10 km in 1.5 min at a mean speed of 400 km/hour. The trip from Wall Street to midtown Manhattan might be 1 min, while from Heathrow Airport to central London might be 2-3 min. For CAMs transit time grows as the square root of distance, so 500 km might take 10 min and 2500 km 20 min.
Suburban maglevs might go 500 km per hour, a speed requiring 30 s to attain at 0.5 G. At current city densities, this could create functional agglomerations with a 100 km radius and perhaps 150 million people. Stations would serve about 10,000 people.
For the city or suburban model to work, the Internet model is particularly important: information packets called humans sent by a common carrier, starting from various sources and avoiding jams by continuous rerouting. Elevators in busy skyscrapers already prefigure the needed optimization routines.
At intercity and continental scale, maglevs could provide supersonic speeds where supersonic planes cannot fly. For example, a maglev could fuse all of mountainous Switzerland into one functional city in ways that planes never could, with 10 minute travel times between major present city pairs. Alternately, maglevs could functionally expand the area of a city. In fact, settlements seem to be evolving both at micro and macro in the direction of linear or edge cities or corridors, formed by transport and foreseen more than a generation ago in the "ecumenopolis". 39 This pattern seems well-served by maglevs.
Will CAMs make us sprawl? This is a legitimate fear. In Europe, since 1950 the tripling of the average speed of travel has extended personal area tenfold, and so Europe begins to converge with Los Angeles. The car enlarges the cities but also empties the land. In contrast to the car, maglevs may offer the alternative of a bimodal or 'virtual' city with pedestrian islands and fast connections between them.
In a city such as Paris people live in their quarter and regularly or occasionally switch to other quarters. This actual behavior suggests a possible form for future human settlements. 'Quarters' could grow around a maglev station with an area of about 1 km 2and 100,000 inhabitants, be completely pedestrian, and via the maglev form part of a more or less vast network providing the majority of city services at walking distance. Quarters need not be contiguous, an architecture inherited from the early pedestrian city, but could be surrounded by green land.
Travelling in a CAM at 0.5 G for 20 minutes, a woman in Miami could go to work in Boston and return to cook dinner for her children in the evening. Bostonians could symmetrically savor Florida, daily. Marrakech and Paris could pair, too. With appropriate interfaces, the new trains could carry hundreds of thousands of people per day, saving cultural roots without impeding work and business in the most suitable places.
Seismic activity could be a catch. In areas of high seismic activity, such as California, safe tubes (like highways) might not be a simple matter to design and operate.
Although other catches surely will appear, maglevs should displace the competition. Intrinsically, in the CAM format they have higher speed and lower energy costs and could accommodate density much greater than air. They could open new passenger flows on a grand scale during the 21 stcentury with zero emissions and minimal surface structures.
All the history of transport reduces to the fundamentally simple principle: produce speed technically and economically so that it can be squeezed into the travel money budget. The history of transport technology can be seen as a striving to bring extra speed to the progressively expanding level of income.
By the year 2100, per capita incomes in the developed countries could be very high. A 2% growth rate, certainly much less than governments, central banks, industries, and laborers aspire to achieve, would bring an average American's annual income to $200,000.
Time, or convenience, determines the volume of traffic. Traffic will be very high if we stay within the traditional budgets, even higher if the relaxation of time budgets permits an increase in travel time, which Californians may foreshadow, or if the share of disposable income allocated to travel trends upward.
Staying within present laws, a 2.7% per year growth means doubling of mobility in 25 years and 16 times in a century.
A century or more is the rational time for conceiving a transport system. The infrastructures last for centuries. They take 50-100 years to build, in part because they also require complementary infrastructures. Railroads needed telegraphs, and paved roads needed oil delivery systems so that gasoline would be available to fill empty car tanks. Moreover, the new systems take 100 years to penetrate fully at the level of the consumer. Railroads began in the 1820s and peaked with consumers in the 1920s.
Fortunately, during the next century we may be able to afford green mobility. In fact, we can clearly see its elements: cars, powered by fuels cells; aeroplanes, powered by hydrogen; and maglevs, powered by electricity, probably nuclear. The future looks clean, fast, and green.
Thanks to the late Robert Herman for many stimulating conversations about travel and behavior, Arnulf Gruebler and Nebojsa Nakicenovic for sharing their analyses of these same questions with us over many years, Eduard Loeser and Andreas Schafer for help with data, and Chauncey Starr and Kurt Yeager for their continuing interest in our work.
1R. Herman (1982) "Remarks on Traffic Flow Theories and the Characterization of Traffic in Cities". In W. C. Schieve, and P. M. Allen (eds.), Self-Organization and Dissipative Structures (Austin, Texas: University of Texas) pp. 260-284.
2R. Ardrey (1986) The Territorial Imperative (New York: Atheneum).
3R. D. Sack (1986) Human Territoriality: Its Theory and History (Cambridge UK: Cambridge University Press).
4C. Marchetti (1994) "Anthropological invariants in travel behavior". Technological Forecasting and Social Change 47(1), 75-88.
5Y. Zahavi (1976) "Travel characteristics in cities of developing and developed countries". World Bank Staff Working Paper No. 230, World Bank, Washington, DC.
6Y. Zahavi (1979) The "UMOT" Project. US Department of Transportation Report No. DOT-RSPA-DPD-20-79-3, Washington, DC.
7Y. Zahavi (1981) 'Travel time budgets in developing countries'. Transportation Research Part A-General 15(1), 87-95.
8Y. Zahavi, M. J. Beckmann, and T. F. Golob (1981) The UMOT/Urban Interactions. US Department of Transportation Report No. DOT-RSPA-DPB-10/7, Washington, DC.
9A. Schafer and D. G. Victor (1997) 'The Future Mobility of the World Population'. Discussion Paper 97-6-4, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Center for Technology , Policy, and Industrial Development, Cambridge, MA.
10R. Katiyar and K. Ohta (1993) 'Concept of daily travel time (DTT) and its applicability to travel demand analysis'. Journal of the Faculty of Engineering of the University of Tokyo 42(2), 109-121.
11Verkehrsverhalten in der Schweiz 1984 (1986) GVF-Bericht 2/86, Bern, Switzerland.
12J. A. Wiley, J. P. Robinson, T. Piazza, K. Garrett, K. Cirksena, Y. T. Cheng, and G. Martin (1991) Activity patterns of California residents , California Survey Research Center, University of California, Berkeley.
13H. Balzer (1995) Report on daily Activities of Americans , NPD Group Inc., Rosemont, IL, 1995 (see also http://www.npd.com); reported in New York Times , 6 September 1995, p. C1.
14A. Szalai, P. E. Converse, P. Feldheim, E. K. Scheuch, and P. J. Stone (1992) The Use of Time: Daily Activities of Urban and Suburban Populations in 12 Countries (The Hague, Netherlands: Mouton).
15P. D. MacLean (1990) The Triune Brain in Evolution: Role in Paleocerebral Functions (New York: Plenum).
16J. G. U. Adams (1990) Transport Planning: Vision and Practice , (London: Routledge & Kegan Paul).
17J. P. Ofreuil and I. Salomon (1993) 'Travel patterns of the Europeans in everyday life'. A Billion Trips a Day - Tradition and Transition in European Travel Patterns (Amsterdam: Kluwer Academic).
18G. Hupkes (1988) "The law of constant travel time and trip rates", Futures 14(1), 38-46.
19C. Marchetti (1991) "Building bridges and tunnels: The effects on the evolution of traffic". In A. Montanari (ed), Under and Over the Water: The Economic and Social Effects of Building Bridges and Tunnels (Napoli, Italy: Edizione Scientifiche Italiane), pp. 189-278.
20International Air Transport Association (IATA) (1995) World Air Transport Statistics, Cointrin-Geneva.
21US Bureau of the Census (1975) Historical Statistics of the United States: Colonial Times to 1970 (Washington, DC: US Government Printing Office).
22J. P. Robinson and G. Godbey (1997) Time For Life: The Surprising Ways Americans Use Their Time (University Park, Pennsylvania: Pennsylvania State University).
23A. Gruebler (1990) The Rise and Fall of Infrastructure: Dynamics of Evolution and Technological Change in Transport (Heidelberg: Physica).
24K. Desmond (1987) The Harwin Chronology of Inventions, Innovations, and Discoveries from Pre-History to the Present Day (London: Constable).
25N. Nakicenovic (1998) "Dynamics and replacement of US transport infrastructures". In J. H. Ausubel and R. H. Herman (eds), Cities and Their Vital Systems: Infrastructure Past, Present, and Future (Washington, DC: National Academy), pp. 175-221.
26S. H. Olson (1971) The Depletion Myth: A History of Railroad Use of Timber (Cambridge, Massachusetts: Harvard).
27W. Christaller (1933) Central Places in Southern Germany (Englewood Cliffs, New Jersey: Prentice-Hall).
28US Bureau of the Census (1996 and earlier years) Statistical Abstract of the U.S. (Washington, DC: US Government Printing Office).
29P. Hoffman (1997) Hydrogen & Fuel Cell Letter XII(4), 14 April.
30N. Rashevsky (1968) Looking at History Through Mathematics
(Cambridge, Massachusetts: MIT).
31MVP (Versuchs- und Planungsgesellschaft für Magnetbahnsysteme m.b.H) (1997 Die offizielle Transrapid Homepage, URL http://www.mvp.de/, Munich, Germany.
32J. Mika, Transrapid Informations Resourcen Homepage , URL http://transrapid.simplenet.com/, Germany.
33US Department of Transportation (1997) National Transportation Library: High Speed Ground Transportation (Washington, DC: Bureau of Transportation Statistics). Online at URL http://www.bts.gov/ntl/.
34US Department of Transportation (1997) National Transportation Statistics 1997 (Washington, DC: Bureau of Transportation Statistics). Online at http://www.bts.gov/btsprod/nts/.
35J. H. Ausubel and C. Marchetti (1996) 'Elektron', Daedalus 125, 139-169.
36M. Jufer (1996) Swissmetro: Wissenschaftliche Taetigkeit der ETH-Lausanne und Zuerich, Hauptstudie-Zwischenbericht Juli 1994-Juni 1996 (Switzerland: ETH-Lausanne), 30 August 1996. URL http://sentenext1.epfl.ch/swissmetro.
37Superman: The Escape (1997) Superman: The Escape Ride Specs Page , URL http://www.sixflags.com/parks/sfmm, Six Flags Theme Park Inc., Valencia, CA.
38US Department of Transportation (1993) Compendium of Executive Summaries from the Maglev System Concept Definition Final Reports , DOT/FRA/NMI-93/02, pp. 49-81, March 1993. On-line at http://www.bts.gov/smart/cat/CES.html.
39C. A. Doxiadis (1974) Anthropolis: City for Human Development (New York: Norton).
40Eurostat (1994) Consumer Expenditure Survey Data, personal communication to A. Schafer (MIT), Luxembourg.
41UK Department Of Transport (1993) National Travel Survey , London.
42Central Statistics Office (1996) Annual Abstract of Statistics (London: Her Majesty's Statistics Office).
43Institut National De La Statistique Et Des Etudes Economiques (INSEE) (1997) Annuaire Statistique De La France Edition 1997 (Paris.)
44J. H. Ausubel (1996) 'Can technology spare the Earth?' American Scientist 84(2), 166-178.
Keywords: Hydrogen Economy, Maglev.
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Record-high food prices have already caused hunger and political unrest across the globe, and several trends indicate that the world is headed toward a food security crisis, Earth Policy Institute president and World on the Edge author Lester Brown said in a teleconference today.
Aquifer depletion, severe soil erosion and rising temperatures are causing instability in grain production worldwide, Brown said. Three of the world's big four wheat producers—China, the United States, and Russia—are currently experiencing severe drought and potentially low yields. China, the leading wheat producer, suffered the worst drought in its winter wheat-growing region in 60 years and could easily see its wheat harvest drop from 115 million tons last year to 110 million tons or less this year, he said. When 1.4 billion Chinese with rapidly rising incomes turn to the world market for grain, it will be the United States’ “nightmare.”
“China’s our banker now,” Brown said. “Like it or not, we’re going to be sharing our grain harvest with China from now on. And the competition is going to drive grain prices to levels we’ve not imagined before.”
Population growth, demographic changes and the use of grain to make ethanol are all conspiring to make the situation worse. The world will have some 80 million more mouths to feed this year, and 3 billion people are moving up the food chain, eating grain-intensive meat. Last year, 30 percent of the U.S. grain harvest went to ethanol distilleries.
“The water issue is a real sleeper,” Brown said. In 18 countries containing half the world’s people—including China, Russia and the United States—overpumping for irrigation is depleting aquifers. Saudi Arabia—which had been self-sufficient in wheat production—announced that its acquifer is largely depleted. Syria and Iraq have also seen their aquifers depleted, and Egypt’s wheat yields have been flat for the past six years. “The bottom line,” Brown said, “in the Arab Middle East, grain production has peaked and begun to decline.” In India, 175 million people are being fed with grain produced by overpumping, “which by definition is a short-term phenomenon,” Brown said. The comparable number for China is 130 million people.
During the last half of the 20th century, the United States kept grain in bins and kept cropland out of production to stabilize supply and prices. When a severe weather event led to poor harvests, the USDA could simply put idle cropland back into production to make up for it. “We don’t have any idled capacity in the United States—or, indeed, in the world anymore,” Brown said. “What we need now is a new source of price stabilization. We need to be talking about an international food reservoir where grain could be accumulated and managed internationally. … We’re not even having that dialogue. I think we’re in a potentially dangerous situation, and we haven’t even realized how dangerous it is.”
Scary stuff for the world. And the bottom line for food shoppers? “It may be somehow possible to avoid a rise in world food prices in the months ahead,” Brown predicts, “but at this point it seems unlikely.”
Expect to pay more for wheat this year. iStock photo | <urn:uuid:07fb4345-a2cc-4dfa-817c-65409c5b75d9> | CC-MAIN-2016-26 | http://www.motherearthliving.com/the-good-life/grain-prices-to-hit-crisis-levels-earthwatch-institutes-lester-brown-predicts.aspx | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2016-26/segments/1466783397696.49/warc/CC-MAIN-20160624154957-00092-ip-10-164-35-72.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.955226 | 721 | 2.765625 | 3 |
How to use foreign key cascades in MySQLFri, Apr 7, 2006 in Databases
A friend of mine recently asked me to show him how to enable cascading deletes between tables in MySQL. Cascading updates and deletes can be turned on between tables related with foreign keys in many RDBMSs. Though they can be convenient for some purposes, they can have unexpected side effects, and can be very confusing and dangerous at times. In this article I’ll discuss some of the ways cascades can do invisible things, and show you one place they can be very handy too.
MySQL, like most systems, has a syntax for defining foreign keys, (but only for InnoDB tables) both when creating tables and later. One of the options for a foreign key is how updates and deletes should cascade to related records in other tables.
Cascades can have a variety of actions, such as deleting or updating related records, setting them to NULL, or causing the statement to fail. “Turning cascades on” is a bit of a misnomer – cascades are always present when foreign keys are defined, it’s just that sometimes they do nothing.
When they do have an action, cascades can do unexpected things. Here are some examples for what can happen when foreign keys are defined with
ON DELETE CASCADE, probably the most common usage:
- If orders are foreign keyed to a payment type and the payment type is deleted, all the orders are too. Oops!
- If records in a table are foreign keyed to other records in the same table – a very common scenario in cases where a hierarchy is stored in a single table, such as in my GnuCash to MySQL export script – and a parent record is deleted, all the child records are deleted, too. The count of deleted rows, however, is not reported as might be expected. Rows that are deleted because of cascades are not included in the row count. For example, I have 124 rows in the account table and delete them in a single
delete from accountstatement, but MySQL only reports 42 rows affected. Similarly, if I delete everything from the transaction table, which has 628 rows, I only see 628 rows affected, even though the entire split table gets emptied too. This is because MySQL processes rows one at a time, cascading as necessary before moving to the next row.
Because of these behind-the-scenes effects, I have never permanently enabled cascading updates or deletes in any of my real work (GnuCash scripts aren’t real work). I consider them too dangerous. I’m not saying I never will, I’m just saying I haven’t needed to yet. I think triggers are dangerous, too. They are like cascades in that they cause an unseen, not-directly-initiated action.
When they’re handy
Sometimes a single value appears all through the database in many different tables, for example, a status value. Once at my previous employer I faced this situation. There were two choices: a) delete all the foreign keys, update all the tables and re-create the foreign keys, or b) turn on cascades, make an update in one place and then turn them off again. The first option was simply not feasible. Not only were there dozens of tables and relationships to consider, new data was constantly coming into the system, so it would have to be taken offline for a time – not desirable at all. I also would have needed to hold a transaction open the entire time, locking all the tables ahead of time to make sure nothing else tried to access them and cause a deadlock. The second option was much better.
In this case cascading updates saved me a huge amount of time and effort. I turned on cascading updates (behind the scenes, this involves deleting and re-creating the foreign keys, but that is easy to script out and do in a transaction), updated, then turned the cascades off again.
I'm Baron Schwartz, the founder and CEO of VividCortex. I am the author of High Performance MySQL and many open-source tools for performance analysis, monitoring, and system administration. I contribute to various database communities such as Oracle, PostgreSQL, Redis and MongoDB. | <urn:uuid:0894dd87-bea8-43e5-b951-080c4b5766d7> | CC-MAIN-2016-26 | http://www.xaprb.com/blog/2006/04/07/foreign-key-cascades-in-mysql/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2016-26/segments/1466783394414.43/warc/CC-MAIN-20160624154954-00156-ip-10-164-35-72.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.947944 | 900 | 2.609375 | 3 |
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1. What is legislation?
This is a very important source of law in England and Wales
2. How many readings must a Bill have in the House of Commons and the House of Lords before it receives Royal Assent?
A Bill goes through a number of stages before it becomes an Act of Parliament
3. What is the Committee Stage in the passage of a Bill through the House of Commons?
4. How long can the House of Lords delay a Bill (except a Money Bill)?
The power of the House of Lords to delay a Bill has been gradually reduced
5. What is a Public Act?
Acts of Parliament can be categorised in different ways
6. What is meant by statutory interpretation?
A statute is another name for an Act of Parliament
7. What is meant by the purposive approach?
This is one of the approaches to statutory interpretation
8. What is the mischief rule?
This is a rule of statutory interpretation
9. What is the rule in Pepper v Hart?
This relates to extrinsic aids to the construction of a statute by the court
10. What is delegated legislation?
This differs from legislation passed by Parliament itself
11. Which of these is a disadvantage of delegated legislation?
Delegated legislation is not passed by Parliament itself
12. What is case law?
13. What is the doctrine of stare decisis?
This is a fundamental concept underpinning the law of England and Wales
14. What is the ratio decidendi of a case?
This is the part of the case that is potentially binding on other courts | <urn:uuid:2e811d35-0021-4809-ab67-d9411de6a559> | CC-MAIN-2016-26 | http://cw.routledge.com/textbooks/9780415566957/questions.asp?unit=3 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2016-26/segments/1466783395679.18/warc/CC-MAIN-20160624154955-00063-ip-10-164-35-72.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.951384 | 339 | 3.421875 | 3 |
The doctor will ask when memory problems started and how quickly they got worse. This information, together with the person's age, can point toward a likely diagnosis. For example, if the person is elderly and has had consistently worsening memory and other problems for several years, a doctor may suspect Alzheimer's disease. If symptoms got worse rapidly, then Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease may be a likely cause. If the person has had a history of high blood pressure, diabetes and vascular disease, a doctor may suspect stroke.
To diagnose dementia, a doctor looks to see if a person's memory gets progressively worse, along with at least one of the following:
Difficulty understanding or using language
The inability to perform a purposeful act or sequence of motor activities
The inability to recognize familiar objects or people
Difficulty doing such complex tasks as planning or organizing
Doctors test people by testing memory and attention. A commonly used tool to screen for dementia is the Mini Mental State Exam. It consists of 11 short assessments, such as asking the person what day and year it is or have the person count backward from 100 by sevens (100, 93, 86, etc.). If the person answers correctly, dementia is less likely.
Laboratory tests can narrow down the possible causes. Some tests include:
Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) or computed tomography (CT) scans – These create pictures of structures inside the head (similar to the way X-rays create images of bones). The pictures can reveal brain tumors and stroke. If these tests do not show any major abnormalities, the diagnosis could be Alzheimer's disease.
Positron emission tomography (PET) scans – Increasingly, these scans are being used to detect Alzheimer's disease, and conditions that can turn into Alzheimer's disease. They are not yet widely available.
Blood tests – These are done to help judge overall health and also to determine if vitamin B12 deficiency or very low levels of thyroid hormone may be contributing to the decreased mental functioning.
Lumbar puncture (spinal tap) – This test is rarely needed to evaluate dementia. Occasionally, your doctor may want to be certain that fluid pressure around the brain is normal. Also laboratory testing on a sample of spinal fluid can make sure there is no infection. Researchers are studying proteins in the spinal fluid to see if certain patterns can detect specific causes of dementia, or can predict the outlook (prognosis). | <urn:uuid:fbc857ba-0be2-4b52-836b-1cfacc8ae3ec> | CC-MAIN-2016-26 | http://www.sparkpeople.com/resource/health_a-z_detail.asp?AZ=134&Page=3 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2016-26/segments/1466783404826.94/warc/CC-MAIN-20160624155004-00166-ip-10-164-35-72.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.917448 | 495 | 3.5 | 4 |
Mining Contract: A Magnetic Communication System for Use in Mine Environments
This contract will develop and demonstrate a two-way, through-the-earth communication system for mines that applies state-of-the-art communications technologies to overcome subterranean wireless communication challenges while meeting acceptable industrial safety standards. The system will feature transceivers on the surface and underground and use the earth's strata as the transmission medium. The underground transceiver will provide a dual-mode capability:
It is envisioned that transceivers might be located at fixed points and/or be integrated into a rescue chamber. During escape, miners could carry suitcase-sized units with them, but would need to stop to deploy an antenna to transmit. Should miners become trapped, the subsurface transceiver at the rescue chamber would also be able to operate in beacon mode where it would cycle through various transmission frequencies (3,000 to 5,000 Hz), sending a "sounding" signal at a predetermined time period. The transceiver would then listen between transmissions for a response.
Contract Status & Impact
The contract is complete. To receive a copy of the final report, send a request to OMSHR@cdc.gov.
Lockheed Martin developed a wireless, through-the-earth, prototype communication system based upon magnetic field generation and sensing. The system consists of surface and underground transceivers. The receiving antennas are comprised of three ferrite core windings arranged orthogonally and housed in a portable case. Software calculates the resultant vector signal. Various sized single and multiple turn air core antennas are used for transmission from underground to surface. Underground, the single loop of wire may be wound around a coal pillar. Voice and text messages are possible at signal transmission frequencies of 90, 330, and 3,200 Hz. The surface receiver features noise cancellation techniques. The goal of making the system portable while still being permissible was not achieved under this contract.
The system was tested at the NIOSH Pittsburgh Research Laboratory and at several coal mines in Southwestern Pennsylvania and Northern West Virginia. Signals were received at distances up to 5,100 feet in point-to-point underground tests. In underground to surface tests, the system was able to communicate successfully at vertical depths of 1,080 feet and up to 1,830 feet when the surface transceiver was moved away from the vertical axis.
Note: enhancements were made to this system under a subsequent contract 200-2009-32021 ("Magnetic Communication System").
- Development of a Visual Display and Control System
- Mining Communications and Tracking
- Performance Evaluation of Electromagnetic Techniques for the Location of Trapped Miners
- Propagation of EM Signals in Underground Mines
- Research and Development Contract for Coal Mine Communication System: Volume 3 - Theoretical Data Base
- Theoretical Noise and Propagation Models for Through-the-earth Communication
- Theory on the Propagation of UHF Radio Waves in Coal Mine Tunnels
- Through-The-Earth Wireless Real-Time Two-Way Voice Communications
- Ultra-Low Frequency Through-the-Earth Communication Technology
- Wireless Through-The-Earth Modeling and Support
- Page last reviewed: 7/22/2015
- Page last updated: 7/22/2015
- Content source: National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health, Mining Program | <urn:uuid:cd50a653-2d4b-47a3-8505-4f77a99524ea> | CC-MAIN-2016-26 | http://www.cdc.gov/niosh/mining/researchprogram/contracts/contract_200-2007-22843.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2016-26/segments/1466783403826.29/warc/CC-MAIN-20160624155003-00050-ip-10-164-35-72.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.910587 | 684 | 2.953125 | 3 |
The continuous coverage of the ongoing nuclear catastrophe centered in the Fukushima prefecture of the Japanese island of Honshu often includes a lot of information related to radiation levels and their effects on human health. The purpose of this entry is to cover the basic physics of the radiation's affect on living tissues. We won't have the occasion here to cover in any detail how exposure to radiation is related to increased incidence of cancer. Hopefully, we'll get to that soon, in a later entry.
Let's begin first with what radiation is, physically speaking. Radiation is a collection (perhaps a collection of just one) of subatomic particles. 'Subatomic' means things smaller than the atom. Recall that (a cartoon of) the atom looks like a solar system, with the nucleus at the center, like the sun, and electrons going around the center, like the planets. Also recall that while the structure is similar to the solar system, the analogy ends there. The forces and speeds acting in the atom are much larger than those in the solar system.
Now, when we're discussing radiation, we're often talking about the things that make up the atom -- electrons and nuclei -- so they have to be smaller than the atom itself. This is the origin of the term, "subatomic," which means "below the atomic scale." And the atomic scale is about 100 million times smaller than the diameter of a an American penny, which is much too small to see with visible light from, say, a flashlight or even in full sunlight. Radiation can not be seen by human eyes because the particles are so small. Visible light is of too large a wavelength to resolve these subatomic particles. Incidentally, the overwhelmingly vast majority of radiation doesn't glow either. You can't see it, taste it, smell it, hear it, or feel it -- unless you suffer a huge dose, that is. But we'll return to this.
Now that we understand the length scale -- subatomic -- that we're discussing, we forget about the atom as a whole and we just consider its parts. Because it is these parts of the atom, the electrons and the nucleus (made of protons and neutrons) and some other types of subatomic particles not found in the atom, that can be flying through space at tremendous speeds, which damage the cells of living (and dead, incidentally) tissue. This damage is the exactly the damage that radiation causes. And this radiation damage can lead to severe sickness and death and to higher incidence of cancer and other diseases.
Let's talk in a little more detail about the microscopic physical process that corresponds to radiation damage. Suppose that we could follow a single neutron flying through space. Typical speeds are tens-of-thousands to millions of miles-per-hour. And suppose that we can see this neutron hitting a collection of tissue, like muscle tissue in a person's arm or bone marrow. Then what we would most often "see" (we're imagining all of this because you can't see things this small with visible light) as the neutron impinged upon the surface of the tissue, which is made of closely-packed cells touching each other, is that it would pass undisturbed through the cell membrane, the outermost portion of the cell, through the inner parts of the cell -- the cytoplasm, organelles, and other cellular features, like the nucleus -- and right out the other side. Since we're looking at a single neutron this is a common scenario. In this scenario, there would be no damage to the cell.
But suppose conversely that the alignment of the flight path of the neutron were just right and it strikes one of the nuclei of one of the atoms in one of the many molecules making up some part of the cell. In that case, the neutron would essentially blast apart the nucleus in the atom of the nucleus in the cell that it hit. This is (neutron) radiation damage. And this is what can be so devastating to living tissue at the cellular level when it happens frequently.
Taken one at a time like we're considering here, the neutron hitting the matter that makes up the cell tissue isn't going to do any significant damage (statistically speaking, at least) to that tissue. But suppose instead of a single neutron flying into the cell and blasting its tissue apart at the subatomic level we have a hundred neutrons in a dense packet that flies into the cell. Then we've just raised the odds (or probability) that some damage can be done. Damaging levels of neutron radiation correspond to several hundreds of neutrons per second falling on an area about the size of an American penny. With this high number of neutrons bombarding the matter that makes up the cellular tissues, the damage can be catastrophic for the cell and it may stop functioning. Or it may, at lower levels of prolonged radiation, suffer a transformation to a cancerous cell.
The above understanding of the microscopic characterization of the physical process of radiation damage allows us to understand the issues of radiation levels, exposure, and dosage.
The radiation level is how many subatomic particles are flying around in some region of space. In order to specify the radiation level we have to say how many particles there are in some given amount of time and how densely they present themselves in space.
The next two terms can be a little confusing because they're often conflated in the media -- radiation exposure and dosage.
The radiation exposure is how much radiation at a given level was applied externally to a given sample of tissue. The radiation dosage is how much radiation is absorbed the exposed tissue. It's the dosage that is a measure of the potential damage that high radiation levels can 'achieve' because this means that the neutron (or other subatomic particle) hit something in a cell. But recall from our discussion of what happens when a single neutron approaches a cell. It might just pass right through. So this particular "exposure" to the neutron radiation didn't result in a "dose" of neutron radiation.
Calculating dosage is a pretty tricky affair. That's because we first need to know the radiation level and the exposure in order to determine the dosage. And the dosage also depends on the type of radiation (neutron or alpha-, beta-, or gamma-radiation, for example) and the type of tissue that received the dose.
These topics will be the subject of subsequent entries.
Thanks for reading. --Mark | <urn:uuid:6c480bbd-932d-4139-861e-fc137aa05d8d> | CC-MAIN-2016-26 | http://www.nuclearpolitics.org/2011_04_01_archive.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2016-26/segments/1466783396106.25/warc/CC-MAIN-20160624154956-00019-ip-10-164-35-72.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.951441 | 1,318 | 3.515625 | 4 |
Teri SharpPublic Relations Manager419-255-8000 ext. email@example.com
Libbey Factory, 1930
When TMA founder Edward Drummond Libbey moved his family’s New England Glass Works in 1888 from Massachusetts to Ohio, he set the stage for Toledo to become the Glass City. In 1892, the company changed its name to the Libbey Glass Company and specialized in glass tableware.
Libbey’s greatest achievements in the glass industry were a result of his support of the inventions of Michael J. Owens, who developed the technologies to automate the manufacture of electric light bulbs, kerosene lamp fonts, bottles, and window glass.
In 1930, the Libbey-Owens flat-glass operation merged with the Edward Ford Plate Glass Company, also located in Toledo. The Libbey-Owens-Ford Company became a major producer of flat glass for the automotive and building products industries, and made Toledo the glass-making capital of the country.
In 1936, the first building to be completely covered in glass was constructed in Toledo: a building for the Owens-Illinois Glass Company and a milestone in architectural design.
In the 1960s, the Studio Glass Movement was born in Toledo, and TMA became the first museum to build a facility and studio specifically designed for teaching glass working techniques. That tradition was reinforced in 2006 with the construction of the Museum’s Glass Pavilion.
Today, even as the manufacturing age has declined, the tremendous growth of “green” industries has kept Toledo on the forefront of glass production. The Glass City is home to dozens of solar energy companies that turn glass into solar cells, panels and coatings. | <urn:uuid:fc523a69-fa40-437f-b3ba-0d4320d37348> | CC-MAIN-2016-26 | http://www.toledomuseum.org/glass-pavilion/glass-at-tma/the-glass-city/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2016-26/segments/1466783395548.53/warc/CC-MAIN-20160624154955-00105-ip-10-164-35-72.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.961149 | 353 | 2.65625 | 3 |
Demographic responses of an arboreal marsupial, the common brushtail possum (Trichosurus vulpecula), to a prescribed fire
Isaac, J.L., Valentine, L.E. and Goodman, B.A. (2008) Demographic responses of an arboreal marsupial, the common brushtail possum (Trichosurus vulpecula), to a prescribed fire. Population Ecology, 50 (1). pp. 101-109.
*Subscription may be required
We investigated demographic responses of the common brushtail possum Trichosurus vulpecula, a medium-sized arboreal marsupial, after a prescribed fuel reduction burn on Magnetic Island, tropical north Queensland, Australia. Possums were live-trapped every month for 14 months before the fire and 11 months after the fire in both the burnt and unburnt areas; measurements of individuals were taken each month and demographic parameters were modelled using capture-mark-recapture data. Significant differences between the burnt and unburnt sites were found following the fire; recruitment was lower in the unburnt area, where population size also declined. In the burnt area, population size and recruitment displayed a tendency to increase after the fire, while capture probability declined, suggesting that an influx of new individuals, attracted to re-sprouting vegetation, had resulted in trap saturation. There was no detectable effect of the fire on survival, and no fire-induced mortalities were observed. We conclude that a low-intensity, prescribed, fuel-reduction burn had no obvious negative consequences for this possum population.
|Publication Type:||Journal Article|
|Copyright:||© 2007 The Society of Population Ecology and Springer.|
|Item Control Page| | <urn:uuid:ef63d54d-c252-4d09-9ce9-743359382a38> | CC-MAIN-2016-26 | http://researchrepository.murdoch.edu.au/8170/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2016-26/segments/1466783402699.36/warc/CC-MAIN-20160624155002-00182-ip-10-164-35-72.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.91864 | 367 | 2.53125 | 3 |
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Physical Activity in Old Age May Protect Brain
Dementia risk cut in those who walked, biked or did other exercise regularly, study says
THURSDAY, Nov. 1 (HealthDay News) -- Older people who exercise regularly may reduce their risk of dementia and help keep their minds sharp, a new study suggests.
Physical activity may cut dementia risk by 40 percent and decline of thinking skills by as much as 60 percent, researchers say.
"Over the past three years, this has become a highly consistent finding," said Dr. Sam Gandy, associate director of the Mount Sinai Alzheimer's Disease Research Center in New York City, who had no part in the study.
"The best thing we can do for ourselves and our patients is to adopt a regular exercise routine," he said. "This delays or prevents dementia or slows progression so there is some benefit for everyone."
Dr. Ralph Sacco, chairman of neurology at the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine, said this study shows some convincing evidence that physical activity in an older population reduces the risk of vascular dementia. Vascular dementia results from reduced blood flow to the brain, typically because of strokes, and may lead to symptoms such as confusion, depression, agitation and problems with memory, attention or decision-making.
"Physical activity is one of the seven key health factors in the American Heart Association's definition of ideal cardiovascular health, and can also help to reduce stroke and improve brain health," Sacco said.
As the U.S. population ages, more emphasis will be placed on ways to reduce dementia and age-related cognitive (mental) decline, he added.
"Staying physically active is not only important to improve heart health, but can also promote better brain health," Sacco said.
The study was released online Nov. 1 in advance of publication in the December print issue of the journal Stroke.
The investigators, led by Dr. Ana Verdelho, a neuroscience researcher at the University of Lisbon, Santa Maria Hospital in Portugal, had more than 600 men and women in their 60s and 70s undergo brain scans at the start and end of the study to look for changes that indicate declining mental function. Almost two-thirds of the participants took exercise classes, walked or biked for 30 minutes a day three times a week.
During the study, the participants were asked about depression, quality of life and their ability to do common activities.
After three years, the researchers found 90 patients had developed dementia, including 54 with vascular dementia and 34 with the brain-robbing condition known as Alzheimer's disease. Another 147 displayed problems with mental ability, but not dementia, the researchers reported.
"We strongly suggest physical activity of moderate intensity at least 30 minutes three times a week to prevent cognitive [thinking] impairment," Verdelho said in a journal news release. "This is particularly important for people with vascular risk factors such as [high blood pressure], stroke or diabetes."
Ideally, the American Heart Association suggests men and women should engage in 150 minutes of moderate exercise every week or 75 minutes of vigorous exercise.
Among study participants, regular exercise was effective regardless of age, education, changes in the brain, or a history of stroke, the researchers noted.
Dr. David Katz, director of the Yale University Prevention Research Center, said it's known that Alzheimer's and vascular dementia share risk factors with other chronic diseases, such as coronary disease.
"We have long had reason to believe that the same lifestyle practices that defend against diabetes and heart disease defend against dementia as well," he said.
This study reaffirms that important association, Katz said.
"The health of the body and brain are indelibly linked, and caring well for the one benefits the other. One may think that exercise is mostly about conditioning muscles, but this study suggests it is just as important for preserving a well-functioning mind," he said.
For more information on dementia, visit the U.S. National Library of Medicine.
Source: SOURCES: Sam Gandy, M.D., Ph.D., associate director, Mount Sinai Alzheimer's Disease Research Center, New York City; Ralph L. Sacco, M.D., professor and Olemberg chair of neurology, executive director, McKnight Brain Institute Chief of Neurology, Miller School of Medicine, University of Miami; David Katz, M.D., M.P.H., director, Yale University Prevention Research Center, New Haven, Conn.; Nov. 1, 2012, Stroke, online
Copyright © 2012 HealthDay. All rights reserved. | <urn:uuid:a83eecf2-be6f-43eb-b30a-c022d7d3c875> | CC-MAIN-2016-26 | http://www.summitmedicalgroup.com/healthday/article/670285/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2016-26/segments/1466783396459.32/warc/CC-MAIN-20160624154956-00180-ip-10-164-35-72.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.954573 | 951 | 2.921875 | 3 |
About 300 white-tailed deer have died in Ohio so far in an outbreak of a common deer virus which, while fatal to deer, poses no threat to humans.
As of yesterday, the Ohio Division of Wildlife had been notified of 298 dead deer, mainly in southeast Ohio's Wildlife District 4.
No cases have been reported in northwest Ohio's Wildlife District 2. Samples from the deer are being tested by the Ohio Department of Agriculture's Animal Disease Laboratory at Reynoldsburg and initial tests have confirmed that the killer is epizootic hemorrhagic disease, or EHD.
Some cases of EHD also have been reported in southwest Ohio's Highland and Adams counties, and in neighboring southwest Pennsylvania as well. The archery deer hunting season opens Saturday in both states and on Monday in Michigan, where some cases of EHD were reported a year ago in the southwest Lower Peninsula. So far no EHD cases have been reported this fall in Michigan.
"We've got lots of samples we're waiting for results from," said Mike Tonkovich, Ohio's deer biologist. "Many of the deer we're sending [for testing] are healthy-looking deer. They're dying so quickly."
EHD is not spread from deer to humans and is not related to the more feared chronic wasting disease, or CWD, which has not been confirmed here or in Michigan or Pennsylvania. Deer contract EHD from the bites of gnats, which live near water.
Outbreaks usually occur in drought years, such as 2007, where water sources are severely limited and animals are concentrated around them. The virus also may infect sheep and cattle.
"Most definitely the disease is related to deer and gnats using the same pools of stagnant water," Tonkovich said.
Initially the outbreak was reported in southwest Ohio among just a handful of animals. But now 15 of the 19 counties in District 4 are involved, except for Coshocton, Lawrence, Noble, and Vinton, Tonkovich said.
The onset of cold weather usually suppresses EHD as frost drives the gnats into winter inactivity. The virus first was reported in New Jersey in 1955 and is common in portions of the northern Great Plains and southeastern United States.
Some cases of EHD also are being reported in southern Pennsylvania, also drought-stricken, this year. The virus kills in as little as 36 hours after onset of symptoms, which take 5 to 10 days to show up and may include loss of appetite and fear of man, progressive weakness, excess salivation, and loss of consciousness. Deer hunters, Tonkovich noted, may not notice any symptoms.
Although the disease does not affect humans nor impact the safety of consumed deer, hunters should report deer that appear ill or diseased to the local state wildlife officer. A phone list of officers appears in hunting and fishing regulation pamphlets.
In northwest Ohio Wildlife District 2 can be reached at 419-424-5000.
The big boys are coming to play on central Lake Erie's walleye fishing grounds this week in the $675,850 Wal-Mart FLW Walleye Tour Championship, the walleye sport's top money event, which will be based in downtown Cleveland at
Voinovich Bicentennial Park, 800 East Ninth St.
The starting field of 53 pro anglers and 53 co-anglers from 15 states and Canada will compete Thursday and Friday, with the top 10 of each of those two days moving on to fish Saturday. The top 10 pros fish Sunday. The winning pro gets up to $150,000 and top co-angler gets up to $22,000.
Jason Przekurat, a pro from Stevens Point, Wis., and the tour's angler of the year, is expecting big catches if the weather cooperates. "If it stays calm and we can fish, I would think 50 to 55 pounds [for five fish] to make the top-10 cut. Roughly 25 to 30 pounds a day should keep you in the hunt. If the weather gets rough, you can expect to see lower weights."
You can bet trolling will be the ticket for tactics, with competitors pulling everything from spinners and worm harnesses to plastic crankbaits. "Finding where the fish are will be the key," added Przekurat.
Canadian waters are off limits in the event, but you can bet that many competitors will be running toward the Lorain-Vermilion area, where larger walleyes are starting to congregate prior to moving closer to the western Lake Erie islands for the winter.
Takeoffs will be at 7:30 a.m. daily from the park, with weigh-ins daily at 4 p.m. at Cleveland Convention Center, 500 Lakeside Ave. East.
The event's pro field includes Toledoan Joe Whitten and Port Clinton's Gregory Yarbrough. The co-angler field includes Toledo's Keith Keivens.
For other details call the Greater Cleveland Sport Fishing Commission, 216-780-1424, or FLWOutdoors, 270-252-1000. Also visit on-line at FLWOutdoors.com.
The Maumee Valley Chapter, National Wild Turkey Federation, is set to host Women in the Outdoors day on Oct. 6, 8 a.m. through 6 p.m., at the Progressive Fishing Association grounds, 8050 Schadel Rd., Whitehouse.
The program is aimed at encouraging women to try new outdoors and other activities in a safe environment with expert instructors. Participants can choose several activities from an array of possibilities, including digital photography, watercolor, kayaking, dog training and hunting, archery, shooting with handgun, muzzleloading rifle, or shotgun, deer hunting and tracking, basic fishing and tackle selection, backyard habitat development, primitive cooking, canning, wine making, Pilates, climbing, and leave-no-trace camping and hiking.
For other details and registration call Rachelle Raymer-Gilbert, 419-350-4150, or Denise Currie-Ghia, 419-874-9282. Or visit on-line at www.womenintheoutdoors.org.
Pamela Dillon, a former deputy chief of the Ohio Division of Watercraft, has been named the division's new chief, effective Oct. 1.
Sean Logan, director of the parent Ohio Department of Natural Resources, said that Dillon is widely respected for her enthusiasm for and support of paddle sports and has a solid background in law enforcement. She joined the Virginia-based American Canoe Association as executive director in 2002 after a 27-year watercraft career, including a stint as a deputy chief from 1996 to 2002.
Dillon succeeds acting chief Michael Quinn, who returns to deputy chief duties. Bill McGarity also serves as a deputy chief.
Note to readers: Outdoors Datebook this week will appear with Steve Pollick's column on Friday. | <urn:uuid:8d65a6c3-82d0-4d28-a95f-9c00c56a98b9> | CC-MAIN-2016-26 | http://www.toledoblade.com/StevePollick/2007/09/25/EHD-threat-to-deer-but-not-humans.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2016-26/segments/1466783397749.89/warc/CC-MAIN-20160624154957-00006-ip-10-164-35-72.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.954752 | 1,417 | 2.953125 | 3 |
CHARLESTON, W.Va. (AP) -- Activist groups want the Environmental Protection Agency to adopt new rules that would better protect Appalachian waterways from pollution by mountaintop removal coal mines.
The 17 groups want EPA to create a new conductivity standard under the federal Clean Water Act to protect streams in Kentucky, West Virginia, Virginia, Tennessee, Ohio and Pennsylvania.
Conductivity is the ability of water to transfer electricity. High conductivity might signal the presence of pollutants including chloride, phosphate and nitrate.
The petition submitted Monday was filed during the eighth annual End Mountaintop Removal Week in Washington, D.C.
Judy Petersen of the Kentucky Waterways Alliance says that while state regulators won't set conductivity standards, their own data indicates a problem.
In 2010, she says, only 6 percent of Kentucky's rivers and streams fully supported aquatic life. | <urn:uuid:b834c802-7241-47ed-ace9-5be44849c7c3> | CC-MAIN-2016-26 | http://www.local8now.com/home/headlines/Activists-EPA-must-act-on-surface-mine-runoff-into-Tennessee-streams-206555641.html?site=mobile | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2016-26/segments/1466783393463.1/warc/CC-MAIN-20160624154953-00027-ip-10-164-35-72.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.934806 | 181 | 2.859375 | 3 |
In March 1989, CERN scientist Tim Berners-Lee wrote a proposal to develop a distributed information system for the laboratory. “Vague, but exciting” was the comment that his supervisor, Mike Sendall, wrote on the cover, and with those words, gave the green light to an information revolution.
The birth of the World Wide Web
By Christmas 1990, Berners-Lee had defined the Web’s basic concepts, the URL, http and html, and he had written the first browser and server software. Info.cern.ch was the address of the world's first website and web server, running on a NeXT computer at CERN. The world's first web page address was http://info.cern.ch/hypertext/WWW/TheProject.html, which centred on information regarding the WWW project. Visitors could learn more about hypertext, technical details for creating their own webpage, and even an explanation on how to search the Web for information. There are no screenshots of this original page and, in any case, changes were made daily to the information available on the page as the WWW project developed. You may find a later copy (1992) on the World Wide Web Consortium website.
You can see the orginal NeXT computer at the Microcosm exhibit at CERN, still bearing the label, hand-written in red ink: "This machine is a server. DO NOT POWER DOWN!!"
In 1991, an early WWW system was released to the high-energy-physics community via the CERN program library. It included the simple browser, web server software and a library, implementing the essential functions for developers to build their own software. A wide range of universities and research laboratories started to use it. A little later it was made generally available via the internet, especially to the community of people working on hypertext systems.
On 6 August 1991, Tim Berners-Lee posted a summary of the World Wide Web project on several internet newsgroups, including alt.hypertext, which was for hypertext enthusiasts. The move marked the debut of the web as a publicly available service on the internet.
The first web server outside of Europe was installed on 12 December 1991 at the Stanford Linear Accelerator Center (SLAC) in California. In 1993, the National Center for Supercomputing Applications (NCSA) at the University of Illinois released its Mosaic browser, which was easy to run and install on ordinary PCs and Macintosh computers. The steady trickle of new websites became a flood. The world’s First International World-Wide Web conference, held at CERN in May, was hailed as the “Woodstock of the web”.
On 30 April 1993 CERN issued a statement putting the Web into the public domain, ensuring that it would remain an open standard. The organization released the source code of Berners-Lee's hypertext project, WorldWideWeb, into the public domain the same day. WorldWideWeb became free software, available to all. The move had an immediate effect on the spread of the web. By late 1993 there are over 500 known web servers, and the web accounts for 1% of internet traffic.
Berners-Lee moved to the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), from where he still runs the World Wide Web Consortium (W3C). By the end of 1994, the Web had 10,000 servers - of which 2000 were commercial - and 10 million users. Traffic was equivalent to shipping the collected works of Shakespeare every second. | <urn:uuid:eb7348f4-7af1-47ee-8cd4-7c42a7e79b9b> | CC-MAIN-2016-26 | http://timeline.web.cern.ch/timelines/The-birth-of-the-World-Wide-Web | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2016-26/segments/1466783395039.24/warc/CC-MAIN-20160624154955-00104-ip-10-164-35-72.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.951285 | 723 | 3.578125 | 4 |
2 Answers | Add Yours
The tone in Petrarch's Sonnet 292 undergoes several shifts. The first is between Stanzas 1 and 2 where the poet switches from awed reminiscence of the special distinction his love for the woman spoken of gave him among other men to a joyful reminiscence while thinking of her golden angelic qualities and the paradise she made of Earth.
The most dramatic and important tonal change is at Line 8 where he discloses that this angelic woman is dead. The final three tonal changes are in the last two Stanzas. The first change is to a tone of lament that he still lives and has cherished light while she has none. The tonal change is to a strange sudden breathlessness, as though his poetic lungs simply run out of air. He describes it as vein of poetic art running dry in the same way that a vein of gold in a mountain might suddenly turn out to be empty. The final change in tone comes when he say his lyre (the musical instrument by which poets sing their poems) has dissolved into tears. Which leads to the final tonal change as the poet dissolves in tears as well.
I believe that this is a sonnet of mourning -- one in which the speaker's love has died. Because his love has died, he has also lost his will to practice his art -- to write poetry.
Since this is a Petrarchian sonnet, the first 8 lines are distinct from the last 6. In this sonnet, the first 8 describe the speaker's love and talk about how she is now dead. The last six lines talk about the effects of her death. The speaker no longer even wants to write poetry and like his life is more or less over.
We’ve answered 327,777 questions. We can answer yours, too.Ask a question | <urn:uuid:05799ec8-3a07-4e02-b511-fe39a3c6a6e4> | CC-MAIN-2016-26 | http://www.enotes.com/homework-help/what-sonnet-292-about-this-important-can-some-help-132027 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2016-26/segments/1466783396455.95/warc/CC-MAIN-20160624154956-00195-ip-10-164-35-72.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.982645 | 381 | 3.234375 | 3 |
Jet Shoes and Other Self-Locomotion
|John D. Bird Inventor of Jet Shoes|
|Center:||Langley Research Center|
|Important Tests:||Flying Platform, Jet Shoes, Foot-Controlled Maneuvering Unit,|
|Back To Programs and Projects||Back To 1220|
Uncertainties concerning physical capabilities and limitations of an astronaut performing an extravehicular activity have led many space flight centers to develop a variety of reduced gravity simulators. The Langley Research Center identified with the increased importance of extravehicular activity in space and had an overall desire in the mid twentieth century to design simple and reliable device that allows the astronaut to move freely without unduly restrictions. The Jet Shoes experiment was a direct result of this attitude and contributed to space exploration in a positive way by leading to other uses of the technology and inspiration for extravehicular devices that came after wards.
The Jet Shoe concept was created by John D. Bird in 1965. The concept was initially inspired by the “Flying Platform” design, created by Charles H. Zimmerman and Paul Hill, which showed man’s inherent ability to control a thrust vector pushing against the soles of his feet. The intentions of the “Flying Platform” project developers were to use it for exploration on the Moon. The platform was a proof-of-concept work for the servomechanism used for the Lunar Landing Research Facility in 1962 ( photo with Champine). The army was also interested in using the device for transporting soldiers. Considering that approach and the fact that swim divers can maneuver in water using utilizing the thrust developed by flippers it suggests the concept of placing jets on the shoes of a subject in zero gravity.
The Jet Shoe concept involves placing single jets on the soles of the shoes of the subject. These jets are activated on demand by depressing a toe switch. Movement of the feet and legs is used to direct the jets and so produce the desired change in attitude and position. The switches are individually controlled and can be activated by a toe switch, a bite bar, or a sip-switch (the latter options involve the subject’s mouth). The Jet Shoes experiment hardware consists of a gas storage backpack assembly and portable show mounted solenoid thrust valves. The pneumatic system was designed to use gaseous oxygen and to deliver two pounds of thrust from each thrust valve nozzle with a pressure at a regular outlet of approximately 165 psi. The gas storage tank was designed to contain a minimum of 15 pounds of gaseous oxygen at 6000 psi. This concept makes use of the well developed balance capability of the human body utilized in walking to control jets attached to the soles of the shoes to produce the desired translations and rotations of the body necessary for extravehicular activity.
There are several advantages to using the Jet Shoe concept. Because the jets are directed and controlled by the feet and not by the hands, both hands are free for other tasks. The utilization of only two jets for the entire locomotion process rather than a greater number of jets in an orthogonal array makes the system simple in number of components and more reliable.
[top] Facilities and Simulators
Several facilities at the NASA Langley Research Center were employed for simulating a zero gravity environment of the astronaut maneuvering in free space. Experiments were conducted using various techniques to gain confidence in the effectiveness of Jet Shoes for EVAs, or astronaut Extra-Vehicular Activity. The maneuvers here at Langley were performed first without a space suit in a short sleeve environment and later in a pressurized space suit to gain an idea of the influence of the restriction in mobility on the effectiveness of the Jet Shoes.
1220, or the Simulation Lab. The facility had an air-bearing test simulator where the test subject lied on his side on an air pad support test vehicle that enabled him to experience three degrees of freedom. The simulation utilized air pads that were specifically created for the purpose of this experiment. The first designs involved square wood planks that attached to a vacuum cleaner hose and held up the subject’s weight. The use of these air pads permitted zero drag over a leveled surface. Most of the floor in Building 1220 was specially surfaced with an extremely smooth plaster surface which was well-suited to low friction air bearing testing. The facility also contained a whipple-tree suspension simulation and a pendulum system. The whipple-tree suspension was ideal for testing jet shoes because it gave three degrees of linear freedom and angular freedom about the vertical axis. The simple pendulum system, an earlier simulator located in Building 1220, was not as effective because it only supplied one degree of freedom, however, it proved useful when the inventors were studying orientation capabilities. Building 1220 also housed the Visual Simulator. This simulator provided a complex way to study and investigate Jet Shoes and the Foot Controlled Maneuvering Unit, the concept inspired by the Jet Shoes project. In the Visual Simulator, complete six-degree-of-freedom motion was obtained from three angular degrees of freedom of a small model of a target vehicle, translation of the model in front of the television camera, and a servo-driven mirror placed to the right of the pilot’s head.
Building 1268, then known as the Data Processing Center but now referred to as the Flight Control Research Facility, held all of the analog computers that interfaced with the simulation facilities in Building 1220. This facility contained the digital computation necessary to control the cockpits in Building 1220 to ensure effective and efficient Jet Shoes experiments. Building 1298 was the Navigation and Guidance Research building, now referred to as the Stability and Control Facility, which was concerned with the mechanics and control of the Jet Shoes.
Although Building 1220 housed the majority of the simulators used in the Jet Shoes experiment, the Langley Rendezvous Docking Simulator in the large flight research hangar, 1244, allowed the project to go to a whole new level. Arthur W. Vogeley proposed the concept for this device and helped create many of the components. A targeted vehicle was suspended at one end of a track attached to the hangar roof while a movable vehicle was driven along the track to move toward the target during a docking maneuver. The simulator allowed test subjects to experience the feeling of weightlessness while attempting to reach the target vehicle. Building 1244 was also home to the Langley Research Center Reduced Gravity Simulator. This simulator allowed for two translational degrees of freedom and one rotational. The vehicle and pilot were supported by two overhead trolleys 9.5 degrees from the horizontal. Amos A. Spady, Jr. was one of the leaders in Langley zero gravity simulation and also the author of Preliminary Research Flights of a One-Man Rocket Propelled Backpack in Simulated Lunar Gravity.
The Lunar Landing Research Facility, also known as the Impact Dynamics Research Facility and commonly called the Gantry (Building 1297), was home to Langley’s three-degree-of-freedom, inclined plane, lunar gravity simulator. This simulator, sustained by the same mechanism used to support the LEM during its testing, provided simulated lunar gravity by supporting a subject on his side in an incline attitude of 9.5 degrees from the horizontal. The resulting force was one-sixth the subject’s weight and it demonstrated the feasibility of the use of the Jet Shoe concept for extravehicular activity. In June 1967 a preliminary lunar flight vehicle program was carried out with a small, one-man, rocket-powered, stand-on vehicle. It was called POGO and the results that were produced from this limited program at the Lunar Landing Facility proved that a simple thrust-vector-controlled vehicle could be flown in simulated lunar gravity.
There were obstacles that the researchers faced while designing the Jet Shoes. The criticism of Jet Shoe models was that they were heavy, inconvenient to put on, and needed initial adjustment. There were varied opinions of the value of simulation studies at Langley. Hartley A. Soule, an early expert on aircraft control and handling qualities, claimed that any self space locomotion devices could be operated by an astronaut and therefore there was no need for any simulators to be run. This put an end to tests of these ideas at Langley for some time. The disadvantages to Jet Shoes eventually caused Langley researchers to move on to a new design.
[top] Progression to FCMU and MMU
The idea for the Foot Controlled Maneuvering Unit, or the FCMU, evolved from the “Flying Platform” and John D. Bird’s original Jet Shoes concept. On April 6, 1967, Deke Slayton, Direction of Flight Crew Operations, requested Jet Shoes to be removed from the experiment program. Slayton stated that their use while wearing a full life support unit would be too cumbersome for the astronaut and therefore pose a safety risk. Development continued, however, and the FCMU design flew on Skylab, the United States’ first space station, as experiment TO20. It consisted of a bicycle-like framework and saddle seat, with a backpack that held the propellant and control equipment. Attached to the framework was a set of four nozzle thrusters assembled under each foot and controlled by foot-actuated switches. The design involved an aluminum framework, with a 24,600 cm³ pressure tank of nitrogen gas at 3,000 psi attached to the backpack with a battery to supply the power. It could rotate around the three axes of roll, pitch, and yaw. The thruster assembly mounted outboard of each foot controlled the four nozzles, the top or bottom each producing 4,464 N of thrust, and the fore and aft each producing 1,339 N of thrust. The Principal Investigator of this experiment was Donald E. Hewes, who developed much of the Jet Shoes and FCMU design mechanisms and described his work in his technical papers Discussion of Control Systems for foot controlled space maneuvering units and Development of Skylab Experiment TO20.
Pedal combinations for the FCMU produced the following movements:
Foot movement – result
Both feet up – translation head first
Both feet down – translation feet first
Right and left toes up – pitch up
Right and left toes down – pitch down
Right toes up, left toes down – yaw left
Right toes down, left toes up – yaw right
Right foot up, left foot down – roll left
Right foot down, left foot up – roll right
The Manned Maneuvering Unit, or MMU, is the most recent extravehicular activity device that has assisted many astronauts during EVA. The research conducted at the Langley Research Center on Jet Shoe and the FCMU helped with the progression towards this back-mounted maneuvering system complete with thrusters equidistant around the system’s center of gravity on the outside of the frame of the backpack unit. Placing the thrusters on the bottoms of the astronauts’ shoes proved to be less practical then placing them on the astronaut’s back. The distance between the thrusters and the astronaut’s center of gravity in the Jet Shoes concept, which is approximately around his torso, was too large. Any slight alteration of inertia could swing the astronaut off balance, whereas the placement of the MMU thrusters is at a much closer proximity to the astronaut’s center of gravity. The MMU was stored in flight support units in the forward end of the orbital payload bay, and could be put on or taken off by one pressure-suited astronaut during EVA. It had the capability of supporting a six-hour EVA. The propulsion system involved twenty-four thrusters, affording a six-degree-of-freedom control mode (+X, +Y, +Z, +roll, +pitch, +yaw). The thrusters were powered by gaseous nitrogen from the two storage tanks in the rear central compartment of the unit.
Contributor: Rachel Weinberg, 2010
[top] Facilities Used for Jet Shoe Research
1220 Old hangar known as the Simulation Lab during Jet Shoe experiments
1244 Hangar with Rendezvous Docking Simulator
1297 Impact Dynamics Research Facility otherwise known as the Lunar Landing Facility or Gantry
1268 Flight Control Research Facility
1298 Stability and Control Facility
646 Free Spinning Tunnel
1974 Building 1298 Navigation and Guidance Branch Photo (Names)
[top] Flying Platform
[top] Jet Shoes
[top] Air Pad
2010 Jet Shoes with Dan Burdette – Rachel Weinberg interviews Dan Burdette on the work of Jets Shoes at Langley Research Center
Summary of NASA Research on Aerial Jeeps, Flying Platforms, and Ground-Effect Machines. Robert Oliver Schade, and Lysle P. Parlett. 1961. Paper presented to the National Army Aviation Meeting of the Institute of the Aerospace Sciences.
A water-immersion technique for the study of mobility of a pressure-suited subject under balanced-gravity conditions. Otto F. Trout, Jr., Harry L. Loats, Jr., and G. Samuel Mattingly. 1966. TN D-3054. (See also the video.
[top] For Further Reading
Bird, John D., Howell D. Garner, Ernest D. Lounsberry, and David F. Thomas. Jet Shoes. NASA, assignee. Patent 3,420,471. 7 Jan. 1969.
Bird, John D., Otis J. Parker, and David F. Thomas. "Jet Shoes" Experiment in EVA. Tech. no. CN-159367. Hampton: NASA, 1967.
Hansen, James R. Spaceflight Revolution: NASA Langley Research Center from Sputnik to Apollo. Washington, DC: National Aeronautics and Space Administration, 1995. 229-31.
Harris, Sr., Randall L., Eric C. Stewart, Lee H. Person, Jr., and Kenneth R. Yenni. Preliminary Research Flights of a One-Man Rocket Propelled Backpack in Simulated Lunar Gravity. Working paper no. LWP - 836. Hampton: NASA, 1969.
Hewes, Donald E., and Kenneth E. Glover. Development of Skylab Experiment TO20 Employing a Foot-Controlled Maneuvering Unit. Tech. no. TN D-6674. Hampton: NASA, 1972.
Phillips, W. Hewitt. "Space Simulation Studies." Journey into Space Research: Continuation of a Career at NASA Langley Reserach Center. NASA/SP-2005-4540. Washington, D.C.: NASA, 2005. 35-49.
Thomas, David F., John D. Bird, and Richard F. Hellbaum. Jet Shoes – An Extravehicular Space Locomotion Device. Tech. no. TN D-3809. Hampton: NASA, 1967.
Vogeley, A. W. “Piloted Space-Flight Simulation at Langley Research Center,” Paper presented at the American Society of Mechanical Engineers, 1966 Winter Meeting, New York, NY, November 27 – December 1, 1966.
Zimmerman, C. H., Paul R. Hill, and T. L. Kennedy. Preliminary Experimental Investigation of the Flight of a Person Supported by a Jet Thrust Device Attached to His Feet. Tech. no. R L52D10. NASA. | <urn:uuid:252c9fa2-bee0-461f-ac42-b8d0b67ed11d> | CC-MAIN-2016-26 | http://crgis.ndc.nasa.gov/historic/Jet_Shoes | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2016-26/segments/1466783396538.42/warc/CC-MAIN-20160624154956-00144-ip-10-164-35-72.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.928536 | 3,178 | 3.34375 | 3 |
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2D Animation : The creation of moving pictures in a two-dimensional (2D ) environment, such as through "traditional" cel animation or in computerized animation software. Its done by sequencing consecutive images, or "frames", that simulate motion by each image showing the next in a gradual progression of steps. The eye can be "fooled" into perceiving motion when these consecutive images are shown at a rate of 24 frames per second or faster. Famous 2D Animation Softwares are Adobe After Effects, Adobe Flash Professional, Anime Studio and Antics 2-D Animation. In this post we have added 25 Best 2D Animation videos and 2D Animation Short films for your inspiration.
On September 11th, 2001, Michael Trinidad called Monique Ferrer from the 103rd floor of the World Trade Center's North Tower to say one last goodbye.
30 Best Japanese animations - 2D and 3D Animated Short Films | <urn:uuid:3822e46a-5136-45c1-99a0-af03288e7366> | CC-MAIN-2016-26 | http://webneel.com/2d-animation-best | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2016-26/segments/1466783392099.27/warc/CC-MAIN-20160624154952-00123-ip-10-164-35-72.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.894446 | 210 | 2.828125 | 3 |
In the construction industry, the term R-value refers to a material's thermal resistance. Basically, if a substance can hold very different heats on either side of it, it has a high R-value. The quantity is measured by the inch -- the more insulation you stack, the greater its combined R-value. It would take quite a stack of traditional concrete to equal an inch of Air Krete.
For Air Krete, the R-value is 3.9 per inch. Compare this to R-values of 0.8 for concrete without the trapped air, 1.45 for straw bales and around 3.1 for most types of high-density fiberglass batts, and Air Krete comes out on top [source: Johns Manville Insulation]. | <urn:uuid:77d70d05-d9df-4d54-864a-4f47abc888c2> | CC-MAIN-2016-26 | http://home.howstuffworks.com/home-improvement/construction/green/10-fun-facts-about-air-krete7.htm | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2016-26/segments/1466783392099.27/warc/CC-MAIN-20160624154952-00143-ip-10-164-35-72.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.911491 | 157 | 2.84375 | 3 |
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The Carriage of Goods by Sea Act is the section of United States code that governs the responsibilities and protections of shippers of cargo and the carriers of that cargo. The act follows and expands upon international law. It lays out who is responsible for the goods at each point in the process and what those responsibilities are.
In 1924 an international convention met to create international rules governing bills of lading. A bill of lading is basically a receipt given by a ship owner to a shipper. It acknowledges that goods have been received and the condition of those goods at the time. The bill also serves as a contract, letting both parties know where the goods are going and who will receive them at their destination.
In the United States, the Congress chose to amend some of the so-called Hague Rules, laid out by the National Convention. The Carriage of Goods by Sea Act is the result of their efforts. It took effect on 16 April 1936.
The Carriage of Goods by Sea Act governs all maritime shipping of goods to or from the United States. It does not apply to shipping between the United States and any province or territory owned by that country. Also, the act only governs the actual shipping process from the time goods are loaded until they are unloaded from the ship. Before and after that time, other laws apply.
Under the act, the first responsibility of the carrier is to ensure that his or her ship is seaworthy. This means that it is properly manned and equipped. It must also have proper facilities for the goods the carrier intends to transport. For example, if he or she is transporting food, the ship should have working refrigeration units.
The carrier must issue to the shipper a bill of lading. This bill must contain an inventory of the goods and their condition at the time of loading. If goods are lost or damaged, the carrier must notify the shipper immediately.
If all of these conditions are followed, the carrier does gain certain protections under the Carriage of Goods by Sea Act. He or she is not at fault for accidents as long as the ship was seaworthy at the start of the voyage. Acts of God, war, and a number of other unforeseen consequences are out of the carrier's control, and so he or she is not held liable for them. As of January 2006, the carrier could also not be held liable for more than $500 US Dollars (USD) per unit of freight. He or she has the right to destroy any dangerous cargo if it was loaded without his or her consent.
One of our editors will review your suggestion and make changes if warranted. Note that depending on the number of suggestions we receive, this can take anywhere from a few hours to a few days. Thank you for helping to improve wiseGEEK! | <urn:uuid:74ed5417-7891-4338-80f5-128bcb3526f0> | CC-MAIN-2016-26 | http://www.wisegeek.com/what-is-the-carriage-of-goods-by-sea-act.htm | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2016-26/segments/1466783395166.84/warc/CC-MAIN-20160624154955-00141-ip-10-164-35-72.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.97738 | 577 | 3.796875 | 4 |
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Motion analysis is a process that films and documents sequences of images in order to study the movements presented in them. It typically uses a video camera to record a movement and computer software to store the recorded data for further analysis. Sometimes, a person or a model is required to wear a type of body suit or have some wires attached to different parts of the body to capture each movement more accurately.
Video cameras that are especially created for motion analysis work by “remembering” the still image in front of them. They can also be programmed to distinguish the main object apart from the background. In this way, when the object moves, both the camera and the computer software would know how to get rid of the unnecessary background image and isolate the moving object by itself. In many cases, several cameras are used and placed in different angles to get a more accurate feed, or to get a three-dimensional (3D) recording of the motion. The recorded motions are then merged by the software to make a 3D simulation of the movements.
Many industries and fields of study use motion analysis to further knowledge and research. One is the sports industry, particularly for studying the human anatomy. Many sports and martial arts such as baseball, footballs, and judo have athletes who use their bodies in ways that a normal person could not. Through a motion capture analysis, each motion, such as throwing a baseball or doing a high kick, will be recorded and studied in order for athletes to improve their “game.” The analysis also provides doctors with data on how injuries start and how they can be treated better.
Hospitals and physical therapy centers also make use of motion analysis to improve their manner of treatment and diagnoses. Patients would undergo a series of tests that record all the movements of their muscles and joints. By studying the recorded video, physical therapists would know the primary cause of the injury, and surgeons would be able to decide on the best kind of operation. Through human motion analysis, doctors can give more accurate diagnosis, provide better post-surgery treatments, and cause fewer casualties and medical errors.
Manufacturing industries also use motion analysis to make sure all products conform to quality and safety standards. Vehicles like cars and motorcycles go through videotaped crash tests that would usually involve a crash test dummy inside the car. Engineers and designers would then examine the tape to see how the dummy will be affected by the car crash, thus estimating if the car is safe enough for humans to use. Motion analysis is also used in many types of sporting equipment such as baseball bats and tennis rackets to examine their strength, especially in high-impact motions, such as in hitting a ball.
One of our editors will review your suggestion and make changes if warranted. Note that depending on the number of suggestions we receive, this can take anywhere from a few hours to a few days. Thank you for helping to improve wiseGEEK! | <urn:uuid:a81d6ad6-1bbd-4d19-bdff-710a1d265c51> | CC-MAIN-2016-26 | http://www.wisegeek.com/what-is-motion-analysis.htm | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2016-26/segments/1466783396538.42/warc/CC-MAIN-20160624154956-00136-ip-10-164-35-72.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.96935 | 601 | 3.59375 | 4 |
Difference in mosquito species (Diptera: Culicidae) and the transmission of Ross River Virus between coastline and inland areas in Brisbane, Australia
Hu, W., Mengersen, K., Dale, P., & Tong, S. (2010) Difference in mosquito species (Diptera: Culicidae) and the transmission of Ross River Virus between coastline and inland areas in Brisbane, Australia. Environmental Entomology, 39(1), pp. 88-97.
This study examined the distribution of major mosquito species and their roles in the transmission of Ross River virus (RRV) infection for coastline and inland areas in Brisbane, Australia (27°28′ S, 153°2′ E). We obtained data on the monthly counts of RRV cases in Brisbane between November 1998 and December 2001 by statistical local areas from the Queensland Department of Health and the monthly mosquito abundance from the Brisbane City Council. Correlation analysis was used to assess the pairwise relationships between mosquito density and the incidence of RRV disease. This study showed that the mosquito abundance of Aedes vigilax (Skuse), Culex annulirostris (Skuse), and Aedes vittiger (Skuse) were significantly associated with the monthly incidence of RRV in the coastline area, whereas Aedes vigilax, Culex annulirostris, and Aedes notoscriptus (Skuse) were significantly associated with the monthly incidence of RRV in the inland area. The results of the classification and regression tree (CART) analysis show that both occurrence and incidence of RRV were influenced by interactions between species in both coastal and inland regions. We found that there was an 89% chance for an occurrence of RRV if the abundance of Ae. vigifax was between 64 and 90 in the coastline region. There was an 80% chance for an occurrence of RRV if the density of Cx. annulirostris was between 53 and 74 in the inland area. The results of this study may have applications as a decision support tool in planning disease control of RRV and other mosquito-borne diseases.
Impact and interest:
Citation counts are sourced monthly from and citation databases.
These databases contain citations from different subsets of available publications and different time periods and thus the citation count from each is usually different. Some works are not in either database and no count is displayed. Scopus includes citations from articles published in 1996 onwards, and Web of Science® generally from 1980 onwards.
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|Item Type:||Journal Article|
|Keywords:||Mosquito Species, Classification and Regression Trees, Ross River Virus, Coastline, Inand|
|Subjects:||Australian and New Zealand Standard Research Classification > MEDICAL AND HEALTH SCIENCES (110000) > PUBLIC HEALTH AND HEALTH SERVICES (111700)|
|Divisions:||Current > QUT Faculties and Divisions > Faculty of Health
Current > Institutes > Institute of Health and Biomedical Innovation
Past > Schools > Mathematical Sciences
Current > Schools > School of Public Health & Social Work
|Copyright Owner:||Copyright 2010 Entomological Society of America|
|Deposited On:||23 Jan 2011 23:03|
|Last Modified:||01 Jun 2016 05:54|
Repository Staff Only: item control page | <urn:uuid:2b3dd26c-b3f4-4b40-ba2b-b5415ff9f06c> | CC-MAIN-2016-26 | http://eprints.qut.edu.au/39631/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2016-26/segments/1466783408840.13/warc/CC-MAIN-20160624155008-00070-ip-10-164-35-72.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.896085 | 709 | 2.984375 | 3 |
The functions in this section are documented mainly because you can customize the naming conventions for backup files by redefining them. If you change one, you probably need to change the rest.
This function returns a non-
nil value if filename is a
possible name for a backup file. It just checks the name, not whether
a file with the name filename exists.
(backup-file-name-p "foo") ⇒ nil
(backup-file-name-p "foo~") ⇒ 3
The standard definition of this function is as follows:
(defun backup-file-name-p (file) "Return non-nil if FILE is a backup file \ name (numeric or not)..." (string-match "~\\'" file))
Thus, the function returns a non-
nil value if the file name ends
with a ‘~’. (We use a backslash to split the documentation
string’s first line into two lines in the text, but produce just one
line in the string itself.)
This simple expression is placed in a separate function to make it easy to redefine for customization.
This function returns a string that is the name to use for a non-numbered backup file for file filename. On Unix, this is just filename with a tilde appended.
The standard definition of this function, on most operating systems, is as follows:
(defun make-backup-file-name (file) "Create the non-numeric backup file name for FILE..." (concat file "~"))
You can change the backup-file naming convention by redefining this
function. The following example redefines
to prepend a ‘.’ in addition to appending a tilde:
(defun make-backup-file-name (filename) (expand-file-name (concat "." (file-name-nondirectory filename) "~") (file-name-directory filename)))
(make-backup-file-name "backups.texi") ⇒ ".backups.texi~"
Some parts of Emacs, including some Dired commands, assume that backup file names end with ‘~’. If you do not follow that convention, it will not cause serious problems, but these commands may give less-than-desirable results.
This function computes the file name for a new backup file for
filename. It may also propose certain existing backup files for
find-backup-file-name returns a list whose CAR is
the name for the new backup file and whose CDR is a list of backup
files whose deletion is proposed. The value can also be
which means not to make a backup.
determine which backup versions should be kept. This function keeps
those versions by excluding them from the CDR of the value.
See Numbered Backups.
In this example, the value says that ~rms/foo.~5~ is the name to use for the new backup file, and ~rms/foo.~3~ is an “excess” version that the caller should consider deleting now.
(find-backup-file-name "~rms/foo") ⇒ ("~rms/foo.~5~" "~rms/foo.~3~")
This function returns the name of the most recent backup file for
nil if that file has no backup files.
Some file comparison commands use this function so that they can automatically compare a file with its most recent backup. | <urn:uuid:cd678b20-dc11-41fe-b256-eeb0a5f72e17> | CC-MAIN-2016-26 | https://www.gnu.org/software/emacs/manual/html_node/elisp/Backup-Names.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2016-26/segments/1466783397864.87/warc/CC-MAIN-20160624154957-00020-ip-10-164-35-72.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.8107 | 761 | 3.15625 | 3 |
Password entry can be frustrating, especially with long or difficult passwords. On a webpage, secure fields obscure user input with •'s, so others are not able to read it. Unfortunately, neither can the user, who cannot tell if she got her password right until she clicks "Log In". Chroma-Hash displays a series of small colored bars at the end of field inputs so you can instantly see if your password is right.
Chroma-Hash takes an MD5 hash of the input and uses that to compute the colors in the visualization. The MD5 hash is non-reversible, so in principle no-one could know the password from just reading the colors. The same password will display the same sequence each time. So, for instance, one can learn to expect "blue, red, pink"; when other colors appear, the password has been repeated wrongly. | <urn:uuid:9298681e-b817-441f-ae42-f9f0458ba611> | CC-MAIN-2016-26 | http://infosthetics.com/archives/2009/07/chroma-hash_non-reversable_live_visualization_of_password_field_input.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2016-26/segments/1466783395620.56/warc/CC-MAIN-20160624154955-00048-ip-10-164-35-72.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.938117 | 177 | 2.953125 | 3 |
Everyone wants to avoid catching a cold, but colds and influenza can be dangerous for older adults or people with chronic diseases. The University of Rochester Medical Center cautions that older adults are at greater risk for complications, as well as drug interactions between their prescriptions and over-the-counter cold medications.
Preventing infection is the best approach. Here are some steps that can help you stay healthy:
- Wash your hands — One of the most effective ways to prevent infection is to wash your hands frequently. Use soap and warm water, and scrub for 20 seconds. Hand sanitizers may be effective in a pinch, but plain old soap and water work just as well.
- Avoid people who are sick — Keep some distance from people who are sneezing and coughing. If you can’t avoid them, limit the time you spend around people who appear to be sick.
- Drink plenty of water — Staying hydrated is an important part of maintaining good health.
- Stay physically active — Studies have shown that people who are physically active are less likely to catch a cold.
- Avoid cigarette smoke — Smoking has been shown to reduce the body’s immunity to respiratory infections.
- Eat a healthy diet — A well-balanced diet with plenty of fruits and vegetables can help keep you healthy.
- Manage stress — Stress weakens the immune system.
- Get enough sleep — If you don’t get enough sleep or if you don’t sleep well, you’re more likely to get sick, studies show. Eight hours of sleep every night is still the standard recommendation.
- Use tissues to cover sneezes and coughs — This may not help you avoid a cold, but you can avoid passing one on. Throw tissues in the trash immediately.
- Get vaccinated — We talked about vaccines for adults in last week’s column. An annual flu shot, a shingles vaccination and a pneumonia shot are recommended for older adults. The Rochester Medical Center says these vaccinations may help prevent complications if you do catch a cold. | <urn:uuid:09ddd9e2-90b3-4858-908c-bba93a0b1ea0> | CC-MAIN-2016-26 | http://blog.arkansascitypresbyterianmanor.org/2014/11/how-to-avoid-catching-a-cold/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2016-26/segments/1466783395160.19/warc/CC-MAIN-20160624154955-00197-ip-10-164-35-72.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.929125 | 426 | 3.484375 | 3 |
Indian Radio Music
PHP NEEDS A FRAMEWORK
In recent years, PHP has re-invented itself, allowing Object Oriented Programming (OOP) to enter the scene with a plethora of new rules and functionality, all of which are ingrained in more mainstream programming languages like C++ and Java. Gradually, more and more PHP developers have embraced this new philosophy and started developing frameworks, drawing their inspiration from other more-established languages in the pursuit of creating a structure for an inherently unstructured language.
Search Engine Spider Simulator
Redirect Checker Tool
Rex Swain's HTTP Viewer
See exactly what an HTTP request returns to your browser
What Google+ does better than Facebook ?
What is Meta Title ?
There seems to be some confusion on the web today regarding the Meta Title Tag and the actual Title Tag. In fact, when doing a search for the term Meta Title, Google brings back information on the actual Title Tag, not the Meta Title. | <urn:uuid:bfec577b-21c5-4e90-80e0-5e5463a38ad5> | CC-MAIN-2016-26 | http://edrupler.com/archive/201107 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2016-26/segments/1466783395679.18/warc/CC-MAIN-20160624154955-00116-ip-10-164-35-72.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.871888 | 202 | 2.671875 | 3 |
Sample Baseline Assessment Worksheet for Sharps Injury Prevention Program
As part of a facility's efforts to develop an effective sharps injury prevention program, it is valuable to perform a baseline assessment of current activities and processes.
Included in the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's "Workbook for Designing, Implementing, and Evaluating a Sharps Injury Prevention Program" is a sample worksheet for performing such an assessment.
The CDC provides questions related to several program areas as a guide for performing this assessment. The worksheet has organizations identify their current practices and then outline strategies for improvement.
Once completed, the worksheet can be used as a springboard for discussing program improvements that will help lead to a reduction in sharps injuries in healthcare personnel. Healthcare organizations should adapt the worksheet as necessary to meet their program needs.
To download this CDC-developed baseline sharps injury prevention program assessment worksheet for adaptation and use in your facility, click here (pdf).
Download other patient safety-related tools and resources:
© Copyright ASC COMMUNICATIONS 2016. Interested in LINKING to or REPRINTING this content? View our policies by clicking here.
- Texas & Florida lack funding to launch substantial Zika prevention awareness among pregnant women: 4 insights
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- Texas Fertility Center opens ASC to bring fertility services to Austin residents: 5 points
- Global ophthalmology devices market to reach $18.28B: 5 takeaways | <urn:uuid:eda61df9-0bac-4c56-98bd-7f1c708a8889> | CC-MAIN-2016-26 | http://www.beckersasc.com/asc-accreditation-and-patient-safety/sample-baseline-assessment-worksheet-for-sharps-injury-prevention-program.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2016-26/segments/1466783397565.80/warc/CC-MAIN-20160624154957-00069-ip-10-164-35-72.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.917438 | 334 | 2.515625 | 3 |
On the final stretch of a speedy nine-year trek through the solar system, NASA’s New Horizons spacecraft will be awakened from hibernation Dec. 6 for an encounter with Pluto, a mysterious world that has captured imaginations and will soon be revealed in reality.
The plutonium-powered probe — roughly the size and shape of a grand piano — is heading for a flyby 6,200 miles from Pluto’s icy, unexplored surface on July 14, 2015.
But scientists plan months of increasingly detailed observations of Pluto before then, beginning in January with long-range imaging to help navigators keep New Horizons on course for the make-or-break encounter.
“We’re at the very tail end of this very long cruise across almost 3 billion miles of our journey from the Earth to the Pluto system,” said Alan Stern, principal investigator on the New Horizons mission from the Southwest Research Institute in Boulder, Colo. “On Dec. 6, we’ll wake New Horizons up from its last hibernation and we will be on the doorstep of the Pluto system. Encounter starts just a few weeks later on Jan. 15.”
New Horizons launched aboard an Atlas 5 rocket on Jan. 19, 2006. The craft left Earth at record speed and reached Jupiter in February 2007 to pick up even more velocity, using the giant planet’s immense gravity field to slingshot toward Pluto.
The $700 million mission is the first to visit a halo of dark, icy worlds loitering outside the orbit of Neptune. Known as the Kuiper belt, the ring includes Pluto and thousands more objects which remain mostly undiscovered.
Stern touts New Horizons as the last in a wave of “first reconnaissance” missions dispatched from Earth since the 1960s to explore the planets.
The mission, Stern said, “is going to be truly historic, not in rewriting the textbook, but in writing the textbook about the Pluto system and Kuiper belt.”
“This is really quite an epic journey,” Stern said. “Three billion miles across the entirety of our planetary system, from the inner planets to the middle solar system to the third zone — the Kuiper belt — and for the first time. No voyage like this has been conducted since the epic days of Voyager, and nothing like it is planned again.”
Ground controllers put New Horizons to sleep intermittently through the probe’s nine-year cruise. The hibernations save time, Bowman said, allowing scientists to focus on planning the mission’s future scientific endeavors instead of tracking its flight through the void of space.
Computer commands already installed on the spacecraft will automatically wake up New Horizons on Dec. 6, then it will take more than four hours for radio signals from the probe to reach Earth at light speed.
Officials at the New Horizons control center at the Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory in Maryland should receive confirmation of the spacecraft’s wakeup around 9:30 p.m. EST on Saturday (0230 GMT Sunday), according to Alice Bowman, mission operations manager at APL.
Engineers plan around six weeks of activities — memory checks, instrument calibrations, navigation updates — to prepare New Horizons for the official start of its encounter phase in January.
“All this is being done to prepare for the big show, which begins Jan. 15, 2015,” Bowman said.
Seven instruments on New Horizons will take pictures and measure everything from the composition of Pluto and its moons, to the nature of Pluto’s atmosphere, to how Pluto is influenced by the sun, which appears 900 times dimmer than the sun seen from Earth.
“We begin the observatory phase in January, and it continues until about April,” Stern said. “By May, we will be delivering imagery that’s better than Hubble, and it just gets better every week from there on in until we storm the gates of Pluto on Bastille Day, July 14, 2015.”
Follow Stephen Clark on Twitter: @StephenClark1. | <urn:uuid:d94b50e0-6478-450f-adf3-bd27780c5769> | CC-MAIN-2016-26 | http://spaceflightnow.com/2014/11/30/ground-team-ready-to-rouse-pluto-probe-for-historic-flyby/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2016-26/segments/1466783393093.59/warc/CC-MAIN-20160624154953-00146-ip-10-164-35-72.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.91745 | 846 | 3.015625 | 3 |
Identifying key components of the cellular engine in living cells
Cell migration or movement is fundamental to life itself. In fact, such movement is essential from the earliest stages of embryo development through to processes such as wound healing. Unfortunately, when this orchestrated movement goes awry, as occurs in cancer cells, deadly tumors may develop. As such, understanding cell movement is very relevant to modern medicine and scientists are focusing their efforts on fully understanding this fundamental process.
In work recently published by Dr Hiroaki Hirata, a postdoctoral fellow in the laboratory of Prof Chwee Teck Lim of the Mechanobiology Institute, National University of Singapore, and Prof Masahiro Sokabe of the Nagoya University Graduate School of Medicine in Japan, a key element in the machinery that drives cell movement was described for the first time in living cells.
It is well established that individual cells possess distinct structures, known as focal adhesions, which allow them to grip onto a surface and generate force internally. Inside the cell, focal adhesions are physically linked to a network of filaments or cables, composed of a protein called actin, that form near the cell membrane. These are highly dynamic and are constantly undergoing assembly and disassembly. Due to their dynamic nature, as well as the activity of a protein known as myosin, the actin filaments are constantly moving inwards, towards the center of the cell.
The question that scientists have long sought to understand is how a moving actin filament network can be physically linked to a fixed adhesion site, and how this linkage generates cell movement. Previous work had shown that a protein known as talin could theoretically provide this link, however this protein could only sustain a small amount of internal force, and would ‘slip’ with any force larger than 2pN. It was akin to playing tug-of-war with a lubricated rope. However, the actin binding protein talin was also known to possess multiple vinculin binding sites and the force-dependent binding of vinculin to talin had been observed in both in vitro and in silico studies. It had just never been observed in living cells.
“Force-dependent binding of vinculin to talin has been reported in in vitro and in silico studies. We have, for the first time demonstrated that this force- dependent binding indeed occurs at focal adhesions in living cells. –Hiroaki Hirata, MBI research fellow„
Hirata et al have now shown that indeed, vinculin binding to talin does occur in living cells. Although talin will slip beyond 2pN, this encourages the accumulation of vinculin at the focal adhesion site, and, before the link slips, multiple vinculin proteins bind to the complex, forming an integrin- talin-vinculin-actin link. Each vinculin molecule was shown to withstand 2.5pN of force. With multiple vinculin proteins able to bind to this complex, a far greater force was sustained, and this is sufficient to tether the actin filament network to focal adhesions.
Although the actin filaments no longer move inwards, they are still growing near the cell membrane. In the cell, the membrane protrudes outwards around the growing filaments. Eventually new adhesions form at the tip of the protrusion, allowing the cell to grab onto the substrate surface. The protrusion thus becomes the front of the cell, and the rear must follow, allowing the cell to move forwards. Traction has been harnessed and the cell will inch its way forward, testing and responding to the stiffness of its substrate, until it reaches its destination.
With cell motility particularly relevant to cancer treatment, burns treatment and organ development, our understanding of cell motility and the machinery that mediate this process is particularly important. With further understanding of these processes, the researchers at MBI hope to identify new technologies and therapies targeted at encouraging, or preventing, cell motility.
Hirata H, Tatsumi H, Lim CT and Sokabe M
Force-dependent vinculin binding to talin in live cells: a crucial step in anchoring the actin cytoskeleton to focal adhesions. Am J Physiol Cell Physiol, 2014, 306(6):C607-20
Download press release (PDF). | <urn:uuid:29ebcaa7-537d-4e58-bb92-c74fac6aad11> | CC-MAIN-2016-26 | http://mbi.nus.edu.sg/features/what-makes-cells-move/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2016-26/segments/1466783394937.4/warc/CC-MAIN-20160624154954-00175-ip-10-164-35-72.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.950308 | 900 | 2.84375 | 3 |
As the public looks at adolescent development to make sense of violent tragedies, anti-bullying programs and policies are growing. However, an educator and clinician for 25 years asked herself a question: “Why have our views toward aggression changed when the kids haven’t changed?”
Her answer was Columbine. Educator Susan Eva Porter said that the nation considered the shooters Eric Harris and Dylan Klebold as victims of bullying, and the nation quickly and fearfully adopted zero-tolerance policies to prevent future victims of bullying.
In “Bully Nation: Why America’s Approach to Childhood Aggression is Bad for Everyone,” Porter argues that labeling children as bullies is equivalent to calling them “stupid” because it gives them a “fixed mind-set” about how they perceive themselves.
Do anti-bullying programs cause more harm than help? Is bullying in schools a problem? What’s the best way to help victims of bullying? Are children more aggressive today than in the past?
Susan Porter, Ph.D, author of “Bully Nation: Why America’s Approach to Childhood Aggression is Bad for Everyone” (Paragon House); Dean of Students at The Branson School in Ross, California; she has worked in schools for 25 years. | <urn:uuid:13e8d951-f6ee-4d61-b6bf-19a59dd9dd70> | CC-MAIN-2016-26 | http://www.scpr.org/programs/airtalk/2013/04/09/31265/why-anti-bullying-policies-hurt-more-than-help/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2016-26/segments/1466783408840.13/warc/CC-MAIN-20160624155008-00124-ip-10-164-35-72.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.953048 | 273 | 3.234375 | 3 |
When your body temperature rises because of an infection, it's called a fever. Fevers are caused by chemicals called pyrogens flowing in the bloodstream. Pyrogens make their way to the hypothalamus in the brain, which is in charge of regulating body temperature. When pyrogens bind to certain receptors in the hypothalamus, body temperature rises.
One common pyrogen is called Interleukin-1 (IL-1). IL-1 is produced by white blood cells called macrophages when they come into contact with certain bacteria and viruses. IL-1 has multiple purposes, one of which is to signal other white blood cells, called helper T cells, into action.
One purpose of a fever is thought to be to raise the body's temperature enough to kill off certain bacteria and viruses sensitive to temperature changes. One interesting debate right now, therefore, is, "Should you lower a fever?" Aspirin, for example, will reduce fever; but if the fever is actually helping rid the body of infection, then lowering it might not be a good idea. On the other hand, people sometimes die from fever. Right now the general medical consensus falls on the "reduce the fever" side of the fence.
For more information about fever and related topics, see the next page. | <urn:uuid:29d0c20e-62b2-40b2-8f65-9b5d0d5727c3> | CC-MAIN-2016-26 | http://science.howstuffworks.com/life/cellular-microscopic/question45.htm | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2016-26/segments/1466783402479.21/warc/CC-MAIN-20160624155002-00081-ip-10-164-35-72.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.93672 | 262 | 3.984375 | 4 |
Linux is very flexible, but the amount of power it puts at your disposal can sometimes be overwhelming. These quick tricks for your Linux desktop will give you something you can put to use immediately.
Whether you’re a power user looking for a faster way to run commands or get to the terminal or a new user looking to squeeze some more power out of your Linux desktop, you’ll find a trick here for you.
Middle Click to Paste
On Linux, you basically have two separate clipboards – there’s the traditional clipboard you can use with the Cut, Copy, and Paste operations (or the Ctrl+X, Ctrl+C, and Ctrl-V keyboard shortcuts). There’s also another sort of clipboard – when you highlight some text with your mouse, this text is copied to a special buffer. When you middle click in a text entry area, a copy of the text you highlighted is pasted into the text entry field.
Quickly Run Commands
If you want to run a command without pulling up a terminal, use the Alt+F2 keyboard shortcut to reveal a Run dialog. This works in the majority of desktop environments including Ubuntu’s Unity, GNOME, and KDE. Type your command into the Run dialog and press Enter to run it.
This is different from pressing the Windows (or “Super”) key and typing the name of a program, which searches for and launches graphical applications.
Switch Between Virtual Consoles
Linux distributions generally provide you with multiple virtual consoles. One of these consoles runs your X server – the graphical desktop environment – while the other ones run traditional text consoles. You can switch between the virtual consoles by pressing the Ctrl+Alt+F# keys – for example, Ctrl+Alt+F1 will take you to the first virtual console. Ctrl+Alt+F7 generally takes you back to the console with the graphical desktop, although this can vary from distribution to distribution.
Search for Menu Items (In Unity on Ubuntu)
Using the HUD (heads-up-display) in Ubuntu’s Unity desktop, you can quickly search for and activate menu items with only your keyboard. Press Alt and type the name of the menu item you want to activate – for example, if you’re using Firefox and want menu items related to bookmarks, press the Alt key and type bookmark. Use the arrow keys and Enter key to activate a menu item.
The HUD was introduced in Ubuntu 12.04.
Quickly Open a Terminal & Other Keyboard Shortcuts
If you’re a Linux user, there’s a good chance you regularly use terminals. To quickly open a terminal on Ubuntu’s Unity or GNOME, press Ctrl+Alt+T.
You can customize this keyboard shortcut, view the default keyboard shortcuts, and create custom keyboard shortcuts in your desktop environment’s Keyboard configuration window. In many desktop environments, you can even create a custom keyboard shortcut that executes a custom command or script when pressed.
Workspaces allow you to organize your open windows onto different desktops. Linux desktop environments include extensive support for workspaces — there are a number of ways you can switch between workspaces and move windows between them:
- Click the Workspaces button or applet on your panel to switch between workspaces or view an overview of them. From here, you can often drag and drop windows between workspaces.
- Right-click a window’s title bar and use the Move to Workspace option to move the window to another workspace.
- Press Ctrl+Alt and an arrow key to switch between workspaces.
- Press Ctrl+Alt+Shift and an arrow key to move a window between workspaces. (These keyboard shortcuts are also customizable.)
If you have a laptop with a touchpad, there are a few tricks you can generally use. For example, you can move your finger up and down the right side of the touchpad to scroll vertically or along the bottom edge of the touchpad to scroll horizontally. You can also tap at the lower right corner of the touchpad to perform a right click. Depending on your distribution, you may have to enable some of these options yourself – and they may not be available in a graphical user interface.
Do you have any other tricks to suggest? Leave a comment and let us know about them! | <urn:uuid:3205d9cb-271d-4c91-aeb3-457599fc210c> | CC-MAIN-2016-26 | http://www.howtogeek.com/118751/7-quick-tricks-for-ubuntu-and-other-linux-desktops/?showcomments=1 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2016-26/segments/1466783393997.50/warc/CC-MAIN-20160624154953-00050-ip-10-164-35-72.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.862174 | 891 | 2.546875 | 3 |
In November 1941, about 100 university students began their short-term compulsory military training with the 15th Infantry Battalion. Most were aged 19-22, had daytime jobs and were evening or external students from the arts, commerce and law faculties. They were ambitious, hard-working young men anxious to make their way in the world.
Their compulsory military training was due to end on 4 February 1942 and the students would then be released to return to their jobs and continue their part-time studies. The outbreak of the Pacific War on 7 December changed everything. In April 1942, the 15th Battalion was given 24 hours’ notice to move from Caloundra to Townsville. In January 1943 the Battalion went to New Guinea to take part in the Salamaua and Lae campaigns and did not return to Brisbane until July 1944. In November it was sent to fight in Bougainville. The Battalion finally returned home in January 1946.
After the war, most returned to resume their studies and jobs within the community. While the army saw these men as best employed as infantry soldiers, the summary of their later lives is populated with professors, managing directors and chief executive officers, lawyers, doctors and captains of industry. Count the numbers who have received an honour or award or have been decorated for their extraordinary achievements and the proportion is simply staggering.
This book tells the story of those Queensland University students of ‘U’ Company, 15th Battalion during its brief existence. It covers their wartime service in all its tragedy and triumph and how they resumed their lives, studies and careers once the war was over. Most regard themselves as being very fortunate – to have survived the war, to have learned to cope with adversity, to have learned the importance of getting on with life in spite of insurmountable obstacles and in having been able to make the most of opportunities that arose. They have been fortunate to find a life beyond adversity.
List of Illustrations and Maps
1. The Clarion Call - The Drive to Recruit
- Appendix 1. The 1941 draft - summary of faculties
- Appendix 2. Summary of total University of Queensland call-ups in 1941
- Appendix 3. Previously Militiamen?
2. 'U' Company, 15th Infantry Battalion - Our Story
3. 'We Shall Fight on the Beaches ...'
4. The 15th Battalion Goes to War
5. The 15th Battalion on Bougainville
7. The Biographies
8. More In triguing Stories
Appendix A: More 'U' Company troops | <urn:uuid:a4a9ae38-e0ec-4b2c-82c0-7b2c36c84076> | CC-MAIN-2016-26 | http://www.gould.com.au/Beyond-Adversity-U-Company-15th-Batt-1941-42-p/bsp003.htm | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2016-26/segments/1466783402479.21/warc/CC-MAIN-20160624155002-00173-ip-10-164-35-72.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.978759 | 520 | 2.578125 | 3 |
Missile, Surface-to-Surface, SS-20, Fragment
This piece of twisted metal is an artifact of the destruction of the SS-20 missiles in compliance with the Intermediate Nuclear Forces agreement between the US and USSR. The Treaty was the first of its kind to eliminate an entire class of missiles. The twisted and burnt characteristics of this fragment resulted from the method of destruction of the SS-20 missiles. The solid fuel used in the SS-20 missile is integrated into the construction of the missile. The fuel could not be removed from the missile without firing the missile. The joint US-Russian teams that oversaw the destruction of the missiles agreed that the best procedure to render the missiles inoperative was through explosive destruction. This is a piece of one SS-20 missile that was destroyed in this manner.
The U.S. On-Site Inspection Agency transferred this object to the museum.
Transferred from The On-Site Inspection Agency
- Country of Origin
- Union of Soviet Socialist Republics
- Votkinsk Machine Building Plant
- National Air and Space Museum in Washington, DC
- Boeing Milestones of Flight Hall
- CRAFT-Missiles & Rocket Parts
- metal (steel?)
- Overall: 6 in. wide x 1 ft. 4 in. long (15.24 x 40.64cm) | <urn:uuid:d4dd7a6b-6303-4c06-8deb-ecd0a8ce23a7> | CC-MAIN-2016-26 | http://airandspace.si.edu/collections/artifact.cfm?id=A20010319000 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2016-26/segments/1466783397428.37/warc/CC-MAIN-20160624154957-00017-ip-10-164-35-72.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.90861 | 275 | 2.78125 | 3 |
Workers were ordered out of an quake stricken nuclear power plant in Japan after radiation at the plant rose to dangerous level.
TOKYO: Workers were ordered to withdraw from a stricken Japanese nuclear power plant on Wednesday after radiation levels rose, Kyodo news reported, a development that suggested the crisis was spiraling out of control.
Just hours earlier another fire broke out at the plant, which has sent low levels of radiation wafting into Tokyo in the past 24 hours, triggering international alarm.
Japan’s chief government spokesman said it was “not realistic” to think the Daiichi nuclear plant in Fukushima, 240 kms (150 miles) north of Tokyo, would reach the start of a nuclear chain reaction, but said officials were talking to the U.S. military about possible help.
While public broadcaster NHK said flames were no longer visible at the building housing the No.4 reactor of the plant, TV pictures showed smoke or steam rising from the facility around 0100 GMT.
Academics and nuclear experts agree that the solutions being proposed to contain damage to the reactors are last-ditch efforts to stem what could well be remembered as one of the world’s worst industrial disasters.
“This is a slow-moving nightmare,” said Dr Thomas Neff, a research affiliate at the Center for International Studies, which is part of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.
Concern had earlier been mounting that the skeleton crews dealing with the crisis might not be big enough, or were possibly exhausted after working for days since Friday’s massive earthquake damaged the facility. Authorities had withdrawn 750 workers on Tuesday, leaving only 50.
The plight of hundreds of thousands left homeless by the quake and devastating tsunami that followed worsened overnight following a cold snap that brought snow to some of the worst-affected areas.
While the official death toll stands at around 4,000, more than 7,000 are listed as missing and the figure is expected to rise.
In the first hint of international frustration at the pace of updates from Japan, Yukiya Amano, director general of the International Atomic Energy Agency, said he wanted more timely and detailed information.
“We do not have all the details of the information so what we can do is limited,” Amano told a news conference in Vienna. “I am trying to further improve the communication.”
Several experts said that Japanese authorities were underplaying the severity of the incident, particularly on a scale called INES used to rank nuclear incidents. The Japanese have so far rated the accident a four on a one-to-seven scale, but that rating was issued on Saturday and since then the situation has worsened dramatically.
France’s nuclear safety authority ASN said Tuesday it should be classed as a level-six incident.
Japanese Prime Minister Naoto Kan on Tuesday urged people within 30 km (18 miles) of the facility — a population of 140,000 — to remain indoors, as authorities grappled with the world’s most serious nuclear accident since the Chernobyl disaster in Ukraine in 1986.
Officials in Tokyo said radiation in the capital was 10 times normal at one point but not a threat to human health in the sprawling high-tech city of 13 million people.
But residents have nevertheless reacted to the crisis by staying indoors. Public transport and the streets are as deserted as for a public holiday and scores of shops and offices closed.
Winds over the plant will blow from the north along the Pacific coast early on Wednesday and then from the northwest toward the ocean during the day, the Japan Meteorological Agency said.
Fears of transpacific nuclear fallout sent consumers scrambling for radiation antidotes in the U.S. Pacific Northwest and Canada. Authorities warned that people would expose themselves to other medical problems by needlessly taking potassium iodide in the hope of protection from cancer.
The nuclear crisis and concerns about the economic impact from last week’s earthquake and tsunami have hammered Japan’s stock market.
The Nikkei index ended the morning up 4.37 pct after closing down 10.6 percent on Tuesday and 6.2 percent the day before. The fall wiped some $620 billion off the market.
Scramble to stop water evaporating
Authorities have spent days desperately trying to prevent the water which is designed to cool the radioactive cores of the reactors from evaporating, which would lead to overheating and the release of dangerous radioactive material into the atmosphere.
Levels of 400 millisieverts per hour had been recorded near the No. 4 reactor, the government said. Exposure to over 100 millisieverts a year is a level which can lead to cancer, according to the World Nuclear Association.
Several embassies advised staff and citizens to leave affected areas in Japan. Tourists cut short vacations and multinational companies either urged staff to leave or said they were considering plans to move outside Tokyo.
German technology companies SAP and Infineon were among those moving staff to safety in the south. SAP said it was evacuating its offices in Tokyo, Osaka and Nagoya and had offered its 1,100 employees and their family members transport to the south, where the company has rented a hotel for staff to work online.
What the hell is going on?
Japanese media have became more critical of Kan’s handling of the disaster and criticized the government and plant operator Tokyo Electric Power Co. for their failure to provide enough information on the incident.
Kan himself lambasted the operator for taking so long to inform his office about one of the blasts on Tuesday, Kyodo news agency reported.
Kyodo said Kan had ordered TEPCO not to pull employees out of the plant. “The TV reported an explosion. But nothing was said to the premier’s office for about an hour,” a Kyodo reporter quoted Kan telling power company executives. “What the hell is going on?”
Nuclear radiation is an especially sensitive issue for Japanese following the country’s worst human catastrophe — the U.S. atomic bombs dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki in 1945.
There have been a total of four explosions at the plant since it was damaged in last Friday’s massive quake and tsunami. The most recent were blasts at reactors Nos. 2 and 4.
Concern now centers on damage to a part of the No.4 reactor building where spent rods were being stored in pools of water outside the containment area, and also to part of the No.2 reactor that helps to cool and trap the majority of cesium, iodine and strontium in its water.
Villages and towns wiped off the map
The full extent of the destruction from last Friday’s 9.0-magnitude earthquake and the tsunami that followed it was becoming clear as rescuers combed through the region north of Tokyo where officials say at least 10,000 people were killed.
Whole villages and towns have been wiped off the map by Friday’s wall of water, triggering an international humanitarian effort of epic proportions.
There have been hundreds of aftershocks and more than two dozen are greater than magnitude 6, the size of the earthquake that severely damaged Christchurch, New Zealand last month.
About 850,000 households in the north were still without electricity in near-freezing weather, Tohuku Electric Power Co. said, and the government said at least 1.5 million households lack running water. Tens of thousands of people were missing.
Hiromichi Shirakawa, chief economist for Japan at Credit Suisse, said in a note to clients that the economic loss will likely be around 14-15 trillion yen ($171-183 billion) just to the region hit by the quake and tsunami.
“The earthquake could have great implications on the global economic front,” said Andre Bakhos, director of market analytics at Lec Securities in New York. “If you shut down Japan, there could be a global recession.” | <urn:uuid:583b9680-6d51-4715-9d7e-483b069fa222> | CC-MAIN-2016-26 | http://www.freemalaysiatoday.com/category/world/2011/03/16/fire-at-japan-nuclear-reactor-heightens-radiation-threat/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2016-26/segments/1466783395679.18/warc/CC-MAIN-20160624154955-00126-ip-10-164-35-72.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.967537 | 1,642 | 2.515625 | 3 |
Last week, we saw how the monk-navigator Andrés Urdaneta was summoned back into the service of his native Spain to find an easterly route from the Philippines to New Spain, present-day Mexico. The first land sighted by Urdaneta on his groundbreaking (seabreaking?) voyage of 1565 this side of the Pacific was almost certainly Cape Mendocino, the most westerly point on the coast of California. The headland had been named 20 years earlier by its Spanish discover, Juan Rodriquez Cabrillo, to honor the first Viceroy of New Spain, Don Antonio de Mendoza. Now the landmark was to be a vital point of demarcation for trade galleons following Urdaneta's passage en route from Manila-to-Acapulco. (Much later, navigators, fearful of northern California's coastal fog and rocky shoreline, tended to turn south earlier when they were about 300 miles out to sea.)
From 1565 to 1815, between two and four large Spanish galleons built of Philippine hardwood made four-to-six-month eastbound voyages from Manila to Acapulco each year. They brought rich cargoes of porcelain, ivory, silks, wax, chinaware and spices until the Mexican War of Independence put a stop to the trade in 1815, six years before Mexican finally seceded from Spain after a long struggle.
The Manila galleons stayed at sea during the lonely four-to-six month voyage from the Philippines to Acapulco, but some of the 30-odd ships that were lost without trace may have inadvertently ended up on California's North Coast. Which could explain the legend of King Peak. In the July 1963 issue of Western Folklore magazine, local writer Lynwood Carranco re-tells an Andrew Genzoli tale. Genzoli was a historian and Humboldt Times columnist (and, according to those who knew him, something of a storyteller). He claimed, in turn, to have heard the following when he was a youngster from Johnny Jack, a Mattole and Wiyot Native American who lived at the mouth of the Mattole River: A ship carrying a rich cargo of gold, gems and silk was wrecked on the Lost Coast; the crew either drowned or were killed by local Native Americans, who recovered the cargo and stashed it in a cave below King Peak; and an earthquake subsequently sealed up the opening of the cave, and (you have to take my word on this) the loot is there to this day.
Does this tale, passed down through the years by Mattole tribal members, explain the disappearance of one of the missing Manila-Acapulco galleons? Get out there, locate the cave, and we'll find the truth!
Barry Evans (firstname.lastname@example.org) would have found the treasure by now if not for the notorious Lost Coast poison oak. | <urn:uuid:8eefc113-aff4-42e7-bdb3-3fa9dfca6665> | CC-MAIN-2016-26 | http://m.northcoastjournal.com/humboldt/columbus-of-the-pacific-part-2/Content?oid=2185690&page=%7CColumbus%20of%20the%20Pacific%2C%20Part%202 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2016-26/segments/1466783396222.11/warc/CC-MAIN-20160624154956-00000-ip-10-164-35-72.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.961983 | 620 | 3.1875 | 3 |
William Bentinck, Duke of Portland, twice served as Prime Minister: from 2 April to 18 December 1783 and from 31 March 1807 to 4 October 1809. He was born on 14 April 1738, the eldest son and third of six children born to the second Duke of Portland and his wife Margaret Cavendishe Harley. Portland's mother was the heir of the second Earl of Oxford. Portland was educated at Westminster School and Christ Church, Oxford. He was awarded an MA in 1757.
In 1764 Portland had a brief affair with Maria Waldegrave who went on to marry the Duke of Gloucester, precipitating the Royal Marriages Act of 1772. The following year, Portland embarked on an affair with Anne Liddell, the wife of the Duke of Grafton. It has been suggested that the Portland/Lady Grafton affair was the cause of the antagonism between the Dukes of Portland and Grafton in later years. Portland marked the end of the affair in March 1766 by announcing his engagement to the sixteen-year-old Lady Dorothy Cavendish, the daughter of the Duke of Devonshire, with whom he had three daughters and four sons, all of whom were named William (William Henry; William Edward; William Charles Augustus; William Frederick).
Portland entered the House of Commons as MP for Weobley, Hertfordshire in 1761 but succeeded to the peerage on the death of his father the following year and was elevated to the House of Lords. He gave up his seat in the Commons without making his maiden speech: Portland's claim to fame is that he rarely spoke in parliament.
In July 1765, Portland was appointed as Lord Chamberlain of the Household in Rockingham's first ministry; after Rockingham's resignation in July 1766 Portland continued in office in Chatham's ministry, which was headed by the Duke of Grafton. By December 1766, Portland decided that his position was untenable. When the Rockinghamites met, it was decided that Portland should be allowed to resign, along with other Rockinghamite members of Chatham's ministry, in an attempt to force Chatham to change his dictatorial ways or to resign. The plan failed and Portland spent the next eighteen years in parliamentary opposition.
Welbeck Abbey, Nottinghamshire: the stately home of the Dukes of Portland. It is now an army college
Portland was involved in a prolonged legal battle with Sir James Lowther over lands in Carlisle that they both claimed. The case began in August 1767 and continued sporadically until a final judgement in August 1776, by which time Portland was virtually bankrupt as a result of legal costs. However, the case was decided in Portland's favour. To add to his financial difficulties, in the same year Portland agreed to pay his mother a lease of £16,000 a year so he could continue to live at Bulstrode, his mother's property. Meanwhile, his mother continued to live at Welbeck Abbey in Nottinghamshire. This was the family seat of the Portlands. Eventually, Portland had to sell the Cumbrian lands to save himself from bankruptcy.
In 1782 Rockingham formed his second ministry and Portland became Lord Lieutenant of Ireland, arriving in Dublin on 14 April 1782. Rockingham died on 1 July and Portland resigned his post but became the leader of the Rockinghamite Whigs through election. The Earl of Shelburne formed the ministry that succeeded Rockingham. On 24 February 1783 Shelburne resigned following a series of defeats and the Fox-North coalition took office under the nominal premiership of Portland. George III was less than pleased with the coalition and awaited his opportunity to cause its failure. This came in December 1783 when the king dismissed the ministry over the India Bill. George III sent out messengers to collect the seals of office rather than sending for the PM, as was customary. The Duke remained in opposition until 1794.
Portland was appointed as Chancellor of Oxford University in September 1792 but refused the Order of the Garter because it was also offered to Pitt. Portland began to distance himself from the Foxite Whigs and was urged to join the government, led by Pitt the Younger. In 1794 Portland accepted the post of Home Secretary in Pitt the Younger's government. The same year, there were food riots throughout England because of grain shortages and Portland took part in the movement that refused to eat bread made of more than a determined fineness of wheat in order to save grain. In 1795 he arranged for substantial numbers of troops to be quartered on the outskirts of London in order to prevent civil unrest.
As Home Secretary, responsibility for Ireland fell within his remit: Portland appointed his friend Earl Fitzwilliam, who was the nephew of Rockingham, as Lord Lieutenant in 1795. One of the first things that Fitzwilliam did was to announce, as government policy, that Catholics would be given full equality of rights. Portland refused to acknowledge the policy and recalled the Earl in January 1795; one major result was the Irish Rising of 1798 because the Irish felt betrayed by Portland. In 1800 Portland authorised Lord Lieutenant Cornwallis to use whatever means were necessary to pass the Act of Union. The king's refusal to countenance Catholic Emancipation led to Pitt's resignation in March 1801.
Portland remained in office during Addington's ministry but moved to the post of Lord President of the Council so that Pelham could become Home Secretary although the loss of income caused serious problems for the Duke . Portland continued in office when Pitt again became PM in 1804 but retired to Bulstrode after Pitt's death in 1806. In March of the same year he underwent major abdominal surgery to have kidney stones removed - this was in an age without anaesthetics.
The Grenville-Fox coalition and then Lord Grenville's ministry lasted only until March 1807 when George III asked Portland to become PM. He accepted, insisting that he was still a Whig despite the fact that he was heading a Tory government. He called and won a general election but then left his ministers to do what they wanted. Portland did not speak in parliament during his second ministry, which started life under a cloud of military failure during the French Wars: Napoleon dominated most of western Europe and went on to conquer the Iberian peninsula. George Canning, the Foreign Secretary, accused his colleagues of incompetence in the prosecution of the war; it was obvious that Canning was referring to Castlereagh, the Secretary of State for War and the Colonies, whom Canning wanted to be removed. Although Portland did nothing, other Cabinet members took sides - for or against Castlereagh; the Cabinet virtually ceased to function. When Castlereagh discovered what had been going on, he demanded 'satisfaction' and the pair fought their celebrated duel on 21 September 1809. Both resigned soon afterwards. In August 1809 Portland had had an apoplectic seizure, resigned on 4 October, and died on the 30th of that month at the age of 71. He was succeeded by Spencer Perceval.
Turberville, A.S. A History of Welbeck Abbey and its Owners. 2 vols. London, 1934.
Last modified 15 February 2002 | <urn:uuid:46fd4538-18bc-4eaa-af28-56eee8f9dd38> | CC-MAIN-2016-26 | http://victorianweb.org/history/pms/portland.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2016-26/segments/1466783395548.53/warc/CC-MAIN-20160624154955-00154-ip-10-164-35-72.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.987454 | 1,481 | 2.734375 | 3 |
Court and civic banquets were an integral part of the conspicuous consumption that characterized festival productions. Decorations, sculptures, and favors made of food were designed to give focus to the theater of the table. Featuring specially commissioned works of art, precious metals, glass, crystal, rare fruit, and rich confections, the banquet's ornate presentation signaled the wealth of the patron and the eminence of the guests.
Based on oral traditions passed down from master chefs and stewards, cookbooks and manuals began to be published in the 16th century. These practical manuals provided detailed instructions on ingredients, food preparation, menus, table settings, carving, and the art of table decoration, including folded napkins. By the 18th century, reference books like Diderot's Encyclopédie presented definitions and in-depth descriptions of all aspects of culinary production.
According to folklore, the Land of Cockaigne (Cuccagna in Italian) was a mythical place of plenty, like paradise on earth. Temporary art and architecture based on the legend took the form of outdoor monuments; these often consisted of structures made of wood scaffolding, papier-mâché, stucco, and were decorated with meat, cheese, bread, and pastry, usually built in the central square of the city or near the royal palace.
Following patterns set by Roman triumphs and medieval religious processions, popular festivals took place in city streets. These celebrations marked court anniversaries, civic holidays, and religious feast days, such as Carnival, during the days just before Lent. Harvest festivals celebrated the success of a region's agricultural products, often incorporating the gathering of grapes and winemaking into the ceremonies.
Modeled on real fruits, vegetables, and shellfish, Meissonnier's fantastic variations designed for silverware correspond directly to earlier sugar paste table sculptures. They complement artistic table displays made of food and ice, echoing designs for porcelain from the same period. | <urn:uuid:e2e171e1-16b4-4cd3-accd-fff24b5609fb> | CC-MAIN-2016-26 | http://www.getty.edu/research/tools/guides_bibliographies/festivals/contents.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2016-26/segments/1466783396945.81/warc/CC-MAIN-20160624154956-00026-ip-10-164-35-72.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.944699 | 400 | 3.53125 | 4 |
Definition of Vitamin D requirement
Vitamin D requirement: The amount of vitamin D recommended per day, which varies according to the age of the individual.
Recommendations are as follows:
- For Children: The National Academy of Sciences and American Academy of Pediatrics have recommended that all infants, including those who are exclusively breastfed, have a minimum intake of 200 International Units (IU) of vitamin D per day beginning during the first 2 months of life. In addition, it is recommended that an intake of 200 IU of vitamin D per day be continued throughout childhood and adolescence, because adequate sunlight exposure is not easily determined for a given individual.
- For Adults: The Food and Nutrition Board of the Institute of Medicine has recommended the following as an adequate vitamin D intake: 200 IU daily for people 19-50 years old; 400 International Units (IU) daily for those 51-70 years old; and 600 IU daily for those 71 years and older. An average multivitamin tablet contains 400 IU of vitamin D. Therefore, taking a multivitamin a day should help provide the recommended amount of vitamin D. The new recommended daily allowance (RDA), as set in 2010, is based on age, as follows: for those 1-70 years of age, 600 IU daily; for those 71 years and older, 800 IU daily; and for pregnant and lactating women, 600 IU daily. The IOM further recommended that serum 25(OH)D levels of 20ng/mL (= 50 nmol/L) is adequate, and levels > 50ng/mL (= 125 nmol/L) could have potential adverse effects
Last Editorial Review: 6/9/2016
Drug Medical Dictionary of Terms by Letter
Medical Dictionary Term:
Weight Loss Wisdom
Get tips, recipes and inspiration. | <urn:uuid:0b422daf-510c-4704-9ab1-e767021f3d1c> | CC-MAIN-2016-26 | http://www.rxlist.com/script/main/art.asp?articlekey=22785 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2016-26/segments/1466783397562.76/warc/CC-MAIN-20160624154957-00070-ip-10-164-35-72.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.901933 | 363 | 3.40625 | 3 |
Before you can begin to design a fiber optic cable plant, you need to establish with the end-user or network owner where the network will be built and which communications signals it will carry. Most contractors are more familiar with premises networks, where computer networks, local area networks (LANs) and security systems use structured cabling systems built around well-defined industry standards. Once the cabling exits a building, even for short links—for example, in a campus or metropolitan network—requirements for fiber and cable types change. Long-distance links for telecommunications, CATV or utility networks have other, more stringent requirements, necessary to support longer high-speed links, which must be considered.
But while the contractor generally considers the cabling requirements first, the real design starts with the communications system requirements established by the end-user. Start by looking at the types of equipment required for the communications systems, the speed of the network and the distances to be covered before considering anything related to the cable plant. The communications equipment will determine if fiber is necessary or preferable and which type of fiber is required.
Premises cable systems are designed to carry computer networks based on Ethernet, which currently may operate at speeds from 10 megabits per second to 10 gigabits per second. Other systems may carry security systems with digital or analog video, perimeter alarms or entry systems, which are usually low speeds, at least as far as fiber is concerned. Telephone systems can be carried on traditional twisted-pair cables or, as is becoming more common, use LAN cabling with voice over Internet protocol (VoIP) networks. Premises networks usually are short, often less than the 100 meters (about 330 feet) used as the limit for standardized structured cabling systems that allow twisted-pair copper or fiber optic cabling.
Premises networks generally operate over multimode fiber. Multimode systems are less expensive than single-mode systems, not because the fiber is cheaper (it isn’t) or because cable is cheaper (the same), but because the large core of multimode fiber allows the use of cheaper LED or VCSEL sources in transmitters, making the electronics much cheaper. Astute designers and end-users often include both multimode and single-mode fibers in their backbone cables (called hybrid cables), since single-mode fibers are very inexpensive, and they provide a virtually unlimited ability to expand the systems.
Telephone networks are mainly outside plant (OSP) systems, connecting buildings over distances as short as a few hundred meters to hundreds or thousands of kilometers. Data rates for telecom are typically 2.5 to 10 gigabits per second, using very high power lasers that operate exclusively over single-mode fibers. The big push for telecom is now taking fiber directly to a commercial building or the home, since the signals have become too fast for traditional twisted-copper pairs.
CATV also uses single-mode fibers with systems that are either hybrid fiber-coax (HFC) or digital where the backbone is fiber and the connection to the home is on coax. Coax still works for CATV since it has very high bandwidth. Some CATV providers have discussed or even tried some fiber to the home, but have not seen the economics become attractive yet.
Besides telecom and CATV, there are many other OSP applications of fiber. Intelligent highways are dotted with security cameras and signs and/or signals connected on fiber. Security monitoring systems in large buildings, such as airports, government and commercial buildings, casinos, etc., generally are connected on fiber due to the long distances involved. Like other networks, premises applications usually are multimode, while OSP is single-mode to support longer links.
Metropolitan networks owned and operated by cities can carry a variety of traffic, including telephone, LAN, security, traffic monitoring and control and sometimes even traffic for commercial interests using leased bandwidth or fibers. However, since most are designed to support longer links than premises or campus applications, single-mode is the fiber of choice.
For all except premises applications, fiber is the communications medium of choice, since its greater distance and bandwidth capabilities make it either the only choice or considerably less expensive than copper or wireless. Only inside buildings is there a choice to be made, and that choice is affected by economics, network architecture and the tradition of using copper inside buildings. Next time, we’ll look at the fiber/copper/wireless choices in more detail.
HAYES is a VDV writer and trainer and the president of The Fiber Optic Association. Find him at www.JimHayes.com. | <urn:uuid:74970c92-1118-4de3-bf9d-acccc487595b> | CC-MAIN-2016-26 | http://www.ecmag.com/section/systems/choose-wisely | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2016-26/segments/1466783398075.47/warc/CC-MAIN-20160624154958-00193-ip-10-164-35-72.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.949398 | 938 | 3.15625 | 3 |
CAMBRIDGE, England, Sept. 9 (UPI) — Halting the decline of Earth’s biodiversity will require changes in behavior by human society, British researchers say.
In an article in the journal Science, conservationists and scientists argue that unless human societies recognize the link between their consumption choices and biodiversity loss, the diversity of life on Earth will continue to decline.
“If we are to make any kind of impact, it is critical that that we begin to view biodiversity as a global public good which provides such benefits as clean air and fresh water, and that this view is integrated not just into policies but also into society and individuals’ day-to-day decisions,” Mike Rands, director of the Cambridge Conservation Initiative and lead author of the paper, said.
Biodiversity loss is usually the result of unintended human actions and therefore presents unique problems, researchers say.
“The impacts of a particular action are often distant in space and time. This makes effective regulation difficult, as no single body has jurisdiction over the world’s biodiversity,” the article says.
The authors urge managing biodiversity as a global public good as one part of a possible solution.
“The value of biodiversity must be made an integral element of social, economic and political decision-making, as is starting to happen with carbon and climate change. Government, businesses, and civil society all have crucial roles in this transition,” the authors say.
Copyright 2010 United Press International, Inc. (UPI). Any reproduction, republication, redistribution and/or modification of any UPI content is expressly prohibited without UPI’s prior written consent. | <urn:uuid:a77fe240-9cc8-4e43-b8b5-e7c7df24d6c0> | CC-MAIN-2016-26 | http://www.ecoworld.com/other/scientists-biodiversity-world-concern.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2016-26/segments/1466783397428.37/warc/CC-MAIN-20160624154957-00056-ip-10-164-35-72.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.932745 | 345 | 3.09375 | 3 |
Known Structures in the National Park System
- the 100 Year Old El Tovar Hotel
|GRAND CANYON NATIONAL PARK, March 24, 2005 - As the El Tovar hotel
and the Hopi House gift shop and gallery observe their centennials in 2005,
Fred Harvey's foresight is becoming apparent again even though he died
before actually seeing the completion of two of the best-known structures
in the national park system.
Opening January 1, 1905 the Hopi House was designed by a young architect
named Mary Elizabeth Jane Colter. Colter had already established a reputation
as a gifted architect and had designed several of the Fred Harvey Company's
gift shops adjacent to its hotels at railroad stops along the route of
the Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway to organize the sale of items
created by native craftspeople.
Fred Harvey had left his native London at the age of 15 to seek his fortune in America. At the time, the country's railroads would take you West, but you couldn't get a square meal or decent lodging west of St. Louis. So, if you were a young man in the 1870s, restless with ambition and a desire to conquer new frontiers, you had best have a strong stomach. Also, you would have to leave any ideas of a family behind, as there were, the records say, "no ladies west of Dodge City," and "no women west of Albuquerque."
Fred Harvey was a western railroad man in those days. He knew what travelers into the West had to put up with, for he traveled several roads, including the Hannibal & St. Joseph, popularly known as the "Horrible & Slow Jolting." He clerked on the first mail train and was a traveling freight agent for the Burlington. His fastidious English tastes revolted at the unpalatable dry biscuits, the greasy ham-leather and the weak old coffee. The dirty, fly-ridden quarters and the all-too-prevalent custom of fleecing travelers "who wouldn't be back anyway," made Harvey angry enough to change things. He was determined to bring good food, civilized service, and attractive, honestly run eating houses and hotels to travelers in the West. If he could get the cooperation of the railroads, he knew he would succeed.
"I know what to do; I've had experience in the best restaurants in New York and New Orleans and ran my own in St. Louis," he said. But the railroads had no time for a visionary young man with ideas about food service. One facetiously suggested, "take your ideas to the Santa Fe; they'll try anything." Harvey followed that suggestion and found the remark, intended as humor, to be a prophecy.
In 1876, Fred Harvey opened his first railway restaurant in Topeka, Kan., on the second floor of the little red Santa Fe depot. From that modest beginning, the Harvey organization grew into a far-flung resort, restaurant, hotel and retail organization, with operations extending from Cleveland to the West Coast.
Good food, good cooking, spotless dining rooms, and courteous service, introduced by Fred Harvey in his first Harvey House, brought a booming business that pleased Santa Fe passengers and amazed Topeka residents.
Later in the same year (1876), when Harvey opened his first hotel at Florence, Kan., on the Santa Fe, the joint venture was welcomed with wild acclaim. The chef, who was hired from Chicago's Palmer House, received the fabulous salary of $5,000 a year. Linens were imported from Belfast, Ireland; silver from Sheffield, England; china from France. The furniture was hand-carved antiques. Society balls were held at the hotel; the menus were a gourmet's delight.
Harvey's hotel was a civilizing influence in other ways, too. The following notice appeared in a June 1879 Florence newspaper: "Every Tuesday and Friday the ladies of Florence can have the use of the bathrooms in the Fred Harvey hotel. This will be a luxury which will be duly appreciated. All other days the bathrooms will be open to gentlemen."
During the 1880s and 1890s, Fred Harvey's unique restaurants and hotels - Harvey Houses - opened, one after another, every 100 miles along the Santa Fe through Kansas, Colorado, Texas, Oklahoma, New Mexico, Arizona and California. This was necessary, it was said, "To keep western traffic from settling in any one place where Fred Harvey served his incomparable meals."
Rivaling the good food and modern accoutrements that Fred Harvey brought to the West were his "Harvey Girls," - pretty, well-trained waitresses. The girls were recruited from good homes in the East and had a major part in taming the West. To the frontier outposts of the West, where stampeding buffalo herds were as common as attacking Indians, train robberies, and horse thieving, the Harvey Girls brought culture, refinement and romance.
These ads ran in eastern papers: "Wanted: Young women, 18 to 30 years of age, of good character, attractive and intelligent, as waitresses in Harvey Eating Houses in the West. Good wages, with room and meals furnished." The same pioneering spirit that sent restless young men into the West drew the Harvey Girls. Many were school teachers, lured by the excitement of the unknown and a chance for romance.
Young, pretty and well-turned out in their crisp white aprons and bows over well-fitted black shirtwaists, the girls were a sight to the eyes of lonesome western males. They were housed in dormitories presided over by sensible mature housemothers. They were looked after as carefully as boarding school students in "female seminaries" in the East.
Gentlemen callers were permitted at certain hours in the well-chaperoned parlor; that is, if they left their six-shooters at the door. But it wasn't long before the cowboys and cattlemen who tried to ride their broncos right into Harvey Houses were persuaded to change their manners and took more kindly to the alpaca coats Fred Harvey kept on hand and demanded his coatless gentlemen diners wear.
Before long, the cowboys were seen accompanying the Harvey Girls to church on Sundays. When that happened, everyone took it for granted that marriage was the next step and that the roaming, devil-may-care Westerner was about to become respectable. Of Fred Harvey, Will Rogers once said: "He kept the West in food and wives." The press dubbed him "Civilizer of the West," and one article from the 1880s said he "made the desert blossom with beefsteak and pretty girls."
Some believe at least 20,000 Harvey Girls became the brides of ranchers, railroad men and cowboys, founding many of the first families of the West. And many of the male offspring of those families were named "Fred" or "Harvey" in deference to the man who had the vision to civilize the region.
Harvey meals included as many as seven entrees -- with seconds -- for 75 cents. Prices were apologetically raised to one dollar in 1920 and remained at about a dollar until 1927. Menus at Harvey Houses were coordinated to avoid duplication on a trip. If you had prime rib at Needles, you had chicken at Barstow.
In the racketeering days before Harvey Houses were established, diners paid in advance, then, when they had barely started to eat, the train crew shouted its "all aboard" and passengers had to rush out without their meal or be left behind. In this way the same food provided many meals and the train crew got a cut of ten cents per passenger. In contrast, Harvey Houses followed a foolproof system to assure the comfort and satisfaction of travelers. Trainmen canvassed the passengers, noting the number who wished dining room and lunch counter service and telegraphed this information ahead. A mile out of town, the engineer blew a signal announcing the approach of the train. By the time the train arrived, the white coated porters banging on a big brass gong had started the first course to each place, and the entrees were sizzling in the kitchen.
The waitresses, taking orders for coffee, tea or milk, arranged cups according to a code and the "drink girl" immediately followed serving accordingly. Then came the grand entrance of the manager himself, bearing aloft great platters of steak, chops or seafood that he served with a flourish. Passengers were assured ample notice would be given before the trains departed and were encouraged to take their time and enjoy their meals. Plenty of coffee was served. Desserts came in time, and five minutes before train time a signal was given for those lingering over a last bite. Then came the "all aboard." Time allotted for meals was 30 minutes. When the Santa Fe put on dining cars, Fred Harvey served the meals on wheels.
Fred Harvey died in 1901 but sons operated the business until the 1930s. Amfac Parks & Resorts (renamed Xanterra Parks & ResortsR in 2002) purchased the company in 1968. The company still honors the Harvey name through its retail division, Fred Harvey Trading Company.
Considered the "architectural crown jewel" of Grand Canyon National Park, El Tovar is undergoing a $4.6 million renovation. It will reopen for a centennial celebration on April 13, 2005.
The Hopi House continues to be a popular attraction where high-quality, authentic Native American art is sold. The gallery features traditional and contemporary Southwest Native American arts and crafts, many of which are of interest to collectors of Native American art.
Xanterra Parks & Resorts (consisting of Xanterra Parks & Resorts, Inc. and Xanterra South Rim, L.L.C.) operates lodges, restaurants and other concessions at national parks and state parks and resorts. Xanterra South Rim, L.L. C. operates concessions at the South Rim of the Grand Canyon.
Mesereau Public Relations
|Also See:||The Grand Canyon's El Tovar, One of the Original Great Lodges of the National Park System Turns 100; Key Influence in Opening the Southwest to Tourism / December 2004|
|Xanterra Parks & Resorts Completes Renovations to Four of its Seven Hotels in Grand Canyon National Park / May 2004| | <urn:uuid:bab2abe8-129e-430b-8bd9-8a4678e4280a> | CC-MAIN-2016-26 | http://www.hotel-online.com/News/PR2005_1st/Mar05_FredHarvey.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2016-26/segments/1466783408828.55/warc/CC-MAIN-20160624155008-00186-ip-10-164-35-72.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.97454 | 2,160 | 2.765625 | 3 |
A Pareto chart named after Vilfredo Pareto (an Italian Economist) is actually a bar chart in which all bars are ordered from largest to the smallest along with a line showing the cumulative percentage and count of the bars. The left vertical axis has the frequency of occurrence (number of occurrence), or some other important unit of measure such as cost. The right vertical axis contains the cumulative percentage of the total number of occurrences, or total of the particular unit of measure such as total cost. For Pareto chart the cumulative function is a concave function because bars (representing the reasons) are in decreasing order. Pareto chart are also called a Pareto distribution diagram.
A Pareto chart can be used when the following questions have their answer in “yes”
- Can data be arranged into categories?
- Is the rank of each category important?
Pareto chart are often used with analyzing defects in a manufacturing process or the most frequent reasons for customer complaints to help and determine the types of defects which are most prevalent (important) in a process. So a Company can focus to improve his efforts on particular important areas where it can make the largest gain or the lowest loss by eliminating causes of defects. So its easy to prioritize the problem areas using Pareto charts. The categories in the “tail” of the Pareto chart are called the insignificant factors.
Pareto chart Example
The Pareto chart given above shows the reasons for consumer complaints against an airlines in 2004. Here each bar represents the number (frequency) about each complaint received. The major complaint receive are related to flight problems (such as cancellations, delays and other deviations from schedule). The 2nd largest complaint is about customer service (rude or unhelpful employees, inadequate meals or cabin service, treatment of delayed passengers etc). Flight problems account 21% of the complaints, while both the flight problems and customer service account for 40% of the complaints. The top three complaint categories account for 55% of the complaints. So, to reduce the number of complaints, airlines should need to work on flight delays, customer service, and baggage problems. | <urn:uuid:1b6c62b4-bb7c-415f-b05e-81867e407f6f> | CC-MAIN-2016-26 | http://itfeature.com/chart-and-graphics/a-pareto-chart-named-after-vilfredo-pareto-an-italian-economist-is-actually-a-bar-chart | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2016-26/segments/1466783395613.65/warc/CC-MAIN-20160624154955-00025-ip-10-164-35-72.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.937555 | 444 | 2.8125 | 3 |
Pershing Square Park
Los Angeles, CA
Pershing Square is a five-acre park in the center of downtown Los Angeles bordered by Fifth, Sixth, Olive and Hill Streets. It was originally dedicated as a public square by Mayor Cristobal Aguilar in 1886 and at various times has been called La Plaza Abaja, St. Vincent's Park, Los Angeles Park, Sixth Street Park, and Central Park. In 1918 it was renamed for WW-I general John Joseph Pershing.
As with most urban parks, Pershing Square has undergone numerous renovations and reconfigurations during its life that reflected changing trends in urban form. Complex horticulture and a bandstand were added in in the 1890s. Fountains were added in 1910. Statues were added in the 1920s and 1930s. The entire park was excavated and rebuilt over a parking garage in 1952.
The most recent renovation was designed by Ricard Legorreta and completed in 1994. However the uninviting perimeter, inscrutable artwork, uncomfortable seating, and persistent problem with homelessness indict the design as less than optimal - albeit in keeping with its time.
It's easy to sustain a relationship when sex plays no part, and impossible, I have observed, when it does. (Gore Vidal) | <urn:uuid:0e900d2b-caa0-4630-8aed-0c31a68c0922> | CC-MAIN-2016-26 | http://michaelminn.net/cities/los_angeles/pershing_square | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2016-26/segments/1466783396875.58/warc/CC-MAIN-20160624154956-00117-ip-10-164-35-72.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.979154 | 264 | 2.578125 | 3 |
Stone statue of the priest Tjurai, goldsmith of the god Amun in his estate at Thebes.
Priests, whose office was usually hereditary, were a particularly privileged class in Egyptian society. The pharaoh was the high priest, who ceded his ritual duties to the order of high priests.
Priests were divided into categories according to their duties (treasurer, astronomer, lector, singer of hymns, etc) and into priesthoods according to which deity they served. They performed rituals, appeased the gods in order to maintain world order, and administrated the property of the temple they served.
During the New Kingdom the priesthood of Ammon acquired particular importance. | <urn:uuid:9dc2de8e-011b-4183-9333-6fab9baf2af8> | CC-MAIN-2016-26 | http://www.namuseum.gr/collections/egypt/nking/nking21-en.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2016-26/segments/1466783397111.67/warc/CC-MAIN-20160624154957-00070-ip-10-164-35-72.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.984295 | 143 | 3.328125 | 3 |
Vol.34 No.2 May 2000
Teaching Computer Graphics Visual Literacy to Art and Computer Science Students: Advantages, Resources and Opportunities
AbstractAlthough it is a requisite skill for success in industry, visual literacy in graphics is intimidating to computer science and art students. Computer science majors are uneasy about using their eyes to examine images while art students may not have much background in the technical terminology. This column is the second in a two-part series that discusses an interdisciplinary teaching technique that overcomes these obstacles. Part one was published in Computer Graphics 34(1) February 2000, pp. 24-26. With this approach students become more familiar with the limits and possibilities of the medium of computer graphics, learn how to analyze and talk about what visual images might mean and develop a deeper understanding of time constraints. In addition, they gain confidence with technological terminology and the idea of suggesting alternative algorithms to create a desired visual "look." As a result both computer science and art students become more able to communicate effectively about and with visual imagery.
As mentioned in the previous column, visual literacy is important for both computer science and art students as it is a highly prized skill in the computer graphics industry. The workplace awaiting graduates is an interdisciplinary, team-oriented environment where people skills and empathy are essential for successful collaboration. Visual literacy forms a basis for shared vision and communication. For art students, visual literacy complements their visual knowledge by imparting an understanding of technical terminology and requirements. It gives them a standard and consistent means to communicate to different audiences. Visual literacy also enhances the technical abilities of computer science students because it gives them experience in looking at an image and analyzing what they perceive. It allows them to build a better understanding and appreciation of the visual aspects of computer graphics.
In order to impart a visual literacy to graphics students, the authors use an interdisciplinary approach called visual analysis. Visual analysis is the process of discovering visual cues in an image and identifying the algorithms associated with those cues. The approach draws upon critical analysis ; but instead of emphasizing design, concept and media, it teaches students to recognize a small number of visual cues. These include:
These cues are usually sufficient to identify commonly used rendering algorithms.
In a classroom setting, an instructor gradually introduces cues over a period of three to six weeks, starting with two or three that appear starkly different. For example, a good beginning set of cues encompasses the difference between outlined and filled in polygons and the presence or absence of reflection and refraction. In this stage instructors need to focus on the characteristic visual behavior of rendering techniques to give students the time needed to build their skills. Once students become confident with identifying rendering algorithms based on typical visual behavior, they are ready to tackle visual equivalencies.
Visual Equivalencies and Time
Under certain circumstances, different rendering algorithms can create similar results. This is the phenomenon of visual equivalency. For example, it is possible to use a z-buffer surface algorithm to produce shadows (via a shadow buffer) and reflections (via environment mapping), and the resulting image may appear as if it had been ray traced. When an object has a dull surface, it can be virtually impossible to distinguish Gouraud and Phong shading. Another example is the simulation of a Phong highlight with Gouraud shading and a texture map depicting a highlight. As instructors introduce visual equivalencies, they can also broach the subject of algorithm performance.
Visual equivalencies can motivate discussions on the amount of time needed to render an image. All graphics students need to be able to estimate the amount of time required for image creation. Computer science students often learn about the basic differences in algorithm performance through informal discussions of an algorithm’s time complexity or through examination of bench mark data showing the time required for various algorithms to rendering a given scene.
Another way to understand algorithm performance is through empirically gained knowledge. Art students learn to estimate the rendering time for a single image or frame by rendering a low-resolution version and then estimate the time required for completing a high-resolution image. From there, they can estimate the rendering time for animations of various lengths and frame rates. They are shocked to discover the time requirements for rendering a five-minute ray traced animation.
For students, it is often disappointing to find that a technique capable of producing a desired visual effect is simply not practical for the chosen application. A discussion of possible alternatives based on visual equivalency can follow naturally from this discovery.
Figure 1: A sample TERA session.
Figure 2: TERA in “Self Quiz” mode.
Figure 3: By Lana Lazebnik, DePaul University. Implemented in C and OpenGL.
Figure 4: From Liberation by Hunter Grant, Bowling Green State University.
Figure 5: From Liberation by Hunter Grant, Bowling Green State University.
Figure 6: From Liberation by Hunter Grant, Bowling Green State University.
Students need to practice visual analysis outside of the classroom. While posting images on the Web or pointing out examples in textbooks is a start, students say that they benefit more from the question-and-answer sessions held at the end of a lecture. Simply looking at images does not promote active learning. In fact, students learn best by taking part in the experience, in other words, by doing .
Having students learn a rendering package helps a bit because students can choose parameters and view the resulting images. However it takes a significant amount of time to learn a package, and since the students have a priori knowledge of the surface and shading algorithms, this approach does not provide a student with a means of self assessment. A better approach is to provide students with an easy-to-use interactive tool that can demonstrate any rendering or shading algorithm while encouraging active learning. One such tool is TERA (Tool for Exploring Rendering Algorithms), an interactive program that facilitates comparative study of the visual effects of rendering algorithms . See Figure 1 for an annotated screen dump of TERA.
A student can choose a scene and select a rendering algorithm for any object in the scene. Students can practice visual analysis using TERA. In "Self Quiz" mode, students select a scene, and TERA presents it with each object rendered by a random algorithm. Students then guess the rendering algorithm for each object in the scene. TERA responds with "Correct," "Try Again" or "Close Enough."
The "Close Enough" response is for those cases where multiple algorithms produce similar visual effects. For instance, Gouraud and Phong shading produce similar effects when no highlight is present.
Always available is the "Tell me more" button, which provides specific feedback about a student’s last algorithm selection. When a student is in "Explore" mode, the "Tell Me More" button will activate a pop-up window describing the relevant visual cues. In "Self Quiz" mode, when students get a response of "Close Enough," they can click on "Tell Me More" for an explanation. A pop-up window will list the algorithm they picked and the actual algorithm in addition to a specific explanation of why the two algorithms produced effects that are visually equivalent. For example, if a flat surface is very evenly lit, then Gouraud shading may produce variations in shade that are so subtle that the result looks like constant shading. In this situation, if a student picks "constant" and receives the "Close Enough" response, the "Tell Me More" button will activate a pop-up window containing the relevant explanation. See Figure 2.
The new version of TERA is capable of creating nearly a million images for students to analyze. The images cover surface algorithms, z-buffer shaders, ray tracing shaders, texture mapping, bump mapping, lighting and visual equivalencies.
Along with TERA, the students can do an in-class interactive exercise by taking the terminology from TERA and applying it to actual works of art from well established digital art exhibitions such as the SIGGRAPH Fine Arts Gallery, the SIGGRAPH Electronic Theater or the New York Digital Salon. After they apply terms or describe what they see, they will formally connect the visual cues, interpret them and finally assess the work. During critiques, the students will apply a similar approach to describing their own work and that of their classmates.
Benefits to Students
For computer science students, visual analysis adds excitement and a sense of the "big picture" to introductory graphics courses. Students may not be able to implement every rendering algorithm when they leave the course, but they will be able to recognize them and know their names, which provides a starting point for further investigation. They develop an awareness and a deeper appreciation of computer generated imagery in addition to a sensibility for the technical requirements of the animations that they see in movies and on television.
A visual sensibility, fostered by visual analysis, enhances a depth of knowledge of those rendering algorithms that students do implement. Because they are already familiar with the visual behavior of the algorithm, they have expectations of how an image should appear and can perform more of their debugging on their own without outside help. Students no longer ask, "Is it right?" They state, "There’s something wrong with my highlight."
A greater awareness of visual possibilities serves as an effective motivator. Figure 3 is an example of student’s final project in a programming course where the emphasis was on developing a z-buffer based renderer using OpenGL. The student wanted reflections and shadows in her image, so she took the time to implement a special case of environment mapping and a shadow buffer.
For art students, visual analysis imparts an awareness of the possibilities in visual communication with digital media. Even if students cannot create a large-scale virtual environment or full feature animation, they have a better appreciation of future possibilities. In addition to comprehending the possibilities of the medium, the students will become aware of the limitations. In understanding the limitations, they will find creative solutions to express similar ideas in a different way, thus pushing the digital medium. Not only will the students learn to communicate their ideas verbally, but with practice they will develop and understand their visual intentions. This is demonstrated in Figures 4-6, which depict scenes from recent student work depicting the harsh treatment of those jailed in Tibet.
Images are seen through the eyes, but the perception of them is something that happens in concert with the mind and other body memories. Without background in visual literacy, students often do not express perception and they do not understand why they chose certain formal aspects of their artwork, or even what they are trying to say. After learning about visual literacy, students show an understanding of how their choices impact the perception of the work. When asked about their art, students describe their work through a formal analysis coupled with ideas or meaning instead of, "Well, it looks cool."
Especially helpful for art students would be to develop tools similar to TERA for leaning terminology for a larger scope of digital media including 2D imagery, digital sculpture and time-based works such as 2D and 3D animation, interactivity and non-linear video editing. Such tools would also be enormously useful to computer science students taking courses in multimedia, human-computer interaction and Web development. An additional goal is to establish a taxonomy for critically analyzing digital art work which includes a discussion of meaning, formal qualities and the success of communicating ideas. This would be similar to that of Feldman’s approach , but would incorporate terminology and ideas relevant to digital technology.
Rosalee Wolfe obtained a masters of music from Indiana University before changing majors to earn a Ph.D. in computer science. She is a NASA Fellow, was SIGGRAPH Technical Slides Editor in 1993 and 1995-97 and edited Seminal Graphics for SIGGRAPH 98.
She also authored the 1997 education slide set on mapping techniques, co-created the first B.S. in human-computer interaction (at DePaul University) and is currently Director of the Division of Graphics and Human-Computer Interaction in the School of Computer Science, Telecommunications and Information Systems at DePaul University.
Rosalee J. Wolfe | <urn:uuid:060aa4cf-7adc-4889-acb1-2f3b52070e78> | CC-MAIN-2016-26 | http://www.siggraph.org/publications/newsletter/v34n2/columns/education.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2016-26/segments/1466783398516.82/warc/CC-MAIN-20160624154958-00063-ip-10-164-35-72.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.917709 | 2,466 | 3.34375 | 3 |
America’s Last Large-scale Romantic-style Garden
Welcome to Magnolia Gardens. Unlike most of America's gardens, which are formal and seek to control nature, Magnolia cooperates with nature to create a tranquil landscape like Eden where humanity and nature are in harmony. "Come forth into the light of things, let nature be your teacher." - William Wordsworth
The gardens at Magnolia Plantation are of such beauty and variety that they have brought tourists from around the world to view them since they were open to the public in the early 1870s. However, many parts of the gardens are much older, some sections more than 325 years old, making them the oldest unrestored gardens in America. As the plantation has stayed within the ownership of the same family for more than three centuries, each generation has added their own personal touch to the gardens, expanding and adding to their variety. Today there are various varieties of flowers from camellias, daffodils, to azaleas and countless other species in bloom year round, with the climax of incredible beauty building towards the spring bloom.
WHAT'S IN BLOOM? View Magnolia's 12-Month
Gallery of Blooms
William Posey Silva (1859-1948) was a Charleston Renaissance artist. He referred to Magnolia as "The Garden of Dreams" in his paintings of our gardens. Original paintings by Silva hang in the main House.
Magnolia is the last large scale Romantic Gardens left in the United States. The Romantic Garden movement has its roots in the industrial revolution in Europe, and is tied directly to the empowerment of the common man. When he went to work in the factories, he wanted to design gardens that would help him forget the dreary life offered during the workday. A good definition of a romantic garden is an "Extravagant Liar". Truly, this is what a romantic garden is designed to do, to "lie" you into forgetting the normality of everyday life. Romantic Gardens are designed to take the viewer to a place where emotion takes precedent over reason. Surprise awaits around every corner. Form, balance and symmetry are thrown to the wind and these gardens are designed to appeal directly to the soul.
We hope that you come and visit us so that you can experience how one family's vision of creating order and beauty in an untamed new world has evolved over the centuries into the magnificent sprawling gardens that the public can enjoy today. | <urn:uuid:db1739cb-e909-47bb-ad04-a267ffbd4eaa> | CC-MAIN-2016-26 | http://www.magnoliaplantation.com/gardens.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2016-26/segments/1466783400031.51/warc/CC-MAIN-20160624155000-00183-ip-10-164-35-72.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.960829 | 500 | 2.609375 | 3 |
1 Answer | Add Yours
Assonance is repetition of similar vowel sounds in nearby words.
There is an example of assonance in the first line of the novel: "When he was nearly thirteen..." The vowel sounds in "he", in "nearly", and "teen" are similar.
Hyperbole is an exaggeration for effect. For example, in To Kill a Mockingbird, on page five, Harper Lee writes: "People moved slowly then. There was no hurry, for there was nowhere to go, nothing to buy and no money to buy it with, nothing to see outside the boundaries of Maycomb County." This is obviously an exaggeration, as people had to buy things to live--food, supplies, etc.--and there was an entire country outside of Maycomb County to see.
When Scout sees snow for the first time, she says, "Atticus, the world is coming to an end, please do something!" She is exaggerating for effect: the world isn't really ending, but she's as scared as she might be if it were.
We’ve answered 328,308 questions. We can answer yours, too.Ask a question | <urn:uuid:ecfd9258-a803-4e95-b671-9abf153467f2> | CC-MAIN-2016-26 | http://www.enotes.com/homework-help/kill-mockingbird-need-find-assoance-hyperbole-am-188735 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2016-26/segments/1466783408828.55/warc/CC-MAIN-20160624155008-00023-ip-10-164-35-72.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.98035 | 243 | 3.09375 | 3 |
How do frame relay vs. ATM networks work? I want to know the difference between frame relay and ATM. Can you give...
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me resources to learn more details?
To learn the difference between frame relay and ATM networks, I recommend you compare the definitions of frame relay vs. ATM.
According to WhatIs.com, frame relay is defined as follows:
"Frame relay is a telecommunication service designed for cost-efficient data transmission for intermittent traffic between local area networks (LANs) and between end-points in a wide area network (WAN). Frame relay puts data in a variable-size unit called a frame and leaves any necessary error correction (retransmission of data) up to the end-points, which speeds up overall data transmission.... Frame relay complements and provides a mid-range service between ISDN, which offers bandwidth at 128 Kbps, and … ATM, which operates in somewhat similar fashion to frame relay but at speeds from 155.520 Mbps or 622.080 Mbps."
Likewise, Asynchronous Transfer Mode (ATM) is defined here:
"ATM ... is a dedicated-connection switching technology that organizes digital data into 53-byte cell units and transmits them over a physical medium using digital signal technology. Individually, a cell is processed asynchronously relative to other related cells and is queued before being multiplexed over the transmission path. Because ATM is designed to be easily implemented by hardware (rather than software), faster processing and switch speeds are possible. The prespecified bit rates are either 155.520 Mbps or 622.080 Mbps. Speeds on ATM networks can reach 10 Gbps."
To learn more, there is an excellent in-depth explanation of the difference between ATM and frame relay networks found on the IT Knowledge Exchange answer forum. Also, our networking fundamentals expert, Chris Partsenidis, gives you frame relay, ATM and Gigabit Ethernet pros and cons in this expert response.
Dig Deeper on IP Networking
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Get answers from a TechTarget expert on whatever's puzzling you. | <urn:uuid:f2906f95-c3ed-4967-959f-329cd08646b1> | CC-MAIN-2016-26 | http://searchnetworking.techtarget.com/answer/Frame-relay-vs-ATM-networks-Whats-the-difference | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2016-26/segments/1466783403502.46/warc/CC-MAIN-20160624155003-00011-ip-10-164-35-72.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.920147 | 572 | 2.734375 | 3 |
Simple Definition of spellbound
: giving all of your attention and interest to something or someone
Full Definition of spellbound
: held by or as if by a spell
Examples of spellbound in a sentence
The children were spellbound by the puppet show.
She's a storyteller that will hold you spellbound.
First Known Use of spellbound
Rhymes with spellbound
abound, aground, around, astound, background, bloodhound, boozehound, brassbound, break ground, campground, chowhound, clothbound, come round, compound, confound, coonhound, deerhound, deskbound, dumbfound, earthbound, eastbound, elkhound, expound, fairground, fogbound, foot-pound, foreground, foxhound, gain ground, go-round, greyhound, half-bound, hardbound, hellhound, hidebound, high ground, homebound, horehound, housebound, icebound, impound, inbound, ironbound, lose ground, newfound, newshound, northbound, outbound, playground, pot-bound, profound, propound, rebound, redound, renowned, resound, rockbound, rock hound, scent hound, sight hound, sleuthhound, smooth hound, snowbound, softbound, southbound, staghound, stone-ground, stormbound, strikebound, surround, to ground, top round, unbound, unround, unsound, well-found, westbound, wolfhound, year-round
SPELLBOUND Defined for Kids
Definition of spellbound for Students
: having the interest or attention held by or as if by magic power
Seen and Heard
What made you want to look up spellbound? Please tell us where you read or heard it (including the quote, if possible). | <urn:uuid:2944597b-d864-455d-a5f0-fee2b415699c> | CC-MAIN-2016-26 | http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/spellbound | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2016-26/segments/1466783396872.10/warc/CC-MAIN-20160624154956-00061-ip-10-164-35-72.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.897777 | 389 | 2.875 | 3 |
March 27, 2009
Expanding Statin Prescriptions Could Save Lives
Thousands of lives could be saved every year if doctors expanded their criteria for which patients should be taking statins, drugs used to prevent heart attacks and strokes, according to a new study.
Researchers at Johns Hopkins University said if statins were routinely prescribed to patients with low cholesterol and high levels of C-reactive protein (CRP), a blood marker for inflammation, about 260,000 cardiovascular events over five years could be prevented.Under current standards, statins are recommended for patients who have already had a heart attack or stroke, as well as those with high cholesterol and other risk factors for developing cardiovascular disease such as diabetes. Based on those criteria, about 33 million older adults are currently eligible to take statins.
With the expanded criteria, that group could be increased by up to 10 million people, researchers said.
"We're showing that doctors may be able to prevent thousands of heart attacks, strokes and death each year if we expand statin-prescribing criteria to include C-reactive protein levels, something we can assess as part of a simple blood test," Erin D. Michos, M.D., M.H.S., an assistant professor of medicine at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine and its Heart and Vascular Institute was quoted as saying.
SOURCE: Journal of the American College of Cardiology, March 17, 2009 | <urn:uuid:3c63c371-2269-46d3-a79d-8e67f0d871da> | CC-MAIN-2016-26 | http://www.redorbit.com/news/health/1661368/expanding_statin_prescriptions_could_save_lives/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2016-26/segments/1466783396106.25/warc/CC-MAIN-20160624154956-00101-ip-10-164-35-72.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.956555 | 290 | 2.65625 | 3 |
This week’s readings (scroll to Week 10) concerned using digital technology to “read” texts in different ways.
I use the term “read” in quotation marks to draw attention to it, as this is not what many of us colloquially call reading–that is, what you are doing now, going over my post with your eyes. That term nonetheless applies–it describes what, for example, Google is doing with this post, going through it with algorithms to fish certain information out of it.
For me, the readings harkened back to those from week 3, particularly Susan Hockey’s “History of Humanities Computing.” In my post for that week, I mentioned my surprise, based on my own experience, how long of a history humanities computing had. Through most of that history, computers had been used for production of knowledge rather than its dissemination, beginning with Father Busa’s use of punchcards to index the works of Thomas Aquinas. This week’s readings focused on new, and not-so-new, ways of using digital technology in humanities research, particularly with texts.
Digital technology has assisted with knowledge production in the humanities by assisting us with the problem of quantity. Besides the basic function of searching through mountains of material to pull out what we need, the technology enables us to find patterns and quantities in the material itself.
As the readings all make clear, however, these tools are merely tools–means to an end, not ends in themselves. Nor should they be ends in themselves. To show that, I’ll use an example from my own work here.
For my American Revolution seminar at GW in 2006, I wrote a paper comparing ideology in the American Revolution and the contemporaneous Tupac Amaru Rebellion in Peru. Referencing other works’ historiography, I stated that interest in the Tupac Amaru Rebellion had picked up in the 1960s and 1970s. I revised that paper for my Ph.D. program writing sample in late 2010–just after the debut of Google’s N-grams Viewer.
So just for fun, I used the N-gram Viewer to find instances of the term “Tupac Amaru” in the English and Spanish corpuses since 1780. The results largely bore out what the historiography said: at least in English, a rise in mentions of that combination of terms in the 1960s and 1970s. Interestingly, though, the Spanish corpus shows a rise–indeed, a peak–in the 1950s.
As Dan Cohen correctly points out, using this tool is merely a start. Indeed, it leads to a host of other questions. For example, why do the English and Spanish corpuses have their peaks at different times? As Franco Moretti does with 18th- and 19th-century English novels, we need to look at the social contexts of those times to understand those peaks. In the case of Tupac Amaru, the rise of the term, in the English corpus at least, coincides–not coincidentally–with the rise of anticolonial movements and subaltern history. That’s what the historiographies in recent works said, at least. Why an earlier rise of the term’s frequency in the Spanish corpus? That is a question for further research.
To tease out other issues, we need to look more closely at the works cited. For example, the English corpus shows a rise of that combination of terms in the 1990s–not surprisingly, corresponding with the rise in popularity of the rapper Tupac Amaru Shakur, and, I’m guessing to a lesser extent, the Tupac Amaru Revolutionary Movement’s 1997 seizure of the Japanese embassy in Lima. Only by reading deeper–i.e., reading in the traditional, commonly-understood sense of the term–would one be able to learn whether that 1990s rise had to do with increased scholarship about the 1780-83 rebellion or the prominence of an individual and a group named for that rebellion’s leader.
Thus, my takeaway from this week’s readings: similar caveats as those that apply to the N-gram Viewer apply to other data mining and distant reading tools. The tools help us formulate questions, help us answer those and other questions, help us make sense of a mass of information. And they are super-cool. But they do not provide answers in themselves. For that, we still need to rely on the oldest tool in the humanities arsenal: the human brain. | <urn:uuid:5c825758-ea42-4e8b-8b1a-3949e0995a9d> | CC-MAIN-2016-26 | http://www.davidmckenzie.info/musings/2011/10/29/data-mining-distant-reading/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2016-26/segments/1466783396027.60/warc/CC-MAIN-20160624154956-00002-ip-10-164-35-72.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.942852 | 946 | 2.8125 | 3 |
Binary Synchronous Communications (BSC)
Binary Synchronous Communications (BSC) is a half-duplex, character-oriented data communications protocol originated by IBM in 1964. It includes control characters and procedures for controlling the establishment of a valid connection and the transfer of data. Also called Bisync. Although still in use, it has largely been replaced by IBM’s more efficient protocol, Synchronous Data Link Control (SDLC), which is under Systems Network Architecture (SNA). | <urn:uuid:d266e892-2495-4574-9cac-17d02640ce81> | CC-MAIN-2016-26 | http://www.gartner.com/it-glossary/bsc-binary-synchronous-communications | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2016-26/segments/1466783391519.0/warc/CC-MAIN-20160624154951-00014-ip-10-164-35-72.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.917258 | 104 | 2.96875 | 3 |
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Jason VanceWriterUniversity of Missouri ExtensionPhone: 573-882-9731Email: VanceJJ@missouri.edu
Published: Tuesday, July 23, 2013
Susan Mills-Gray, 816-380-8460
HARRISONVILLE, Mo.– Getting enough sleep is important for classroom success as well as physical and emotional development.
Most elementary school children need 10-11 hours of sleep per night, says Susan Mills-Gray, University of Missouri Extension health and nutrition education specialist.
Parents should establish a regular bedtime routine and consistent wake-up time, Mill-Gray says.
“Your child needs to go to bed at the same time each evening and get up at the same time each morning,” she says. “That’s one of the best things you can do for your children. They really respond best to a routine.”
Mills-Gray suggests that about an hour before bedtime parents begin slowing down the evening by stopping rough play, running and other high-energy activities. Turning off televisions, computers and iPads also helps their brains settle down.
“Quieting both physical and mental activity is needed to prepare for sleep,” Mills-Gray says. “That would be a good time to have them start brushing their teeth, putting on pajamas, maybe some quiet reading time and then lights out.”
Sleep, or lack of it, can have a big effect on mood and behavior, she notes. “When children are tired. they become much more stubborn, irritable and cranky,” she says. “Also, children who don’t get enough sleep may have more behavior problems at school.”
Mills-Gray recommends shifting to the new routine a week or two before the start of school, letting the child adjust to the sleep schedule by the beginning of school.
School-age children commonly resist going to bed when they’re supposed to, which can be frustrating, but Mills-Gray says parents need to establish standards and limits.
“Just being very clear as a parent about what bedtime is, when the lights are going out and what your expectations are and sticking to those will make things go much smoother,” she says. “They have to know that you mean what you say.”
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MONDAY, Sept. 17 (HealthDay News) -- Like most adults in the United States, many American children are getting too much salt in their diets, a new study says.
And, as in adults, that extra sodium might be increasing their blood pressure levels, particularly in children above normal weight.
"Sodium intake is positively associated with systolic blood pressure and risk for pre-high blood pressure and high blood pressure among U.S. children and adolescents, and this association may be strong among those who are overweight or obese," wrote researcher Quanhe Yang and colleagues at the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Systolic blood pressure is the top number in a blood-pressure readout and it represents the force with which blood comes out of the heart to the rest of the body.
Not everyone, however, is convinced that sodium is the only factor raising children's blood pressure.
"This study looked at one nutrient in isolation. There was no emphasis on the quality of the diet," said pediatric dietitian Lauren Graf, of the Children's Hospital at Montefiore in New York City. "A high intake of sodium may be a marker that there are other areas of the diet that aren't so healthy, and it may suggest low intake of other nutrients that lower blood pressure, like calcium, magnesium and potassium."
Results of the study are published in the Sept. 17 issue of the journal Pediatrics.
The latest government dietary guidelines recommend that most Americans not consume more than 2,300 milligrams of sodium daily, although most people would be fine with significantly less sodium. In general, the minimum amount of sodium recommended for most Americans is 1,500 mg daily, according to the guidelines.
Most Americans, however, get well above the recommended limit of sodium each day. High sodium intake and being overweight or obese are known factors that contribute to high blood pressure, according to background information in the study.
The current study included data from a nationally representative sample of U.S. children from 2003 to 2008. The study included more than 6,200 children between the ages of 8 and 18.
All the children provided information on their diet during the previous 24 hours when they began the study, and 91 percent gave information on their diets for a second day in a telephone interview.
Researchers found that the average child and teen consumed nearly 3,400 mg of sodium daily. Sodium intake increased with age, and males consumed more on average than females. Sodium consumption was higher in non-Hispanic whites than in other races.
Normal-weight kids ate the most salt, followed by obese and then overweight kids. The prevalence of overweight and obesity in the study was 37 percent.
Children and teens with higher sodium levels had higher rates of pre-high blood pressure and high blood pressure. The study found that when comparing those with the highest sodium consumption to the lowest, those with the highest had twice the odds of having elevated blood pressure. In overweight and obese children and teens, those with the highest rates had 3.5 times the risk of having pre-high blood pressure or high blood pressure.
As sodium levels increased, so too did blood pressure levels. In overweight and obese children, for example, the lowest sodium group had an average systolic blood pressure of 106.2 mm Hg, while the next group up had 108.8 mm Hg.
As sodium levels increased again, the third group had systolic levels that averaged 109 mm Hg, while the highest consumption group had average systolic levels of 112.8 mm Hg, according to the study.
"It was interesting that for kids who are of normal weight, the sodium intake didn't have as big an impact on blood pressure as it did for children who were overweight and obese," said Dr. Michael Moritz, clinical director of pediatric nephrology at the Children's Hospital of Pittsburgh. "We know that being overweight predisposes you to high blood pressure and sodium can also increase the risk of high blood pressure, but the question is, What happens when they occur in relationship to each other?"
Moritz said it's not yet clear what impact, if any, these slight elevations in blood pressure will have on children's future health.
Graf said it isn't healthy for anyone to consume high levels of sodium in the long-term, and she advises parents to be aware of the amount of sodium in their child's diet but not to focus on it.
Graf recommended staying away from processed foods as much as possible, because they contain a lot of sodium. A surprising source of sodium is bread and bread products, such as bagels. One large plain bagel can contain 700 mg of sodium, Graf said.
She recommended giving your kids more fruits and vegetables and whole-grain foods that haven't been overly processed. "The more you buy fresh foods, the less you have to focus on counting sodium milligrams," she said.
Although the study found an association between salt consumption and higher blood pressure in children, it did not prove a cause-and-effect relationship.
Learn more about lowering the sodium in your family's diet from the U.S. National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute.
SOURCES: Lauren Graf, M.S., R.D., pediatric dietitian, Children's Hospital at Montefiore, New York City; Michael Moritz, clinical director, pediatric nephrology, Children's Hospital of Pittsburgh; Sept. 17, 2012, Pediatrics
Copyright © 2012 HealthDay. All rights reserved.
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Definitions for magnet, neutral line of
This page provides all possible meanings and translations of the word magnet, neutral line of
The Standard Electrical Dictionary
Magnet, Neutral Line of
A line at right angles to the magnetic axis of a magnet, q.v., and nearly or quite at the centre, so situated with reference to the poles on either end that it marks the locus of no polarity. It has been called the equator of the magnet. It is defined by the intersection of the plane of no magnetism with the surface of the bar. Synonym--Magnetic Equator.
The numerical value of magnet, neutral line of in Chaldean Numerology is: 5
The numerical value of magnet, neutral line of in Pythagorean Numerology is: 5
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This post is a contribution for Hack(ing) School(ing)
What would happen if we made students practice curation—actual curation?
I emphasize actual because “curation” has become a digital buzzword over the past couple years, but it’s been defined pretty consistently to mean not much more than finding, selecting, and sharing resources—mostly online content—with one’s readers. A common objective of this kind of curation, according to content marketing specialists, is to make yourself valuable to consumers who are too busy to find this material, synthesize it, and contextualize it in a way that is useful.
All too often, this kind of curation is driven more by marketing imperatives than intellectual engagement with one’s world and one’s audience. In this essay, then, I’m talking about another whole order of curation, what museum folk might consider “old school” curation. Really, though, I’m advocating bringing together old school curation with digital tools that allow for creation, contextualization, argument, and engagement.
Critical and creative thinking should be prioritized over remembering content
That students should learn to think for themselves may seem like a no-brainer to many readers, but if you look at the textbook packages put out by publishers, you’ll find that the texts and accompanying materials (for both teachers and students) assume students are expected to read and retain content—and then be tested on it.
Instead, between middle school (if not earlier) and college graduation, students should practice—if not master—how to question, critique, research, and construct an argument like an historian.
California’s history and social science content standards for public schools offer a list of “intellectual, reasoning, reflection, and research skills” high school students should develop in conjunction with their content knowledge (40-41). Here, paraphrased and consolidated, are several of those skills:
- Students analyze how change happens, or fails to happen, over time, and understand that change affects technology, politics, values, and beliefs.
- Students recognize the complexity, and sometimes indeterminacy, of historical cause and effect.
- Students use maps and documents to interpret patterns of migration and immigration, environmental impacts, and the diffusion of ideas, technology, and goods.
- Students connect events to physical and human characteristics of the landscape; analyze how people have altered landscapes; and consider the environmental policy implications of these characteristics and alterations.
- Students evaluate historians’ arguments; identify bias and prejudice in historical interpretations; and evaluate major debates among historians, analyzing authors’ use of evidence.
- Students collect, evaluate, and employ information from multiple sources; construct and test hypotheses; and make arguments in oral and written presentations.
- Students understand past events and issues within the context of the past.
These standards emphasize critical and creative thinking. They ask students to consider more than just documents, including maps and landscapes; draw on primary and secondary sources; investigate the validity of historians’ arguments; and even to question whether we can determine cause and effect. (Contrast these standards with the latest suggestion by Texas Republicans that the state ought to ban the teaching of critical thinking that “challenges [a] student’s fixed beliefs” in schools.)
We could have students develop many of these skills using pedagogy-as-usual: listening to lectures and reading textbooks, looking at a few primary sources, and writing essays. A few students will indeed develop the skills delineated in the California standards through this method. Many more will, if they go on to college, come to me as undergraduates to confess they have always hated history class because it is so boring.
Alternatively, we could have students engage with artifacts, historic sites, landscapes, photographs, memorials, paintings, political cartoons, and actual people, as well as with more traditional documents. We could have them select a topic or theme to research as a class, and then create an online exhibition featuring these objects, places, documents, and more.
It’s time to do away with content standards in favor of thinking standards
The California historical thinking standards I praised above are only a small part of the history and social science content standards. The state—like many—expects students to graduate from high school with a particular body of knowledge. California’s standards document, which encompasses social studies and history from grades K through 12, weighs in at 61 pages, most of which outline specific events, legislation, political figures, and political or economy theories students must “describe,” “enumerate” (list!), “understand,” “analyze,” and “evaluate”—though in the standards the meaning of “analyze” and “evaluate” isn’t clear, as they’re used to describe a broad spectrum of tasks. Here’s a single eighth-grade standard from California:
8.2 Students analyze the political principles underlying the U.S. Constitution and compare the enumerated and implied powers of the federal government.
1. Discuss the significance of the Magna Carta, the English Bill of Rights, and the Mayflower Compact.
2. Analyze the Articles of Confederation and the Constitution and the success of each in implementing the ideals of the Declaration of Independence.
3. Evaluate the major debates that occurred during the development of the Constitution and their ultimate resolutions in such areas as shared power among institutions, divided state-federal power, slavery, the rights of individuals and states (later addressed by the addition of the Bill of Rights), and the status of American Indian nations under the commerce clause.
4. Describe the political philosophy underpinning the Constitution as specified in the Federalist Papers (authored by James Madison, Alexander Hamilton, and John Jay) and the role of such leaders as Madison, George Washington, Roger Sherman, Gouverneur Morris, and James Wilson in the writing and ratification of the Constitution.
5. Understand the significance of Jefferson’s Statute for Religious Freedom as a forerunner of the First Amendment and the origins, purpose, and differing views of the founding fathers on the issue of the separation of church and state.
6. Enumerate the powers of government set forth in the Constitution and the fundamental liberties ensured by the Bill of Rights.
7. Describe the principles of federalism, dual sovereignty, separation of powers, checks and balances, the nature and purpose of majority rule, and the ways in which the American idea of constitutionalism preserves individual rights. (33-34)
As we learned (again) in 2010 when Texas revised its content standards, the construction of state standards can be, and often is, a highly politicized process informed less by sound pedagogy and expert testimony than by parents’ and community leaders’ desires to have their students learn and share their views. (Though once again I’m singling out Texas, both ends of the political spectrum are guilty of this practice throughout the country.) Note, for example, that California’s State Board of Education nominates as founding fathers Washington, Adams, Jefferson, Madison, Hamilton, Jay, Sherman, Morris, and Wilson. Texas’s state board enumerates as founders “Benjamin Rush, John Hancock, John Jay, John Witherspoon, John Peter Muhlenberg, Charles Carroll, and Jonathan Trumbull Sr.,” and asks students to “explain their contributions” (§113.41.c.1.C).
I suspect most readers of this essay could make their own list of favored founders whose political theories should be on any student’s must-know list—and could make a reasonable argument for their inclusion. Yet even if we could agree on which founders students should know about, we wouldn’t come to any consensus on how they should be represented. (Sally Hemings and Oney Judge, anyone?) Furthermore, the depth and breadth of content knowledge called for by some states is astounding; as A Report on the State of History Education points out, state standards documents range from 3 to 580 pages (12). (I’m rolling my eyes at you, Virginia.)
For grown-ups, the kerfuffle over founders is yet another object lesson in how history—and particularly history as it’s taught to K-12 students—is constructed by humans motivated by all kinds of passions and agendas. Yes, in the case of teaching about the early Republic, Americans might agree that students should study the debates surrounding the nation’s founding documents. Beyond that, we’re not going to get much consensus, and it makes sense not just to “study the controversy” over standards, but also to have students craft their own understanding of the past through engagement with a wide range of primary sources and with each other.
State boards of education need to acknowledge both the advantages and liabilities of establishing or subscribing to a canonical narrative of U.S. history or, worse, a pantheon of historical figures. Standards should call on students to develop skills more than to master specific content.
What if we shifted the standards’ primary emphasis from content, and not to just the development of traditional skills—basic knowledge recall, document interpretation, research, and essay-writing—but to the cultivation of skills that challenge students to make unconventional connections, skills that are essential for thriving in the 21st century? Such skills, according to the Partnership for 21st Century Skills, include, but aren’t limited to:
- Learn and collaborate in multicultural and multilingual contexts
- Practice thoughtful and effective civic engagement
- Understand humans’ complex relationship with the natural world
- Create, refine, analyze, evaluate, and share new and worthwhile ideas—while understanding the real-world limits on their widespread adoption
- Demonstrate originality and inventiveness in work
- View failure as an opportunity to learn
- Analyze and understand complex systems
- Identify and ask significant questions that lead to better solutions
- Exercise flexibility; compromise
- Assume shared responsibility for collaborative work
- Evaluate information critically and competently
- Manage the flow of information from a wide variety of sources
- Understand the ethical and legal issues surrounding the access and use of information and technology
- Examine how and why values and points of view are included or excluded
- Understand and utilize the most appropriate media creation tools, characteristics, and conventions
- Use digital technologies (computers, PDAs, media players, GPS, etc.)
- Work effectively in a climate of ambiguity and changing priorities
- Expand one’s own learning and opportunities to gain expertise and demonstrate initiative to advance skills toward a professional level
- Reflect critically on past experiences in order to inform future progress
- Set and meet goals, even in the face of obstacles and competing pressures
- Leverage strengths of others to accomplish a common goal
- Act responsibly with the interests of the local and global community in mind
Curation—again, old school curation—allows for these skills to emerge. Because of declining museum funding, small and mid-sized history museums seem to be hiring fewer curators, instead collapsing curation into the functions of two very different departments: collections management (registration and conservation) and education (programming and exhibition development). By learning the processes that constitute contemporary curation, then, students will need to consider how and why artifacts and ephemera are valued and preserved as well as how best to interpret such objects for audiences ranging from kindergarteners through senior citizens. They’ll learn how museums prioritize collections, conservation, exhibition, and educational programming in an age of extremely limited budgets. They’ll have to consider the perpetual triage of artifact conservation in the worlds of underfunded nonprofits and state agencies charged with cultural resource management. They’ll have to reflect on how to contextualize sometimes controversial objects for diverse stakeholders and communities.
Again, I want to emphasize that curation—despite its popularity as a term among internet marketers and the digerati—is so much more than selection and sharing. That doesn’t mean, however, that the digital sphere doesn’t offer marvelous opportunities for research, collaborative writing and editing, publication, and engagement. There isn’t space here to enumerate all the tools available to students—suffice it to say they are legion and ever-changing. Some examples include digital audio and video recorders, smartphones, tablet computers, laptops, blog platforms, database management software, spreadsheets, image and video editing suites, word processing software, digitized document repositories like the Footnote.com and Ancestry.com, document sharing solutions like Dropbox, social networks that students can use to find and contact experts in any topic, and project management sites.
What specifically might students learn from crafting an online exhibit? Let’s say, for example—as did my students this past semester*—they draw on the collections of a local museum and build an online exhibition in WordPress.
- organizing a large research project
- figuring out what questions they should ask
- finding, analyzing, and evaluating sources—primary and secondary—on a subject that perhaps has not yet been adequately addressed by scholars or curators (or anyone else)
- photography, perhaps in the limited light of a collections storage facility, and photo editing
- ownership of objects and images of them, and securing permission to use them
- the basics of artifact handling, treatment, research, and care
- interviewing historians or oral history informants
- interpreting a large and complex subject for a general audience
- website planning and deployment
- collaboration—editing, divvying up work, compromising, and more
- evaluating the utility of mobile devices for group work and public history applications (Each of my students was loaned an iPad 2 for personal and class use for the semester.)
Training teachers for this new paradigm means new priorities within the history major
Just as teachers-in-training need to learn the best methods to teach content, they need to be taught how to encourage critical and creative thinking in their students. Of necessity, then, I’ve been approaching my own teaching of the survey courses—required for future history teachers—with a lesser emphasis on dates, events, and individuals (about whom I remember and know very little from my own limited history education) and a greater emphasis on larger trends and the skills used by historians. My students are learning some content—instead of a textbook, I use a primary-source reader in which the sources are accompanied by commentary by historians—but they’re learning it as they perform analysis and synthesis, not before.
So, for example, I don’t have them read them about Puritan conceptions of salvation and then give them photos of headstones and ask them to explain how the headstones reinforce Puritan ideas. I have them undertake Prownian analysis (description, deduction, speculation, research, and interpretive analysis) of children’s headstones and furniture (e.g,. a walking stool); perform close readings of children’s literature and Puritan poetry, letters, and sermons; and build an argument concerning Puritans’ beliefs about children’s salvation. As they craft this argument, they must evaluate the usefulness of, as well as synthesize their findings from, these sources, along with earlier ones from the course. The whole exercise is done in small groups, followed by discussion among the entire class.
In short, if we’re talking about Bloom’s taxonomy, I’m dragging my lower-division students immediately to analysis, synthesis, and evaluation, skipping over basic knowledge acquisition, comprehension, and application. Furthermore, I’m modeling what I see as best practice in secondary teaching, even though I’m working with first- and second-year undergraduates.
To move beyond the era of content standards, we need to acknowledge—and convey to our teacher candidates—that one need not be an expert in a content area in order to teach it. We already see this attitude in English classes, where the literary canon has been in flux for some time. As an English teacher, I wouldn’t need to be an acknowledged expert on, or even a specialist in, Huckleberry Finn to teach it to junior high school students. Instead, I’d need to know how a novel works; I’d need to know how plot, characters, conflict, and other literary devices combine. Knowing the history is necessary, too, but information about what was going on in the U.S. at the time Twain wrote his novel is only an internet search away. I need not have learned it at some fixed point way back in tenth grade and filed it away until I required it in my own classroom teaching.
Similarly, as a history teacher, I don’t need to have committed to memory all the players in the nullification crisis of the late 1820s; instead, I need to have a basic grasp of the concept of states’ rights, access to primary sources, and the ability to ask thoughtful questions that connect the primary sources with states’ rights and related concepts. I hand the primary sources (including artifacts, of course) and questions to my students, and if I have taught the students well to examine primary sources, a lively conversation ensues. If students have questions I can’t answer, I ask them where they might research the answers to those questions themselves.
Training teacher candidates how to be curators of digital exhibits on any number of subjects reprioritizes investigation, close reading, analysis, interpretation, and engagement as key skills for a historian—and, I’d argue, for active twenty-first century citizenship.
We must proceed thoughtfully toward digital curation
We have digital tools at hand to effect these changes—and the tools are affordable and multitudinous. That doesn’t mean, however, I’m a cheerleader for the rapid deployment of ed tech-as-usual. As Audrey Watters has highlighted, educational technology is too often perceived by administrators and entrepreneurs as an efficient and low-cost means of content delivery. I’ve been profoundly disappointed in how digital learning has been conceptualized in both higher and K-12 education in my home state of Idaho and beyond, as I suspect it will contribute to declines in cultural literacy and critical thinking and deprofessionalize K-16 faculty in ways that will prove dangerous to civic life.
Teaching both teacher candidates and students the skills essential to curating an excellent digital exhibition—one that provokes as well as explains, and that invites feedback and interaction instead of being unidirectional—might help to reverse the trend toward McEdTech content delivery.
What are the next steps, then?
Teachers can consider whether they’ve put the content cart before the critical-thinking horse. Do their lessons go beyond knowledge acquisition and basic application, instead moving students quickly to higher-order thinking? Are the lessons, assignments, and activities challenging? Do they leave room for the teacher to learn something from the students, so that students can see the value of the knowledge they are creating?
Teachers also can work to overcome their own anxieties about not being an expert in whatever technology students will be using. Some teachers believe we need to be experts on any such technology; others of us believe we need to show students how to research their options, pick a software platform, and figure out how to complete their project using it. I fall squarely into the latter camp. While middle school students’ digital curation projects might need to be kickstarted with a list of appropriate technologies, high school students and undergraduates should be expected to research, evaluate, and deploy relevant technologies for their historical investigation and interpretation.
Museums can reach out to schools to let them know what artifact collections might be researched and photographed by students. Museum folks, this is a great way to get some of your artifacts interpreted for a much broader audience—particularly those objects that will likely never go on exhibit.
Ed tech entrepreneurs can work with teachers and students to design platforms that allow for critical and creative thinking to emerge from investigations of a broad spectrum of primary sources: architecture, landscape, artifacts, ephemera, audio and video recordings, photos, maps, art, and more. Such software is going to be much more widely appealing and broadly adopted than publishers’ packages keyed to content standards that remain inconsistent from state to state.
Tech journalists can ask harder questions of anyone responsible for designing or adopting ed tech software platforms. How is the software allowing for the development of twenty-first-century skills? How is it inspiring lifelong learning? In what ways does it allow investigation to proceed from a student’s personal interests, and to what extent does it allow students to reach dynamic conclusions based on a synthesis of new material and a student’s existing knowledge?
When, for their book The Presence of the Past: Popular Uses of History in American Life, Roy Rosenzweig and David Thelen interviewed 1,500 Americans about their connections to the past and their uses of history, they found that Americans were not particularly interested in consuming traditional historical narratives. Instead, Rosenzweig and Thelen write,
They preferred to make their own histories. When they confronted historical accounts constructed by others, they sought to examine them critically and connect them to their own experiences or those of people close to them. At the same time, they pointed out, historical presentations that did not give them credit for their critical abilities—commercialized histories on television or textbook-driven high school classes—failed to engage or influence them. (179)
And, in the end, isn’t that what Americans at all points on the political spectrum ought to want—citizens who are curious and willing to engage with each other over the meaning of the past and its interpretation in the present, rather than those who can list the accomplishments of Benjamin Rush, John Peter Muhlenberg, and Jonathan Trumbull Sr.? Curatorial skills allow for critical thinking, creative thought, and civic discourse to emerge.
* At the time of posting this essay on my blog, the exhibition site my students built is still under construction because I continue to work with students on additional content. I expect it to be complete by the end of summer 2012. | <urn:uuid:46701de4-ca08-44f0-acf3-fbdc64d5ae1a> | CC-MAIN-2016-26 | http://www.cluttermuseum.com/make-students-curators/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2016-26/segments/1466783395346.6/warc/CC-MAIN-20160624154955-00021-ip-10-164-35-72.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.941401 | 4,640 | 3.25 | 3 |
A herd of female and subadult Pere
David's deer at Dafeng Milu Nature Reserve. (Source: China
BEIJING, Feb. 4 -- The story of the Pere David's
Deer is one of a species wiped out on its native Chinese soil and taken halfway
around the world - and to the brink of extinction - before staging a dramatic
homecoming and revival.
After nearly 1,000 years, the critically endangered
species - once numbering only 18 - is taking its first steps back into the wild
at Dafeng Milu Nature Reserve in Jiangsu province's Yancheng coastal wetlands.
The population of milu (the species' Chinese name) in
Jiangsu hovered around 600 when the United Nations Development Program and
General Environment Facility Wetland Project began in 1999, identifying Yancheng
among four key protection areas. Today, 1,317 - about a third of the world's
milu population - roam the 78,000-hectare Dafeng reserve, all descendents of the
39 shipped from the UK 22 years ago.
"The project shows the role human beings play in
biodiversity loss and the role we can play in biodiversity gain," UNDP China's
resident director Khalid Malik says.
"It also shows we have to be very conscious of the
way we develop, because the random and spontaneous destruction of species is no
longer possible, no longer desirable and no longer necessary."
While more than a million Pere David's Deer roamed
China's wetlands 3,000 years ago, over-hunting claimed the last wild milu around
A herd of about 200 - the last milu in the world at
that time - was kept at Imperial Hunting Park near Beijing in the 1800s. After
French missionary-cum-naturalist Father Armand David identified the species in
1865, about a dozen were imported to Europe for exhibition.
Those who imported milu for their own amusement had
little inkling these deer would become something of a Noah's Ark for the
species. An 1894 flood that inundated the park and a citizenry famished by the
strife of the Boxer Rebellion claimed China's very last milu.
In the following years, the Duke of Bedford rounded
up the world's last 18 at his abbey in England to breed.
In 1985, several deer were sent from the UK to
Beijing's Milu Park as an international goodwill gesture.
"At that time, China had just started with wildlife
and nature conservation, so, along with the giant panda, the deer marked an
important event in Chinese wildlife conservation," says Wu Haohan, technical
advisor with the State Forestry Administration's (SFA's) China GEF Wildlife
Biodiversity Conservation and Sustainable Use Office.
The following year, 39 milu were shipped to Dafeng,
where they rapidly bred to become the world's largest single population.
In 1998, 54 of Dafeng's deer heralded the first
generation in a millennium to return to the wild. That herd has since grown to
118, which roam the reserve's 2,600-hectare core zone.
About 300 milu at Dafeng are now "semi-wild", meaning
they are still fed by staff during the harsh winters. The deer are picky eaters,
preferring only the tenderest shoots of water-plants and grasses, meaning the
colder months issue a challenge to their survival.
The rapid expansion of the Jiangsu population is
particularly incredible, because inbreeding had led to a number of reproductive
problems, including low birth rates, affected by frequent abnormal and difficult
births, and an imbalanced sex ratio.
On April 11 this year, Beijing Nanhaizi Pere David's
Deer Park staff reported the birth of the first test-tube milu fawn.
"It will take a long time for the milu to regain
genetic diversity," Wu says.
"Generally speaking, if a species is in different
environments with different natural conditions, that will increase genetic
diversity. But it will happen over many generations."
He explains most of the herd from the Beijing reserve
had to be relocated to the Shishou Milu National Nature Reserve in Shisan, Hubei
"The environment had already changed and wasn't
suitable for the deer," Wu says.
"That's why we have to protect their habitat, because
only then can we introduce them into nature. If that's destroyed, they can only
live in captivity."
Neither the herds in Beijing nor those in Hubei have
flourished like Jiangsu's.
Milu are also known as sibuxiang, which translates as
"four ways of being unalike", because they are said to have a horse's face,
cow's hooves, stag's antlers and a donkey's tail. They are among the world's
largest deer, with adult males weighing about 250 kg and females 160 kg.
Herds gather during the mating season in late May
when males sling mud on their backs, adorn their antlers with grass and engage
in several eliminative rounds of combat, through which a single prevailing buck
wins mating rights to all does.
"Rescuing this species is also good for sustaining
the local environment and providing an important resource for the future," SFA's
vice administrator Yin Hong says.
About 500,000 visitors buy the 35 yuan (5.1 U.S.
dollars) admission ticket to the 78,000 hectares reserve annually in the hope of
catching a glimpse of the deer.
"The story of the deer also demonstrates that humans
and wildlife can coexist in a harmonious way," Yin says. "So I believe this
story has an educational aspect as well."
(Source: China Daily) | <urn:uuid:7686ad9f-3dcd-4a81-8135-b71fb5ac6421> | CC-MAIN-2016-26 | http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/2009-02/04/content_10760465.htm | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2016-26/segments/1466783397795.31/warc/CC-MAIN-20160624154957-00041-ip-10-164-35-72.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.940846 | 1,243 | 2.84375 | 3 |
In an effort to improve standardized test scores in Toledo Public Schools, some teachers were assigned to focus on specific subjects, such as, in this case, mathematics.
In the Atlanta public schools testing scandal, some 35 educators have been indicted on charges of artificially inflating students’ test results. Some people say that abuse like this is the ultimate result of the nation’s testing addiction and the pressure administrators are under to hike the scores of their schools.
That won’t wash. Cheating is cheating. The federal charge here is racketeering. The superintendent of schools in Atlanta earned $500,000 in performance bonus pay for her alleged fraud.
That said, parents and taxpayers should still question an education system that has come to revolve around testing. Not teaching. Not learning. Standardized testing.
Talk to virtually any public school teacher or (off the record) administrator. He or she will tell you that ceaseless testing has long been out of hand.
At times, it is irrational and absurd. In New York state children in the third to eighth grades are currently taking a new “tougher” exam based on the national Common Core standards. Some of the material the kids are being tested on has not yet been added to the curriculum. We are testing on what has never been taught.
It is reasonable to want to evaluate, to measure. And standardized tests are one method of measuring educational progress and results. But they are only one method. There are also increasingly sophisticated peer reviews, student surveys, and yearly evaluation methods that, while subjective, are more sensitive to the complex process of educating children.
Gathering data is a good thing to do and, to a point, the more data the better. But data must have a context, serve a larger end, and lead to rational action. Part of Ohio’s standardized test in physical education measures whether students’ movements while skipping are adequately smooth.
Consider that Microsoft founder Bill Gates, once a leading advocate of standardized tests as a method for evaluating schools and teachers, has essentially done a 180. Mr. Gates now says that just as a team evaluates a quarterback on many levels, and just as his statistics may be the least telling measure of his skill, teachers must be evaluated from multiple perspectives. The school’s numbers may tell you far less than a student or a parent can.
Even Texas, which at the urging of Ross Perot started this craze three decades ago, is backing off. Officials there say incessant tests wear out and demoralize kids, and the dropout rate rises.
They demoralize teachers too — the best teachers. Jonathan Kozol, our greatest writer about education and the conscience of America’s schools, says this:
“The poisonous essence of No Child Left Behind lies in the mania of obsessive testing it has forced upon our nation’s schools and, in the case of inner-city schools, the miserable drill-and-kill curriculum of robotic ‘teaching to the test’ it has imposed on teachers, the best of whom are fleeing because they know that this debased curriculum would never have been tolerated in the good suburban schools that they, themselves, attended.”
Perhaps the greatest injustice that comes from the testing mania is the school that is left behind. The kids in it are left behind too, when the school is pronounced a “failure” and loses state and federal funding.
It is one thing to compare the math scores of kids in Ottawa Hills and Sylvania. But many kids in Toledo, Columbus, and Cleveland inner-city schools come from homes that don’t have dictionaries, let alone calculators and computers. These children often lack health care, proper nutrition, and stability. It is no surprise that their reading scores are low.
How is it fair to compare them to students in Ottawa Hills? How does it help them to force their teachers to spend 30 or 40 percent of their time teaching to tests the students can never pass?
How is it useful when the school and the kids are pronounced failures? These schools needs massive infusions of resources and fewer distractions, including the distraction of constant testing.
And yes, a few of those schools should be replaced altogether. Where is the magnet school for the child who is caught in a cycle of poverty and violence?
I spoke with my daughter, who teaches elementary-age special-needs kids at a school in Brooklyn, N.Y. Her “best mom,” as she calls her, has eight children and works two jobs. She doesn’t have time to read to her kids. There are no books in her home in any case. In fact, the son my daughter teaches asked whether he could take home one of my daughter’s books — just to hold and ponder it.
“He can’t really read yet,” my daughter said. “But we’re working on it.”
How does a standardized test, which assumes that this boy reads at a fourth-grade level, fairly measure his progress? And how many times should we assess what he lacks?
Writing in Time magazine, Erika Christakis, a Harvard-based education and public health advocate put it beautifully and precisely: “Somehow, along the path of good intentions, testing stopped being seen as a diagnostic tool to guide good instruction and became, instead, the instruction itself.
It’s as if a patient were given a biopsy, learned she had cancer, and was then told that no further medical treatment was necessary. If that didn’t sound quite right, we could just fire the doctor who ordered the test or scratch out the patient’s results and mark “cured” in the file.”
Cheaters are cheaters. The educators in Atlanta have no excuse for what they did. But beyond diagnosis, there must be medicine. The deeper scandal is that thousands of kids are crying out for our help and all we do is give them more tests.
Keith C. Burris is associate editor of The Blade.
Contact him at: email@example.com or 419-724-6266. | <urn:uuid:469bc36e-2512-4e07-9569-69e798e5e988> | CC-MAIN-2016-26 | http://www.toledoblade.com/Keith-Burris/2013/04/21/The-real-school-scandal-is-our-testing-addiction.print | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2016-26/segments/1466783393533.44/warc/CC-MAIN-20160624154953-00197-ip-10-164-35-72.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.971723 | 1,281 | 2.671875 | 3 |
Slide 2 : Psychological Issues in Advanced and Terminal Illness Average life expectancy in North America is 76 years. Leading causes of death in adults are chronic illness What are the leading causes of death across the life span?
Slide 3 : Mortality Rates Leading causes of death < 1 year congenital abnormalities; sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS) Children > 1 year old Accidents (40% of all deaths) Cancer (especially leukemia) Adolescence Unintentional injury Homicide AIDS
Slide 4 : Mortality Rates Leading causes of death Middle age Sudden death due to heart attack or stroke Cancer Elderly Heart disease Cancer Stroke
Slide 5 : Why do women live longer than men?
Slide 6 : Potential Reasons for Gender Differences in Mortality Females are more hardy Males engage in riskier behaviours (factor after birth and infancy) Men engage in riskier sports Males tend to hold high stress or higher risk jobs Men tend to have poorer health habits (e.g., drink more alcohol) Social support may be more protective in women
Slide 7 : Risk Factors Family history Marital status (adds 10 yrs in men; 4 yrs in women) Economic status Body weight Exercise Alcohol (add 2 years if drink 1-3 drinks/day)
Slide 8 : Risk Factors - continued Smoking Disposition (add 2 yrs if reasoned, practical) Education Environment (add 4 yrs if rural) Sleep (more than 9 hours subtract 5 years) Temperature (add 2 yrs if thermostat is < 68) Health care – regular check ups add 3 yrs
Slide 9 : How do people adapt to chronic illness?
Slide 10 : Adapting Under Good Circumstances First concern upon hearing diagnosis is fears about mortality. Optimistic but tentative about plans May try to normalize activities Risk is they may over-extend May have feelings of helplessness Risk is to become overly dependent
Slide 11 : Three Themes of Adaptation Find meaning: why illness happened or rethink priorities Gain sense of control control symptoms and treatment Restore self-esteem Often by comparison with worse off others
Slide 12 : Adapting Under Bad Circumstances Relapse seen as a bad sign with poor prognosis Re-focuses one on the illness Need to undergo the coping process again but likely less hopeful than before.
Slide 13 : Heart Disease Due to narrowing or blocking of the coronary arteries. Angina pectoris painful cramp in chest, arm, neck, or back due to brief blockage of oxygenated blood to the heart. More often during exercise, stress, cold temperature, digesting large fat meal. Little or no permanent damage
Slide 14 : Heart Disease Myocardium Muscle tissue around the heart Myocardium infarction (heart attack) Prolonged blockage of blood to an area of the heart resulting in muscle tissue damage. Symptoms of a heart attack Pressure in chest, fullness, squeezing pain. Pain spreading to shoulders, neck, or arms Lightheadedness, fainting, sweating, nausea
Slide 15 : Who Is At Risk of Heart Disease? Prevalence increases with age, particularly after 45 years of age Prior to 50s, 60s, men at greater risk than women but increases in women after menopause. More women than men are likely to die from a heart attack Blacks at higher risk, Asians at lower risk
Slide 16 : Heart Disease Risk Factors High blood pressure Family history Cigarette smoking High LDL and total cholesterol levels Physical inactivity Diabetes Obesity Stress
Slide 17 : Why high blood pressure a risk factor? Heart has to work harder. Since heart muscle is working harder, it can become enlarged. Wear and tear on the arterial wall can increase the likelihood of lipid and calcium deposits adhering to the arterial wall. This leads to hardening of the arteries.
Slide 18 : Type A Behaviours Hostile, cynical Judgmental (opinionated) Competitive Time urgent Uses gestures while talking Nodding of head while others are talking Intense
Slide 19 : Physiological Reactivity Physiological and cardiovascular reactivity to acute stress (“hot reactors”). Exaggerated increases in blood pressure, heart rate, catecholamines, corticosteroids High levels of these hormones can damage heart and blood vessels Presence of epinephrine (a catecholamine) increases the formation of clots.
Slide 20 : Effects of Stress On Cardiac Risk
Slide 21 : Psychosocial Predictors of Sudden Cardiac Death (BDI>10) 0 200 400 600 800 1.00 0.95 0.90 0.85 Survival in days Placebo, BDI <10 Placebo, BDI >10 AMIO, BDI <10 AMIO, BDI >10 Proportion Surviving
Slide 22 : When do heart attacks occur? Less likely during sleep. Among the employed, more often on a Monday between 6 and 11 am. In part due to waking and becoming active shortly after dreaming which increases BP. In part because of circadian rhythm effects, increases in arousal hormones and blood pressure.
Slide 23 : Medical Treatment Initial treatment may involve clot-dissolving medication and close monitoring Balloon angioplasty Tiny balloon is inserted into blocked vessel and inflated to open blood vessel Bypass surgery Use grafted vessel (e.g., piece from leg) to bypass blockage in artery to the heart
Slide 24 : Medical Treatment Medications (e.g., beta blockers, calcium channel blockers) to protect heart and improve function. Risk management Control of high blood pressure Control of lipid abnormalities
Slide 25 : Rehabilitation Promote recovery and reduce risk of another attack Heart disease is chronic condition requiring ongoing management.
Slide 26 : Rehabilitation Includes: Exercise Physiological and psychological benefits Weight management Smoking cessation Lipid and BP management include dietary changes to control lipids Reduce excessive alcohol intake Stress management
Slide 27 : Rehabilitation Exercise is the key component but: 50% drop-out rate within first 6 months For those who continue benefits include: Improved self concept, perceived health, sexual activity, involvement in social activities. Those who stop are more likely to: Smoke, have poorer cardiac function, have higher body weight, be more sedentary, experience greater anxiety and depression.
Slide 28 : Symptoms of a Stroke Sudden weakness or numbness of the face, arm, or leg (usually on one side of the body) dimness or loss of vision (usually one eye) Loss of speech or trouble talking or understanding speech Unexplained, severe headache Dizziness, unsteadiness, or sudden fall
Slide 29 : What is a stroke? Tissue damage to area of the brain due to disruption in blood supply, depriving that area of the brain of oxygen.
Slide 30 : Causes of Strokes Infarction – blockage in cerebral artery that cuts off or reduces blood supply Thrombosis – blood clot Embolus – piece of plaque becomes lodged in the artery. Hemorrhage – happens suddenly. Less frequent than infarction but more damaging and more likely to cause death.
Slide 31 : Stroke Risk Factors Rare up to age 55, than risk increases sharply with age (doubling with each decade). More common in men but women more likely to die from them. Rates highest among blacks and lowest among Asians. Family history
Slide 32 : Stroke Risk Factors High blood pressure Cigarette smoking Heart disease, diabetes, and their risk factors such as obesity and physical inactivity. High red blood cell count (making the blood thicker and likelier to clot). Mini-strokes – transient ischemic attacks (TIA)
Slide 33 : Effects of a Stroke Some motor, sensory, cognitive, or speech impairment usually occurs Limitations may be permanent but lessen in severity over time. Younger patients recover better Impairments caused by hemorrhages more easily overcome than those caused by infarctions.
Slide 34 : Effects of Stroke Motor impairments often due to paralysis on one side of the body (side opposite to brain damage). After about 6 weeks of rehab about 50% of patients can perform independently (many with cane or walker). Language, learning, memory, and perception problems depend on location of the injury.
Slide 35 : Effects of Stroke Left-hemisphere damage more commonly associated with language problems called aphasia. Receptive aphasia – difficulty understanding verbal information. Expressive aphasia – difficulty producing and using language. Damage to right side of brain often associated with difficulties in visual processing and emotions.
Slide 36 : Psychosocial Aspects of Stroke Denial is common Unclear whether psychological or physiological basis. This ambiguity also applies to depression when it occurs after a stroke. Less than ½ of the patients return to work following a stroke. | <urn:uuid:1dbc8432-de86-4c35-a1fb-30f186eb6d8a> | CC-MAIN-2016-26 | http://medicalslide.blogspot.com/2009/09/heart-disease-hypertension-and-stroke.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2016-26/segments/1466783397842.93/warc/CC-MAIN-20160624154957-00005-ip-10-164-35-72.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.87569 | 1,824 | 2.8125 | 3 |
1. Eating dried fruit
You might think you're getting your five a day, but dried fruit such as raisins are actually packed with sugar, which leads to tooth decay and cavities. Try to enjoy these foods in small doses, and make sure you're brushing your teeth twice a day to make sure the sugary stuff can't hang around between your teeth.
2. Chewing pens or pencils
Your teeth aren't designed to chew hard objects, so biting on pens, pencils or your glasses can cause your teeth to shift, create stress fractures on the teeth and irritate your joints. Try occasionally chewing on gum instead, but don't overdo it.
3. Drinking sugar-free fizzy drinks
Thought only sugary carbonated drinks were bad for you? Think again, because experts say when drinking even sugar-free fizzy, you're "bathing your teeth in an acid environment." Yikes.
4. Opening packaging with your teeth
Opening plastic packaging, getting the lids off bottles or biting that pesky clothing tag off your new dress are all harmful to your teeth and can cause cracks and chips. Your teeth aren't tools, so rely on scissors or bottle openers to do the hard work so your teeth don't have to.
5. Being dehydrated
Always forgetting to drink the recommended eight glasses of water a day? Having a dry mouth can harm your teeth because it reduces saliva reduction, which in turn increases your risk of cavities because saliva is responsible for diluting the acid in our food and drinks. Download an app like Waterlogged - it'll send to remind you reminders when it's time for a top-up!
6. Doing intense cardio
A study has found that long cardio workouts can affect your teeth. Researchers compared the oral health of endurance athletes with non-exercisers and found that the athletes were more likely to have tooth erosion, which is a gradual wearing away of enamel. And the more time they spent training per week, the greater their risk of cavities. This was found to be due to the link between dehydration and tooth decay (see above) - so make sure you keep drinking water when having mammoth exercise sessions.
7. Drinking citrus drinks
Citric drinks like grapefruit juice are packed with acid which can erode tooth enamel over time. Opt for orange juice which is less acidic, but don't drink too much as the sugars in fruit juice can have the same affect as acid on your teeth.
8. Biting your nails
Not only is biting your nails way more unhygienic than you think, regularly biting your nails can cause your teeth to move out of place and even splinter the tooth enamel. AVOID.
9. Clenching or grinding your teeth
Do you clench or grind your teeth at night when you're stressed? Doing so can wear the teeth down and cause micro fractures to your teeth because of the immense pressure you're putting on them. Consider investing in a mouth guard to wear during sleep. Sexy it isn't, but it'll sort your teeth out.
10. Drinking fruit tea
Research has shown that certain flavours of herbal teas can cause your teeth to rot rapidly. Brands containing lemon, raspberry and blackcurrant were discovered to dissolve tooth enamel. Experts recommend sticking to fruit-free herbal teas like camomile or peppermint.
11. Brushing too hard
It's easy to think that brushing your teeth with extra enthusiasm will make them as clean as possible, but reportedly it can actually wear down enamel, irritate your gums, make teeth extra sensitive and even cause cavities. If you're a brute when you brush, try switching to a softer bristled tooth brush. | <urn:uuid:51c0f65f-ed7e-466d-95da-88470f3bf9a8> | CC-MAIN-2016-26 | http://www.cosmopolitan.co.uk/body/health/a33536/things-that-damage-teeth-every-day/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2016-26/segments/1466783398628.62/warc/CC-MAIN-20160624154958-00031-ip-10-164-35-72.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.956057 | 771 | 3.125 | 3 |
An international team of climate scientists led by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) has confirmed that climate change is “undeniable” and clearly driven by the “human fingerprints” of greenhouse gas emissions. The findings are based on new data that was not reviewed during the most recent 2007 report by the UN Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change.
The Financial Times reported today that the NOAA study drew on 11 different indicators of climate, and “found that each one pointed to a world that was warming owing to the influence of greenhouse gases.”
The scientists confirmed that seven of the indicators are rising, including air temperature over land, sea-surface temperature, marine air temperature, sea level, ocean heat, humidity, and tropospheric temperature in the “active-weather” layer of the atmosphere closest to the earth’s surface. Four other indicators were declining: Arctic sea ice, glaciers, spring snow cover in the northern hemisphere, and stratospheric temperatures.
The Financial Times quotes Peter Stott, head of climate monitoring at the UK Met Office, stating:
“The whole of the climate system is acting in a way consistent with the effects of greenhouse gases. The fingerprints are clear. The glaringly obvious explanation for this is warming from greenhouse gases.”
Glaringly obvious, unless you are a climate skeptic who denies the facts in favor of touting manufactured scandals like “Climategate” - a mythical tale ginned up by the climate denial machine to further confuse the public about the real dangers of climate change. | <urn:uuid:cda09441-6205-44f1-b0ab-9c9920f0129e> | CC-MAIN-2016-26 | http://www.desmogblog.com/directory/vocabulary/5173 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2016-26/segments/1466783395560.69/warc/CC-MAIN-20160624154955-00000-ip-10-164-35-72.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.92958 | 323 | 3.0625 | 3 |
Gearing up for fall sports exasperates asthma threat
It’s common to see athletes coughing and wheezing on playing fields and in gyms as they go through intense conditioning drills prior to the start of their fall seasons. But for asthma sufferers, gasping for air is a serious concern.
A near-perfect trifecta – the scorching heat, poor air-quality conditions, and demanding exercises – together creates the threat of increased attacks for asthma sufferers. Before fall-sport schedules begin, they need to ensure their condition is well-controlled.
Dr. Rebecca Gruchalla, who leads the division of allergy and immunology at UT Southwestern Medical Center, recommends the following:
- See a pediatrician, internist, or asthma specialist (for individuals with moderate to severe cases) to ensure that asthma is properly controlled.
- At the appointment, be prepared to answer questions about the frequency of symptoms, use of an albuterol (short-acting inhaled bronchodilator), and sleep interruptions caused by asthma.
It is imperative that school nurses, trainers, and coaches know about and pay close attention to athletes who suffer from asthma. Dr. Gruchalla recommends that athletes be allowed to ease into practice to see how well they tolerate exercising in the heat or in demanding conditions.
Coaches should be alert for the signs and symptoms of asthma, which include shortness of breath, fatigue, chest tightness, coughs, and wheezing. Everyone should exercise extra caution on extremely hot days and high-pollution days.
Visit www.utsouthwestern.org/allergy to learn more about UT Southwestern’s clinical services for asthma and allergies.
Media Contact: email@example.com" title="Email Lisa Ashley Warshaw | <urn:uuid:4567419b-f8f7-455e-a60b-ec2831ec837b> | CC-MAIN-2016-26 | http://www.utsouthwestern.edu/newsroom/health-wellness/year-2012/august/asthma-gruchalla.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2016-26/segments/1466783397744.64/warc/CC-MAIN-20160624154957-00044-ip-10-164-35-72.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.932737 | 379 | 3.0625 | 3 |
Where do the oldest Americans live?
As the oldest Baby Boomers reach retirement age and older generations live longer, more counties across America are graying. A new Pew Research Center analysis of the Census Bureau’s 2014 population estimates finds that 97% of counties saw an increase in their 65-and-older population since 2010.
On average, a U.S. county’s 65-and-older population grew by 12.4% from 2010 to 2014. (Our analysis of population change over time included only counties or county equivalents with a population of 1,000 or more adults ages 65 and older in 2014.)
And some counties are “aging” much more rapidly than others. Several counties in Colorado are among them. Douglas County, Colo., just south of Denver, led the nation with a 53.7% increase in the 65-and-older group from 2010 to 2014. Two other Colorado counties, Routt, on the Wyoming border, and Elbert, southeast of Denver, rounded out the top three, with growth rates above 50%.
By many measures, Florida – which has long attracted snowbirds and retirees – is one of the nation’s grayest states. Overall, 19.1% of the Sunshine State’s population is 65 and older, the highest percentage in the nation. Sumter County, west of Orlando, is the only U.S. county where more than half (52.9%) of residents are 65 and older. Sumter County also has the highest median age in America: At 65.9, it beats the county or county equivalent with the lowest median age (Lexington city, Va.) by nearly 44 years.
Ranking second in percentage of people who are 65 and older is Charlotte County, Fla., with 37.7%, followed by La Paz County in Arizona (36.1%) and Citrus County in Florida (35.2%). In Florida, 53 of 67 counties have an above-average share of people 65 and older when compared with the percentage of Americans in that demographic (14.5%, or 46.2 million).
Not all U.S. counties are aging – in fact, a tiny share of counties (3%) saw a drop in the 65-and-older demographic since 2010. Oklahoma’s small Alfalfa County, on the Kansas border, had the highest rate of decrease in the 65-and-older population, at 9.5%.
North Dakota – a state that we’ve noted for the recent surge in its male population – had two counties, Williams and Wells, rank among the top five for rate of decrease of adults 65 and older. Three counties experienced no change since 2010.
Alaska is the “youngest” state based on its share that is 65 and older (9.4%). Fully 26 of 29 Alaska counties have percentages of people 65 and older that fall below the U.S. average.
Lauren Kent is an editorial intern at Pew Research Center. | <urn:uuid:7d2c22c4-8630-4df6-a776-70b9a03a6b63> | CC-MAIN-2016-26 | http://www.pewresearch.org/fact-tank/2015/07/09/where-do-the-oldest-americans-live/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2016-26/segments/1466783408828.55/warc/CC-MAIN-20160624155008-00048-ip-10-164-35-72.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.950972 | 617 | 2.671875 | 3 |
Vaccinations that have nearly wiped out formerly widespread and deadly diseases are among the great triumphs of modern medicine.
But the greatly reduced incidence of illnesses such as measles and pertussis may have made some parents lax about vaccinating babies and toddlers, while others may have been swayed by misinformation about vaccinations posing health dangers — claims that have been discredited.
Pediatricians and other health advocates are pushing a change to Ohio law that would require vaccinations for all children in preschool and day care. Ohio is the only state in the nation that does not have such a law on the books.
While most day-care providers and preschools already require immunization records, backers of formalizing this requirement in law say it could help keep even more kids and caregivers safe.
“There is a huge advantage associated with making sure that we have infants immunized,” Dr. Michael Brady, chairman of the pediatrics department at Nationwide Children’s Hospital, told The Dispatch. “If there’s not regulation, people have a tendency to kind of drift away."
Brady said such a law could help encourage more people to have babies vaccinated to prevent very common ailments such as rotavirus, which causes diarrhea and dehydration. Across the country, doctors have struggled in recent years with how to handle patients who decline to have their children immunized.
The Internet has increased the spread of now-discredited theories about a connection between vaccines and autism. Last year, The Wall Street Journal wrote about a study of 909 Midwestern pediatricians that found that 21 percent reported terminating their relationships with families that refused vaccinations.
It has been an alarming trend in recent years to see preventable maladies rear their heads in America again because people have not been vaccinated. In 2011, there was a spike in measles cases in the United States, to 222 cases; 86 percent of patients were unvaccinated or had “unknown” vaccination status, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. About 40 percent of cases were among children younger than 5.
Even more common is pertussis, aka whooping cough. Last year, the U.S. had nearly 42,000 cases of pertussis, the highest number since 1955. The disease is highly contagious — and preventable with the recommended childhood vaccines. The incidence rate of pertussis is highest among infants. Tragically, there were 18 deaths associated with the outbreak last year, with the majority of deaths among babies less than three months of age.
This shouldn’t be happening in the United States, where many previously dreaded childhood diseases had been thought to be essentially eradicated. But taking that fact for granted may be part of the issue that’s led some people to become lax about immunizations.
“One thing that’s always a Catch-22 is we’ve reduced the occurrence of these devastating illnesses so effectively this is not in the forefront of what parents or legislators think about all the time,” said Columbus Public Health spokesman Jose Rodriguez.
Maintaining a safe environment for children, parents and caregivers requires ongoing vigilance and seeing that a child’s recommended vaccines are kept up to date. If a state law can further that goal, it is good for everyone. | <urn:uuid:9e3234c4-53a7-4cd8-b195-c1c3aa37c88c> | CC-MAIN-2016-26 | http://www.dispatch.com/content/stories/editorials/2013/09/04/vigilance-is-needed.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2016-26/segments/1466783397695.90/warc/CC-MAIN-20160624154957-00179-ip-10-164-35-72.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.973023 | 671 | 3.109375 | 3 |
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Richmond, with Bibles for the soldiers, in 1864 (the latter steamer rescued by a timely shot from a ten-inch Columbiad in the fort), were incidents never to be forgotten. The recapture of the ‘Kate of London’ and the ‘Nighthawk,’ the wreck of the ‘Condor’ under the guns of the fort, and the sad drowning of Mrs. Greenhough, the famous Confederate spy, the fights over the ‘Venus’ and the ‘Hebe’ on the beach of Masonboro Sound, where one of the garrison was killed and a Whitworth gun captured from a detachment of men guarding the wrecks August 23, 1863, by the United States frigate ‘Minnesota,’ carrying forty-four guns, which came close to shore and rendered a retreat with the guns impossible, were thrilling events in our camp life. We had a visit from President Davis; he landed at the end of the point and rode on horseback with General Whiting to the mound. As soon as he reached the top, giving him a complete view of the works, the sea-face guns being manned for the purpose, gave him the Presidential salute of twenty-one guns. We doubt whether many of the forts in the South could claim the distinction of having fired such salute. I would mention in this connection, that I never failed on the Fourth of July and the Twenty-second of February to fire at noon the national salutes of thirteen guns, although not required to do so by the Confederate States army regulations. I shall never forget a most interesting discussion between the President and General Whiting, at my headquarters, in regard to their preference as to the mode of trial they would prefer; the President preferring the usual trial by jury, whilst General Whiting preferred the courtmartial. Among the saddest events which occurred previous to the battles, were the execution of deserters. On one occasion one soldier was shot, and on another, two were executed at the same time. It is a solemn sight to see a command drawn up to witness the death of fellow-soldiers, and it is always made as impressive as possible as a warning against desertion. The condemned ride to the stake upon their coffins, the band playing the dead march, are blindfolded when shot, and are usually tied to the stake unless they request otherwise. The weapons are loaded by the ordnance sergeant, one with a blank cartridge, so that no soldier detailed is positive that his gun is loaded with a ball when he fires. The three shot at Fort Fisher had been farmers, and were married,
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An XML version of this text is available for download, with the additional restriction that you offer Perseus any modifications you make. Perseus provides credit for all accepted changes, storing new additions in a versioning system. | <urn:uuid:bea12212-692e-4742-a0e8-42c3c0ee94b9> | CC-MAIN-2016-26 | http://www.perseus.tufts.edu/hopper/text?doc=Perseus%3Atext%3A2001.05.0279%3Achapter%3D1.19%3Asection%3Dc.1.19.119%3Apage%3D265 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2016-26/segments/1466783398216.41/warc/CC-MAIN-20160624154958-00043-ip-10-164-35-72.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.977144 | 620 | 2.640625 | 3 |
Yum! Guinea pigs need vitamin c so you want to not just give them pellets and water. Fruits and vegetables are the way to go! At the end of the day give your pigs their "dinner." Breakfast should be fresh water, pellets, and hay. Let's get started.
Step 1: Set Up
Items that you need:
Cutting Board or Plate
Knife (be with adult or guardian if young)
And of course..... Your guinea pig!
Take your cutting board and put it on a flat surface with you knife. Get your fruits and vegetables. Do not feed them to many fruits. Do not give them iceberg lettuce. Kale is a good solution instead. Chop your fruits and vegetables in small pieces so it is easier for your pig to eat. Don't give banana because they can not cough stuff up because it is "slimy". Cut! | <urn:uuid:4f9f79f5-1b12-4ac8-bb60-448250484217> | CC-MAIN-2016-26 | http://www.instructables.com/id/Guinea-Pig-Healthy-Salad/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2016-26/segments/1466783393442.26/warc/CC-MAIN-20160624154953-00166-ip-10-164-35-72.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.922157 | 184 | 2.84375 | 3 |
Fast ACT Math Prep
This site provides free and low-cost resources to help you quickly prepare for the Math Section of the ACT.
Did you know that the same types of problems show up again and again on the ACT Math Test? You can take advantage of this fact to improve your ACT Math score. Our video practice test is packed with typical ACT Math problems, and the three ACT Math formula pages contain equations that you're most likely to need on the test. Be sure to check out our free Plane Geometry formula page (there are 14 Plane Geometry problems on the ACT) and the free practice problems below.
ACT Math Formula Pages ($9) first page free
These one-page "cheat sheets" contain ACT Math equations beyond Algebra, including Plane Geometry, Coordinate Geometry and Trigonometry. For a limited time, we're offering the Plane Geometry formula page for free.
ACT Math Video Practice Test ($14)
This guided video practice test contains 60 ACT math problems, a one-minute problem timer, and step-by-step solutions. These problems help you improve your pacing as you master 60 of the most commonly-appearing types of ACT Math problems. Includes a combination of easy, medium and hard-level problems, just as you'll see on the actual test.
ACT Math Video Practice Problems (free)
These typical ACT Math problems with a built-in one minute timer to give you a chance to try the problem before viewing the solution. These problems are in the same format as the full-length video practice test.
Working with a one-minute timer is a great way to prepare for the ACT Math test, since the average time per problem on this test is one minute. Right after you try one of these problems, a math teacher explains the solution. Seeing and hearing the solution immediately increases the likelihood that you'll remember how to work a similar problem on test day.
The full-length practice test includes 60 video practice problems in the same format as the free problems. If you are serious about improving your ACT Math score, work through these 60 problems to perfect your pacing and master the most common types of ACT questions.
ACT Math Study Guide (free)
This study guide provides a 6-step strategy for preparing for the ACT Math test. Follow this approach to make sure you've covered all the bases for improving your ACT Math score.
More ACT Math Resources
Know what to expect! For more information on the content and structure of the ACT Math Section, check out the "MORE" tab at the top of this page. | <urn:uuid:f13adde3-35ef-4203-8bed-62c6095b9c02> | CC-MAIN-2016-26 | http://www.mathontime.com/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2016-26/segments/1466783395160.19/warc/CC-MAIN-20160624154955-00024-ip-10-164-35-72.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.911992 | 527 | 2.796875 | 3 |
Date: August 1999
Creator: DeBeus, Roger J. (Roger John)
Description: The purpose of this study was to examine the effects of music training on electroencephalographic (EEG) coherence of preschool children. EEG coherence is a measurement of brain wave activity that reflects anatomical and neurophysiological parameters and functional connectivity between areas of the brain. Participants were 4- to 6-year-old children divided into two groups: one received music training for 20 minutes twice a week for 10 weeks while the other group served as controls. Nineteen channels of EEG data were collected from each child pre- and post-training. Data were collected from three conditions: eyes-open resting, listening to music, and performing the Object Assembly subtest of the Weschler Preschool and Primary Scale of Intelligence - Revised (1989). The hypothesis was that the music training group would show increased EEG coherence as compared to controls. The EEG data was reduced into seven bandwidths and analyzed separately for each condition. Multiple ANCOVAs were used to factor out pre-test variability and to maximize connectivity changes between the two groups. The dependent measures were the post-QEEG electrode pairs and the covariates were the pre-QEEG electrode pairs. Results indicated the eyes-open and listening to music conditions showed more significant changes between the groups than the Object Assembly ...
Contributing Partner: UNT Libraries | <urn:uuid:469a1b75-69a9-4d32-99a3-41d452a800a9> | CC-MAIN-2016-26 | http://digital.library.unt.edu/search/?q=%22electroencephalography%22&t=str_subject | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2016-26/segments/1466783397797.77/warc/CC-MAIN-20160624154957-00135-ip-10-164-35-72.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.963032 | 288 | 2.859375 | 3 |
The typical American diet emphasizes animal proteins and processed foods, both of which provide little to no fiber. As a result, the average American fiber intake is 14 grams of dietary fiber per day total, which is significantly less than the recommended 14 grams per 1,000 calories consumed, according to the American Dietetic Association. The best sources of fiber are unprocessed plant foods, including whole grains, vegetables, fruits, legumes, seeds and nuts. While pistachios — and most other nuts — are richest in unsaturated fatty acids, protein, vitamins and minerals, they also provide enough fiber per serving to qualify as a good source of fiber.
Fiber Per Serving
Foods that contains 5 grams of fiber or more per serving are considered high fiber, and may be labeled an “excellent source” of fiber. A food that provides between 2.5 and 4.9 grams of fiber per serving is considered a “good source” of fiber. The terms “more fiber” and “added fiber” are used for foods that contain 2.5 grams or more of added fiber per serving. A standard 1-ounce serving of dry roasted pistachios provides 2.8 grams of dietary fiber.
There are two types of fiber -- Insoluble fiber, which doesn’t dissolve in water, hastens the transit of material through your digestive tract. With adequate fluid intake, insoluble fiber also provides stool with bulk to promote healthy bowel movements. Soluble fiber dissolves in water and becomes gel-like, allowing it to bind to fatty substances and promote their excretion. This characteristic makes soluble fiber useful for lowering LDL and total cholesterol levels. Soluble fiber also helps control blood glucose levels by releasing a food’s nutrients more slowly for absorption. All plant-based foods contain varying amounts of each type of fiber. As with most nuts, the fiber in pistachios is mostly the insoluble variety, but they do contain a small amount of soluble fiber.
The amount of fiber you should consume every day depends on your overall caloric intake, age and gender, according to Colorado State University Extension. American dietary guidelines specify an intake of 14 grams of fiber per 1,000 calories consumed, the equivalent of 28 grams of fiber a day for a 2,000-calorie diet. In 2002, the National Academy of Sciences established recommended daily fiber intake guidelines based on age, gender, pregnancy and lactation needs. According to these guidelines, men under the age of 50 should get 38 grams of fiber per day, while men over 50 only need 30 grams. Women younger than 50 require 25 grams of fiber per day, while those over 50 need just 21 grams. Pregnant and lactating women should consume 28 grams and 29 grams of dietary fiber per day, respectively.
Benefits of Pistachios
In addition being a good source of insoluble fiber, pistachios are an excellent source of heart-healthy unsaturated fatty acids, vitamin B6, thiamine, niacin, copper and manganese. They also contain significant amounts of phytosterols, a substance thought to reduce risk of heart disease by lowering high levels of damaging LDL cholesterol, according to the book “Wellness Foods A to Z.” When buying pistachios in the shell, look for shells that are slightly open, as a closed shell indicates an immature, flavorless nut.
- Colorado State University Extension: Dietary Fiber
- USDA Nutrient Data Laboratory: Nuts, Pistachio Nuts, Raw
- USDA Nutrient Data Laboratory: Nuts, Pistachio Nuts, Dry Roasted, Without Salt Added
- MyPlate.gov: How Much Food From the Protein Foods Group is Needed Daily?
- MyPlate.gov: What Counts As an Ounce Equivalent in the Protein Foods Group?
- American Dietetic Association Complete Food and Nutrition Guide; Roberta Larson Duyff, M.S., R.D.
- Wellness Foods A to Z; Sheldon Margen, M.D., et al.
- Superfoods; Tonia Reinhard
- Pistachio on the table image by purplecat from Fotolia.com | <urn:uuid:6b2d45fd-c5c9-4e5b-9451-a5a3d558304f> | CC-MAIN-2016-26 | http://healthyeating.sfgate.com/pistachios-good-source-fiber-2346.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2016-26/segments/1466783395992.75/warc/CC-MAIN-20160624154955-00161-ip-10-164-35-72.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.901912 | 868 | 3.515625 | 4 |
Mouth Guards: Types and Advantages
A mouth guard (mouth protector) is a flexible custom fitted device worn over teeth during athletic and recreational activities to protect them from damage. A good-fitting mouth guard may be especially important if you wear braces, have fixed anterior bridgework or just want to protect your teeth/smile from potential trauma.
Mouth guards can buffer damage to the teeth, the brackets and/or other fixed appliances from blows and physical contact. Mouth guards can also act as a barrier between teeth/braces and the cheeks, between the lips and tongue, thereby limiting the risk of soft tissue damage.
The ideal mouth guard also:
- Allows speaking and does not limit breathing.
- Stays firmly in place during action.
- Provides a high degree of comfort and fit.
- Is durable and easy to clean.
- Is resilient, tear-resistant, odorless and tasteless.
Generally, a mouth guard only covers the upper teeth. However, dentists may suggest that athletes with a protruding jaw or those who wear braces or other dental appliances (such as retainers, bridgework or have implant-supported dentures) on their lower jaw wear a mouth guard on their lower teeth.
Who Should Wear a Mouth Guard?
Currently, the U.S. National Collegiate Athletic Association requires the use of mouth guards only for ice hockey, lacrosse, field hockey and football. However, the American Dental Association recommends the use of a mouth guard for 29 sports/exercise activities. These include the four activities already mentioned, plus acrobatics, basketball, boxing, discus throwing, gymnastics, handball, martial arts, racquetball, rugby, shot putting, skateboarding, skiing, skydiving, soccer, squash, surfing, volleyball, water polo, weightlifting and wrestling. Essentially, whenever there's a chance of contact with other players or hard surfaces, wearing a mouth guard makes sense.
For professional advice about how to protect your teeth during athletic activities, talk to your dentist or orthodontist about selecting a mouth guard that will provide the best protection for your particular needs.
Advantages of a Mouth Guard
Wearing a mouth guard is an important precaution for athletes of all ages and abilities, helping to protect against chipped or broken teeth, root and bone damage, and tooth loss. Mouth guards also safeguard against serious injuries such as jaw fracture, cerebral hemorrhage, concussion and neck injuries by helping to avoid situations where the lower jaw jams into the upper jaw. By keeping soft tissue in the oral cavity away from the teeth, mouth guards help prevent cutting and bruising of the lips, tongue and cheeks, especially for athletes who wear orthodontic appliances.
Why People Don't Wear Mouth Guards
Since it is not mandatory for athletes amateur or professional to wear mouth guards, many do not because of fit, comfort, image (notion that it's not "cool" to wear mouth guards) and complaints of impaired speaking. Not realizing the real safety value of mouth guards, some coaches do not reinforce the advantages of wearing them to their athletes, and neither do some parents, who are sometimes not fully aware of the level of contact and potential for serious dental injuries involved in their children's sports.
Gender bias may also play a role, since there are people who mistakenly think that female athletes are less aggressive, less at-risk of injury and, therefore, less likely to need a mouth guard. Although mouth guards come in various price ranges, cost may be another consideration limiting their use, especially for custom-fitted mouth guards. The "hassle" factor remembering to wear them, properly caring for them and dealing with the inconvenience of impaired breathing or speech also contributes to non-use.
Types of Mouth Guards
Mouth guards are available in three types:
- Stock mouth guards, which can be purchased in sporting goods and drug stores, come pre-formed and ready to wear. Although they're the least expensive, they are also the worst fitting and least comfortable or protective. Made of rubber or polyvinyl, these pre-formed guards can be bulky, increase the tendency to gag, and make breathing and talking difficult because they require the jaw to be closed to hold them in place.
- Mouth-formed mouth guards can be either a shell liner or a boil-and-bite kind. The first type is lined with acrylic gel or rubber that molds to the teeth and sets to keep its shape. The second type, made of thermoplastic, is placed in boiling water then formed and molded to the contours of the teeth using the fingers, lips, tongue and biting pressure. Boil-and-bite mouth guards can be reheated and refitted if the fit isn't comfortable initially.
Both types of mouth-formed mouth guards are available online and at sporting goods and drug stores. While they do provide a better fit than stock mouth guards, they can be bulky and do not offer the same fit and protection as a custom-fitted mouth guard.
- Custom-fitted mouth guards are more expensive than the other types of mouth guards, but they provide the greatest degree of fit, comfort and protection because they are made from a cast to precisely fit your teeth. Your dentist makes an impression of your teeth and a dental laboratory technician either in the dentist's office or at an off-site dental laboratory uses the impression as a mold to create the custom-fitted mouth guard.
Custom-fitted mouth guards are designed to cover all the teeth and can cushion against falls and blows to the chin. Some custom-fitted mouth guards have hard outer layers and soft inner linings for comfort against the teeth and gums. Some are made of acrylic, while others are semi-rigid, flexible and made with materials for patients allergic to acrylics.
Because the mouth, like other parts of the body, experiences growth spurts, it's important that a dentist evaluates a child or adolescent's mouth before choosing a mouth guard. Additionally, different sports involve different levels of risk and potential injury; your dentist also can help customize a mouth guard based on your or your child's specific activity.
Mouth Guards Vs. Other Kinds of Mouthpieces
Occlusal splints, also called bite splints, bite planes, Michigan splints or night guards, are types of removable dental appliances that are worn to protect the teeth and restorations. Custom-fitted to the upper or lower teeth, these dental appliances also can be used to manage problems caused by jaw issues, such as headaches and neck aches, as well as stabilize a person's bite before undergoing dental procedures.
People who suffer from night-time teeth clenching or grinding (bruxism) should wear night guards to help lessen wear and tear on the teeth and reduce the possibility of tooth fractures. The main difference between night guards and other types of splints is that night guards should only be worn at night and splints are usually worn full time. Occlusal splints of any kind are not recommended for use during athletic or recreational activities, since they generally are not strong enough to provide the protection afforded by athletic mouth guards.
Anterior deprogrammers are mouth guard type devices that promote relaxation of the jaw muscles and work best for people who are chronic and severe clenchers and grinders. They can be worn day and/or night, depending on the severity and type of condition being treated.
Examples of anterior deprogrammers are NTI (Nociception Trigeminal Inhibitor), B (Bruxism) splint and Kois appliances.
The NTI is a small, clear plastic device that is worn over the two front teeth (either top or bottom) at night to prevent contact of the back teeth. It is used to reduce tension headaches, as well as alleviate symptoms of bruxism and TMJ disorders.
B splints are meant to be worn on either the upper or lower teeth and are generally worn during the day. However, they are usually worn at night when used with another appliance to prevent bite changes.
Kois appliances can be worn at night to relieve muscle fatigue and headaches.
Next, go to: | <urn:uuid:e92171e8-3fb4-4574-919b-d5129d9fc5d6> | CC-MAIN-2016-26 | http://www.yourdentistryguide.com/mouth-guards/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2016-26/segments/1466783397797.77/warc/CC-MAIN-20160624154957-00000-ip-10-164-35-72.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.947748 | 1,679 | 2.6875 | 3 |
We tend to think Earth’s climate will always be optimal for human civilization if we just take good care of it. But nothing could be farther from the truth. When we put emotion and politics aside and take a rational look at our planet’s history, we see a different picture.
Ice and sediment cores show that over the past four million years, the global climate has oscillated many times. The changes are caused by variations in Earth’s orbit. Each cycle lasts about 100,000 years with an ice age typically taking up 90,000 of those years, and a global warming effect, the other 10,000 years.
Many natural phenomena significantly affect the global climate. Atmospheric conditions are impacted by tectonic activity, erosion, and changes in Earth’s biomass, for example. While politicians and activists focus on the effects of fossil fuel burning, no one seems to mention that the breeding and domestication of cows and cultivation of rice, for example, actually do more harm than does the driving of SUV’s.
According to the Journal of Quaternary Science, over the last 8,000 years cattle farming and rice crop cultivation alone have nearly doubled the quantity of methane in the atmosphere. At the same time, deforestation has increased the atmospheric levels of carbon dioxide. Both methane and carbon dioxide are greenhouse gases that trap the sun’s heat. Contrary to the claims of a few high profile politicians, celebrities, and environmentalists, some of our human activities in fact create a cooling effect. The release of aerosols and particulates actually blocks out sunlight and generates light-reflecting cloud layers, especially over densely populated and highly industrialized regions where pollution is loosely, if at all, regulated.
The bottom line here is that there are dozens of physical, chemical, and biological processes that contribute to both heating and cooling the planet. When any one of these factors gets out of balance with the others, Earth is at risk of losing its optimal climate for human civilization. This delicate balancing act of multiple and diverse natural processes and human activities gives us reason to be cautious. But to suggest that we can stop global warming simply by cutting back on fossil fuel combustion and altering our industrial processes is naive at best. If we ignore one or more of certain mechanisms that contribute to either global warming or cooling, our attempted solutions could actually make matters worse.
Scientifically speaking this intricate balance, designed specifically for humanity’s benefit, is no accident. The amazing fine tuning observed in all these complex processes gives us a clear picture of a Creator who exquisitely prepared a place for humans to live in and to launch–at least for awhile–a global high-tech civilization.
by Dr. Hugh Ross and Dr. Jeff Zweerink | <urn:uuid:5eac1d9e-8acd-4c05-87f5-b9ecee679f29> | CC-MAIN-2016-26 | http://www.reasons.org/articles/global-warming | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2016-26/segments/1466783397213.30/warc/CC-MAIN-20160624154957-00183-ip-10-164-35-72.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.925816 | 560 | 3.75 | 4 |
A study from the University of Haifa shows that “perception of second language speech is easier when it is spoken in the accent of the listener and not in the ‘original’ accent of that language.” So if you are an American learning French, you will understand French better if it is spoken with an American accent rather than a native French accent. Sounds a little like common sense, right? The researchers say this is important is determining the cognitive factors associated with understanding and learning foreign languages; but as for teaching foreign languages, I’m not so sure that teaching exclusively in the non-native accent as the title of the article suggests is the best idea.
Perhaps at the very beginning stages of language learning, a non-native accent would be more helpful than a native accent in simply understanding the language. But if a non-native accent is the only one a learner ever hears, then s/he will have a hard time understanding all other accents as well as learning how to pronounce the language in a more native-like accent. Students should be exposed to several native and non-native accents of the language because obviously not every French speaker in the world speaks with the standard accent presented in learning materials. How many French language materials teach the Picardie or Belgian or Toulousian accents?
This leads into the native vs. non-native teacher question and just how much effect the teacher’s accent has on the students’ learning. As long as the student gets enough input in the target language outside of the classroom, it really shouldn’t matter what accent the teacher has. Most classes meet a few hours per week, which is not sufficient enough for learning a language, so the student needs to listen and study as much as possible on his/her own. The teacher needs to be able to answer questions and explain the grammar and encourage student participation and motivation, but to me, the accent isn’t really all that important because shouldn’t the students be talking more than the teacher anyway?
What do you think about this study? Is it important or does it just reiterate what we already know?
Let’s hope no one actually teaches English based on Franglais! | <urn:uuid:6f395f0a-a511-4218-99d9-c76374387bea> | CC-MAIN-2016-26 | http://ielanguages.com/blog/teach-a-foreign-language-in-the-accent-of-the-listener/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2016-26/segments/1466783397865.91/warc/CC-MAIN-20160624154957-00079-ip-10-164-35-72.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.9613 | 455 | 2.75 | 3 |
ClassTools.net: Create interactive flash tools / games for education. Mathematics. Academic Video Lectures - Nightly. The Teacher's Corner - Lesson Plans, Worksheets and Activities - Nightly. EVLM Central Portal. NGfL CYMRU GCaD - Nightly. Mathematics resources - www.mathcentre.ac.uk or - Nightly. Free & inexpensive math curriculum materials: workbooks, ebooks, downloads, videos, tutorials, and more. - Nightly. Print Free Graph Paper - Nightly.
Grid Paper PDFs - Nightly. Free Online Graph Paper / Grid Paper PDFs Downloadable and very printable, I find these PDFs extremely useful.
Tip number one! Though I do return the correct header for a PDF, sometimes Explorer gets confused when downloading... So if you're running Windows, you may need to right-click a link and choose "Save link to disk". Tip number two! Some people may need to turn off the option in Adobe's Acrobat reader "shrink to fit" which may resize the grid slightly to fit your printer's printable area. Tip number three! If you want the hexes aligned with the other edge of the paper, just make your paper size "11 x 8.5" and print the result in landscape mode! Translations Belorussian (provided by Ucallweconn weblog) Other. Math.com - World of Math Online - Nightly. Interactive Mathematics - Learn math while you play with it! - Nightly. MathSphere - Resources. MathSphere Ltd P.O.
Box 7533WeymouthDT4 4FPtel: 01273 782 786 fax: 01273 785 550 MathSphere Free Resources for children aged 5 to 11 These links lead to a wide variety of free maths pages which are all in Flash paper or pdf format, allowing for easy printing out. Sample Worksheets from 'It's All Figured Out! ' Over 300 free worksheets for children from aged 5 to 11, taken from the 'It's All Figured Out' CD. Sample Worksheets from 'Booster' CD for Year 6 children A selection of typical Key Stage 2 test questions from our KS2 Booster CD.
Planning and assessment using MathSphere products If you have the Year 3 or 4 MathSphere Calculations CDs here are some excellent planning and assessment sheets. Maths Dictionary Fantastic detailed maths dictionary explaining all the more complex language used in teaching primary maths today. Graph & Line Paper Short of squared paper? Board Games Like playing games with a mathematical bias? Maths Magic Maths Puzzles Plenty of thought provoking puzzles here. MathsNet.net. TeacherLED — Interactive Whiteboard Resources For Teachers - Nightly. Secondary Maths resources collections. Skip to main content Jobs TES the largest network of teachers in the world My TES Secondary Maths resources collections Resources | Published 4 April, 2011 Comment:5 average rating | Comments (15)Last Updated:28 October, 2014Section:Resources These collections for secondary maths teachers have been compiled by Craig Barton - Maths AST and creator of www.mrbartonmaths.com (TES Name:mrbartonmaths) All classroom resource collections Topic Specials Topic Special: A Level Applied Topic Special: A Level Core Topic Special: Algebra Topic Special: Algebra: Quadratic Expressions and Graphs Topic Special: Angles Topic Special: Area and Volume Topic Special: Construction and Loci Topic Special: Forming and Manipulating Algebraic Expressions.
There are wonderful interactive activities and study notes. Pupils can download the resources for offline use. Interactive whiteboard resources too. Superb! Calculation Balance An excellent site for addition, subtraction, multiplication and division practice. Christmas Maths A useful resource for Christmas time which includes a range of great number activities which are aimed at Year 1 pupils (5 - 6 years). Ladybird Spots Three different counting, matching and ordering maths games based on the numbers 1 to 10 for early years children. Multiplication Try this good game for practising your times tables. Loop Cards Fantastic for improving your mental maths. Teddy Numbers The Teddy Numbers game can help you to learn numbers to 15. Underwater Counting Can you find the treasure? Primary Worksheets. OCSD Interactive Games - Nightly. Design Your Own Games Pre-Made Games Matching Game Directions- In this game you can match up words.
You have two columns to work in . Type in your words in the first column and the matching words in the second column. You should have at least 8 pairs of words. Type in a Title for your game. Editing Your Matching Games. The Futures Channel Educational Videos and Activities Deliver Hands-On, Real World Math and Science Resources for the Classroom. - Nightly. | <urn:uuid:1aecbd9e-ec6e-4ff3-a341-bd76ad5c4588> | CC-MAIN-2016-26 | http://www.pearltrees.com/lwhotton/teaching-resources/id4297561 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2016-26/segments/1466783396100.16/warc/CC-MAIN-20160624154956-00040-ip-10-164-35-72.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.835087 | 993 | 2.5625 | 3 |
The first of Chinese history was from approximately 2100 to 1500 before christ and was called the Xia Dynasty. Records of this time were found in ancient texts such as the Bamboo Annals.
Interestingly there is an adverse conversation about whether or not the Xia dynasty is a legtimate dynasty in Chinese history, however there has been evidence found via archeaology that suggests that it did exist.
The evidence of this dynasty has been found in bronze smelt. And that about it.
Along comes the Shang Dynasty:
The Shange dynasty has some historical records on oracle bones.
The Shang period of the dynasty and the Late Shang (Yin) period are seperated from one another. Divine records were thought to have first appeared in these times.
The writing during this time occured on bones or shells of dead organisms and were called oracle bones. With carbon dating, the age of the bones can be dated to approximately 1200 BC.
Many remnants from the Shang society were discovered in the Yellow River Valley.
There were a total of thirty one kings that ruled during the Shang Dynasty and the capital city was moved multiple times during this period in Chinese history.
The most important and final move was to Yin in 1350 BC and what led to the “golden age” of the Shang dynasty. Because of this move, Yin has often been associated with the latter part of the Shang dynasty when it was moved.
Some historian believe that the Xia and Shang are more political entities than they are separate periods in time. It is possible that the dynasties overlapped one another and exited together.
Zhou dynasty (1046–256 BC)
Zhou was the longest dynasty to last in Chinese history and was a dynasty that started to arrive in the Yellow River Valley . The Zhou defeated the Shang in territorial battles, in particular the famous Battle of Muye.
During the Zhou rule, the king of the time introduced the concept of Heaven (Kind of like karma) and if you messed up, the world would let you know. In the Zhou whenever a disaster occurred it was attributed to the loss of the mandate of heaven due to bad rulers. When this occurred the bad ruler (royal house) would be replaced by new rulers and therefore replace the Zhou’s right to heaven.
In the past, China was seen as a land of poverty and huge differences from the poorest of the poor to the richest of the rich. As China has developed, the living standard has slowly increased. In the past the life expectancy was about 32 years old and has significantly increased to well over 69 years of age today. The amount of poverty in China has declined, although it is still a problem being addressed.
As far as comparing China to other countries that are industrialized, China got the small end of the stick in regards to their residents having adequate food, shelter and clothing. Economic reforms int he 80’s have brought much improvement since then. Continue reading “Is China Being Dealt a Fair Hand?”→
Did you know that China houses the MOST PEOPLE in the entire world? They have over 1.3 billion people! Imagine how crowded it must be in China. Not all of the people are spread out. Many live in large cities. China has so many people that they have a rule that you are only allowed to have one child. Wow!
Being the third largest country by size, China takes up over three million square miles.
China is located on the Asian Continent.
Several countries surround china. The countries that touch china’s borders are:
One of the most popular moutaineering peaks on Earth is located between China and Nepal. Know what it is? It’s Mount Everest!
Chinese is not the only language in China. China has people who speak Mandarin, Wu, Yue, Minbei, Xiang, Gan, Hakka and Minnan.
Beijing is the capital of China although it is not the most populated.
The most populated city is Shanghai followed by Chongqing, Shenzhen and Guangzhou.
Over 40% of the Chinese Population live in urban areas.
Typhoons occur each year in China along with floods, earthquakes, tsunamis and dry droughts.
The Yangtze River, which is located in China, is the fourth largest in the world and is over 3500 miles long.
The Yellow River (sixth largest in the world) is also located in China and is about 2,900 miles long.
Did you know that China is NOT the biggest economy? The biggest economy is the United States. China is number 2.
China sent people to space in 2003, several decades after the Russians and the Americans.
Pandas live in China.
The Great Wall of China was made by hand and is over 5,500 miles long.
Both ancient and modern art that is practiced by people of China is considered Chinese art.
Chinese Art starts as early as 10,000BC and a lot comes from samples of pottery or sculptures. Some of the first kaolin made items were made in China and utilized the element Cobalt to decorate.
Kaolin is a type of clay, when heated, that becomes porcelain. Chinese porcelain that is from the earliest ages is some of the most valuable pottery and ceramics in the world.
Along with pottery, Chinese art includes textiles and other artistic items that were used in the Chinese courts to resemble ranks, demonstration of power and wealth and was kept among emperors.
Items on paper, such as ink paintings, were more likely to be found with court painters and teachers of teh court. When the Western world began more prolonged contact with China, the art become more and more contemporary and competitive with World Art. Prior to that, art was very regimented and predictable. | <urn:uuid:9c254dda-70da-4899-8af3-105b36d2e8b9> | CC-MAIN-2016-26 | http://www.chinaunleashed.com/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2016-26/segments/1466783395346.72/warc/CC-MAIN-20160624154955-00148-ip-10-164-35-72.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.979727 | 1,207 | 3.90625 | 4 |
Internal Dialogue: Italics or Quotes?
Internal dialogue is used by authors to indicate what a character is thinking.
Direct internal dialogue refers to a character thinking the exact thoughts as written, often in the first person. (The first person singular is I, the first person plural is we.)
Example: “I lied,” Charles thought, “but maybe she will forgive me.”
Notice that quotation marks and other punctuation are used as if the character had spoken aloud.
You may also use italics without quotation marks for direct internal dialogue.
Example: I lied, Charles thought, but maybe she will forgive me.
Indirect internal dialogue refers to a character expressing a thought in the third person (the third person singular is he or she, the plural is they) and is not set off with either italics or quotation marks.
Example: Bev wondered why Charles would think that she would forgive him so easily.
The sense of the sentence tells us that she did not think these exact words.
Posted on Tuesday, June 10, 2008, at 4:47 am | <urn:uuid:ef1eb25a-0010-458f-a552-c9e8d01663dd> | CC-MAIN-2016-26 | http://data.grammarbook.com/blog/quotation-marks/internal-dialogue-italics-or-quotes/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2016-26/segments/1466783394605.61/warc/CC-MAIN-20160624154954-00197-ip-10-164-35-72.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.966695 | 228 | 3.703125 | 4 |
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