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In most of Canada we are now in the midst of the “dog days” of winter. The cold, gloomy, snowy days that make curling up in bed with a good book the only acceptable activity! I live in eastern Canada and we have been totally pummeled this year and winter is barely two weeks old! On December 23rd we were entombed in ice more than an inch thick, lost power for days (many for up to 11 days!), had three successive snow storms, four if you count today and are now in the midst of bone chilling, record breaking cold temperatures. Yesterday’s HIGH was minus 25 degrees Celsius and the wind chill made it feel like minus 36C., today it is a balmy minus 21C.
Couple the “normal” Canadian winter with what is known as the “Vitamin D Winter” – when the angle of the sun changes and the UV rays that make Vitamin D do not reach us, and consequently, over 85 per cent of Canadian children are not meeting the estimated requirements for dietary Vitamin D? That is, to me, a staggeringly high number!
As many people are aware, vitamin D plays an important role in protecting your bones and your body requires it to absorb calcium. Therefore, children need vitamin D to build strong bones and adults need it to keep their bones strong and healthy. If you don’t get enough vitamin D, you may lose bone density and will be at increased risk for bone fractures as you age.
To help Canadians get enough of the sunshine vitamin, Kellogg’s Canada has fortified 13 of its most loved cereals with 20 per cent of Health Canada’s recommended daily intake of vitamin D. Classic Kellogg’s brands such as…
- Rice Krispies
- Special K
- Froot Loops
- Mini-Wheats Little bites
- Corn Pops
- Cinnamon Pops
- Frosted Flakes and
…and many others now include sunshine in every bowl!
Fast Facts on Vitamin D:
- Dietary vitamin D can also be found in natural (certain fatty fish, egg yolk) and fortified (milk, margarine) sources.
- Over 85% of Canadian children, 75% of Canadian adolescents and 80% of Canadian adults are not meeting the estimated requirements for dietary vitamin D.
- Just over two-thirds of Canadians (68%) have vitamin D blood levels sufficient for healthy bones.
- If Canadians raised their vitamin D levels it would save an estimated 37, 000 premature deaths and $14.4 billion in healthcare costs annually.
Diseases with a suspected link to decreased levels of vitamin D
I did a little research and quickly compiled a fairly long list of diseases that have a suspected link to vitamin D deficiency, including:
- Inflammatory Bowel Disease
- Some forms of cancer
- Dental cavities
- Multiple Sclerosis
- Rheumatoid arthritis
We all want to keep ourselves and our family as healthy as possible and I applaud Kellogg’s for “stepping up to the bowl”, so to speak, with this initiative and bringing awareness to the need for vitamin D in our everyday diets.
Check out Health Canada’s Dietary Reference Intake chart for vitamin D.
Are you and your family getting your daily requirement?
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Why don't you tell us what you think the answer to each of this is.
As it is, it appears as if you are asking us to take a test for you.
If you would read underneath it i asked for an explanation plato, you would see i asked if someone could EXPLAIN to me these type of problems and what made the principal of the equation different then the others, you must have skipped that part (and this is not even the whole test). Anyways thanx qbkr, but could you provide an explanation to the steps of solving?
the rules we use are as follows.
let "xroot" represent any root.
in general, by the laws of surds (and exponents):
xroot(a*b) = xroot(x)*xroot(b)
so we can find the product of numbers under the root, and then split them into the roots of the products. usually you do this in such a way, that most of the roots end up as "nice numbers"
e.g. the first question:
sqrt(8a^2) = sqrt(2*4*a^2) = sqrt(2)*sqrt(4)*sqrt(a^2) = sqrt(2)*2a
also, these posts may help:
there are a lot more around, but i can't find them at the moment and i also don't have much time to explain your problems to you. i'm leaving very soon
sqrt(4) is nice since it equals 2 a whole rational number.
sqrt(64) is nice since it is 8
sqrt(36) is nice since it is 6
so for instance:
sqrt(72) that's not nice. but i can change this into sqrt(2*36) = sqrt(2)*sqrt(36)
now sqrt(36) is "nice", so i end up with 6*sqrt(2)
i explain there (in very basic terms) how to go from radicals to exponents.
basically for the sqrt, it is the same as saying to the 1/2 power. and when we raise a number to a power, we multiply the power of the number by the power we are raising it to, and that becomes the new power
so, for example, sqrt(x^2) = (x^2)^(1/2) = x^(1/2 * 2) = x^1 = x
and sqrt(x^3) = (x^3)^(1/2) = x^(3 * 1/2) = x^(3/2)
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Ibrahim, Mohd. Haniff (2006) Optical waveguides analysis and modeling techniques. In: Advances In Optical Waveguides. Penerbit UTM, Johor , pp. 77-102. ISBN 978-983-52-0668-9
Official URL: http://www.penerbit.utm.my/bookchapterdoc/FKE/book...
The use of light as means of communication is not a new idea; many civilizations used sunlight reflected off mirrors to send messages, and communication between warships at sea was achieved using Aldis lamps. Unfortunately, these early systems were vulnerable to atmosphere disturbance i.e. clouds or fog, and because they operate at very low data rates, they failed to exploit the very large potential bandwidth of optical communication links. In modem times, the revolution in optical telecommunication or light wave communication was initiated by the development of ruby laser by Maimon in 1960. For the first time, an intense, coherent light source operating at just one wavelength was made available. This ruby laser was followed by many other type of lasers.
|Item Type:||Book Section|
|Subjects:||T Technology > TK Electrical engineering. Electronics Nuclear engineering|
|Deposited By:||Liza Porijo|
|Deposited On:||25 May 2012 03:53|
|Last Modified:||03 Jun 2014 03:57|
Repository Staff Only: item control page
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People may not always talk about it, but many in America feel hurt over their body type and physical features.
There's the obvious emotional angst of those whose figures don't compete with those of swimsuit models or Hollywood starlets. But then, there's the actual physical pain.
At least 15 percent of the population has complained of musculoskeletal pain in the last year: more than people with allergies and headaches combined, according to "The Burden of Musculoskeletal Disease in the United States," a publication from the United States Bone and Joint Decade.
Some of this pain comes from injury, but some also occurs as a result of a person's specific body type. If you ask orthopaedists, it turns out that, what we might think makes us beautiful, doesn't help us feel pain-free.
The name "pigeon-toed" probably arose more from the distinctive gait — a bit of a waddle that comes from walking with toes pointed inward — rather than the look of the toes themselves.
A pigeon-toed frame, which appears as toes, as well as knees, pointed inward, frequently occurs in toddlers between 8 and 15 months.
Though children usually outgrow being pigeon-toed, called in-toeing by doctors, the stance can persist or get worse in adulthood, often caused by a rotational twist in the tibia (shin bone) or a twist in the femur (thigh bone) as it connects to the hip.
If the problem worsens, so might the person's pain. The weight of a person who walks with a pigeon-toed frame puts stress on parts of the body not designed to take it.
"The forces on your ankles, on the tendons around your ankles, can cause pain," said Dr. Lonnie Paulos, director of the Texas Sports Medicine Alliance in Houston, Texas. Paulos noted that flat feet, another painful problem, often accompanies a pigeon-toed stance.
If a person's pigeon-toed gait worsens, the kneecap can wear out faster, as well as the joints in the ankles. That wear and tear can cause an early or more severe onset of osteoarthritis.
Funny how the same silhouette can strike feelings of appeal in one sex and feelings of distress in the other.
Big-bosomed women with little waistlines to match often suffer more than inappropriate stares and difficulty when shopping for dresses.
A buxom woman can suffer welts on her shoulders from her bra straps, and running or other aerobics can hurt without the right support. Even sitting still can cause pain for big-breasted women.
"If they are real large, they pull your shoulders forward," Paulos said. "The shoulders, neck and back will hurt."
Female patients accounted for about 60 percent of the health care visits for neck pain in 2004, according to "The Burden of Musculoskeletal Disease in the United States."
Unlike many other forms of pain from body types, there's not much a full-chested woman can do.
"That's the reason why, many years ago, they developed the support bra," Paulos said.
Beyond bras, the American Society of Plastic Surgeons reports that 106,000 women had breast reduction surgery in 2007. In the same year, more than three times that number of women decided to get breast augmentation.
Underweight, Thin Frame
For all the magazine, catalogue, advertisement, movie, talk show, sitcom and self-help hype over being thin, slight people don't have it all — especially when it comes to body types and pain.
"If it's a natural thinness, and you're eating healthy, and exercising, it's not an issue," Paulos said. But he added that it's another story, "if your thinness is from an eating disorder, or excessive dieting."
People who stay thin unnaturally may lose critical elements for conditioning the joints, Paulos said. They may have bone pain from loss of calcium, vitamin C and vitamin D.
Even the so-called enviable people who stay thin naturally, but never exercise and eat whatever they want, might be at risk. These people, especially women, are more likely to get painful fractures from osteoporosis later in life.
"Having a thin frame is a recognized risk factor," said Dr. Laurence Laudicina, a spokesman for the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons.
It turns out that so-called big-boned women truly do have more bone than thin-framed women. Once menopause hits, these big-boned women have more bone to lose before one breaks.
And for thin women who like to party, take note: combine a thin frame with a sedentary lifestyle, smoking and heavy drinking and a woman increases her risk for osteoporosis even more, Laudicina said.
For now, America's weight problem — a third of the population is obese — may be causing diabetes and heart problems. But soon, and perhaps already, this extra weight will cause pain.
Weight alone is not to blame, but a combination of weak muscle and extra pressure can up the forces bearing down on ligaments, cartilage and bone.
"The stronger you are, the more weight you can carry safely," Paulos said. For example, a professional football lineman can survive a lot more athletic activity than could a 300-pound couch potato.
"The muscles act like springs, so if you're jumping and running around and have very weak springs, all of the forces will go to your bones," Paulos said.
Without the cushion of strong muscles, some of the most essential joints in the hips, the back and the knees will suffer, sometimes permanently.
"If you think of someone who is heavy or overweight, while their bones become denser, there's more pressure on the cartilage," Laudicina said. Over time, the cartilage wears away, slowly causing arthritis and pain.
And the more you gain, the more pain.
"If a person is 10 pounds overweight and goes up the stairs, they will see 80 pounds extra weight on the knee," Paulos said. "So you can imagine the forces a knee will see if they're at 250 pounds, overweight and weak."
For big-bellied men and women, body pain trouble might come from many sides. Extra weight anywhere on the body will put extra pressure on joints and bones, causing pain in the knees and hips.
However, a concentrated bump on the abdomen will also painfully throw off a person's alignment.
When a person stands with good posture, the abdomen muscles should pull up while the buttocks muscles should pull down, according to health information from Indiana University-Purdue University, Indianapolis.
With this proper alignment, a person's back will have three natural curves. But with a big belly out front, the muscles in the back take on extra stress to hold the person upright. The result is bad lower back pain.
"It pulls your back in the wrong direction," Paulos said. "If your lower back is weak, then you'll have more arthritis in your spine."
Besides the obvious goal to lose the belly weight, Laudicina advised all people to pay attention to their posture and alignment.
"That has a definite impact over time," Laudicina said. Sitting up straight — Forest Gump-style with both feet planted on the floor — and simply standing up straight will save many people from unwanted aches and pains.
Women who happen to be pregnant have a tough and painful time of it.
First, the more the fetus grows, the more it pulls on the mother's back. A recent scientific paper showed that women's spines have evolved to curve during pregnancy to help balance. But pregnant women still feel lower back pain from the extra muscle strength it takes to keep themselves upright.
The change in body mass distribution also puts women at risk for hip, ankle and calf pain.
Then, enter the hormones. In order to push the baby out, it helps if the joints in the pelvis can flex and move a bit, Paulos said. To accommodate this need, the body releases joint-relaxing hormones.
"But they don't discriminate," Paulos said. "When you're pregnant, all your ligaments in your joints relax."
As a result, pregnant women's kneecaps can start to wobble and hurt. So may their spines. The best thing to do, Paulos said, is to be fit before pregnancy and stay fit during pregnancy.
"As far as the orthopaedic aspects of being heavy, carrying extra strength to carry the extra weight will reduce pain," Paulos said.
Overweight as a Child
Children have an easier time losing weight than adults, but their years with extra pounds may cause a long-lasting burden of pain.
About 19 percent of children age 6-11 are overweight, according to the National Center for Health Statistics. For these growing kids, growing pains can get worse.
Children's bones grow at specific areas of very thick lining called growth centers, which sometimes cause pains for kids.
"As the bones grow, they do cause a little inflammation and pain," Paulos said. "But if you are heavy as a kid, it separates the growth center from the rest of the bone and it can cause pain and inflammation.
"Bad alignment and heavy weight can affect the growth centers of growing children," he said, adding that disease and rickets can have the same effect.
The problem of overweight children is growing, along with adult obesity in America. Sixteen percent of children and teenagers are overweight — triple what the proportion was in 1980.
In January, the surgeon general put out a call to fight childhood obesity and overweight problems. In addition to bone pain, overweight children face a higher life risk for type 2 diabetes, heart disease and a 70 percent chance of becoming overweight or obese as adults.
People may first associate the bow-legged body with the side-to-side swagger of a cowboy, but real bow legs, sometimes called genu varum in medicine, arise from less glamorous sources.
When bow-legged people stand with their feet together, their legs tend to bend outward from each other, leaving a round space between the knees, or below the knees. Sometimes only one leg bends while the other remains straight, giving a true bow appearance.
Infants often look bow-legged before the age of two, but the shape naturally corrects itself as the child grows and begins to walk. However, several factors, like genetics, Blunts' disease (a bone growth disorder) or rickets (caused by vitamin deficiencies) may contribute to the permanent bone curvatures that give the distinctive "bow" shape.
Though not particularly painful if temporary in children, over time, bow-legged adults may face knee pain from the change in their legs' alignment.
"All your weight goes through the center of gravity, down through the center of your pelvis," Paulos said.
But when a person is bow-legged, the majority of the weight can't bear down on the center of the knee, its strongest part. Instead, the force is greater on the inside of the knee.
Think shrinking in height is only a phenomenon in nursing homes? Wrong.
Starting at age 40, people typically start losing half an inch of height every decade, according to the Harvard Health Letter.
Shrinking doesn't often cause health problems, unless it gets severe. Weak bones from osteoporosis can cause vertebrae to flatten out over time, Laudicina said. The result can be debilitating back pain.
Even without osteoporosis, severe kyphosis (the medical term for being hunched over) can cause neck and back pain. Kyphosis can even cause breathing problems.
But don't feel doomed to shrink. Stand up straight, literally.
Over time, strengthening the muscles in your back can keep you from hunching and may also improve your alignment, preventing further pain. "The forces exchange from one joint to the other," Laudicina said. "There can be weak links in those chains."
Eating enough vitamin D and calcium can keep bones strong, preventing the tiny fractures that contribute to height loss. However, according to the Harvard Health Letter, the best way to keep your bones strong is to stay active.
In World War II, young recruits were turned away for being flat-footed because the U.S. military believed they would be in too much pain to march for long distances.
This old idea has largely been overturned by medicine, but it does point to the pain the flat-footed among us can occasionally feel.
When a person with normal feet walks, his or her heel hits first and the foot rolls toward the toes, flattening the arch slightly. Then, the arch springs back as the person pushes off the ball of the foot, according to the American Orthopaedic Foot & Ankle Society.
Walking with flat feet will cause over-pronation, meaning the foot rolls too much to the inside, frequently causing pain to the inside of the knee.
"Tendons around your ankles also tend to wear out when you're really flat-footed," Laudicina said.
Flat feet are usually inherited and are caused by lax tendons and ligaments in the foot.
An easy way to determine flat feet is the wet test. Step in an inch of standing water or even paint and then step on cardboard.
A person with a high arch will have little to no mark between the heel and the ball of the foot. A person with a normal foot will have some flesh between the heel and the ball of the foot, while a person with a flat foot will have full pad marks from the heel to the toes.
Often, a trip to an orthopaedist for shoe inserts can greatly help pain from flat feet.
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More information about this Work
After religious and mythological painting, portraiture was the third most important area within Titian’s oeuvre. Around 80 works considered autograph now survive although we know from written references and copies of lost originals that this number was originally much higher. On the death of Giovanni Bellini in 1517 and during the term of office of Doge Leonardo Loredan, Titian was appointed Official Painter to the Venetian Republic. Among his tasks was the execution of official portraits of new Doges for a commemorative frieze in the Sala del Maggior Consiglio in the Doge’s Palace in Venice. Like the paintings in other rooms in that palace, this portrait gallery was lost in the fire of 1577, including Titian’s official portrait of Doge Francesco Venier. The restoration work commissioned by the Republic after the fire included the replacement of this cycle of portraits by Domenico Tintoretto.
The present painting was first published by Von Hadeln who also identified the sitter. With regard to its provenance, the oldest reference is to the Tivulzio collection in Milan. The canvas was acquired by Hans Thyssen-Bornemisza prior to 1930 and was among the works shown at the Neue Pinakothek in Munich that year, when the Thyssen collection was first presented to a wider public.
Born in 1489, Francesco Venier was Doge between 11 June 1554, the date of his election, and 2 June 1556 when he died. He had previously been ambassador to the Republic at the Vatican under Paul III. His short reign was marked by his non-aggressive stance with regard to Venice’s various ongoing conflicts and by an austerity that made him relatively unpopular. Suffering poor health, Venier needed help to move around. An astute, scholarly and sober individual, his funerary monument in the church of the Salvatore was designed by Jacopo Sansovino with sculptures by Alessandro Vittoria.
This autograph portrait, a replica of the official image lost during the fire, may have been commissioned from Titian by a member of the Doge’s family (possibly his brother Pietro Venier) or have been painted for one of the buildings of the magistracy, as Rearick suggested. Titian created a simple composition based on earlier portraits in a typology developed in his portrait of Count Antonio Porcia in the Brera in Milan dated to the second half of the 1530s. In that work the sitter poses in a dark interior that opens onto a landscape through a window. Venier here poses standing with a curtain behind him and a window on the left through which we see a lake. As various critics have noted, the artist deftly conveyed the Doge’s poor health through his body, clad in gold brocade, and the fragility of his physical state that contrasts with his profound, acute gaze. Venier wears the traditional dress of the Doge with the hat, tunic and cloak with elaborate buttons. The episode with a burning boat that takes place outside the window has not been identified although it has been suggested that it is a symbol of the city’s power. In the Hall of the Senate in the Doge’s Palace is a canvas by Palma Giovane dated to the late 16th century and entitled Doge Francesco Venier presenting to Venice the Cities of Brescia, Udine, Padua and Verona. It again depicts this Doge in a similar pose but full-length. Palma depicts Venier with the same gold and red clothing, also conveying his delicate physical state beneath his heavy robes.
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On Sunday, many of us will set our clocks an hour ahead, giving us an “extra hour” of sunlight at the end of the day. While “springing forward” may seem simple enough, the history of Daylight Saving Time (DST) and the thought process behind it is a little more complicated.
According to timeanddate.com, DST is used to make better use of daylight and to save energy. Who invented Daylight Saving Time? It’s hard to pinpoint exactly, but it’s a concept that has been alluded to in ancient civilizations and later made famous and adopted into common usage by scientists and politicians.
Here’s a look at the history of Daylight Saving Time:
As a parent, you probably do your best to recognize and celebrate your child’s hard work and accomplishments. Rewarding your child for a job well done is normal and helps to instill a strong work ethic in them early in life.
Another lesson that you should teach your child is learning how to celebrate the success of others. For many young children, it’s a difficult concept to grasp, but celebrating others is an important life lesson to learn.
Most people will celebrate the big moments in life. Events such as birthdays, weddings, holidays and graduations are momentous occasions and are rightfully celebrated. But, who says that celebrations should only be limited to these milestones?
There are opportunities to celebrate the wonderful little things in life, all the time. Sometimes the big things wouldn’t have happened without the accumulation of smaller events along the way. For example, you may have reason to celebrate your child’s high school graduation because throughout their academic career they received good grades on school assignments and report cards.
Taking time to celebrate the little things is also an opportunity to create lasting memories with your loved ones. Years into the future, you and your family may not remember the exact reasons for all your small celebrations, but you will likely remember the joy of the festivities.
To my dear child,
When I learned that I was going to become a parent, I must admit that I was a little nervous. My nervousness eventually subsided, however, and gave way to joy and excitement.
I will never forget the day that you came into my life. You, my dear child, are the greatest gift that has ever been given to me.
Your children are your world, your everything. You may think that this is obvious to everyone around you, but have you ever asked your child what he or she thinks is the most important thing to you? Or, have you ever asked your child what is the most important to him or her?
You might be surprised by your child’s response.
This fun and interactive illustration game can give you better insight into your child’s perspective.
What You’ll Need:
- 4 Sheets of paper
- Writing implements, such as crayons or colored pencils
- Stopwatch or timer
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I would suspect that most people have no idea how big the universe is, or how small its individual components might be. And even looking at the numbers it is still hard to fathom; it is so big, and so small, that the numbers are almost meaningless. Just how big is the universe? It is bigger than we can observe, but the observable universe is estimated at 9.3 * 1028 meters (93,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000 meters) or 93 billion light years across. In other words, it's pretty big.
At the other end of the scale is the theorized 'string' of string theory. These are estimated to be 1 * 10-35 meters in length, or 0.00000000001 yoctometers long. Just for comparison purposes, a few other objects are listed below.
- Electron - 5 * 10-15 meters
- Transistor Gate - 2.5 * 10-8 meters
- E. Coli bacteria - 2 * 10-6 meters
- Ant - 4 * 10-3 meters
- Human - 1.7 * 100 meters
- Large Hadron Collider - 8.6 * 103 meters
- Earth - 1.27 * 107 meters
- Sun - 1.4 * 109 meters
- Oort Cloud (outer limits of our solar system) - 2 * 1016 meters
- Milky Way - 9.3 * 1026 meters
But what does this have to do with how big God is? If God exists (and I believe he does), and he created the universe (which I also believe), then it might be interesting to compare his creation with that of the next most capable known 'creator' in the universe, us. Collectively, we have been able to to produce something as big as 8.6 * 103 meters in length, and as small as 2.5 * 10-8 meters. In contract God has produced something that is 1025 times bigger and 10-27 times smaller. So, by one measure at least, God is about 1026 times bigger, stronger, smarter and all around more capable than we are. That is 100,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000 times bigger.
Is God really so much bigger than I am; for all practical purposes, infinitely bigger? Even though the numbers given in the previous paragraph are nothing but conjecture, I do accept that one who is able to create the universe we live in, a universe whose size and complexity are beyond my comprehension, is infinitely more capable than I am. And that he is just as much beyond my comprehension as is his creation, of which I am a tiny part. I can study his creation and come to some limited understanding of it. And I can invest time in knowing God, and come to some limited understanding of him. But I can never really get more than a glimmer of who he is; my limited and finite mind is not capable of comprehending the infinite creator.
And so I marvel at the unfolding creation, and bow before its creator. I stand amazed at the complexity, the enormity and the power of all that he has made. I acknowledge that God is beyond my understanding or judgement. I thank him for who he is, what he has done, and what he has in store for me. And I join with the heavens in offering up praise to him.
The heavens declare the glory of God;
the skies proclaim the work of his hands.
Day after day they pour forth speech;
night after night they reveal knowledge.
They have no speech, they use no words;
no sound is heard from them.
Yet their voice goes out into all the earth,
their words to the ends of the world.
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From the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES)
The Nation's Report Card: U.S. Economics 2006—National Assessment of Educational Progress
at Grade 12
Released August 8, this is the first NAEP assessment
of students' knowledge of economics. In 2006, a nationally representative sample of more than 11,500 students in grade 12 from 590 schools participated in the NAEP economics assessment. About 4 of 10 U.S. 12th
-graders — 42 percent — reached the Proficient level and were able to identify and apply key economic concepts and relationships dealing with national and international economic issues and important aspects of personal finance.
To Teach or Not to Teach? Teaching Experience and Preparation Among 1992-93 Bachelor's Degree Recipients 10 Years After College.
Released July 31, this report
profiles 1992-93 bachelor's degree recipients' experience with K-12 teaching in the subsequent 10 years, as well as their preparation for teaching. The report provides an overview of teachers' job satisfaction and, for those not teaching in 2002-03, the main reason for not teaching. The report's second section looks at graduates' preparation for teaching, including the key steps of completing a teacher education program, serving as a student teacher, and earning certification. Finally, the report examines the main reasons graduates who never taught gave for deciding against teaching.
Digest of Education Statistics, 2006
Released July 26, this edition of the Digest
— the 42nd in a series of publications initiated in 1962 — provides a compilation of statistical information covering the broad field of American education from pre-kindergarten through graduate school.
Status of Education in Rural America
Released on July 25, this report
presents a series of indicators on the status of education in rural America in 2003-04. It applies a new classification system, developed by NCES and the Census Bureau, that classifies the locale of school districts and schools based on their actual geographic coordinates. The new system has 12 locale categories and distinguishes between rural areas that are on the fringe of an urban area, rural areas that are at some distance, and rural areas that are remote. Findings indicate that in 2003-04, over half of all operating school districts and 1/3 of all public schools in the United States were in rural areas, yet only 1/5 of all public school students were enrolled in rural areas.
Dropout Rates in the United States: 2005 Compendium Report
Released June 28, this report
builds upon a series of NCES reports on high school dropout and completion rates that began in 1988. It presents estimates of rates for 2005, and provides data about trends in dropout and completion rates over the last three decades, including characteristics of dropouts and completers in these years.
Mapping 2005 State Proficiency Standards Onto the NAEP Scales
, released June 7, employs a statistical method that places each state's Adequate Yearly Progress (AYP) standard on the NAEP scale. The methodology is applied to reading and mathematics data for grades 4 and 8, academic year 2004-05. An analysis of the results suggests that there is wide variation in the stringency of states' AYP standards.
The Condition of Education 2007
was released on May 31 at a media and association briefing in Washington attended by more than 100. This report
presents 48 indicators of the status and condition of education and a special analysis of high school coursetaking.
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Millions around the world are mourning the loss of the symbol of the anti-apartheid struggle, Nelson Mandela. But people are mourning for different reasons. Most are mourning a freedom fighter who spent 27 years in jail for his opposition to colonialism and racism. Most are mourning a symbol of international solidarity, who spoke out against the Iraq War, supported people with HIV/AIDS and likened the Palestinian freedom struggle to his own. But others are using his death to hide the history of anti-colonial struggles and the contradictions of his later life.
Apartheid: a Canadian tradition
According to The National Post, Conservative Prime Minister Mulroney “spearheaded Canadian push to end apartheid in South Africa and free Nelson Mandela.” Mulroney welcomed Mandela into the House of Commons on June 18, 1990, later claiming that “the very notion of South Africa’s apartheid was anathema to me…I viewed apartheid with the same degree of disgust that I attached to the Nazis…I was resolved from the moment I became prime minister that any government I headed would speak and act in the finest traditions of Canada.”
But South African apartheid was based on Canadian tradition. According to Shannon Thunderbird, a Coast Tsimshian First Nations elder, “It is ironic because the Canadian Indian Act formed much of the basis for the oppressive apartheid policies in South Africa. It’s kind of an understood custom and practice that Canada’s Indian Act came to be known as the acceptable role model for apartheid policies and there are books and websites that outline all of this. It’s actually hypocrisy for Canada to stand forward as a kind of bulwark of protest against atrocities going on in other countries while at the same time we turn a blind eye to our own people.” Mulroney welcomed Mandela while the genocidal residential school system was still operational, and two months before sending thousands of Canadian soldiers to confront the Mohawk blockade at Oka.
It is not only the Conservatives whose tributes to Mandela reveal their hypocrisy. Liberal leader Justin Trudeau and former Prime Minister Jean Chretien called Mandela’s life inspiring, but Mandela certainly did not inspire the White Paper. In 1969—five years into Mandela’s incarceration, when Canada still supported South African apartheid—Prime Minister Pierre Trudeau and his Minister for Indian Affairs Jean Chretien proposed the White Paper to forcibly assimilate First Nations. As the Cree activist Harold Cardinal wrote in his book The Unjust Society (exposing Trudeau’s claims of Canada’s supposed “Just Society”), “In spite of all government attempts to convince Indians to accept the white paper, their efforts will fail, because Indians understand that the path outlined by the Department of Indian Affairs through its mouthpiece, the Honourable Mr. Chrétien, leads directly to cultural genocide. We will not walk this path.”
The Red Power movement emerged to challenge Canadian colonialism and defeat the White Paper, and later solidarity with Mandela and the anti-apartheid struggle swept the country. Mandela was part of a mass movement against apartheid that included student and township uprisings, armed resistance, mass strikes, and international solidarity. South African apartheid depended on black workers for profits, so the wave of unionization—including the founding of COSATU in 1985—provided a powerful weapon to organize strikes of millions against apartheid. It was South Africans themselves who spearheaded the push to end apartheid and free Nelson Mandela, not the “humanitarian intervention” myths about Mulroney.
But there was widespread solidarity against South African apartheid, which has inspired a similar movement against Israeli apartheid. Which is why Western elites are so eager to detach Mandela from the struggle, counter-posing the South African freedom struggle with other anti-colonial struggles. Prime Minister Harper claims that Mandela “demonstrated that the only path forward for the nation was to reject the appeal of bitterness.” But it was the bitterness of fellow Conservative Rob Anders—who in 2001 called Mandela a terrorist—that best expressed how Western elites view anti-colonial struggles. That this label was imposed on the South African freedom fighters should lead us to challenge the criminalization of other anti-colonial struggles—from Palestine to Tamil Eelam to Turtle Island.
South Africa after apartheid
Mandela’s rehabilitation in the eyes of the elites, from terrorist to inspiration, is not because of newfound solidarity with his anti-apartheid past but rather the neoliberal policies of the ANC government. Reacting to news of Mandela’s passing, the World Bank and International Monetary Fund offered their sympathies to the South African people—sympathies that were lacking when these financial institutions imposed structural adjustment policies.
According to South Africa’s Anti-Privatization Forum and Coalition Against Water Privatization, “The majority of South Africans, made up of the poor and working class, fought and died not just for political freedom from apartheid, but for socio-economic freedom and justice, for the redistribution of all ‘national wealth’…This popular mandate was captured in the Reconstruction & Development Programme (RDP), which formed the basis of the ‘people’s contract’ with the new democratic government. However, it did not take long for the ANC government to abandon that popular mandate by unilaterally deciding to pursue a water policy that has produced the exact opposite result… Following the neo-liberal economic advice of the World Bank, the International Monetary Fund and various Western governments (and heavy lobbying by private multinational water companies, such as Suez and Biwater), the South African government drastically decreased grants and subsidies to local municipalities and city councils and supported the development of financial instruments for privatised delivery. This effectively forced local government to turn towards commercialisation and privatisation of basic services as a means of generating the revenue no longer provided by the national state. Many local government structures began to privatise and/or corporatise public water utilities by entering into service and management ‘partnerships’ with multinational water corporations. The immediate result was a massive increase in the price of water that necessarily hit poor communities the hardest.”
But the struggle for socio-economic freedom and justice, against the ANC government and global, corporations—from the Treatment Action Campaign for people with HIV/AIDS, to the protests outside the UN climate talks at Durban, to the strikes at Marikana and beyond. As Mandela himself said in 1993, “You must support the African National Congress only so far as it delivers the goods, if the ANC government does not deliver the goods, you must do to it what you have done to the apartheid regime.” The best tribute to Mandela is to continue the movement he represented—of anti-colonial resistance, student protests, workers strikes, and international solidarity.
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Northeastern Oregon--at the foot of the Blue Mountains!
Umatilla County is located in the Northeast corner of
Oregon, along The Oregon Trail, at the foot of the Blue Mountains. This site is a volunteer
effort to assist historians, history buffs and genealogists to
search public records and private records for information on the
history of Umatilla County. It is one of hundreds of similar
sites that are manned by volunteers across the United States.
We welcome information
for this website. If you have a website that you would like
to suggest for a link to this page, please let me know. If
you would like to submit your research or information or even
photographs or maps, we would welcome it for this site as long as
we are not infringing on copyright laws. We'll be happy to
create the format for it. Suggestions are always
Umatilla County was created September 27, 1862. It was carved out of
Wasco County, as it was laid out at that time. Umatilla County's
name is derived from an Indian word Youmalolam, as reported in
Lewis and Clark journals. It means "water rippling over sand."
The first county seat was located at the town of
Umatilla by a vote of the people in 1865. A legislative act in
1868 directed that the people decide on the location of the county
seat. The new location was selected and named "Pendleton"
in honor of George Hunt Pendleton, Democratic nominee for vice-president
The county is located at the southwest corner of the great Columbia
Basin and extends from the 200 foot elevation of the Columbia River,
across the rolling plains and low hills to the tops of the Blue
Mountains at the 5,000 foot elevation.
Umatilla County is situated along the Oregon Trail and was visited by
Lewis and Clark in 1805-1806. Wagon trains traveled through
the Blue Mountains, winding their way down to the banks of the Umatilla
River where Pendleton now stands.
Dedicated to preserving
* Unless otherwise noted, all photographs are copyrighted by Patricia A. Neal. All rights reserved. No copying or using of the photographs in any way without written authorization.
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Revista Panamericana de Salud Pública
On-line version ISSN 1680-5348
Print version ISSN 1020-4989
KLIKSBERG, Bernardo. The social setting in Latin America and the Caribbean. Rev Panam Salud Publica [online]. 2000, vol.8, n.1-2, pp.105-111. ISSN 1680-5348. http://dx.doi.org/10.1590/S1020-49892000000700014.
A wide range of sources have pointed out the magnitude and depth of the social problems that trouble Latin America and the Caribbean and the risks that these problems pose for democracy. Although there are other issues that merit consideration, this article briefly outlines nine key social problems: 1) the increase in poverty, 2) the impact of poverty, 3) unemployment and informal employment, 4) deficiencies in public health, 5) problems in education, 6) the newly poor, 7) the erosion of the family, 8) increasing crime, and 9) the perverse cycle of socioeconomic exclusion. Solving these problems must not be delayed. It is urgent to move to a comprehensive view of development that achieves a different balance between economic and social policies, and that recognizes the indispensable role of these policies in achieving truly sustainable development. At stake are problems that not only concern resources, but also priorities, levels of equity, and the organization of society. Facing up to this poverty and inequity requires an in-depth assessment of these economic policies' social consequences, of the crucial subject of Latin American inequity¾the greatest in the world¾and of the role of social and public policies.
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Slide 1: Nature and
Scope of Marketing Definition : Definition Marketing:
“The process of planning and executing the conception, pricing, promotion, and distribution of ideas, goods, and services to create exchanges that satisfy individual and organizational objectives.” American Marketing Association “official” old definition Nature of Marketing : Nature of Marketing Marketing is an economic function of exchange.
It is a legal process by which ownership is transferred.
It is a system of interacting business activities.
It is a managerial function of organizing and directing business activities that facilitates the movement of goods from producers to consumers. (cont.) : (cont.) It is a philosophy based on consumer orientation and satisfaction .
It has dual objectives – profit making & consumer satisfaction .
It is a social process by which the society gets goods and services
for the satisfaction of needs . Scope Of Marketing : Scope Of Marketing Study of consumer wants and needs.
Study of buyer behavior.
Product planning and development.
Consumer satisfaction .
Marketing control. Study of Consumer wants and needs : Study of Consumer wants and needs Goods are produced to satisfy human wants. Therefore the marketer has to study the wants and needs of consumers. These wants and needs motivate consumers to purchase goods and services
Study of Buyer Behaviour
Modern marketing emphasises on the study of buyer behaviour. Analysis of the behaviour pattern of the customers is helpful for market segmentation and targeting. Product Planning and Development : Product Planning and Development Product is the core of marketing . Product planning and development starts with the generation of product idea and ends with the development and commercialisation of the product. Product planning covers the decisions like branding ,packaging ,labelling ,grading etc. and expansion or contraction of existing product lines DISTRIBUTION : DISTRIBUTION Study of marketing channels is one of the major areas of marketing . Goods are to be distributed at the minimum possible cost,to the largest number of consumers. Thus suitable distribution channels should be selected
It includes advertising,sales promotion and personal selling.these promotional activities are very essential for the accomplishment of marketing goal CONSUMER SATISFACTION : CONSUMER SATISFACTION In the modern world consumer is the king. The consumers determine what should be the business and where it should be prosper. Thus every marketer should importance to consumer satisfaction. In other words consumer satisfaction is one of the major goals of marketting
Marketing also covers marketing control through marketing audit and annual reports. APPROACHES OF MARKETING : APPROACHES OF MARKETING TRADITIONAL APPROACH : TRADITIONAL APPROACH The objective of traditional marketing is profit maximisation
Traditional marketing was sales-oriented and not consumer oriented.
It gave emphasis to products.
It was concerned with the transfer of ownership.
It gave emphasis to physical movement of goods. Modern Approach : Modern Approach Modern marketing is consumer oriented.
Modern marketing starts and end with the consumer
Modern marketing starts before production
Modern marketing is the guiding element of business. Slide 13: Presented by ,
AHAMED ALI JAMSEER M
Reg no: 0905250 THANKS…..
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David Card, Economics, UC, Berkeley
The Department of Economics brought Card, a concise yet lively lecturer, to present the results of his many years of research as a labor economist both in Washington and at Princeton. Professor Card, whose research on the effects of minimum wage legislation in past years actually helped bring about the recent increase in that area, presented a well-laid-out barrage of information and statistics showing that there is a direct and predictable increase in income per year of college. Each year of higher education returns about an 11 percent gain in earned wages. The "return to education" (simply calculated as the percentage gained in wages per year of school) causes salaries for college graduates to rise sharply just after graduation and to continue to rise, creating an income gap between graduates and non-college graduates that has been increasing logarithmically every year since 1978, with no sign of leveling off. Not surprisingly, the gap is slightly wider for women. According to Card's work, college graduates in the thirty-one to forty age group will earn almost double what non-college graduates will earn and will be 41 percent more likely to have health insurance benefits. College graduateshave an even higher probability of being married. These advantages continue and increase significantly into the forties and fifties and then begin to taper off as college graduates go into business for themselves or retire.
Card clearly laid out the charts and figures that substantiate this "return to education," which remains constant throughout our various populations. Card addressed the idea that there is a built-in ability bias when comparing college graduates as a group to populations that decided against college or were unable to attend for various reasons. Arguing that people who graduate from college have more inherent ability than those who do not graduate, some have charged that the correlations are spurious to some degree. Card talked about various approaches to this problem, including the "natural experiment" approach that looked at populations who have ready access to colleges and research on twins who would presumably have the same "ability level." The findings from these studies have proven that the "ability bias" is not important.
Professor Card wryly observed that the "ability bias" factor was first suggested by economists with Ph.D.s, and that all evidence continues to indicate that differences in wages earned are systematically related to differences in education. Studies in other countries and even studies using twins, who would have very similar if not identical ability levels, show that education pays off at the same predicable rate for everyone.
This distinguished UC, Berkeley professor's research supports what may be seen as a radical point of view by some, namely that despite problems in the education system and social inequalities, all our work at creating a democratic form of higher education is working. This has to be excellent information for anyone concerned about the public perception of higher education in this country.
In a population where 75 to 80 percent of us get at least some higher education Professor Card's work vigorously indicates that finishing that degree pays a substantial return no matter who you happen to be in the years immediately after graduation and throughout a professional career.
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Research studies suggest that at least 10% of people have dyslexia. This can create all kinds of challenges in using the web, from typing in a CAPTCHA test, to entering a twenty-character password (because, as we’re always told, longer is more secure), to simply reading a website. We asked three UX experts about how, or even if, the user experience community is addressing this most common of accessibility concerns.
What’s being done to design for people with dyslexia? The font Dyslexie, developed in recent years, has been one much-discussed effort.
Jason CranfordTeague: Fonts like Dyslexie and OpenDeyslexic claim to have been designed with dyslexics in mind, mostly by weighting the bottom of glyphs heavier than the top. It's thought that by constantly drawing the eye toward the baseline, dyslexic readers won’t wander or get distracted.
However, there is no evidence that these fonts improve readability for dyslexics. In fact, one study conducted by researchers at the Universitat Pompeu Fabra showed no improvement in readability at all for dyslexics using these fonts. Instead sans-serif fonts like Arial, Courier, Verdana, and Helvetica were most effective, although there is some question as to whether this was just due to familiarity.
There is more to typography than fonts, though. My suspicion is that better typography for dyslexia is also better typography for everybody. We see a general trend in web typography toward designs that focus the reader’s attention on the text. Consider sites such as Medium, which remove visual noise (sidebars, navigation) and use larger type sizes, contrasting type styles, and more white space—especially line height—all of which help dyslexics and the general reading population alike.
Sarah Horton: Some approaches to design and content improve readability overall:
- Layouts that are clean and straightforward, so there aren’t too many things on the screen competing for attention
- Text blocks set with generous leading (the space between lines of text), so the ascenders and descenders (the bits of the characters that stick up and down) don’t get too close and bump into each other
- Content that is segmented and marked with headings, so the structure is clear and easy to navigate
- Concepts written in plain language, so readers don’t get bogged down trying to make sense of things
These are accessible user experience guidelines that benefit everyone.
As for what is being done specifically for people who have dyslexia, I look to my colleague, David Sloan, and the work he and others in the accessibility research community have been doing related to text customization. Insights from the Text Customization for Readability online symposium point to customization as the best approach to addressing the needs of people with print disabilities, such as dyslexia, because those needs are sometimes quite singular.
Here’s an example. The Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2.0 provide a minimum contrast value of 4.5:1 for color contrast between foreground and background. This value represents a threshold below which legibility suffers, particularly for people with low vision. However, some people with dyslexia read better with low contrast. In fact, some people with dyslexia might find a high-contrast, black-text-on-white-background design impossible to read.
Customization features allow people to change text size, font, foreground and background colors, and other features to suit their needs.
Debra Gelman: In addition to typography, studies suggest that adjustments in the brightness and contrast of both text and background can help people with dyslexia read more easily online. Also, “plain language”—shorter sentences, words with fewer syllables, use of common phrases—can help with reading comprehension for all users.
In terms of passwords, companies like Passwordgear offer products that use stories and visual cues to help people remember lengthy passwords for multiple accounts. Some financial and banking sites have started pairing passwords with images—either selected from a set or uploaded by the customer—to make the log-in process easier for users with and without dyslexia. These evolutions in security and authentication represent a shift in how companies are serving customers with reading or memory impairment across the board.
Some people with dyslexia have come up with work-arounds—reading in Print Preview, for example, or magnifying text size to force different displays. Does this represent a failure of UX?
Jason CranfordTeague: Yes and no. The workarounds and kludges are indicative of a failure of design, but often it’s these failures that push us to do better work, and I think we are seeing that happen. Again, these workarounds tend to be toward simplifying the presentation of the text, making it larger and increasing white space, and we’re seeing user interface designers respond.
The rise of reading apps like Pocket, InstaPaper, Readability, Flipboard, and Safari’s built in Reader didn’t happen by chance. If they were just about bookmarking, there are plenty of other solutions. The value-add these applications provide readers is a uniform and uncluttered interface with simple controls to increase text size for comfort. It would be interesting to find out what percentage of these users are dyslexic. I suspect it’s higher than the percentage of dyslexics in the general public.
What this says is that web designers have been getting increasingly noisy in their designs, and readers, especially dyslexic readers, are taking the content back, even if that means they have to take it someplace else. The lesson here is simplify your designs so readers don’t have to turn elsewhere to read the content.
Sarah Horton: This is a really interesting question. I think the answer is, yes, but UX is only a piece of it. It’s a failure on a much larger scale.
Tim Berners-Lee started us out with “a web of data that can be processed directly or indirectly by machines.” Because machines could process the data, machines could deliver the data in whatever format was required by the viewer.
A lot has happened since then. What was a good enough experience for particle physicists interested in sharing scholarship didn’t quite serve out in “the real world.” In came competition, and with that, the need to be different, fresh, and innovative. The web has changed a great deal from that original goal of universality—it’s hard to stand out in the crowd when everyone looks the same. And one thing that was lost along the way is customization.
In UX we work very hard to provide excellent and accessible user experiences, and we have amazing talents producing great products and services. But the notion of supporting customization, where our designs are only a suggestion that people can either use or toss aside, runs counter to the UX mindset.
And so people with dyslexia and other reading issues have to find ways to access content without the design that it’s wrapped in. And sometimes that task is impossible. For example, content contained in PDFs and eBook formats can be wrapped so tightly that it does not respond to customization.
Debra Gelman: I’m torn about this. On the one hand, I love the notion of elasticity in UX—the ability to adapt a product so it has greater meaning, usefulness and desirability—but in some ways this does belie a failure of the design itself to fully accommodate user needs. I've seen kids develop ridiculous work-arounds for systems that seem pretty straightforward just because these systems didn’t map perfectly to their existing mental models. The expectation that digital natives have for software to bend to meet their specific needs represents a shift in our relationship with technology. I think people with learning disabilities have become accustomed to the reverse—bending to the needs of software—in order to get it to do what they need it to do.
"Failure" sounds very final. Design is an evolutionary process. If users need to develop hacks in order to use our products, it’s our responsibility to understand why, and to open a conversation around how we can continue to evolve our designs so that they’re usable, useful and enjoyable for all users, regardless of ability.
What other accessibility issues—reading-related or otherwise—deserve more attention?
Jason CranfordTeague: Dysgraphia affects a person’s ability to write and spell. It is a condition related to dyslexia, but even more prevalent, affecting an estimated 5% to 20% of the population.
I only heard of dysgraphia when I was in my early twenties, while taking a master’s-level class in linguistics. I confided in my professor that I had always had trouble writing and spelling, and she said, “Oh, you are dysgraphic.” This was news to me. I had spent years in remedial writing and spelling classes well into my teens, being made to feel either lazy or stupid for poor spelling and illegible handwriting.
What does dysgraphia have to do with user experience design? Dyslexia affects how people read text—the output—but a significant part of the user experience is the input. Yet again, improving design for user input comes down to stripping away the interface to focus the user’s attention on the task at hand. In this case, though, that task is writing rather than reading.
For example, I’ve started using a word processor called Byword, which eliminates all controls from the interface. Styles are added either using a pop-up menu or with Markdown. This allows me concentrate on what I’m writing, rather than the mechanics of how I am writing. In fact, while I’m writing, the text of the paragraph I’m working on is high-contrast while surrounding text is low-contrast. This means my eye always knows immediately what to look at while I’m writing.
The goal of UI design should be to focus users on the task at hand and provide only the minimal information they need to accomplish that task. Good UI design for dyslexic and dysgraphic users is really good UI design for everybody.
Sarah Horton: In my opinion, every accessibility issue deserves more attention. In the words of Martin Luther King, Jr., “We have come a long way, but we have a long, long way to go.”
Much of the work in accessibility has been focused on how to build websites, applications, and apps that work for people who are blind. The accessibility community has done amazing work devising solutions for screen-reader software. WAI-ARIA provides design patterns that make custom controls and interactions accessible, like providing information about whether a disclosure widget is expanded or collapsed, and keyboard-focus management for custom controls like sliders and date pickers. The next big task in this area is to get the UX and developer communities to make appropriate use of these patterns and technologies as part of practice, rather than approaching accessibility as a conformance exercise.
People who have other reading disabilities might use screen-reader software, but as an adjunct. People who have low vision primarily use screen-magnification software, like ZoomText or the Zoom feature on iOS, and may sometimes use text-to-speech features. In the case of dyslexia, people might use text-to-speech as a supplement to standard software to read extended sections of text, or they might use literacy software like Kurzweil 3000 that includes text-to-speech among other features.
In some ways, the gains we’ve made in providing non-visual access to digital products and services are not enjoyed by people who have reading issues but have usable vision. I’ve been involved in usability studies with people with vision impairments, and I’ve been struck by how little we know about designing for people who have low vision. How can design address the challenges of reading across rows of a bus schedule when zoomed to 600%? How can a design gracefully accommodate inverted colors?
So, creating design patterns that work for people who have low vision, while at the same time recognizing that one design pattern may not work for everyone and thus designing to support customization, or “graceful transformation”—those are some interesting design challenges that this UX community of problem solvers should be keen to tackle.
Debra Gelman: In the United States, approximately 11 percent of kids ages 4 to 17 have ADHD (attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder) along with 4 percent of adults. People with ADHD have trouble staying focused, completing tasks, and paying attention, all of which are necessary when using the web. Because, like dyslexia, ADHD doesn’t manifest itself physically, accessibility efforts for this disorder tend to be overlooked.
To design sites accessible for people with ADHD, it’s important to focus on the primary tasks and goals while reducing the amount of choice presented to users throughout the site. I spoke with David Fiorito, a talented UX designer who lives with ADHD, about opportunities we as designers have to create accessible experiences for these folks.
“We need to have the courage to say less,” he says. “When we cram text, imagery and links onto a page to accommodate every possible usage scenario, we make it very difficult for people with (and without) ADHD to prioritize tasks and focus on what it is they need to do.”
Like what these experts had to say? You can have them bring their brains to you. Jason CranfordTeague, Sarah Horton, and Debra Gelman are available for consulting and training through Rosenfeld Media.
Image of typewriter keys courtesy Shutterstock.
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Teammates is the story of baseball player Jackie Robinson’s friendship with PeeWee Reese, a teammate who risked his career (and possibly his life) to stand up for Jackie when he joined the Dodgers. Golenbock looks at a single moment in American history and turns it into a gorgeous narrative. The story is illustrated in paintings and photographs. The story is powerful and timely- one that every student should hear.
The subject of baseball, Jackie Robinson, and segregation is one that appeals to all of my students, and especially the boys. They were thrilled that we were reading such a “cool” picture book. And it lent itself so well to the lesson I had planned on inferring themes! I highly recommend this one for all ages.
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Although assisting suicide is only legal for a small fraction of the world’s population, its advocates in the U.S. and abroad remain focused on promoting this dangerous legislation. While opponents of euthanasia and assisted suicide have long warned of the dangers to vulnerable populations, evidence of abuse is mounting in Europe.
In one country, the Netherlands, overall euthanasia deaths soared by 13 percent last year – and this included many patients with dementia and some suffering only from psychiatric problems. This poses the question, “How can those with dementia and mental illness ‘chose’ assisted suicide?”
The number of people in the Netherlands killed by medical euthanasia has more than doubled in the 10 years it has been legal. The nation reported that the number of documented euthanasia deaths totaled 4,188 in 2012. Shockingly, this number now represents more than 3% of all deaths nationwide from all causes. One explanation for the large increase in 2012 is the introduction of mobile euthanasia units allowing patients to be killed by lethal injection when family doctors refused.
In 2002, the Netherlands passed a law legalizing euthanasia. This law codified the twenty-year-old practice of failing to prosecute doctors who have committed euthanasia under certain conditions. While there are other guidelines, two major ones are 1) that the patient must be experiencing unbearable pain; and 2) the death request must be voluntary. It is important to note that the Hague Court of Appeals ruled that the pain guideline was not limited to physical pain, and that “psychic suffering” or “the potential disfigurement of personality” could also be grounds for euthanasia.
Of the 4,188 reported deaths in 2012, 42 people with dementia and 13 patients suffering severe psychiatric problems were killed. This raises alarm that any so-called guidelines are insufficient to protect the vulnerable. This message is carrying over into the debate in the United States.
Currently, doctor-prescribed suicide is legal in only Oregon, Washington, and Vermont –and may have some legal protection in the state of Montana, due to a court decision. The most recent state to enact the practice is Vermont, and its law contains less so-called safeguards than does the Netherlands statute.
For the first three years, the Vermont law grants doctors immunity from prosecution for providing a lethal dose of medication if they follow a loose list of rules, including making sure the patient is terminally ill and making a voluntary, informed decision. In 2016, that list of rules expires, with the hope that doctors will have established their own personal guidelines.
After the rules expire, the law protects physicians who prescribe legal drugs for their patients from civil or criminal liability, and from any sort of professional misconduct charges. The law will still require informed consent, mandating that doctors inform patients of “all feasible end-of-life services,” including palliative care and hospice, but it will no longer mandate when or how doctors respond to requests, as long as “the patient makes an independent decision to self-administer a lethal dose of medication.”
While Vermont works towards a possible repeal of its dangerous law, things are heating up in New Jersey.
The assisting-suicide advocacy group, Compassion & Choices, formerly the Hemlock Society, is at work promoting a bill in New Jersey in essentially the same language that governs both Oregon and Washington. The language, developed initially for Oregon, purports to “safeguard” the practice and restrict it to the terminally ill and the competent. However, the so-called safeguards (similar to those failing in the Netherlands) have been widely criticized by medical groups and those in the disability right community.
The measure pending in New Jersey has gotten traction under the false notion that it will be providing terminally ill people with merely one more “option.” However, this is far from the truth. If you live in New Jersey it is critical to point out that states cannot afford to legalize this dangerous and uncontrollable practice of turning doctors from healers into those who prescribe death to their most vulnerable patients.
LifeNews Note: Jennifer Popik is a medical ethics attorney with National Right to Life. This column originally appeared in its publication National Right to Life News Today.
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Cacomixtle (Bassariscus sumichrasti)
habitat is on the forest floor in South America and Central America. The diet
is insects, spiders, lizards, rodents and also fruit. It's enemies are jaguar,
boas, and large birds of prey.
habitat is the South American Rainforests, parts of Central America and Southeast
Asia. Their diet is mostly grass (green shoots), twigs and shrubs. It's enemies
are poachers (for leather) and big cats like the jaguar.
Grey foxes resemble small, gracile dogs with bushy tails. They are distinguished from most other canids by their grizzled upperparts, buff neck and black-tipped tail. The skull can be distinguished from all other North American canids by its widely separated temporal ridges that form a U-shape. Males are slightly larger than females.
The grey fox is a solitary hunter and eats a wide variety of food. The most important food source for the grey fox is probably the eastern cottontail (Sylvilagus floridanus), but voles, field mice, shrews, and birds are readily captured and eaten. The grey fox suppliments its diet with whatever fruits are readily available and generally eats more vegetable matter than the red fox (Vulpes vulpes).
The breeding season of grey foxes varies geographically. In
Michigan, grey foxes mate in early March; in Alabama, breeding peaks occur
in February. Where red foxes and grey foxes occur together, grey foxes breed
2-4 weeks after the red foxes. Gestation lasts about 53 days; the mean litter
size is 3.8 and ranges from 1-7. By 3 months, pups begin to hunt with their
parents. After four monthes, the young have their permanent dentition and
can forage on their own. The family group remains together until autumn when
the young reach sexual maturity and disperse.
habitat is South America in high branches and the canopy, Amazon Rainforest,
Central Mexico, Bolivia and Brazil. The diet is fruits and leaves mainly.
Also nuts, eggs, seeds, and insects. It's enemies are poachers (humans) and
The Black handed Spider monkey male is about 38 - 49.5
cm in length, with a tail of between 59 - 82 cm, and weighs about 7.5 kg.
They have extremely flexible shoulders. Their leaping ability is tremendous
and they sprawl out like a spider. They are one of the most agile and acrobatic
animals in the rainforest. As they swing, they sometimes break branches and
throw them. They also make a "barking" type noise. They are well
known for their screeching type calls. They travel in bands of about 70-100
monkeys and are active mainly during the day. Spider monkeys do not like the
water, but they can cope with it.
Jaguar (Panthera onca)
habitat is Central and South America and South West USA. It lives in the dense
understory layer of tropical rain forest, swamps, and open country. The diet
is grown animals like peccaries, capybara, sloth, tapir, deer, monkeys, cattle,
fish, frogs, turtles and small gators. It's enemies are poachers (humans)
which hunt it for its coat. Jaguars "almost" never attack people.
However some have killed people. They sleep on branches. The jaguar has hooked
claws for climbing and catching fish.
Margays do not adapt well to human disturbance
of its habitat. This cat is listed as an endangered animal, though the status
of its population throughout its range from Mexico to Argentina is unknown.
Belize and the Chetemul Bay areas are thought to have one of the healthier
populations of Margays in Central America.
Howler Monkey (Alouatta palliata)
habitat is the Central and South American Rainforests. It lives in the canopy
layer but also spends time on ground. It's diet is Fruits and nuts. It's enemies
are jaguars, other large mammals, large snakes and humans.
Squirrel monkeys belong to the family Cebidae. There are many different species of squirrel monkeys. They are one of the most common monkeys in South America. Males are normally larger than females and a typical Central American squirrel monkey male might be between 25 - 37 cm in length, have a tail between 37 - 46.5 cm, and weigh 0.6 - 1.1 kilograms. Spends most of its day in the canopy layer of the rainforest. Can live to about 15 years old.
Squirrel monkeys follow capuchins around to food sources.
Many times they even play with the capuchins. Female Squirrel monkeys give
birth to one young. They are very alert for predators. They are very agile
and move about by leaping from branch to branch. Squirrel monkey travel in
groups. A group of 30 is not unusual, and sometimes the group can be much
larger. Young squirrel monkeys are very playful and energetic.
Ocelot (Felis pardalis)
Puma (Felis concolor)
Fruit Bat/Flying Fox
The Nine-banded Armadillo is a cat-sized, armored, insect-eating mammal. Similar in form to an anteater, the bony, scaled shell of the armadillo protects it from attacks by predators. Unfortunately, armadillos often fall victim to automobiles and are frequently found dead on roadsides.
A prolific digger, armadillos dig many burrows, as well as dig for food. Distribution is often determined by soil conditions, since the animal will not survive in areas where the soil is too hard to dig. Many other wildlife species use and benefit from these abandoned burrows.
Although occasionally considered a nuisance by home owners, the armadillo's habit of digging up lawns is driven by its appetite for grubs, which can also harm lawns. It eats insects and other invertebrates. Skilled at digging for grubs. Occasionally eats berries and bird eggs.
Although breeding occurs in July, the embryo remains in a dormant
state until November. Four young are born in a burrow in March. All four young,
always of the same sex, are identical quadruplets and developed from the same
egg. They even share a single placenta while in the womb. Armadillos are the
only mammals in which multiple young form from a single egg with any regularity.
They are diurnal and nocturnal, arboreal, terrestrial and solitary. It feeds mainly on ants, termites, and bees extracted after ripping apart their nests with their fore claws. Tamanduas can be seen foraging on the ground or in the canopy anywhere in the forest, but seem most common beside watercourses and epiphyte-laden habitats, where their prey may be concentrated. By day in the rainforest a dense cloud of flies and mosquitoes accompanies them so they often brush their eyes with a forepaw. When inactive, tamanduas rest in hollow trees, burrows of other animals or other natural shelters.
Their local names are: Oso Hormiguero, Tamanduá, Susurete, Oso Amarillo, Brazo Fuerte, Oso Mielero in Spanish, it’s called an ant bear in Belize and in Mayan it is called Chab.
Tayras are identified by their glossy, dark brown to black upper parts, legs, feet and tail. The fur on their heads is short and stiff, while the fur on the body and tail is long and glossy. Its under fur is brown. The head and neck sharply contrast with a grizzled tan on the back, which may be a gray-brown or yellowish color, but is rarely dark brown or the same. Their ears are small and round, the same color as the head, and not protruding above the crown. Their under parts are completely black or dark brown, except for a bright pale yellow to orange spot, often triangular, on their chest and throat. Their tail is bushy, and about two-thirds as long as their head and body. Partial webs that reach to the base of the last joint join their toes. Tayras are muscular large weasels, much like a small dog with long, slightly humped back and log tail. Young entirely black, sometimes with white throat patch and/or white head.
They are similar with bush dogs (Speothos venaticus), short-eared dogs (Atelocynus microtis) grisons (Galictis vittata) and jaguarundis (Herpailurus yaguarondi). Tayra’s sounds are snorts in alarm and growl and squeal when cornered. They are diurnal except near human habitations, where also crepuscular, terrestrial and arboreal. Feeds on small vertebrates, especially rodents, insects, fruit and honey. The available field data shows that they travel long distances of 2 to 8 kms. each day, within their enormous home ranges of 10-24 kms2. They are wary and not often seen, but are much commoner than any of the similar species. They are fond of papayas, and if undisturbed become tame when they raid fruit near houses. They inhabit mature and secondary rainforests, dry forests, gallery forests, cloud forests, and gardens and plantations. They live in Central and South America. One of the most common and widespread carnivores, tayras can live in disturbed habitats near man. Tayras are also called Bush dog in Belize, melero, papa-mel, comadreja, mama, umba, melero, tayra, zorro palmichera, tolomuco, tejón, manco, perro de monte, cabeza de mate, gato eira, comadreja grande, gato negro, cabeza de viejo and guache in Spanish, and sacol in Mayan.
Their uniformly grizzled gray-black upper parts, a faint but distinct collar or a stripe of pale yellow hairs, which extend from top to shoulder forward to the lower cheek, identifies Collared Peccary. Their mid-back from head to rump has a crest of long hairs, raised in excitement, and a large scent gland along the spine. Their hair is sparse; they have coarse bristles, banded black and white or yellow. Their head is large, sharply tapering from their large jowls to a narrow nose, their nostrils are in a naked, mobile disk small, protruding a little beyond the rostrum, and they have large canines, form distinct limps under lip, do not protrude.
Their eyes are small with a weak eye shine. They have reddish, small ears, covered with short hair. Their tail is tiny, or better said, not visible. Their forefeet have two large toes and two smaller rear toes that do not touch the ground (so they don’t appear in tracks), while their hind feet have two large toes and one smaller toe. Their young are grizzled reddish brown. They are pig-like, with a stout body, a thick neck and thin, delicate legs. The Collared Peccary is similar to the white-lipped peccary (T. pecary), Chacoan peccaries (Catagonus wagneri) Capybaras (Hydrochaeris hydrochaeris).
Their sound is usually quiet, but if surprised at close range may give very loud doglike barks, “Whoof” while in flight. They may also clack their teeth sharply. Their grunts (perhaps threats) are rarely heard.
They chew on nuts and snails with a loud cracking. Collared peccary are diurnal in the rainforest; they are terrestrial, and form groups of 1 to 20 members, usually 6 to 9. Loose groups often change in composition: males are sometimes solitary. In rainforests they feed on fruit, palm nuts, browse, snails, other invertebrates, and small vertebrates.
They release a strong odor, like cheese or chicken soup, especially when alarmed, and they frequently mark their trails by scraping the ground in front of a pole with their hooves, defecating in the scrape, and rubbing their back gland on the pole. They regularly use mud wallows and salt licks in favored, traditional spots. Collared peccaries are wary and surprisingly quiet and difficult to approach; they stampede in panic when they detect humans, and they are not dangerous (but those raised in captivity or habituated to man may be very aggressive, and inflict serious bite wounds).
They are found in different habitats: from dry, shrubby Sonora desert and chaco to deep rainforest. Note that their behavior is different in hot, dry habitats, where peccaries feed on cacti, and where they are active at night. In this habitat they do not use burrows. They live in Central and South America. They are widespread and locally common, but hunted intensively for meat, sport, and hides. Collared peccaries are rare or absent near many settlements but not threatened, in general.
Anteater, Oso hormiguero (Tamandua mexicana)
Anteater is an insect-eating mammal found in Mexico (including the Costa Maya),
Central America, and South America. It has a long head with a long, tubular
mouth and long tongue, but no teeth. The giant anteater, weighing up to 86
lbs., is the largest species of anteater. It lives in forests and swampy areas
and on open plains and is active mostly during the day in areas where there
are few people, and is night dwelling in densely populated areas.
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Scientists have discovered a hidden canyon in Greenland that is 750 kilometers long and as deep as the Grand Canyon in the United States.
Scientists pieced together radar data collected by airplanes over decades to build a picture of the canyon hidden from view by ice and snow.
They believe the canyon was a major pathway for water before it was covered by the ice sheet some 4 million years ago.
Even today, the mega-canyon still transports water that melted from glaciers to the edge of the ice sheet and into the ocean.
The canyon originates in the center of Greenland and runs to its northern coast.
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Leber congenital amaurosis (LCA) is a retinal dystrophy defined by blindness and responses to electrophysiological stimulation (Ganzfeld electroretinogram (ERG)) below threshold, associated with severe visual impairment within the first year of life.
The prevalence of LCA is 1/50,000 - 1/33,000 live births and accounts for 5% of all retinal dystrophies and 20% of blindness in school age children.
LCA is characterized by severely reduced visual acuity (less or equal 20/400) or blindness within in the first year of life. Sluggish pupillary responses, roving eye movement, photophobia, high hyperopia, nystagmus, convergent strabismus, or keratoconus may occur depending on the genetic cause. The Franceschetti's oculo-digital sign, comprising eye poking, pressing, and rubbing is pathognomonic. LCA may be associated with mutations in genes linked to syndromes presenting with neurodevelopmental delay, intellectual disability, oculomotor apraxia-type behavior (difficulty moving the eye) and renal dysfunction.
To date, mutations in genes encoding retina specific proteins have been reported to cause LCA. This includes GUCY2D (17p13.1), CEP290 (12q21.33), RPGRIP1 (14q11.2), RDH12 (14q24.1), SPATA7 (14q31.3), AIPL1 (17p13.1), RD3 (1q32.3), CRB1 (1q31-q32.1), CRX (19q13.3), IMPDH1 (7q31.3-q32), IQCB1 (3q21.1), KCNJ13 (2q37), LCA5 (6q14), NMNAT1 (1p36.22), and TULP1 (6p21.3). These mutations cause severe functional impairment or are mostly related to retinal dystrophies. Mutations in CRX or IMPDH1 genes may cause an early and severe onset disease. Patients with GUCY2D mutations present with very slow progressive morphological degeneration and a mostly functional defect.
Diagnosis relies on clinical observation which shows a pupillary responses that may be sluggish or near-absent in early life; on funduscopy findings revealing attenuation of retinal vessels along with variable signs of retinal degeneration (from almost unremarkable to an overall granulated appearance). Diagnosis is confirmed by sedated ERG close to or below threshold. Molecular diagnosis is indispensable and may be performed using an arrayed primer extension (APEX) chip (tests a subset of known mutations in known LCA genes; diagnosis achieved in 50-70% of cases) and next generation sequencing (NGS) (covering the whole sequence of the known reported genes; this is the preferable method covering up to 90% of patients). Confirmation of identified mutations and segregation analysis in the parents by Sanger sequencing is the final step.
Differential diagnosis includes retinitis pigmentosa, Alström syndrome, Joubert syndrome, Stargardt disease, Senior-Loken syndrome, Conorenal syndrome and infantile neuronal ceroid lipofuscinosis (see these terms). Cortical blindness is a frequent misdiagnosis when there is limited access to functional testing or high resolution morphological examination.
Prenatal diagnosis may be offered by specialized laboratories for at-risk couples with identified disease-causing mutations.
LCA is typically an autosomal recessive inherited disease. Rarely, mutations within CRX or IMPDH1 genes are inherited in an autosomal dominant manner that may overlap with the diagnosis of LCA.
Currently LCA is an incurable disease. Treatment is mainly supportive and includes correction of refractive error and use of low-vision aids. Repeated poking and pressing on the eyes should be discouraged. Periodic ophthalmic evaluation and assessment of the presence of amblyopia, glaucoma, or cataract should be achieved. Therapies are presently being investigated, including gene therapy (particularly for RPGRIP and CEP290) and optogenetics (genetic targeting of light-sensing molecules to residual cells in a degenerate retina).
Vision commonly declines with age until complete blindness is observed most often latest by the third or fourth decade of life.
Last update: July 2015
- Pr Birgit LORENZ
- Dr Markus PREISING
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Washington, D.C. -- Mineral evolution posits that Earth's near-surface mineral diversity gradually increased through an array of chemical and biological processes. A dozen different species in interstellar dust particles that formed the solar system have evolved to more than 4500 species today. Previous work from Carnegie's Bob Hazen demonstrated that up to two thirds of the known types of minerals on Earth can be directly or indirectly linked to biological activity. Now Hazen has turned his focus specifically on minerals containing the element mercury and their evolution on our planet as a result of geological and biological activity. His work, published in American Mineralogist, demonstrates that the creation of most minerals containing mercury is fundamentally linked to several episodes of supercontinent assembly over the last 3 billion years.
Mineral evolution is an approach to understanding Earth's changing near-surface geochemistry. All chemical elements were present from the start of our Solar System, but at first they formed comparatively few minerals--perhaps no more than 500 different species in the first billion years. As time passed on the planet, novel combinations of elements led to new minerals. Although as much as 50% of the mercury that contributed to Earth's accretion was lost to volatile chemical processing, 4.5 billion years of mineral evolution has led to at least 90 different mercury-containing minerals now found on Earth.
Hazen and his team examined the first-documented appearances of these 90 different mercury-containing minerals on Earth. They were able to correlate much of this new mineral creation with episodes of supercontinent formation--periods when most of Earth's dry land converged into single landmasses. They found that of the 60 mercury-containing minerals that first appeared on Earth between 2.8 billion and 65 million years ago, 50 were created during three periods of supercontinent assembly. Their analysis suggests that the evolution of new mercury-containing minerals followed periods of continental collision and mineralization associated with mountain formation.
By contrast, far fewer types of mercury-containing minerals formed during periods when these supercontinents were stable, or when they were breaking apart. And in one striking exception to this trend, the billion-year-long interval that included the assembly of the Rodinian supercontinent (approximately 1.8 to 0.8 billion years ago) saw no mercury mineralization anywhere on Earth. Hazen and his colleagues speculate that this hiatus could have been due to a sulfide-rich ocean, which quickly reacted with any available mercury and thus prevented mercury from interacting chemically with other elements.
The role of biology is also critical in understanding the mineral evolution of mercury. Although mercury is rarely directly involved in biological processe--except in some rare bacteria--its interactions with oxygen came about entirely due to the appearance of the photosynthetic process, which plants and certain bacteria use to convert sunlight into chemical energy. Mercury also has a strong affinity for carbon-based compounds that come from biological material, such as coal, shale, petroleum, and natural gas products.
"Our work shows that in the case of mercury, evolution seems to have been driven by hydrothermal activity associated with continents colliding and forming mountain ranges, as well as by the drastic increase in oxygen caused by the rise of life on Earth," Hazen said. "Future work will have to correlate specific mineral occurrences to specific tectonic events."
Future work will also focus on the minerals of other elements to see how they differ and correlate with mercury's mineral evolution, and to new strategies for locating as yet undiscovered deposits of critical resources.
"It's important to keep honing in on the ways that minerals have evolved on our planet from their simple elemental origins to the vast array in existence today," Hazen said.
|Contact: Robert Hazen |
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Learn how rain gardens are good for the environment and your pocketbook
Want a garden that attracts birds and butterflies, helps protect our water resources and may even help reduce your monthly stormwater utility fee? Build a rain garden! Metro Blooms, a local organization that promotes and celebrates gardening is sponsoring rain garden workshops that will teach you how to install a rain garden using native plants that don’t require fertilizers or pesticides.
Rain gardens allow rain and melting snow to seep naturally into the ground. This helps recharge groundwater and keeps contaminants from being washed into storm drains and carried to our lakes, rivers and creeks. Participants will also learn about downspout redirection and more eco-friendly lawn care. Workshop attendees can get a $65 native plant reimbursement grant.
Metro Blooms or contact Noelle Hechtman at (651) 699-2426. Space is limited.
Workshops are sponsored by Metro Blooms with support from the City of Minneapolis, the Minnehaha Creek Watershed District, Mississippi Watershed Management Organization, Hennepin County Environmental Services, Minneapolis Public Works Storm Water Education Fund, and Minneapolis Park and Recreation Board.
March 13, 2009
Published Mar 13, 2009
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Glowing jellyfish protein is powerful tool in LSSU biochemistry lab
Posted: October 14th, 2013
SEEING THE LIGHT – Lake Superior State University biochemistry student Halley Borseth holds some bacteria colonies that have been engineered to produce a protein normally found in jellyfish that glows a fluorescent green under black light. This feature provides researchers with a powerful tool that reveals whether certain genes are activated, in this case in a bacteria culture. This project is part of an introductory biochemistry laboratory class that all chemistry majors and many biology majors take while at LSSU. Students learn modern biochemical and molecular biology techniques that can be applied in research and medical careers. Borseth is a junior pre-med student from Ontonagon, Mich., studying biology with a minor in chemistry. (LSSU/John Shibley)
A print-resolution photo that runs with this caption may be found by clicking here.
CONTACTS: John Shibley, e-mail, 906-635-2314; Tom Pink, e-mail, 635-2315.
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Alice C. Linsley
The Horites were a caste of rulers who controlled the trade routes from the Sahara to India. Originally, they controlled the major waters systems at a time when the Sahara, Arabia and Mesopotamia were wetter. Commerce moved along the rivers which were interconnected in the late Holocene.
The Horites served as river shrine and temple attendants. They interceded for others and offered sacrifice. Job offered sacrifice daily for the sins of his own family. At the end of the book, God tells Job to pray for his kinsmen Eliphaz, Zophar and Bildad. This is reminiscent of Abraham praying for Abimelech and his whole household (Gen. 20:17,18). Purity was an essential trait of the Horite priest.
The word "Horite" takes many forms: Khar, Hur, Horonaim, Horoni, Horowitz, Horim, and Hori. Hori was the son of Lotan son of Seir whose descendants were the "lords of the Horites in the land of Seir" according to Genesis 36:20-29 and 1 Chronicles 1:38-42. Lot, Lotan, and Nimlot are Egyptian titles. Nimlot C was the High Priest of Amun at Thebes during the latter part of the reign of his father Osorkon II.
The Horite kings of Edom are listed in Genesis 36. Here is a diagram of the lines descending from Seir the Horite. Note that there are two men named Esau.
Abraham was a Horite Habiru/Hebrew whose territory extended between Hebron and Beersheba, entirely in the land of Edom. The Horites of Edom were his kinsmen.
The Horites were devotees of HR (Hor, Hur or Horus) whose mother Hathor conceived by the overshadowing of the sun, the Creator's emblem. Horus is the archetype by which Abraham's descendants would recognize Jesus as the promised Seed of the Woman (Gen. 3:15). Jesus' authentication was His rising from the dead on the third day, in accordance with Horite expectation. As St. Augustine noted, the Egyptians took great care in the burial of their dead and never practiced cremation, as in the religions that seek to escape physical existence. Abraham's ancestors believed in the resurrection of the body and awaited a deified king who would rise from the grave and deliver his people from death.
Hathor's animal totem was a cow. She is shown at the Dendura Temple holding her newborn son in a manger or stable. The stable was constructed by the Horite priest Har-si-Atef. Atef was the crown worn by deified rulers. The Arabic word atef or atif means "kind." The ruler who wore the atef crown was to embody kindness and he was to unite the peoples.
Horite belief in a deified son who would embody kindness and unite the peoples found fulfillment in Jesus Christ, a descendant of the Horite ruler-priests, the divine son of the Virgin Mary, daughter of the priest Joachim of the line of Nathan. Jesus Christ is the fulfillment of the promise made to Abraham's Horite ancestors in Eden (Gen. 3:15). This is why Frank Moore Cross cannot avoid the conclusion that the God of Israel is the God of the Horites.
Consider how Horus, the mythical archetype of Christ, describes himself in the Coffin texts (passage 148): I am Horus, the great Falcon upon the ramparts of the house of him of the hidden name. My flight has reached the horizon. I have passed by the gods of Nut. I have gone further than the gods of old. Even the most ancient bird could not equal my very first flight. I have removed my place beyond the powers of Set, the foe of my father Osiris. No other god could do what I have done. I have brought the ways of eternity to the twilight of the morning. I am unique in my flight. My wrath will be turned against the enemy of my father Osiris and I will put him beneath my feet in my name of 'Red Cloak'. (Myth and Symbol in Ancient Egypt by R.T. Rundle Clark, p. 216)
Here we find the words of Psalm 110:1, a messianic reference: The Lord says to my Lord: "Sit at My right hand until I make Your enemies a footstool for Your feet."
|Horus, son of Ra, was venerated at the Predynastic shrine city of Nekhen.|
Horus, whose totem was the falcon, was known by many titles. He was called the "Son of God," "Horus of the Two Crowns," "Horus of the Two Horizons," and he was associated with the three superior planets Mars, Jupiter and Saturn. Mars was named "Horus of the Horizon" or "Horus the Red." Jupiter was called "Horus Who Illuminates the Two Lands." Saturn was named "Horus, Bull of the Sky." The three superior planets were always depicted with the falcon-head of Horus (Krupp 1979).
|Horus soaring as a falcon above the Sun (Ra's emblem) in their solar boat|
Horite religious ideas spread across the ancient Afro-Asiatic Dominion, but originated in the Upper Nile region. Abraham's ancestors came from the Nile region which was later called Kush. His father Terah is associated with the Nubian Ainu who had a red skin tone. We first meet Abraham in the Ur-Haran region because he is a descendant of Nimrod who built a vast kingdom in Mesopotamia. Nimrod was a son of Kush. Likely he is Sargon the Great. Sar-gon means King of Kings or Most High King.
Horite does not designate a race or ethnicity. It designates a caste of rulers and priests. Jews are one group that descended from the Horites. That is why Jews call their ancestors horim. Some Jews and some Arabs have a common Horite ancestry.
The ancient world of the Afro-Asiatics was structured along caste lines. Typical of castes, the Horite lines exclusively intermarried (endogamy). The geneologies of the Bible reveal that intermarriage of the ruler-priests lines continued to the time of Jesus. Jesus is the culmination of the Horim's expectation of the fulfillment of the Edenic Promise. (Gen. 3:15)
It is from the Horite priesthood that the priesthood of Israel developed. Moses' two brothers, Korah and Aaron, were Horite priests before Judaism emerged as a distinct world religion, even before Israel can be identified as a nation. Horite priests served in the temple in Jerusalem on a rotating schedule. I Chronicles 4:4 lists Hur (Hor) as the "father of Bethlehem". The author of Chronicles knew that Bethlehem was originally a Horite settlement in the heart of Horite territory.
The word Horite is related to the Egyptian 'khar', a measurement of fuel used in burnt offerings and to a measurement of volume - gr - used across the ancient Afro-Asiatic Dominion. Khar is likely also related to the Egyptian word for priest harwa and to the word korah. One of Moses' older brothers was Korah and he was a Horite priest. Korah means "shaved head" and according to Numbers 16:17-18, Korah carried the censor to offer incense before God. This suggests that kor and tor are cognates.
Kor/Korah andTor/Torah both appear be related to blood sacrifice and the Horite priesthood. The Hebrew root thr = to be pure, corresponds to the Hausa/Hahm toro = clean, and to the Tamil tiru = holy. All are related to the proto-Dravidian tor = blood. The Horite priest was to be purified before entering the temple. The purification ritual involved shaving their heads and bodies.
Josephus calls the descendants of Abraham by Keturah "Horites" and quoting another ancient historian, speaks of them as "conquerors of Egypt and founders of the Assyrian Empire." Doubtless this is a reference to Nimrod (Sargon the Great) who established for himself a vast empire in Sumeria. Josephus failed to note, however, that the Horites already existed before Abraham married Keturah. They are Abraham's Kushite ancestors who spread the Proto-Gospel across the ancient Afro-Asiatic Dominion. The origins of Messianic expectation can be traced to Abraham's Horite ancestors.
Horite men married only Horite women and according to a pattern which was tied to ancient tradition. It is not a coincidence that Joseph married Asenath, the daughter of "the priest of On" (Gen. 41:45). The exclusive intermarriage between Horite lines requires that we take these words quite literally: "For me you shall be a kingdom of priests, a holy nation." (Ex. 19:6)
Special care was taken in the selection of the wives of the firstborn sons, and each ruler-priest had four firstborn sons. The firstborn son of the half-sister wife ascended to the throne of his biological father. The firstborn son of the patrilineal cousin or niece ascended to the throne of this maternal grandfather (as did Nimrod, who ascended to the throne of Nimrod the Elder). Nimrod the Younger was named by his mother after her father. This was done only by the cousin/niece brides, so while Nimrod's father is not known, we know that his mother was the daughter of the Kushite ruler Nimrod the Elder who conquer Nippur in 2340.
The firstborn sons by the ruler's two concubines, and sons by wives who didn't ascend to established thrones, were given gifts and sent away to conquer territories of their own. Sent-away sons include Cain, Abraham, Ishmael, Jacob, Joseph and Moses. By this means the marriage and ascendancy pattern of the Horites drove the Kushite expansion out of Africa.
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Held each year in August, many national and hundreds of local community organisations participate by organising events throughout the country.
Heritage In Schools
Providing a panel of 165 heritage specialists to visit primary schools throughout the country, bringing Ireland's heritage directly into the classroom for pupils.
Museum Standards Programme for Ireland
This initiative, with participants from a wide range of Irish collecting institutions, sets out to raise standards of care across Irish museums and galleries.
Irish Walled Towns Network
Uniting and co-ordinating the strategic efforts of Local Authorities involved in the management, conservation and enhancement of historic walled towns in Ireland
Village Design Toolkit
The Heritage Council’s award winning National Community-led Village Design Statement (VDS) Programme and VDS Toolkit provides an opportunity for meaningful public participation in the Irish planning system.
Historic Towns Initiative
Combing the conservation of the built & natural heritage through effective urban renewal while maximising the economic value of tourism to the towns.
County Heritage Officer Network
The work of the Heritage Council reaches into the heart of communities throughout Ireland through its network of County Heritage Officers, who are employed by the Local Authorities.
171 projects receive funding under Heritage Council Grants Scheme
29th June-2nd July- This conference explores the values associated with places.
Recommendations to give focus to Irish Towns individually and collectively in national policy.
|June - 2016|
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Friday 14th October 1881 dawned bright, calm and clear and as their boats had been tied up in port for a week, the fisherman of Eyemouth were impatient to be off to the fishing grounds to earn a wage.
As customary, they made their way to the pierhead weatherglass. It had never been so low, forcasting severe storms to come. There was much discussion as to wether they should set sail or not but the men had families to provide for, and it being such “a grand day”, they decided to take the risk. Picking up their heavy seaboots, sou’westers and “doppers” (oilskins) they prepared to sail.
It was a point of honour that if one boat sailed the rest of the fleet were obliged to follow, so around 8am watched by onlookers and families, 45 boats set off in tight formation, fanning out as they passed the Hurkur rocks.
They’ll no be sae close thegither when they come hame.
One old fisherman was heard to prophesies, as the fleet headed for the fishing grounds some 8 or 9 miles away.
They started shooting the lines, two for each crew member, each line with a complement of 1000 hooks which had been painstakingly baited with shelled limpets and mussels by their womenfolk the pervious day. An arduous, finger numbing exercise.
Then around 11am an eerie stillness fell. Kutch dipped sails hung limply from the masts. Not a breath of air stirred. On land, hurricane “Euroclydon” struck. Skies grew leaden, darkening till it was black as night, and the feeble glow of oil lamps were needed in homes. The wind shrieked and howled as it increased in intensity, laying flat 30,000 trees.
An Eyemouth draper saw his horse and van blown into a pond, and watched unbelievingly as uprooted mature trees were propelled along, upright, by the sheer force of the storm. At sea, waves were whipped up to a mountainous seething cauldron, bitter driving rain and stinging spray cut visibility to 500 yards. Masts snapped like matchsticks as the men cut lines and headed desperately for home.
In the hours that followed, 19 boats, each worth around £350, were lost, foundered at sea, or smashed on rocks while trying to gain safe harbour, some within sight and hailing distance of would-be rescuers, who could do nothing but helplessly watch them drown.
Two boats had a miraculous escape, when waves that could have smashed them to matchwood on rocks, lifted them over the danger and deposited them safely on land. Men were swept from decks, but two of them managed to grasp a rope, a gunwale, to be washed back aboard to eventual safety.
189 East coast fishermen lost their lives. 129 from Eyemouth alone, leaving 73 widows and 263 fatherless children. Of those 129 men lost, only 30 bodies were recovered for burial, plus some unidentifiable body parts which were interred in a mass grave on Fort point.
Donations poured into a Disaster fund from all over the land, till the incredible sum of £54,000 was raised. A pension of 5/-(25p) per week was paid to each widow from this, for life or until remarriage, with a further 2/6 for each child until they reached age 14, which kept the faimlies together without recourse to the “poorhouse”.
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A high-speed electrostatic store was the heart of several early computers, including the computer at the Institute for Advanced Studies in Princeton. Professor F. C. Williams and Dr. T. Kilburn, who invented this type of store, described it in Proc.I.E.E. 96, Pt.III, 40 (March, 1949). This simple account is an abridged version of the description in Bowden [ref 3].
The system makes use of an ordinary cathode ray tube, which has a pick-up plate mounted outside it, immediately in front of the fluorescent screen. When a spot on the screen is bombarded with a beam of electrons that has been accelerated by a potential between 1,000 and 2,000 V., more electrons will be emitted by the spot than fall upon it from the primary beam. The spot will become positively charged. There is a small capacity between the spot on the screen and the collecting plate so that the result of bombarding an uncharged spot will be to produce a small positive pulse on the collector plate, which can be amplified to any size required.
If we bombard the spot a second time, it will still be at equilibrium potential, so that no positive pulse will be induced in the pick-up plate. We can therefore tell, by bombarding a spot on the tube, if it has recently been bombarded or not. It is possible to write information on to a series of spots on the surface of the tube and subsequently to read it out again. Unfortunately, in the act of reading from the fluorescent screen we have to write all over it, and erase everything written there. Moreover, the insulation of a fluorescent screen is such that any charge distribution which has been built up on it will decay in a few seconds. A more sophisticated method of using the cathode ray tube is required.
Suppose that immediately after bombarding one spot, A, we move the beam a small distance, about equal to a spot diameter, and bombard an adjacent spot, B. Slow secondary electrons will be emitted by B. Some of them will be attracted to A, which is the most positively charged point nearby, and after a short time they will remove the positive charge on A completely. If we now bombard A for a second time a positive signal will appear in the amplifier. On the other hand if the spot B had not been bombarded since the first bombardment of A, A would still be at its equilibrium potential, and no positive signal would be obtained by bombarding it.
Suppose now that we arrange a mosaic of pairs of spots, which we will call AlBl, A2B2, A3B3, etc. The individual spots in a pair are to be very close together, but adjacent pairs are far enough apart to ensure that secondary electrons from one pair do not affect any other pair on the screen. When we bombard Al we get a signal which tells us whether, during the last cycle, Bl was bombarded or not; moreover this signal occurs a short time before we are ready to bombard Bl for a second time. We have time, therefore, to turn on the electron beam before the time comes to change the voltage on the deflector plates and direct the beam to Bl. We can arrange to bombard Bl if it was bombarded during the last cycle, and to refrain if we refrained last time. By doing this we renew the charge pattern stored on AlBl and in the process we read off what was stored there.
The charge pattern will leak slowly away unless it is renewed once or twice a second. The operation of the machine must ensure the regeneration of all parts of the store whether or not they happen to be needed in the computation. In the case of the SILLIAC this was called the RAR (Read Around Ratio) and its implications are described in Appendix 4 of the Programming Manual.
The great advantage of this type of "memory" is that, by suitably controlling the deflector plates of the cathode ray tube, it is possible to direct the beam almost instantaneously to any part of the screen in which we happen to be interested: random access memory.
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Alternanthera ficoidea (Calico Plant, Joseph's Coat) - Garden Basics - Flower - Annual
The Alternantheras are grown for their brilliantly colored foliage, which ranges in color from red to green, blotched or variegated with yellow, red or orange. The leaves are long and pointed, and the growth habit is neat and compact. The white flowers are inconspicuous.
These tender perennials are usually grown as annuals, although they may be hardy to zone 8. Set out plants in the spring when all danger of frost has passed. Allow four inches between plants for a carpeted effect; otherwise, set them twelve inches apart. Provide full sun and moderately fertile soil with good drainage. Pinch back occasionally to keep the plant bushy. Propagate by taking cuttings. Cuttings one to two inches in length root quickly.
Plants may be potted and brought indoors for the winter. Take cuttings from these overwintered plants to provide bedding plants in the spring.
Alternantheras are striking accent plants in containers, and they also make an attractive edging. All varieties make excellent bedding plants. Plants can also be kept as houseplants, but remember that they need good light. Keep the soil moist when grown in pots.
usually grown as annuals
full sun, part shade
bedding, edging, containers, terrariums
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Fitting A Child, Or Making A Child Fit
( Originally Published Early 1900's )
IT is a general belief, and in most cases a well-founded one, that children show pretty early some indication of what they are fitted to do. Parents will do well to look for these indications, and pay more attention to them than often is given. It would not only set a good many careers right, but it might save a lot of wasted money and tears. "There ought," exclaims Zelia M. Walters, "to be a protest raised against the slavery to the piano that is practised in many American homes. Almost every mother who can buy the piano and pay for the instruction wishes to make musicians of her children. Long, weary hours of practice are imposed on the children, and any love of music that they may have had in the beginning is turned to loathing. The result is a performer who, though she may play anything, as is proudly claimed, can never be a musician. We are overrun with such performers. Mothers should learn that it takes something more than the skill to strike the right key to make a musician."
On the other hand a young person's fancy must not be allowed to run away with good judgment, as often happens, especially in the case of a bright child who thinks he or she can paint or write or sing his or her way to fame and fortune in a few short years. What millions of money and years of lost effort and soul-searing disappointment have been due to this species of mistaken notion. Let the "budding genius" try a flight near home-in a newspaper office, or a scene-painter's studio, or a church choir, and get some idea of the work to be done and hard conditions met, before launching out. If the trial fails, the gain of knowledge is worth all the cost and delay.
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Competitive Diving is one of the most prestigious, competitive, drama-filled diving events at the Summer Games. The sport developed from gymnastics in the 18th century, when gymnasts in Sweden and Germany began to perform acrobatic somersaults and twists into the water. Originally, it was known as ‘fancy diving’.
Diving was first introduced in the official programme of the Olympic Games at the 1904 Games of St. Louis and has been an Olympic event ever since. It was one of the first Olympic sports to incorporate events for both men and women.
London 2012 Details
Venue: London Aquatics Centre
Competition Dates: July 29 – August 11, 2012
Women’s Platform August 8 – 9, 2012
Pike: A diving position where the body is bent at the hips with the legs straight and the toes pointed.
Rip: The ideal entry when a diver hits the water without making a splash. It is named after the ripping sound as the diver enters the water.
Platform: The board (either 3m or 10m) from which divers start their jumps.
Elevation: The height a diver achieves from a take-off.
Approach: Steps a diver takes to the end of a springboard or platform before take-off.
Entry: The end of a dive when the diver enters the water. The entry should be vertical. Ideally, although there is no such rule, the diver should create little or no splash.
Olympic diving competitions are strictly airborne and are held at two heights; a ‘springboard’ dive set at 3m above the water and a ‘platform’ dive, set at 10m.
Athletes compete individually and in pairs (synchronized diving, or ‘synchro’). Individual events consist of a preliminary round, semi-final and final, while the synchro competitions are straight finals.
Styles of diving include front, back, reverse, inward, twist and armstand, with points awarded according to technique and grace. The more difficult the dive the higher the points it can score if executed well. Difficulty level is determined by the height of dive, take-off, and precise, or near perfect, body position.
Judges must also take into account starting positions, run-ups, take-offs, flight and entry into water (which should be perpendicular and cause as little splash as possible).
Each of the seven judges score dives out of 10 and the athlete with the highest total is the winner.
Who to watch
There is hope that an American diver will break through and end an Olympic medal drought that’s reached 12 years since Laura Wilkinson took gold in at the Sydney Games in 2000.
Watch for Brittany Viola, a veteran of two Trials, is making her first Olympic appearance this year. She’s the daughter of former MLB star Frank Viola and is the most consistent U.S. diver in her event.
Another contender is 2008 Olympian Haley Ishimatsu, who rebounded from finishing 13th at the 2011 nationals to win the 2012 winter nationals. Like Viola, her international record is underwhelming (14th at the Olympics, 17th at 2009 worlds), but she impressed a global field at May’s USA Diving Grand Prix with a fourth-place finish.
The sport has been dominated by the Chinese, who won seven out of the eight gold medals in Beijing in 2008.
Who’s the gold medal favorite?
Chen Ruolin of China is on track for gold this year. The 19 year-old won the gold medals in women’s 10m platform and 10m synchronized platform at the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing.
Who to follow on twitter…
Olympic Diving fact
Athletes must be 14 by the end of an Olympic year to able to compete at London 2012 meaning that diving has one of the lowest age restrictions of all Olympic sports.
Springboard & Platform Diving
by Ronald F. O’Brien
This book provides readers with inside information once exclusively reserved for the world’s best. A one-of-a-kind blueprint for diving success, written by one of the greatest coaches ever in the sport.Powered by Sidelines
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Japanese Cooking 101, Lesson 4, Part 1 : Awase-zu (Vinegar Sauces) For Sunomono
This is Lesson 4 of Japanese Cooking 101: The Fundamentals of Washoku.
So far in Japanese Cooking 101, we've covered how to: * Make proper dashi, the base stock used in many savory dishes in Japanese cooking (as well as miso soup and clear soup using that dashi) in Lesson 1; * How to make proper Japanese style rice, the base starch of most meals in Japan in Lesson 2; and * How to make nimono or stewed dishes in Lesson 3.
A typical Japanese meal consists of many small dishes to accompany the rice. At least one or two of those dishes is a relatively simple dish called aemono (和え物) a dish of vegetables and sometimes a small amount of protein such as seafood or tofu mixed with a sauce and served cold. One type of aemono is sunomono (酢の物), a sour-flavored dish. Think of it as a Japanese style side salad, using oil-free dressings. Sunomo are quite easy to prepare, can be made on the spot or a bit in advance, and are very refreshing as accompaniments to richer dishes.
There are two stages to preparing a sunomono dish:
- Making the sauce. This can be done as you need it, or in advance. You can also buy bottled versions of many of these sauces in Japan or in well stocked Japanese grocery stores elsewhere, but they aren't that hard to make from scratch. They're a lot less expensive if you make them yourself, plus you know exactly what's going in them. (Many commercial sauces have MSG and preservatives and so forth.)
- Prepping the vegetables and other ingredients. This means cutting and peeling, salting on occasion, and/or blanching. In washoku (traditional Japanese cooking) it's very rare to just eat vegetables raw without any kind of pre-processing such as blanching or salting. (The habit of eating raw vegetable salads became widespread in Japan only after World War II.)
In Part 1 we will be looking at the various sunomono sauces.
Awaze-zu or vinegar sauces: Sour + flavor
The su part of sunomono means vinegar, so sunomono sauces all consist of vinegar or a sour citrus juice plus flavorings. Collectively these sauces are called awase-zu (合わせ酢) or "combined vinegar". Here are some of the most commonly used awaze-zu, which can all be made in advance or just made on the spot as needed.
- Nihai-zu (二杯酢): 3 parts rice vinegar and 2 parts soy sauce, e.g. 3 tablespoons rice vinegar to 2 tablespoons soy sauce. Just combine and it's done.
- Sainbai-zu (三杯酢): 3 parts rice vinegar, 1 part soy sauce, 2 parts mirin (you can substitute sugar for the mirin); e.g. 3 tablespoons rice vinegar, 1 tablespoon soy sauce, 2 tablespoons mirin or sugar. Combine and stir over low heat until the mirin has 'cooked' a bit (about 5 minutes) or the sugar has melted, and cool.
- Ama-zu (甘酢) or "sweet vinegar": 3 parts rice vinegar, 2 parts sugar, a little salt; e.g. 3 tablespoons vinegar, 2 tablespoons sugar, 1/4 teaspoon salt. Combine and stir over low heat until the sugar and salt have melted.
- Tosa-zu （土佐酢): The ratio of ingredients for sanbai-zu (above) with a handful of katsuobushi (bonito flakes) added. Combine as for sanbai-zu and stir over low heat, and simmer for a few minutes and strain before using. You can also just add a small pinch of dashi stock granules to sanbai-zu instead. (Tosa-zu gets its name from Tosakuni, the old name for current day Kochi prefecture, which is still famous for its bonito and katsuobushi production.)
- Goma-su (ごま酢), sesame vinegar: 2 parts vinegar, 2 parts sugar, 3 parts soy sauce and 4 parts toasted and ground sesame seeds, e.g. 2 tablespoons rice vinegar, 2 tabelspoons sugar, 3 tablespoons dark soy sauce, and 4 tablespoons toasted and ground sesame seeds. (You can use tahini instead although it's a lot better with the ground sesame seeds.)
- See also: Nanban-su (南蛮酢) or Nanban sauce.
- Ponzu or Pon-zu （ポン酢): This citrusy sauce is very versatile, and is used as a dipping sauce as well as for making sunomono. The citrus juice can be from any sour citrus; in Japan the most commonly used fruits are yuzu, daidai or kabosu, but lemon, lime, and sour orange can be used too. There are various recipes for ponzu - here are a couple of variations:
- Classic ponzu: 3 parts rice vinegar, 3 parts soy sauce, 1 part dashi stock, 1/2 part citrus juice; e.g. 3 tablespoons rice vinegar, 3 tablespoons soy sauce, 1 tablespoon dashi stock and 1/2 tablespoon lemon juice, all combined.
- Sweet ponzu: 3 parts rice vinegar, 4 parts soy sauce, 2 parts mirin or sugar, 1 part citrus juice, 1 part dashi stock; e.g. 3 tablespoons rice vinegar, 4 tablespoons soy sauce, 2 tablespoons sugar, 1 tablespoon lemon juice. Combine and heat until the sugar has melted.
- Ultra simple ponzu: 3 parts citrus juice, 1 part soy sauce, a pinch of sugar; e.g. 3 tablespoons lemon juice, 1 teaspoon soy sauce, a tiny pinch of sugar. This is my favorite formulation and I often omit the sugar. It's a great all-purpose citrusy sauce. (For a small amount just combine 1 tablespoon juice and 1 teaspoon soy sauce.)
Which sauce you use depends on the ingredients you are using in the sunomono, as well as personal preference.
Which type of vinegar and soy sauce?
The most used vinegar for awase-zu is rice vinegar (米酢), read as kome-zu or (less frequently) yone-zu. This is a very mild vinegar with a slight sweet flavor. You can experiment with other vinegars; for instance, white balsamico is quite interesting, with a pronounced sweetness that may allow you to omit or reduce the amount of sugar in a given recipe. Apple cider vinegar, kuro-zu or black vinegar and so forth are alternatives with distinct characteristics. If you can't get a hole of rice vinegar, try white wine vinegar or apple cider vinegar.
The type of soy sauce that is preferred in most awase-zu recipes is usukuchi (薄口) or light colored soy sauce. Light does not mean it has less salt - it actually has more salt than dark colored soy sauce, but it's preferred since it is light in color and won't add any brown tint to the vegetables and so forth. But the "regular" type of soy sauce you can get usually is dark soy sauce, so if that's all you have that's fine too. Some types of awase-zu specifically call for dark soy sauce, such as Nanban sauce (nanban-su).
Tamari and other very dark soy sauce types are rarely used in awase-zu recipes, will give a definite brownish color to your dish. But again, flavor-wise they are fine to use, although since they are usually a bit lower in salt you may need to add a tiny pinch of salt depending on your taste.
The awase-zu types that don't use perishable ingredients like dashi and citrus juice will keep for a few weeks in the refrigerator, in a sealed container. The awase-zu types with dashi or citrus juice will keep for a couple of weeks, but don't try to keep them for too long.
I've given you a lot of information here, but it's really not difficult: just pick one awase-zu that looks good to you (or that's called for in a recipe) and you're ready to go.preserves and pickles vegetables washoku japanesecooking101
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As everyone in Oklahoma is already aware, the summer of 2011 was a record-setter. Many areas of the state had 70 or more days with over 100 degrees. Heat stress will undoubtedly take a toll on the spring and summer breeding season that has already occurred. However, those herds with fall-calving and fall breeding seasons may also feel the effects of last summer.
Before the fall breeding season begins, producers will want to contact their local veterinarian and schedule a time for the bulls to receive a "Breeding Soundness Exam." This is an excellent practice each year preceding the breeding season, but could be most important in years following very hot later summers. The extreme and persistent heat of this summer may have "heat-stressed" bulls as late as early September. Bulls that have been heat-stressed will require at least 2 months (from the conclusion of the stress) to fully recover.
Oklahoma scientists (Meyerhoeffer, et al 1978) placed bulls in controlled environments of 95 degrees F for eight hours and 87 degrees for the remaining 16 hours, while similar bulls were placed in environments of a consistent 73 degrees F. These treatments were applied to the bulls for eight weeks, and then all bulls were exposed to the 73 degrees environment for another eight weeks. During the treatment, the heat stressed bulls had rectal temperatures 0.9 degrees F higher than non-stressed bulls. The percentage of motile sperm cells decreased significantly in the stressed bulls by two weeks of heat stress.
Examine the graph below that illustrates sperm motility in bulls that were heat stressed and then allowed to return to a thermo-neutral environment. As you can tell, the bulls returned to normal sperm motility after 8 weeks. This coincides with the length of time needed for the complete development and maturation of new sperm cells in the testes. If bulls were ill or injured during this time, the elevated body temperature may have lingered causing further delay in the return to normal.
Assessing the "breeding soundness" now, would allow producers to make adjustments in the bull battery before the critical first weeks of the breeding season. If a bull is likely to be a poor performer, the producer has time to locate a replacement and not delay the start of next years' calf crop.
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The Bruce Murray Space Image Library
Filed under pretty pictures, Cassini, amateur image processing, Saturn's small moons, Saturn's moons
As Cassini approached Hyperion for a close encounter on August 25, 2011, it snapped a three-image mosaic of the sponge-like moon at a crescent phase. The mosaic did not quite cover the entire visible crescent, so a wide-angle image (with a resolution 10 times lower than the other images) was used to fill in a small area on the "nose."
NASA / JPL / SSI / mosaic by Emily Lakdawalla
Original image data dated on or about August 25, 2011.
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported License. For uses not allowed by that license, contact us to request publication permission from the copyright holder: Emily Lakdawalla
Other Related Images
Pretty pictures and
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The Colonial Georgian structure of the Johnson House looks beautiful today, but imagine how good it must have looked in the early 19th century to enslaved African Americans on a harrowing trek northward. The Johnson House was a stop on the Underground Railroad for many Freedom Seekers passing through Philadelphia.
Built in 1765-68 by John Johnson, Sr. (1709-1794), the house is one of the oldest existing homes built for year-round occupancy in the Germantown section of Philadelphia, Pa. The Johnsons were active members of the Religious Society of Friends (Quakers), the earliest and most active religious denomination to oppose slavery in the United States. But even among Quakers the Johnsons were exceptionally active in their anti-slavery efforts. Samuel Johnson (1777-1847) moved into the house in 1805 after marrying Jennett Rowland (1784-1876). Six of their ten children--Joshua, Sarah, Rowland, Israel, Ellwood, and Elizabeth--would participate in the abolitionist movement.
Jennett Rowland Johnson and children. Seated: John Rowland (1810-1895), Jennett Rowland Johnson (1784-1876), Samuel (1809-1885), Sarah Parker (1814-1890), Israel (1818-1897). Standing: Elizabeth Rowland (1828-1905), Nathan Hunter (1826-1902), Rowland (1816-1886), Joshua Rowland (1812-1900), Elwood (1823-1902), Alfred (1820-1884).
The list of organizations with which the Johnson family was involved is practically a catalog of anti-slavery and freedmen's aid organizations in the area. Rowland Johnson (1816-1886), the most well-known of the siblings, even served as Vice-President of the American Anti-Slavery Society. The family was also associated with many nationally famous abolitionists, including William Lloyd Garrison, James and Lucretia Mott, the Grimke sisters, Robert Purvis, and John Greenleaf Whittier. The Johnson House is a documented stop along the Underground Railroad, where the family provided shelter, food, and clothes as needed to fugitive freedom-seekers.
The Underground Railroad is a hot topic around our offices at the Historical Society of Pennsylvania because of the William Still Digital History Project recently started by our co-workers. The project will produce an interactive website relating the journal of William Still, known as the "Father of the Underground Railroad," with his published history of the Underground Railroad and other contextual information. Rowland Johnson worked on the Philadelphia Vigilance Committee with William Still; his brother Israel (1818-1897) was also associated with Still.
The Johnson House Historic Site maintains a small collection on the Johnson family, 1794-circa 1994 , including several original manuscript volumes and photographs from the Johnson family, as well as secondary-source materials such as photocopies and genealogical information about the family. If you would like to see it, run (away) to the Johnson House Historic Site right away!
Bibliography: Decter, Avi. National Register of Historic Places Registration Form for Johnson House. February 3, 1997. Accessed June 11, 2013. http://pdfhost.focus.nps.gov/docs/NHLS/Text/72001162.pdf
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Quinn Konopacky measures the infrared radiation emanating from Jupiter-sized planets outside of our solar system, which provides a view of their distant atmospheres.
Shelley Wright is leading a search for laser pulses from intelligent life in the universe while developing a crucial instrument that will allow astronomers to see distant stars more clearly on what will become the world’s largest telescope.
And Karin Sandstrom is studying the diffuse gas and dust between the stars in galaxies, tracking how it evolves over the history of the universe.
These three women— astrophysicists recently hired as assistant professors of physics in UC San Diego’s Division of Physical Sciences and the Center for Astrophysics and Space Sciences, or CASS—are giving humanity a view of the universe as it’s never been seen before.
But their impact goes far beyond their pioneering celestial research on telescopes around the world. On campus, they’ve joined UC San Diego’s four other female physics professors—Alison Coil, Eva-Maria Collins, Olga Dudko and Elizabeth Jenkins—as important mentors and role models for women like themselves hoping to pursue careers in astronomy and physics.
“Astronomy and physics are still very male-dominated fields, and it can be challenging for women to get to the next level,” explained Konopacky. “So even though record numbers of women are entering graduate school in these fields, it’s still difficult to push through to the next level and get permanent positons. What we used as our role models were the women who were able to survive during much more difficult and much more challenging times; people like my former graduate advisor at UCLA, Andrea Ghez, or Margaret Burbidge, who is a distinguished emeritus physics professor here, or Sally Ride [a former physics professor at UC San Diego]. I hope that through my teaching and by involving students in my research I can help open up more doors for women in the future who are following behind me as well.”
“Improving diversity in any field benefits the community as a whole,” said Wright, noting that she’s honored to be on the same campus where Maria Mayer, the second woman ever to win a Nobel Prize, was hired as a physics professor, and Margaret Burbidge, who was initially denied access to Palomar Observatory because of her gender, paved the way for the current generation of women astronomers. “We’re scientists and, as scientists, we know that when you bring in people with different perspectives and experiences, it helps you solve problems.”
Recognizing those benefits, more and more of the nation’s universities are making diversity a top priority in faculty recruitments. But that trend has also heightened competition among the top research institutions for the best candidates. All of which makes UC San Diego’s recruitment of three prominent female early-career astrophysicists a remarkable achievement.
“This was a coup,” said George Fuller, the director of CASS, adding that astronomy and physics departments around the country have taken notice and many have sent congratulations. “These are outstanding scientists. And they are working in fields that are very crucial to us.”
During the 2014 academic year, about one-third of the nation’s physics and astronomy departments hired exclusively men, said Susan White, a statistician at the American Institute of Physics, in College Park, Md., who keeps track of annual hiring statistics for astronomy and physics at U.S. universities and colleges. Among the remaining two-thirds of institutions that were successful in adding a female physics or astronomy faculty member, “the vast majority hired one woman, while about 10 percent hired two,” she said.
“I would say it’s very exceptional,” added White of the campus’ three new physics faculty recruitments. “That’s very hard to do.”
U.C. San Diego’s physics department is not alone in making substantial strides in improving the diversity of its physical science faculty. Last June, Chemical & Engineering News ranked UC San Diego’s chemistry and biochemistry department second in the nation in a survey of professorships held by underrepresented minorities.
“Our ability to recruit the best early-career scientists is a testament to the strength of our faculty and research programs,” said Mark Thiemens, dean of the Division of Physical Sciences. But it’s also been helped along by an innovative hiring program in the division to increase faculty diversity in physics, chemistry and mathematics—disciplines long dominated by white males.
“We told the departments to search for anyone, in any field,” he added. “Above all, they must be an extraordinary scholar, but one with an exceptional commitment to diversity. Standard searches aren’t sufficient to move the needle. You have to be aggressive, to go out and find the best people.”
While the physics department last year was provided funding from the campus to hire one new faculty member, the exceptional background of the three candidates allowed it to argue for a second position through the division’s excellence fund and a third from the UC Office of the President, said Ben Grinstein, chair of the physics department.
So what will be the impact for students of the near doubling in one year of the number of female physics professors on campus? Plenty.
Grinstein pointed out that the number of female physics majors on the campus has steadily grown, nearly tripling in just the past eight years—from 36 students in 2008 to 101 students in the 2015 fall quarter. That trend, he said, underlines the importance of having visible role models and mentors among the faculty for women hoping to pursue advanced degrees and careers in physics and astronomy.
According to the American Institute of Physics, female graduate students and postdocs in those fields are frequently hampered by “the imposter syndrome”—the belief that they don’t really belong in scientific disciplines dominated by men. As a consequence, many women drop out before they can establish their careers as scientists. But effective mentors, particularly other women scientists, have been shown in studies to counteract that problem.
“Men can also be exceptional mentors,” said White. “But there’s something about being someone who looks like you. It’s easier to believe you can do something when they look like you.”
Along with Alison Coil, an associate professor of physics who has long taken the leadership on campus in promoting opportunities for women in astronomy and physics, the three new assistant professors have been working with students to help plan a three-day regional Conference for Undergraduate Women in Physics, which took place on the campus last weekend.
Sandstrom is mentoring an undergraduate physics major, Bethany Ludwig, on a project studying the dust from a supernova remnant and is overseeing the work of a graduate student from Bulgaria, Petia Yanchulova Merica-Jones, examining the glowing dust from images taken by the Hubble Space Telescope. Konopacky is working with Debbie Tran, a physics major specializing in astrophysics, who has been helping her analyze data from the Gemini Planet Imager, the instrument in Chile and Hawaii from which they are able to obtain detailed information in the infrared about the atmospheres of Jupiter-like planets outside of our solar system.
“Debbie has made a huge amount of progress in a very short time and the work that she's done has already been incorporated into papers by a number of different people in our collaboration,” said Konopacky.
Fuller said he hopes the increased interest in physics and astronomy among women on the campus—and the corresponding increase in women faculty mentors this year—will translate into more females entering careers in physics and astronomy because the opportunities for research have expanded.
“New areas in astrophysics have been created that didn’t exist a few years ago,” he said. “If you throw away half the population, you’re not doing the field or your institution any good.”
Fuller noted that the physics faculty takes special pride in the fact that UC San Diego was one of the first universities to actively recruit the best women physicists and astronomers in the world—at a time when other universities wouldn’t hire them as full-time faculty members or would otherwise put restrictions on their employment.
“UC San Diego was a pioneer in that regard,” he said. Before Maria and Joseph Mayer were recruited to the campus in 1960 from the University of Chicago, for example, it was Joseph, not Maria, who had a faculty position. “Maria only had a desk there,” Fuller said. “UC San Diego gave Maria Mayer her first faculty job.” In 1963, as a professor of physics here, Mayer won the Nobel Prize in Physics for proposing the nuclear shell model of the atomic nucleus.
Two years after Maria Mayer’s arrival, in 1962, Margaret Burbidge and her husband Geoffrey were recruited from the University of Chicago as professors. But in order to avoid the anti-nepotism hiring rules at the time, the campus found a way to hire Margaret as a chemistry professor because Geoffrey’s appointment was in physics. Margaret was eventually given a professorship in physics, served as the first director of CASS from 1979 to 1988 and was awarded the National Medal of Science in 1983.
The late Sally Ride, the first American woman in space, was appointed a professor of physics in 1989 on the campus as well as director of the California Space Institute. She was an emeritus professor of physics at UC San Diego until her death in 2012.
In recent decades, Fuller lamented that the university hadn’t been able to build on its longstanding tradition of breaking the glass ceiling for outstanding women physicists by providing more faculty positions to women. But he’s clearly thrilled that in one year, in one fell swoop, the pendulum has swung back again.
“We’re a world leader again,” said Fuller proudly.
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You are right. This phenomenon goes all the way back to Vulgar Latin and applies to other Romance languages, as well.
First of all, a little phonetics background: the vowels /e/ and /i/ are what phoneticians call front vowels, because they are articulated in the frontal part of the mouth, unlike, for example, /a/, /o/ and /u/, which are articulated more to the back, closer to the throat. Actually, /a/ is a front vowel, but articulated at a lower part of the mouth. And the consonants /k/ and /g/ are velar consonants, that is, they are articulated with the back of the tongue against the back part of the roof of the mouth (velum).
Now, take the Latin word CIRCA (/kirka/), for example. To pronounce this word, the speaker has, first, to articulate a consonant at the back of the mouth (the velar /k/) followed by a vowel at the front (the close front vowel /i/). In cases like this, it is very common the occurrence of a phonological phenomenon called palatalization, which played a key role in the development of the Romance languages. Palatalization involves displacing the point of articulation to an area closer to the hard palate (the middle part of the roof of the mouth).
In this specific example, the consonant /k/ became an affricate: /tsirca/. Later on, the affricate /ts/ lost is occlusive articulation (the /t/ part) and became /sirca/ (modern Spanish "cerca"). A similar thing happened to /g/ before /e/ and /i/ (e.g. Latin /gens/ > Spanish /xente/). In the case of /a/, /o/ and /u/, due to their being back and/or lower, they did not cause palatalization. So, for example, Latin CASUS became Spanish "caso" (and not */tsaso/ or something like that).
But note that, although these sounds underwent a series of important changes, their spelling was kept similar to the original Latin spelling, for some reason. In order to avoid ambiguity, a special spelling convention was then adopted to represent the sequences of sounds /ke/ and /ki/: "que" and "qui", respectively.
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January 10th, 2012
05:11 PM ET
Science has shown the dangers of cigarette smoking on lungs– smoking undermines lung function, causes lung cancer and long-term breathing problems such as chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). But what about smoking marijuana?
Researchers sought to determine whether exposure to marijuana smoke, which contains many of the same components in cigarette smoke, would also show negative effects on lung function.
They were surprised to find that subjects who occasionally smoked pot – meaning two to three times per month – did not show the same reduced lung function that was seen in cigarette smoking. The study was published in the Journal of the American Medical Association.
Participants from Oakland, Chicago, Minneapolis and Birmingham were repeatedly measured for pulmonary function, height, smoking behavior, and waist circumference and asked about cigarette and marijuana smoking during each assessment.
“There are well known effects of tobacco on pulmonary function and we thought, going into this, that we would find similar types of effects for marijuana,” said lead study author Dr. Mark J. Pletcher of the University of California, San Francisco.
As expected, his team found among cigarette smokers, the more smoke a subject was exposed to, the more adverse effects they had in lung function. Lung function was measured with spirometry testing, which shows the amount of air a person can forcibly exhale, giving doctors a measure of how well the lungs are functioning.
But Pletcher notes that his team was surprised to find that subjects who smoked limited amounts of marijuana actually were able to blow large volumes of air into the spirometer.
“People who smoke marijuana inhale very deeply, which may strengthen the muscles used for inhalation – basically making them good at the test. So even though it’s a very statistically significant result, it probably doesn’t have any physiologic meaning in terms of function,” he explained.
Subjects who smoked larger amounts of marijuana, which Pletcher described as smoking one joint per day, did show evidence of reduced pulmonary function, and he stressed that his study results are not intended to encourage people to use marijuana.
However, for patients for whom medical marijuana may be a treatment option, the authors write that "marijuana may have beneficial effects on pain control, appetite, mood, and management of other chronic symptoms. Our findings suggest that occasional use of marijuana for these or other purposes may not be associated with adverse consequences on pulmonary function. It is much more difficult to estimate the potential effects of regular heavy use... our findings do suggest an accelerated decline in pulmonary function with heavy use."
It’s important to note that the findings of this study are not meant to encourage marijuana smoking, nor did the study examine other known negative effects of marijuana use, which include problems with memory, concentration and perception.
Marijuana is the most commonly used illegal drug in the United States, according to the National Institute on Drug Abuse. Long term use of marijuana can lead to addiction, and chronic marijuana use is associated with mental health problems including anxiety and depression. Studies have shown that when marijuana use begins at a younger age, it may increase mental health problems, including psychosis, according to NIDA.
About this blog
Get a behind-the-scenes look at the latest stories from CNN Chief Medical Correspondent, Dr. Sanjay Gupta, Senior Medical Correspondent Elizabeth Cohen and the CNN Medical Unit producers. They'll share news and views on health and medical trends - info that will help you take better care of yourself and the people you love.
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Black-winged Oriole (Oriolus nigripennis) - HBW 13, p. 729
French: Loriot à ailes noires
Spanish: Oropéndola Alinegra
Taxonomy: Oriolus nigripennis J. Verreaux and É. Verreaux, 1855, Gabon River.
Belongs to the “African black-headed group”, which also includes O. chlorocephalus, O. crassirostris, O. brachyrhynchus, O. monacha, O. percivali and O. larvatus. Proposed race leucostictus (described from Beni, in NE DRCongo) synonymized with nominate. Boundary between the two races uncertain, but probably R Niger, in Nigeria. Species often treated as monotypic. Two subspecies tentatively recognized.
Subspecies and Distribution:
- alleni Amadon, 1953 - Sierra Leone and SE Guinea E to SW Nigeria.
- nigripennis J. Verreaux & É. Verreaux, 1855 - SE Nigeria and S Cameroon E to S Sudan and NW Uganda, S to NW Angola; also Bioko I (Fernando Póo).
- Least Concern Enlarge map
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Euclidean space is the usual n-dimensional mathematical space, a generalization of the 2- and 3-dimensional spaces studied by Euclid. Formally, for any non-negative integer n, n-dimensional Euclidean space is the set Rn (where R is the set of real numbers) together with the distance function obtained by defining the distance between two points (x1, ..., xn) and (y1, ...,yn) to be the square root of Σ (xi-yi)2, where the sum is over i = 1, ..., n. This distance function is based on the Pythagorean Theorem and is called the Euclidean metric.
The term "n-dimensional Euclidean space" is usually abbreviated to "Euclidean n-space", or even just "n-space". Euclidean n-space is denoted by E n, although Rn is also used (with the metric being understood). E 2 is called the Euclidean plane.
By definition, E n is a metric space, and is therefore also a topological space. It is the prototypical example of an n-manifold, and is in fact a differentiable n-manifold. For n ≠ 4, any differentiable n-manifold that is homeomorphic to E n is also diffeomorphic to it. The surprising fact that this is not also true for n = 4 was proved by Simon Donaldson in 1982; the counterexamples are called exotic (or fake) 4-spaces.
Much could be said about the topology of E n, but that will have to wait until a later revision of this article. One important result, Brouwer's invariance of domain, is that any subset of E n which is homeomorphic to an open subset of E n is itself open. An immediate consequence of this is that E m is not homeomorphic to E n if m ≠ n -- an intuitively "obvious" result which is nonetheless not easy to prove.
See also: Euclidean geometry.
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A new study of giant viruses supports the idea that viruses are ancient living organisms and not inanimate molecular remnants run amok, as some scientists have argued. The study may reshape the universal family tree, adding a fourth major branch to the three that most scientists agree represent the fundamental domains of life....
The researchers used a relatively new method to peer into the distant past. Rather than comparing genetic sequences, which are unstable and change rapidly over time, they looked for evidence of past events in the three-dimensional, structural domains of proteins. These structural motifs, called folds, are relatively stable molecular fossils that – like the fossils of human or animal bones – offer clues to ancient evolutionary events, says Univ. of Illinois crop sciences and Institute for Genomic Biology professor Gustavo Caetano-Anollés, who led the analysis.
Originally posted by Sly1one
I've honestly wondered sometimes if all of humanity isn't under the control of some yet to be identified parasite that is controlling us like machines to do their bidding. The differences in culture and social beliefs could be nothing more than differences in the parasite species...
ahhh speculation is a wonderful thing that can also be pretty frighting at times.
I'm no expert on the topic but thought if this is true then the implications would be fairly drastic and could open a whole other angle on life here on earth and possibly on other worlds.
Considering the nature of Viruses to survive, we may need to rethink about the requirements for life elsewhere.....
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2 Answers | Add Yours
Keats' philosophy and poems represent some thought provoking ideas that is possible in art. Many of his work sought to illuminate ideas that can only be classified as representing "the human predicament." This moves his work into the realm of philosophy as well poetry. No better is this seen in "Ode on a Grecian Urn," in which the study of a Greek vase represents thought provoking musings on the nature of consciousness, art, and meaning. The closing couplet of the poem has becomes some of the most studied lines in literature in its articulation of a condition Keats called, "Negative Capability," a predicament in which one learns to live with and appreciate doubt and uncertainty. His ballad, "La Belle Dame Sans Merci" is a work that possesses different layers of meaning depending on the point of view of the reader, indicating its truly complex nature. It was not merely the philosophy of Keats which proves relevant. His technical proficiency in both rhyme and use of image filled language, such as in "To Autumn," fills the mind with powerful and lush pictures of nature and change. Keats is relevant today for both the philosophical nature of his work as well his ability to write poetry of a high caliber. When Keats desired "to be amongst the greatest of poets," his modern relevancy is revealed, as it was his wish to have his poems play a role in a modern appreciation of poetry.
John Keats is a person who has deep thoughts for nature. his highly imaginable power & desire to remain alone expresses his passion for poetry.
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Roll of Honour with poppies,
Australian War Memorial
Image courtesy of the Department of Veterans' Affairs
Originally called Armistice Day, this day commemorated the end of the hostilities for the Great War (World War I), the signing of the armistice, which occurred on 11 November 1918 – the 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month. Armistice Day was observed by the Allies as a way of remembering those who died, especially soldiers with 'no known grave'.
On the first anniversary of the armistice, in 1919, one minute's silence was instituted as part of the main commemorative ceremony. In London, in 1920, the commemoration was given added significance with the return of the remains of an unknown soldier from the battlefields of the Western Front.
The Flanders poppy became accepted throughout the allied nations as the flower of remembrance to be worn on Armistice Day. The red poppies were among the first plants that sprouted from the devastation of the battlefields of northern France and Belgium. 'Soldiers' folklore had it that the poppies were vivid red from having been nurtured in ground drenched with the blood of their comrades'.
After the end of World War II in 1945, the Australian and British governments changed the name to Remembrance Day as an appropriate title for a day which would commemorate all war dead. In October 1997, then Governor-General of Australia, Sir William Deane, issued a proclamation declaring:
11 November as Remembrance Day and urging Australians to observe one minute's silence at 11.00 am on Remembrance Day each year to remember the sacrifice of those who died or otherwise suffered in Australia's cause in wars and war-like conflicts.
The end of the Great War 1918
In Victoria Street a group of Australian 'boys' accompanied by a band and their girls decorated in red, white and blue, were swinging down towards Whitehall to the huge delight of all spectators... In Whitehall we got blocked, but what did it matter? We danced on the buses, we danced on the lorries, we danced on the pavement, we shouted, we sang... the office boys and girls at the War Office yelled to their companions across the way; we cheered and cheered again and again, while the Church bells rang out a peal of jubilation...
Sir Evelyn Wrench, 'Struggle', 1914-1918 in They Saw it Happen 1897-1940, compiled by Asa Briggs.
It's no wonder Australian soldiers were dancing in the streets of London. The 11 November 1918 marked the end of the bloodiest war the world had seen, 'the war to end all wars'. Of the Australian population of 5 million, 300,000 young men went to the Great War. More than two thirds of soldiers were casualties of the war: 60,000 Australian soldiers died and 156,000 were wounded or taken prisoner.
Australia's involvement in the Western Front
1st Australian Division near Broodseinde, Belgium. Image courtesy of the Australian War Memorial: AWM-E833.
At the outbreak of war in Europe in 1914, Australia was a federation of colonies, as part of the British Empire. The Australian government committed itself to supporting the British war effort and Australian men volunteered to fight. Australian troops were often used by the British command as the first wave of an assault, leading to heavy casualties.
The first troops were diverted to Egypt, and with the New Zealanders, were formed into the Australian and New Zealand Army Corps (ANZAC) which invaded the Turkish Gallipoli peninsula, on 25 April 1915. Nearly 8000 Australian men died in the Dardanelles campaign; 800 died at Lone Pine – the most famous of the Gallipoli battlegrounds.
In early 1916, the Australian divisions joined the British army on the Western Front. The Front ran for more than 750 kilometres, from northern France through Belgium to the French-Swiss border in the south.
In 1916, Australians were at the main battle front of the war. In July, on the Somme, the Australians were engaged in one of the bloodiest, most destructive battles in history. Over several weeks, in a series of determined attacks against strong defence, the Australians suffered a rate of casualties that was nearly unsustainable. The single worst day of the war was at the battle of Fromelles.
On the evening of 19 July the Australian 5th Division and the British 61st Division attacked the Fromelles ridge in a diversionary attack.... The two divisions chosen for this battle were both new to the sector and lacked local battle experience. The men had to assault over open fields criss-crossed with drainage ditches and in the face of heavy machine-gun and artillery fire. Many fell, while others were overwhelmed by German counter-attacks. The attack failed, with 5,000 Australian casualties, and no ground was taken.
Peter Burness, Exhibition Curator, 1916
The unveiling of a memorial to fallen members of the 1st Australian Division on the Pozieres battlefield. Department of Veterans' Affairs.
Fromelles was followed by six weeks of fighting 'in the murderous ordeal that was Pozieres'. On 23 July, the 1st Australian Division captured Pozieres, but within five days the 1st Division had lost 5,000 men. The 1st Division was replaced by the 2nd, and there were almost 7,000 casualties in twelve days. The 4th Division was the next to take part and all suffered heavily.
Over a period of 42 days the Australians made 19 attacks, 16 of them at night. As a consequence, the total casualties were a staggering 23,000 men, of whom 6,800 were killed. Charles Bean, Australia's official wartime historian, later wrote that Pozieres Ridge marked 'a site more densely sown with Australian sacrifice than any other place on earth'.
At Pozieres ... the destructive power of artillery now dominated the battlefield. Shrapnel tore men to pieces, high explosive blew them to bits and destroyed trenches, smoke covered the turned-up, stinking ground. Added to this were gas shells. It was the worst artillery shelling that the Australians experienced in the entire war.
Peter Burness, Exhibition Curator, 1916
Winter in the Somme with more battles and casualties
In November 1916, the Australians returned to the Somme, accompanied by the 5th Division where they made attacks near Gueudecourt and Flers, but the muddy conditions meant that the fighting came to an end on 18 November. The rain, mud, and slush of winter 'made life wretched' with respiratory diseases, frost bite and 'trench foot' – caused by prolonged standing in water. Large-scale fighting did not resume until early 1917 when spring approached.
Flanders poppies. Courtesy of
Australian War Memorial.
The Somme was followed by battles at Bullecourt and Messines, followed by the battle of the Third Battle of Ypres in which all five Australian divisions and the New Zealand Division fought, where another 76,000 men were killed or wounded. The final phase of the Third Battle of Ypres, Passchendaele, was one of World War I's bloodiest battles, involving at least 300,000 troops from the British Empire and more than 250,000 German casualties between 31 July and 6 November 1917.
A total of 10,000 Australians died at Bullecourt in 1917. Charles Bean wrote of the Australian engagement at the Somme, that the men 'are simply turned in there as into some ghastly giant mincing machine'. Nearly 23,000 men died at the Somme.
Finally, at 11 am on 11 November 1918 the guns of the Western Front fell silent after more than four years of continuous warfare.
An army of volunteers, mates and diggers
Entombment of the unknown Australian soldier from the Western Front at the Australian War Memorial's Hall of Memory. Courtesy of the Department of Veterans Affairs.
Unlike many of its Allies, Australia did not conscript its soldiers to fight in the Great War – all Australian soldiers were volunteers. The Australian Prime Minister, Billy Hughes, was aware that the scale of fighting on the Western Front would make heavy demands on the nation and had always wanted to introduce conscription rather than rely solely on voluntary recruitment. The losses at Pozieres had only reinforced his views.
There were two referendums on conscription: in October 1916 and December 1917. Although the 'no' vote to conscription was successful on both occasions, the 'no' wins were narrow ones. The 1916 referendum recorded a 64,549 majority for 'no' and the 1917 referendum recorded a win for the 'no' case of 149,795. While the 'No' vote narrowly prevailed, the population remained bitterly divided over the issue.
Charles Bean wrote of the Australian diggers in relation to their status as volunteers;
... he accepted the rigid army methods as conditions temporarily necessary, he never became reconciled to continuous obedience to orders, existence by rule, and lack of privacy. His individualism had been so strongly implanted as to stand out after years of subordination. Even on the Western Front he had exercised his vote in the Australian elections and in the referendums as to conscription, and it was largely through his own act in these ballots that the Australian people had rejected conscription and that, to the end, the A.I.F. consisted entirely of volunteers.
'The Australian Imperial Force in France During the Allied Offensive, 1918' reprinted in The Australian: Yarns, Ballads, Legends, Traditions of the Australian People, edited by Bill Wannan, Australasian Book Society, Melbourne, 1958, pp. 31-32.
The Great War contributed to the Australian definition of mateship as a shared experience based on mutual respect and the significance of Armistice and Remembrance Day has continued for Australians. Many households were cast into mourning in the face of such terrible losses. Many streets in towns and suburbs across Australia were marked by households bereft of men.
Commemorations on the Western Front
The names of the places and battles fought there are part of the collective Australian memory – the Somme, Pozieres, Ypres, Villers-Bretonneux, Bullecourt, Amiens, Passchendaele, and the Hindenburg Line. The names of many Australians who died in the First World War appear on memorials along the Western Front, including 18,000 men of the Australian Imperial Force with 'no known grave'.
Each year services are held at memorials in Belgium to commemorate the service and sacrifice of the allied forces who fought to reclaim Belgium from the Germans.
'At 8pm every night the Last Post can be heard at the Menin Gate in Ypres. Hundreds of thousands of Allied soldiers, including thousands of Australians, marched through the original Menin Gate on their way to battle,' Mr Griffin said.
Today the names of more than 52,000 Allied men who have no known grave, including 6,000 Australians, are listed on the stone panels of the gate.
Menin lions – from Ypres to Canberra
In 1936, two large stone guardian lions were donated to the Australian War Memorial by the burgomaster (mayor) of the Belgian city of Ypres. The lions, carved from limestone, were given to the Australian government as a gesture of friendship. In exchange, in 1938, the Memorial gave a bronze casting of C. Web Gilbert's sculpture Digger on behalf of the Australian government. The inscription on the casting of Digger reads:
In assurance of a friendship that will not be forgotten even when the last digger has gone west and the last grave is crumbled.
The lions had originally stood on plinths on either side of the Menin Gate at Ypres. This gate was one of only two entries into the medieval fortified city. It was through this gate that allied soldiers, including Australians, marched to the battlefields of the Ypres salient between 1914 and 1918. After the war, the Menin Gate was chosen as the site for a memorial to the thousands of allied soldiers who were killed in the area but had no known grave.
Australia's Unknown Soldier laid to rest
In 1993, to mark the 75th anniversary of the 1918 armistice, the Australian Government exhumed the remains of an unknown Australian soldier from the Western Front for entombment at the Australian War Memorial's Hall of Memory, Canberra. As Australia's Unknown Soldier was laid to rest, World War I veteran Robert Comb, who had served in battles on the Western Front, sprinkled soil from Pozieres, France, over the coffin and said, 'Now you're home, mate'.
In 2007, the Queen led commemorations in Belgium marking 90 years since the battle of Passchendaele. Along with Belgium's Queen Paola, the Australian Governor-General and leaders from New Zealand and Canada, the ceremony remembered the 300,000 Allied casualties at the Third Battle of Ypres at Passchendaele and the more than 100,000 men who died with no known graves.
2008 marked the 90th anniversary of the Australian attack at Villers-Bretonneux. On the night of 24 April 1918, men of the Australian Imperial Force (AIF) attacked German forces that had captured the French town of Villers-Bretonneux earlier that day. The action was successful, but the fighting was fierce, and many lives were lost on both sides.
New Fromelles cemetery
The Fromelles cemetery, built by the Commonwealth War Graves Commission, is the first official war cemetery built for more than fifty years. The cemetery will hold the remains of up to 400 Australian and British soldiers who were found in 2008 in a group burial ground near Pheasant Wood. The site is diagonally opposite the village church at Fromelles, overlooking the battlefield to the west and within line of sight of the original burial ground at Pheasant Wood. The cemetery is intended to honour their memory and be a place of pilgrimage. At the Battle of Fromelles, Australia suffered 5,500 casualties, with more than 1,900 killed. Another 470 were taken prisoner.
The Australians at Pheasant Wood are among more than 18,000 of their countrymen killed on the Western Front who have no known grave. The original burial ground, which is too water-logged to be a cemetery, and to which access is relatively difficult, will be commemorated with a community memorial. The re-interment of 249 of the 250 soldiers recovered from Pheasant Wood commenced on 30 January 2010 with the burial of the first of the soldiers.
Lest we forget
Ceremonies of remembrance
Australian WW1 resources
Traditions of remembrance
- How the tradition of poppies for remembrance began
- Returned Services League
- Australian War Memorial and the Memorial Parade
Personal stories of Australian diggers
- Albert Edward Vinall
- Albert Jacka, V.C., M.C. and Bar
- Brigadier Sir Murray W.J. Bourchier
- Sir John Monash
- Trooper Peter Kerr
- The assassin of Gallipoli, Trooper William 'Billy' Sing
- Thomas William Glasgow
Australian WW1 references
Australian Women in War – Department of Veterans' Affairs
General WW1 resources
Last updated: 17 November 2015
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Visit our Sister Sites:
How to Grow Sweet Pea
Annual, perennial, Lathyrus
Sweet Peas are an old fashioned flower, a favorite in the home garden. Most likely Grandma grew them. Chances are, you are carrying on the tradition. These fragrant charmers were brought to you from Europe. There is a large variety of both annual and perennial varieties. How many varieties, you ask? There's well over 1,000 to choose from!
There are vining and non-vining varieties producing an early bloom in cool weather. Non-vining varieties grow 1-2 feet tall. Vining varieties can grow 10-12 feet, or more. Flowers grow up to 2-3 inches in diameter. Sweet Pea colors include blue, white, pink, cream, and purple flowers. Purple is by far the most common and most popular.
Sweet Peas are a hardy annual that thrives in cool weather. The plants can survive frosts, freezes, and a snow cover. That's how their cousin the vegetable "Snow Peas" got their name.
They can be grown in your flower garden, or scattered as a wildflower.
Sweet Peas are grown from seed. Directly seed them into your flower garden in the spring.
Sow Sweet Pea seeds 6 inches apart and 1 to 1/12 inches deep.
Once your plants have been established, they usually reseed themselves.
These fast sprouting, fast growing plants are not good candidates for an indoor start.
How to Grow Sweet Peas:
Sweet Pea plants are very, very easy to grow. They prefer full sun and cool weather. The plants do well in a variety of soils, but prefer rich soil. They are not bothered by cold, wet soils.
Water them during dry periods, once or twice per week. For maximum growth and bloom, add a general purpose fertilizer, once a month.
For vining types, plant them along a fence or pole. Or, provide a trellis for them to climb.
Sweet Pea are also considered wildflowers. Once established, they will thrive and spread easily. If in a flower garden, they can get out of hand easily and overcrowd other flowers.
To promote continuous blooming, pinch off spent blooms to before the seed begins to form.
Insect and Disease:
Sweet Peas are popular among a variety of insects, birds and butterflies. The most common insect problems include aphids and root borers. Insecticides and repellents are usually effective. Slugs can also be a problem.
In very wet and cold weather, mildew and fungus can invade your plants. Use fungicides early, before disease gets a foothold.
Insect and Disease:
Insect and disease problems are infrequent. Apply insecticides or fungicides only as needed.
Buy Flower, Vegetable and Herb Seeds Over 500 varieties of top quality seeds at discount prices. The best quality at the best price.
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Solid geometry examines how three dimensional shapes interact with their sides. Complex solids are produced by combining and/or removing parts of simpler three dimensional shapes, such as cuboids, cylinders, prisms, pyramids, spheres, and cones. The study of solid geometry starts with calculating geometric characteristics (perimeter, area, and volume) of complex shapes and looking at the relationships between solid geometry and calculus, coordinate geometry, and problems concerning the construction of solids. At the college level, solid geometry includes calculations using multiple integrals, geometric modeling of free-form figures based on linear and nonlinear transformations, computer-aided constructive modeling of solids, and free-form solid representation.
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In math there are many key concepts and terms that are crucial for students to know and understand. Often it can be hard to determine what the most important math concepts and terms are, and even once you’ve identified them you still need to understand what they mean. To help you learn and understand key math terms and concepts, we’ve identified some of the most important ones and provided detailed definitions for them, written and compiled by Chegg experts.
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Sub-D Modeling in Cinema 4D Extruding Odd Shaped Holes While Retaining the Shape
A great series by Shane Benson centered around aspects of Subdivision Modeling in Cinema 4D continues with part seven which looks at an approach for extruding odd shaped holes from surfaces while still trying to maintain the object’s original shape.
demonstrating how to extrude a superman logo shaped hole, into a cylinder while maintaining the cylindrical shape of the cylinder
This is kind of an extension of Shane’s previous look at extruding a different shape or form from another. The example that Shane works with here is creating a hexagon hole in the surface of a cylinder, where you have the straight edges of the the hex hole, but you also need to keep the shape of the original cylinder. This is always a challenging task in any modeler, as every cut or edge you create needs to be purposeful, and as can happen easily with Sub-D modeling, it is difficult to retain the shapes or keep the surface pinch or glitch free while doing so.
If you need to catch up to the rest of the series on Sub-D Modeling in Cinema 4D, check out the previous posts:
- SUB-D MODELING IN CINEMA 4D CREATING TRANSITIONAL GEOMETRY TO EXTRUDE ONE SHAPE FROM ANOTHER
- SUB-D MODELING IN CINEMA 4D CREATING 180 DEGREE CUTS TO REDUCE ARTIFACTS
- SUB-D MODELING IN CINEMA 4D CREATING HOLES IN SHAPES AND OBJECTS
- SUB-D MODELING IN CINEMA 4D SYNOPSIS OF QUADS AND TRIANGLES
- SUB-D MODELING IN CINEMA 4D AND THE BASICS OF HYPERNURBS
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Reading sound (shape-in-air) of poem as acoustic phenomena (in air, heard by ear), one hears the syllable, word, line (and line break), stanza unit, whole poem determined by the poem’s shape on the page, its physical presence (seen by eye) as letters written/composed/transcribed on the page into words, there to be perceived by the human (reader) when the poem is read aloud (or silently, thereby entering the mind’s ear as sound only imagined).
Sound in the poem (i.e., the sound of “sound of waves in channel,” “sound of song sparrow calling from tobacco plant branch in right foreground”) is an approximation of actual ‘real’ sound in the world: is the sound of words which themselves are not exactly that sound — not the same thing as that sound — but can enact it, can be a transcription of it, as Stein suggested when she talked about “the word or words that made what I looked at look like itself” (and elsewhere, “made what I looked at be itself”).
What I want to think about here is the relation between poem on the page vs. — i.e., ‘as opposed to,’ not ‘better’ or ‘worse’ than but different from, not the same as but not equal to — poem in the air, by which I mean the physical shape of letters-composed-into-words-arranged-in-lines on-the-page (what we as readers read with the eye when we read the poem on the page) vs. what I would call the ‘acoustic shape’ of those same letters-composed-into-words arranged-in-lines-on-the-page read aloud (what we as listeners hear with the ear when we hear someone else read the poem). I don’t mean to ‘privilege’ the sound of the poem in the air over its shape on the page, nor do I mean to suggest that the sound I am thinking about is (simply) speech itself, the sound of voice a talking/speaking, that “speech” that one Robert Grenier once (famously, at least to some of us) once said (wrote) “I hate.” What I do want to do here is think about the physics of the poem’s sound (words in air perceived with EAR) in relation to the poem’s shape (words on page perceived with EYE) — these most obvious of ‘conditions’ — because it seems to me there’s more here than meets the eye (or ear). That is to say, we sometimes read poems on the page, and we also sometimes go to poetry readings, hear poems read aloud (most often, though not always of course, without having the poem being read aloud by the poet on the page in front of us, so that we might ‘read along with’ the poem, following his or her words on the page as he or she reads them aloud). Everyone here in this room has had, I presume, both of these experiences: the experience of reader sitting in chair reading words on page; the experience of listener, also sitting in chair, hearing words read aloud by someone else, someone who is seeing the words on the page in order to read (i.e., translate) them into the air.
So what are the differences between these two obviously different kinds of experiences of these two also obviously different ‘conditions’ of the poem — one the physical ‘shape’ (image) of its words on the page, one the acoustic ‘echo’ (sound) of those words read into the air, one of which we see with our eyes, the other of which we hear with our ears? What, to put it differently, is the difference between sound and shape in poetry (the acoustic dimension, the visual dimension), which isn’t exactly the distinction Zukofsky was making between “Upper limit music” and “Lower limit speech”? What for example is the difference between the duration of syllable, word, line, stanza, whole poem in air vs. on the page? And what exactly is it that we hear when we hear the poem read? And in what ways are the ‘things’ we hear (in the air) different from ‘things’ we see (on the page) when the poem is read silently? And why are these differences important, why do they matter?
These distinctions matter, let me simply say, because we hardly notice them: the poem on the page is so obviously not the same poem in the air — the poem we read not the same as the poem we listen to, being read — that we are likely not to pay any attention to the differences between what we see and what we hear, the physical ‘shapes’ of words on the page and the corresponding acoustic ‘shapes’ of words in the air. Unnoticed effects (in this case the visual ‘effect’ of letters shaped into words arranged on the two-dimensional page, the sound ‘effect’ of those words read out into the air) are not, however, less significant than noticed ones. Nor is the distinction between sound (poem heard when read aloud) and image (poem read when seen on page) less important to our experience of poetry than the things we normally think of as being ‘important’: what the poem ‘says’ or is ‘about’ for example, the poet’s ‘influences’ or ‘school’ or ‘themes’ or ‘biography’ or ‘reputation’ etc. What I’m asking about here is the phenomenology of the poem itself: how do we come to know it in its different incarnations (as physical/acoustic phenomena), and why does it matter to pay attention to such things.
The sound of the poem conveys, in abstract ‘terms’ (sound vibrations), what the words ‘picture’ or ‘say.’ When I say ‘picture’ or ‘say’ I mean carries into the air, across to reader’s eye, listener’s ear, transcribes into physical letters (type) on the page, a two-dimensional surface/plane. The dimension in which the poem’s sound exists, and is perceived by listener/reader, is not the same physical dimension (‘space’) as poem’s words, made up of letters (of the alphabet) written down on the page.
The poem’s sound is the echo of its shape, the physical shape of its letters shaped into words on the page. It is the shadow cast by those letters/words struck by the light of the reader’s voice (perceived by listener’s ear, thence mind). The articulation of words by the reader reading silently or aloud casts the shadow of those words upon the ear’s plane, from which ‘point’ the perception of sound takes place. Just as the shape of the poem’s letters-shaped-into-words is stamped on the reader’s eye, so the sound of those letters-shaped-into-words is stamped onto the listener’s ear: two different kinds of perception lead to mind’s perception of poem.
The poem’s words ‘picture’ ‘things’ we ‘see’ (things which need not have ‘appeared, its ‘presence’ set against the nothing of total blindness/blankness) — the image, ‘poem-as-speaking-picture’ (ut picture poesis, as Horace said): this word-picture speaks to, is imprinted on, mind’s eye, so to speak. Sound on the other hand (also a presence against ground of ‘silence’ without this poem) is not visible, can’t be seen, is (somehow mysteriously) heard and (somehow, also mysteriously) felt: it conveys the ‘secret’ life of the poem’s emotion/feeling, appeals to emotion (note Pound’s melopoeia: “inducing emotional correlations by the sound and rhythm of the speech”).
To take a few examples, let me read to you these words from Wordsworth:
Five years have passed; five summers, with the length
Of five long winters! and again I hear
These waters, rolling from their mountain-springs
With a soft inland murmur …
followed by these words from Keats:
Season of mists and mellow fruitfulness,
Close-bosom friend of the maturing sun;
Conspiring with him how to load and bless
With fruit the vines that round the thatch-eaves run;
To bend with apples the mossed cottage-trees,
And fill all fruit with ripeness to the core;
To swell the gourd, and plump the hazel shells
With a sweet kernel; to set budding more,
And still more, later flowers for the bees,
Until they think warm days will never cease,
For Summer has o’er-brimmed their clammy cells …
followed by these words from Shelley:
O wild West Wind, thou breath of Autumn’s being,
Thou, from whose unseen presence the leaves dead
Are driven, like ghosts from an enchanter fleeing,
Yellow, and black, and pale, and hectic red,
Pestilence-stricken multitudes …
followed by these words from H.D.:
O wind, rend open the heat,
cut apart the heat
rend it to tatters …
You will notice that all of these are addressed to a second person, even in Wordsworth (Dorothy, who is standing there listening to William, enters the poem at line 115) — the poem as address to a listener going clear back to Homer (andra moi enepe: “sing in me muse”). You will also notice the sounds of the words I’ve just read to you: the sound of my voice reading these words, whose “sound and pitch emphasis … [are] never apart from [their] meaning” as Zukofsky put it. You will also, I believe, feel in those sounds something of the emotional ‘weight’ those words read/heard in those rhythms (those pitches sounded in those time intervals, those vibrations heard in those durations) convey. Hearing all that, what you don’t notice is what I see reading these same words on the page: their shape as letters, the white spaces (and punctuation) between them, the physical look of the physical language itself, whose presence on the page enables the potential sound encoded there to be made apparent (to the ear of the listener) when those words are read aloud by the person who reads the poem aloud, as I have just done.
Some would diagram/picture the poem’s sound as a graph of the speaking voice, rising and falling in “pitch emphasis.” I would suggest that Pollock’s drip paintings are an image of that same sound: ‘abstract,’ not a representation of any ‘thing’ we can see but a register of motion itself, the trace of a marking subject whose hand (read ‘voice’) poured the paint onto the canvas (read ‘words’ that, when read aloud, produce these sounds). Alternatively, I would think to use the shadow cast by the rock in Cézanne’s Bathers as an image of the poem’s sound: what we ‘see’/hear when light of voice hits words on the page, sound-as-shadow/echo-of-words-on-page-read-aloud: sound in this regard something like offstage action in a play, the action we hear about but don’t see performed physically by actors on the stage, things spoken about (aloud) in words only, the play’s ‘performed’ action analogous to the physical ‘action’ of words in the poem on the page.
The sound of the words in the poem is potential sound, realized as sound when the poem is read aloud. Words on the page present the reader (who reads the poem silently, as words on page) with ‘information’ as to how the poem might be read aloud, thereby releasing its sound into the air. Consider the opening ‘unit’ of Leslie Scalapino’s It’s go in / quiet illumined grass / land, which reads:
silver half freezing in day
of the outside sky walking
— words whose placement (in lines) on the page constitutes a syntax — knitting together/arrangement/composition of thought, perception/event in words — that exists (as event) on the page and, when read aloud, also then in the air, as sound (‘information’), that part of the poem which the physical shape of words gives (acoustic) rise to, as acoustic shape.
Words on the page are physical ‘action’ — ‘events’ made up (composed) of letters which are only part of the poem — the physical shape part, which can be perceived by the eye (and brain) but not ear. What words ‘say’ can be heard (can only be heard?) if/when the poem is read aloud, its words sounded in air.
Thus back to the question: what is the difference between words-on-page (physical objects, made of letters and spaces and marks of punctuation) and words-in-air (acoustic phenomena released into the air when words (syllables) are sounded)? And also, going from physical ‘thing-on-page’ to the nonphysical (acoustic) ‘thing-in-air,’ how does information transcribed on the page get ‘translated’ into the air — as pitch, duration, volume (loudness), voice emphasis? How exactly does poem act as musical score, its marks on paper analogous to notes in music whose instructions to the performer enable that person to play that piece?
And taking this question of performance further, how is the information of the poem on the page (which the reader perceives, with eye) different from the ‘same’ information of poem sounded in air (which the listener perceives, with ear)?
That is, what exactly does the ‘spoken’ text (words read aloud) give us (its ‘auditor’) that the ‘unspoken’ (merely read-with-eye) not give us (its ‘armchair reader’)? How can poem on page, which exists in silent ‘two-dimensional’ space out of time (like painting on wall, ‘abstract’ painting I should say, since words are abstract in the sense that they don’t actually picture the things, events, people, thoughts they refer to, as Pound would have us believe Chinese does, the character/picture of sun rising through tree branches meaning ‘EAST’) — how exactly does that physical work on the two-dimensional page enter the third dimension (air/space) as words sounded in time — the time it takes to perform it, the time it takes to hear it — and what does our experience of the poem in time (experience of poem read aloud, spoken, heard with ear) give us that the poem on the page doesn’t?
I read these words (again) on the page:
silver half freezing in day
of the outside sky walking
And then this next (second) ‘unit’ below it:
silver half freezing in day
of the outside rose, his seeing
seeing someone else at all and the
elation of the outside so that’s even
continually over and over one/person
What I see with my eye isn’t what I hear with my ear, doesn’t register the same ‘information’ in my brain. The words seen exist outside time, in “a / literary space outside of ideology & history, a zone / timeless / & blank” as Charles Bernstein puts it, exist ‘in potential’ (waiting for me to open book, turn the page, read them); the words read aloud take place in time, define the time of the poem by marking it out with/in those exact sounds. What has been written down, as mind’s act (“mind’s operations,” as Leslie Scalapino puts it) becomes ‘realized’ (‘real’) once read (with eye) and heard (with ear).
The sound of the voice reading the (silent) words arranged on the page enacts the poem’s ‘feeling’ (intangible), mind’s action in thinking such things (word events) in the first place. Sound (vibration) and pitch emphasis are not only not apart from its meaning; they get to the heart of where it (meaning) actually lies, waiting to be released (heard).
Two kinds of sound: those sounds we ‘see’ when we read the poem’s words on the page (silently) — “Th’expense of spirit in a waste of shame / Is lust in action, and till action, lust / Is perjured, murd’rous, bloody, full of blame, / Savage, extreme, rude, cruel, not to trust” — which we don’t actually hear; and those sounds we hear when we hear the poem read aloud — “Th’expense of spirit in a waste of shame / Is lust in action, and till action, lust / Is perjured, murd’rous, bloody, full of blame, / Savage, extreme, rude, cruel, not to trust” — which we don’t actually see (i.e., don’t see the letters-arranged-as-words that make those sounds ‘appear’ when the reader reads them aloud). The poem’s ‘information’ is encoded in two different (but interdependent) ‘languages’ — one (physical) performed in two dimensions, one (acoustic) performed when words lift off the page into the air; one read (as letters/words) by the eye, the other ‘read’ (as performed sounds) by the ear; one preceding the other in ‘composition’ (sound of words coming to mind before actual words written down on page), the other necessarily following ‘performance’ of the first (words written on page) as reader’s voice delivers them.
So what exactly are the differences between our experience (perception) of poem on page and poem in air? For one thing, one (the poem made up of letters made into words printed on the page) exists as I say in two dimensions, comes to us through the eyes: we see it, see its letters and words, its lines and the spaces between them, the black of printed text and white space of the page it floats on. Whereas the other exists in three dimensions, in the space of the room through which poem’s sound vibrations travel from mouth of the person who reads poem (aloud) to ear of the person who hears it so read. Thus two different ‘forms’ of same poem, or same poem ‘translated’ into two different shapes/incarnations (‘languages’), one (print) experienced with the eye, the other (sound) with the ear.
To read poem on page is to have an essentially ‘private’ experience. The line of communication goes from text-on-page through (reader’s) eye into (reader’s) mind: moves that is from the flatness of words printed on the page to an interior space inside the reader’s head (‘mind’s eye’ so to speak). To hear the poem read aloud could also be private — one person reading, one person listening — but can also, and often indeed is, ‘public’: one person reading, several people listening at the same time to the same poem read aloud. So it is (or can be) a ‘shared,’ ‘communal’ experience — ten or twelve or twenty-five of us sitting in a room as we are here, hearing someone speaking the poem. But at the same time, even though we listen to the same words being read aloud at the same reading, we each of us also hear the poem in private, in the privacy of our own head (‘mind’s ear’), so it’s also, like reading poems on page with eye, a private experience, one that takes place in the isolate space of our own heads.
But again, what is it exactly that we see or hear when we read the poem on the page, listen to it being read aloud in the air? Well, let’s see, we see shapes of words, arranged in lines, separated/punctuated by marks of punctuation. We can, if we want (or even if we don’t want; sometimes we can’t help it), slow down our experience of reading, go two steps forward and one step back, read not only horizontally (across the line) but vertically (across lines), backward and forward, reread, can start to see how the poem is ‘put together’ on the page, how its words are set next to one another, in approximate relation to each other: how these same opening lines of Shakespeare’s Sonnet 129, for example,
Th’expense of spirit in a waste of shame
Is lust in action, and till action, lust
Is perjured, murd’rous, bloody, full of blame,
Savage, extreme, rude, cruel, not to trust,
are ‘composed’ of multiple overlapping patterns that we hear but don’t notice consciously when we hear the poem read aloud: the sh of “shame” is echoed (twice) in “action … action” in line 2, the st of “waste” (also twice) in “lust … lust”; the ABAB order of noun/prepositional phrase/noun/prepositional phrase in line 1 (“expense of spirit … waste of shame”) reordered as an ABBA chiasmus (“lust in action … action lust”) in the next; the various u sounds (short and long) appearing in all four lines in “of,” “of,” “lust,” “action,” “action,” “lust,” “murd’rous,” “bloody,” “full,” “rude,” “cruel,” and “trust”; “in” appearing in the first two lines; “Is” the first word of lines 2 and 3; and so on. These are things we hear when we hear the poem read but don’t, as I say, actually notice that we notice, because the poem’s performance (in reading) goes by too fast for us to notice these effects consciously — at least as consciously as we do notice them, and testify to them, given the time to read the poem (slowly) on the page.
Not so with poem-in-air, poem read aloud in ‘performance’: we hear those same (shaped/physical) words but don’t actually see them: hear the sound (pitch and duration) of syllables, the o’s and ah’s of vowels preceded and followed by consonants, the glide and clash of consonants preceded and followed by vowels, the rhythm of a sequence of syllables read one after the other ‘in time’ (the time it takes a reader’s voice to read them, time the so-called ‘fourth dimension’ through which each word travels on its way to the listener’s ear). The poem’s ‘speed’ is beyond our control — we cannot slow it down or speed it up, cannot go back or leap forward, can only follow (‘keep up’) with speed of reader (reading words) as best we can. So we’re carried along at the speed of sound so to speak, the sound of someone else’s voice (not me) whose intonations don’t reverberate inside my chest, my throat, because I am silent, I am the listener hearing the words the person reading (reader) reads to me (the listener), who hears those words but doesn’t actually see them (physically, on the page), ‘sees’ them only as sound of words in air — hypnotic, casting a spell that sends me into my own daydream — the sound of reading ‘sound’ (itself) as such.
2. Charles Bernstein, “Thelonious Monk and the Performance of Poetry,” in My Way (Chicago and London: The University of Chicago Press, 1999), 23. The full passage is worth noting: “Every reading (whether one’s own reading of a book or a / poet’s reading to an audience) is an enactment, a / sounding, an / embodiment, which is to say a / reading that takes or makes / time, that enters into / the social, material, & historical space of / our lives. To deny the performative / aspect of poetry is to repress / its most literally political dimension, which is to / say, how it / enters into the world. To deny the rhetoricity / (rhetoricalness?) / & theatricality of a poem is to idealize a / literary space outside of ideology & history, a zone / timeless / & blank in which evasion substitutes for the friction / of interaction.”
3. “Remembering everything, all layers at the same time, writing is the mind’s operations per se and imitation of it at the same time”: Leslie Scalapino, “The Radical Nature of Experience,” in The Public World/Syntactically Impermanence (Middletown, CT: Wesleyan University Press, 1999),
4. Scalapino’s remarks in the following essay, “The Cannon,” on speech in relation to thought, are also worth noting. From page 26: “In the view (such as in Anne Waldman’s statements) that (which is the real) poetry is ‘speech,’ there’s a sense of ‘speech’ (spoken is social, convention of ‘conversation’?) — that is not ‘thought’ [interior], is not ‘felt spatially / such as correspondences in the limbs.’ Tonal is considered thus as ranges of speaking voice or breath. Yet poets have been writing other tones — that are in the written text only — tones not occurring as speaking. These are ‘sounded’ silently, spatially — a separation; between ‘one’ and ‘social’? Or separation between ‘one’ and ‘correspondences in the limbs’ and night. (As if a butterfly and the butterfly motion of a swimmer.)”
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Stealing sheep by design.
A few years ago, the corporate design guidelines of the German ministries suggested letterspacing lowercase letters as a means to emphasize words. In Germany letterspacing used to be a traditional way of emphasis within texts that were set in Textura, Schwabacher or Fraktur because these typestyles usually do not have corresponding italic styles*. The corporate design manual specifies Gerard Unger’s typefaces Demos and Praxis. Although Demos has an italic style which is suitable to be used for emphasizing, the designers fell back to the “bad habits” of their typographic past.
*Fraktur is in fact a cursive Textura, but Fraktur does not differ enough from Textura in order to use it for typographic emphasis in a text set in Textura. Even for German readers, the capitals of Textura and Fraktur were not legible enough to allow for all caps setting, so emphasis using all caps was not an option. Using bold styles as means of emphasis never really caught on either.
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Nature pulls ‘North Korean radioactivity’ story
Streisand Effect anyone?
Prestigious science journal Nature has had to scramble to kill a story that it says turned out to be mistaken.
The piece – posted as “news” rather than peer-reviewed science – made the claim that measurements of Xenon-133 provided further evidence, if that was needed, that North Korea had indeed detonated a nuclear device as it had claimed last week.
Google's view of the now-spiked Nature story
Nature spiked the story within hours, with the URL now returning a 404 error. Its sole announcement of the retraction was on Twitter:
UPDATE: @ctbto_alerts informs us that the analysis we posted earlier is incorrect. No radioactivity has been detected from North Korea.— Nature News&Comment (@NatureNews) February 19, 2013
How did this come about? Perhaps CBTO – the Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty Organisation – called Nature but at the time of writing, it had issued no public statement on its Website.
Right now, the only remnant of the story remaining at Nature is this image (but who knows how long it will last):
The map provided by the Central Institute for Meteorology and Geodynamics in Vienna
However, the original publication hasn’t been pulled. The work was carried out by the Central Institute for Meteorology and Geodynamics in Vienna, here.
Its claims seem modest. Rather than a positive “this was the test”, it states (translated):
“A backwards simulation of radionucleotides in the atmostphere (backtracking) shows that the isotope [Xenon-133] could have come from the place of the seismic event." (Emphasis added)
“Backtracking shows as released date of 15th February 2012 [with] North Korea as a possible source location,” the story states, with the suggestion that the explosion was well-contained underground.”
Whether or not the story was in error, mere deletion rather than a correction alongside the original would seem more sensible than offering the world a chance to scour up copies of the original story to see what the fuss was all about. ®
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Argonne microscopy facility combines cutting-edge science, green architectureBy Jared Sagoff • December 3, 2009
ARGONNE, Ill. – The U.S. Department of Energy's (DOE) Argonne National Laboratory is more than just a hub of prizewinning science. It's also the home of award-winning – and green – architecture.
The laboratory's recently completed Sub-Angstrom Microscopy and Microanalysis facility (SAMM) received a Federal Water and Energy Management Award from DOE. The award, the only one given to a DOE national laboratory, recognized the efforts of Argonne's architects and engineers in designing a laboratory that was simultaneously scientifically cutting-edge and environmentally friendly.
The actual sub-angstrom microscope sits on a massive concrete island that must remain isolated from any vibrations in the surrounding environment. Because the resolution of the instrument is so fine – smaller than the diameter of a single atom – the slightest disturbance could ruin an entire experiment.
To prevent this from happening, any external vibrations are serially dampened through a number of different materials so they do not affect the microscope. "It's the best building in the world for this type of science – that's what's most important," said Argonne architect George Norek. "I'm proud that we were recognized for our work to make it sustainable and energy-efficient, but that would mean nothing if this building weren't up to snuff for research."
Scientific users and other architects have come from around the world to visit the SAMM facility to learn from its design. "If you take the right approach at the beginning, you can design a green building at no or very little additional cost," Norek said. He pointed to the laboratory's use of water conservation fixtures, preferred parking for carpools and high-efficiency vehicles, native landscaping and locally produced, recycled drywall as some of several measures that both held down cost and mitigated the facility's environmental impact.
The laboratory has also submitted the SAMM facility for Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) certification from the U.S. Green Building Council, and Norek expects the building to achieve LEED Gold certification.
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Suppose $R$ is a ring with no zero divisors and with identity $1_R$ not equal to $0_R$. Suppose that $a,b$ are in $R$ and that $ab$ is a unit. Prove that $b$ is a unit.
My thoughts: I know a unit is basically a unit that (for this example) would mean $abu = 1_R$ for some nonzero $u$ in $R$. I am really stuck after that. Not seeing a clear path to manipulate the variables to prove b is a unit by itself.
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Lilac is an old shrub that was first brought to the United States in 1750, according to the University of New Hampshire. The plant requires a long cold season in order to produce abundant blooms, and will not do well in the temperate southern United States. Lilacs adapt well to transplant, although they may not produce abundant blooms the year after they are moved.
Time transplanting your lilac bush in early spring while the plant is dormant. This will help the plant recover from transplanting shock faster.
Root prune lilacs a year before transplanting to help the shrub develop new roots in the root ball and recover from transplant quickly. Insert a spade into the ground to a depth of 12 inches and work the spade in a circle around the plant's drip line.
Select a new location for your lilac bush that is in full sun with well-drained soil.
Tie up the lilac's branches with nylon rope to keep them out of the way. Avoid cutting back lilacs before transplant. While most shrubs should be pruned to make the shrub easier to transport, lilacs will not bloom if you cut them back before you transplant them.
Mark the north side of the lilac with a piece of survey tape so that you can orient the plant into the soil facing the same direction. Lilac bushes that are not oriented the same way may face sunscald, a form of sunburn that can severely damage the plant.
Dig a planting hole for the lilac that is twice as wide as the root ball and the exact same depth of 12 inches.
Insert a shovel in a circle around the lilac bush at a point 4 inches further away from the plant than the root pruning line. Slip the shovel under the plant and lift upward to remove it from the ground.
Place the lilac into the new planting hole so that it is oriented with the marked location pointing north. Fill in around the sides of the root ball with soil. Pat firmly to dislodge air pockets and water so the soil is as damp as a wrung-out sponge.
Water with 1 inch of water per 1 inch of soil all around the lilac bush every seven days for four weeks to help the plant's roots become established.
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NetLogo Models Library:
## WHAT IS IT?
This model demonstrates the spread of a virus through a network. Although the model is somewhat abstract, one interpretation is that each node represents a computer, and we are modeling the progress of a computer virus (or worm) through this network. Each node may be in one of three states: susceptible, infected, or resistant. In the academic literature such a model is sometimes referred to as an SIR model for epidemics.
## HOW IT WORKS
Each time step (tick), each infected node (colored red) attempts to infect all of its neighbors. Susceptible neighbors (colored green) will be infected with a probability given by the VIRUS-SPREAD-CHANCE slider. This might correspond to the probability that someone on the susceptible system actually executes the infected email attachment.
Resistant nodes (colored gray) cannot be infected. This might correspond to up-to-date antivirus software and security patches that make a computer immune to this particular virus.
Infected nodes are not immediately aware that they are infected. Only every so often (determined by the VIRUS-CHECK-FREQUENCY slider) do the nodes check whether they are infected by a virus. This might correspond to a regularly scheduled virus-scan procedure, or simply a human noticing something fishy about how the computer is behaving. When the virus has been detected, there is a probability that the virus will be removed (determined by the RECOVERY-CHANCE slider).
If a node does recover, there is some probability that it will become resistant to this virus in the future (given by the GAIN-RESISTANCE-CHANCE slider).
When a node becomes resistant, the links between it and its neighbors are darkened, since they are no longer possible vectors for spreading the virus.
## HOW TO USE IT
Using the sliders, choose the NUMBER-OF-NODES and the AVERAGE-NODE-DEGREE (average number of links coming out of each node).
The network that is created is based on proximity (Euclidean distance) between nodes. A node is randomly chosen and connected to the nearest node that it is not already connected to. This process is repeated until the network has the correct number of links to give the specified average node degree.
The INITIAL-OUTBREAK-SIZE slider determines how many of the nodes will start the simulation infected with the virus.
Then press SETUP to create the network. Press GO to run the model. The model will stop running once the virus has completely died out.
The VIRUS-SPREAD-CHANCE, VIRUS-CHECK-FREQUENCY, RECOVERY-CHANCE, and GAIN-RESISTANCE-CHANCE sliders (discussed in "How it Works" above) can be adjusted before pressing GO, or while the model is running.
The NETWORK STATUS plot shows the number of nodes in each state (S, I, R) over time.
## THINGS TO NOTICE
At the end of the run, after the virus has died out, some nodes are still susceptible, while others have become immune. What is the ratio of the number of immune nodes to the number of susceptible nodes? How is this affected by changing the AVERAGE-NODE-DEGREE of the network?
## THINGS TO TRY
Set GAIN-RESISTANCE-CHANCE to 0%. Under what conditions will the virus still die out? How long does it take? What conditions are required for the virus to live? If the RECOVERY-CHANCE is bigger than 0, even if the VIRUS-SPREAD-CHANCE is high, do you think that if you could run the model forever, the virus could stay alive?
## EXTENDING THE MODEL
The real computer networks on which viruses spread are generally not based on spatial proximity, like the networks found in this model. Real computer networks are more often found to exhibit a "scale-free" link-degree distribution, somewhat similar to networks created using the Preferential Attachment model. Try experimenting with various alternative network structures, and see how the behavior of the virus differs.
Suppose the virus is spreading by emailing itself out to everyone in the computer's address book. Since being in someone's address book is not a symmetric relationship, change this model to use directed links instead of undirected links.
Can you model multiple viruses at the same time? How would they interact? Sometimes if a computer has a piece of malware installed, it is more vulnerable to being infected by more malware.
Try making a model similar to this one, but where the virus has the ability to mutate itself. Such self-modifying viruses are a considerable threat to computer security, since traditional methods of virus signature identification may not work against them. In your model, nodes that become immune may be reinfected if the virus has mutated to become significantly different than the variant that originally infected the node.
## RELATED MODELS
Virus, Disease, Preferential Attachment, Diffusion on a Directed Network
## NETLOGO FEATURES
Links are used for modeling the network. The `layout-spring` primitive is used to position the nodes and links such that the structure of the network is visually clear.
Though it is not used in this model, there exists a network extension for NetLogo that you can download at: https://github.com/NetLogo/NW-Extension.
## HOW TO CITE
If you mention this model or the NetLogo software in a publication, we ask that you include the citations below.
For the model itself:
* Stonedahl, F. and Wilensky, U. (2008). NetLogo Virus on a Network model. http://ccl.northwestern.edu/netlogo/models/VirusonaNetwork. Center for Connected Learning and Computer-Based Modeling, Northwestern University, Evanston, IL.
Please cite the NetLogo software as:
* Wilensky, U. (1999). NetLogo. http://ccl.northwestern.edu/netlogo/. Center for Connected Learning and Computer-Based Modeling, Northwestern University, Evanston, IL.
## COPYRIGHT AND LICENSE
Copyright 2008 Uri Wilensky.
This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 3.0 License. To view a copy of this license, visit https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/3.0/ or send a letter to Creative Commons, 559 Nathan Abbott Way, Stanford, California 94305, USA.
Commercial licenses are also available. To inquire about commercial licenses, please contact Uri Wilensky at firstname.lastname@example.org.
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From Instrument to Ear in a Room: Direct or via Recording
The fluctuation statistics of the path between source and detector in room acoustics is reviewed along with some of the perceptual mechanisms used by the musical listener at a concert. Auditory parallel processing is important in both time and frequency domains. It is shown that the listener exploits the room statistics as a means for gaining information unavailable in a reflection-free environment. Properties of a good concert hall are examined as preparation for a discussion of the acoustical requirements of a recording studio. The record/playback process is examined, where two successive room-transmission paths and two types of sources must be dealt with by the listener. Finally, microphone placement is considered, as influenced by musical-instrument radiation patterns.
Click to purchase paper or login as an AES member. If your company or school subscribes to the E-Library then switch to the institutional version. If you are not an AES member and would like to subscribe to the E-Library then Join the AES!
This paper costs $33 for non-members, $5 for AES members and is free for E-Library subscribers.
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In his book on religion and science, the great paleontologist Stephen J. Gould stated that there was no tension between the two because science and religion exist on two different planes. There is the magisterium of science which deals with the physical world, and there is the magisterium of religion that deals with the spiritual and moral plane.
There is some truth to this. But only some. The Torah is not a book of nature. But it is a book of what happens behind nature. Behind the physical world of the “what” are reasons of the “why”, the underlying spiritual reality of things.
In fact, Abraham discovered the whole Torah by looking at the physical world and intuiting the underlying spiritual implications of the world around him. Abraham’s great innovation was that the spiritual and the physical worlds are exact parallels of each other, only on different planes of existence. But, we can hardly rely on the average man to duplicate Abraham’s unparalleled genius in discovering the moral and spiritual plane from the physical. Therefore, we needed the Torah to know and have a relationship with God.
The harmony between the physical and the spiritual allows for some dialogue between Torah and science. The Torah tells us, for example, that the world had a definite beginning. The 19th century scientific theory of the static universe (claiming that the universe had always existed) was definitely in conflict with the Torah’s view that the world was created from scratch.
Today, the science-Torah dialogue has intensified. This is because, in the 21st century, the sciences in general, and theoretical physics and cosmology in particular, have captured as theirs for the answering, all the ancient questions of the philosophers: Where does life begin and end? When did the universe begin and when will it end? How is matter created and destroyed? What are the ultimate principles by which the universe runs? In fact, in 1988, Harvard naturalist Edward Wilson wrote a book attempting to unify all knowledge, including the knowledge of human affairs, under biology.
So, Torah and science do relate and can be in conflict.
Yet, the amazing thing is that while there are definite areas of incompatibility between modern science and Judaism, science has moved very rapidly in the direction of Judaism over the last century. While incompatibilities remain, they are getting smaller over time. My attitude is not to get frantic over the differences. Science is not a done deal. New discoveries lead to increasing approximations of the truth, and those approximations will lead to increasing reconciliations with what Judaism has been saying all along.
This is quite remarkable. A hundred years ago or more, a Jew would have been faced with huge contradictions between Judaism and science. Until the twentieth century, scientists thought the world to be completely deterministic, i.e. every effect has a clear cause which in turn is the effect of a previous cause, and so on ad infinitum. Laplace, the nineteenth century Frenchman, went so far as to say that if we could know everything that had happened in the world until now, we could predict everything that would happen in the world from now on. This made belief in Divine Providence as well as freedom of choice very difficult. But, with the introduction of quantum physics, probability replaced certainty as the accepted idea in science. We can no longer know for sure what reality is; for example, we can no longer say where an atom is. What we can know are the various options of where it might be and the likelihood (probability) that it indeed be somewhere. This is not just because we do not have good measuring instruments or because our measuring instruments are somehow faulty. This is because uncertainty is actually built into the universe. Since the collapse of the scientific world of certainty, there is no longer a contradiction between science and God’s Providence. The laws of science only represent the range of options which God normally uses to run his world. Which specific option He chooses and when He chooses to use the natural order cannot be predetermined.
The same is true of our freedom of choice. If the world is predetermined, then our choices are an illusion. But if the world is indeterminate, then there is place for choice.
This goes further still…
A fascinating experiment sends one photon of light at a time randomly through one of two slits in a screen to create a pattern on a second screen behind the first one. This second screen will show a series of dark and light bands where the light seemingly either interfered or reinforced each other as if there are two or more photons going through each slit simultaneously. The only explanation for this is that each photon must be going through both slits at the same time!
More amazingly, if someone were to try to measure which slit the photon was going through, the photon lands out going through whichever slit was measured. In some way, the measuring of the slit causes the photon to go through that slit, and that slit only. This led scientists to realize that observation actually causes a change in matter.
Many scientists claim that it is the mind itself which causes this change. Hence the concept of an “observer-centered universe” was born. As a leading physicist, David Deutsch, put it, “The arguments that humans don’t have a fundamental role in the scheme of things, which used to seem so self-evidently true, have all fallen away… One needs to… understand them in order to understand the universe in a fundamental way.” According to this, we not only have choice, but our choices actually shape the universe – a very Jewish idea.
And here is another remarkable example. Scientists have been searching for a theory which will combine all of the basic four forces of matter (the strong, weak, electromagnetic and gravitation forces) into one force. Now there is nothing in science which says that there has to be one force instead of four. But, apparently, scientists believe in the ultimate unity of the universe. One cannot help noticing that this is highly consistent with a belief in an ultimate Creator. As Timothy Ferris put it, “Science from the beginning incorporated [the] idea that the universe really is a uni-verse, a single system ruled by a single set of laws. And science got that idea from the belief in one God.”
Few scientists ever stop to think that such a belief would only make sense in a monotheistic world. If there is one God who is the source of everything, then all things ought to be traceable back to a point where they are all one. But if there was no one Creator of everything, what’s wrong with four forces rather than one?
The Big Bang, the idea that the universe had a beginning, was another step towards Torah-Science reconciliation. Prior to that, scientific orthodoxy held that the world has always existed. In fact, for 60 years after it was first discovered in the 1920s, the Big Bang, with its frightening religious implications, was a disputed theory. It was only in the 1980s, when there were more than six proofs for the theory, that it was finally accepted.
Most scientists today would also accept some version of the anthropic theory, which states the world seems to have been set up (designed) to produce life. Nature turns out to be very exactly tuned. Change any law of nature even slightly, or change the initial conditions, and it becomes impossible for life to have emerged at all. Water, oxygen, minerals and many other things are perfectly suited in many ways for the tasks they fulfill. In fact it is impossible, in each case, to even imagine a theoretical substance which might do a better job. Critics argue that the universe is bound to look as if it were designed for our existence because we could only be here if the universe were adapted for our existence. That would be a good argument if the cosmos was adapted to some degree for life. But it appears that the cosmos are optimally adapted for life – that every constituent of the cell and every law of nature are uniquely and ideally fashioned to that end.
More than that, it is not only this or that variable that makes this argument so impressive. It is the accumulation of all the variables, all being there in exactly the proportion that they need to be, the lack of any one of them rendering life impossible. This has led many leading scientists to claim that the world was “designed” for life, even if they are careful not to say that God was behind that design. As Conway Morris puts it: if the tape of life were rerun form the Cambrian time, we would get almost exactly the same outcome as we have today.
I would argue that evolution, though still in some tension with Judaism, is a step closer towards Judaism than its Lemarkian predecessor. (And it has a lot more surprising elements of commonality with the major commentators than most people realize.) Certainly, the theory as such does not suggest a secular interpretation any more than a religious one, and while I do not want to engage in a “God of the gaps” explanation, I do see nothing anti-God about humans using their genetic alterations, social arrangements or anything else to provide a survival advantage. More importantly, I would expect future discoveries in paleontology and related fields to bring evolution closer to Judaism, not to take it further away.
All of these things reflect the increasing convergence of science and Judaism in all fields of scientific endeavor. The 19th century Jew would have faced a level of dissonance between the two far higher than that of the 21st century Jew. He would have lacked Einstein’s insight that time contracts and expands, facilitating resolution of the age of the universe issue, or the idea that matter equals energy, enhancing our appreciating that behind matter lays a more ethereal, spiritual reality.
Having said that, there remains a source of great tension between Judaism and science. Science is based on a very definite world view. Science takes us ever so close to tying up the creation back to the Creator. But just at that point it stops and claims that that is all there is to it. Science separates itself from religion at the very point where it ought to be calling on an understanding of God to complete the explanation which it had begun. As such it is a secular endeavor.
Science discovers the Big Bang, but will then try desperately to avoid saying that that means that God created the world. Scientists uncover the anthropic principle, that nature seems to have direction and purpose towards life, but will not say that some Being therefore designed it that way.
The paradigm of science holds that it is unscientific to bring God into the picture. Even a religious scientist, and there are lots of them, would not dream of talking about God in a scientific paper.
The roots of this God exclusion paradigm go back to the Tower of Babel. The people at that time said: Come, let us build us a city and a tower, whose top may reach to heaven; and let us make for us a name, lest we be scattered abroad upon the face of the whole earth. (Genesis Chap 11, vs. 4)
A great city with a great tower in the middle to maintain the unity of the human race! What could be wrong with that?
The commentators explain, however, that the tower was being built as an instrument to conquer and bring under the control of man every aspect of the creation. Then they would be able to prevent God from using the heavens as an instrument for implementing His decrees against the earth. “Remove Divine Providence from the equation,” they said, “and we can then use science and medicine to give us a more secure, healthy, wealthy and happy existence.” They wished to cut off God’s connection with the world in the belief that this would allow them to discover and harness all the scientific forces that would be needed for them to solve every sort of human misery.
Aware of the scope of the job at hand, they realized that only a United Nations far more powerful than the one we have today could hope to bring the necessary resources to bear in resolving the issues of illness, poverty, war and natural disaster. The idea of a world capital with its gigantic tower, a monument to human possibility, etched in every mind was just the solution for this challenge. Of course, a tower of this size was not just meant to be an empty monument. Its multi-purpose structure would serve as a center of science, a giant lightning rod, and a potential launching pad for future lunar expeditions.
The problem was not the desire to know more and to organize accordingly; it was that when God “came down” to look, He saw a rebellion, not a scientific venture. It was a tricky point – for God is surely pro-science. And hence the verses do not explicitly mention any sin. But, man was so desirous to control his environment that God was left out of the equation. They began to develop a scientific worldview that automatically filtered out God. The results were painful.
There are certain parallels to the science of today. The secular bias is, in the main, not deliberate. Rather, it exists as the natural framework with which scientific eyes view the world. What it needs is a paradigm shift, so that the natural filter for information accommodates God. Kuhn points out that the new paradigm may use the same words as the old, but it often means something completely different, making the old and new theories incomparable. A scientist in this new paradigm will see God written in every theory.
Perceptive scientists throughout the ages have achieved this insight at a basic level. They have marveled, Abraham-like, at how remarkable it is that higher, more abstract forms of thinking are in harmony with the physical world around us. Carl Gustav Jacobi, the 19th Century Prussian mathematician, remarked that “it is a remarkable fact that when man thinks in a pure system of abstract logic such as mathematics, that logic turns out to be consistent with the logic of the world.” Or, as Plato put it, “God ever geometrizes.”
These scientists reached the most basic level of a Monotheist. But nowhere do we see that they were able to take these observations and turn them into a personal God who makes moral and spiritual demands of them. At most, this represents what Alfred North Whitehead called a “widespread instinctive conviction in the existence of an order of things”. The God of the scientist is generally some great cosmic being, and the awe scientists feel when they look a little deeper seems to lead nowhere. A scientist can notice that the number Pi, 3.1415 is not only yielded by the division of the circumference of a circle by its diameter, but it turns up in equations that describe subatomic particles, light and other quantities that have no obvious connection to circles. He can then conclude, as John Polkinghorne did, that human-invented mathematics somehow tuned into the truths of the cosmos. But, why don’t scientists then take the next obvious step, which is to say that the reason that there is this harmony between our minds and the world is that they both come from the same Creator-Source – and that this Creator has a plan for us?
Scientific revolutions have happened before. Copernicus and Galileo led one that was rounded off by Newton. Einstein, Plank, Borne and Heisenberg led another one in the early part of this century. But, a scientific revolution which allows science to accommodate God is a revolution of a different order.
When Laplace presented his work to Napoleon, Napoleon reputedly remarked, “Monsieur Laplace, they tell me that you have written this large work on the system of the universe and you did not even mention its Creator.” To this Laplace supposedly responded, “I have no need for that hypothesis.”
But the world has come a long way since Laplace and his Napoleonic encounter. Recently, there have been many attempts to reconcile religion with science, not so much because of a change in attitude, but because scientific discoveries in the twentieth century seem to point in that direction. Fritjof Capra caused quite a stir when, in “The Tao of Physics”, he showed the basic harmony that exists between modern physics and Eastern religions. Michael Behe has made a powerful case for showing that biochemistry is leading us toward rather than away from the idea of a designer of the universe. These gentlemen have their point, but they miss the larger issue I wish to make here.
Science is drawing closer to religion in general and Judaism in particular. The idea that matter can turn into pure energy has made it easier to conceive of a purely spiritual world. The indeterminacy of quantum physics allows for freedom of choice and moral responsibility; the Big Bang is a step towards (though not a complete harmonization with) the creation story. But the closeness only consolidates the position of science as the embrace of all reality. It may be, as Robert Jastrow suggests in God and the Astronomers, that the scientist will ultimately get to the top of the cliff and find the theologian sitting there all along. But the scientist has no intention of joining the theologian, sitting side by side. The scientist sees the theologian as an extension of the cliff face which he must climb. He will keep on climbing until he is sitting, as he sees it, on top of the theologian as well. Of course he is gracious to his cliff, and he smiles kindly down on his theologian as well. All are welcome in the ultimate scheme of things.
But there is a different vision of things – one which we will witness in the Messianic era. In this scenario, science will become the handmaiden of spirituality, not its master. The enormous secrets still held in nature will be revealed to deepen our understanding of the ways of God and the Torah’s message. In this new dawn, science will not only actively serve spirituality; it will naturally flow from it, and provide yet another way of connecting to God.
Wilson called his book “Consilience: The Unity of Knowledge”.
The fact that we cannot do this, so it was believed, is a function of the impossibility of our knowing all the variables – a technical problem – rather than something fundamental.
Heisenberg’s famous Uncertainty Principle (we can know either the position of an electron or its speed, but not both at the same time) was a precursor to this.
A simplified version of the experiment was first performed by Earnest Young in the seventeenth century.
The fact that I choose to observe at one point or the other, “collapses” the particle out of its previous state and cause it to go through this hole and not both holes or the other hole exclusively.
Quoted by Filiz Peach in Philosophy Now, (December 2000/January 2001).
Gravity is the only force which works on the macro-world, the world larger than atoms. The other three forces work on a micro-level. Electromagnetism is well known. The Strong Force holds atoms together. The main expression of the weak force is radiation. Scientists have already combined three of the four forces, i.e. the three micro-forces, to form a Grand Unified Theory, at least at a mathematical level. They are now working on combining these three forces with the fourth force, gravity.
Timothy Ferris (author of The Red Limit – The Search for the Edge of the Universe, 1981)
1- The Red Shift (the Doppler Effect); 2-Radio waves which showed changes in universe; 3-Cosmic Background Radiation; 4-COBE, the satellite which confirmed much of the above; 5-Entropy, which should have led to increasing disorder in the universe. Since the universe is still highly ordered and was even more ordered in the past, it follows that the universe could not have existed for ever: otherwise it would have reached its state of maximum entropy a long time ago; 6-The composition of the Universe: Atom smashers which push subatomic particles to extremely high energies, produced results that allowed researchers to calculate that the early universe should have been about three-quarters hydrogen and one-quarter helium. When astronomers inspect the oldest stars and nebulae, they find them composed of almost exactly that mix.
The weak anthropic principle states that the world was set up to produce life in general while the strong anthropic principle states that the world was set up to produce human life.
Nature’s Destiny, by Michael Denton.
This includes energy levels of the carbon atom; the rate at which the universe is expanding; the four dimensions of space-time, carbon, DNA, proteins, and even the exact distance between stars in our galaxy.
Professor of evolutionary paleobiology at the University of Cambridge and one of the leading evolutionists in his field.
In The Crucible of Creation: The Burgess Shale and the Rise of Animals (Oxford University Press, 1998), he states, “I believe it is necessary to argue that within certain limits the outcome of evolutionary processes might be rather predictable.”
See Robert Jastrow’s God and the Astronomers where he writes of the fierce resistance of the scientific community to the discovery of the Big Bang, because of its religious implications. But even those who embraced the Big Bang were careful to avoid spelling out its religious implications.
This whole approach is taken by the Telz Rosh Yeshiva, Rabbi Yosef Leib Bloch, in his Shiurei Daat.
For example: Finally the evolutionary vision is enabling us to discern the lineaments of the new
religion that we can be sure will arise to serve the needs of the coming era.” (Julian Huxley, 1959)
Jacobi commented, “The Great Architect of the Universe now appears as a pure mathematician.”
Quoted in the Time-Life book on mathematics p. 9.
Alfred North Whitehead, Science and the Modern World.
Darwin’s Black Box.
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From Whole9, as a preface to our Manifesto series:
As we wrote in It Starts With Food, “We have a theory about food that directly influences the rest of this book. The food that you eat either makes you more healthy or less healthy. Those are your options.”
Of course, we spend the rest of the book explaining why a concept that sounds so simple is not that simple at all in practice. That’s why our Good Food recommendations are based on not just one foundation, but a combination of three:
Based on the science as we understand it today, and our vast clinical experience with the tens of thousands of people who have completed our Whole30 program, we make some general recommendations as to which food groups may make you less healthy. The discussion of dairy*, however, has no simple, black-and-white answers. There are many functional components of dairy that, depending on the source and the individual consuming it, could be highly problematic, generally benign, or even beneficial.
Below, we’ll outline the basics of our case against regular consumption of dairy, based on the potential downsides. But until you undertake your own self-experiment (via the Whole30) for yourself, you’ll never know for sure how consumption of dairy products are affecting how you look, how you feel, and your quality of life.
*While the vast majority of dairy consumed in the United States is from cows, you can also apply these concepts to sheep or goat milk.
Milk: The Perfect Food (in Context)
Milk is an excellent source of energy and building blocks to rapidly grow mammals that are too young to eat adult food, such as grass (cows) and a wide range of plants and animals (humans). Until a mammal’s digestive system has completely developed and it can eat whole food, mother’s milk supplies optimal nutrition.
But mother’s milk is not just an inert supply of carbohydrate, protein, and fat—though it contains significant amounts of all of those macronutrients. Milk is an energy-dense hormone-delivery system–a blend of bioactive substances that not only promote aggressive growth of a very young mammal (doubling or tripling bodyweight in a very short period of time), but also ensure the complete development of the young one’s immune system. In this context, milk is the perfect food, and the perfect messenger.
However, when the biological messages intended for a calf are being received loud and clear by your adult human body, they are far less appropriate—and potentially downright harmful.
Milk Proteins: Casein and Whey
Casein makes up about 80 percent of total milk protein, and acts as a source of amino acid building blocks. In addition, protein sequences embedded in casein’s molecular structure are released during the digestion process and send a message from mother to young. The effects of these potently bioactive “food hormones” from another species on human adults remain largely unknown.
Casein, especially when it comes from aged cheese, also causes a specific type of immune system reaction called a histamine response . Histamine intolerance can cause headaches, GI upset, exacerbations of asthma, and seasonal allergies. It is unclear what percentage of the population has this response, but until you have completely removed all dairy proteins from your diet for a period of time, you won’t know whether or not you are affected.
Finally, casein shares some structural similarities with components of gluten. This means that gluten-sensitive individuals (including those with celiac disease) are less likely to tolerate casein-containing dairy products. Research suggests that at least 50 percent of celiacs are also sensitive to milk.
The other major category of milk protein is whey. Whey is a blend of multiple types of smaller proteins and hormones, including immunoglobulins, insulin, insulin-like growth factor 1 (IGF-1), estrogens, and other growth factors. (Remember, milk is a powerful growth promoter!) For this reason, milk is a highly insulinogenic food, which means that the combination of lactose plus whey dairy proteins causes the release of very large amounts of insulin when consumed.
The remarkably large amount of insulin secreted in response to milk and whey protein intake may prove problematic for those with metabolic syndrome, as in this population, it does not promote a healthy hormonal response. Anyone seeking to improve insulin sensitivity (or avoid becoming insulin resistant) would be best served by avoiding dairy products.
Insulin is not the only potentially detrimental hormone increased by milk. Milk consumption also significantly elevates IGF-1, another powerful growth-inducer. IGF-1 promotes growth in children, but it is also associated with promotion (or indirect facilitation) of various cancers, such as breast, colon, and prostate. Of course, we’re not saying that if you drink milk, you’ll get cancer, but if you’re at high risk, consuming substances that increase the growth of cells, including abnormal cells, seems unwise.
Milk Sugar: Lactose
The carbohydrate component of dairy products can also pose problems. The kind of carbohydrate found in milk is called lactose. While there are not huge amounts present in milk (and some other dairy products have very little because of processing), lactose is an issue for a surprisingly large percentage of people.
If lactose cannot be properly digested, bloating and gastrointestinal upset may result. In addition, consuming even small amounts of lactose may contribute to an imbalance of gut bacteria, promoting dysbiosis. In addition, many people who consider themselves lactose-intolerant (by observing that dairy makes them feel poorly) may have a sensitivity to dairy proteins as well.
Milk Fat: Butter and Heavy Cream
You may have noticed that we haven’t expressed any specific concerns about dairy fat. We consider pastured, organic butter (especially when it’s clarified) and heavy cream as generally healthy choices.
Research studies that compare full-fat dairy with reduced-fat dairy demonstrate better health outcomes with full-fat dairy. This is not an endorsement of whole milk—these benefits are largely due to the health-promoting properties of dairy fat. As one example, pastured, organic butter contains little to none of the protein fractions, growth promoters, or hormones found in milk but has many beneficial compounds including vitamin K2, conjugated linoleic acid (CLA), and even those famous omega-3 fatty acids. You can further ensure butter is a healthy choice for you by clarifying it, thereby removing any of the potentailly problematic milk proteins.
What About Raw Milk, Fermented Dairy, and Calcium?
Proponents of raw milk will say that raw (unpasteurized) milk is a superior choice, since the pasteurization process destroys enzymes (such as lactase) that help digest some components of the milk. However, aside from those issues, all of the other concerns mentioned above still apply to raw milk.
Fermented dairy (such as yogurt or kefir) does have some advantages over regular milk. Since the bacteria in these foods have broken down a significant amount of the lactose and dairy proteins, people generally have greater tolerance for it. The most commonly cited benefit of fermented dairy is its health-promoting bacteria, which help to maintain the balance of gut bacteria. While you can obtain some benefits from consuming these bacteria, the delivery mechanism may still prove imperfect, and individual tolerance varies greatly.
We address the issue of how to maintain strong, healthy bones without consuming dairy in our article, What About Calcium?
It Starts With Food
These manifestos are not intended to be a comprehensive dissertation of our research or recommendations. For more information on the psychological impact of our food choices, the effects of grains on health, and scientific references used to support our position, please refer to our book, It Starts With Food. For more articles in this series, visit our Manifesto series.
We can help you live the Whole9 life.
Fill out the form below to join the Whole9 Newsletter.
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Daily Newspaper and Travel Guide
for Pecos Country of West Texas
February 28, 2001
Children in crisis is study club topic
PECOS, February 28, 2001 - The Modern Study Club met recently for an International
Affairs program entitled, "Children of Africa In Crisis," with department
chairman, Nan Cate, planning and presenting the program.
President Catherine Travland called the meeting to order. During opening
ceremonies Doris Moorman led the Club Collect and Dorothy Barton led the
pledges to the United States of America Flag and the Texas Flag, while
members repeated with each lady, in unison.
President Travland then announced the International Affairs Program
and introduced Mrs. Cate who began by describing Africa as the second largest
continent on earth, with the longest river, the Nile which has the largest
tropical area of any continent. It is a rich land, but has been plagued
by wars, famine, poverty and disease in almost all the countries of Africa.
All of these conditions have had a very adverse effect on the children
Cate continued, prior to World War II, the 90 percent Black population
was governed by the 5 percent European population. Wars of liberation were
fought, but by the 1970's most of the countries were free. The African
people were ill-prepared to govern themselves and Civil war has erupted
in almost every country. Wars are no longer fought by professional armies
on formal battlefields, but are fought in the streets and in the countryside
causing the involvement of civilian men, women and children. Children as
young as 10 years of age have been kidnapped and forced to kill. Land mines
have killed children in their own neighborhoods. Wars have separated children
from their parents causing them to become street children in the large
cities. Some children have been forced into slavery.
She told how famine and disease have also wreaked havoc on the children.
The disruption of agricultural production and distribution, as well as
droughts in parts of Africa have caused starvation. HIV/AIDS have adversely
affected children killing their parents and leaving them without adequate
care and protection. Of the thirty-four million in the world with HIV/AIDS
70 percent of them in Africa.
Famine and disease have caused a generation of African children to be
unschooled, abused and neglected. There is concern that this will cause
serious problems in the future, Cate commented.
She told about the rest of the world being called upon to aid in the
recovery of Africa, by helping to build schools and hospitals, roads, provide
clean water and to provide resources for the treatment and prevention of
Cate closed with these comments. The rest of the world does seem to
realize the plight of the children of Africa and has begun to offer assistance
by forgiving the debts, African Nations owe Western Nations, and by providing
the resources to fight disease and famine and build schools and hospitals.
This is only the beginning. Much more needs to be done by churches, humanitarian
organizations and governments.
During the business session of the meeting, interim secretary Lena Harpham
read the minutes of the previous meeting and treasurer Bobbi Lang reported
concerning club finances.
Paula Fuller, chairman of the Music and Arts Department told of the
number of school entries in the recently conducted writing contest. She
also reported that the judges were currently reading the entries and selecting
winners. It was also reported the program and project reports of the club
had been mailed for competition at Western District the previous Tuesday.
Margie Williamson, Scholarship Chairman, reported on the MSC-Pecos High
School Scholarship Recipient and progress of the Alma Van Sickles Scholarship
In other committee reports, Doris Moorman reported that Margie Williamson
had been chosen as The Modern Study Club's Outstanding Clubwoman/Volunteer
and that the resume/application was near completion in readiness for sending
to Western District.
Phyllis Stool, chairman of the club Operation Smile activities proposed
various ways of support that the club might participate in Operation Smile,
since 1982, has provided reconstructive surgery to over tens of thousands
of children born with cleft lip and palate deformities, tumors, orthopedic
problems and burn scar contractures in developing countries.
Lena Harpham, Federation Counselor, told of the General Federation of
Women's Clubs Fall 2000 Board of Directors meeting held in Arlington, Virginia
and gave some points of interest taken from the topics of three of the
The Western District Fall Board Meeting of the Texas Federation of Women's
Clubs slated for Oct. 20, in Pecos was discussed, along with the slated
visit of Western District President Peggy Kelton for the upcoming Federation
Day meeting of The Modern Study Club.
Bi-monthly projects for the meeting were contributions to Operation
Smile and Valentines for residents of the Pecos Nursing Home.
Roll call was answered with replying to the question, "What have you
done, or plan to do, to support Operation Smile?"
Delicious refreshments were served to 12 members and one guest, Billie
McCormick of Pecos, by hostesses Catherine Travland and Margie Williamson.
Church plans Ash Wednesday service
PECOS, February 28, 2001 - First United Methodist Church will have an Ash
Wednesday service, with the imposition of ashes, at 6:30 p.m.
All are welcome to this very special service marking the beginning of
York M. "Smokey" Briggs, Publisher
Division of Buckner News Alliance, Inc.
324 S. Cedar St., Pecos, TX 79772
Phone 915-445-5475, FAX 915-445-4321
Associated Press text, photo, graphic, audio and/or video material shall not be published, broadcast, rewritten for broadcast or publication or redistributed directly or indirectly in any medium.
Copyright 2000 by Pecos Enterprise
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Just Say No to No
by Urmila Devi Dasi
Three adults are taking a group of children on an educational excursion, and the “no’s” begin.
“Don’t climb on that fence!”
“Stop putting your hand in your nose!”
“Please stop hitting Vishakha!”
“You’re making too much noise!” A lot of instruction about what not to do.
Educator Michael Grinder calls telling someone what not to do a “double message.” He compares it to telling someone, “Don’t think of a cow.” What happens? The person thinks of a cow.
Grinder suggests putting our messages into positive form. For example, instead of saying, “Don’t climb on that fence,” we can say what we would like the child to do: “Please stay on the sidewalk.” Grinder even suggests that the adult’s actions when giving the instruction be in harmony with the instruction. For example, if a teacher says, “Sit quietly,” while walking around the classroom, the children will get a double message. The teacher should also be sitting.
After becoming aware of how often I admonished children for behavior and attitudes I didn’t want, I gradually changed to a more positive approach. Not only does emphasizing the positive get better results, it also fosters an atmosphere of mutual respect.
In presenting spiritual life, to stop harmful behavior Srila Prabhupada encouraged positive activities and thoughts. He suggested that method for giving children spiritual and moral instruction. In Paris, 1976, he told Jyotirmayi Dasi, “Don’t say ‘no,’ but give a taste for the good, then it will be automatically ‘no.’ If you say ‘no,’ then [the children] will rebel. If they develop Krishna consciousness, it will be automatically ‘no.’ ”
In these instructions Srila Prabhupada was not promoting a sentimental permissiveness. He always expected us to keep our children from anything spiritually or materially harmful. His point is rather that a child busy in Krishna consciousness cannot also be busy in illusion. Srila Prabhupada would give the example that not even a drop of ink can enter a cup already full of milk. Once he told a disciple that we have a “no-gap” philosophy—we keep always active in serving Lord Krishna, leaving no opportunity for materialistic life.
To practice positive life with children, we have to consider, “What do we want them to do? What do we want them to say?”
Let’s consider the following typical situation.
A group of women were sitting in the dining area. One woman had her six-year-old son with her.
“Get me some water, Mommy!” he demanded.
After lecturing him for several minutes about the importance of politeness, she got him a cup of water. Her mistake? She never told him the appropriate words and tone of voice he should use to be polite.
If we’ve grown accustomed to simply telling our children what not to do, changing our habits may take time. But we have to realize that it is we who must engineer each day so that the child’s life will be related to Krishna.
Sometimes, of course, a child will reject our positive approach. Here’s an example of dealing with such situations. Suppose a child rudely demands water, so you instruct, “Say, ‘Would you get me a cup of water, please?’ ” If the child refuses to comply, don’t get the water. The child may decide to get his or her own water, but you will have sidestepped the battle of wills that brings rebellion.
Here’s another example of using positive reinforcement. Suppose your child brings you a drawing of a mundane war scene. You can say, “Oh! These people are killing and dying without benefit because Lord Krishna is not involved. Come, let’s look in the Bhagavatam and find a story where Krishna is fighting. I’ll help you plan the picture.” If the child doesn’t want to draw something about Krishna, you can respond, “I’m happy to see your creativity, and I also like to see pictures that remind me of Krishna so I can love Him more and more. Just let me know when you’d like to draw that kind of picture. I’m ready to help.”
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Over 3 million Americans are estimated to have open angle glaucoma which is the leading cause of blindness in the US Worldwide 60 million people have open angle glaucoma. Elevated intraocular pressure (IOP) has been associated with visual field loss in glaucomatous patients. Typically a glaucoma patient has his/her IOP measured every three or 4 months on a visit to the ophthalmologist. Changes in IOP between visits are not measured. Research shows some glaucoma patients have wide diurnal variations in their IOPs and these individuals are at high risk for disease progression. An accurate easy to use self tonometer would allow a glaucoma patient to periodically check his/her IOP and report high readings to the ophthalmologist who could adjust the medication strategy in a timely manner.
Description of Invention
A prototype non-invasive self tonometer has been developed that measures IOP. The design has a custom tip that is applied to a closed eyelid directly over the cornea. The force is increased until the necessary corneal deformation takes place. Synchronized force and distance measurements are used to calculate IOP.
An effective self-tonometer and clinical method for its use by the patient at home would help in the management of glaucoma. This device will be easier to use and provide more accurate readings of IOP than other commercially available self tonometers on the market.
A laboratory prototype is being developed and partners are sought to assist in the commercialization.
A US patent application is pending.
Judith Sheft, assistant vice president, Technology Development
Fenster hall, Room 349
New Jersey Institute of Technology
Newark, NJ 07102
Download our self tonometer brochure (MS Word)
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While full communications technologies are not yet able to be embedded inside individuals, humanity’s large adoption of technology and desire to always be connected does make that future seem inevitable.
In an oft-imagined future, individuals will have implanted communications chips, which allow them to communicate with friends and loved ones. The networks on which these chips operate will also be able to monitor a person’s health, maintain schedules, conduct retail and other transactions, enable social-media functions, and trigger home-control functions. Although this sounds far-fetched now, implantable communications are already being used in medical applications. Given the right capabilities, it would be possible to turn an individual into his or her own network or a node on a larger “world” network.
As we witness the death of the traditional cell phone, such an evolution has already begun. Conventional cell phones are being replaced by smartphones for their ability to check and send e-mail, share information via social media, search the web, access navigation tools, and use a host of other applications. With smartphones becoming more affordable, this trend is expected to increase. Yet wearable technologies also are evolving, potentially causing the smartphone’s dominance to wane.
With just a gesture or voice command, for example, Google Glass—essentially a wearable computer—can take pictures and video, make calls, send messages, search for information, and access maps and translations. Google Glass is already being tested and implemented in various sectors by those with early access to the technology. Take, for example, INRIX’s use of it to provide traffic information to drivers. In the public-safety arena, Mutualink, Inc. recently used Google Glass to share two-way voice and video between command and control, partner agencies, and officers in the field over a FirstNet fourth-generation Long-Term-Evolution (4G LTE) connection.
Bill Wong, Technology Editor for our sister brand, Electronic Design, recently previewed Google Glass with Pepperdeck.com Founder and CEO Sahas Katta:
If the glasses idea ultimately does not take off, another option is the smartwatch. While Samsung and Apple are rumored to have smartwatches of their own on the way, the HOT (“Hands on Talk”) Smartwatch has already debuted. Its Hands on Talk feature allows users to hold private phone conversations by cupping their hands over their ears, taking advantage of audio amplification by bouncing sound off of their palms. The watch’s HOT Gestures enable users to pick up a phone call, hang up, or reject a call. The watch also serves as a sleep-pattern monitor and calorie-burning tracker while providing messaging and e-mail functions, as well as social-media application notifications. Maybe the leap from wearable to implanted communications doesn’t seem so far-fetched now.
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Learn something new every day
More Info... by email
The primary differences between a hoist and a crane are the ways each can move, the ability to convert them for other tasks, and the complexity of their design. A hoist and a crane are both are used to move objects. While a hoist can only lift or lower them vertically, a crane can, in addition to that, move objects horizontally as well. Some highly advanced crane designs allow the load to be rotated in three dimensions as well. Generally, the part of a crane that is used to lift and lower a load is a hoist.
A hoist and a crane may both be used to move a load, but a hoist can move it in only one direction along a straight, vertical line. Such a device is said to have one degree of freedom. A good way to visualize this is to think of an elevator. It moves up and down a shaft, also known as a hoist way, suspended by cables from a hoisting mechanism that powers its motion. The elevator is limited to traveling up and down in a straight line within that shaft.
Typical cranes can move their loads up and down in a straight, vertical line, but they can also move them horizontally both forward and backward and side to side. Most cranes can move a load in a straight line in three independent axes and can be said to have three degrees of freedom. There are some jobs for which a hoist and a crane are both suitable. Some tasks, however, require the use of a crane for greater flexibility in how and where to move the load.
A common example of this flexibility of motion is the small crane inside a claw machine game used to retrieve toys as prizes. The operator positions a crane by moving it forward and backward as well as left and right and presses a button to drop a claw. An open claw drops vertically into a pile of toys, closes, and is retracted upward with or without a toy in its grasp. There would be little point to this game without the crane feature. With a hoist only, the operator could only lower and raise the claw in the same place every time, which requires no skill.
Specialized cranes called rotary cranes typically have this same capability, but also incorporate rotational motion for added performance. They may be able to rotate in up to three independent axes as well as to move in a straight line in those three directions. These rotations are known as roll, pitch, and yaw. This allows a rotary crane to operate with up to six degrees of freedom, although some models are designed with fewer degrees of freedom. Rotary cranes may be used in robotic applications, for example, or in industrial transportation applications such as on trucks, locomotives, or ships.
Another difference between a hoist and a crane is that a many cranes can be converted for other operations aside from moving a load. In demolition, for example, a wrecking ball may be added for the purpose of bringing down an unwanted structure. For construction purposes, a scoop may be used to gather up dirt or waste materials that are to be moved. Hoists are not generally designed for conversion for other uses beyond lifting and lowering a load.
Hoists are commonly installed as sub-components of cranes. They are typically the mechanisms used to lift and lower the loads moved by cranes. This is another way a hoist and a crane differ. Cranes are more complex devices than hoists and are not sub-components of hoists.
@Markerrag -- A hoist is usually cheaper and dedicated to a specialized task. For example, mechanics often use engine hoists to do the very tough job of pulling engines out of vehicles. Those things are inexpensive enough for most serious mechanics shops to afford them and are used for one thing and one thing only.
And it makes sense to use an inexpensive, specialized tool for the job. All the engine hoist needs to do is lift out an engine. The mechanic can wheel the hoist and engine out of the way, work on it and then move the whole thing back to drop the engine back in the vehicle. You don't need the sophistication of a crane for that. Just raw, lifting power -- a hoist will do just fine.
Another major difference is that hoists are considerably cheaper and, quite often, much smaller when used as tools or what not. If you just need something that can lift something that is too heavy or unwieldy for a person or two to deal with it, a hoist will do just fine. Actually, you see these used quite often but might not be aware that you are looking at one.
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!
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Maps displaying marine mineral resources for the United Kingdom Continental Shelf are now available to view on-line.
Six digitally generated maps at a scale of 1:100 000 scale are now available for download.
Mineral resources are important national assets. Their extraction and use makes an essential contribution to the UK economy. Adequate supplies are necessary for the development of a modern economy and are required for manufacturing, construction, power generation, transportation and agriculture. Renewable energy sources, recycled materials and industrial by–products can meet part of these requirements but new mineral sources will continue to be required. The UK planning process for mineral developments addresses national, regional and local issues, and encourages public involvement throughout. It has an important role to play in contributing to the Government’s strategy for promoting sustainable development of mineral resources.
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The toughest among us are those who persevere in the face of obstacles, lead others through dangerous situations and stand tall when people cut them down. If you want to be tough, you'll need to put in the hard work and effort it takes to hone your best qualities and beat your negativity. Building confidence, getting physically strong, and learning to fight for your beliefs are all central to toughening up. Read on to learn more about getting tougher.
Toughening Up Mentally
1Stay steady under pressure. One of the most important qualities a tough person can have is the ability to stay strong when things get rough. Breaking down, flipping out or otherwise letting your emotions get the better of you won't help you or anyone around you when the world seems to be crashing down. Figure out what you need to do to stay relaxed in an emergency or when you're under threat. Practice as often as possible so your tough mental state becomes second nature.
- Next time you face a difficult situation, consciously pause, stay silent and count to 10 before you react. Take the time to think through the best course of action. Remind yourself that you are strong and you have the presence of mind to face the situation head on.
- If someone is bullying or otherwise bothering you, think before you speak. Stay calm and assess the situation instead of running away or lashing out.
- You can practice meditation as a way to understand what it feels like to stay focused and calm no matter what outside distractions occur.
2Let go of things that don't matter. Dwelling on minutia will sap your strength and make you weaker. If you want to be tough, learn how to let go of trivial stuff that isn't worth your time or brainpower. Save your energy for issues and situations that require your utmost attention and concentration.
- Don't get caught up in drama. Try to interact with other people as straightforwardly as possible and inspire the same in others.
- Don't get easily offended by offhanded remarks or actions designed to annoy you. These things don't matter in the long run.
- Don't get tripped up by worrying. Worrying doesn't accomplish anything except making you feel mentally tired. Deal with problems head-on so you won't have to waste time dwelling on them.
3Cast self-doubt aside. If you have low confidence, it's going to be hard to make the tough decisions in life, because you'll doubt you're making the right choice. Start making smart, informed choices that you believe in and can back up. Once you take a certain path, stick to it with the confidence that you're taking the right course. Waffling, backing down, and being wishy-washy are signs you aren't mentally tough.
- Build confidence by knowing and honing your strengths and working on improving your weak spots. Everyone has room for improvement in certain areas; the difference between those who are tough and those who aren't is that the tough ones are always striving to get better. For example, if you have a propensity for telling white lies to ease your way through life, put in the work to stop your self-destructive behavior.
- Eliminate the activities that make you less confident. You can't make informed, smart, reasoned choices in life if you're hindered by behaviors that skew your reality and make you doubt yourself. That means you've got to overcome bad habits like drinking too much alcohol, using drugs, gambling, and any other behaviors that make it harder to clearly see right from wrong.
4Set goals and follow through with them. Are you all talk and no action? Anyone can hold forth about things they want to accomplish, but it's a different matter entirely to set goals and work toward achieving them. Working toward a goal can be monotonous, painful, and yes, tough. The more you practice getting things done, the more likely you'll be to do it again.
- Decide to be resilient. If you take up a new exercise, start a new job, or decide you're going to apply to an educational program, figure out what steps you need to take to succeed, then stick to them.
- Take things a day at a time. Being tough enough to achieve big goals means being patient in the meantime. Break a big task into smaller steps, perform each one to the best of your ability, and steadily work toward the prize.
5Bounce back from failures. Even the strongest among us fail sometimes. Knowing how to pick yourself back up when you fall is absolutely key to toughening up. Each time you fail at something, analyze what went wrong and what you can do differently next time. Plot a new strategy for accomplishing your goal and pursue it again with confidence.
- Own up to your mistakes. Don't make excuses or place blame elsewhere.
- Don't be too hard on yourself. You'll weaken yourself if you dwell too much on how you were responsible for what happened. Have confidence that you'll be able to make things right.
6Be positive about your future. Face life's hurdles with an optimistic attitude, rather than a defeatist one. If you believe your life has meaning and you have the ability to overcome challenges, you'll be much more able to handle tough situations, stay resilient when things get hard, and try again when failure happens.
- It helps to have a sense of humor. Be able to see the lighter side of situations instead of always focusing on the serious parts of life.
- Inspire optimism in others, too. Be a positive force in other people's lives. Part of being tough is helping other people get through life's difficult times as well.
Toughening Up Physically
1Get in top physical shape. Becoming physically tough takes a lot of ongoing, dedicated work. Your focus should be two-pronged: you want to build strong muscles as well as working on your endurance. Set goals for yourself and make physical training a regular part of your routine. When you've accomplished one set of goals, make new ones, always striving to get in the best shape you possibly can.
- Do cardio exercises. Run, bike, or swim several times a week. Once you can go a certain distance, aim to go further. Sign up for marathons and triathlons to push yourself to achieve more.
- Get into a weight-lifting routine. Work all of the muscle groups in your body. As you improve, push yourself to lift more weight and do more reps.
- Sign up for a team sport if you have the time. This will give you the incentive to work even harder to stay physically fit.
- Eat well to keep your body strong. Eat whole foods like fruits and vegetables, lean meats and fish, nuts and legumes, and whole grains. Avoid fast food, packaged food, and empty calories.
- Get plenty of sleep. Your body needs time to repair after tough workouts, and sleep keeps you both mentally and physically strong.
- Eliminate as many toxins from your diet and lifestyle as possible. Don't use drugs and limit your alcohol intake.
2Train to win, not just survive. This approach to fitness is the one taken by the US Marines. Anyone can get in good shape, but to be physically tough your aim should be to get strong enough to be the very best. Train to win competitions, not just qualify for participation.
- Sign up for competitions so you can track your progress. Your goal should be to be in the top 10% of any given group of athletes, so that you have a shot at winning.
- You can still train to win even if you're nowhere near the top as of yet. Aim to beat your personal best each time you compete.
3Push through pain. There's no way to be at your physical best without experiencing pain. Training this hard hurts, both during workout sessions and afterward, when your muscles are sore. When you're physically tough, you're able to tolerate the pain that comes with breaking down your muscles so they can build up bigger and stronger. You know your efforts will pay off in the end.
- When you're working out, go all in. Go further, faster and harder than you think you can. Put in an extra 10 minutes when you think you're finished.
- Don't hurt yourself. Make sure you understand the line between pain and injury. Work with a personal trainer if you're new to intense physical training.
4Do it again the next day. Getting physically tough isn't going to happen if you only train every once in a while. You've got to get out there day after day, week after week, and year after year to keep your body in tip top shape. Pick yourself up and go to your training session even when you're tired, sore and just not feeling it.
5Learn to survive extreme situations. You might have strong muscles and great endurance, but what would you do if a bear attacked, or you got caught in a snowstorm? Toughening up means reacting correctly in a variety of physical situations. Learn about survival techniques that will enable you to be tough when you're faced with danger or extreme weather.
- Learn how to handle an animal attack. Know the proper way to save yourself from sharks, bears, dogs, and other wild animals.
- Learn how to survive extreme weather. Snowstorms, dust and sand storms, extreme heat, and extreme cold all require you to exhibit physical prowess.
- Learn how to survive on your own in the wild. Know how to make shelter for yourself, get food and water, and find your way back to civilization if necessary.
6Learn how to fight. Whether you're faced with someone trying to mug you on the street or you're standing up for someone who is being bullied, fighting skills will eventually come in handy. Learn the right way to throw a punch or defend yourself from one.
- Part of learning how to fight is learning when to fight. You should try to diffuse a situation using other tactics first.
- Martial arts training is a great way to learn important fighting skills while also understanding the proper mentality to have about fighting. One of the best ways to do so is taekwondo.
1Don't complain. If you want people to think you're tough, do your best to stay positive and face difficult situations without complaining. Complaining is a waste of time and makes you sound whiny and ineffective. Act like the strong, purposeful, confident person you are. You'll inspire others to want to be more like you.
- If you need to let off steam (we all do sometimes), do it privately. Write your thoughts down or channel your pent up energy in a positive way, like through working out.
- Sharing negative feelings isn't the same as complaining. You don't have to constantly act like nothing is wrong, or avoid saying what's on your mind; just try not to whine.
2Have control over your emotions. You probably know people who seem to surround themselves with drama, and others who get explosively angry at the drop of a hat. Being reckless with emotions can be a big burden for other people. Take the tougher approach of handling your emotions in such a way that you don't end up negatively affecting others. Find ways to express yourself constructively.
- This is not the same as bottling up your emotions, which can have a very bad effect over time. It's completely fine to express sadness, joy, embarrassment, anger, and so on as long as you do it in a way that isn't difficult for others to bear.
- Don't mistake emotionless behavior for tough behavior. It's not tough to pretend that you don't have feelings at all. It's tougher to be honest with yourself and acknowledge your emotional pain or happiness, and be brave enough to share it with others.
3Face reality. Think about what you're running away from or avoiding, and make the effort to face it head-on instead. It's easier to let yourself turn to escapist habits like watching too much TV or going out every night than it is to boldly deal with problems and negative situations. Tough people deal. The ability to do this will allow you to become much more successful in life instead of being held back by bad habits.
- Think hard about what you might be avoiding in your own life. Is there a personal failing you're ignoring? A family member who needs your help? A wrong that you could help to right?
- Try getting away from distractions for awhile to clear your head and correct your focus. Turn off the TV and put away your phone and computer for a few days.
4Volunteer to do things that scare you. You'll never toughen up if you stick to activities you've already mastered. Getting tougher requires learning new things, becoming more well-rounded. Practice going out of your way to try new activities and be open to experiences you might naturally tend to avoid.
- What terrifies you? Decide you're going to overcome your fear. If you hate public speaking, make a speech at your friend's wedding. If you're afraid of water, take swimming lessons.
5Be strong for others. Tough people take care of others when they are in need. It's a lot harder to take other people into consideration than it is to act solely for your own good. Be strong for your family and friends when they need someone to turn to. If you see a stranger in need of help, offer it. When you're in a group situation, be the one to volunteer to help.
- Make sure your family is well cared for. Be reliable and responsible so they know they can count you on.
- Step up and be the leader when a leader is called for. For example, if you're in a building and the fire alarm goes off, be the one to help calm people down and get them to safety instead of running away to fend for yourself.
6Fight for what you believe in. The very toughest people stay strong in the face of hardship, danger, and criticism, which may be the most difficult obstacle of all. Being tough means knowing what you believe in and standing up for it. You might even have to fight for it sometimes. Don't back down, and don't give up.
- Find a tough role model. What qualities make him or her tough? Emulate these to get tougher.
Sources and Citations
Categories: Managing Negative Feelings
In other languages:
Italiano: Diventare Più Forte, Português: Ser Durão, Español: ser más fuerte, Deutsch: Stark sein, Français: vous endurcir, Русский: стать крепким орешком, 中文: 变得更坚强, Nederlands: Harder worden, Bahasa Indonesia: Menjadi Tangguh, Čeština: Jak být tvrdý
Thanks to all authors for creating a page that has been read 88,152 times.
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As smartphone photography becomes ubiquitous, the technology behind it has to evolve. For a few years, that just meant more megapixels--sensors weren't getting much bigger, but pixels were getting smaller, often leading to higher resolution (but hardly better quality) photographs. Lately camera makers have taken care to improve low light performance in these sensors, and HTC's One, announced earlier this week, sacrifices its pixel count for larger pixels and superior light absorption. But that's just one part of the equation; going forward, we're also going to see more phones use computational photography to improve their photos.
Nvidia's Tegra 4, for example, can shoot HDR video and uses an image signal processor to process HDR photos in a snap. Developers at MIT's Microsystems Technology Laboratory have built a chip that specializes in computational photography processing, performing tasks that are often done in software designed to run on smartphones and computers.
According to one of the chip's developers, it was built to perform operations normally done in software while consuming less power. That includes processing HDR photographs "in a few hundred milliseconds on a 10-megapixel image," the chip's creators told MIT News.
The chip is also built to improve low-light photography:
"...the processor takes two images, one with a flash and one without. It then splits both into a base layer, containing just the large-scale features within the shot, and a detailed layer. Finally, it merges the two images, preserving the natural ambience from the base layer of the nonflash shot, while extracting the details from the picture taken with the flash.
To reduce noise, certain pixels are blurred with surrounding pixels, and the chip uses bilateral filtering to, theoretically, over-blurring the edges of pixels. "To perform each of these tasks, the chip’s processing unit uses a method of organizing and storing data called a bilateral grid," writes MIT News. "The image is first divided into smaller blocks. For each block, a histogram is then created. This results in a 3-D representation of the image, with the x and y axes representing the position of the block, and the brightness histogram representing the third dimension.
This makes it easy for the filter to avoid blurring across edges, since pixels with different brightness levels are separated in this third axis in the grid structure, no matter how close together they are in the image itself."
Even if this particular chip doesn't find its way into smartphones, its features likely will. Computational manipulation will become a more important tool in digital photography as phones grow more powerful; hopefully that trend is accompanied by better image sensors and an industry-wide shift away from the focus on megapixels.
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The Tohoku earthquake and tsunami that struck the northeast coast of Japan on 11 March has created an enormous human and ecological disaster. In addition to its direct economic cost to Japan, the disaster could potentially have important implications for the rest of the world, not only because of the sheer size of the Japanese economy, but also as a result of the country's pivotal role in the global supply chains that form the back-bone of today's international trade in manufactures (Altomonte and Ottaviano 2009).
What are the foreseeable consequences of the catastrophe for international trade? There are two complementary approaches to tackling this question.
- The first uses a gravity approach to determine the macro-level impact on Japan's total merchandise trade flows;
- The second employs a measure of the intersectoral connections between Japanese industries and other economies to assess cross-country supply-side effects.
Impact on Japanese trade at the macro level
Research on the economic consequences of natural and man-made disasters mainly focuses on the growth impacts of such events (see for example Cavallo et al. 2010). Only a very small subset of this literature deals specifically with the trade impact of disasters. An example of the latter can be found in a recent paper by Gassebner et al. (2010), which examines data on disasters in 170 countries between 1962 and 2004 using a gravity model.
In this column we use the same methodology to assess the impact of March’s disaster on Japanese and world trade. It is expected that the recent disaster in Japan will:
- reduce the volume of Japanese exports by between 0.5% and 1.6%; and
- increase the volume of imports by between 0.4% and 1.3%.
These estimates are relative to a baseline in which the disaster did not occur. For example, if we use the OECD's pre-disaster forecast of 6.7% growth in the volume of Japanese exports for 2011 as a starting point, then this study suggests that export growth should fall to between 5.1% and 6.2%.
The reduction in exports can be attributed to a number of factors, including injuries and loss of life (which affect companies’ human resources) as well as the destruction of physical capital related to the export sector. Damage to public infrastructure such as roads, bridges, railways, telecommunications networks and the electricity system may also disrupt supply chains and limit production and exports, as well as hindering production in other countries.
Reasons for the rise in imports may be less obvious. Reconstruction efforts are likely to boost imports since many of the required materials for rebuilding will need to come from abroad. This simulative effect should outweigh any negative impact stemming from of lost output and income. One of the most important findings of our research is that the import increasing effect of a natural disaster is stronger the more democratic a country is.
These are range estimates rather than point estimates due to uncertainty about the way the recent Japanese disaster is to be treated by the World Health Organisation Collaborating Centre for Research on the Epidemiology of Disasters. If it is counted as a single disaster the lower end of the range would be relevant, but if it is counted as three (i.e. an earthquake, a tsunami and a nuclear accident) then the upper range would apply.
The magnitude of the March disaster is unprecedented in the past 50 years, but the earthquake that struck Kobe, Japan in January 1995 provides a model, albeit imperfect, for how the country's trade might respond. Figure 1 shows monthly volume indices for Japanese and world trade before and after Kobe. It is worth noting that the rebound in Japan's imports following the 1995 earthquake was more sustained than the recovery in exports, which accords with our findings. World trade was hardly affected at all by the Kobe disaster.
Figure 1. Japan exports and imports and world trade volume, January 1991 to December 1996 (Indices, 2000=100)
The greater magnitude of the Tohoku earthquake, the spread of global supply chains since 1995, and the Fukushima nuclear incident may exacerbate any short-run declines following this year's earthquake, but the impact over the medium-to-long term (e.g. a year or longer) should still be small.
International supply chains and the supply-side effects
After rising to become the world's second largest manufacturer during the 1960s and 1970s, Japan has developed into a central hub for international supply chains (WTO and IDE-JETRO 2011). Responding to the sharp appreciation of yen after 1985, Japanese manufacturers outsourced a significant portion of their production bases to low-cost neighbouring Asian countries. Offshoring responded also to strategic and commercial objectives.1
Firms engaged in global manufacturing are vulnerable to the disruption of their supply chains. Managers have to balance the costs of keeping high inventories, and the risk of pure "just in time" production. The exceptional nature of the Japanese disaster (a Black Swan, from a probabilistic point of view) by-passes any security procedures embedded in normal supply chain management practices. Additionally, the strategic role played by Japanese firms means that they cannot be easily replaced by foreign suppliers. Indeed, soon after the disaster, production slowdowns and even disruptions began to register in many of the Japanese affiliates abroad and in some foreign industries relying on Japanese inputs. As a French automobile manufacturer realised, the unavailability of only one engine part could shut-down whole assembly lines.
Table 1 uses the model developed by Escaith and Gonguet (2011) to visualise the supply-side transmission channels of a disruptive shock originating in Japan. The model is based on international supply-use tables to measure the intensity of forward linkages of (representative) firms with a Ghosh matrix. The results track the transmission of direct and indirect supply shocks brought about by an exogenous increase in the cost of intermediate supplies. It is particularly well suited to analysing the present situation, as it is generally expected that the struggle for substituting key Japanese inputs will raise the international prices for these parts and components – indeed it is reported that the price of specific types of flash memory or flat panels increased by 20% following the disaster.
Chinese Taipei and Thailand are the economies most exposed to the supply-shock, followed closely by Malaysia. All are relatively small open economies, tightly embedded in regional and global supply chains. Larger developing countries like China and Indonesia are less affected even if some of their industries show high vulnerability. The US is the least affected economy, due to its large size and the predominance of the domestic market as a source of intermediate consumption in industrial inputs. This average picture hides the fact that, at the micro-level, some individual firms are deeply dependent on Asian supply chains, and therefore may be more severely affected.
Table 1. Sectoral transmission of a supply-driven shock emanating from the Japanese industrial sectors (selected countries and sectors, 2008).
Notes: a/ Percentage increase in sectoral domestic production costs resulting from a 30 per cent raise in the price of intermediate inputs imported from Japan. b/ Simple average. Results higher than 2% are highlighted. Source: Adapted from Escaith and Gonguet, (2011), on the basis of IDE-JETRO Asian Input-Output tables.
The Tohoku earthquake and tsunami are expected to have a noticeable impact on both Japan's exports and imports. Even considering the large size of this economy, the world's fourth largest trader in goods and services, the impact on world trade will most probably remain small. Similarly, data available from specialised business organizations tend to indicate that the global supply chains are not expected to be severely affected by the situation in Japan, as long as its economy returns to some normality in the coming weeks. Most disruptions appear to have been domestic, and supply-chain impacts have been relatively controlled. The main effect is anticipated for April-May, while the situation is likely to normalise by the second half of the year.
The opinions expressed in this article and remaining errors are those of the authors. The article is not meant to represent the positions or opinions of the WTO and its Members and is without prejudice to Members’ rights and obligations under the WTO.
Altomonte, Carlo and Giancarlo IP Ottaviano (2009), “Resilient to the crisis? Global supply chains and trade flows”, VoxEU.org, 27 November.
Cavallo, E, S Galiani, H Noy and J Pantano (2010), "Catastrophic Natural Disasters and Growth", Inter-American Development Bank Working Paper IDB-WP-183.
Escaith, H and F Gonguet (2011), "International Trade and Real Transmission Channels of Financial Shocks in Global Production Networks: An Asian-USA Perspective", in S Inomata (ed.), Asia Beyond the Global Economic Crisis: The Transmission Mechanism of Financial Shocks, Edward Elgar Publishing Ltd (forthcoming, May). An earlier abridged version is available on VoxEU here.
Gassebner, M, A Keck and R Teh (2010), “Shaken, not Stirred: The Impact of Disasters on International Trade”, Review of International Economics, 18(2):351-368.
WTO and IDE-JETRO (2011), "Trade Patterns and Global Value Chains in East Asia", forthcoming (June), Geneva.
1 In the early 1980s, Japan accepted to voluntarily restrain its automobile exports to the US; Japanese firms established plants in this country to "build where they sold".
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Nuclear power is not the answer to global warming.
To replace all of its current oil, gas and coal use, the world would have to build about 80,000 medium-sized reactors. It would take over 200 years to build them even at the rate of one a day, and the cost would be staggering. And common sense tells us that we must not trade one environmental problem for another.(Source)The projected time frame for nuclear conversion in Nanticoke ranges from 8 - 14 years. Much quicker, cheaper, less-objectionable methods are available. If we put billions into nukes, we take away precious funding that could be used for a better solution.
Nuclear power generation is not emission-free as often claimed by industry advocates and also by Diane Finley --
"...a nuclear facility with its zero emitting technology..."Minister Finley is getting her information solely from industry advocates. The Sierra Club of Canada informs us that nuclear energy is by no means emmission free.
What about the increased availability of nuke waste and fuel as contaminants in a dirty bomb or even a "clean" A-bomb?
"Routine emissions from nuclear reactors include a number of different elements such as carbon-14 and tritium. The long half-lives of these radioactive elements (5730 years for carbon-14 and 12.3 years for tritium) allow them to accumulate in the environment and in living tissue. Over the years, leaks around nuclear reactors in Canada have raised levels of tritium, a known carcinogen, well above background levels.
Spent fuel from CANDU reactors contains over 200 deadly radioactive elements - byproducts of the fission process - including uranium, plutonium, cesium, and strontium. Plutonium, for example, has a half-life of 24,400 years. Other waste byproducts have half-lives as long as 710,000 years (uranium235) or 15.8 million years (iodine129). High-level nuclear waste will remain toxic for periods far longer than recorded human history." Sierra Club
Many countries have phased out or are in the process of phasing out nuclear power generators. They have proven to be too costly, too unreliable, -- several of Ontario's existing reactors are either kaput or awaiting $billion+ repairs -- too dangerous and too unpopular with citizens. I believe there are only 2 reactors being built presently in the entire world - one in Finland and one in Taiwan. These were the first new starts in something like 25-30 years. The industry spends much of its corporate energy attempting to woo governments because without massive subsidies, nuclear cannot be implemented.
The connections linking nuclear power and weapons is more than political or historic. Consider: l FISSIONABLE MATERIALS: It is the same nuclear fuel cycle with its mining of uranium, milling, enrichment and fuel fabrication stages which readies the uranium ore for use in reactors, whether these reactors are used to create plutonium for bombs or generate electricity. In the end, both reactors produce the plutonium. The only difference between them is the concentration of the various isotopes used in the fuel. Each year a typical 1000 mega-watt (MW) commercial power reactor will produce 300 to 500 pounds of plutonium -- enough to build between 25 - 40 Nagasaki-sized atomic bombs.
As Dr. Amory Lovins, director of the Rocky Mountain Institute in Colorado points out, "Every known route to bombs involves either nuclear power or materials and technology which are available, which exist in commerce, as a direct and essential consequence of nuclear power."
2 In order to get plutonium for weapons, one needs a reactor, whether it is a "research" reactor (such as the one which provided India with the fissile material for its first atomic bomb) or a commercial reactor. (Source)
Waht about the risk to nearby people and property?
Nuclear installations are, by law, free from financial liability in the case of a nuclear accident. Private property insurance specifically excludes nuclear accidents from all homeowner and farm policies. It is not purchasable at any price. In the event of an accident forcing residents to abandon their property, there is absolutely zero compensation available.
The industry has already been using "temporary" waste storage while it supposedly tries to find permanent solutions. This has been happening since the very first nuke plant went online about 50 years ago. It's an accident waiting to happen.
What about Return on Investment of taxpayer money?
Over a fifty year period (from 1953 to 2002), government subsidies to AECL Atomic Energy of Canada Limited ) totaled $17.5 billion (in 2001 dollars). Cost overruns on the last nuclear station to be built in Ontario at Darlington were in the billions of dollars. Debt incurred by Ontario Hydro (the predecessor to OPG) in the operations of its power reactors amounted to over $35 billion dollars. The public cost of decommissioning nuclear reactors and attempting to contain the waste products over extended timeframes has yet to be determined. Sierra ClubAnd now, McGuinty is at it again along with the support of MP Finley and presumably the federal government. The financial situation vis-a-vis Canadian investment is typical of the poor ROI experienced by other countries, like the US.
The Nanticoke coal generator is only about 35 years old. If replaced by a nuke plant, the existing plant will be totally demolished. This will cost millions. If we'd known 35 years ago what we know now, it would not have been built. We do know now all the reasons why building a multi-billion dollar nuclear facility is wrong-headed. In 50 years (the industry-projected life span of a new nuke plant), we'll be spending billions to decommission nuke plants.
About 3 years ago, a wind farm proposal came before Norfolk council and was approved. Those 70-80 windmills are already pumping out enough power for tens of thousands of homes. A multi-acre solar farm has just been announced and approved for development. It will come online before the drawings could be completed for a nuclear Nanticoke.
Reduction and energy efficiency are the real answers.
(N)uclear power is seven times less cost-effective at displacing carbon than the cheapest, fastest alternative -- energy efficiency, according to studies by the Rocky Mountain Institute. For example, a nuclear power plant typically costs at least $2 billion. If that $2 billion were instead spent to insulate drafty buildings, purchase hybrid cars or install super-efficient lightbulbs and clothes dryers, it would make unnecessary seven times more carbon consumption than the nuclear power plant would. In short, energy efficiency offers a much bigger bang for the buck. In a world of limited capital, investing in nuclear power would divert money away from better responses to global warming, thus slowing the world's withdrawal from carbon fuels at a time when speed is essential. (Source)
Don't forget, that's our money that Ontario is investing. We could be getting seven times better ROI.
James Robert (for JimBobby)
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Says the human to the polar bear: "I am not your lunch!"
As the climate continues to change, the polar bear's range moves south as the planet continues to warm. This means that we should expect more human encounters with the polar bear. This can be a problem for scientists working in these regions. Enter the Canadian bear expert, Andy McMullen, a Canadian 35 year veteran who teaches Dartmouth scientists about bear behavior before they embark upon studies in bear country.
According to Erich Osterberg, assistant professor at Dartmouth, because field conditions have changed some Dartmouth scientists in Greenland now carry rifles and hire guards for polar bear protection where polar bears were once rare hence the need to solicit McMullen's expertise.
McMullen knowledge is from the old folks who used to hunt them with a spear. He says, "Inuit elders say the simple sight of the bear is not a call for panic, but it is easy to panic if you are not armed with knowledge. If you don't know how to avoid them or what to do or how to interpret their behavior, you're stuck." In other words, the key to not getting eaten is packed in the power of knowledge.
But McMullen has a high regard and respect for the polar bear, Ursus maritimus. "They are gymnastic bears," noting their ability to leap among the ice floes. "They are very powerful swimmers. They are highly intelligent animals, and their sense of smell is legendary."
The polar bear is almost exclusively carnivorous, and the ice, their preferred habitat, is their hunting platform. When the pack ice melts they come ashore, making it the most dangerous time in the north—with the highest risk of an encounter.
McMullen says polar bears tend to approach cautiously. "If you remain quiet and don't do anything, the bear will come closer to try to figure out what you are. The idea is to let it know you are human as soon as you can. All you have to do is talk," says McMullen. "The human voice is probably the best deterrent there is, and I take mine with me everywhere I go," he jokes.
Polar bears want seals, their diet preference, not humans. Human encounters are likely based on curiosity, signaled by the animal sniffing the air, stopping, and starting, standing on its hind legs or displaying defensive behavior such as huffing and puffing, growling or stomping. McMullen advises to not make eye contact or run but back away slowly without, shouting or making sudden moves.
Read more at Dartmouth.
Man versus polar bear image via Shutterstock.
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Part IV, Chapter XXI
The Woolen Manufacture, (continued). Characteristics of the American Industry
Having surveyed the growth of the two great branches of the American wool manufacture, we are prepared to consider the more difficult problems concerning the effects of protection: the technical development of the industry in this country and in Europe, the effectiveness of the labor and capital engaged, the prospect of attaining independence of tariff support. Was the growth similar to that in other textile industries? As regards cottons, we have seen that extremely high duties can be fairly said to have been almost without effect either for good or evil: they did not check industrial progress, nor did they serve to promote it. The history of the silk manufacture suggests, even if it does not quite prove, that a newly-established industry may not only grow in size under the influence of protection, but advance in effectiveness. What does the evidence indicate in the case of woolens?
The preceding account of the history and characteristics of the worsted and woolen branches would lead one to surmise that the first named, young though it is, would have proved more likely to give scope to the special industrial excellences of our inventors and business leaders, and more promising as regards eventual independence. The woolen branch, on the other hand, seems to have characteristics that indicate less adaptability to American conditions, a field less favorable for American enterprise. Yet it is not clear that distinctions or conclusions of this sort can be maintained. The course of development in both branches has been different from that in the other textile industries; the situation in many respects is puzzling.
First, as regards worsteds. Here, to repeat, the opportunities for American industrial talent seem promising. Yet it appears that in precisely the direction where one looks for advance by Americans,—the invention of new machinery or improvement of old,—the worsted manufacture showed least indication of progress or of independence. On the contrary, it seems to have remained under European tutelage, content to import and to use European machinery. This at all events was the case in those departments of the industry which are most distinctive,—combing and the operations closely connected with combing. The facts brought out by the Tariff Board in 1912 were surprising. It appeared that in the worsted mills hardly any machinery, in all the processes up to and including spinning, was of domestic make. Almost all the combing machines were imported, almost all the drawing frames (these begin the manipulation of the tops as delivered from the combs, reducing the tops to a thin sliver ready for spinning), almost all the frame spinning machinery, and absolutely all of the mule spindles. Such small fraction of the combing and spinning machinery as was of American make was a direct copy of that imported. Leadership in the industry was clearly on the other side of the water.
Nor did it appear that there was anything in the organization of the working force or in the efficiency of the individual operatives which gave any advantage to Americans. The evidence on this topic, taken at its face, pointed to but one conclusion. It is true that here, as elsewhere, the turn taken by the protective controversy caused the manufacturers to lay stress on their own disabilities or failings. The notion current among protectionists for many years, that duties should be so levied as to cover higher cost of production in the United States, led their spokesmen to dilate on disadvantages and on the absence of any factors making for advantage or special effectiveness. The mill operatives, it was said, were chiefly of foreign birth, and not of the best foreign birth,—raw agricultural laborers from southern and eastern Europe, suddenly transplanted to factory towns; not equal in steadiness, skill, even tractableness, to the English, German, and French who remained in the competing mills of these several countries. The American mills were said to have the same equipment; the operatives performed the same tasks and performed them no better, nay, not so well; how could the industry possibly maintain itself, paying American rates of wages, without protection? On the principles of protection, the argument was unanswerable; its applicability in this case apparently was beyond cavil. It raised unequivocally the fundamental questions that underlie the whole controversy. Is it worth while to support industries that have no superiority over their foreign competitors, and show no prospect of attaining any? If all American industries were in the same state as the worsted manufacture (in the departments here under consideration),—if all machinery were quite the same as in Europe, all workmen no more efficient, all management no better,—could the product of American industry be larger, and could wages in general be higher? Was not the industry one in which the effectiveness of industry failed to measure up to the general American standard of effectiveness, which alone makes possible a high general rate of wages?
In some other departments of the manufacture the situation was not so unpromising. As in the textile industries at large, weaving stood in a position apart. Here the conditions as regards domestic and imported machinery were quite reversed. Only one-fifth of the looms were imported; the great majority were of American make. Not only this, but the striking American improvements in weaving had been found applicable, not indeed throughout, but at least in some directions. The automatic loom was used in weaving certain kinds of worsteds, and cut down cost, i.e., increased effectiveness, in this part of the manufacturing processes. From the nature of the case it could be used to advantage only where thousands of yards of a single kind of fabric were turned out; such as "blue serges" and the like for women's wear, having a cotton warp, comparatively cheap and sufficiently serviceable,—goods which could be steadily marketed in great quantities. Worsteds and woolens are in general not of uniform pattern or quality, and are much subject to the vagaries of fashion; hence mass production of this sort is not susceptible of the same extension as in the case of cottons. Indeed, as will appear presently, there are peculiarities in woolen weaving which seem to militate against any wide-spread adoption of the methods which have so profoundly affected the cotton manufacture. The apparently exceptional cases in which the automatic loom was used in weaving worsteds served rather to emphasize the contrast between them and the more typical American conditions. It is not to be supposed that this industry was quite outside the main current, and quite uninfluenced by the pervasive tendency in the United States to extend the use of labor-saving devices. Yet the available evidence indicates that, as regards machinery, the advances over competing foreigners were less, and surprisingly less, than in other textile industries.
It is possible that forward strides were taken in other directions,—in the more general economies from large-scale operation. In the worsted manufacture, as elsewhere, a contest has been going on between different systems of organization and management,—between the large mill and the very large mill, between integration and specialization, between the single establishment and a combination embracing many establishments. In these respects the American industry shows contrasts both with its European rivals and with other textile industries in the United States.
In the mere fact of a comparatively large scale of production it is not peculiar; worsted mills in Europe also are larger than woolen mills, and as large as cotton and silk mills. But some of the American mills are of such extraordinary size that they may be called giants; they endeavor to secure the advantages of large-scale operations on a scale not elsewhere dreamed of. The much-discussed Wood Mill, erected by the American Woolen Company at Lawrence, Mass., is said to be the largest textile establishment under a single roof in the world. Others, such as the Arlington mills in the same city, are of similar size; there is a well-known list of other great mills. Side by side with them are a number of establishments of more moderate size, comparable with the typical European establishment. It is not certain which type is gaining in the United States; but the huge concern seems at the least to hold its own. Its methods are in accord with those of American industrial triumphs. The worsted industry, or at least some branches of it, may be thought to be on the way to securing a comparative advantage.
Possibilities of the same sort may be considered as regards the effects of integration and combination. The American tendency on the whole is toward integration. Certain it is that specialization is carried less far than in Europe, in the worsted industry itself as well as in textile industries at large. In some respects there are signs of some reaction toward specialization in the United States; the trend toward integration is by no means without exceptions; but there is nothing like the division of labor between distinct branches,—scouring, combing, dyeing, spinning, weaving, finishing,—which is the established European organization. It remains to be seen in this matter also whether management and organization after the American plan will hold their own, or whether specialization will extend; and further, whether the great integrated establishment will prove to have advantages not only over its specializing competitors at home, but over its competitors of the same character abroad.
So it is with regard to combination. In this industry, as in others, the United States is the scene of a bold experiment in great-scale management. The American Woolen Company is a combination of a number of mills of different character, united under single control, and endeavoring to secure various potential advantages. Among these are economy in the purchase and allotment of materials, standardization of equipment, and specialization among the several establishments,—not specialization of the kind referred to in the preceding paragraph, but in the sense that each mill is confined to one class of goods, operates continuously on its specialty, and makes no endeavor to turn out a "line" of varied products such as the independent manufacturer commonly thinks it necessary to offer. All sorts of mills are combined in this great agglomeration; not only worsted mills, but woolen mills in the narrower sense (carded wool mills); scattered moreover in many far-separated places. The experiment is of no little interest to the economist, quite apart from any bearing it may have on the tariff question. Does this method of organization really conduce to effectiveness in production? It seems to raise no question of monopoly. However important and even dominant is the position of the American Woolen Company, it has not even a quasi-monopolistic control of the industry or of any branch of it. It has to meet competition on every side; the contest is a direct uncomplicated one between the single concern and the great combination of similar concerns. The traditional reasoning does not point to any certain or even probable advantage for the latter in this particular case. It is true that large-scale production is growing in the worsted industry; but its advantages are not proved to progress indefinitely with enlarging scale. Integration, though carried on to an unusual extent in American establishments, has to compete with specialization in this country, and even more with the specializing industry of Europe. The goods produced are of great variety, and subject to the whims of fashion; hence standardization of equipment and sweeping application of machine methods cannot be carried as far as, for example, in the manufacture of the ordinary grades of cotton goods. It is to be observed, moreover, that in the two other leading textile industries there has been found no promising field for a great combination: neither for cottons, where mass production has been carried so far, nor for silks, where there are conditions resembling those of woolens as regards variety of goods and irregularity of fashion. It would seem that only certain parts of the woolen manufacture give any prospect of gains from horizontal combination; more particularly those parts of the worsted branch which produce on a large scale great quantities of homogeneous fabrics. But on this subject it is well to refrain from prophecy, perhaps even from speculation. The whole question of the technical and managerial possibilities of combined enterprises awaits solution, and not least so in this industry.
Turn now to the other branch of the woolen industry, that of carded woolen goods. Here the conditions are in many ways different; in some ways they seem more promising for the American producers, in others less so.
This is the older part of the industry, and therefore, it might be supposed, the one less likely to be dependent on the tariff. The manufacture of worsteds, like that of silks, grew up after the civil war, and was the direct product of high protection. The woolen branch is the oldest of all in the textile group; it goes back to the "domestic" system of colonial days. True, it is younger, as a machine using industry, than the cotton manufacture, since the epoch-making inventions of the eighteenth century were first applied to the latter. But carding, spinning, and wearing machinery was adapted to wool at an early date in the nineteenth century, both in England and the United States. The American tariff controversy of the first half of the nineteenth century was concerned as much with the duties on wool and woolens as with any other single set of duties. The manufacturers were encouraged by high rates during earlier years, and then compelled, after 1846, to adjust themselves to rates decidedly low. Under the tariffs of 1846 and of 1857 the effective duty was less than 25 per cent. Yet the industry did not succumb. Though the imports formed in 1860 a much larger proportion of the total supply than they did in later years, the domestic product even then exceeded the imports, and the manufacturers looked to the future with courage under duties so low that they would be adjudged rank free trade by the modern protectionists.
If this was the situation in the middle of the nineteenth century, it would seem inferable that the degree of dependence on protection would have become less rather than greater after the lapse of another half-century. All manufacturing industries grew and strengthened after the civil war. The textile industries that were well established at the earlier date, as well as other industries then in a firm position, continued to hold their own. The high rates of the later period would seem unnecessary; and the carded woolen manufacture, mature and settled as early as 1860, might be expected to show in 1910 greater independence of tariff support than the newer worsted manufacture which owed its origin to extreme and comparatively recent protection.
Confirmation of this impression would seem to be afforded by a comparison between the two branches as regards one point on which stress has been laid,—namely, the relative use of imported and domestic machinery. The carded woolen branch was found by the Tariff Board to be in a different position from its younger rival, in that it relied but little on imported machinery. Carding is the step in the woolen industry which corresponds to combing in the worsted. The Board's inquiries showed a sharp contrast between the sources of supply for combs and cards. Whereas almost all the combs were imported, the carding machines were preponderantly (92 per cent) of American make. It is noteworthy also that the somewhat modified carding machines used in worsted mills (they prepare wool of comparatively short fibre, such as cross-bred wool, for the combing operation) were also largely of foreign make; here again the worsted branch relied much more on imported equipment. In spinning there was the same contrast. Much the greatest part (85 per cent) of the mule spindles in the woolen mills were made in the United States. But in the worsted mills absolutely every mule spindle was imported. It may be noted also that of the "cap" spindles used in the worsted branch, and there used only (being inapplicable to carded wool), the proportion of American machinery was insignificant,—only 8 per cent, as compared with 92 per cent imported. Here again the worsted branch relied almost exclusively on foreign apparatus.
The significance of this contrast, however, is affected by some other facts brought out in the same investigation. It appeared that the machinery in the worsted mills was the more modern, i.e., had been in use for a shorter period than that in the woolen mills. The cards in the latter were, it is true, of American make; but they were old. Nearly one-half of them (47 per cent) had been in use twenty-five years or more. The cards used by the worsted makers were distinctly more modern,—of foreign manufacture, it is true, but comparatively new. Only 7½ per cent were twenty-five years old or more, as compared with the 47 per cent just stated for the woolen mills. A similar difference, though not so marked, appeared as regards the age of the mule spindles. This part of the equipment of the woolen mills, while chiefly American, was older than the same equipment, all of it imported, in the worsted mills. The combs in the latter, it will be remembered, were almost all of foreign make; but these also were comparatively new. The preponderant use of American machines by the woolen mills might thus be a sign not of progress, but of lack of it. It would be so if the domestic machines were inferior to the foreign, or at least not superior. And similarly the preponderant use of foreign machines by the worsted makers might indicate that they were using the best that was obtainable. This throws the question of the comparative effectiveness of foreign and domestic industry one stage farther back,—to the machine makers who supply the manufacturers. So far as concerns the final outcome, the problem remains the same. Whether an American industry can hold its own against foreign competition depends, to repeat, on the combined effectiveness of all the factors,—climate, power resources, and raw material; quality of workmen; ability in organization and management; and, finally, the technological equipment. But in comparing the woolen and worsted branches within their own circle of operations, the mere use of domestic machinery by the one, of foreign by the other, does not necessarily measure their relative progress or effectiveness. Apparently the worsted branch, using imported equipment, simply turned to the best that was to be had; while it is conceivable that the domestic equipment used by the woolen branch failed to keep pace with the general American progress in labor-saving devices, perhaps even failed to keep pace with progress in foreign countries.
It must be borne in mind that during the period here under review the woolen branch was virtually at a standstill, while the growth in worsteds was rapid and continuous. The retention of old equipment in the former may seem a natural result of adverse conditions due to shifts in fashion and other extraneous causes. Yet adverse conditions do not necessarily have a deadening effect on industry. It is often said that severe competition and trade crises tend to have the opposite effect,—to compel economies and put every producer to his trumps. In this case, as in the converse case of favoring conditions, there seems to be no a priori ground for saying that either progress or stagnation will be promoted. High protection, for example, is said by the free trader to conduce to laxness, by the protectionists to stimulate domestic improvements. Under either set of conditions,—depressing or encouraging,—the only helpful method of inquiry seems to be the examination of the available historical and statistical material, and also of the indications of adaptation, or lack of adaptation, to the country's general industrial environment.
It happens that in this instance there has been some direct testimony to stagnation. It cannot be said that American experience in general verifies the free trader's prediction concerning this sort of consequence from high duties. On the contrary, the history of many industries (such as iron, silks, and cottons) indicates that protection and progress are not incompatible. But there are indications that in the carded woolen branch backward establishments were enabled to hold their own under tariff shelter. The long-continued use of old machinery would seem to point that way. More significant is the fact that the protectionist spokesmen themselves have sounded notes of warning. During the civil war the abrupt increase of demand for woolen cloths inevitably caused all sorts of mills to make profits even with poor equipment and slack management. Notwithstanding a process of weeding out which set in after the war (the wool and woolens act of 1867, with its elaborate compensating system, was in reality an endeavor to stave off the inevitable readjustment) this abnormal stimulus seems to have left its impress on the carded woolen industry throughout the ensuing half-century. During the brief period of free wool and lowered woolen duties under the Wilson tariff act (1894-97) some plain speaking came from the protectionist ranks. It was said that the carded wool branch had been backward, and consequently had been hit by the lowered duties more than the worsted branch. A general overhauling was not to be avoided. This period of low duties and of stress proved short,—shorter than the protectionists themselves expected; or else such confessions would hardly have been forthcoming. In 1897, the tariff barrier was put up again, high and strong as before; and behind it the industry was enabled to go its way for another long period (from 1897 to 1913) without paying attention to any possibilities of foreign competition.
What now is the explanation of the situation which has come to view in this account of the American woolen manufacture? In general, the tale is one of backwardness; how explain it?
One explanation often given is that all is chargeable to the duties on raw wool. This is the outstanding factor not present in the other textile industries. For silks and cottons the raw materials never were subject to duty. The woolen industry alone labored under the handicap of taxes on its material. The free traders, and especially those who preached the gospel of free materials, laid stress on this circumstance. The wool duty, it was said, handicapped the manufacturers, narrowed the range of the industry, stood in the way of diversification. This explanation was particularly acceptable to the free traders because as a rule they were reluctant to go the full length of their own creed and to admit that the manufacture itself might be in danger if their policy were adopted. No: it was thought that, given free wool, the manufacturing industry would hold its own, and even expand and progress.
But I cannot believe that this tells the whole story. No doubt the wool duty did operate as a handicap on the manufacturing industry. The qualities of wool are extraordinarily diverse; the particular way in which the duty was so long levied served to prohibit many grades, and to hamper the use of others. Probably there was some effect in keeping the manufacture in routine grooves, even in a rut. But the wool duty was so completely offset by the compensating system, and the characteristics of the manufacturing industry appear in so many matters that are little related to the duty, that this cannot be judged a decisive or even commanding factor. After all, though the compensating system proved to be ill adjusted, and unequal in its effect on different branches of the industry, the duties on woolens as a whole,—compensating and "protective" taken together,—left a generous margin for protection in almost all cases. Just as the wool duty does not serve to explain the greater growth of the worsted branch as compared with that of carded woolens, so it does not explain the general characteristics of both branches. It has sins enough of its own to answer for, without being held accountable for everything that seemed to go wrong. The question persists: how account for the seeming failure of the woolen manufacture to keep in line with the general march of American industrial effectiveness?
To this question, as to so many in the field of economics, it is easier to give negative answers than positive; easier to say what was not the cause than to say precisely what was. The phenomena are perhaps most puzzling in that the historical sequence in the manufacture seems out of accord with its contemporary position and prospects. The woolen branch (carded woolen) is much the older; apparently it was firmly established at an early date; yet it has been beaten by its younger rival, the worsted branch, not only in size but apparently in adaptability to the general industrial conditions. Yet it is in the last-named circumstance,—adaptability to American conditions in general,—that the solution of the problem is most likely to be found.
The historical anomaly in the carded woolen branch,—its growth and assured position at an early date, contrasting with the more precarious modern stage,—is perhaps to be explained on the ground that in the course of time the industrial environment itself underwent a change. In the United States of the first half of the nineteenth century an industry of small or moderate scale was more likely to hold its own securely than in the United States of the twentieth century. Intelligence and handicraft skill on the part of the individual workmen, which play so marked a part in this branch, had not then found so many other fields for advantageous application. Add to this the circumstance that the industry had traditions and an established basis, inherited from the domestic spinning and weaving of colonial days, with their necessary adjuncts in the fulling and finishing mills,—and it is not so difficult to understand the contrast between the middle of the nineteenth century and the beginning of the twentieth.
The worsted industry, on the other hand, exhibits in all countries the more dominant characteristics of modern industry,—highly-developed and quasi-automatic machinery, standardized material, large plant, a dominance of organization, and (in comparison with the older branch) a lack of individuality. These characteristics appear most sharply in the manufacture of the staple grades of fabrics, turned out in large quantities and at prices low enough to make possible their sale to multitudes of purchasers. It is in accord with the general trend of American industry that our manufacturers should have turned chiefly to goods of this sort, while those calling for more detailed care, more variety, more individual finish continued to be imported even in face of the extremely high duties levied so long. It is in accord, too, with the general international division of labor that the more highly-finished goods should be produced in France more than in Germany, and in Germany more than in England. Thus it would seem that the manufacture of staple worsteds was the most promising part of the industry for the Americans, giving favorable opportunities for the methods and appliances which they have learned to apply better than others. And yet, to repeat, the evidence points little to progress. The record on the whole is one of imitation, not of independent advance, still less of leadership. While the carded woolen branch may be said to have been left behind by the American industrial current, the worsted branch simply kept up with the general European movement, and showed little sign of keeping pace with that in the United States.
It is true that protection veils the situation, as it does in the case of the silk manufacture. Behind it the American worsted industry may have achieved more than can be readily seen, more than the manufacturers are aware of, or (if aware) are ready to admit. Some allowance must doubtless be made for that timorousness with regard to foreign competition which protected producers show at all times and in all countries. Invariably they exaggerate their own deficiencies and exhibit a panic fear of foreign competitors. But even after making allowance for this sort of exaggeration in the general accounts given by the protectionists, such specific facts as the Tariff Board brought to light regarding the importation of machinery point to a real basis for their fears. It would seem that the American wool manufactures, as a rule, are not able to meet foreign competition on even terms, and have little prospect of doing so. And the question recurs, why not?
I cannot but believe that there is something in the quality of wool fibre which has affected fundamentally the course of development; just as the quality of silk fibre affected the silk industry. It is in this direction that we are most likely to find some explanation of the peculiarities in the history of both branches of the American wool manufacture.
It is certain that in some respects at least wool is not amenable to machinery of the quasi-automatic kind. As regards spinning, for example, the ring spindle, which dominates the cotton manufacture of the United States, has not been found available for wool. All carded wool is spun on the mule; and in this branch of the textile manufacture, as has been already pointed out, the Americans have no advantage either in the machinery itself or in its operation. Most combed wool is also spun on the mules. A method of spinning similar to that with the ring—cap spinning—is used for some combed wool in Yorkshire and in the United States. But the absence of any American improvements, and presumably of any special adaptability to American industrial conditions, is indicated by the fact that almost all the spinning machinery of this kind used in the United States is imported from Great Britain. There is no sign of such American inventions and improvements as have so profoundly affected the spinning departments of the other great textile industries,—silks and cottons.
As has been repeatedly pointed out in these pages, weaving is the textile operation in which American manufacturers have long been most proficient. So far as concerns the sources of supply for weaving machinery, the situation in the woolen mills was found by the Tariff Board to be quite different from that in the spinning department. Over three-quarters of the looms were of American manufacture. Those that were imported,—a very few from Germany, the larger quota from England,—were used chiefly in the manufacture of fine goods, of which more will be said presently.
Nevertheless, even with respect to weaving, there is a great difference between the woolen and cotton industries. Woolen looms are usually wide,—five feet wide or more; and for this reason, and also because of the less automatic character of the work, it is rare that a weaver is given charge of more than two looms, at most three. Only where there is large-scale production of uniform goods, on narrow looms, is any attempt made to put a weaver in charge of a considerable number of woolen looms; an endeavor which of course is made with most effect where the automatic loom has been found applicable to some worsteds. It would seem that the nature of wool and the yarn spun from it, as well as the more diversified character of the fabrics, stand in the way of any sweeping application of the methods which have proved of such far-reaching effect in the weaving of cottons.
Another consequence of this general situation is a difficulty in finding and keeping the sort of weaver who can run a woolen loom well. The Tariff Board in the course of its inquiries elicited from manufacturers a number of instructive statements. Repeatedly it was declared that the woolen weaver must have the qualities of a mechanic; that quickness, a good eye, a skilful hand, are called for; that the good weaver is a high-priced man; and not least, that one who is highly capable tends to drift away into other occupations, in which his services command higher pay. Similar statements are made about the weavers of fine grades of cotton goods. These also are a selected group among the textile operatives, skilled by nature or by training, paid at a comparatively high rate, and able to find ready employment in other industries.
All this serves to illustrate the principle of comparative effectiveness. Workmen who have the qualities of the skilled mechanic are needed in woolen mills and in the cotton mills making the finer fabrics; but they seem to add no comparative effectiveness there. In American industry at large, the man of mechanical capacity and training is in great demand,—for instance, in the wire fence and automobile industries mentioned in the letters just quoted. It is among the characteristics of our general industrial conditions that the gap between the wages of skilled and unskilled is greater than in other countries. The mechanic, the craftsman, the man of quick eye and deft hand, gets an unusually high rate of pay, and has an unusually favorable position in the adjustment of wages between non-competing groups. And he has this advantageous position because in general his labor is applied with unusual effect. No doubt the reasons are complex; partly that he is individually skilful, efficient, strenuous, more largely that inventors and employers have found ways of making his labor tell better than in other countries. But tell it does; and hence it commands high pay. Any industry which calls for such men must pay wages at the current rates; and if it cannot secure from them results commensurable to the pay, and if its products are subject to foreign competition, it "needs" protection and clamors for it. Precisely this seems to be the case in the woolen manufacture.
As machinery becomes more automatic, the skilled workman is needed only to construct it, keep it in repair and supervise. It can be tended by an unskilled immigrant, perhaps a woman. The cause of comparative effectiveness in industry,—if there be such,—must then be sought primarily in the ingenuity of inventors and the organizing leadership of business managers. The wages of the rank and file among the factory operatives who are thus directed and led are low in the United States relatively to those of mechanics, though high relatively to those of similar operatives in European mills. Such is the social stratification in the typical cotton mill; it tends to be such also in the typical silk mill and the great standardized worsted mill. A lower grade of operative can be utilized in the weaving departments of these than in the weaving departments of woolen mills proper. The proportion of women employed in the worsted mills is considerably higher than in the woolen mills (49 per cent against 35); nor are any such statements as those just quoted to be found from manufacturers of worsteds. It is significant, too, that in the operation of cotton looms for ordinary goods no difference is found between the efficiency of men and women as weavers; at piece rates they earn the same total. It is only for the finer cottons that the weaver needs those mechanical abilities in which men excel and which cause them to be preferred in woolen mills. In this regard also the technical conditions would seem to be less favorable to the industrial acclimatization of the carded woolen manufacture.
Still another factor works in the same direction. The finishing processes are of the first importance for carded woolen fabrics. They are of great variety, and they are almost decisive as regards the character and saleability of the goods. Typical of the various manipulations is the ancient one of "fulling,"—the cloth being passed between rollers and through liquid soap, or soap and water. It is thus shrunk and felted. In essentials, the process remains a handicraft operation, even though no longer carried on, as it was in earlier days, in a separate fulling mill. It is little aided by machinery, and is dependent on the skill and unrelaxing attention of the individual workman. The same is the case with the raising of a surface by teazles, the stretchings and dryings and beatings and ironings. To quote from Professor Clapham's excellent account of the industry in England, where finishing has been carried to greatest elaboration and perfection: "The variety of finishing processes is singularly great. New ones are constantly being devised, many of which are kept more or less secret." But worsteds are much less subject to them than woolens. "Light worsted dress materials are not milled at all.... Generally speaking, worsted materials are altered but slightly at this stage. As they appear in the loom, so they appear in the warehouse; colour of course excepted in the case of piece-dyed goods.... With woolens, the reverse is often true. Only an expert in these cases, could identify the finished cloth with the loose and altogether different substance that came out of the loom. In one case finishing is a subsidiary, in the other a primary process." And this primary process, it is to be emphasized, is little under the influence of modern machinery and labor-saving devices; in other words it is one in which American industrial talent finds no tempting or remuneratory field.
In accord with the same general trend, it appears that the finer grades of goods are more likely to be imported, while the cheaper and medium grades are more likely to be made at home; and this, notwithstanding efforts to promote the manufacture of the finer grades by making the duties on them particularly high. The case is alike with all the textiles; the finer goods of all kinds are more apt to be imported. The same explanation is invariably given: they need to be more carefully finished, they call for more labor, and high wages are therefore felt to be an obstacle in particularly great degree. The more fundamental explanation has already been indicated: goods of the most expensive sort fail to be made within the United States because labor is applied to them with less machinery, less of labor-saving devices, less effective organization,—in sum, with less advantage than to the cheap and medium grades. So it is with woolens and worsteds. In both branches the protective policy was throughout more effective on the cheaper goods. It is characteristic also that not only the finer fabrics themselves, but the machinery for their manufacture had to be imported,—for carding, combing, and spinning, even for weaving, where the Americans in general are superior. A large German firm, engaged in making fine goods, was tempted by the high duties of 1897 to transfer a plant to the United States. It had to import machinery of every kind; and not only this, but found that the factory labor of this country was also ill adapted to its methods of manufacture. From the then-accepted protectionist point of view, all these disadvantages, and the consequent high expenses of production, should have been offset by correspondingly high duties; the industry was to be "acquired" on any terms necessary to domesticate it. But these special conditions would seem to be in reality but evidences of the unsuitability of this particular branch of textiles to American conditions.
It deserves to be noted that during the last decade of the extreme protective policy there were signs of improvement in the quality of American woolen fabrics, and especially of worsteds. That some change in this direction set in, I am convinced by repeated testimony from all sorts of persons conversant with the trade,—manufacturers, dealers, tailors. Though the bulk of the American woolens remained of medium grade, an increasing proportion, and one not inconsiderable, was of better grade and finish than during the nineteenth century; the improvement being most marked in worsteds. Just what this tendency signified, it would be difficult to say. The obvious explanation would ascribe it simply to extreme protection. Make your duties high enough, and you can bring about the domestic production of anything and everything. The most elaborately finished woolens and silks and cottons will be made within this country if a sufficiently heavy handicap be imposed on foreign producers; even though the outcome may be delayed somewhat by lack of habituation among the manufacturers and by a long-lingering prejudice among consumers in favor of imported fabrics. Presumably the change here noted was the effect of precisely this cause,—extreme protection. But possibly it was due, in part at least, to some beginning in improved processes, better organization, greater effectiveness. Yet the evidence pointing this way is slight; nor is it on general grounds probable that forward steps by American manufacturers would be first taken in this part of the industry. It is in the production of the standardized fabrics of medium grade that the opportunities are most promising for advances by Americans.
On the whole, the best conclusion I can reach is that the difficulties and the apparent backwardness of the wool manufacture rest partly on the physical characteristics of the raw material and partly on the impossibility of standardizing its fabrics to the same degree as, for example, cotton goods. Both of these circumstances stand in the way of mass production and so of the sweeping use of labor-saving machinery. The silk manufacture long encountered the same obstacles; it has still to face them in a large part of its product; yet, as we have seen, the march of invention appears to be removing the first obstacle, and at all events gives some promise of enabling the American industry to progress to independence. The absence of indications of similar progress in the wool manufacture is not easy to explain. Possibly this is no more than a sporadic episode, standing apart from the general industrial movement. Not everything in economic history can be ascribed to the uniform action of the same causes. It remains puzzling why the machine processes were not applied with more decisive success to this material, and why Europeans and not Americans took the lead in the considerable success which was achieved in the worsted branch. Another half-century may bring independent advances in this country; we may still witness considerable changes in the existing relations between the wool manufacturing countries and districts. Possibly free wool will have greater effect in promoting the development of the American manufacturing industry than would be expected in view of the foregoing analysis of the influence exercised by the wool duties in the past. A considerable period must elapse before it will appear how the industry may adjust itself to such new conditions as were established in 1913. The sober-minded investigator will be slow in laying too much stress on single causes, slow in generalization, slowest of all in prediction.
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1st Grade Punctuation
Encourage your beginning writer to identify and use the different ending punctuation marks with this practice sheet.
Budding writers can master their basic punctuation with this worksheet. These sentences are missing ending punctuation marks.
Help your child with his grammar skills with this printable worksheet that focuses on using end punctuation.
Help your first grader get a handle on punctuation marks with this fun and colorful match-up.
Can your first grader help Lisa proofread her letter by fixing the commas and correcting the capitalization?
Read through Linda's letter about her visit to the zoo, circling all the commas as you go.
Help the students enjoy their meals by writing the correct punctuation at the end of each sentence.
Teach your first grader the proper way to write a sentence with this simple question worksheet.
Can your first grader read Susie's letter from summer camp, and then add in the correct punctuation marks?
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Mercury: Unusual insides and active history
New information collected by NASA's Messenger shows that Mercury was more geologically active than scientists previously thought.
The small, sun-scorched planet Mercury has an interior unlike that of any other rocky planet in our solar system and a surprisingly dynamic history, two new studies suggest.
Using observations from NASA's Messenger spacecraft in orbit around Mercury, researchers have found that the planet's huge iron core is even larger than they had thought, and it's likely overlain with a solid shell of iron and sulfur — a layered structure not known to exist on Earth, Venus or Mars. And there's more: Mercury appears to have remained geologically active for a surprisingly large chunk of its evolutionary history, researchers said.
"Many scientists expected Mercury, being a small planet only slightly larger than the moon, to have cooled off not long after it formed and to be essentially 'dead' for most of its evolution," said Maria Zuber of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, lead author of one of the new studies and a co-author on the other. "But it appears that Mercury had an exciting and active middle age."
Mercury from above
The $446 million Messenger (MErcury Surface, Space ENvironment, GEochemistry and Ranging) spacecraft launched in 2004. It then took a circuitous route to the solar system's innermost planet, becoming the first probe ever to orbit Mercury in March 2011. [Latest Mercury Photos from Messenger]
Since then, Messenger has been zipping around the baking-hot planet — which orbits the sun from just 36 million miles (58 million kilometers) away, compared to 93 million miles (150 million km) for Earth — once every 12 hours.
The probe is mapping Mercury's surface and gathering data on the planet's composition, magnetic environment and tenuous atmosphere, among other features. To date, Messenger has taken nearly 100,000 images and made more than 4 million measurements of the planet's surface, researchers said.
Messenger's original science campaign was designed to last one Earth year, but NASA announced in November that it had granted the spacecraft a one-year mission extension. Messenger officially began its extended mission earlier this week.
The two new studies, which both appear in the March 23 issue of the journal Science, detail findings that should help scientists better understand Mercury's murky past.
In one study, researchers used observations made by Messenger's laser altimeter to map the topography of Mercury's northern hemisphere. They found that the range of elevations was smaller than that found on either Mars or the moon.
Messenger also observed that the floors of many Mercury craters have been tilted substantially. Part of the floor of the Caloris basin — at 960 miles (1,550 km) across one of the largest impact features in the solar system — has even been raised above its rim.
These discoveries suggest that internal forces pushed the craters up after the impacts created them, providing strong evidence that Mercury remained geologically active long after its formation. This may surprise many scientists given the planet's small size, Zuber said.
"It is not out of the question that Mercury is still active today," she told SPACE.com via email, "though I note that this is not very likely, and for sure we have not observed an active eruption or extrusion."
Researchers also estimated Mercury's gravity field by precisely radio-tracking Messenger's movements around the planet.
From these estimates, they determined that Mercury has "mascons," large positive gravity anomalies associated with big impact basins (the term is short for "mass concentrations").
"These were first discovered on the moon in 1968 and caused great problems in the Apollo program because they tugged low-orbiting spacecraft around and made navigation difficult," Zuber said. "Subsequently mascons were discovered on Mars, and now we find out that Mercury has them, so they appear to be a common feature of terrestrial planetary bodies."
The team's gravity calculations also suggest that Mercury has an iron core that comprises roughly 85 percent of the planet's radius. (For comparison, Earth's iron core covers about half of its radius.) Scientists had suspected the planet's core is big, but many will be surprised that it's so gigantic, Zuber said.
Further, it looks like a layer of solid iron sulfide overlies Mercury's core — a feature not known to exist on any other terrestrial planet, researchers said.
The new findings should help shed light on Mercury's past, and on the formation and evolution of rocky planets in general. But they also serve to remind scientists that they're in for many more surprises as they continue to probe the solar system's many mysteries, Zuber said.
"With new data, we are continually reminded that when you think you know what's going on you probably don't," she added. "Nature is more perplexing than we can possibly conceive."
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The word "fermentation" is a problematic term. In beer, wine, and spirits-making, it refers to a period where a fungus called saccharomyces (spp.) is encouraged to consume the sugars in a sweet liquid, converting these sugars to alcohol and other chemicals. In miso- and natto- making, "fermentation" refers to a period where certain bacteria (bacillus subtillis) or fungi are allowed to work on the food to create certain substances, byproducts, and flavors. In coffee, fermentation describes a period where various wild yeasts and bacteria are allowed to settle on the mucilage, having the effect of dissolving it. All of these are very dissimilar processes. The micro-organisms are different, the techniques are different.... in fact these types of "fermentation" have only one thing in common: the food is allowed to sit around for awhile, during which certain microorganisms and substances transform the food at a microscopic level. Therefore, the most appropriate and accurate definition of "fermentation" might be "letting food sit around for awhile while it rots just a little bit". "Fermentation" is used in this sense when making yogurt, cheese, bread, vinegar, buttermilk, kimchee, sauerkraut, soy sauce, and when curing tobacco.
What happens during the tea process fits this broad definition of fermentation, in that the tea is allowed to sit around for awhile after being rolled or crushed. During this time, a number of interesting things happen. One of these involves polyphenol oxidase, an enzyme that oxidizes and creates melanins, turning the tea leaves brown or black (this happens in many plants. This is the enzyme responsible for apples turning brown, aging coffee turning brown, and cut vegetables of all types turning brown or black). This is related to the creation of theoflavins, the compounds partially responsible for black and oolong tea flavor. This kind of enzymatic browning relies on oxygen to happen. The crushing of the tea exposes plant materials to oxygen, allowing the melanins, theoflavins, and other compounds to be created.
So, in my opinion, oxidation is probably a more accurate term than fermentation, although you could say that oxidation happens during the fermentation (tea sitting around and rotting a little bit) period.
Last edited by Peter G
on Tue Jul 08, 2008 7:46 pm, edited 1 time in total.
Specialty Coffee Association of America
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Our Osprey’s journey begins on a nesting platform in the heart of the Jamaica Bay Wildlife Refuge. The refuge is one of the most significant nature sanctuaries in the Northeastern United States not just for Ospreys, but for hundreds of other birds as well. With more than 330 bird species—nearly half of those in the Northeast—sighted at the refuge over the last 25 years, it is one of the best places in New York City to observe migrating species and a must-see for avian enthusiasts.
Originally managed by the New York City Department of Parks and Recreation, the city transferred ownership of the refuge to the National Park Service in 1972, and the site became part of Gateway National Recreation Area. The park’s unique landscape includes a variety of rare native habitats including salt marshes, upland field and woods, several fresh and brackish water ponds, and an open expanse of bay. There is a wide variety of ranger and partner-led programs offered year-round at the site, including presentations on seasonal wildlife, sunset tours, hikes, boat trips, family programs and an annual lecture series. Check out what’s happening at Jamaica Bay.
Located on Broad Channel in southeastern Queens, the Visitor Contact Station welcomes visitors and is the starting point for many guided programs and a great place to begin a hike along one of the refuge’s beautiful trails. The Visitor Contact Station highlights Jamaica Bay’s remarkable plant and animal life, history, and the continuing human impact on the nature of the bay.
Jamaica Bay Wildlife Refuge, the only wildlife refuge in the National Park System, supports an impressive array of native reptiles, amphibians, small mammals, over 60 species of butterflies and one of the largest populations of horseshoe crabs in the Northeast. Numerous ranger-led nature hikes, bird watching sessions, and seining activities give visitors the chance to get up close to these incredible animals and learn about protecting them.
Jamaica Bay has some of the last remaining salt marshes in New York City. These islands offer critical habitat and ecological services for the estuary, but they are unfortunately disappearing at an alarming rate. Efforts to restore these important fish and shellfish nurseries are ongoing, and through this restoration work NPS, in partnership with other federal, city and state partners, hopes to be able to stem the tide of marsh loss in the bay.
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The word "drone" is synonymous with autonomous military aircraft that hail down death and destruction from on high. But the United Arab Emirates (UAE) is looking to highlight the humanitarian potential of the technology with its Drones For Good competition. Entrants include vehicles that detect landmines, plant trees and service slums all in the hunt for the industry's most prestigious (and probably only) prize, with the inaugural first place winner set to be announced next week to take home US$1 million.
Opening to UAV enthusiasts all over the globe back in May 2014, the Drones For Good international competition called on ideas with the potential to advance drone technology that provide actual solutions to actual problems. Organizers asked that entrants be able to demonstrate a functioning prototype, which could then evolve into a real-world solution within one to three years.
We featured one of the competition's finalists back in November, a proposal for drone delivery nets that could serve as tomorrow's mailboxes, but it is by no means the only idea worth noting.
UN-HABITAT estimates that in Kenya, roughly 60 percent of the urban population lives in slums and has to deal with inadequate infrastructure and lack of access to services such as water and sanitation. David Kiarie, a Kenyan freelance journalist, believes that low-flying drones could capture spatial data and better inform the development of these areas, ultimately reducing poverty and saving lives.
Meanwhile, how forests can be re-planted at the same rate they are being ripped up is a pressing question for conservationists. To this end, a team called BioCarbon Engineering has put together a proposal that would see drones fly over reforestation zones and shoot biodegradable seedpods into the ground at strategic locations. It calls the project "Drones for Planting 1 Billion Trees a Year," presumably because it plans on achieving just that.
Another impressive submission is designed to help detect the 120,000 landmines scattered around Bosnia-Herzegovina, a deadly hangover from the war of the 1990s. The solution would use purpose-built aircraft to scan the terrain from above with optical sensors and electronics, a technique the team says would be quicker and less dangerous than current methods.
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An early case of equal pray
While religious demonstrators in Israel have taken to the streets to demand that women be kept in their place, here is a more enlightened view from the Middle Ages.
The Jewish Theological Seminary in New York has revealed that in its library is a copy of a 500-year-old siddur written by the Italian scribe Rabbi Abraham Ben Mordechai Farissol.
Traditionally, men offer a daily blessing for having not been made a woman, while women give praise for having been created "according to Your will".
Farissol instead offered this alternative for women to recite: "Blessed Are You… For You made Me a Woman and Not a Man".
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There is clear evidence that the Greeks had a large amount of fish in their diets. The Greeks had no refrigeration systems, so the fish had to be eaten before the meat spoiled. Fishermen brought fresh catches into the agora to sell. The poorer Greeks could only afford, little fish, such as anchovies and sapts. The wealthy could afford tuna, sea bass, and red mullet. Eel was considered the greatest fish delicacy in ancient Greece.
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The Reforms of Khosrow Anushirvan (The Immortal Soul)
By: Dr Richard Frye
Khosrow was the most illustrious of the Sasanian rulers and he gave his name to the common designation of Sasanian rulers by the Arabs, Kisra, much as Caesar gave his name to Roman rulers. His reforms set a stamp on the later Sasanian state and society and much of what we know about the organization of Sasanian Iran dates from his reign and afterwards. Under him the national epic was gathered together; probably at that time the Avesta was reduced to the form of the Avestan alphabet and writing we know at the present time, and his economic reforms also have come down to us in Islamic writings, while stories about the splendor, the justice and flourishing of Iran under him abound in later Islamic writings, where he occupies a place similar to the great Shah 'Abbas in Safavid times. The tax reform, begun under Kavad, was carried to completion under Khosrow, and the royal court was much strengthened by this and other measures, which changed the face of the empire, making it stronger when a strong ruler ruled but open to disintegration under a weak king. At the outset he had to put down an attempt by a group of nobles to raise his brother to the throne, but he overcame the plotters and dispatched them.
One of his first tasks on ascending the throne was to make peace with the Byzantines, which he did in 532 evacuating several forts in Lazica, and to restore order in society, for as several sources state, children did not know who their fathers were, and questions of inheritance and ownership were unresolved. The aftermath of the Mazdakite troubles not only provided an opportunity to reduce the power of the great feudal lords, who after the time of Khosrow are little mentioned except as officials of the central government, but also to reorganize the clergy, the higher offices of which had been occupied by members of noble families. The basis of wealth and power of the upper classes had to be reorganized first, and this was the tax reform of Khosrow, the results of which lasted into Islamic times.
F. Altheim has studied the tax reforms of Khosrow in detail and is convincing in his conclusions that the great landed nobility previously enjoyed great privileges in exemption from taxation, but as a result of the seizure of lands by common folk during the Mazdakite movement, there was great confusion in claims of land ownership. All land was to be surveyed and taxed in the same way everywhere, while revenues which formerly frequently went to the nobles were to come into the central government treasury. It is possible, as Altheim asserts, that the indictio or tax reform of Diocletian, the joining of the Roman iugatio and capitatio into one tax system collected three times a year, provided the prototype for Khosrow' reforms, but this is inference. It is related in a number of sources that taxes were levied on the produce of land, fruits and grains, but frequently the produce was spoiled before it could be assessed for tax purposes. Under the new system the land was measured, the water rights determined and yearly average rates were set for the land which produced grain, other rates for land which had date palm and olive trees according to the number of the producing trees, and other reforms of which we only have hints.
The tax reform was followed by a reform of the army which was changed from the previous practice of the great feudal lords providing their own equipment and bringing their followers and retainers into the field, to another system with a new force of dehkans or 'knights,' paid and equipped by the central government. It is interesting to note that both the number, as well as the die quality, of coins of Khosrow I increases and improves greatly compared to earlier issues, and the iconography of the coins becomes more stereotyped. Also, it should be remarked that the army reorganization under Khosrow was concentrated on organization and on training, rather than any new weapons or technical advances, and as previously the heavily-armed cavalry remained the dominant force with archers less important. The masses, as usual, were still camp followers and little more than a rabble looking for booty, but a new nobility of service was created which became more influential than the landed nobility. Since payment in specie or even in kind did not suffice to recompense the 'knights,' villages were granted to them in fief, and a large class of small landowners came into existence. The ruler also divided the kingdom into four military districts with a spahbad or general in charge of forces in each part with the primary task of defending Iran from external foes. Walls and forts were also built on the frontiers, but in this policy Khosrow was only continuing the policy of his predecessors, while new roads, bridges and many buildings have been attributed to Khosrow, whether true or not.
The army was tested in the resumption of hostilities with Byzantium, and fortunately we have a detailed account of the war from Procopius. The reasons for a new war were many, not the least of which were embassies from the Ostrogoths in Italy, who were conquered by Justinian, and pressure from some Armenians and Arabs, both eager for war. So Khosrow broke the peace and invaded Syria in 540 moving south of the usual path of armies. He took several towns and received tribute from others and soon was before the walls of Antioch, which had suffered greatly from several earthquakes in 525-526, and it was poorly defended making conquest easy for the Persians. Khosrow pillaged and burned the city taking many captives, after which peace was made with Justinian who paid the Persians a large indemnity. On his return, however, Khosrow obtained ransom from a number of Byzantine cities on his way. Because of these activities Justinian renounced the truce just concluded and prepared to send Belisarius, who had been successful in Italy and North Africa, against the Sasanians.
After returning, Khosrow built a new city, strictly following the model of Antioch, near Ctesiphon, and he settled his captives from Antioch in it calling it the presumptious title Weh Antiok Khusrau (Better than Antioch [has] Khosrow [built this]), but it was called Rumagan, 'town of the Greeks' by the local inhabitants, and al- Rumiyya by the Arabs. He is said to have founded several other towns and erected walls at Derbend. The following year the Sasanians took advantage of the request of emissaries from the king of Lazica to send an army to support him against Byzantine encroachments, and at first they were successful capturing a Byzantine fortress on the Black Sea coast called Petra and establishing a protectorate where Sasanian rule had never before penetrated. Belisarius in Mesopotamia ravaged the country around Nisibis, but no decisive battle was fought, and the Byzantine general was recalled by Justinian and sent to the west. In 543 a Byzantine army suffered defeat in Armenia, and Khosrow was encouraged to again invade Syria, and he besieged Edessa, now more important than Antioch, but he was repulsed and retreated with the payment of a ransom. A five-year truce was then concluded between the two empires and Khosrow received two thousand pounds of gold. In Lazica the inhabitants revolted against Persian control, and a Byzantine force was sent in the fourth year of the truce to aid the local populace to oust the Persians, and as a result the Lazic war continued for a number of years.
Both Procopius and Agathias stress the strategic importance of Lazica, and if we view the Lazic war as a prelude to the ambitious dreams of Khosrow to control the trade of the silk route to China and the sea way to India, as indicated by his interventions later with the Turks and in Yemen, then the Byzantine authors may have correctly discerned the far-reaching plans of the Persians. In the Lazic war Khosrow finally lost, and negotiations were begun with Byzantium in 556 which led to a fifty-year peace treaty signed in 561, by which the Persians evacuated Lazica for an annual payment of gold. The treaty and a description of the sealing of the documents can be found in Menander Protector, giving an insight into contemporary diplomatic protocol.
In the east a new force had appeared in Central Asia, the Turks, who attacked the Hephthalites defeating them. Khosrow, taking advantage of the disunity of Hephthalite princes and apparently the absence of a central authority among them, about 557-558 annexed some Hephthalite principalities south of the Oxus River, while the Turks extended their hegemony north of the river. The main Hephthalite domains, however, were not annexed by the Sasanians, for under the son and successor of Khosrow they caused much trouble. The initial cordiality between the Turks and Khosrow soon changed, possibly because of the hope of Khosrow to dominate trade between Central Asia, China and India and the West. Later relations between the Turks and Persians deteriorated, and in 568 a Turkish embassy, recorded by Menander, arrived in Byzantium to make an alliance against the Persians, but nothing came of the proposed two front attack on Sasanian Iran.
The hostilities in the north between the two empires were matched by competition in the Arabian peninsula especially Yemen, where the Ethiopians, who had been converted to Monophysite Christianity, sent an army in 522 against the Himyarites, the dominant power in south Arabia at that time.lS A local leader Dhu Nuwas defeated the Ethiopians and sought aid from Iran, while the Ethiopians turned to the Byzantines who responded with ships and supplies. The king of Ethiopia led his troops across the ed Sea in 525, defeated and killed Dhu Nuwas and installed an Ethiopian protege as king of the Himyarites. The success of the Ethiopians led to an embassy to them from Justinian in 531, reported by Procopius, who says the Byzantines suggested that the Ethiopians could force the Persians out of the India trade. Nothing came of this, since an Ethiopian general, Abraha, seized power in the Himyarite kingdom sometime between 532 and 535 and established an independent state which he ruled until his death in 569 or 570, the 'year of the elephant' or the year of the birth of the prophet Muhammad. Several years afterwards Ma 'd-Karib, one of the sons of Abraha, fled from his half-brother who had succeeded to the throne, and he secured the support of Khosrow. The latter sent a fleet and a small army under a commander called Vahriz to the area near present Aden and they marched against the capital San'a'l which was occupied. Saif, son of Mard-Karib, who had accompanied the expedition became king sometime between 575 and 577. Thus the Sasanians were able to establish a base in south Arabia to control the sea trade with the east. Later the south Arabian kingdom renounced Sasanian overlordship and another Persian expedition was sent in 598 which was successful in annexing southern Arabia as a Sasanian province which lasted until the time of troubles after Khosrow II.
In 565 the emperor Justinian died and was succeeded by Justin II, who resolved to stop subsidies to Arab chieftains to restrain them from raiding Byzantine territory in Syria. A year earlier the Sasanian governor of Armenia, of the Suren family, built a fire temple at Dvin near modern Erevan, and he put to death an influential member of the Mamikonian family, which touched off a revolt which led to the massacre of the Persian governor and his guard in 571. Justin II took advantage of the Armenian revolt to stop his yearly payments to Khosrow for the defense of the Caucasus passes. The Armenians were welcomed as allies, and an army was sent into Sasanian territory which besieged Nisibis in 572, but dissension among the Byzantine generals not only led to an abandonment of the siege, but they in turn were besieged in the city of Dara, which was taken by the Persians, who then ravaged Syria and caused Justin to sue for peace. Justin was succeeded by Tiberius, a high Byzantine officer, in 574 who made a truce with Khosrow, but it was not concluded, and in the following year the Persians invaded Armenia where they were at first successful. Then, as so frequently in the wars between the two empires, fortune changed, and the Byzantines gained many local successes. Attempts to negotiate a peace in 576 failed after a great Sasanian victory over the Byzantines in Armenia. In 578 a new Byzantine commander Maurice captured several Sasanian strongholds, but the Armenian revolt came to an end with a general amnesty from Khosrow, which brought Armenia back into the Sasanian Empire, and peace negotiations between the two great powers were under way when Khosrow died in 579.
It is impossible to do more than summarize the achievements of Khosrow and to list the various developments in political, social and cultural matters during his reign. So much is ascribed to Khosrow in later Islamic writings that it is diflficult to determine how much is fact or fable. Certainly much that we find in state organization, taxes and the like, in Islamic times had their origins in the state reforms under Khosrow, or in changes which occurred during his reign, and the tendency of peasants in Iran today to assign any obviously pre-lslamic bridge, caravanserai or other structure to Khosrow 'of the immortal soul' is testimony of the impression he made on his contemporaries. Even foreign writers inimical to Khosrow were somewhat awed by the imposing figure of the Sasanian ruler, cruel and hard but worthy of respect.
Although history, especially in Iran, has been limited to urban, elite groups, the basis of support of an Iranian government or culture was the rural peasantry, and during the Mazdakite upheaval, even the peasantry influenced events. It may be exaggerated to say that Iran was changed from a feudal land into an empire after Khosrow, for castes continued, with the scribes or bureaucracy added to the traditional Indo-lranian three-caste system of priests, warriors and common folk. In a sense the landowning elite gave way in influence to a bureaucratic elite tied to the crown. The direct taxes levied on the land and on the peasants greatly reduced the 'middle-man' role of the landed nobility between common folk and the court. Although we have no statistics and only fragments of data, one may speculate that in the long run the reforms of Khosrow caused problems for the peasants, because a substantial shift in peasant settlement patterns from old irrigated lands to new dry-farming lands seems to have occurred. The massive irrigation systems of Khosrow on the plains, aided by dams and canals, may have at first aided an expansion of agriculture, but the centralization perhaps robbed the local people of initiative with the result of a decline in population on the plains with a consequent growth of towns. On the plateau we have no information but urban development was certainly much smaller than in Mesopotamia. Also Mesopotamia and Khuzistan were easier to administer by the central government.
The urban development in Khuzistan can be linked to the great expansion of trade under Khosrow I. The state now tended toward monopolistic control of the trade with luxury goods assuming a far greater role in the trade than heretofore, and the great activity in building of ports, caravanserais, bridges, and the like was linked to trade and to urbanization. The Persians dominated international trade, both in the Indian Ocean and in Central Asia and South Russia in the time of Khosrow, although competition with the Byzantines was at times intense. Sasanian settlements in Oman and Yemen testify to the importance of the trade with India, but the silk trade with China, as we shall see, was mainly in the hands of the Sogdians.
For trade or defense reasons Khosrow practiced the ancient transfer of populations from one part of the empire to another as one can see by the addition of bishoprics to the realm of eastern Christianity, as well as by many notices of such shifts in the sources. He also welcomed refugees from the Byzantine Empire such as the philosophers from the school at Athens which had been closed by Justinian in 529. They became homesick, however, and Khosrow negotiated their return in a peace treaty according to Agathias, but he still had many medical doctors and sages at his court. On the intellectual side of his court, translations were made into Middle Persian from Greek, Syriac and Sanskrit, and many stories have been preserved in later Arabic and Persian works on the chief minister and sage Buzurjmihr, to give him the Arabic form of his name. The introduction of the game of chess to Iran from India is tied with his name, and although many scholars have considered him to be a fiction, Christensen not only argues his real existence but identifies him with a medical doctor called Burzoe, also at the court of Khosrow. Connected with the name of Khosrow I are many wise sayings in Islamic works and collections of such andarz are many, such that it is highly probable that this Sasanian monarch became the origin of many apocryphal stories in later works. In the realm of religion many Middle Persian books are said to have been written in the time of Khosrow, although it should be remembered thatjust as Shapur I and II are confused in later works, so are Khosrow I and II. The Pahlavi books, as well as Islamic sources, imply that Khosrow I was tolerant of religions other than Zoroastrianism, which he ordered cleared of heresy, and most scholars agree that the final and fixed form of later, dualistic Zoroastrianism traces its origins back to the reign of Khosrow I.
If we turn to the visual arts, again the pomp and glory of the reign of Khosrow strike the observer. Many Sasanian silver objects date from the time of Khosrow, although dating is frequently exceedingly difficult. One reason for problems in identifying or dating Sasanian art is the lack of a 'Zoroastrian' art and an artistic symbolism matching Christian and Buddhist art, although decoration perhaps predominated in late Sasanian art over representation, and much of the geometric or floral nature of Islamic art seems to have had its origins in Sasanian Iran. Even though one can hard!y speak of a 'Zoroastrian' art, all specialists agree that Sasanian art, like its predecessor the art of the Achaemenids, is a royal art with plenty of royal symbollsm. Much more than trade and commerce, art was bound to the court and the wlshes of the ruler, and it seems that, just like the coinage, the silver plates, textiles, even glassware and pottery, not to mention architecture, all came from royal workshops or related establishments. Whether Sasanian art is primarily derived from Hellenistic art or is more dependent on ancient Iranian and Near Eastern traditions is a matter for art historians and need not concern us here, but whatever the origins, Sasanian motifs, such as the mythical bird, the senmurv, are found on art objects from India, China and the western world, evidence of the importance of Sasanian culture in the realm of the arts.
It is not possible here to even mention the many aspects and problems of Sasanian art, except to note several features which exemplify the nature of political power and pomp of the Sasanian rulers. The monumental architecture, such as the Qala-ye Dukhtar and palace of Ardashir at Firuzabad, the Taq-e Kisra in Ctesiphon, if not built by Khosrow at least enlarged or completed by him, and others, all express the pride and wealth of the Sasanians. The symbolic quality of the representational art of the Sasanians too strikes one, for representation of kingly glory may be seen in many forms, such as the mountain goat with a ribbon around its neck, the head of a wild boar, tulips, winged creatures, or even leaves, all from nature yet not represented in their natural forms but heraldic in nature. In other words, the art objects may not have been made for the royal court but they appear as though they were. This 'centralization' of only a few art motifs repeated many times expresses the ideals of the imperial state and society after Khosrow I. It is interesting that much more has been written about the arts of the Sasanians, and they have been far more studied, than has been the political, social or economic history of Sasanian Iran.
One branch of Sasanian art which was widespread among the populace but which also displayed the royal motifs mentioned above, and has repercussions in other areas, is that of sphragistics, for in antiquity people used seals instead of signatures. On many thousands of Sasanian seals or seal impressions on clay, we find a large repertolre of motifs including figures or busts, as well as official seals only with writings. For Sasanian onomastica the seals are invaluable, and we find personal names such as Mihr Bokht or Zurvandad, which, however, do not mean that those who held these names were followers of a separate religion of Mithraism or Zervanism but they were simply Zoroastrians. Others were named after a fire temple, a day of the month, or for rnany other reasons. Perhaps more important than private seals, which usually give us only a symbol or design but sometirnes the name and title of the owner and rarely other information, were the 'official' seals with writing alone which tell us about administrative divisions of provinces as well as titles, and no personal names, since they were seals of offices not of persons. The vast majority of these seals date from the time of Khosrow I or later, and we have an interesting passage from the Matigan which substantiates the evidence of the seals and sealings themselves It goes as follows: "Furthermore, thus, the seal of usage (official seal) of the mobads and of the hamarkar (official of finances) was first (introduced) by order of Kavad son of Peroz and that of the judge (datavar) first by order of Khosrow son of Kavad. When the seals of the mobads of Fars were carved, it was written not the mobad in the name of his mobad quality, but in the name of the 'advocate of the poor,' and for this reason it was carved on the seal of the mobad of Fars in this manner. Seals, of course, were ancient in the Near East and seem to have been the predecessors of writing. In Babylonia the vast majority of clay sealings were economic in nature, and persons responsible for commercial transactions put their seal mark on goods and records of dellveries of goods. Priests participated in transactions and in control over trade and both sealings and cuneiform tablets relating to trade and legal matters have been found in temples in ancient Mesopotamia. Since the Sasanians were part of a tradition of conservatism it should cause no surprise to find priests acting as witnesses and as udges and custodians of records in various transactions of a village, city or a province in Sasanian Iran. The two storehouses where Sasanian clay sealings have been found in a room of the fire temple at Takht-e Sulaiman in Azerbaijan and at Qasr-e Abu Nasr or old Shiraz, held records of various transactions in the form of clay sealings, covering a time span of several generations at the end of the Sasanian period One controversy still unresolved is to what were the clay sealings originally attached before they were placed m their archives? One view is that they were attached to rolled documents, while another is that they were attached to oods before being removed to the archives. In the archives these sealings may have had tags or even documents attached to them for identification, but it is difficult to believe that only documents were originally attached to these sometimes large and heavy pieces of clay of so many different forms.
From sealings, as well as from later Arabic sources, one may reconstruct the provincial subdivisions of Sasanian Iran after Khosrow, under the four military divisions. The province was subdivided into kura (from Greek xvpa?) also called osan, which in turn were divided into rostak (Ardbic rustaq) or tasug. This division, as well as the nomenclature, was not at all uniform throughout the empire and over time designations changed, just as the dehkan, once a noble, became a peasant today. Likewise, the administration, loyal to the court and central government, was imposed on the landowning caste system, and sometimes the two clashed in the exercise of power and authority. The difficulty of determining provincial subdivisions in Sasanian times, especially in the lowlands of Khuzistan and Mesopotamia, is compounded by changes in boundaries and in names made by various Sasanian rulers at the end of the dynasty. We may assume that the information provided by Arabic sources relates mainly to the situation after Khosrow II Parviz. The division of the empire into four parts, after the points of the compass, by Khosrow I was more for military or defense purposes than for civil administration, although it must be admitted that we are not informed about the civil organization which was formed beside the military governor (spahbad) and his assistant (?) (padgospan). To go into details on administrative geography would far exceed the limits of this book, and we must restrict ourselves in brief to Iran proper.
Fars province, the Sasanian homeland, was probably a model for the rest of the empire, and we know there were five kuras, designated by the major cities in them, Istakhr, Arrajan, Bishapur, Ardashir Khwarreh and Darabgird. The first, where the governor resided, and the largest, extended east to Yazd. Arrajan was called Weh az Amid Kavad 'better than Amida has Kavad (built this)' or Wamqubad in Arabic or Bizamqubad on coins. Ardashir Khwarreh was also called Gur, present Firuzabad. The divisions of Khuzistan province are unclear, for different Arabic sources give various provincial subdivisions, but there were at least seven, since Khuzistan, although much smaller than Fars, was richer agriculturally and was more heavily populated. The largest kura was Hormizd-Ardashir (called Hormizshahr or Suq al- Ahwaz by the Arabs), present Ahwaz. Other kuras were Rustaqubad (in Arabic the area of 'Askar Mukram), Shustar, Susa, Jundeshapur, Ramuz and Dauraq, but over time changes were many in this province. For other provinces, especially on the plateau, we have much less information which is also confusing. Changing of provincial and local boundaries was made for many reasons, but such changes were mountains and rivers, kept divisions fairly constant, and the administrative subdivisions of Fars province, for example, have remained much the same throughout history although towns in them rose and declined.
Enough has been said to indicate the great significance of the reign of Khosrow I, and even though much has accumulated around his name and reign which should not be attributed to him, nonetheless the achievements of Khosrow were outstanding. Yet in the long run they did not insure lasting loyalty to the dynasty, and they did not rectify the grave defects of the caste system of society. On the contrary, the centralization of power and authority left local officials with little initiative and much resentment, at least in regard to the central power, such that the Islamic invaders, after the defeat of the imperial armies in three great battles in the west, had only local opposition, with little thought of unity to defend the empire. But the weakness of Sasanian Iran at that time was in no small measure the result of both internal and external fighting in the empire and the lack of rulers with the personal influence and power of a Shapur or Khosrow.
The Last Rulers
Hormizd IV, son of Khosrow and a Turkish princess given in marriage to the Sasanian monarch to promote good relations between the two states, inherited the war with Byzantium. Attempts by Tiberius to end the war between the two empires failed, mainly because the Persians refused to surrender the city of Dara and also demanded a large annual subsidy. The Byzantine general Maurice was successful against the Persians in Mesopotamia, but in 582 the death of Tiberius caused Maurice to go to the capital to mount the throne, and he was replaced by incompetent generals who were defeated, and the war continued with attacks and counter-attacks. More threatening, however, was an invasion of the Turks into the northeastern part of the Sasanian Empire. Fortunately Iran had a brilliant general of the Mihran family called Bahram Chobin who decisively defeated the Turks at a great battle near Herat in 589, reported in a number of sources. The chronology and events in this period have been studied in detail with few large problems remaining, except the usual details of chronology and verifiability, so unlike most of ancient Iranian history. After his defeat of the Turks Bahram Chobin is reported to have crossed the Oxus and secured much booty, but so much fable is intertwined with the deeds of Bahram that it is difficult to tell fact from fiction, and furthermore stories about Bahram Chobin and Bahram Gor are exchanged in the tales about both Bahrams. It is unlikely that the ruler killed by Bahram in the east was the king of the Western Turks, but more likely a subordinate ruler. Whether the Turkish attack on Iran was a well-coordinated plan together with Byzantine and Arab diversions in the west with the aim of ending a Sasanian monopoly on east-west trade is possible but mere surmise. The popular general was then sent to the Caucasus area, and although Theopylactus says that the Persians were the aggressors, the hostilities between the two empires had not been resolved, and Bahram's initial success was a continuation of the struggle. But in a minor engagement Bahram was defeated by the Byzantines, and this led to his revolt in Iran.
Hormizd suppressed the great nobility and protected the weak, which indicates a continued opposition to the policies of Khosrow, and it seems clear that internal affairs in Iran were most unsettled. Bahram's demotion and revolt, attributed to the jealousy of Hormizd in the sources, surely had deeper roots in the unhappiness of the nobility with their ruler, for Bahram was supported by the nobility on all sides. Troops sent to attack Bahram deserted to him, and Bahram marched on Ctesiphon late in the year 589. The aristocracy did not support Hormizd, and the religious leaders also were not happy with the tolerance and even friendship of Hormizd towards Christians and other non-Zoroastrians, so the ruler was abandoned. A palace revolt freed the nobles Hormizd had imprisoned, and the rebels were led by two brothers-in-law of the monarch, called Bindoe and Bistam; Hormizd was seized and blinded. In February 590 Khosrow Abarvez or Parviz 'the victorious' was raised to the throne, and shortly thereafter Hormizd was put to death. Bahram, however, was not reconciled to the son of Hormizd, and hostilities broke out at Hulwan, but Khosrow, seeing that he could not defeat the experienced general, fled to Ctesiphon and then to the Byzantine frontier, and at Circesium in March 590 he was received by the governor who communicated the request of Khosrow for asylum and aid to regain his throne to Emperor Maurice in Constantinople. Khosrow was granted asylum in Hierapolis until a decision about aid to him could be reached. Both Bahram and Khosrow promised the ceding of a number of frontier towns to the Byzantines, if they would support one or the other.
The course of events leading to the restoration of Khosrow II are known from Theophylactus and Theophanes as well as from Arabic sources, and the rule of Bahram lasted only a year. Legitimacy of the house of Sasan played a role in the erosion of support for the usurper Bahram, and Nisibis was the first important city to defect to Khosrow and his Byzantine allies. Bindoe the uncle of Khosrow, who had accompanied him into exile, was sent with an army to Armenia to outflank Bahram, who was defeated in the lowlands and lost Ctesiphon. He retreated to Azerbaijan but was finally defeated and fled to the Turks in Central Asia where he received asylum, until he was assassinated after a year. Thus ended the reign of Bahram who, more than his soverign, captured the emotions of Persian bards and story tellers, but peace did not return to the land.
Khosrow had to cede territory to Byzantium, reward hls supporters and punish his uncles, who had been instigators of the d:ath of his father. He put to death Bindoe, but Bistam escaped and became a rebel in the Elburz mountains. Gathering former partisans of Bahram Chobin around him, Bistam was able to maintain independence and even expand his authority, striking coins and ruling the northeastern part of Iran. It was not until 601 that the rule of Khosrow was restored over all of the empire which had been greatly weakened by the civil wars.
Peace and good relations were maintained with the Byzantines tnoughout the rule of Maurice in spite of raids of the Ghassanid Arab clients of the Byzantines into Sasanian territory in 600, but the murder of the Byzantine emperor and the seizure of the throne in Constantinople by Phokas, an officer, in 602 changed the situation. Khosrow used this as a pretext for opening hostilities and, when an emissary from the new Byzantine emperor arrived, he was imprisoned. Phokas was faced with revolts all over the empire, and Edessa, which had replaced Antioch as the most important city in the general area of northern Syria, was besieged by an army sent by Phokas. Khosrow in 604 sent an army against the forces besieging Edessa who were defeated, and the Persians briefly occupied the city. Dara also fell after a siege in 605, and Khosrow resolved to carry the war into the heart of enemy territory. One army sent into Armenia was completely successful and continued westward invading Cappadocia, while in 607 a renewed Sasanian invasion of the west captured more towns. In 610 Phokas was overthrown and killed, and Heraclius became emperor with the resolve to make peace at once with Khosrow. The latter refused, however, and war continued with more Persian successes. In 613 Damascus was captured and in the following year Jerusalem, where among other booty the true cross was taken to Ctesiphon. In 615 a Persian general marched to Chalcedon opposite Constantinople, while in 617 the king of the Avars appeared before the land walls of the Byzantine capital. Emperor Heraclius almost left the city in despair for north Africa, especially after Egypt, the main source of grain for the empire, was occupied by the Persians in 619.
Although Khosrow had succeeded in extending the frontiers of the Sasanian Empire almost to the limits of the Achaemenid Empire, Heraclius had not been crushed, and indeed he made a number of radical changes in his empire, dividing it into large military zones, the theme system, each under a military officer, and local people rather than mercenaries were enrolled in the armies. A crusade began, supported by the populace as well as by contributions of the church. Since the Byzantines controlled the seas, Heraclius resolved on a bold stroke, and in 622 he sailed into the Black Sea with an expeditionary force which penetrated into Armenia where Sasanian forces were defeated. The Avars were constrained to a peace by payment of a large tribute, but Khosrow still refused to make peace. In the following year Heraclius repeated his previous feat and defeated Sasanian detachments led by Shahin who formerly had reached Chalcedon, and Shahrbaraz, anther top general of Khosrow. Heraclius penetrated into Azerbaijan and captured and plundered the Sasanian fire temple and sanctuary Adur Gushnasp at Ganzak or Shiz. Heraclius did not leave Azerbaijan in the winter as expected but retired northwards into winter quarters_ Khosrow decided to copy the bold stroke of Heraclius, and outdo the audacity of the Byzantines, by capturing Constantinople with the aid of the Avars. But Byzantine sea power prevented any success of the allies; Heraclius did not return, and the gamble failed. Heraclius, still on Iran's territory, was not idle but had made an alliance with the Turkish Khazars, who had established a state north of the Caucasus, and in late 627 the Khazars and Byzantines moved south through Azerbaijan reaping booty with little opposition. Heraclius moved farther south to the plains of Mesopotamia, and in desperation Khosrow recalled all of his forces from Anatolia. Before any opposition to Heraclius could be organized, the latter captured Dastagird in 628, east of Ctesiphon, where Khosrow had a large palace complex and much riches. Then Heraclius again withdrew north in Mesopotamia to winter quarters.
Khosrow had failed but whether he sought a scapegoat in Shahrbaraz,who revolted, or whether a large conspiracy dethroned the ruler, the king was imprisoned and killed with the connivance of his son Shiroe at the end of February 628. Shiroe took the name Kavad and ascended the throne as Kavad II. He at once began peace negotiations with Heraclius and the stalus quo before the war was restored with prisoners exchanged, relics and booty restored, and Sasanian troops evacuated from all Byzantine possessions. Kavad's reign had lasted less than a year when he died, probably in an epidemic, to be succeeded by his infant son Ardashir III. Shahrbaraz, head of a large army, decided to seize the throne himself, and he marched on Ctesiphon, defeated forces sent against him and killed the young king. Shahrbaraz himself was murdered after less than two months' rule. Since no son of Khosrow was alive, the nobles raised his daughter Boran to the throne, but she died after ruling little more than a year. A succession of rulers followed, each ruling only a few months, including Azarmedukht, sister of Boran, Peroz II, Hormizd V and Khosrow IV (since a Khosrow III had ruled for a short time in the eastern part of the empire). At the end, the nobles found a grandson of Khosrow alive, a certain Yazdagird son of Shahriyar, in Istakhr in a fire temple. He was to be the last of the Sasanian kings and, ascending the throne in 632, he had little time to rule.
The long reign of Khosrow II was not only known for the internal as well as external strife but also for the luxury, or even decadence, of the court. For example, the throne of Khosrow II was famous in legend for its luxury and the rock carving of a hunting scene of the king at Taq-e Bustan indicates the sumptuousness of even such a mundane affair. His palaces at Dastagird and at Qasr-e Shirin, supposedly named after his queen, are noted in legends for their opulence. The famous musician Barbad lived at his court, and a certain degeneracy appears from accounts of life at the court, and that more than patronage of the arts or philosophers seem to have been the hallmark of Khosrow II.
The revolts of Bahram Chobin and Bistam reveal weaknesses in the system of Khosrow I, since the nobility was basically unwilling to support the throne, although they were still conservative enough to demand a Sasanian prince as ruler rather than a usurper to the throne. One mistake of Khosrow II, which was to have future consequences, was the imprisonment and execution of Nu'man III, king of the Lakhmids of al-Hira about 600, presumably because of the failure of the Arab king to support Khosrow on his flight to the Byzantines. Afterwards the central government took over the defense of the western frontiers to the desert and the buffer state of the Lakhmids vanished. Soon the Arabs of the peninsula invaded lower Iraq and it was only four years after the accession of Yazdagird that his chief general Rustam was declsively defeated and killed at the battle of Qadisiyya near al-Hira. The following year Ctesiphon was taken by the Arabs. Attempts to rally forces on the plateau failed and in 642 the rest of the imperial Sasanian army was destroyed at the battle of Nihavend. Just as with the last of the Achaemenidsl so Yazdagird fled to the east and took refuge with the marban of Merv; the latter, however, resolved to be rid of an unwelcome guest, but Yazdagird fled and hid in a mill where he was murdered in 651. Thus the Sasanian Empire went on the same road as the Achaemenid, and to the outside observer, removed from both by many centuries, the similarities in their final years strike one more than the differences. Details of the fall of the Sasanian Empire however, belong to the history of Islam and the Arab conquests, of which we have a veritable plethora of sources in comparison with Sasanian history.
The last century of the empire saw an increase in converts to Christianity, and the expansion of bishoprics to the east can be found in the acts of the Nestorian synods. Not only did the richest part of the empire, the lowlands of the Tigris-Euphrates become predominantly Christian, with Monophysites gaining ground against the Nestorians at the end of the empire, but the plateau too saw an increase in churches. Thls does not mean, however, that the Sasanian state was becoming Christian just before the Islamic era, as some have suggested. The state religion was still upheld by all of the rulers, even though it had become a faith primarily of rituals and taboos. It had a great disadvantage in comparison to Christianity and Islam in that it was not an oecumenical religion actively seeking converts, and it was bound too closely to the Sasanian state and its fortunes. One might say that in the later years of the Sasanian Empire the state dominated the church, whereas in the west the reverse seems more true, or perhaps one could say 'used' rather than 'dominated' in both cases. The organization of minority religions in the Sasanian Empire served to protect Zoroastrianism after the Arab conquest, when the change from dominant, state religion to one of minority status was made, and this enabled Zoroastrianism to survive to the present. The status of Jews and Christians changed little under Islam, except that the model of an imperial state and religion, which influenced their organizations and outlooks, changed to a 'democratic' model, which the Islamic state under the early caliphs was in comparison. In Judaism the end of the Sasanian Empire meant the decline and fall of the exilarchate and the triumph of the rabbinate, much like the 'ulama of Islam. For Manichaeans the end of the Sasanians gave them a chance to come into the open in Iraq and Iran, until later in the 'Abbasid Caliphate they fell vlctims of a persecution. The Nestorian church, on the other hand, experienced a revival with missionaries penetrating to China. Only Zoroastrians soon withdrew into ghettoes, to be followed later bx other minority religions in the Islamic world. It was mainly the Zoroastrian clergy which preserved the Middle Persian writings which explains the loss of so much secular literature. The latter, however, was translated, or paraphrased, into Arabic and later New Persian, but with an Islamic reworking of texts, which makes reconstruction of originals difficult. But in these later, secular writings the heritage of the Sasanians was preserved, and it was a powerful force in the making of Islamic culture.
The last holdout of Sasanian Iran was in the east, and it is to this little studied part of the world that scholars need next to approach--for it seems certain to me that the small states of Central Asia, too, were part of the ancient Iranian world, and their role in bringing Iranian influences to China and to Russia should not be forgotten.
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On Easter Monday, 24 April 1916, at a time when Ireland was an integral part of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, seven Irishmen proclaimed the establishment of the Irish Republic, nominating themselves as its provisional government.
Together with 1,400 poorly armed followers, they occupied a number of prominent buildings near the centre of Dublin, the General Post Office in Sackville Street (now O’Connell Street) being designated as their headquarters. The government of Great Britain and Ireland regarded the insurrection as treason, all the more reprehensible as it came at a critical juncture of the war then being waged with Germany and her allies.
The response was immediate and decisive, the outcome being a foregone conclusion: by the following Sunday close to 2,000 people – mostly civilians – had been killed or injured, the General Post Office and various other buildings were in ruins, and the insurgents had surrendered.
So reads the introduction to the National Library of Ireland’s online exhibition called “The 1916 Rising: Personalities & Perspectives.” For anyone with an interest in this pivotal point in Irish history, the exhibition provides an abundance of stories and insights that eventual led to the formation of the Republic of Ireland.
Based on the library’s collection of books, newspapers, photographs, drawings, proclamations, and manuscript material, the exhibition is free and available 24 hours a day. Have a look for yourself >>
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Bootstrapping to Save Power - Part 2, Tension Stressing Continued
FLUID POWER - Design Data Sheet 50
The first article in this series on bootstrapping appeared in Design Data Sheet 36. The reader should review that issue for an explanation of the purpose of bootstrapping and the basic operating principle.
Diagrams in this issue and in Design Data Sheet 36 illustrate tension stressing as in a steel cable being spooled between two drums. Essentially the same circuits and the same components can be used for compression stressing of a rigid material moving between two rollers. The only change would be to re-connect the two hydraulic motors to rotate in the correct direction to produce compression instead of tension stress. In a later issue we will discuss torsion stressing with bootstrapping circuits.
Figure 1. The left side of this diagram shows hydraulic components for tensioning the cable. The two motors, A and B, have identical displacement, they are exposed to the same fluid pressure, and are connected to drums of the same diameter, so there is no cable movement produced in this part of the circuit. Cable movement, at any speed desired, is produced by a completely separate external drive which may be electrical, hydraulic, or mechanical.
This is a form of closed loop circuitry. When the system is put into motion, oil discharged from Motor A, after passing through the filter and heat exchanger, is available to enter the inlet of Motor B.
For best performance and smoothest operation at low speeds, piston motors should be used. A small amount of oil is lost from the loop by internal slippage, and passes out the external drains. The only flow required from the variable pump is enough to make up slippage in the two motors.
Figure 1. Complete circuit for cable tensioning with a bootstrap circuit. Tension is maintained with the fluid
power system. A separate external drive keeps the cable traveling at the desired rate of speed.
Description of Components, Figure 1
Pump. The pump should be a variable displacement piston type unit with a pressure compensator control. It is required to work on one side of center, only.
Pump volume must be sufficient to make up internal slippage flow of itself and the two motors. Remember, that as the pump and motors wear, their slippage flow will increase, so the pump must be oversized to take care of increased slippage at some future time. If the pump volume should become insufficient to supply all slippage losses, the motors could not develop full tension on the moving cable.
Cable tension depends on the setting of the pump compensator, and the compensator should be adjusted for the tension required.
Relief Valve. This valve is expected only to absorb momentary pressure peaks developed by mechanical shocks on the system, During the short interval required by the pump compensator to swing the pump cam plate to a reduced angle. It should always be set at least 10% or 500 PSI higher than the pump compensator to prevent accidental continuous discharge across it which would overheat the system.
Hydraulic Motors A and B. Fixed displacement, piston-type motors, of hi-rotational construction, are recommended, although in some applications gear or vane-type motors may prove satisfactory. Motor B must be capable of reversible action. It must work as a pump if its shaft is forced backward against the direction it would run as a motor.
Both motors, of course, must have identical displacement, and should be connected to cable drums of the same diameter. However, their displacements may be unequal if cable drum diameters are selected to produce equal torques in opposite directions. Torques must be in balance.
If drum RPM must be low, say less than 500 RPM, the motors must be of a type which will operate smoothly at the selected speed. Slow speed motors with built-in speed reduction, such as Char-Lynn, may not work well when the shaft is driven backward to work like a pump.
Note: Each motor, by itself, must be sized to produce the entire torque needed for cable stress. Torques of both motors may not be added for total torque when they are pulling against each other.
Heat Exchanger. Most bootstrap systems, except those operating at high power, will not need a heat exchanger. Except for mechanical bearing friction, the only significant power waste entering the hydraulic oil as heat, is caused by slippage inside the pump and two motors.
If a heat exchanger should be needed, the return side of Motor A is the best location for its installation. Pressure is low and oil flow is high. The usual procedure is to select a model which, with the widest baffle spacing on the oil (shell) side will handle its flow at a velocity between 2 and 4 feet per second. Then, specify the number of passes on the water side (1, 2, or 4) according to volume of cooling water available. See main index for other information on heat exchangers and oil cooling.
Filter. In addition to the pump suction strainer, a good quality micronic filter should be included, and the ideal installation point is in the return line from Motor A either ahead of or following the heat exchanger. A relatively inexpensive model may be used since the pressure is quite low.
External Drive. This can be any kind of fixed or variable speed drive. If hydraulic, it should be entirely separate, and in no way connected with the hydraulic tensioning system, except that a common reservoir is permissible if the two sections are on the same elevation. A common pump should never be used for both tensioning and external drive because of possible interaction between the two systems.
Analysis of Oil Flow in the Tensioning Circuit
Figure 2. This is a stripped down flow diagram for the complete circuit of Figure 1, and illustrates the oil flow to be expected in various parts of the circuit, assuming the torques of the motors are balanced so as to produce no movement of the cable. Flows shown are those which appear after a typical system has been set in motion by the external drive to a speed where circulating oil in the loop exceeds the slippage flow of the motors.
Figure 2. This is a stripped down version of Figure 1, to illustrate flow in various parts of the circuit.
Example: Assume Motors A and B are piston-type units being driven at a speed which will deliver 40 GPM from the outlet of Motor A. Assume also that slippage flow of each motor is 2 GPM. Find the minimum oil flow required from the pump under these conditions.
Both motors are forced to rotate at the - same speed because of being tied together by the moving cable. Motor A requires an additional 2 GPM for internal slippage or a total of 42 GPM on its inlet. Motor A delivers 40 GPM to the inlet of Motor B, and 2 GPM is lost in internal slippage. Motor B delivers only 38 GPM back into the pump line, and the difference: 42 - 38 = 4 GPM must be supplied by the pump.
The bottom of the closed loop is vented to the reservoir. Any slight difference in motor characteristics would cause a small flow in this line either to or from the reservoir.
Download a PDF of Fluid Power Design Data Sheet 50 - Bootstrapping to Save Power - Part 2, Tension Stressing Continued.
© 1990 by Womack Machine Supply Co. This company assumes no liability for errors in data nor in safe and/or satisfactory operation of equipment designed from this information.
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The country's government is known for closely regulating web activity -- but it's also using Weibo to reach out to citizens.
At 11:51 AM on July 21, the Weibo (Chinese Twitter) account called "Safe Beijing" (平安北京) advised its three million followers to "take caution outdoors today!" Over the course of the day, the falling rain would grow into the worst rainstorm to hit Beijing in 60 years, eventually killing over 70 people and causing millions of dollars worth of damage.
Throughout the storm, Safe Beijing posted thirty more messages detailing road closures, traffic updates, safety information, and news stories. These posts were forwarded on by Safe Beijing's readers, with one post -- detailing the heroic actions of a Beijing police officer -- forwarded over 5,000 times.
Notably, Safe Beijing is not the account of a concerned Beijinger or of a citizen watchdog group. It is managed by the Beijing Municipal Public Security Bureau (PSB), the city's primary police force.
E-government Shows Promise in China
- Another Sign that Chinese Web Users Want a Democracy
- The Saga of a Chinese Man Imprisoned for Online Speech
- Dissident Voices Appear Online After the Power Transfer
The Chinese government's use of Internet technology most often serves to impede free speech, open society, and progressive thought. Human rights groups including Human Rights Watch and Amnesty International have expressed concern that the Chinese government uses Internet technology as a tool for suppression.
Less discussed are government programs like Safe Beijing, which seek to increase the use of Internet technology as a tool to promote citizen-state interaction and to increase the availability of social services through what is known as "e-government," which refers to web-based interaction between government officials, citizens, and businesses. While e-government has become standard in the Western world, it is also a valuable tool for developing country governments to become more efficient and responsive.
Although China is not among the top 50 in the United Nation's 2012 ranking of national e-government performance -- it ranks 78th -- Chinese leadership has increasingly encouraged e-government programs, which have outpaced China's economic and demographic peers. In 2012, a U.N. survey labeled China's e-government gains "impressive."
China's embrace of e-government is particularly interesting because e-government has the power to inform and empower Chinese citizens, yet China currently controls what is almost certainly the world's most sophisticated Internet monitoring apparatus. Some critics would argue that e-government in China is simply another tool for the Chinese Communist Party to keep a close watch on its citizens. But the party's motives may be less nefarious. "China's long-term and sustainable economic success hinges on government transparency that helps provide a level playing field for both foreign and domestic business," said Mei Gechlik, an e-government expert with the non-profit Good Governance International (at which this author volunteers). As a result, Chinese policy-makers have a real stake in seeing e-government in China succeed on multiple levels.
Movement in the Right Direction
Following the lead of the Beijing PSB, a variety of government officials and agencies--including tourism, public health, and even the State Council -- have established Weibo accounts both to inform subscribers of relevant developments and to establish a new avenue for interaction. Some officials have even taken to liveblogging government conferences, political meetings, and other official events, offering a unique glimpse into the traditionally closed-door world of Chinese policy making.
E-government programs are not limited to China's central government. Hangzhou, the capital of Zhejiang province, recently embarked on an ambitious e-government initiative, focused on informing citizens and promoting further government interaction. In 2009, Guangdong, partnered with Guangzhou, the central government, and Chinese telecommunication giant China Unicom to establish the Digital Guangdong initiative. The 20-year plan hopes to establish a robust e-government system, to facilitate information sharing via Internet technology improve the informization of the province, and to encourage local industry to capitalize on government-provided information communication technology tools to improve the provincial economy.
Reaching the Countryside
Chinese e-government may also help address the staggering disparity between rural and urban Chinese. Many commentators argue that the large gaps between rural and urban income, services and infrastructure in China -- some of the world's most drastic -- can be addressed by closing the "digital divide" between the two regions.
Chinese policy-makers appear to agree. Between 2005 and 2010, each "Number 1 Central Document" -- an annual policy directive released by the party's powerful Central Committee -- has mentioned the "informization" of rural China as a primary goal. By increasing Internet availability and supporting rural e-government, Chinese leaders hope to quickly improve state administered services in rural China.
In 2009, China earmarked 850 billion RMB (about US$136 billion) of recession-driven stimulus spending to upgrade and digitize China's healthcare system. Policy makers have focused on upgrading medical equipment to allow for more sophisticated medical services, and creating a cloud-based network to facilitate information sharing, advanced training techniques, and large-scale data analysis.
The Ministry of Education also hopes to use e-government to address problems in rural education. Several state-run programs, including "Connecting Every Class," aim to provide Internet access to the majority of rural primary schools within the next five years.
For e-governance to work, it will have to embrace mobile technology as well. A 2012 study by the China Internet Network Information Center found that the majority of rural Chinese -- who often cannot afford a personal computer and may not live near an Internet cafe -- access the Internet via mobile phone. In 2010, the Ministry of Agriculture began an outreach program aimed at rural farmers that distributes information on weather, drought, and agricultural science via text message.
Leaders in Beijing also hope that new e-government programs can increase civic engagement in rural China, in part to mitigate the destabilizing effects of rural unrest and provincial corruption. The obstacles are substantial. Gechlik holds that, "confronted with such challenges as inadequate human capital and telecommunication infrastructure, rural China's overall e-government development often lags behind that of urban China."
The popularity and success of Safe Beijing bodes well for
e-government in China. Indeed, urban e-government initiatives have
received high amounts of praise by Chinese state-run news outlets--a
strong indicator of government favor. The fate of more complex, and
perhaps more significant rural e-government initiatives, however, is not
yet clear. Regardless, it is apparent that loud voices within Chinese
policy circles believe e-government -- both urban and rural -- is a central
component of any successful plan for China's future.
This post also appears at Tea Leaf Nation, an Atlantic partner site.
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For a long time, Jo Jin Hye led two lives. Most people knew her as a home health-care manager living outside Washington D.C., or as a night student at a high school for adults.
But she had also become one of the United States’ leading activists for human rights in North Korea, her native country. She is called night and day by North Koreans half a world away in desperate need of advice, contacts, or money.
“Sometimes,” she says, “I am on the phone from 1:00 a.m. to 5:00 a.m., when defectors are attempting an escape.”
These defectors are beginning a journey that Jo Jin Hye, now 25, began at age 10 with her mother Han Song Hwa and younger sister Jo Eun Hye, also called Grace Jo, in 1998 amid a famine in North Korea’s Hamgyeong Province, on the Chinese border.
Their escape followed the loss of half their family. Jo Jin Hye’s grandmother and newborn brother died of starvation, her older sister disappeared after setting out for China in search of food, and her father was tortured by security agents after crossing the border and bringing back a sack of rice. He died while in prison.
The family were labeled “anti-state traitors” for entering China, and police and men from the Bowibu, the National Security Agency, threatened to burn down their house if they did not leave their village.
Her mother fled with Jo Jin Hye for the border, carrying seven-year-old Grace Jo, who was malnourished, in a sack on her back. They walked for three days and nights before holding hands and wading through the waist-high currents of the Tumen River into China.
But Han had no way to bring her five-year-old son and had left him with neighbors, promising to return for him in five days. The person she later hired in China to fetch him reported that the little boy had been put out by their neighbors, who were famished and didn’t have enough to feed another mouth.
The boy had wandered into a nearby field, crying out, “Mommy, sister! When are you coming back?” He, too, succumbed to starvation.
Struggle to survive
Once in China, Han and her daughters struggled to survive and evade deportation back to North Korea. China ignores international law prohibiting the forced repatriation of refugees, presumably fearing that if they accept any North Koreans, this will trigger a flood.
The Jo-Han family spent much of the next 10 years living as fugitives in China.
“We kept getting arrested, separated, and united again,” Jo Jin Hye said. “We … waited for each other in places where we knew we could establish contact.”
They were repeatedly caught, jailed, and sent back to North Korea, where they were sometimes imprisoned and tortured.
“I was slapped until my face was swollen,” said Jo Jin Hye. “They pulled my hair so hard that my head was half-bald.”
Eventually they would be released and, by paying bribes, flee across the river again.
While in China, both sisters were jailed at one point for 15 months for helping other North Korean defectors. Both were also repatriated, usually separately—Grace Jo twice and Jo Jin Hye four times. Their mother was also repatriated four times.
Whenever they were caught by Chinese police, Han and Jo Jin Hye would swallow money wrapped in plastic for later use in North Korea.
Somehow, after these long periods of separation, Han always found her daughters. Jo Jin Hye herself once spent three months tracking down her younger sister.
Whenever they could, they would resume living together in China until one or more of them was arrested again. Grace Jo lived in constant fear that her mother would suddenly disappear.
Help from others
Grace Jo wound up living with several Chinese families who were ethnic Koreans. Once she became a teenager, Jo Jin Hye was on her own for part of the time. She turned for help to the friends of people she got to know in North Korean prisons and labor camps.
Eventually the family was befriended by Pastor Philli Buck, a Christian missionary who was Korean-American. At one point he looked after them for a year.
Both sisters became fluent in Chinese, and Grace Jo got a little schooling. But like her mother, Jo Jin Hye—being older—always had to work. She would earn money in one restaurant until the police came to check papers, and would then run away to find work at another.
From time to time, she would find her mother and Grace Jo and give them some of her wages.
The family survived by their wits until they were aided by the underground railroad that smuggles North Korean refugees from China to welcoming countries.
In 2006, after Han and her daughters had been repatriated once again to North Korea and were in Bowibu custody, they expected to be publicly executed or sent to a camp for political prisoners after admitting they were Christians, knew American missionaries, and had helped other defectors try to reach South Korea.
Pastor Buck quickly raised U.S. $10,000 from American congregations and offered it through brokers to Bowibu agents for the family’s freedom. As a result, the three were charged with misdemeanors rather than serious crimes, and after promising high-level Bowibu officers they would remain in North Korea, they were released.
They had no intention of keeping their promise.
From China to America
Pastor Buck then arranged for brokers to get them out of North Korea and to Beijing, where the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees gave them lodging and protection. Finally, after more than a year, they were granted asylum in the United States.
Two months after they arrived, Jo Jin Hye and other refugees were invited to meet with then President George W. Bush. She then staged a hunger strike in front of the Chinese embassy in Washington to protest Beijing’s forced repatriation of North Korean refugees.
After 16 days, she was hospitalized. Her strike did help draw attention to the issue, but China’s policy did not change.
Like many other refugees, the Jo-Hans had their share of hard times in the United States, including a short spell of homelessness after their landlord, who rented them two rooms in his house, became intolerable. He had imposed a curfew and was unreasonable about their taking showers.
They finally left. The landlord refused to give them back their belongings, and they had to go to the police to recover them.
In addition, like other North Koreans, they were treated as inferior by some Korean-Americans. But today they have two cars, a suburban apartment, and jobs in home health care. Jo Jin Hye and Grace Jo are A-students and have professional ambitions.
Somehow, the traumatic events they suffered in North Korea during the famine and following their deportations have never thrown them off their stride.
A number of Americans and Korean-Americans have also stepped forward to aid and befriend the family. A Korean pastor has been a mentor to them even after they moved and changed churches. A former Clinton administration official gives them legal advice, two Korean interpreters have helped them in public appearances, and several individuals have tutored the sisters in their studies.
Members of their two Korean-American churches have lent a hand in many ways.
'The right connections'
Both financially and culturally, observers agree, the family has fared unusually well in comparison with the other 150 or so North Koreans living in the United States.
Greg Scarlatoiu, director of the Committee for Human Rights in North Korea, based in Washington, cites their hard work, friendly personalities, and good fortune in having made “the right connections here.”
Their mentor, Pastor Heemoon Lee, also notes that unlike most North Koreans, who come alone, they had the great advantage of having arrived together as a family. Moreover, Lee adds, their deep Christian faith has bolstered them and helped connect them to the Korean-American community.
Living underground in China for so many years no doubt also schooled them in how to deal with adversity.
Jo Jin Hye did something unusual while chasing the American dream—she founded a small nonprofit organization called NKUS to help other North Koreans escape and to support fellow refugees in the United States.
Her mother and sister pitch in, and NKUS now has more than a dozen supporters: Americans, Koreans, and nine other defectors.
“Despite all they experienced, which would make you want to leave it all behind, they instead are so committed to helping their brothers and sisters here in the USA, rescuing refugees out of China, and helping bring about change in North Korea,” said Suzanne Scholte, chair of the North Korea Freedom Coalition, in an e-mailed comment.
Through NKUS, the family has already been instrumental in helping at least six defectors in China reach a third country. NKUS also recently sponsored a church benefit concert in a Washington suburb that drew 300 people and raised $3,000.
The proceeds were intended to smuggle a female defector’s two nephews out of North Korea before they could be sent to prison as a punishment for her defection. The concert featured North Korean pianist Kim Cheol Woong, who defected in 2001.
The Jo-Han family finances NKUS by selling Korean food at church bazaars and festivals and by donating most of the money they receive for public speaking. Jo and her mother speak about oppression in North Korea at churches and universities all over the United States and in South Korea, and have both testified before Congress.
Outspoken and blunt, they are determined that others know what is happening to the people of North Korea. Few others in the United States can speak about that firsthand.
Peter Slavin is a U.S.-based freelance journalist.
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A significant geological discontinuity, the Highland Boundary Fault traverses Scotland from Arran (North Ayrshire) to Stonehaven (Aberdeenshire) separating two distinctly different physiographic regions; namely the Highlands from the Midland Valley. To the north and west lie hard Pre-Cambrian and Cambrian metamorphic rocks of the Dalradian group and to the the south and east softer, sedimentary rocks of the Devonian and Carboniferous periods, principally the Old Red Sandstone.
The fault runs southwest-northeast from Lochranza on Arran, across the Firth of Clyde, via Helensburgh, Loch Lomond, Aberfoyle, the Menteith Hills to Callander, Comrie and Crieff. It then forms the northern boundary of the Vale of Strathmore before reaching the east coast at Garron Point, 2 miles (3 km) northeast of Stonehaven. Active during the Caledonian mountain-building episode, a plate tectonic collision which took place from Mid Ordovician to Mid Devonian periods (520 to 400 million years ago), the Highland Boundary Fault allowed the Midland Valley to descend as a major rift or graben by as much as 4000m (13,123 feet). This earlier vertical movement was later replaced by horizontal shear. A complementary fault, the Southern Uplands Fault, forms the southern boundary of the Midland Valley.
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People not ready for big changes to save Earth'
London, September 2, 2009
People want to save the planet but are unwilling to make radical lifestyle changes like giving up air travel or red meat to reduce the effects of climate change, a straw poll by Reuters showed.
As leaders gear up for another round of climate change talks later this month in New York, motivating people to change their lifestyles will be crucial in ensuring cuts in planet-warming greenhouse gases, experts say.
Over 40 percent of Britain's carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions, the main greenhouse gas causing climate change, come from the energy we use at home and in travelling.
A straw poll of 15 British men and 15 British women between the ages of 25-75 in central London, showed all were willing to make small changes for the environment, such as recycling, but few would commit to more fundamental changes to behaviour.
'I try to minimise using my car but I wouldn't give it up,' a 42-year-old man, Emerald Wijesinthe, told Reuters.
Changing small habits like leaving appliances on standby are relatively easy, but more radical changes face resistance.
'We know from plenty of evidence in social, personality, and clinical psychology that people generally do not like to change their identities - they prefer stability,' Tim Kasser, psychology professor at Knox College in Illinois, told Reuters.
Tapping into gender differences could help focus energy efficiency measures and deliver better results.
'Women are more likely to be energy conscious and willing to make habit-related changes, whereas men are more likely to make investments in more efficient equipment,' said Sarah Darby, research fellow at UK Research Council's Energy Programme.
All the women interviewed in the straw poll said they made efforts to reduce energy use, compared with 60 percent of men.
Seventy percent of men said they were unwilling to change their lifestyles, compared with just 10 percent of women.
'I make sure the house isn't overheated, lower our meat intake and grow vegetables,' said 71-year old Rosie Hughes.
Eighteen percent of all greenhouse gas emissions is due to meat production, according to the United Nations Food and Agricultural Organisation.
Research suggests women in general show more empathy and concern for the greater good than men, Kasser added, which made them more likely to think about the impacts of their daily behaviour on the environment.
In fact, appealing to people's altruistic side is likely to spur people to make fundamental changes, rather than motivation from financial concerns, and advertisers can play an important role in encouraging greener lifestyles.
'Climate change is now a marketing challenge as well as a scientific one,' said Ian Curtis, founder of Oxfordshire climate project ClimateXchange. - Reuters
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Johann Gottlieb Fichte was a German philosopher. Admirer of practical philosophy of Kant, his work has two aspects:
– Rigorous and abstract: His Theory of Science is a philosophy of freedom. The science in question is the philosophical science, which is only capable to make sense of all the aspirations of the human imagination.
– Practical: In The Commercial State and his Addressses to the German nation, Fichte asserts itself as a liberal Republican and a humanist philosopher. He is the founder of modern philosophy. The method of phenomenological descriptions of life and reflection on history. Hegel believed that the theory of science was one of the three biggest events of his age.
Let’s describe a little more precisely the theory of science:
The presentation of 1794 presents the philosophy of “absolute self”. Since understanding is always understood from itself is to understand all things “refer to oneself the whole truth”.
Version of 1804 goes further. Fichte builds a theory of God as a reality and fully accessible to rational human mind.
Some quotations from Fichte on political philosophy :
Fichte On nationalism:
– “Cosmopolitanism is the desire that the dominant purpose of the existence of the human race will actually be achieved in the human race. Patriotism is the willingness that this goal is achieved primarily in the nation that we are ourselves members and that result from it get along with all mankind ”
Fichte On Peace and War:
– “Suppose a state that has had fifteen years of peace and that peace has devoted to the maintenance of his army everything during those years, he could draw from its territory and all he could save these other basic expenses – which army, as might occur as a result of a war that broke out, he would completely lose the first battle: instead, assume it has dismissed half its army and that what would have cost the maintenance of that half, he has devoted to a national education: I pretend to show that this state, when war breaks out, could also dismiss the other half of his army, on the contrary it would have been a nation to be placed under arms, a nation that could not be overcome with absolutely no human power ”
Fichte On the state:
– “The totalitarian state is one that assigns the orientation of all individual strengths to the finality of the case”
Fichte On faith:
– “This system is expected to be a mighty happiness is the system of idolatry, it is as old as human corruption and the progress of time has merely changed its outward form”
Fichte On freedom:
– “To be free is nothing, everything is becoming”
Fichte On the self and identity:
– “When the mind and thought are taken as identical, and vice versa, which is generated in such a thought is the concept of self”
Fichte On sociability:
– “The man (and all finite beings in general) becomes man among men in general … so there must be men, they must be many. When it is determined completely this concept, we are led, from the mind of an individual, to admit a second order to explain the first “
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For this reason England, like every other great and historic nation, has sought its typical hero in remote and ill-recorded times. The personal and moral greatness of Alfred is, indeed, beyond question. It does not depend any more than the greatness of any other human hero upon the accuracy of any or all of the stories that are told about him. Alfred may not have done one of the things which are reported of him, but it is immeasurably easier to do every one of those things than to be the man of whom such things are reported falsely. Fable is, generally speaking, far more accurate than fact, for fable describes a man as he was to his own age, fact describes him as he is to a handful of inconsiderable antiquarians many centuries after. Whether Alfred watched the cakes for the neat-herd’s wife, whether he sang songs in the Danish camp, is of no interest to anyone except those who set out to prove under considerable disadvantages that they are genealogically descended from him. But the man is better pictured in these stories than in any number of modern realistic trivialities about his favourite breakfast and his favourite musical composer. Fable is more historical than fact, because fact tells us about one man and fable tells us about a million men. If we read of a man who could make green grass red and turn the sun into the moon, we may not believe these particular details about him, but we learn something infinitely more important than such trivialities, the fact that men could look into his face and believe it possible. The glory and greatness of Alfred, therefore, is like that of all the heroes of the morning of the world, set far beyond the chance of that strange and sudden dethronement which may arise from the unsealing of a manuscript or the turning over of a stone. Men may have told lies when they said that he first entrapped the Danes with his song and then overcame them with his armies, but we know very well that it is not of us that such lies are told. There may be myths clustering about each of our personalities; local saga-men and chroniclers have very likely circulated the story that we are addicted to drink, or that we ferociously ill-use our wives. But they do not commonly lie to the effect that we have shed our blood to save all the inhabitants of the street. A story grows easily, but a heroic story is not a very easy thing to evoke. Wherever that exists we may be pretty certain that we are in the presence of a dark but powerful historic personality. We are in the presence of a thousand lies all pointing with their fantastic fingers to one undiscovered truth.
Upon this ground alone every encouragement is due to the cult of Alfred. Every nation requires to have behind it some historic personality, the validity of which is proved, as the validity of a gun is proved, by its long range. It is wonderful and splendid that we treasure, not the truth, but the very gossip about a man who died a thousand years ago. We may say to him, as M. Rostand says to the Austrian Prince:
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The Neuro marks May - Multiple Sclerosis Awareness Month
The Montreal Neurological Institute and Hospital – The Neuro operates the country’s oldest clinic devoted to MS patients.
The Neuro marks May - Multiple Sclerosis Awareness Month
“The advances that have been made in the last couple of years alone, and the options available, give me reason to be hopeful,” says Jennifer Pevec, a marathon runner in Montreal who was diagnosed with MS in 2005 and subsequently received treatment at The Neuro. “I never, ever thought in my wildest dreams that I would be able to run again. But thanks to this new medication and carbon-fiber leg braces, I am.” …read Jennifer Pevec’s story.
Facts about Multiple Sclerosis (MS)
· MS attacks parts of a person’s brain and spinal cord, typically causing extreme fatigue, visual and sensory problems, disequilibrium and eventually a loss of muscle control to the point of paralysis.
· MS is seen far more in higher latitudes. Canada has one of the world’s highest national rates -about 1,100 new cases each year. Approximately 50,000 Canadians have MS. More than one in five lives in Quebec.
· MS is one of the most common neurological diseases among young Canadians. Children as young as two can develop MS, but the disease typically strikes people ], between the ages of 15 and 40.
· Women are twice as likely as men to develop MS.
· The cause of MS is still unknown, but scientific evidence suggests that a major component is an auto-immune disease that affects myelin, a substance coating axons, the thin strands that carry signals between nerve cells in the brain.
· MS has several forms:
1. Relapsing-remitting MS at onset: the most common form, in which periods of acute symptoms alternate with periods of remission of variable duration although generally the disease will progress over time.
2. Primary progressive MS: the rarest form-symptoms worsen steadily from onset with no remissions.
3. Secondary progressive MS: this form occurs in patients with relapsing-remitting onset. Eventually their symptoms progress steadily without further remissions.
· Some drugs can temporarily help to control symptoms or to extend remission periods.
· MS can be detected in its early stages by M R I scans that reveal scars in the nervous system that are typical of the disease.
Canada’s First MS Clinic
The Montreal Neurological Institute and Hospital – The Neuro operates the country’s oldest clinic devoted to MS patients. Each year, The Neuro’s clinic treats some two thousand patients.
Under the direction of Dr. Yves Lapierre, the MS Clinic has a multidisciplinary staff of neurologists, nurse specialists, physiotherapists, occupational therapists and social workers. A multidisciplinary approach ensures the best way to help not only patients suffering from reduced mobility, but families trying to cope with the needs of their afflicted loved ones.
Patients may participate in important clinical trials of new MS drugs at The Neuro’s Clinical Research Unit (CRU).
Cutting-edge MS Research
More than 50 members of The Neuro’s staff are conducting multi-pronged laboratory and clinical studies related to MS. They employ the finest scientific technology in the world,from brain imaging scanners to the latest cell biology tools in order-to study the disease from all angles and at every stage. The Neuro’s basic scientists and clinical physicians cooperate closely to translate research into clinical therapies.
Here are brief descriptions of some outstanding MS research at The Neuro:
Engineering Neural Connections
The laboratory of The Neuro’s director, Dr. David Colman, has made a breakthrough in finding a way to repair damaged nerve cells, a major problem in medicine today. Using neuro-engineering, Dr. Colman has created an artificial synapse or nerve cell connection– which is a significant advance towards linking nerves to a microchip - and ultimately a solution for nerve cell repair. Further engineering could lead to the creation of an artificial axonal network to replace axons damaged by MS.
Understanding Myelin Maintenance
The Neuro’s researchers have identified a new biochemical mechanism that helps to maintain myelin. They are investigating whether stimulating this mechanism might promote myelin repair-potentially a major breakthrough in MS treatment.
The Fingolimod Factor
Research by Véronique Miron and her colleagues at The Neuro found that the experimental drug fingolimod appeared to enhance re-myelination in mouse brain slices.
Dr. Amit Bar-Or of The Neuro leads a major national study with international collaboration that revealed a gene whose presence in children increases their risk of developing MS in childhood. Among children who have an initial attack of demyelination, only one out of five is subsequently found to have MS. This risk increases substantially if the child has the HLA-DRB1 gene, a discovery that could help physicians to distinguish between isolated episodes and pediatric-onset MS.
MS and B Cells
Another international collaborative study led by Dr. Amit Bar-Or uncovered new roles for B cells in MS patients. B cells are components of the immune system. The study explained why patients whose B cells were therapeutically removed experienced substantially fewer new MS symptoms.
MS Researchers at The Neuro
Dr. Yves Lapierre, director, MS Clinic. A neurologist, Dr. Lapierre undertakes clinical drug trials and designs programs that prescribe MS drugs in the most effective way to prevent relapses.
Dr. Jack Antel, neurologist, examines human nerve and immune cells to understand how their interactions contribute to MS. He studies the role of glial cells in the nervous system, as well as the variables that contribute to remyelination.
Dr. Douglas Arnold, neurologist. Using the latest brain-imaging techniques, Dr. Arnold diagnoses and tracks MS lesions in the brain, and analyzes the effectiveness of MS therapies.
Dr. Amit Bar-Or, neurologist and immunologist, researches the properties of immune cells, stem cells and their interactions with nerve cells. He directs The Neuro’s Experimental Therapeutics Program which translates basic science findings into the development of novel therapies for MS.
Dr. David Colman, research scientist and Director of The Neuro, examines myelin repair to see how signal transmission to the central nervous system can be improved.
Dr. Alyson Fournier, research scientist, studies the nature of nerve cell injuries. She is looking for ways to repair nerve cells damaged by MS.
Dr. Tim Kennedy, research scientist, investigates how myelin forms during nerve cell development, and how it is maintained in the mature brain. His research aims to promote mechanisms to promote remyelination.
About the Montreal Neurological Institute and Hospital
The Neuro is an academic medical centre dedicated to neuroscience. As a research and teaching institute of McGill University, The Neuro is at the centre of the neuroscience mission of the McGill University Health Centre. The eminent neurosurgeon Wilder Penfield founded The Neuro in 1934. Since then, The Neuro has achieved international renown for its integration of research, outstanding patient care and advanced training. The Neuro has a world-class staff in cellular and molecular neuroscience, brain imaging, cognitive neuroscience, as well as in the study and treatment of epilepsy, multiple sclerosis and neuromuscular disorders. For more information, please visit www.mni.mcgill.ca.
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Name: SKILLZ Plus Curriculum
Source: SKILLZ Plus Curriculum; IDinsight
Source type: Staff/coaches
The GRS Zambia team is excited to have piloted a new curriculum designed for HIV positive Zambian youth aged 14-18, called SKILLZ Plus. This interactive, evidence-supported curriculum consists of 12 practices that address different aspects of HIV positive living. Through participation in the SKILLZ Plus intervention, youth are provided with the knowledge, skills, and encouragement to live happy and healthy lives and become leaders within their communities. The pilot program was launched in 9/13/2012 and completed 9/22/2012.
Those participants that are aware of their positive status entering the intervention have greatly improved their confidence, acceptance of status, adherence to ARVs, and follow-up with clinic visits.
Certain youth entering the interventions do not know their HIV positive status due to a decision by the parents to not disclose this information to their child. These participants have been on medication and going to the clinic, but are not aware of the reason behind it. It is difficult for the coaches to implement the curriculum effectively if these youth are not able to work on accepting and living with their positive status—particularly when this curriculum aims to empower the participants and provide them with a support system.
The Skillz Plus curriculum in Zambia is a first for GRS, as it centers on supporting those who are already HIV positive rather than working to prevent HIV. Other GRS sites could move towards implementing SKILLZ Plus, working with the curriculum to fit the demographics and needs of the site. The curriculum is an exciting way for GRS to reach out to those who have not had the support and guidance to move forward living with HIV, allowing these youth to make healthy life decisions and become positive role models in their community.
Contact the Zambia team or Jeff DeCelles with further questions
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Most people who self-injure do so because it helps them regulate aversive emotions. That is, people who cut or purposely burn themselves have never learned healthier ways to cope with terribly painful or aversive emotions. The causes of these emotional problems are being placed in situations in which they feel extreme emotional distress and perceive that they are utterly helpless to change the situation or escape it. Such situations are for example, living in a violent or intensely contentious family circumstance; being physically or sexually abused as a child or adolescent, or any other inescapable, "helpless" situation that involves intense upset, stress and depression.
Research suggests that self-injurers are not intent on committing suicide; self-injury distracts them from feeling badly; it can help change their feeling state if they focus on the cut and blood flow; some report that cutting themselves relieves their feelings of emotional numbness
; others find that hurting ones self BEFORE a perpetrator can harm them helps them escape the abuse of a perpetrator because they are 'already injured' and need medical attention. So there are many purposes served by self-injury which may vary a bit from person to person; but emotion regulation is the best general explanation; and the idea that the vast majority of self-injurers have suffered serious trauma or abuse at an earlier stage of their life is significant. People can continue this pattern of behavior into late stages of life if they have not learned how to better identify, express and cope with strong, aversive emotions. usually seeing a good psychologist or other mental health professional who works with family violence or abuse victims, will have a good understanding of this problem. And, a few self-injurers inflict plain on themselves to escape or avoid work (e.g., obtain disability payments), or to obtain the care and attention of employers, health care workers, etc. (this is called Munchausen's syndrome when it becomes extreme)
If in fact, there is no remotely realistic mechanical or technical explanation for an employee being burned like this, then the suspicion that this may be self-inflicted remains reasonably strong, given his prior history. It doesn't matter if this man generally seems happy and is engaged. Self-injury acts are typically related to a localized episode of stress, tension or upset e.g., something can go awry for a short period of the day and the self-injury occurs. And, then, the remainder of the person's week can be relatively peaceful.
If you are a close friend and want to try to be helpful, you can explain that given his history of self-injury, it is only natural for people to be highly suspicious that this was a deliberate act; and if this was the case, it would be helpful for him to understand that employers and health experts will immediately ask the question in the future (if this ever happens again), "what purpose does behavior serve him? What is its function? What outcomes does it produce? Does it help this guy regulate stress and difficult emotions, escape or avoid work, or gain some care and attention? Basically, he needs to hear that if this happens again, he may face dismissal from his job because his employer will probably want to ask you to release all of your military and health records, and then he will immediately view you as a great safety and legal liability to the company.
I hope this answers your question. Please let me know if I have overlooked anything in providing this response.
"PLEASE....Show respect for your expert. If the information shared with you is helpful, confirm this by Accepting their answer and provide Feedback. Thank you!
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Fernando González on Yoruba Andabo
Translating popular dance and music traditions to the stage is
an art in itself. Yoruba Andabo—the 15-piece company from Cuba that
comprises singers, musicians, and dancers—has a long and
distinguished practice of turning theaters into a Havana backyard
and then filling them with the sounds of a rumba, a conga, or a
bembé (a party dedicated to the Orishas, the deities
of the syncretic, West-African-rooted religion known in the New
World as Santería or La Regla de
"It's a show that has the feel of a great party, a celebration of
Cuban culture and African roots," explains Matías Geovani del Pino,
director, founder, and one of the group's performers. The program
by Yoruba Andabo (the name loosely translates to mean "friends of
the Yoruba") includes musical invocations from ancient Yoruba and
Abakuá religious traditions, corresponding to different African
nations and passed on from generation to generation over centuries,
as well as traditional rumba and a closing conga habanera.
The performance "includes music from those liturgies. However, it's
not religious music, but artistic representations of that music,"
explained del Pino. As for the rumba, an Afro-Cuban style with
African and Spanish roots, it's featured in three traditional
styles—yambú, guaguancó and columbia—each with its own distinct
sound, pace, and choreography.
"We have our own way of playing [rumba]," explains del Pino. "We
call it guarapachangueo. We utilize the same principles,
but with different sonorities. And within that framework, the
improvisation is constant. The drummers "speak" to one another, but
also the dancers "dialogue" with the quinto [the highest
pitched and most improvising drum in the ensemble]. The dancers cue
the quinto, but the quinto paces the
steps—they follow each other."
Both main musical sources of the performance—religious
Afro-Cuban music and rumba—are not cultural artifacts, but very
much living traditions in Cuba. In fact, some instruments, such as
the hourglass-shaped, double-headed batá drum, and many of
their rhythms have been long incorporated into many popular styles,
from rock and salsa to hip-hop and jazz. Conversely, rumba groups
have created fusions that draw elements from popular music.
In Yoruba Andabo's work, the aim is to "always stay close to the
tradition while showing its evolution," says del Pino. "After all,
a genre like the rumba is a living thing. Rumba is not the absolute
root of all Cuban dance music, but it is implicit in all of it. And
because of it, it lives within every Cuban. Rumba is an expression
—Fernando González is an independent music writer and critic whose
work appears regularly in The Miami Herald, JazzTimes, and The
International Review of Music.
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The Art and Process of Communicating
Communicating derives from a Latin word which carries dual meanings of transmitting and sharing. Merely sending a message and receiving an acknowledgment is not communicating. Communication is a vital part of combat and combat is a team job. If the combat operation goes awry, the entire unit can suffer. The more each individual knows and understands about other individuals' jobs, the better will be the chances for success. The combat communicator must do his share.
During a Vietnam era training exercise, a staff officer wrote a long message which contained one short top secret paragraph. The rest of the message was of a lower classification. Since the classification of the message had to be the same as its highest element, the entire message had to be encoded by hand, transmitted, and then decoded by hand. The message reached its recipient some forty-eight hours after it left the hands of its originator. Had the staff officer been familiar with the communications system supporting his particular headquarters, he could have gotten his message through in a small fraction of that time by splitting it. The longer part of the message could have been transmitted quickly over on-line teletypewriter circuits designed to handle secret traffic while the shorter, top secret, part was being encoded by hand as a separate transmission. The headquarters failed to achieve one of its objectives; because it was a training exercise no lives were lost, nor were actual tactical operations endangered.
Communicating even face to face with another individual can be difficult. Sharing an understanding of the thought being transmitted depends upon the language being used, the cultural experience of both individuals, and the expectations of the recipient. Misunderstanding often comes from misinterpretation because the parties involved are thinking of different subjects. This can happen in combat in a very messy way. One example was cited by an adviser who was on a combat operation with a battalion of the 7th Regiment, 5th Vietnamese Division, near Trung Lap in January 1965. During a firefight with an enemy unit, the senior
American adviser was killed and a young lieutenant had to take his place. American gunships were called in by radio to provide fire support. The inexperienced adviser managed to describe the enemy location to the pilots well enough to bring the first run in close to the target, then he discussed with the pilots the adjustments necessary to make the second run more effective. The adviser then abruptly switched subjects and indicated that his column was moving out in a certain direction. The pilots, anticipating information about enemy activity, apparently did not comprehend the shit in subject and shot up the battalion column. Seven soldiers were wounded before the gunships could be called off.
Not all transmission mix-ups occur over the radio. Messengers are a vital part of the communications system; and their use does not always preclude misunderstanding. On 14 November 1965 during the la Drang Valley operations of the 1st Cavalry Division near the Cambodian border, Company A, 7th Cavalry, commanded by Captain Ramon A. Nadal II, took part in an air assault into Landing Zone X-Ray. During the fighting that followed, Second Lieutenant Walter J. Marm of the 1st Platoon had his hands full conducting his first big firefight as a platoon leader, when a company runner came up to him with the message, "The CO's hit. You're in command." The young officer was stunned. For a few hectic minutes he was under the impression that he was commanding Company A. Then he heard Captain Nadal's voice on the radio. The runner, in his haste to dodge enemy bullets and to get the message to Marm, had neglected to pass on the captain's full message beginning with the simple word if. 1
In August 1966 a long-range patrol from the 2d Brigade, 1st Cavalry Division, was operating near the Cambodian border and had not had any enemy contact when Company A, lst Battalion, 5th Cavalry, air assaulted in on their location. Apparently a radio transmission from an aerial observer indicating large groups of people a few kilometers away from the patrol's location had come through garbled. Brigade headquarters understood that the patrol was being attacked by large groups of people. The two units were unscrambled, and Company A was airlifted out to execute its original mission for the day, several hours later than intended.
Cultural differences can interfere with the proper transmission
1. The platoon attack to clear the area was stalled by deadly fire from a machine gun bunker among the trees. Lieutenant Marm charged and silenced the enemy position; he was seriously wounded in the attempt. For his heroic actions, Lieutenant Marm was later awarded the Medal of Honor.
of an idea from one mind to another. Brigadier General William A. Knowlton, assistant division commander of the 9th Infantry Division, made the point while discussing operations in the delta region and Vietnamese-American relationships:
. . just to give you an example of differences between American customs and Vietnamese customs that can lead to all kinds of problems. The blowing of the horn in an automobile. In Vietnamese, that means, "Don't sweat. I see you up ahead and I know where you are." In American, it means, "I'm going; get out of my way because I want to get by you." If a Vietnamese is riding down the middle of the road on his bicycle and he hears a horn behind him, he says, "How wonderful. He knows I'm here in the middle of the road," and he relaxes. The American, in turn, says, "He doesn't understand my message. I told him to get over because I want to go by." There had been a total lack of communication in blowing the horn. Due to this lack of communication, the results are that the American runs the Vietnamese into the ditch, the bicycle gets smashed up, and the old man says, "The Americans are idiots; they are barbarians; they're crude and very impolite to the Vietnamese . . . ."
A cultural difference need not mean a difference in nationality or education. One noteworthy case occurred during the Vietnam era at Fort Leonard Wood, Missouri, in screening people nominated for the Army officer candidate program. Pressure was .strong to get every qualified candidate into the program. The screening process consisted of an aptitude test, a unit commander's evaluation, and a board of officers' evaluation. When a number of likely candidates did not score high enough to qualify, a detailed inquiry revealed that the scoring key to the evaluation form used by the board members was faulty for about 20 percent of the questions. The key and the form had been prepared by civilian consultants who apparently were not familiar with Army word usage and attitudes. One inconsistency, for example, involved the personal appearance of the candidates. The term clean-cut, which most board members had used in describing the appearance of outstanding male candidates, earned the candidate no points, but the term attractive would have scored a point. The board and the candidates, all of whom were male, just did not think in those terms. The use of the scoring key and evaluation form had to be adjusted.
Other understanding gaps come from using colloquial language, service jargon, and technical verbiage. All such gaps are a potential danger to effective. communication. Add to this danger mechanical communications devices, distance, static, stress, confusion, conflicting requirements, and the loss of visual contact. The chances for error rapidly multiply.
Many of the military operations conducted in Vietnam were combined operations with troops of other countries and joint operations with the U.S. Navy and Air Force. Under these conditions, great care had to be taken to ensure that established procedures and terms were used by operations and communications personnel to avoid unnecessary misunderstandings. For example, trained communicators know that the term repeat has long been outlawed from normal military radio usage. The reason is that in both British and American artillery procedures, the term is used to order repetition of an associated fire mission. Requests for repetition of radio messages or parts of them must be made with say again.
The efficiency and professionalism of a tactical unit can be judged accurately by monitoring its command net. The command net reflects the personality and character of the unit. A frantic, nervous unit has a frantic, nervous command net. A good unit's command net is quiet, uncluttered, calm, and quick to respond. The base station exercises firm control over the net, polices the net, requires legitimate users to use correct and efficient procedures, and commands trespassers to get off the net. Operating a command net professionally requires operators who are military professionals. Garbled communications were the exception, not the rule, in Vietnam.
Return to Table of Contents
Last Updated 3 October 2003
Return to CMH Online
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Complex Interdependence in
The World Today
Joseph Nye raises an interesting theory of modern international relations through his concept of complex interdependence. Nye describes interdependence in an analytical sense, as “situations in which actors or events in different parts of a system affect each other.” (Nye 179) Nye continues his definition of interdependence by stating that the results are often varied and although the potential for benefits exist, the potential for tragedy exists as well. Despite this potential for varying results Nye also notes that it is very difficult and very costly for a country to try and cut itself off from the world, such as Myanmar or Albania did.
According to Nye interdependence can be divided into four separate dimensions, which are its sources, benefits, costs, and symmetry. These dimensions can originate in both the physical and social aspects of society.
The idea of economic interdependence is an idea that cannot be disputed as a reality in this modern world. Economic interdependence is a concept that gained great popularity prior to World War I, and then again very slowly after America’s isolationist period post-World War II. According to Nye, “economic interdependence involves policy choices about values and costs.” (180) These policy choices are based most often on the ideas of supply and demand; in the sense that what one country cannot supply for its citizens, can be supplied through trade with another country. These policy decisions however, are quite often not as simple as just supply and demand, but instead are largely dependent upon the distribution of resources, especially those resources considered to be “power resources”. In Nye’s explanation of complex interdependence, he is very quick to point out that in and of itself, interdependence is neither a good thing nor a bad thing.
The results of economic interdependence can be extremely varied in th...
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In the exercise "A simple example using Android's SQLite database, exposes data from Cursor to a ListView", we have to add column "_id" in our database, and also include it in the queue. Why?
Because we use SimpleCursorAdapter to exposes data from a Cursor to a ListView widget. It's a subclass of android.widget.CursorAdapter. The Cursor must include a column named "_id" or this class will not work - refer to Android doc CursorAdapter.
So, we must:
- include column "_id" in database.
- include it in the queue.
Otherwise "java.lang.IllegalArgumentException: column '_id' does not exist" will be thrown!
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Meeting the goals
Last week world leaders gathered at the UN to assess midway progress towards achieving targets known as the Millennium Development Goals.
In September 2000 189 world leaders attended the Millennium Summit at the United Nations and made a commitment to address the world’s most pressing development needs by 2015.
Leaders pledged to eliminate gender inequality, environmental degradation and HIV/Aids, to improve access to education, healthcare and clean water and to develop a global partnership in the areas of aid, debt and trade.
Last week the world’s leaders gathered again at the UN to assess midway progress towards achieving these targets—known as the Millennium Development Goals.
On this occasion the Mail & Guardian, in collaboration with the UN Millennium Development Campaign, is launching the first in a series of exclusive interviews with African presidents about the progress their countries have made towards achieving the MDGs.
This week we spoke to Rwandan President Paul Kagame
How do you assess your country’s progress in achieving the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) and is your government on track to delivering them by 2015? What is being done to overcome hurdles?
Rwanda assesses its progress towards achieving the MDGs on an annual basis using existing data management information systems, which are backed up by national surveys, such as the Households Living Conditions Surveys and the Demographic and Health Surveys (DHS), which are carried out every two to five years, providing high-quality information on targets relating to poverty, education, health and environment.
Rwanda is on track to achieve the goal on universal primary education, the goal on gender equality and the goal on HIV/Aids and malaria. Net primary enrolment is 95%, with 97% enrolment of girls. However, Rwanda still faces challenges in increasing low primary school completion rates and improving the quality of basic education. The primary completion rate increased from 45% in 2004 to 52% in 2007, but fell short of the target.
Significant results have also been achieved in the health sector. The 2005 Demographic and Health Survey shows that HIV/Aids infection rates have declined dramatically, that the number of treated cases has increased dramatically and that Rwanda is one of the few countries in Africa likely to reach universal treatment. Rwanda is on track to achieve the targeted reduction in malaria incidence.
The MDGs on poverty and hunger and child and maternal mortality are unlikely to be achieved without a considerably scaled-up effort. Nonetheless, progress has been made: mortality rates for children under five have decreased dramatically. Between 2000-2001 and 2005/06, poverty fell from 60,5% to 57%, but a much faster rate of reduction is needed to reach the MDG target of 30%.
Malnutrition rates in children under five have been declining from about 24% in 2000 to 18% today. Infant mortality dropped from 107 per 1 000 in 2000 to 86 in 2005 and maternal mortality decreased from 1 071 per 100 000 to 750 in the same period. Results of the 2008 mini-DHS suggest that Rwanda is now on track to achieve the MDG to reduce child mortality, with a drop in under-five mortality to 103 per 1 000. The percentage of assisted deliveries increased from 39 to 52 in 2005-2008.
In the past five years the government of Rwanda has increased financing and introduced several new policies to the health sector, including the decentralisation of health services delivery, the implementation of performance-based financing and the scaling up of community health insurance schemes. The introduction of community insurance schemes has already proved to be a great success in Rwanda. Coverage by such insurance schemes increased from 27% in 2004 to 75% in 2007.
In terms of poverty the proportion of the Rwandan population identified as poor fell from 60,4% in 2001 to 56,9% in 2006. Rural poverty reduction is also statistically significant. Based on the 2005/06 survey, 37% of Rwandans live in extreme poverty. Poverty levels remain higher in families with smaller landholdings and in female-headed households. Poverty also appears to be positively correlated with population density. These factors suggest that reducing population growth, raising agricultural productivity and incomes and diversifying sources of livelihood away from agriculture are key factors for reducing poverty. More effort is needed to ensure that women participate fully in growth. These are major components of the government’s 2008-2012 development plan.
One of your government’s biggest achievements is to increase access to education, however, Rwandan citizens have raised the question of unsatisfactory quality as a result of increased enrolment. How does your government intend to address this challenge?
Rwanda recorded important progress in education. Net primary enrolment increased from 72% in 2000 to 95% in 2005/06. Completion rates in primary school increased from 24% in 2000 to 52% in 2005/06.
The government aims to address the issue of quality by reducing pupil-teacher ratios by increasing the number of classrooms that meet minimum standards. In addition programmes aimed at increasing the number and quality of teachers are recording progress with the scaling-up of teacher training colleges. Making education material available to teachers and pupils is considered high priority, including adopting the policy of one laptop per child.
Despite new innovations in medicine, children still die because of preventable diseases. What has your government done to deal with this?
Rwanda has made great strides in reducing childhood mortality rates and is on track to achieve the goal of reducing the under-five mortality rates by two-thirds by 2015. The government is embarking on a programme to reduce the incidence of communicable diseases by improving the prevention, care and treatment of malaria, TB and other diseases. During the next five years the government aims to support further reduction of the malaria fatality rate, distributing insecticide-treated mosquito nets and encouraging their use by children and pregnant women, indoor spraying, applying bio-larvicide and by improving general sanitation. Measures will be taken to ensure early case recognition followed by the appropriate response and referral.
The call from citizens is that no woman should die in child birth. What measures has your government taken to achieve this?
One of the key objectives of the government is to strengthen reproductive health services and family planning. The policies focus on improving maternal health through scaling up emergency obstetric and neonatal care activities, sensitising the community to what the danger signs are during pregnancy and increasing access to prenatal, delivery and postnatal care. The focus is on promoting family planning, specifically on reproductive health for youth, involving men in family planning, supporting couples and individuals who decide responsibly and freely on the number and spacing of their children and ensuring free access to information, education and contraceptive services. The government is using community mobilisation to enact behavioural change.
The general call from HIV and Aids activists is to treat people for free. How has the Rwandan government addressed this demand?
The government is enhancing the implementation of programmes related to the treatment, care and support of HIV-infected and affected people, building on the progress already made by the Treatment and Research Aids Centre. The response against HIV/Aids focuses on both prevention and treatment. Most of the focus on preventative measures includes promoting changes in sexual behaviour, especially through peer education, and providing support to widows, widowers and other groups, such as orphaned and vulnerable children, who have to cope with the socio-economic impact of HIV and Aids. The government has initiated a nationwide health insurance scheme, which covers infectious and non-infectious diseases. Finally, the government has initiated programmes to enable poor people living with HIV/Aids to access antiretroviral medication free of charge.
What is your government doing to reduce dependency on international donors?
The government is strongly committed to reducing dependency on aid through the following strategies:
- Increasing internal revenue through improved revenue administration and expansion of the tax base;
- More effective use of aid that focuses on long-term investments with a high impact on growth, such as infrastructures; and
- Private sector development through support for micro, small and medium enterprises and promoting the business environment and investment climate.
What is the Rwandan government doing to promote gender equality and empower women?
Rwanda is an international leader in gender-equality promotion. The Constitution stipulates that at least 30% of the decision-making positions at all levels of government be allocated to women. This is attested by a number of outcomes such as the share of females in decision-making positions (47,5% in 2006), the share of parliamentary seats filled by women (55% in 2008) and the 1:1 male-female primary school enrolment ratio. Rwanda has adopted laws promoting gender equality, such as the 1988 law allowing married women to exercise a profession, industry or commerce without the permission of their husband, the 1999 law recognising daughters’ inheritance rights as equal to those of sons and the 2005 law that accords men and women equal rights in land ownership and management.
The UN Millennium Development Campaign supports citizens’ efforts to hold their governments and the international community to account in achieving the MDGs
Next week: an interview with Tanzanian President Jakaya Mrisho Kikwete
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THE PEOPLE AND WAY OF LIFE
The indigenous people of this province are Melanesians with black skins and curly hair. They generally have a root crop subsistence agriculture based on sweet potatoes and taros.
The people of Papua obtain their starch from the sago palm which gives and extremely generous yield for remarkably little effort. Feral and domesticated pigs on the island is originally came from Southeast Asia was an event which has had vast cultural and ritual significance for its people. Pigs are often treated as members of the family and are sometimes suckled by women.
While many other people of the world were still hunters and gatherers, Papua people had begun to garden. After fairly recently, many of them lived with a simple Stone Age Culture wearing little clothing and decorating their bodies with paintings, shells, pig tusks, feathers and skins. There is a plethora of language in the province, perhaps some 250 in all, each representing a tribal group which mixes little with the others. Some of the more remote groups still have virtually no contact with the outside world. In recent years, Indonesians from elsewhere in the country have come to this province.
This valley has been the most visited part of the island, especially in recent years. The Dani Tribes speak related Papuan, or non - Austronesian language and live in the high central range of Papua Island, the most eastern province of Indonesia.
Until the last decades the Dani tribes were some of the most isolated populations by swamps and mountains. They grew root crops, raised pig and used polished stone axes and adzes. They didn't make pottery (which means "sign of the modernity"), but otherwise their technology was very much like that of the Neolithic of the Old and New Worlds.
There may be 250,000 Dani living in the central mountains, many live scattered among the steep mountain slopes. The Valley has one of the highest densities of population in Papua Province. The Dani Tribes build their huts in a compound nicely express both environmental adaptation and Dani's character. The men's and women's huts have thick thatched roofs which keep rain, yet retain the heat from the earth, along with just enough smoke to discourage the mosquito.
More Info: http://www.komodotours.com/west_papua/travel_tips.htm
Have a nice day :))
Critiques | Translate
smarcell (19965) 2008-07-01 3:23
Definitely a veru interesting and descrpitive shot.
It's funny hou he poses to the camera, with a sort of proud expression.
siamesa (28117) 2008-07-01 15:06
Excellent picture. Very good details and really an excellent idea.Very informative note.
edytungkal (4551) 2008-07-01 23:20
Selalu menarik membaca tentang kehidupan dan adat suku-suku yang ada di Papua
dan it's good you hvae posted the Dani tribes picture here, both picture and the story behind it of course will adds the documentary in TE community. Great work and tfs.
holmertz (52022) 2008-07-02 2:34
This is an interesting and informative picture, really teaching most of us something about the world we live in. I like the smile of this man, obviously being proud of his house and his basic clothes - or rather the decorations on his body.
Thanks for sharing,
Scharan (14144) 2008-07-03 19:47
Um ótimo trabalho e interessante nota.
Você conseguiu captar muito bem a expressão facial...as marcas do tempo e seu belo sorriso. Parabéns!
PixelTerror (0) 2008-07-04 3:08
Wow amazing person, and looking a bit menacing, a good sharp image from this remote location, discover these faraway remote places is what I like here on TE, lucky you who had the chance to go there.
Have a nice day jY
Benedict (7076) 2008-07-08 6:07
thanks for sharing a foto of this tribal gentleman. your very informative notes about this tribal people put aside the "ignorance" that many of us "carry" since time immemorial.
good lighting with fine vivid details. that smile is infectious!
kristina (256) 2008-07-09 12:03
What a nice suit! It would be great to see a belarussian man looks like this in hot summer day:)))))) Suit looks dangerously, but on this smiling man!!!!
Thnak You for sharing, Bima!
Cheers from Belarus!
wgreis (8267) 2008-07-10 17:54
permita-me escrever em português. A foto tipo "portrait" ficou excelente, com cores marcantes e um registro fantástico da cultura local.
UnTrained (0) 2008-07-18 6:23
a good and impressing full body capture of him smiling a bit strange. You achieved to present his skin excellent. Well placed in his natural environment.
Lieben Gruss, Ulf
cessy (13647) 2008-08-12 16:45
great portrait of him
keliatannya dia ramah dan mau di foto ya
SaidQirimli (480) 2009-12-13 11:27
As Salamu Aleykum,Bima!
Very good shot,my friend!Welldone!
I do like his evil smile and underwear :)!
- Copyright: Bima Aryasena (yasin) (151)
- Genre: People
- Medium: Color
- Date Taken: 2007-06-30
- Categories: Daily Life, Nature, Decisive Moment
- Camera: NIKON D200, 70-200mm f/2.8 G-AFS VR, 77mm HOYA UV
- Exposure: f/4.5, 1/80 seconds
- More Photo Info: view
- Photo Version: Original Version
- Date Submitted: 2008-07-01 3:08
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The early symptoms of NF2 are symptoms of dysfunction of the acoustic (hearing) nerve, which carries information about sound to the brain, and the vestibular nerve, which carries balance information to the brain. Consequently, hearing loss, ringing in the ears (called tinnitus) and problems with balance, beginning in the teens or early twenties, are generally the first symptoms of NF2.
Although tumors on the eighth cranial nerve are most common, persons with NF2 can develop tumors on other nerves as well. These tumors are called "schwannomas" because they arise from "Schwann cells." Schwann cells support and protect nerve cells and provide nerves with the insulation they need to conduct information. The symptoms of a schwannoma will depend on their location. Those that arise on cranial nerves (like the eighth cranial nerve tumors) affect the head and neck unless they grow large enough to push on the base of the brain (called the brainstem) and affect the body also. Those which grow on the nerves as they exit the spinal cord may cause numbness of a part of the body; some tumors may grow large enough to press on the spinal cord and cause weakness and numbness in the legs. Those that grow in the bundles of nerves gathered in the armpits and groin area may cause weakness in one arm or leg. Schwannomas may even grow in tiny nerves in the skin where one can see them. These peripheral schwannomas rarely cause neurological symptoms but they may rub on clothing or be cosmetically disfiguring.
Other symptoms of NF2 may include facial weakness, headache, change in vision, and a lump or swelling under the skin caused by the development of a neurofibroma. In a family member at risk for NF2, a positive diagnosis is suspect if mild signs of NF are found elsewhere, such as one or two café-au-lait spots or a small lump under the scalp or skin.
How do I know I have NF2?
If you think you or a loved one may have NF2, you should consult a knowledgeable physician. Individuals with the following clinical features have confirmed (definite) NF2:
Bilateral vestibular schwannomas (VS)
Family history of NF2 (first degree family relative)
1. Unilateral vestibular schwannoma and individual is less than 30 years old
2. Any two of the following: meningioma, glioma, schwannoma, juvenile posterior subcapsular lenticular opacities/juvenile cortical cataract
Individuals with the following clinical features should be evaluated for NF2 (presumptive or probable NF2):
- Unilateral vestibular schwannoma, individual is less than 30 years old, plus at least one of the following: meningioma, glioma, schwannoma, juvenile posterior subcapsular lenticular opacities/juvenile cortical cataract
- Multiple meningiomas (two or more), plus unilateral vestibular schwannoma, and individual is less than 30 years old, or one of the following: glioma, schwannoma, juvenile posterior subcapsular lenticular opacities/juvenile cortical cataract
For an informational brochure on NF2 please click here.
Genetic Testing for NF2
Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA
DNA diagnostics lab at MGH, phone (617 726-5721) or log in to the MGH website.
Medical Genomics Laboratory at University of Alabama, Birmingham
Phone (205) 934-1520, or log in to the MGL website.
The National Genetics Reference Laboratory, Manchester, UK
Dr. Andrew Wallace - phone: 011-44-161-276-6129, or email: Andrew.Wallace@cmmc.nhs.uk
The Laboratory for Tumor Biology, Hospital Eppendorf, Hamburg, Germany
Dr. Victor Mautner - phone: 49-40-42803-4068, or email: firstname.lastname@example.org
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CAMBRIDGE, Mass. (July 1, 2008) - Adult cells of mice created from genetically reprogrammed cells--so-called induced pluripotent stem (IPS) stem cells--can be triggered via drug to enter an embryonic-stem-cell-like state, without the need for further genetic alteration.
The discovery, which promises to bring new efficiencies to embryonic stem cell research, is reported in the July 1, 2008, online issue of Nature Biotechnology.
"This technical advancement will allow thousands of identical reprogrammed cells to be used in experiments," says Marius Wernig, one of the paper's two lead authors and a postdoctoral researcher in Whitehead Member Rudolf Jaenisch's lab.
"Using these cells could help define the milestones of how cells are reprogrammed and screen for drug-like molecules that replace the potentially cancer-causing viruses used for reprogramming," adds Christopher Lengner, the other lead author and also a postdoctoral researcher in the Jaenisch's lab.
In the current work, Wernig and Lengner made mice created in part from the embryonic-stem-cell-like cells known as IPS cells. The IPS cells were created by reprogramming adult skin cells using lentiviruses to randomly insert four genes (Oct4, Sox2, c-Myc and Klf4) into the cells' DNA. The IPS cells also were modified to switch on these four genes when a drug trigger, doxycycline, is added to the cells.
Wernig and Lengner then took cells from each IPS mouse and introduced the doxycycline trigger, thereby changing the adult mouse cells into IPS cells.
While earlier reprogramming experiments have typically induced pluripotency in adult skin cells, Wernig and Lengner were able to employ this novel method to successfully reprogram multiple cell and tissue types, including cells of the intestine, brain, muscle, kidney, adrenal gland, and bone marrow. Importantly, the technique allows researchers to create large numbers of genetically identical IPS cells, because all cells in the mouse contain the same number of viral integrations in the same location within the genome. With previous approaches, each reprogrammed cell differed because the viruses used to insert the reprogramming genes could integrate anywhere in the cell's DNA with varying frequency.
Wernig and Lengner's method also increases the reprogramming efficiency from one in a thousand cells to one in twenty.
The large numbers of IPS cells that can be created by this method can aid experiments requiring millions of identical cells for reprogramming, such as large-scale chemical library screening assays.
"In experiments, the technique will eliminate many of the reprogramming process's unpredictable variables and simplify enormously the research on the reprogramming mechanism and the screening for virus replacements," says Jaenisch, who is also a professor of biology at Massachusetts Institute of Technology.
The research was supported by the Human Frontiers Science Organization Program, the Ellison Medical Foundation, the Ruth L. Kirschstein National Research Service Award, and the National Institutes of Health.
Written by Nicole Giese
Rudolf Jaenisch's primary affiliation is with Whitehead Institute for Biomedical Research, where his laboratory is located and all his research is conducted. He is also a professor of biology at Massachusetts Institute of Technology.
Nature Biotechnology (online), July 1, 2008
A novel drug-inducible transgenic system for direct reprogramming of multiple somatic cell types
Marius Wernig (1), Christopher J Lengner (1), Jacob Hanna (1), Michael Lodato (1,2), Eveline Steine (1), Ruth Foreman (1,2), Judith Staerk (1), Styliani Markoulaki (1), and Rudolf Jaenisch (1,2).
1. Whitehead Institute for Biomedical Research, 9 Cambridge Center, Cambridge, MA 02142, USA
2. Department of Biology, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, 31 Ames Street, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02139, USA
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Tsar Nicholas II was the son of Alexander III, who had reposed in the arms of Saint John of Kronstadt. Having been raised in piety, Tsar Nicholas ever sought to rule in a spirit consonant with the precepts of Orthodoxy and the best traditions of his nation. Tsaritsa Alexandra, a grand-daughter of Queen Victoria of England, and a convert from Lutheranism, was noted for her piety and compassion for the poor and suffering. Their five children were beloved of all for their kindness, modesty, and guilelessness.
Amidst the political turmoil of 1917, Tsar Nicholas selflessly abdicated the throne for what he believed was the good of his country. Although he had abdicated willingly, the revolutionaries put him and his family under house arrest, then sent them under guard to Tobolsk and finally Ekaterinburg. A letter written from Tobolsk by Grand Duchess Olga, the eldest of the children, shows their nobility of soul. She writes, "My father asks that I convey to all those who have remained devoted to him ... that they should not take vengeance on his account, because he has forgiven everyone and prays for them all. Nor should they avenge themselves. Rather, they should bear in mind that this evil which is now present in the world will become yet stronger, but that evil will not conquer evil, but only love shall do so."
After enduring sixteen months of imprisonment, deprivation, and humiliation with a Christian patience which moved even their captors, they and those who were with them gained their crowns of martyrdom when they were shot and stabbed to death in the cellar of the Ipatiev house in Ekaterinburg in 1918.
Together with them are also commemorated those who faithfully served them, and were either slain with them, or on their account: General Elias Tatishchev; Prince Basil Dolgorukov; the physician Eugene Dotkin; the lady-in-waiting Countess Anastasia Hendrikova; the serving-maid Anna Demidova; the cook John Kharitonov; and the sailors Clement Nagorny and John Sednev.
Reading copyright Holy Transfiguration Monastery, Brookline, MA, used by permission. All rights reserved.
The content on this page is under copyright and is used by permission. All rights reserved. These works may not be further reproduced, in print or on other websites or in any other form, without the prior written authorization of the copyright holder:
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Bridge to Terabithia Society and Class Quotes
How we cite our quotes: Citations follow this format: (Chapter.Paragraph)
He didn't worry about a shirt because once he began running he would be hot as popping grease even if the morning air was chill, or shoes because the bottoms of his feet were by now as tough as his worn-out sneakers. (1.1)
This tells us about both the kind of person Jess is and how much money his family has (or, rather, doesn't have). He's determined and doesn't care about how he looks. His family hardly has any money at all. Just consider the fact that he's practicing running in bare feet, perhaps because his "sneakers" are "worn-out," and his feet are just "as tough" as they are.
Lark Creek Elementary was short on everything, especially athletic equipment, so all the balls went to the upper grades at recess time after lunch. Even if a fifth grader started out the period with a ball, it was sure to be in the hands of a sixth or seventh grader before the hour was half over. (1.17)
Even in areas that are already marked out according to class structure – this elementary school doesn't have much money or resources – people still set up their own internal class differences. The elementary school has a miniature class system in which the sixth and seventh graders are superior to the fifth graders, who are then superior to the students in fourth grade and under. In other words, even when you barely have anything, there's still a chance that it can be taken away from you. No wonder Terabithia is so appealing.
But Jess knew what fakes they were. Sniffing "hippie" and "peacenik," even though the Vietnam War was over and it was supposed to be OK again to like peace, the kids would make fun of Miss Edmunds' lack of lipstick or the cut of her jeans. She was, of course, the only female teacher anyone had ever seen in Lark Creek Elementary wearing pants. In Washington and its fancy suburbs, even in Millsburg, that was OK, but Lark Creek was the backwash of fashion. (2.20)
People in Lark Creek are behind the times and don't approve of women who don't wear makeup but do wear jeans. Yet, today, we wouldn't give someone dressed like Miss Edmunds a second thought. Lots of women go out with jeans and with no makeup. No judgment. But the people in Lark Creek really do judge. This shows how much times can change in just a little over thirty years.
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| 0.990784
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| 2.65625
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Active Directory (AD) is a directory service that Microsoft developed for Windows
domain ... A server running Active Directory Domain Services (AD DS) is called a
.... However, because each schema o...
Active Directory is Microsoft's trademarked directory service, an integral part of
the Windows 2000 architecture. Like other directory services, such as Novell ...
Active Directory AD Definition - Active Directory (AD) is a Windows OS directory
service that facilitates ... Active Directory provides the following network services:.
www.ask.com/youtube?q=Explain Active Directory Services&v=qkN4bvqWqvo
Jul 22, 2011 ... Active Directory stores all information and settings for a deployment in a central
database. ... Is AD only available through Windows Server OS?
www.ask.com/youtube?q=Explain Active Directory Services&v=J8uw3GNZxzQ
Sep 1, 2011 ... We will cover some of the protocols that make up Active Directory, Information ...
Introduction to Active Directory Directory Services Structure in ...
Active Directory provides central authentication and authorization services for
Windows based computers.
Mar 19, 2013 ... That said, I'll do my best to explain Active Directory as simply as possible. ... it
must have Active Directory Domain Services installed as a role, ...
Mar 11, 2016 ... Active Directory (AD) is a structure used on computers and servers ... An attribute
object is used to define multiple schema objects which ... Directory services were
not created with the release of Microsoft Active Directory.
May 21, 2009 ... The minimum and recommended system requirements for Active Directory
Domain Services in Windows Server 2008 have also changed.
How would you explain Microsoft's Active Directory, its structure and working
principle, ... You enter the password, and it gets sent to the server as well.
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|Scientific Name:||Panulirus homarus|
|Species Authority:||(Linnaeus, 1758)|
Cancer homarus Linnaeus, 1758
Palinurus burgeri De Haan, 1841
Palinurus dasypus H. Milne Edwards, 1937
Panilurus dasypus (H. Milne Edwards, 1837)
Panulirus burgeri (De Haan, 1841)
|Taxonomic Notes:||There are three sub-species: P. homarus homarus found throughout the range; P. homarus megasculpta is known only from the northern Arabian Sea; and P. homarus rubellus is found southern East Africa, from Mozambique to Natal and southeast Madagascar (Holthuis 1991).|
|Red List Category & Criteria:||Least Concern ver 3.1|
|Assessor(s):||Cockcroft, A., Butler, M. & MacDiarmid, A.|
|Reviewer(s):||Collen, B., Livingstone, S. & Richman, N.|
|Contributor(s):||Batchelor, A., De Silva, R., Dyer, E., Kasthala, G., Lutz, M.L., McGuinness, S., Milligan, H.T., Soulsby, A.-M. & Whitton, F.|
Panulirus homarus has been assessed as Least Concern. This is due to its widespread distribution that covers a number of regions and ocean systems. It is harvested throughout its range, and known to be over-exploited in some regions, which has caused localised depletions; however this is unlikely to have a significant impact on the global population. Monitoring of harvest levels, particularly catch-per-unit-effort data, should be carried out to check for possible increases in fishing, together with stricter enforcement of current management regimes.
|Range Description:||This species has a broad geographic range extending from East Africa to Japan including Indonesia, Australia, New Caledonia and the Marquesas Archipelago (Holthuis 1991).|
Native:Australia; French Polynesia (Marquesas); India; Indonesia; Japan; Kenya; Madagascar; Mozambique; New Caledonia; Somalia; South Africa (KwaZulu-Natal); Taiwan, Province of China; Tanzania, United Republic of
|FAO Marine Fishing Areas:||
Indian Ocean – western; Indian Ocean – eastern; Pacific – northwest; Pacific – southwest; Pacific – western central
|Lower depth limit (metres):||90|
|Upper depth limit (metres):||1|
|Range Map:||Click here to open the map viewer and explore range.|
|Population:||The main concentrations of this species are said to be off the coast of East Africa and Indonesia (Pollock 1993).
This species is harvested throughout much of its range, although it most commonly taken in Kenya, South Africa and Indonesia. Despite this species widespread nature, information on harvest rates, and species ecology and biology is lacking (Kulmiye and Mavuti 2005).
It is the second most important lobster fishery in Kenya (Kulmiye and Mavuti 2005) and accounts for 32% of the catch (Kulmiye et al. 2003). The Kenyan lobster fishery is artisinal with spears constituting the main fishing method (Kulmiye and Mavuti 2005). Annual harvest of Panulirus species (P. homarus, P. longipes, P. ornatus, P. penicillatus and P. versicolor) is approximately 70 tonnes.
In Somalia, the annual landings of Panulirus spp. is approximately 2,100 tonnes, of which this species constitutes the majority of the catch (Phillips and Melville-Smith 2006).
Along the coast of South Africa, this species comprises a significant portion of the intertidal lobster fishery where there is a subsistence and recreational fishery. The recreational fishery is said to harvest approximately 150 tonnes per year (Cockcroft and Payne 1999). Due to poor enforcement, fishing of individuals below the minimum legal size of 65 mm (CL) is common (Fielding et al. 1994).
This species is the most important lobster fishery off India particularly around Kerala and Tamil Nadu. This is a commercial fishery; gear types include anchor hooks, traps and gill nets (Holthuis 1991) and trammel nets (Radhakrishnan et al. 2005). In the southwest coast fishery (mainly Colachel and Muttom) landings have decreased from a peak of 301 tonnes in 1966 to 4 tonnes in 2002 of which P. homarus comprised 92% of the catch. In the southeast coast fishery (Kanyakumari to Chennai), the gillnet fishery of Kayalpattinam saw increases in catch from 42.2 tonnes (catch per unit effort = 6.5 kg/unit) in 1993, to 50.6 tonnes (catch per unit effort = 5.5 kg/unit) in 1994, however there has been a subsequent decline to only 4.4. tonnes (catch per unit effort = 1.1 kg/unit) in 2002. There was also an observed decline in the average length of caught individuals from 245 mm (TL) in 1978 to 145 mm (TL) in 2002, indicating growth overfishing. The other major gill net fishery in the south-east, Tharuvaikulam, has also seen notable declines from 11 tonnes (catch per unit effort = 1.1 kg/unit) in 1993, to 1.1 tonnes (catch per unit effort = 0.6 kg/unit) in 2002.
This species is also harvested in Taiwan and Thailand (Holthuis 1991) although no data appears to be available on harvest rates or landings.
|Current Population Trend:||Unknown|
|Habitat and Ecology:||This species is commonly found in very shallow waters (1 - 15 m), although can be found to depths of 90 m. It utilises rocky reefs for shelter (Holthuis 1991).
In Kenyan waters, functional maturity in females is said to be attained at 5.05 cm (CL) while in males it is 5.75 cm (CL) (Kulmiye, Mavuti and Groeneveld 2006).
|Use and Trade:||This species is harvested throughout its range, ranging from recreational catch through subsistence and artisinal practices to commercial operations. Information shows catches are between ~1.1 tonnes to ~2,100 tonnes per year.|
|Major Threat(s):||Over-exploitation by fisheries is likely to be a localised threat to this species.|
There are few restrictions on the harvest of this species. The few restrictions that do apply, such as minimum legal size, are poorly adhered to.
Further research on this species ecology is recommended. Management strategies for this species need to be developed and enforced to maintain or rebuild populations to a sustainable level. It is recommended that accurate fisheries data be collected and monitoring of CPUE to create a baseline of data to measure trends into the future.
|Citation:||Cockcroft, A., Butler, M. & MacDiarmid, A. 2013. Panulirus homarus. The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2013: e.T170062A6703197. . Downloaded on 27 June 2016.|
|Feedback:||If you see any errors or have any questions or suggestions on what is shown on this page, please provide us with feedback so that we can correct or extend the information provided|
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<urn:uuid:b8e4b8f0-0152-4962-92d8-f4d85adf9997>
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CC-MAIN-2016-26
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http://www.iucnredlist.org/details/170062/0
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Guidance on content patterns and key concepts: scope — social architecture — actor maps — statute books — initiative books — resource books — three realm maps — macro classification — meso classification — micro classification — pico classification — government functions — industry sectors — municipal circles — contracts and claims — scope of claims
Any actor derives powers from the resources, material, social, economic or political, to which it has access, or for which its claims have been legally established.
Some actors also have the power to enter into contract with other actors.
A contract or treaty is a means of willing parties assuming obligations among themselves, and a party to a contract that fails to live up to their obligations can be held liable under (international) law for that breach. The central principle of treaty law is expressed in the maxim pacta sunt servanda—"pacts must be respected".
The social fabric is the totality of access-rights and claims that actors in a society have created, ordered and allocated.
Access is the opportunity or right to see or use something.
If someone claims something of value such as property, money, land, a title, etc., they say that it legally belongs to them, for example when it was lost for a time, or someone else has it, or its ownership was uncertain
Contract is a legal term for an agreement made between two or more persons which is recognised by law and whereby each party to the agreement undertakes to do, or to refrain from doing, a particular act in consideration of the other party undertaking to do, or refraining from doing, some other specified act.
A treaty is a written agreement between two or more states. Treaties take effect either immediately on signature or, more often, on ratification.
(International) agreement, protocol, covenant, convention, exchange of letters, etc. Regardless of the terminology, all of these international agreements under international law are equally treaties and the rules are the same.
The whole or any part of a country's written law. In its broad sense the term includes Acts of Parliament (or comparable bodies), as well as law made under powers conferred by Act of Parliament.
In the European Union, there exists also Community Legislation, law made by the Council of the European Union, or by the European Commission.
The agreed exchanges of claims linking each individual and the (collective/general will or) sovereign issuing the legislation could be likened to a social contract, as coined by Jean-Jacques Rousseau in his 1762 book: all forfeit the same amount of freedom and impose the same duties on all .
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<urn:uuid:fb7dfabd-6ce1-48fb-ab9c-83c03a7405df>
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CC-MAIN-2016-26
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http://www.actor-atlas.info/mr-source-2
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posted by dpm on 02/20/2013
Chipping, manufacturing, cleaning, reinforcing... These are terms we use as climbers to describe any alteration of the rock for the purpose of climbing. These terms encompass a wide array of alteration from the generally accepted, like brushing dirt and chalk off with a toothbrush, to the generally unaccepted, like using a power drill to create a handhold. Where 'acceptable' becomes 'unacceptable' along this spectrum is possibly the most heated and ongoing debate in the history of rock climbing.
Specifically in sport climbing, there are many examples of blatantly manufactured routes that were mostly born in the late 80's and 90's. Some of them are considered classics, especially in limestone areas like Rifle, Colorado or Mt. Charleston, Nevada. As climbers got better, manufactured routes became less acceptable. Now that people are climbing into the 5.15 range, is it really necessary to create a 5.13 route when it could be climbed at a harder grade using the natural features?
For the most part, America's boulders were spared from that unfortunate chapter in sport climbing history, with some notable exceptions. The famous Hueco Tanks problems Mushroom Roof and Hobbit in a Blender reportedly have chipped holds that were gouged out after the first ascents had already been completed. Most will agree that altering a rock that's already been climbed is sacrilege, but just because it hasn't been climbed doesn't mean that it won't be in the future. Dave Graham once stated, "It’s different in bouldering , I think no hold chipping is universally accepted, even if unfortunately there are some sad exceptions. The problem with hard lines is finding them."
Dave suggests that our boulders are a finite resource. There is only so much rock out there and creating new holds to make a problem easier erases the possibility that a more talented or driven climber could come along and climb the problem.
One such instance happened last year in the 'Gunks, a popular bouldering area in New York State. There was a boulder problem that had been a long-standing project for local climbers and had spit off all suitors since their first attempts as early as 1996. It was no secret, even being listed in the guidebook as a project. Many top-climbers had tried it, and it was estimated to be in the V13 range. One local climber was particularly invested in the project. "I'd been looking at that thing since I was 16," he said. "I tried it on and off for 12 years and much of the time I thought it probably didn't go, but after 15 years of climbing, I finally started to unlock some sequences."
Last spring, he finally did all the moves and had done it in two sections. A send of the problem seemed close until one day, he returned to the problem and found that an unknown person had altered the holds. "It was definitely different and easier. I have no doubt that someone carved out a thumb catch to make a hold better. I lost all motivation for it. It's not even that I'm upset that the problem was stolen from me; I'm more upset that it was taken from the climbing community. It was always a problem that I aspired to climb and it would always have been there for other climbers to aspire to."
Other local climbers began noticing that the project wasn't the only one that got chipped in the area. Another local stated, "We started to see these problems that were completely manufactured- like every hold. It was happening all over. We had suspicions about who it was, but there isn't exactly a police force in the boulders to prevent this stuff from happening."
Recently on a snowy day, the ring of hammer and chisel on stone rang out, and the climbers were able to film a person in the act of altering the rock. What, exactly, they caught on film is debatable. Sometimes, when establishing rock climbs, a dangerous flake is pried loose to prevent injuries to future climbers. Sometimes that loose flake is 'scored' with a chisel so that when it breaks, it leaves a handhold, and sometimes holds are blatantly created with the use of tools.
The local climbers presented the video to DPM with the request that they remain anonymous. "We don't want this to come off as a personal attack," they said. "We've tried speaking with the person and it obviously hasn't had an effect. Our intent isn't malicious, we just want this to stop happening to our boulders."
Most climbers will likely agree that the actions portrayed in the video cross the line. We spoke with the Access Fund to hear their stance on the issue and how it could affect the future of climbing. The Access Fund stated that they, "vehemently oppose intentional alteration of the rock by gluing or chipping for the purpose of creating or enhancing holds. We believe such actions degrade the climbing resource, eliminate challenges for future generations of climbers, and threaten access."
Our intention in posting this video is threefold. Firstly, it clearly demonstrates that the practice of chipping boulders and creating problems is still happening. We hope that this video will aid climbers in forming their own opinion on the subject and spur productive conversations, and finally, we hope that the images are disturbing and impactful enough to prevent any future damage to our precious bouldering resources.
"We would like to state unequivocally that EDELRID does not support the practice of chipping. It is our belief that the challenge, and the pleasure of climbing, lies in rock formations, as they occur naturally.
With this in mind we can state that we find the recent behaviour of Ivan Greene to be completely unacceptable, and we would like to take this opportunity to clarify that he is no longer an EDELRID sponsored athlete, and in actuality has not been supported by the brand for over 12 months.
We will be removing all references to Ivan Greene from the EDELRID website with immediate effect."
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CC-MAIN-2016-26
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http://www.dpmclimbing.com/articles/view/just-cleaning
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