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Fade to Brown: The Curious History of a Famous Phantom Photo
Is it possible to see spirits of the deceased? It has long been claimed, after all, that a disembodied spirit–a ghost, in essence–can manifest as an apparition that moves about largely unnoticed, save only for when it becomes visible and frightens any nearby onlookers who happen to catch a glimpse.
Of course, one can only guess by what means by which such an apparition might become a tangible form and materialize in this way. On the other hand, for many, those things which the eye cannot see may become visible using other method; primarily this would entail the use of sophisticated technology that enhances one’s natural ability to perceive worlds beyond.
And yet, it has long been the claim that something so simple as photographic process of capturing light on film may be useful in revealing the presence of invisible specters in an environment. Such was the case with a very famous haunt alleged to reside at a large manor in Norfolk, Great Britain, known as The Brown Lady of Raynham Hall after the dark colored dress she wore. For year, many have claimed a photograph that allegedly shows her descending a staircase may be some of the best proof of her existence, as well as that of spirits in general. But despite the appearance of an apparition in the picture, were the circumstances under which the ghost was allegedly photographed truly reliable?
The story goes that a photographer, Captain Hubert C. Provand, was commissioned by Country Life Magazine in 1936. Though their stated objective had been to photograph the house for an article that would be appearing in the magazine, but during the Captain’s visit, he and his assistant, a Mr. Indre Shira (apparently a pseudonym) had set up the camera aimed at a staircase when the latter spotted an apparition moving down the staircase toward them. He quickly advised Provand to remove the lens cap so that a photo could be taken, and the image that resulted appears to show a woman’s figure descending the staircase.
Famous ghost researcher Harry Price had been convinced that the story the men shared was indeed true, based on conversations he had with them, in addition to examination of the original negative, which appeared to remain un-doctored in any way. And yet, despite the well-known examinations of the photograph, it is less often mentioned that there are a number of things that can be seen in the photo which appear to indicate that, despite not being a “fake,” it was likely an image that had been taken rather poorly.
In 2006, Alan Murdie wrote for the Fortean Times about the strange “anomalies” that one can begin to spot within the famous frame upon close inspection:
Anomalies in the picture become apparent when a light and uncropped copy of the Brown Lady photograph is examined. The anomalies do not centre upon the figure – upon which the eye naturally concentrates – but what is going on in the foreground and background. On the left hand side as the viewer sees the picture, (i.e. on the Brown Lady’s right hand side) hangs a framed picture on the wall. Immediately beneath, seemingly hovering in the air, is a duplicate image of this picture. Equally, when one looks at the length of the banisters, they do not connect, and the angles suggest that the camera has been shaken and the staircase accidentally photographed twice. Several luminous patches are also visible which suggest a doubling of the image throughout.
In other words, the photo originally taken in 1936 by Provand and Shira seems to have a number of defects which shed doubt on the likelihood that the “ghost” in the picture is indeed a spirit of the deceased Lady Dorothy Walpole, as many have speculated over the years. But what is even more odd about the photograph is the way that the image not only has obvious “anomalies,” but that on a few occasions in the past, these have been conveniently cropped out of the photo, and by people with apparent knowledge of the flaws. Does this mean that the flaws were overlooked as insignificant in relation to the “ghost” of Raynham Hall, which the photographers claimed that their image showed? Or were the flaws overlooked intentionally, and despite the clear manner in which they indicated that the “Brown Lady” seen in the image may have indeed simply been an unintentional photographic mishap?
The absolute truth may never be known in relation to the story of The Brown Lady and her famous photo. However, when looking at the entire set of information regarding this case, we do see that there are a number of elements that should bring to question whether the photo could have simply been faulty, rather than the bigger question to which so many tend to gravitate: does life exist after death? Indeed, maybe it does… but as things turn out here, our Brown Lady’s debut may not have been the “proof” we were looking for, after all.
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Story of Rama’s Brother Lakshmana in Ramayana :
According to the ancient Hindu epic Ramayana, Lakshmana was a brother of Lord Rama and an avatar of Sheshnaga, the divine serpent of Lord Vishnu. Since Sheshnaga is always beside Vishnu, Lakshmana was also always by his brother Rama’s side. Lakshmana was born to Sumitra and had a twin brother by the name of Shatrughna. He loved and respected his brother Rama very much and was
completely devoted to him. When Lord Rama married Sita, the daughter of King Janaka, Lakshmana married Sita’s younger sister Urmila. Lakshmana is generally considered to have a short-temper, but in several occasion he displayed a great presence of mind and courage. He never left his brother and always stood by his side.
Lakshmana was an invincible warrior and was committed to serve his brother. When Lord Rama had to go for a 14 years of exile, Lakshmana accompanied him throughout his exile and war with Ravana. Lakshmana served Lord Rama and Sita reverently at the time of exile. One day Surpanakha, Ravana’s sister saw Lord Rama and was filled with desire to marry him. She takes the form of a very beautiful woman and approaches Lord Rama.
She proposes Lord Rama to marry her, but Lord Rama refused her proposal by telling her that he is married to Sita and will remain faithful to her only.
She then approaches Lakshmana and asks him to marry her, but Lakshmana too refused her proposal and told her that he cannot take care of her and he has to serve his brother Rama and fulfill his duties. Surpanakha becomes angry due to their rejection and then insults Sita by threatening to eat her. Lakshmana angered by the insult cuts off Surpanakha’s nose.
During the war of Lord Rama with Ravana, Lakshmana fought bravely and played a major role in the war. He killed Indrajit, the mighty son of Ravana in a battle which took place for three days and three nights.
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If there is the novel and its contrary variant the short story, there is something in between called the novella. Longer than a short story, shorter than a novel, the word ‘novella’ has its origins in Italian, where the word means ‘new.’ The novella is usually not dissected into chapters or parts; it may have paragraphing though to indicate a change of location or scenario. The characters are well-defined and usually less in number, as the novella’s length doesn’t allow for a multi-character epic cast. Instead you will usually see interplay of two characters.
Ernest Hemingway’s The Old man and the Sea is one of the best examples of an epic tussle between man and nature. Somerset Maugham’s adventurous, engaging Up at the Villa is a masterful depiction of the turmoil in the lives of three main protagonists – a beautiful woman, a poor violinist and a good-hearted flirt. It is a novella that just can’t be put down, as the twists and turns in the drama keeps us hooked – right to the end.
These are just dual examples of what is a unique genre in itself and considering the short attention span times we live in, the novella is bound to be reinvented.
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These are serious Star Charts! Not a planetarium-type app suitable for beginners, but rather a very detailed series of charts of the night sky for observers using binoculars or a telescope. Prepared by famous celestial cartographer Wil Tirion, they present the entire sky in the form of 18 charts, 16 covering the equatorial region of the sky (8 each side of the celestial equator) and one for each of the Polar Regions.
* Stars down to sixth magnitude; double and variable stars included.
* All Messier objects, plus many NGC and IC catalogue objects.
* Auto detection of your location and presentation of the chart containing the sky directly overhead.
* Choice of positive charts (white on black, recommended to preserve night vision) or negative (black on white – easier to read and better for daytime use.)
* Charts can shown north up or south up to match your location.
* Search charts by constellation or major star name.
Basic default maps show constellation names, constellation lines and major star names only.
Extra layers can be added to reveal:
* Constellations boundaries for all 88 constellations.
* Grid lines and co-ordinates for every hour of Right Ascension and 10º of Declination.
* Star numbers and deep sky object names.
Tags: astronomy star charts , star charts by wil tirion , tirion sky map , wil tirion , tirion star chart
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"The conversion of the Venerable John Henry Newman 150 years ago had a remarkable prophetic significance which is only becoming clear in our time."
Newman's reception into the Roman Catholic Church on 9 October 1845 was received at the time in three different ways. For many Tractarians, it was a devastating blow that seemed to spell the end of the attempt to assert or restore the Catholic character of the Church of England. To the average Protestant Englishman it seemed a confirmation that Tractarianism was nothing but a Romanizing movement as had all along been suspected, and that Newman was, if not in the pay of Rome, at least an unwitting pawn in the hands of the pope, ever anxious to subvert the Protestant independence of the English people. To Nicholas Wiseman, who was to be the first Cardinal Archbishop of Westminster in the restored hierarchy, it appeared to be the beginning of the return to the Catholic faith.
. . . . . . . . . .
To read this article in its entirety, please download the free PDF or buy this issue.
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Simple Definition of renominate
: to nominate (someone) again
Full Definition of renominate
: to nominate again especially for a succeeding term
renominationplay \(ˌ)rē-ˌnä-mə-ˈnā-shən\ noun
Examples of renominate in a sentence
The President is likely to be renominated for a second term.
The President has renominated a judge that Congress previously rejected.
First Known Use of renominate
Seen and Heard
What made you want to look up renominate? Please tell us where you read or heard it (including the quote, if possible).
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Tall Tales From The National Geographic Channel
The documentary Humans: Who Are We?, one of the documentaries being broadcast on the National Geographic Channel (NGC), consists of the best-known scenarios of the myth of evolution. The scientific errors and deceptions in the documentary are explained below.
The NGC's Contradictions and the Larmarckian View of Evolution
In the documentary on the NGC, there is first of all an address by the anthropologist Ian Tattersall. Among his first statements is the idea, "Human evolution did not happen as the result of needs, it was entirely coincidental." Yet the needs which might have caused ape-men to evolve into human beings are then described several times in the minutes which follow. This is one of the most obvious contradictions in the whole program.
Actually, this is a contradiction experienced by many evolutionists, not just the NGC or Ian Tattersall. In order to shed more light on this subject, let us summarize the difference between the concepts of "evolution as a response to need" and "evolution as the result of chance alone" (even though both are in fact unscientific fairy tales).
Before Darwin, another important figure put forward an evolutionary model on the subject of the origin of living things: the French biologist Jean-Baptiste Lamarck. Lamarck's claim was rather different from the contemporary evolutionist view. In his opinion, requirements or needs gave rise to their own organs. Let us illustrate Lamarckism with the example of the giraffe's neck. According to this theory, the necks of the first giraffes were the same length as those of deer or gazelles. However, giraffes experiencing food shortages wanted to be able to reach the rich sources of food in the upper levels of trees. A need was thus born. As a result of that need, the necks of giraffes wishing to reach up into the tops of trees grew longer.
Lamarckism based this claim on the thesis of "inheritance of acquired traits." In other words, the giraffe which had tried to reach up to trees' highest levels throughout its life should be able to hand this characteristic on to its young. Yet, with the discovery of the laws of genetics, it was seen that acquired traits could not actually be inherited at all.
As a result, Lamarckism had been invalidated by science by the beginning of the twentieth century. Yet, evolutionists continued to put forward Lamarckian views between the lines. While fiercely criticizing Lamarckism on the one hand, their scenarios regarding the origins of living things still bore powerful traces of it. The myth of front legs' remaining free in order to make tools, making man a bipedal (two-footed) creature, the claim that Neanderthal man evolved in order to be able to live in cold climates, as put forward by the NGC, and that Australopithecus evolved in order to adapt to its environment as the thick forests thinned out—all of these rest on the assumption of evolution out of need.
The reason why evolutionists employ Lamarckian expressions, on the one hand, while fiercely criticizing the thesis, on the other, is this: According to the theory of evolution, in order for a monkey to be able to stand on two legs, for instance, it needs to be exposed to mutations that will bring about such a sensitive change in its skeleton, and which furthermore will not cause it any damage. This is in any case a scenario that cannot possibly happen. It would require a chance mutation to come about at just the very time when the living thing in question has need of it, and this would have to occur many times in individuals of the same species, bringing about a little more development each time. The impossibility of this scenario just reinforces the absurdity of the whole concept of evolution.
On the surface, evolutionists refuse to say, "there was evolution out of need," but underneath, they actually support that idea.
Australopithecus was a Species of Ape, and was not Bipedal
According to the NGC, the species known as Australopithecus was the ancestor of the first man to walk upright. Yet that claim is not correct. All of the Australopithecus species are extinct apes that resemble the apes of today. Their cranial capacities are the same or smaller than those of the chimpanzees of our day. There are projecting parts in their hands and feet that they used to climb trees, just like in today's chimpanzees, and their feet are built for grasping to hold onto branches. Australopithecus specimens are short (130 cm, maximum) and, just as in modern apes, the males are much bigger than the females. Many other characteristics—such as the details in their skulls, the closeness of their eyes, their sharp molar teeth, their mandibular structure, their long arms, and their short legs—constitute evidence that these creatures were no different from today's apes.
NGC's claim that Australopithecus walked upright is a view that has been held by paleoanthropologists like Richard Leakey and Donald C. Johanson for decades. Yet many scientists who have carried out a great deal of research on the skeletal structures of Australopithecus have proved the invalidity of that argument. Extensive research done on various Australopithecus specimens by two world-renowned anatomists from England and the USA, Lord Solly Zuckerman and Prof. Charles Oxnard, showed that these creatures did not walk upright in the human manner, and had exactly the same movements as modern apes. Having studied the bones of these fossils for a period of 15 years thanks to grants from the British government, Lord Zuckerman and his team of five specialists reached the conclusion that Australopithecus was only an ordinary species of ape, and was definitely not bipedal—this even though Zuckerman is an evolutionist himself.1 Correspondingly, Charles E. Oxnard, who is another evolutionary anatomist famous for his research on the subject, also likened the skeletal structure of Australopithecus to that of modern orangutans.2
Probably the most important study demonstrating that Australopithecus could not have been bipedal came in 1994 from the research anatomist Fred Spoor and his team at the University of Liverpool, England. This group conducted studies in the inner ear of fossilized Australopithecus specimens. In the inner ears of human beings and other complex living beings, there is an organ named the "cochlea" that determines the position of the body in relation to the ground. The function of this organ, which maintains balance in human beings, is the same as the "gyroscope," which maintains correct flight attitude in airplanes. Fred Spoor investigated the involuntary balance mechanism found in this "snail-shell" like organ, and his findings showed conclusively that Australopithecus was quadrupedal (four legged).3
This means Australopithecus is an extinct ape species and has no relation with human beings.
That Australopithecus cannot be counted an ancestor of man has recently been accepted by evolutionist sources. The famous French popular-science magazine, Science et Vie, made the subject the cover of its May 1999 issue. Under the headline "Adieu Lucy" ("Goodbye, Lucy"—Lucy being the most important fossil example of the species Australopithecus afarensis), the magazine reported that apes of the species Australopithecus would have to be removed from the human family tree. In this article, based on the discovery of another Australopithecus fossil known simply as St W573, the following sentences appear:
Another important discovery concerning Australopithecus is the realization that this creature's hands were used for walking, just like those of present-day apes. Apes employ a four-legged mode of walking in which they lean on the knuckles of their fingers. Known as "knuckle walking," this is one of the major structural differences between apes and men. The skeletal studies performed in 2000 on Lucy by two evolutionist scientists called B. G. Richmond and D. S. Strait, resulted in a conclusion that astonished the two evolutionists: Lucy's hand possessed a four-legged "knuckle walking structure," just like those of the apes of today. Strait's comment in an interview regarding this discovery, the details of which were covered by the journal Nature, is striking: "I walked over to the cabinet, pulled out Lucy, and—shazam!—she had the morphology that was classic for knuckle walkers."5
Homo erectus was a Human Race, not an Ape-Man
In the NGC documentary Homo erectus is portrayed as a half-ape, half-man creature which walked upright and tried to speak by making peculiar noises. The fact is, however, that Homo erectus was a human race, with no ape characteristics at all.
There is no difference between the Homo erectus skeleton and that of modern man. The primary reason for evolutionists' defining Homo erectus as "primitive" is the cranial capacity of its skull (900-1,100 cc), which is smaller than the average modern man, and its thick eyebrow projections. However, there are many people living today in the world who have the same cranial capacity as Homo erectus (pygmies, for instance) and other races have protruding eyebrows (Native Australians, for instance).
It is a commonly agreed-upon fact that differences in cranial capacity do not necessarily denote differences in intelligence or abilities. Intelligence depends on the internal organization of the brain, rather than on its volume.6
The fossils that have made Homo erectus known to the entire world are those of Peking man and Java man in Asia. However, in time it was realized that these two fossils are not reliable. Peking Man consists of some elements made of plaster whose originals have been lost, and Java Man is "composed" of a skull fragment plus a pelvic bone that was found meters away from it with no indication that these belonged to the same creature. This is why the Homo erectus fossils found in Africa have gained such increasing importance.
The most famous of the Homo erectus specimens found in Africa is the fossil of the "Turkana Boy," which was found near Lake Turkana in Kenya. It is confirmed that the fossil was that of a 12-year-old boy, who would have been 1.83 meters tall in adolescence. The upright skeletal structure of the fossil is no different from that of modern man.
The American paleoanthropologist Alan Walker said that he doubted that "the average pathologist could tell the difference between the fossil skeleton and that of a modern human." Concerning the skull, Walker wrote that he laughed when he saw it because "it looked so much like a Neanderthal."7 Since Neanderthals are a modern human race, Homo erectus is also a modern human race.
Even the evolutionist Richard Leakey states that the differences between Homo erectus and modern man are no more than racial variance:
Professor William Laughlin from the University of Connecticut made extensive anatomical examinations of Inuits and the people living on the Aleutian islands, and noticed that these people were extraordinarily similar to Homo erectus. The conclusion Laughlin arrived at was that all these distinct races were in fact different races of Homo sapiens (modern man):
There is a huge gap between Homo erectus, a human race, and the apes that preceded Homo erectus in the "human evolution" scenario (Australopithecus, Homo Habilis, and Homo rudolfensis). This means that the first men appeared in the fossil record suddenly and without any prior evolutionary history.
NGC Fairy Tales Appropriate for Bedtime Programs
The scientists expressing their views on NGC told the viewer stories, relying on their imaginations instead of scientific findings. Almost the entire length of the documentary consisted of such story-telling. The most striking example of this appeared in the section about Homo erectus' power of speech. People enjoying the status of scientists gave their views, in all seriousness, regarding what members of the Homo erectus species talked about amongst themselves. According to the anthropologist Dr. Steven Mithen, when Homo erectus spoke, they engaged in gossip! Another evolutionist scientist claimed that rather than gossiping, they talked about serving food!
Neither was this the limit of the stories related on NGC. These scientists were also somehow aware of a great many more details, such as what one migrating ape-man thought, and the fixed-thoughts possessed by yet another one. The odd thing is that these Darwinist mental gymnastics, devoid of any scientific foundations, were portrayed to the viewer as scientific fact.
The NGC's Visual Evolutionist Propaganda
Throughout the documentary on NGC, images of half-ape, half-man creatures hunting on the African savannah, eating, and migrating were shown. Those who imagined the NGC to be a scientific institution would have been deceived into thinking that these creatures were based on scientific evidence. The fact is, however, that just like the information provided, these images had been prepared solely on the basis of evolutionists' imaginations and the abilities of various artists.
Reconstructions are one of evolutionists' most important propaganda tools. The ape-man models and drawings seen in such documentaries as this, and in evolutionist magazines and newspapers, are termed reconstructions. These are totally unscientific, and in no way reflect the truth, because it is impossible to obtain any information about a living thing's soft tissues on the basis of fossils. Reconstructions based on bone remains can only reveal the most general characteristics of the creature, since the really distinctive morphological features of any animal are soft tissues, which quickly vanish after death. Therefore, due to the speculative nature of the interpretation of the soft tissues, the reconstructed drawings or models become totally dependent on the imagination of the person producing them. Earnst A. Hooten from Harvard University explains the situation like this:
In the NGC documentary, all kinds of details, such as living things' hair, eyes, lips, the expressions in their eyes, and the shape of their eyebrows, could be seen. In fact, since evolutionists are so caught up by their evolutionary fantasies as to debate what these imaginary creatures might have talked about, it comes as no surprise that they should also come up with models and drawings of them. This is not science, however. It could only be a part of a science fiction film. Evolutionists are not behaving like scientists. Like fortune-tellers engaging in prophecies, they produce scenarios about the past and future based on no evidence whatsoever.
NGC's documentary, which describes the so-called evolution of man, offering no evidence but supplying details which can never be known, is of absolutely no scientific value. The only place for this documentary is in a science fiction movie or a screenwriter's fantasies about human history. The way that the NGC broadcasts scenarios, which not even children could possibly find convincing, under the guise of science casts a shadow over the institution's credibility.
1 - Solly Zuckerman, Beyond The Ivory Tower, New York: Toplinger Publications, 1970, p. 75-94
2- Charles E. Oxnard, "The Place of Australopithecines in Human Evolution: Grounds for Doubt," Nature, vol. 258, p. 389
3- Fred Spoor, Bernard Wood, Frans Zonneveld, "Implication of Early Hominid Labyrinthine Morphology for Evolution of Human Bipedal Locomotion," Nature, vol. 369, 23 June 1994, p. 645-648.
4- Isabelle Bourdial, "Adieu Lucy," Science et Vie, May 1999, no. 980, p. 52-62
5- Stokstad, E., "Hominid ancestors may have knuckle walked," Science 287(5461):2131, 2000
6- Marvin Lubenow, Bones of Contention, Grand Rapids, Baker, 1992, p. 83
7- Boyce Rensberger, The Washington Post, 19 November 1984
8- Richard Leakey, The Making of Mankind, London: Sphere Books, 1981, p. 62
9- Marvin Lubenow, Bones of Contention, Grand Rapids, Baker, 1992. p. 136
10 - Earnest A. Hooton, Up From The Ape, New York: McMillan, 1931, p. 332
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A doctor of Osteopathic Medicine (D.O.) is a fully trained and licensed physician who prescribes medications, performs surgery, and utilizes all accepted scientific methods to maintain and restore your optimum health. Today's D.O. provides comprehensive medical care, including preventive medicine, diagnosis, appropriate use of drugs, surgery, manipulative procedures, and hospital referral. And that care is provided with the "D.O. Difference": an emphasis on the human body as one complete system that performs best when all of the body's components function together harmoniously.
Osteopathic medicine began as a reform movement in the late 1880s. Andrew Taylor Still, a traditionally trained physician, set out to improve medical care. He felt the major emphasis should be on preserving health rather than merely treating disease. He believed in treating the patient as a whole, taking into account the impact of psychosocial and environmental factors on illness, and introduced the concept of holistic medicine. He also developed techniques of manual medicine, known today as osteopathic manipulative therapy, or OMT.
Allopathic medicine was not prepared to accept Still's tenets, however, so he established his own school. The two branches remained largely separate until the 1970s, when they began actively collaborating. "All the barriers which separated us are gone now," says the dean of the University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey-School of Osteopathic Medicine. "The two groups are strongly united in their efforts to offer the best medical care."
All medical students take the same licensing exams, osteopathic physicians serve as faculty in allopathic medical schools and vice versa, hospital rosters and individual practices are mixed, and OMT is gaining acceptance and is now a major part of rehabilitation medicine.
Problems in one part of your body may cause problems in another area. Although your D.O. surgeon's primary emphasis is on surgical care and treatment, he or she has been taught how to consider your injury or illness not by itself, but in relation to its effect on the rest of your body. Your D.O. surgeon cares for you as a whole person!
Early in training, the D.O. surgeon learns to treat the complete patient. He or she works closely with your primary care physician to consider all your medical needs. This approach to understanding the needs of the patient doesn't just happen. An osteopathic physician has attended an undergraduate college or university and then has successfully completed four years of osteopathic medical education before receiving the Doctor of Osteopathy degree. Colleges of osteopathic medicine are accredited by the Bureau of Professional Education of the American Osteopathic Association, which is recognized for that purpose by the U.S. Office of Education and Council on Postsecondary Accreditation.
But your osteopathic surgeon's education doesn't stop there. Following four years of osteopathic medical school, the D.O. physician must complete a one-year internship (including experience in general practice, internal medicine, surgery, obstetrics and gynecology, and pediatrics), and then another four to six years of specialized training to acquire the knowledge and skills necessary to become your surgeon. There are licensed D.O. surgeons in all specialties of surgery, including general, general vascular, neurological, obstetrical and gynecological, orthopedic, plastic and reconstructive, thoracic and cardiovascular, urological, ENT (ears, nose, and throat), and ophthalmological.
Yes! Professional education for the D.O. surgeon is a lifelong process to remain professionally informed in a field that is constantly advancing in care and treatment. The American College of Osteopathic Surgeons requires its members in active practice to complete at least 150 credit hours of approved continuing surgical education every three years.
In addition to educational degrees and licensure, another indication of competence is whether a D.O. surgeon is board certified. A surgeon who is certified by the American Osteopathic Association has satisfactorily completed an approved program of surgical training after graduating from an accredited college of osteopathic medicine and completing a one-year internship.
A surgeon who is seeking certification must pass a three-part examination that tests the knowledge, judgment, and skills necessary to practice a particular surgical specialty. This exam includes written, oral, and practical tests. Successful completion of these tests is designed to assure you that the D.O. surgeon has sufficient and appropriate training to provide you with surgical care.
Osteopathic training uniquely equips D.O.s to pay special attention to interactions among all of your body's systems. So even those D.O.s who choose to become surgical specialists can care for you as a whole person. Your osteopathic surgeon's objective is to treat causes, not just symptoms. And that's good medicine!
American College of Osteopathic Surgeons
123 North Henry Street
Alexandria, VA 22314
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Digging Into Sustainable Agriculture
- Companies are just getting started: Corporate action on sustainable agriculture sourcing remains in the early stages of implementation with lots of opportunities for further action. For example, almost half of the companies (11 of 24) do not disclose any evidence of conducting risk assessments of their agricultural suppliers.
- Current goals and commitments are narrowly focused: Where goals and commitments to source more sustainably exist, companies focus primarily on agricultural inputs, such as coffee, soy, and palm oil, that are subject to third-party verification schemes. Companies generally lack specificity about their plans in the absence of external standards.
- Managerial oversight is weak: While some companies have high-level managerial oversight of key agricultural sourcing initiatives, the vast majority does not adequately disclose how these issues are managed internally. This raises concerns about the priority placed on addressing agricultural risks to the business.
- Disclosure of impact assessments, both for supplier risk and grower performance, is lacking: Across the board, companies are failing to effectively measure and disclose how their efforts are addressing sustainability risks, such as increased exposure to the adverse effects of climate change, and ultimately changing farmer practices.
The negative impacts of agriculture on both the environment and society are well documented. Food systems contribute between 19 and 29 percent of global annual greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, with 80 to 89 percent of that impact from agricultural production . Agriculture is responsible for 75 percent of global deforestation , and croplands and pasture occupy half of the world’s vegetated lands. Globally, agriculture accounts for about 70 percent of all water consumption and the run-off of fertilizer, manure and pesticides are major sources of water pollution in most regions of the world. These factors are all subject to the increased pressure of a growing global population, and increased demand for higher impact agricultural ingredients, like beef.
For major food and beverage companies, developing systems to purchase agricultural products that are grown or produced sustainably is a critical step towards mitigating these risks and gaining more secure supply sources. Issues such as deforestation, water pollution and scarcity, climate change, and working conditions affect all companies operating globally, but are particularly relevant to those with supply chains stretching down to the farm level. These are not just environmental and social challenges, they also pose significant business risks, including: commodity price volatility; product quality and contamination issues; reputation and brand impacts; and uncertainty related to the long term availability of agricultural products. Stakeholders, including consumers, are taking an increased interest in corporate supply chain management, and expect more accountability and proof that a company’s sourcing practices have positive rather than negative environmental and social impacts.
To provide investors, companies and stakeholders with better information on how companies are tackling sustainability challenges associated with agriculture in their supply chains, Ceres and Sustainalytics assessed the sourcing practices of major U.S. food and beverage companies. The assessment builds from Gaining Ground: Corporate Progress on the Ceres Roadmap for Sustainability, Ceres’ evaluation of how well 613 of the largest, publicly traded U.S. companies are integrating sustainability into their business systems and decision-making. This assessment takes a closer look at how the 24 food and beverage companies included in Gaining Ground performed against a set of 14 indicators in the categories of 1) corporate policies and codes, 2) management systems and strategies, and 3) practices and performance. We gathered data for this work from publically available information accessed between December 2013 and February 2014.
Lots of Sustainable Sourcing Strategies, Little Connection to Risk
In order to develop effective strategies to procure sustainable agricultural inputs, companies must first understand the landscape of their supply chains. Supplier risk assessments represent a key starting point for identifying and quantifying risks at the supplier, regional and commodity level. These assessments are vital for prioritizing risk factors, such as exposure to the effects of climate change and the long-term availability of key ingredients, and developing strategies to mitigate these risks. Companies in the food and beverage sector demonstrated poor disclosure of supply chain risk assessments, with almost half (11 of 24 companies) failing to provide evidence that they conduct any sort of risk assessment. One company that has taken this step is General Mills. The company recently released a set of sustainable sourcing commitments, outlining a four-step strategy that begins with a robust risk assessment process undertaken in partnership with a third party. This approach led the company to prioritize addressing the sustainability risks of ten commodities, including oats, wheat and corn.
In contrast to the lack of risk assessment practices, 75 percent (18 of 24 companies) outline at least a basic strategy to mitigate one or more supply chain risks. In other words, rather than developing a corporate-wide approach that is based on a broad assessment of supply chain risk, most companies appear to addressing these issues on an ad hoc or project-specific basis. Risk assessments are a critical component of prioritization, and companies should look to increase disclosure of these efforts to give stakeholders a better understanding of how the company plans to have impact.
A Gap in Executive Oversight
The Gaining Ground analysis provides evidence of the general relationship between strong governance and strong sustainability performance. As agriculture supply chains become more vulnerable to natural resource pressures, climate change, and reputational concerns such as child or forced labor, stakeholders expect that senior management will play a key role in overseeing agriculture sourcing programs and will lead efforts to build management systems and strategies that address the specific risks facing their agricultural supply chains.
Overall, 33 percent (8 of 24 companies) disclosed some evidence of board or senior-level managerial oversight and responsibility for sustainable agriculture sourcing. Among those, Campbell Soup takes the important step of having the Board of Directors and CEO provide direct oversight of the Sustainability Leadership Team, which has responsibility for supply chain and agriculture. As companies look to integrate sustainable sourcing practices throughout the business, a critical step is to fill this oversight and accountability gap to ensure coordinated approaches and demonstrate a commitment to driving improved performance.
A New Crop of Sustainable Sourcing Commitments
To measure progress effectively, companies need to share clear goals and commitments with their stakeholders. Building off of the assessment phase, these goals should prioritize agricultural inputs that are most important to the company according to their risk profile, and outline clear timelines and targets for progress. Thirty-three percent of the companies in this analysis (8 of 24 companies) describe at least one time-bound goal for procuring sustainably produced ingredients to meet its needs. Hershey, for instance, has a goal to source all of its cocoa from certified sustainable sources by 2020, reflecting a focus on its top ingredient. General Mills used its risk assessment process to outline commitments for ten key ingredients.
Measurement: Sustainable According to Whom?
Ultimately, management systems need to measure progress and provide assurances that the sourcing strategy a company pursues is delivering the intended results. Ideally, progress should be benchmarked against a set of time-bound, measureable goals laid out as part of the overarching strategy, and publicly disclosed. While not part of this analysis, Unilever’s approach to sustainable sourcing sets the bar for measurement practices. In addition to laying out time-bound, measureable goals across key commodities, the company reports on the current percentage of verified product sourced in each area. This practice is not widespread, however, and among those companies assessed in this evaluation, only 29 percent (7 of 24 companies) provide some indication of the size of their sustainable agriculture buy. These instances of disclosure are largely limited to palm oil, coffee and sugar cane – commodities that all have third party verification schemes.
Third party verification schemes, such as Fair Trade, UTZ and Organic, play an important role in providing credible information on input sustainability. More than half of the companies in this analysis (15 of 24 companies) partner with a third party to source at least one, sustainably-produced agricultural input. The verification landscape is complicated, however, with stronger frameworks for some commodities than others. Coffee, for instance, has a fairly robust set of certifications that examine both environmental and social metrics. In cases where a commodity or agricultural product certification is weak, or non-existent, companies are left to pursue their own set of metrics and verification frameworks. Corn, the largest U.S. crop, is notable for its lack of a credible third party standard that companies can follow.
Performance Pays, But Paying for Performance?
In order to address the verification gap effectively, companies are expected to take responsibility for the performance of their agricultural supply chain. Partnering with growers and producers to help accelerate the adoption of better and more responsible practices is a key step that companies can take to ensure impact at the ground level. Approaches that provide technical and financial assistance, communicate clear timelines for progress and help mitigate some of the risk to farmers, send signals to growers that they have the support needed to pursue new approaches. Some companies are developing capacity-building programs for farmers, with efforts commonly focused along commodity-specific supply chains. Mondelez reports on several programs and initiatives aimed at improving social, environmental and economic conditions in the cocoa supply chain. Molson Coors set up the Molson Coors Growers Group in the United Kingdom to help ensure a regular supply of high-quality barley that aligns with the company’s long-term sustainability strategy, and to spur innovation in the supply chain through best practice sharing. Overall, however, disclosure is lacking in some key metrics, including the scope of impact of the programs. For stakeholders to fully understand the impact of supply chain capacity-building programs, disclosure on the number of farmers engaged – and the production they represent – needs to be improved. This also presents a key opportunity to quantify impact beyond the company supply chain, and into communities and regions.
Buyers Beware: Procurement Function Must Take The Lead
Where verification is weak, and capacity-building efforts are not yet well-developed, companies must have robust policies and codes that mobilize their procurement departments to account for key impacts of the ingredients that they source. For food and beverage producers, it is critical that these policies account for impacts beyond first tier suppliers, as agricultural inputs are often purchased through intermediaries. To evaluate corporate procurement policies, we looked at how corporate procurement policies referred to Good Agricultural Practices (GAP) for soil management, water management, animal production, health and welfare, working conditions, health and safety, public health, and biodiversity.
Of the 24 companies, only four have formal procurement programs in place that address any of the GAPs outlined for first tier suppliers, and only two have robust procurement policies that go beyond tier 1 suppliers. The Coca-Cola Company has a set of Sustainable Agricultural Guiding Principles that include clauses on soil management, water management and biodiversity. The company works with suppliers to educate them on these principles, and uses them as a framework for supplier assessments and future goal setting. While there is evidence that other companies are accounting for some of these issues in their procurement practices, none have publicly disclosed formal policies to implement best practices.
The More We Get Together: Broader Collaboration
The assessment also revealed that companies are increasingly working with partners towards broader solutions; 83 percent (20 of 24 companies) participate in at least one multi-stakeholder initiative focused on sustainable agriculture. The depth and impact of company participation in multi-stakeholder initiatives is difficult to assess, but ideally companies should be participating in forums that address each of their key agricultural inputs. Collaborations of this nature can speed up the development of sustainable agriculture practices, and corporate participation and investment is critical for this to happen. For example, Hershey finances cocoa genome research, and is part of the World Cocoa Foundation and the International Cocoa Initiative. Many of the companies included in this research participate in similar initiatives related to their specific impact areas.
You Are What You Measure
Measuring impact is a key aspect of any successful sustainability initiative, and for agriculture, efforts in this area remain limited. Among the three companies that undertake impact assessments, all fall below what would be considered best practice. Overall disclosure is limited to anecdotal references, with a notable absence of any measureable impact metrics. PepsiCo, through its Sustainable Farming Initiative (SFI) measures the environmental and local economic impacts associated with its agricultural supply chain; however, the company does not publicly communicate the data that describe these impacts.
Key Recommendations Going Forward
- Set measurable, time-bound goals and targets to source key agricultural inputs sustainably: Building off a robust risk assessment process, companies should set goals that prioritize agricultural inputs that are most important to the company according to their risk and impact profile, and outline clear timelines and targets for progress.
- More action, better disclosure: Overall, stakeholders are increasingly expecting more action from companies on sustainable agriculture sourcing, and better disclosure of those actions. If companies are in the beginning stages of this journey, it is important for stakeholders to know how sustainable agriculture sourcing is being considered.
- Focus on impact: It is critical for all company action to connect directly to actual changes in on-the-ground field level practices by agricultural producers, and it needs to be clear how this is achieved and measured.
- Develop management systems that effectively connect sustainability goals to procurement practices and provide sufficient oversight to ensure the connection is maintained: Internal management systems need to effectively integrate sustainable sourcing goals into long-term business planning, and should incentivize internal actors accordingly. A key piece of this strategy is high-level oversight of sustainable sourcing that allows for strong connection of business units.
- Prepare to collaborate regionally and with the supply chain to build the incentives for improved farming practices: Opportunities exist at the industry and multi-stakeholder level to work collaboratively within the supply chain to influence growing practices at the community and regional level. Companies need to leverage these opportunities, and contribute meaningful expertise and investment to these efforts.
- Gaining Ground Case Study: Digging into Sustainable Agriculture, a joint report by Ceres and Sustainalytics to better understand how companies int he U.S. food and beverage sector are addressing the impacts of their agricultural supply chains.
- Great work is being done at the commodity level. For an overview of these efforts, see the International Institute of Sustainable Development’s (IISD) report on the State of Sustainability Initiatives, which provides a comprehensive assessment of sustainability initiatives in key agricultural sectors.
- The World Wildlife Fund (WWF) 2050 Criteria provides useful guidance on how investor can access key agricultural resources.
- An upcoming report by Ceres will take a focused look at the environmental challenges and opportunities presented by corn production in the U.S.
This research is funded in part by the Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation
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As others pointed out, analyzing recursion can get very hard very fast. Here is another example of such thing: http://rosettacode.org/wiki/Mutual_recursion http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hofstadter_sequence#Hofstadter_Female_and_Male_sequences
it is hard to compute an answer and a running time for these. This is due to these mutually-recursive functions having a "difficult form".
Anyhow, let's look at this easy example:
(declare funa funb)
(defn funa [n]
(if (= n 0)
(funb (dec n))))
(defn funb [n]
(if (= n 0)
(funa (dec n))))
Let's start by trying to compute
funa(m), m > 0:
funa(m) = funb(m - 1) = funa(m - 2) = ... funa(0) or funb(0) = 0 either way.
The run-time is:
R(funa(m)) = 1 + R(funb(m - 1)) = 2 + R(funa(m - 2)) = ... m + R(funa(0)) or m + R(funb(0)) = m + 1 steps either way
Now let's pick another, slightly more complicated example:
Inspired by http://planetmath.org/encyclopedia/MutualRecursion.html, which is a good read by itself, let's look at: """Fibonacci numbers can be interpreted via mutual recursion: F(0) = 1 and G(0) = 1 , with F(n + 1) = F(n) + G(n) and G(n + 1) = F(n)."""
So, what is the runtime of F? We will go the other way.
Well, R(F(0)) = 1 = F(0); R(G(0)) = 1 = G(0)
Now R(F(1)) = R(F(0)) + R(G(0)) = F(0) + G(0) = F(1)
It is not hard to see that R(F(m)) = F(m) - e.g. the number of function calls needed to compute a Fibonacci number at index i is equal to the value of a Fibonacci number at index i. This assumed that adding two numbers together is much faster than a function call. If this was not the case, then this would be true: R(F(1)) = R(F(0)) + 1 + R(G(0)), and the analysis of this would have been more complicated, possibly without an easy closed form solution.
The closed form for the Fibonacci sequence is not necessarily easy to reinvent, not to mention some more complicated examples.
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Editor's note: Peniel E. Joseph, a Haitian-American, teaches history at Tufts University. His latest book is "Dark Days, Bright Nights: From Black Power to Barack Obama."
(CNN) -- Haiti's poverty has been much discussed since its massive earthquake, but little has been said of its rich, and equally fraught, history.
For African-Americans, Haiti's tragedy hits close to home. For more than two centuries the tiny, at times fragile, republic has inspired black political activism in the United States.
Born of the influence of the French and American revolutions, Haiti, once prized as the jewel of the French Empire, changed the course of its history by engineering a revolution that startled the world.
Once a colony of slaves under French rule in the 18th century, Haiti transformed itself into the first black republic and one of the first nations in the Western Hemisphere to outlaw slavery.
It is a breathtakingly inspirational story: Slaves revolted en masse in 1791 under the leadership of Toussaint L'Ouverture, a brilliant statesman and military strategist who was influenced by the Enlightenment ideals of universal freedom and citizenship.
Ultimately, the rebels defeated Napoleon's army and England before declaring independence in 1804. The founders of the American Republic had celebrated the news of revolution in France, but news of the revolt in Haiti didn't receive the same applause.
News of this successful revolution led by slaves reverberated across the Caribbean to the United States and brought chills up the spines of whites -- including President Thomas Jefferson, who deplored the revolution and despised the new republic's existence. But it emboldened African-American slaves.
Fears that Haiti's successful revolt could inspire slave insurrections in the United States led to increased restrictions on the movements of blacks in Southern states.
Coupled with concerns over the stability of slavery in Cuba, Haiti represented a powerful threat to the comfort, safety and security of the new American Republic.
In antebellum America, and during the Civil War, black and white abolitionists saw Haiti as an example of the potential and possibilities of black political leadership.
In many respects, Haiti's liberation from French rule proved to be a high point, sadly followed by a seemingly endless cycle of economic poverty, foreign intervention -- including American occupation from 1915 to 1934 -- government corruption, and dictatorships.
Yet there is another, equally important aspect of Haitian history, one that black Americans identify with deeply.
During the period of antebellum slavery and after, Haiti profoundly impacted the imagination of African-American political activism. On the eve of the Civil War, Frederick Douglass spoke for most African-Americans when he referred to the "bright example" of Haiti. He called Toussaint Louverture "the noble liberator and law-giver of his brave and dauntless people." Douglass and other blacks considered Toussaint one of the greatest self-made men of the 19th century.
Caribbean migration to the United States, beginning in the early 20th century, transformed black political activism. Immigrants such as Marcus Garvey and Hubert Harrison emerged as street speakers in Harlem. And the Haitian Revolution remained a touchstone for radical black political activists.
C.L.R. James, a Trinidadian-born author and activist, wrote a 1939 history of the revolt, "The Black Jacobins," that remains a classic in Africana Studies scholarship.
The immigration of Haitians in increasing numbers after the passage of major immigration reform in 1965 has allowed Haitian culture to establish critical beachheads in cities such as New York, Boston, and Miami.
Haiti's culture -- its food, music, flag, and proud revolutionary tradition -- resonates alongside of contemporary African-American culture.
The popularity of hip hop musician Wyclef Jean, the proliferation of Haitian sports stars, and the prevalence of Kreyol [Haitian Creole] words such as "Sa k' Pase" in rap music attest to Haiti's influence.
As the Haitian people prepare to rebuild their republic, we would do well to remember that the tragedy of Haiti is not a failure of black power but ultimately the frustration of it, one that involves mistakes by not only Haitians but by Western powers as well, including the United States.
Haitians are the descendants of the great black revolution for liberation, imbued with a history of wrestling with crises. The spirit of the Haitian people is resilient and resourceful. These values will serve them well even during this unimaginable devastation.
The Haitian people can also take comfort in the knowledge that African-Americans continue to find deep kinship, one forged in the shared crucible of slavery as well as heroic resistance against this system, in their current plight and efforts to rebuild Port-au-Prince.
The opinions in this commentary are solely those of Peniel E. Joseph.
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Creating a Round roof
I'm sure you know that you can create a round roof, either as a complete circle or as part of an overall roof. When you select a round roof, each arc will be an edge with 2 end points and a mid point even though you may appear to have many hips. You can change the appearance for the smoothness of the curve (& number of hips) by editing the edge (Selecting the Right Roof Object and Right Click option) and increasing or reducing the number of segments (max 30) to represent the curve. Whilst 30 may look the smoothest in real terms, a round roof is built with a number of segments (hips) so you may be best to match the contruction number for an accurate representation.
There doesn't appear to be any way to create a curved roof using the command line but you can create one by applying the Roof tool to curved linework or walls. Note that ;
- You cannot create a completely round roof from a circle linework or 2 Arcs so use 2 arc'd wall objects (2 arcs - because you can't create a completely circular wall with one wall either!).
- You possibly can't create a roof with a round portion from linework unless it's a closed polyline. (Well that's how I had to do it).
You can also create curved roofs in the vertical plane for barrel vaults, eyebrows and igloos. You can't create a smooth curve but can add multiple changes in pitch to approximate the curve which again is how they are generally constructed in real life. Now the effort to add these multiple pitch changes is no small task so you would like to know how the resultant estimate 'curve' will look before you begin to ensure you are going to be happy with it. Also you need to be able to enter exactly each pitch and height changes to get the appearance of a constant curve not spend all day guessing at the numbers? So how?
Well I have a simple idea to give you the exact data to be entered in the roof edge to get exactly the result you were expecting.
Draw your Arc in elevation view as it would appear adjacent with the model. Use the DIVIDE command to place Points around the Arc. Use an even number to land one point at the apex if you drew the whole Arc (I only drew half!). . Draw a PolyLine on a different layer joining the Points and then turn the other layers off. You should now be left with the Polyline stepping around your curve and be able to estimate whether you are happy with the resulting estimation of the curve. (This will be on your aecElevations as well as any rendered model.) If not - erase the points and use the divide command again increasing the points if you want a smoother curve. Once satisfied, you can dimension each point by angle and height as shown above and this will give you the numbers you enter into an edge on your roof object. OR... you could simply draw a polygon instead of the PLine and have your segments a lot quicker! Again adjust the number of sides until you are happy and then use the procedure above to measure each point to enter into your RO. He's pointed out this is also useful for Roman & Gothic arches. Thanks for sharing this cool tip Robert. As James points out, you can also attach an edge profile to an aecSlab to create the curve. Your slab would be a very narrow ridge at the apex and the curved profile both sides would give you your round roof. You can trim slabs with a pline to fit it into your main roof.
TIP: Be aware the height numbers are for a roof object with it's elevation at 0. If you need to adjust for a different baseline of your roof object, stretch all your dimensions (not the angle ones) down or up at once if necessary to add/delete any extra required.
With this technique, you can create an Eyebrow roof out of a normal gable roof as illustrated, or a barrel vault roof or your own special creation etc.
There is a limitation of the roof object shown here for the eyebrow roof. The Roof object thickness stays perpendicular to the main roof pitch and does not dynamically adjust with the changes in pitch as shown in the picture. For me this would be covered by a gable end treatment (Structural object) but would also be evident in any section. (Note that Sergej's updated Spirit roof tool has no problem with keeping the roof thickness constant!)
You can also create a Concave or Convex (bullnose) curve to your roof though I may use a wall style for these (see here and here). The other option as James has shared is to add a profile to a slab object so the slab itself is only a very small postion and the curve is achieved with the profile. Very easy to do if your roof line is constant.
Copy & paste Trick (sergej's tip)
If you are looking at doing multiple pitches to more than one edge with the ACA Roof Object as shown above, it can get tedious real quick entering each height and pitch on a number of edges. However once you have entered a series to one edge, if you click in the first column of the face box and Control C to copy, you can then move to another edge and paste the same numbers (yes all three columns). If you had originally selected the 2nd (or more) edge already, it will be available in the dialogue box to paste to. Ok it's not perfect. Be nice to be able to alter a number of edges at once but it's quicker than doing each edge individually. Oh and it is a little temperamental sometimes and may need caressing to get the paste to overwrite.
- When you create a roof object, it remembers the last pitch for next time but not the last edge cut. (I think it writes it to the registry!)
- Once you edit some of the edges, adding gables etc, you may not be able to edit the main pitch via the properties pallete and may need to edit each edge at a time! Sigh! Therefore it may be quicker to remove a pitch (gable?) adjustment, change the roof pitch and then re-enter the gable.
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July 1, 2007
Writer: Kelly McCoy
Teenagers Friends and Parents
By J. Kelly McCoy
(LDS Life, July 2007)
I confess. I like to watch Saturday morning cartoons with my children. A couple of years ago I caught the tail-end of "Pepper Ann," the animated adventures of a typical 13-year-old girl. As the cartoon concludes, Pepper Ann and her mother are sharing the hope that they will always be able to express to one another the special feelings they have for each other. Suddenly, Pepper Ann's face takes on an anxious look as she adds, "As long as you never act that way in front of my friends or within a one-mile radius of my school."
Watching this animated interaction between a mother and daughter reminded me why the teenage years can be such a confusing time for parents regarding their place in their teenagers' lives. At one moment, teenagers seem to seek the same nurturing behavior from parents that they experienced when they were children, in the next moment, they are acting as if they would rather die than be seen with their parents by anyone their own age.
Although teens do want and need greater autonomy as they get older, granting teenagers increasing autonomy does not necessarily mean parents cannot still be involved in teenagers' lives. From my research during the past several years, it is clear that although friends do become increasingly important during the teenage years, parents can continue to be a part of their teenagers' lives--even that part which is occupied by friends.
What becomes problematic for many teenagers is not whether parents are involved in their friendships, but rather how parents are involved in teens' friendships. For example, the extent that parents respect and value their teenagers' choices in selecting friends, provide their adolescents with appropriate autonomy regarding their friendships, and genuinely enjoy the friends their teens have selected.
During childhood, parents are a necessary part of their children's friendships. Parents of younger children provide them opportunities to meet new friends, transportation to be with friends, advice about how to be a good friend, and set rules about the who, what and where of their children's friendship interactions.
During adolescence, young people become much more independent in their ability to accomplish many of these tasks. Although teenagers become much more independent in their ability to select and interact with friends, they generally appear to like their parents taking an interest in their friendships and have better friendships when parents are involved. What is important, however, is whether parents' involvement is changing in conjunction with the adolescents own development. Teens generally don't respond well to parents continuing to control their friendships in the same way the parents did when the teens were younger. Teens also don't respond well to parents' attempts to be just "one of the gang."
Parents' involvement in teens' friendships works best when the parents' relationship with their teens and the teens' friends is transformed from the more managing style appropriate to childhood toward a relationship that is more collegial, where parents are genuinely interested in the ideas and opinions of their teens and their teens' friends, and enjoy having their teens' friends around.
This does not mean that parents will automatically like every friend their teens select, and parents should be honest in sharing those concerns. But before placing a negative judgment on their teens' choice of friends, parents should first demonstrate respect for their teens' ability to make wise choices and attempt to understand, from their teenager's perspective, those qualities that make a particular friend desirable.
As parents respond positively to the friends their teenagers have selected, teens are more positive about their parents being involved in those relationships, and as parents are more involved, teens report greater satisfaction with the friends they have selected.
J. Kelly McCoy is a member of the faculty in the Department of Home and Family at Brigham Young University - Idaho
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Master of Architecture
Christopher Smith received a Bachelor of Animation from Columbia College Chicago. Using digital
and analogue techniques, he gained an influential amount of architectural experience working at his father’s
architectural illustration studio.Smith has already situated himself as a working professional
at the local firm bKL Architecture.
Hyperloop in the City
Hyper-connected. Hyper-compact. And Hyper-efficient. At the intersection of urban life and high speed
travel, Hyperloop in the City provides the ability to traverse easily from city to city by integrating commercial
travel with urban culture,information gathering, environmental awareness, infrastructure development
and commercial viability. Here, the boundaries of public and private space will be blurred together.
The time is now for the introduction of a new form of travel, an alternative to what we already know.
Outside of the Zeppelin airship, which was developed back in 1900, transportation has largely become updated
iterations of pre-existing designs. By adapting existing infrastructure and combining it with areas of new
infrastructure and technological advancements, a true evolution of transportation could be achieved.
Hyperloop in the City is a contemporary form of high-speed travel. Essentially a steel encased low-pressure
tube system, passenger filled capsules are whisked throughout the length of the tubes at speeds up to 700 miles
per hour. A cushion of pressurized air and aerodynamic lift minimizes friction and provides support for the capsules.
Acceleration boosts occurs at various intervals along the tube system via engines mounted on each capsule.
Stations would be located at the ends of the looped system or at possible intervals along the way. Passengers
have to just simply sit back and enjoy the ride.
A reflection of modern society itself, transportation hubs are both the launching pad and a meeting point
that have shaped the current modes of travel. By re-thinking the programmatic design of a modern
transportation hub, we can initiate an evolution of the cross-pollination between architecture, transportation
and an active society. The next stage of this evolutionary process is the inclusion of the hub
into the urban landscape it supports.
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Most people have experienced depression for at least a short period of time, perhaps as the result of an event or confluence of events. For others, though, depression will not dissipate with time, imprisoning the mind for a lifetime.
The causes of depression are many and varied. Occasionally the reasons are there for all to see: a loved one has died, for example, or a job has been lost or an important relationship has broken up. More often the cause is mysterious to the casual observer because it is not events that necessarily cause depression, it is the way in which we interpret events.
Psychologists have found that, despite the variability in the causes of depression, there are some fascinating ways in which the thinking of depressed people often follows particular patterns. These patterns can be seen in people’s ‘attributions’.
An attribution is when a person attaches a particular cause to a particular effect, for example: “I didn’t get the job because I am worthless.” It might be clear to other people around me that I am not a worthless person but, in my mind, that is the connection, or attribution, I have made. There are three important components to the type of attribution that are implicated in depressive illness. To continue with this example, they are:
- It is my fault that I didn’t get the job. Here I have made an internal attribution.
- I think I am worthless: a thought that is likely to affect all areas of my life. Now I am making this attribution global.
- I see no reason for the fact that I am worthless to ever change. Now the attribution is stable.
Conversely if something good happens to a person using this style of thinking, they will tend to attribute opposite causes. I got the job because I was lucky on the day: it is not because I am highly employable, it was a fluke and is unlikely to be repeated in the future.
This particular type of attribution has been shown to be unusual because people who are not depressed generally do the exact opposite. Most people have what is described as a ‘self-serving bias’. Anything good that happens to you is because of your skills, is likely to repeated in the future and will remain the same for you.
So, the theory sounds reasonable, what about the practice? I will take a closer look at some of the research soon.
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I'd like to comment upon the status of the Nominative in English, particularly the predicate nominative. Usually, in English, the Nominative and Accusative (direct object) cases are identical, except in certain situations that are very imoportant, namely situations involving pronouns. Me, you, him, her, it, us, (y'all), and them are the accusative forms of I, you, he, she, it, we, (y'all), and they. As far as I know, these are the only accustaive forms that appear on the surface in English grammar (Accusative case in English is normally dictated by word order, not inflection, especially now that are verbs are for the most part uninflected), except for of course, the reflexive forms myself, yourself, himself, herself, itself, ourselves, yourselves, themselves, which are different monsters altogether.
Now, in most European languages, the object of a verb of being, such as 'is' (even when it's not stated, like in Russian ja amerikanets -- I (am) (an) American), must always be in the nominative, since this is in essence a statement of equality, not having anything to do with one thing acting upon another, which would yield an object. So, in the sentence 'John is a jerk,' both of the nouns are in the nominative case, as would be any adjective describing jerk. and in languages with case inflection, such as Czech, the subject and the 'object' of the being verb are both in the nominative : Ludmila je dobrá studentka 'Ludmila is a good student', not * Ludmila je dobrou studentku. This sounds very wrong.
Now in most languages, pronouns function much like the nouns they are filling in for, and in most languages, the predicate nominative presents no obstacle to this. In Spanish, you'd sound like an idiot if you said *es mí, soy mí Or let's look at a language closer to home, such as German where a dummy subject 'it' is used at the beginning of a sentence: Es ist er, natürlich 'It is he, of course.' Now, look at how silly the English translation will look to most of you. What's going on? To a presrciptivist, of course, this is perfectly correct in every way. But does anyone else rememebr sitting in elementary school saying 'what the hell?' to this? I do.
In Modern English, it seems that it sounds more natural, perhaps in some cases more correct, to use the accusative form of the pronoun after the being verb. When you're knocking on your friend's door and they yell 'who is it?' 'It's me' sounds much more natural than 'It is I.' 'Who's been eating my turnips?' 'It was she!' They always tell you that you'd have to answer the question 'she has been,' so then, logically, 'It was her!' is wrong. This is also the reason why it is technically wrong to answer 'Me!' to a question such as 'Who won?' But as the folly of the no double negative bullshit rule has proven, prescriptivist 'logic' and syntax can often butt heads. Most people, at least in the States, who use forms like 'It is I' and 'It was she' sound like a.) bourgeois snobs -- the socially mobile (or so they think) 'new-money' people who constantly prove that you can have a lot of money but you'll never be upper class no matter how much you want it (this is where Chevrolet and Hummer get their entire market for Avalanches and H2s). I can almost guarantee you that the 'correct' form appears more often in upper-middle class speech than in actual upper class speech (See William Labov's 'fourth floor' study in New York for this phenomenon in action).
Or, you could sound like b.) a non-native speaker of English who has learned from a textbook which declares these forms as correct.
In both cases, your speech will be highly marked, either as a snob or a foreigner. I don't mind foreigners, and am in fact intrigued by systematic mistakes of non-native speakers, but I can't stomach snobs, especially the ones who habve nothing to be snobby about. I remember being with my girlfriend and her family looking for the presentations of some architectural projects. when we found them, my girlfriend said 'Here they are,' to which her mother responsed 'Oh, these are they?' I wanted to laugh out loud at this and how what she thought would make her sound smart only made her look like a twit. She's from Joliet, Illinois, and I can bet anyone reading this that that form is NOT in her native grammar. Any speaker of any standard American English dialect would immediately find that construction as odd. But, in all fairness, any alternative is awkward: 'This is them, these are them,' all sound kind of funny, but none as bad as 'these are they.'
So the question to a theorhetician is 'are these accusative surface forms actually accusative?, and if not then why do they show up?' Maybe it's because speakers are putting objects behind all verbs, regardless of its grammatical function. This is definitely hardwired into the grammar of the speakers who use these forms. But does that actaully make them accusative? And what implications does this have for the nouns they are replacing? If we construct 'It is him' as S-V-O ( as opposed to S-V-S), then what doe sthis say about 'It is John.' Is the underlying cas eof this S-V-S or really S-V-O. I don't know the answers to these questions. All I know is that my girlfriend's mother cringes when I say 'It was me and him' and even 'him and her are getting married' (this is highly nonstandard, and has nothing to do with the predicate nominative, I admit). But what do I care? I'm a linguist, and my experience as one has made me proud of this. Samuel Johnson can shove it up his split infinitive.
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Just about every online publication you can find in Norway right now, and a Swedish paper to boot, is reporting on how if you type “Norway” into Google Earth, it directs you to a spot in the middle of Sweden. Considering that Norway was a part of Sweden until 1905, this is getting a lot of play — the official angle is that according to Google, Sweden now belongs to Norway. (It’s funny in an understated Scandinavian sort of way — you really had to be here.) In some cases, photo editors have conveniently helped along the story by turning off the country names layer before taking the screenshot, as on that layer the names are marked correctly, and that would just ruin the fun.
But why might a search for Norway in Google Earth end up with a placemark in Sweden? My first guess was that Google somehow finds the center of gravity of a country, and in the case of Norway, the country is so oddly shaped that it could just conceivably fall outside the borders of the country itself. But just from looking at Norway, there is no way that the center of gravity would be that far into Sweden.
Instead, I think I’ve figured it out. What Google returns is the coordinate point whose longitude is halfway between the easternmost and westernmost point of a country, and whose latitude is halfway between the northernmost and southernmost point. In the case of Norway, that’s far into Sweden. In the case of Sweden, that’s just into the Baltic Sea. There are in fact few countries where this point does not actually fall within its borders. I had to do a bit of a search, but finally found Croatia, Israel, Laos and Vietnam. If you find others, do let me know.
This is obviously a completely arbitrary piece of geographical trivia, as we’d merely have to agree on using a different reference frame for our coordinates and we’d get different answers. Even so, I reckon Croatia would have a hard time finding any coordinate system that allows this point to fall within its borders. Just nobody tell the Bosnians they “belong” to Croatia, or it’ll be 1992 all over again.
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Antioxidants are often associated with good health, but a new study from Kansas State University warns these nutrients could also cause harm. Researchers found that sometimes, antioxidants can impair muscle function.
How? Antioxidants basically slow or reverse the effects of oxides, thereby countering some of the effects of aging and disease. But according to the new study, some oxidants can be beneficial — like hydrogen peroxide, which can help increase blood flow and aid with muscle function.
Steven Copp, a doctoral student who worked on the study, says in a press release that “One of the things we’ve seen in our research is that you can’t just give a larger dose of antioxidants and presume that there will be some sort of beneficial effect. In fact, you can actually make a problem worse.”
So should you avoid antioxidants now? Not necessarily. This study brought up more questions than answers for me, since the experiments were conducted on rats that were given “acute intra-arterial antioxidant supplementation.” As we already know, taking antioxidant supplements — which have already been linked to an increased risk of death — is quite different from, say, eating blueberries and drinking açai juice.
Certainly, more research studying the effects of antioxidants of the body’s welcome, and perhaps this study will encourage people to think twice before popping pills promising antioxidant benefits. But I wouldn’t panic over pomegranates just yet.
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Megaregions are a group of geographic locations and/or areas that are combined because of similar characteristics and mutual interest.Since our roadway system crosses many jurisdictional boundaries, transportation is inherently Megaregional. Things like air pollution, freight movements, and road safety don't stop at political boundaries but planning often does. Therefore, planning at the Megaregional scale provides an approach to address new emerging challenges, and take advantages of the opportunities that arise around large metropolitan centers and their surrounding areas, connected by existing environmental, economic, cultural, and infrastructure relationships.
Megaregions present a new perspective that captures the economic, political and spatial level at which planning can be conducted in order to respond to the challenges of agglomerations of economic activity and population. It also recognizes the new context in which large-scale regions exist-one of global economic and environmental issues taking place on a larger scale.
Megaregions offer flexible frameworks to harmonize transportation with quality of life, economic opportunity, and environmental sustainability. Megaregions are the infrastructure and economic footprint in the global economy. Megaregions provide a sustainable future through multi-scalar, cross-boundary solutions. Megaregions allow us to think globally, coordinate regionally and act locally. (Ross, 2009)
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Ed Schools Wary of Teaching New Tech Tools to Teachers
More teachers are experimenting with how digital technology can effectively deliver information to students with tools like iPads and social media. Then there are edtech companies offering even more options with programs, products, and services to help instructors realize the potential of the 21st-century classroom. Along with eager techy teachers, there are concerns about poorly supported technology initiatives in schools where teachers are not prepared to incorporate high tech into the classroom. So, what are education schools doing to prepare future teachers for the new classroom?
Dr. Brenda Matthis, who teaches in the educational technology program in Lesley University’s graduate School of Education, said the school focuses on teaching prospective instructors how to identify, assess, and integrate new technology versus simply using the latest tool. “We make sure that this is not just what is brand new and enticing, but that it has a long shelf life,” said Matthis. “Most new technologies really have to prove themselves before we embrace them because things come by the minute.”
Matthis said one way technology is helping classrooms is by dispelling the myth that they have to teach to the average learner; technology helped teachers accommodate each student. “Digital tools are uniquely helpful to provide content to different students in the classroom depending on how they learn, what their skill sets are, how they take information faster than visual learners or auditory learners, and make sure they’re engaged.”
With each new group of teachers being more adept at using technology, Matthis thinks that the new generation will be more excited to integrate technology, but they will still have to learn how to effectively bring it into the classroom. “They’re more willing but their biggest deficit is that they don’t know how to integrate it. So, even people using technology may not know how to use it for an educational purpose, and that’s what they learn from us.”
Dr. Barbara Stengel, Professor and Director of Secondary Education at Vanderbilt University, said technology needs to accomplish two things in the classroom: help teachers work smarter or more efficiently, and represent understanding. “We know that these are two challenges that faces teachers all the time. We want to make our program rich in opportunity to do these two things.”
One way Stengel does this is by having her students use technologies for her own assignments so that they can see for themselves the strengths and weaknesses of a software. “If you have done it yourself you will know if you want to ask kids to do an assignment using this. Is it easier or not easier? That’s what we talk about.”
Technology is a rapidly changing field with new products and services being introduced all the time, so Stengel said it does not make sense to create a course centered around any of these new tools. She said it is up to the instructors to find out what new tools are available for them and to explore what works best for their teaching methods. “I invite my students to find a blog where some tech nerd is reporting all these tools regularly. Someone who has a foot in the edtech window,” Stengel said. “The trick is having that pipeline of somebody who you think reliably is messing around with this stuff just because they like to.”
Stengel said some teachers think they have to make up a lesson with a computer now just because they have a computer. “You target some critical dimension of a concept that you’re trying to develop and you think of all the ways you might do it, and I do think that digital technology gives you much richer ways of doing it,” said Stengel. “You can evoke action and emotion and concepts at once using computers, netbooks, and iPads, but sometimes you don’t need it.”
Even with something as ubiquitous as Smart Boards, Stengel does not find necessary spending a lot of time learning about. “We’re asking them how they can make representations of data and knowledge usable and a Smart Board is one way you can do that if you’re gathering data from students and you’re asking them to respond using devices that can then be projected – then it’s useful – but it’s not a Smart Board for the sake of a Smart Board.”
Dr. Hardin Coleman, Dean of Boston University’s School of Education put it this way, “I don’t want technology to be the tail that wags the dog,” he said. “That ends up being my biggest concern.”
Coleman said there is no standard or certain competency of technology by which they hold their students to when they graduate, but they have started looking into training their own staff. “We’re taking the approach that we have to build digital learning competence among our faculty and get them to explore ways they can use technology to improve their classroom as the stepping stone to how we’re going to change how we teach our students, which should translate into whatever this 21st-century classroom looks like.”
The one problem Coleman sees in teaching digital technologies in a blanket approach is that once their graduates are hired at different districts, all schools will be at a varying level of technological adoption. “If all the students were going to Boston we would be aligned with the Boston curriculum and what they have, and we could do a better job of integrating and preparing people,” Coleman said.
There are instances where the university finds it useful spending time figuring out the place of technology in the classroom, such as helping students understand how to choose math instructional software, but Coleman said it’s not a broad base of the work they do. “It’s much more about how you interact face-to-face with a student and their learning needs,” Coleman said.
Education is proving to move much slower than the pace at which edtech tools are being made available. Education schools are keeping their eyes open to the possibilities of digital tools, but they remain steadfast in the idea that teaching is about the transference of information, no matter the method.
Photo by K.W. Barrett
Michelle is a current graduate student at Emerson College and an intern at Boston's public radio station. She enjoys exploring the world of educational technology and writing about the ever-changing sector and its potential.
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Over the past few months, there has been a lot of baseless claims trying to link high fructose corn syrup (HFCS) and a variety of diseases, especially Type 2 diabetes. Like many of these medical myths, there is, at its core, some tiny bit of evidence that is generally misinterpreted or misused. But let’s take a close look at Type 2 diabetes, HFCS and the evidence that either supports or refutes the hypothesis that drinking HFCS is any more responsible for the disease than other sugars.
Just for background, the claimed link is between HFCS and Diabetes mellitus Type 2 (or Type 2 diabetes, T2DM), a metabolic disorder that is characterized by high blood glucose in the context of insulin resistance and relative insulin deficiency. In general, someone with T2DM produces low (or maybe even adequate) levels of insulin, but various cells and organs become resistant to insulin, so cells don’t remove or store blood glucose. Although the cause of Type 2 diabetes is not completely understood, it results from a complex interaction between diet, obesity, genetics, age and gender. Some of the causes of T2DM are under a person’s own control, like diet and obesity, but many of the factors aren’t.
Because they are often confused, it’s important to note that T2DM has a completely different cause and pathophysiology than Diabetes mellitus Type 1 (T1DM, and once called juvenile diabetes). Type 1 diabetes results from the inability of the beta cells of the pancreas to produce insulin, mostly as a result of an autoimmune disease. Typically, T1DM begins in children, though there are forms of the disease that begin in 30-40’s that had been confused with the type 2 version in the past, but blood tests can determine if it is Type 1 or Type 2. As far as we currently know, T1DM is neither preventable nor curable, and there is only some conflicting evidence about what actually causes T1DM. Diet, including consumption of sugars, won’t cause T1DM. Furthermore, although there are numerous treatments and lifestyle changes that can change the course of T2DM, and there are several medical treatment regimens, Type 1 is a death sentence without regular daily insulin injections. However, over 90-95% of diabetes is the Type 2 form.
The consequences of both types of diabetes are almost the same. Complications of poorly managed diabetes mellitus may include cardiovascular disease, diabetic neuropathy, and diabetic retinopathy, among many other chronic conditions. I was intending to make this a quick explanation of diabetes, but I thought it would be beneficial to understanding the hype behind high fructose corn syrup.
After giving you a background discussion of diabetes, it’s time for a similar focus on the basics of sugar biochemistry.
There are two broad types of sugars, aldose and ketose, along with over twenty individual, naturally-found sugars, called monosaccharides. Of all of those sugars, only four play any significant role in human nutrition: glucose, fructose, galactose, and ribose (which has a very minor nutritional role, though a major one as the backbone of DNA and RNA). Got that? Four sugars. Whatever you eat, however you consume it, you can only absorb 4 sugars. And no matter the source, fructose, glucose, or galactose, whether from a chemical factory, or sugar cane, or from organic honey lovingly taken from the wild honeybees of Switzerland who were gently allowed to fly amongst the organic clover fields of the high alps, are, individually, the same chemical. “Natural” or synthesized fructose is always the same chemical structure. The same with glucose or galactose. So, if you buy some sugar from an organic food store, or your local chemical factory, the structure, based on carbon, hydrogen and oxygen, will be exactly alike for each different sugar.
Of course, it does get a bit more complicated. Many sugars form disaccharides that are compounds made of two monosaccharide sugars covalently bound together. Table sugar, the white stuff in our sugar bowls, is called sucrose which is one molecule of glucose bound to one molecule of fructose. Sucrose is also the main sugar in most commercially purchased sugars that you find including brown sugar, molasses, beet sugar, and maple sugar (and syrup). Milk sugar is lactose, which is a glucose and galactose disaccharide, maltose is two glucose molecules, and there are a few dozen less common ones. Each disaccharide has a slightly different taste and sweetness, and different combinations of disaccharides provide unique tastes to certain fruits and vegetables.
There are more complex sugars, called polysaccharides, that are long chains of sugars which are are the constituent biochemical in a lot of plant and animal cellular-level and gross-anatomy structures. For example, chitin, the exoskeleton of insects and crustaceans, is essentially a long chain of glucose molecules that’s extremely hard (and completely indigestible by humans).
Before we can continue onto our discussion about HFCS you need to know one important thing. Humans can only absorb monosaccharides, specifically glucose, fructose, galactose and ribose. In other words, all of those disaccharides and polysaccharides must be broken down into the constituent monosaccharides before it has any usefulness for a human. The gut has a variety of different enzymes that break down these starches and disaccharides–so sucrose is not absorbed by the small intestine, but it is instead broken down by the sucrase enzyme into glucose and fructose, and only at that point, it is absorbed into the bloodstream to be used for energy. By the way, any disaccharide or polysaccharide that are not broken down remain in the gut, providing food for our gut bacteria, thereby maintaining a healthy digestive system. Moreover, some individuals lack certain enzymes to digest some disaccharides; lactose intolerance results from the lack of of lactase, which breaks down lactose into glucose and galactose. Thus, in these individuals, lactose cannot be absorbed, and it passes to the bacterial flora, the result of which causes significant intestinal distress to the lactose intolerant individual.
It is important to note that fructose is 1.73 times more sweet than sucrose despite having the same exact caloric content. So technically, you could use about 58% less fructose than sucrose to get the same sweetness. And any food that has more fructose (like honey, pears and grapes) will taste sweeter, even though it has no additional calories.
HFCS consists of 24% water, and the rest fructose and glucose. There are two main types of HFCS, HFCS 55 (used mostly in soft drinks) which is approximately 55% fructose and 42% glucose; and HFCS 42 (used in other types of beverages and processed foods), which is approximately 42% fructose and 53% glucose. There is another type, HFCS-90, approximately 90% fructose and 10% glucose, which is used in small quantities for specialty applications (interestingly, low calorie drinks, because, for the same sweetness as sucrose based drinks, about 33% less calories are added), but it is primarily blended with HFCS 42 to make HFCS 55.
And despite the fact that HFCS is produced from corn, it is contains the same fructose and glucose that is found in table sugar, or any other plant in the world. Fructose and glucose do not chemically differ in any way from fructose and glucose found anywhere else, it is a fixed chemical structure. Admittedly, HFCS is used in some foods because of cost. For the equivalent sweetness as sucrose (cane sugar for example), the manufacturer can use less with fewer calories. Given that HFCS contains both natural fructose and natural glucose, and it is just as sweet with fewer calories, you’d think that people would be all over that.
I hope that’s clear. HFCS is nothing more than a syrup that contains a higher ratio of “natural” fructose to “natural” glucose than table sugar.
The story now becomes complicated, and it is the basis of some of the speculation about HFCS and diabetes, because galactose, fructose and glucose are treated differently by human metabolism. Glucose passes through the liver unchanged, and can be used by all cells for energy. The level of glucose is controlled by insulin, which causes it to be stored if the blood levels get high, and glucagon, another hormone which causes the release of glucose from storage. This control system is highly complicated, and in non-diabetics, is a finely tuned system. Fructose and galactose don’t signal insulin, but are captured by the liver, eventually processed into a couple of different biochemicals, one of which is glucose. So, because fructose is treated in a different manner by the body, speculation has been that fructose might be implicated in T2DM. How the body controls blood sugar levels, and how fructose and galactose are involved in that control, is incredibly complex and would take at least a year of graduate level classwork to even begin to understand the physiology (I know this, because I took those classes, and even today I scratch my head about how complex it is).
Except, there are some problems with this speculation about fructose and T2DM. For example, fructose has a very low glycemic index of 19 ± 2, compared with 100 for glucose and 68 ± 5 for sucrose. Because fructose is 1.73X sweeter than sucrose, diabetics can consume significantly less fructose (than other forms of sugars) for an equivalent level of sweetness. Studies show that fructose consumed before a meal may even lessen the glycemic response of the meal. In other words, specifically because of the sweetness and lower insulin reactivity, fructose may actually be preferred for those who are attempting a low glycemic index diet.
A lot of the current “mania” about HFCS and T2DM results from a recent article in an open source journal, Global Public Health which has an impact factor of 0.92, about as low as you can get on the impact factor scale. The authors tried to establish a correlation between availability of HFCS foods and the incidence of Type 2 diabetes. This type of study is at the population level, which may seem like it would give you great numbers, but the problem is that it allows in so many confounding factors, and ignores all sorts of other information that might provide us with better information. In other words, it is simply not a way to establish correlation, let alone causation.
The problems with this study are numerous:
- They assume that availability of HFCS foods is the major cause of obesity. It simply isn’t. It is possible that high amounts of HFCS means accessibility to various others foods that might cause obesity.
- Obesity itself is not a causal factor in T2DM, it is one of number of causes of the disease.
- Even though the researchers attempted to control for other factors, there are just too many factors that may skew the results at a country level. The best type of epidemiological study would a prospective study, which would allow for controlling of different factors along with getting more detailed data about each patient. A prospective study takes time, is expensive, but gives some of the best results upon which to confirm or refute a hypothesis about HFCS being causal to T2DM. The authors of this study took the easiest and simplest route to write a paper: they obtained country-level data for T2DM, Gross domestic product, HFCS production in foodstuffs, and calories consumed. This type of work takes a few days, and would require you just to leave the computer for sustenance. I could look up the sales of Xbox and Playstations in each country and compare it to T2DM, get it published in a bad journal, and make a name for myself that video gaming is correlated to Type 2 diabetes. And even if I could show some correlation between video gaming and diabetes, it wouldn’t be worth anything, though I’d make a big name for myself.
In a review article examining the health implications of HFCS, the author, James Rippe, MD, states that “most of the studies being cited to support the proposed linkages between fructose consumption and obesity and other metabolic conditions employ epidemiologic data that establishes associations rather than cause and effect.” The study I critiqued above is a perfect example of the type of study dismissed by Dr. Rippe. He goes on to conclude that:
While the fructose hypothesis is an interesting one, it poses the danger of distracting us from further exploration and amelioration of the known causes of obesity and related metabolic conditions. It is important to remember that many of the metabolic abnormalities currently being postulated as attributable to fructose consumption may also be ascribed to obesity itself.
The epidemiologic evidence being cited to support metabolic abnormalities related to fructose consumption leaves many questions unanswered. There are compelling data to support excessive caloric consumption as the major dietary driver of obesity. The fructose hypothesis is based largely on epidemiologic data that do not establish cause and effect. All too often, we have been led astray by confusing associations with cause and effect. With the fructose argument, we are in danger of repeating mistakes frequently made in the past by basing judgments on insufficient evidence.
It’s clear that there are individuals want to “prove” that HFCS is unsafe and causes all sorts of problems to humans. But HFCS is a sugar syrup, close to honey in ratio of fructose to glucose. Just because it has this scary chemical name, high fructose corn syrup, people must think that it’s made up of some evil fructose chemical. But all fructose molecules are exactly the same, whether it’s in honey, a fruit, maple syrup, cane sugar, or HFCS.
High quality reviews of the research around HFCS and T2DM have consistently stated that the data does not show any causality between the sugar and the disease. We could cherry pick a few poorly designed epidemiological studies or force-feeding rats to induce diabetes studies, but neither of those types of studies provide us with solid or even intriguing evidence that HFCS has some responsibility for T2DM. Until we have two pieces of information, one, a high powered prospective epidemiological study, and two, a definitive explanation of how fructose could disrupt the metabolism leading to T2DM, we completely lack any reliable evidence to think that HFCS itself causes T2DM rather than simply any sugar. Because the hypothesis that is well understood, and well supported by evidence, is the one that says any sugar can lead to obesity, thus leading to a higher risk of T2DM.
If I were raising children, and frankly, I have, I would keep them from HFCS. And sucrose. And honey. And fruit juices. And cotton candy. And chocolate bars. And fatty foods. And potato chips. Picking on HFCS just seems crazy.
- Elliott SS, Keim NL, Stern JS, Teff K, Havel PJ. Fructose, weight gain, and the insulin resistance syndrome. Am J Clin Nutr. 2002 Nov;76(5):911-22. Review. PubMed PMID: 12399260.
- Foster-Powell K, Holt SH, Brand-Miller JC. International table of glycemic index and glycemic load values: 2002. Am J Clin Nutr. 2002 Jul;76(1):5-56. PubMed PMID: 12081815.
- Goran MI, Ulijaszek SJ, Ventura EE. High fructose corn syrup and diabetes prevalence: a global perspective. Glob Public Health. 2013;8(1):55-64. doi: 10.1080/17441692.2012.736257. Epub 2012 Nov 27. PubMed PMID: 23181629. Impact factor=0.920.
- Heacock PM, Hertzler SR, Wolf BW. Fructose prefeeding reduces the glycemic response to a high-glycemic index, starchy food in humans. J Nutr. 2002 Sep;132(9):2601-4. PubMed PMID: 12221216.
- Rippe JM. The health implications of sucrose, high-fructose corn syrup, and fructose: what do we really know? J Diabetes Sci Technol. 2010 Jul 1;4(4):1008-11. PubMed PMID: 20663468; PubMed Central PMCID: PMC2909536.
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Revealing The Power of Whole Genome Sequencing
On March 11, 2010, researchers from the Institute for Systems Biology (ISB), in Seattle, WA announced that they had, very successfully, analyzed the first whole genome sequences of a family of four. ISB partnered with Complete Genomics, of Mountain View California, to sequence the genomes of a father, mother and two children – both of which had two recessive genetic disorders, Miller Syndrome (a rare craniofacial disorder), and Primary Ciliary Dyskinesia (or PCD – a lung disease). The results demonstrate the tremendous benefits of having the complete genome from an entire family with which to work – allowing the team to minimize the error rates in sequencing and increase the accuracy of the sequencing data to 99.999%.
This high quality data allowed the researchers to reduce the list of candidate disease genes associated with Miller syndrome down to only four. Another exciting discovery from this study is the first direct estimate of how much the genome changes from one human generation to the next – known as the intergenerational mutation rate. The researchers reveal that gene mutations from parent to child occurred at only half the most widely hypothesized rate. The complete findings are published in the journal Science, and are available online, through their website.
Dr. Leroy Hood, co-founder and president of the Institute for Systems Biology, and one of the paper's corresponding authors, is recognized as a world leading scientist in genomics and molecular biotechnology – having invented the four instruments that contemporary molecular biology relies upon. As a faculty member at Caltech in the 1980’s, Dr. Hood and his team developed the protein sequencer, the protein synthesizer, the DNA synthesizer, and the automated DNA sequencer – the last of which really became the key part of the equation in the successful mapping of the genome accomplished in the Human Genome Project of the 90’s. Since co-founding the Institute for Systems Biology in 2000, Dr. Hood has been pioneering systems medicine and the systems approach to disease.
We had an opportunity to catch up with Dr. Hood this week and speak with him about not only the details and significance of this particular genomics study, but also about some of the exciting things he sees in sequencing technologies, and what other future projects they hope to utilize these family genome sequencing techniques upon.
LabGrab: Dr. Hood, thank you for taking some time out of your day to chat with us. In this study you had a pretty unique family from which to sample - one where both offspring had two recessive disorders (Miller Syndrome and Primary Ciliary Dyskinesia) - but neither parent showed either of the genetic abnormalities. This study was also the first to sequence the entire genome of multiple members of the same family. Why is this so significant?
Hood: By sequencing entire families you can actually use the principles of Mendelian genetics to correct about 70% of the DNA sequencing errors. Getting DNA sequence that accurate allows us to do many things such as narrowing down the list of candidates for disease genes for simple genetic diseases.
In this particular study, from thousands of possible candidates that might have been forecast if we just had sequenced one member of the family - we were able to narrow that candidate list to just four genes. And then it was easy to make the relative assignments of which of the four went with each disease.
LabGrab: Do you believe it possible that these gene detection techniques could be effectively used on individuals who might be connected farther out along the limbs of the family tree - or is it necessary to have a parent / child genomic sample for comparison?
Hood: No, I think you can actually do three, four or even five generation families and get an enormous amount of information that would be useful, even for the much more distant relatives. I think that the principals extend to the family as a whole. In fact, we're in the course of getting ready to sequence one family that has five generations - so that will be really interesting to see. And we believe that by sequencing more than just two generations that the accuracy of sequencing will be improved even further.
LabGrab: We noted from the press release that your research group partnered with the company Complete Genomics out of Mountain View, California to handle the sequencing of the family's genome. Can you comment on the types of new sequencing technologies used in this study?
Hood: It is probably too technical for me to comment on in this forum. It uses a really new strategy of sequencing by hybridization together with very clever molecular biology - in fact, at first I have to say that I was very skeptical about whether the technique would work initially. But they have it working quite beautifully, and they've got very, very high quality data - we are really pleased with it.
Part of the accuracy of the data comes from the fact that we are using the entire family to correct sequencing errors - but getting errors that are less than 1 in 100,000 is pretty powerful.
LabGrab: One of the goals that the NIH put out last year was to develop revolutionary technologies that would reduce the cost of sequencing an entire genome to under $1000. What do you estimate the cost for each of the genomes sequenced in this project to be?
Hood: About a year ago when we negotiated this work with Complete Genomics the cost came out to around $20,000 per genome. However, I'm fairly confident that with the improvements they've made over the last year or so, that the cost for our next sequencing project with them will be roughly half that amount. The feeling is that within 5 years, we'll be down maybe below the $1000 number.
LabGrab: In your opinion, what are the major hurdles that must be overcome to reduce the cost to the $1000 threshold - is it more a limitation of generating the sequencing data itself - or is it on the back-end processes of the sequence assembly and verification / error-checking?
Hood: I really think it will be a combination of the two. If you look at illumina or SOLiD (from Applied Biosystems) - which are the two major commercially available kinds of sequencers now, they both claim that by the end of the year, the sequencing itself - the reagents and so forth - will be down to perhaps $3,000 per genome or so. Now you still have to account for the amortization of the instrumentation, the people that are working on the sequences and, most important of all, the whole assembly and analysis end of things. And my feeling is there will be an optimization of all of those things.
Certainly we'll really be able to optimize the assembly and analysis part - that's just very straight forward, creating pipelines that are tuned to the particular sequencing methods, and we've gone a long ways towards doing that with the Complete Genomics technology. A lot of the principles that we've developed in terms of new software pipelines can be applied to any kind of sequencing instrumentation.
I think the real challenge that's going to come - and it's going to be a part of the whole discovery process of medical science - is what does this genome mean. Right now there are really limited things that we can infer from a complete genome sequence, just because they haven't been available - we haven't had the information. We've just barely begun to do the correlation between genotype and phenotype. And that's going to change just dramatically in the next ten years. There will be an enormous amount of information that can be mined from an individual genome sequence in the next 10 years. That information will give deep insights into future potential health history of the individual, as well as specific details about things that they really have to watch out for.
I think it's still a race to see which of the approaches is really going to work effectively, and I think the real question is which will scale for the millions of people whose genomes we'd like to do in the future as a part of classic medical records. I think in 10 years, many people will have their sequenced genomes as part of their medical records.
LabGrab: What are the next projects your group will be working on in this area?
Hood: In the area of family genome sequencing, we are collaborating with both the Gladstone Institute and Mass General Hospital to move on to a very extensive study of 60 to 100 individuals from families that have Huntington's Disease. And there what we're looking for is not the disease gene itself - which is already known - but we're looking for genes that modify the behavior of the disease gene. That is, genes that will let them get it early in life, or genes that will let them get it very late, or will ameliorate the effects of the disease. So, in a sense that's the next stage of complexity.
And then, a follow-up study to that eventually will be looking at families who have Alzheimer's, because that's a very complicated disease, for which very little is known about the genetics of how it's inherited. We think actually that with the appropriate stratification of Alzheimer's for it's distinct types, paired with these kind of family studies, we'll be able to move forward and make real progress with that disease once we get started.
LabGrab.com would like to extend a special thank you to Dr. Lee Hood for his generous donation of time.
Visit the Institute for Systems Biology Website
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Herd Areas and Herd Management Areas
The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) in California manages 15.2 million acres of public land, with an additional 1.6 million acres in Northwestern Nevada. The Free Roaming Wild Horse and Burro population covers 7.1 acres of this land with an additional 2.3 million acres of non-BLM land. Populations of both wild horses and burros exist in California. When the appropriate management level is reached there will be 1,746 horses and 453 burros on the California ranges.
Herd Areas (HAs) are those geographic areas where wild horses and/or burros were found at the passage of the Wild Horse and Burros Act in 1971. Herd Management Areas (HMAs) are those areas within Herd Areas where the decision has been made, through Land Use Plans, to manage for populations of wild horses and/or burros. There are 33 Herd Areas and 22 Herd Management Areas within California.
Each Herd Management Area has an Appropriate Management Level (AML) that states the minimum and maximum number of animals that can inhabit an area. Appropriate Management Levels have been determined through rangeland monitoring studies, taking into consideration other natural resources such as vegetation and wildlife, and other uses such as livestock grazing and recreation on the public lands.
The overall goal is to preserve the health of the land and water resources by managing wild horse and burro populations so as to restore and maintain a thriving ecological balance. Wild horse and burro populations are managed through periodic removals. Excess animals from the removals are offered to the public through the Bureau of Land Management’s Adopt a Horse or Burro Program.
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The historian T.R. Fehrenbach postulated that the unique character of Texas came from one thing which differentiated it from other trans-Mississippi states; that it was in a constant state of war for the best part of half a century and so the readiness to fight for life at a moment’s notice became ingrained. Usually the fight was with the Comanches, who lived for war, plunder and ransom. While the Anglo settlers occasionally took a break from fighting to farm or ranch, or take up some peaceable trade, the Comanches never did; there was no other means of advancing in their culture, save being a fearless warrior and raider. At the high noon-time of their peak, they were the lords of the southern plains, from the Arkansas River to the Balcones Escarpment, having ruthlessly pushed other tribes out – the Tonkawa, Lipan Apache, the Karankawa and others. The Comanche ranged and raided as far as they pleased, occasionally interrupted by a fragile peace treaty.
A relative period of peace between the Penateka, or southern Comanche, and the Republic of Texas came to a spectacularly violent end in the spring of 1840 during the course of what had been intended as a peace conference in San Antonio. A contingent of chiefs and Texan peace commissioners met in a large building adjoining the town jail, on Main Plaza and Market Street. In token of their good faith, the chiefs had promised – or led the Texans to believe they had been promised – to turn over a number of captives, and sign a peace treaty. But the Penateka only released one; a teenaged girl, Matilda Lockhart, who had been savagely abused, raped and mutilated during a year of captivity. She told the disappointed and outraged Texan officials that the Comanches camped outside the town held more than a dozen other captives, including her own sister, but meant to extort large ransoms for each. When the chiefs and the peace commissioners met again, the commissioners asked about the other captives. The leader of the chiefs answered that they had brought in the only one they had. The others were with other tribes. And then he added, insolently, “How do you like that answer?”
The short answer was the Texans did not. There were already soldiers standing by: they were ordered to surround the Council House. The chiefs were told they were held hostage until their warriors returned to their camps and brought back the rest of the hostages. Almost as one, the chiefs drew knives and rushed the soldiers guarding the doors of the Council House. The warriors waiting outside in the yard entered the fray and a short running fight erupted in the street leading down to the San Antonio River. The Council House fight vigorously re-ignited the war between Comanche and Texan, both sides accusing the other of bad faith and treachery. That fall, a huge contingent of Penateka Comanche led by a war leader named Buffalo Hump came roaring down from the Llano Estacado, sweeping down the empty country between the Guadalupe and Lavaca Rivers. They terrorized the town of Victoria and burned Linnville on Lavaca Bay. The citizens of Linnville watched from the refuge of boats offshore, as the Indians looted the warehouses and homes. Then the Penateka departed, with two hundred horses all heavily laden with plunder, but what happened on the return from that spectacular raid set in motion a gathering of forces and personalities who would eventually reduce the proud lords of the Southern Plains to a handful of desperate, starving beggars.
It was not as if the Texans were entirely defenseless; poor in cash, poor in practically everything but land, frontier Texas had attracted large numbers of the restless and adventurous, who were not inclined to accept any sort of insult lying down. With no meaningful standing army, defense of local communities depended on their militia … usually composed of every able-bodied male. The sheer size of Texas and the nature of war waged by the horse-lords of the Southern Plains made it imperative that at least a portion of the militia be mounted. Over the twenty years after the founding of Stephen Austin’s colony the practice evolved for a mounted militia, ready to ride in pursuit of raiders within fifteen minutes after an alarm being sounded. Sometimes they were able to retrieve captives, or stolen horses. More often, the raiding Indians split up and melted like smoke into the wilderness, leaving their pursuers frustrated and fuming. It became quite clear, as more Anglo settlers poured into Texas, that the best defense was in the offense; to field a mounted patrol out ranging the back-country, looking to forestall Indian raids.
Such a Corps of Rangers was formally established on the eve of Texan rebellion against Mexico. Distinct from the militia and the regular army, the mounted ranging companies continued to serve after the war, in various forms, most of them locally supported. The citizen-rangers of the local companies assembled for short periods of time in response to specific dangers, their numbers ever-flexible. They supplied their own arms, horses and equipment. By the time of the Linnville Raid, most of them were veterans of the War for Independence, and had years of experience in the field otherwise; men like Mathew “Old Paint” Caldwell of Gonzales, and the McCulloch brothers, who had handled Sam Houston’s two artillery pieces at the Battle of San Jacinto. Ben McCulloch had even been trained in outdoor skills by no less than Davy Crockett himself. In response to the sack of Linnville, volunteer companies from settlements along the Colorado assembled under Edward Burleson, including Chief Placido and twelve Tonkawa Indians, who had their own score with the Comanche to settle, and twenty-one volunteers from Port Lavaca. Other volunteers gathered from Bastrop, Cuero, Victoria and other towns scattered along the river valleys between the coast and the start of the limestone hills.
Barely a week after the burning of Linnville, companies of volunteer Texans were closing in inexorably on the withdrawing Comanche raiding party, at an open plain by Plum Creek, a tributary of the San Marcos River near present-day Lockhart. Burdened by loot, captives and a slow-moving herd of stolen horses and mules, the raiders had not split up and scattered as was their usual custom – and now they had become the hunted. Buffalo Hump’s war party were closely pursued by part of McCulloch’s Gonzales company, who began seeing exhausted pack animals shot and left by the wayside. Caldwell and the other leaders had deduced the route by which Buffalo Hump’s warriors were returning to their regular hunting grounds, and had arranged their forces accordingly. They let the Comanche column pass, under a great cloud of dust and ash, for the prairie had recently been burned over. Not until the Texans rode out from cover in two parallel lines converging on them, did the Comanche warriors even know they had been followed.
Some of their gaudily adorned chiefs rode out to put on a show, intending to cover the withdrawal, taunting the waiting Texans, riding back and forth. A Texan sharp-shooter brought down the most flamboyant of the chiefs and when several warriors rode out to carry his body away, the order for a charge was given. The Texans smashed through the line of Comanche fighters from both sides, and into the loot-laden horse and mule herd. As the herd stampeded, the whole raid dissolved into a rout, a hundred bloody running fights, with the Comanche fighters penned in and ridden down. The battle ran for fifteen miles, with some of the survivors chased as far as Austin. It was later estimated that the tribe lost about a quarter of their effective fighters, and much of the loot. The Penateka never raided again so far into the settled lands, and fifteen years later Buffalo Hump would be one of the Penateka chiefs who signed a peace treaty with John Meusebach. That treaty lasted, although epidemics of diseases like cholera eventually reduced the Penateka. There is a monument in Fredericksburg, Texas, commemorating that treaty as one which was never broken, and in most years there is a gathering of Comanche and descendants of German settlers to commemorate the event.
(A description of the treaty negotiations between John Meusebach and the Penateka is part of Adelsverein-The Gathering, and the aftermath of the Plum Creek fight is included in Deep in the Heart. A version of this story is included in my collection of essays about Texas history, The Heart of Texas.)
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Watts Branch Subwatershed
The Watts Branch subwatershed is in the Potomac River Basin drainage of Montgomery County and consists primarily of residential land uses. Like the subwatersheds of many middle Potomac tributaries, this watershed is influenced by historical development patterns that saw the evolution of major roads, like Interstate 270.
The City of Rockville occupies the headwaters of Watts Branch, and over time the Interstate 270 corridor has grown and now traverses the upper section of the subwatershed. Pockets of high-density commercial and residential development, important components of the County's overall economy, are located in the headwaters of many of the Watts Branch tributaries.
Land uses gradually transitions to lower densities and predominately residential uses in the downstream reaches of Watts Branch.
A Journey Through Watts Branch
Resource conditions are good in the upper and western tributaries of Piney Branch and the Lower Sandy Branch. Conditions are fair throughout the rest of Watts Branch. This fair condition reflects the observed flow problems stemming from uncontrolled runoff in much of the subwatershed. Although rated as fair, Lower Watts Branch supports a fish community of approximately 25 species. Many of the more tolerant species are well represented, although some sensitive fish species are found in fewer numbers. Smallmouth bass are found in many of the pools in Watts Branch, and colorful greenside darters can be observed in the rocky bottom runs.
The Piney Branch tributary was designated a Special Protection Area (SPA) in 1995 in recognition of the high-quality stream condition in this tributary and the need for special measures to protect this resource. The high water quality and cool, steady baseflow in this tributary are important to maintaining conditions downstream. This fragile tributary has a relatively small channel and is particularly sensitive to flow conditions. Careful management and implementation of special protection area requirements should enable this stream to recover from what should be temporary impacts to regain the high-quality conditions that led to SPA designation.
What Can I Do to Help the Watts Branch Subwatershed?
Individuals interested in helping to protect the health of the Watts Branch can contact the Watts Branch Alliance. This non-profit organization of local citizens works together to support the natural environment surrounding the Watts Branch subwatershed for all to enjoy.
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Published: Jan 1952
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|PDF (340K)||5||$25|| ADD TO CART|
|Complete Source PDF (5.4M)||114||$55|| ADD TO CART|
In 1945 two earth-filled concrete barricades 1200 ft long, 10 ft wide and 20 ft high were built on a site reclaimed from a tidal marsh. No soil investigation was made prior to construction but since the soil conditions were known to be poor, sand drains 50 ft deep, 18 in. in diameter and approximately 15 ft on centers were installed over the entire area before filling was begun. These drains were connected at the ground surface by lateral sand-filled trench drains which extended to the edge of the area to be filled. Placing of a fill of variable depth (0 to 20 ft) was accomplished by end dumping from trucks and as a result of the truck traffic the fill was compacted to such an extent that it was quite impervious. The fill was placed to a height approximately 5 ft above the planned finished grade to overload and consolidate the soft sub-soil. The overload was left in place for several months. Although no records of settlement were kept for this period, it is known that the fill settled several feet before the overload was removed and construction was begun. The barricades were built directly on top of the fill and began settling immediately after construction.
Thompson, James B.
Civil Engineer, Department of the Navy, Washington, D. C.,
Palmer, L. A.
Head, Department of the Navy, Washington, D. C.,
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Meredith L. Van Tine, J.D.
LASIK (Laser-Assisted In Situ Keratomileusis) is a surgical procedure intended to improve a person’s vision by changing the shape of the cornea and improving the eye’s ability to focus. Other commonly used refractive surgeries include photorefractive keratectomy (PRK), and radial keratotomy (RK).
LASIK surgery permanently changes the shape of the cornea-the clear covering of the front of the eye-through the use of an excimer laser. There are several variations on the surgery, but the most common procedure involves the use of a blade or laser device to cut a flap in the cornea, which is the part of the eye that helps focus light to create an image on the retina. The flap in the newly reshaped cornea is then replaced, although it will never fully stick to the surface of the eye with the same strength that it did before surgery.1
More than 8 million people in the U.S. to date have had vision-corrective LASIK procedures. But, the surgery is not without risks, which include blindness, reduced vision, and a number of other eye injuries. Although a 95% satisfaction rate has been reported, that doesn’t mean that only 5% have had any problems. And, even if we assume that only 5% have serious problems, this would translate into 400,000 people.
Although very safe alternatives exist for most people with vision problems, such as contact lenses and glasses, the FDA has approved lasers used in LASIK surgery that had reported complication rates of more than 20% in the clinical studies used to support their approval applications with the FDA.2 Of the 14 FDA approvals for LASIK lasers, not one single safety and effectiveness study reported adverse events in less than 1% of eyes. And, the clinical trial studies included no long-term follow up, leaving no way to detect late-onset complications, which are an important aspect of safety and effectiveness of these procedures.
In recent years, there has been an effort to encourage the FDA to improve the risk information in the devices’ labeling and to enforce medical device reporting (MDR) requirements at surgical facilities that perform LASIK surgery. In 2008, the FDA held a public hearing to listen to testimony from patients and doctors, including testimony from patients who reported that LASIK surgery left them with blurry vision, double-vision, problems with night vision, and other complications.3 The public testimony also included personal stories of depression, suicide or suicidal ideation, and other psychological problems resulting from adverse LASIK outcomes. In response to this hearing, in September 2008, the FDA updated its LASIK webpage to contain precise definitions of halos, glare, night vision problems, and dry eye as adverse events which should be reported to the FDA.
In 2009, the FDA took further action. In response to concerns about aggressive and often misleading advertising on the part of eye professionals, the FDA issued a cautionary letter indicating that “advertising and promotional materials for FDA-approved lasers used during LASIK procedures must be truthful, properly substantiated and not misleading.”4
Unfortunately, this letter did little to address the claims of advocates that LASIK eye surgery is a leading cause of preventable visual impairment in the United States. Research studies have documented difficulties with night vision and dry eyes, the latter of which can be extremely painful.5 One study found that approximately half of the LASIK patients experienced dry eyes within the first week.6 Another study indicated that 20% of LASIK patients had dry eyes for more than 6 months.7
An analysis of FDA Summaries of Safety and Effectiveness for the twelve LASIK lasers approved by the FDA from 1998 through 2004, found that six months after LASIK, 18% of patients reported halos, 20% reported glare, 19% reported night driving problems, and 21% reported dry eyes that were worse, or much worse, than before surgery.8 Other complications have been reported, including infection, inflammation, haze, free caps (where the flap was completely cut off), flap striae (wrinkles), and flap dislocation. There have also been reports of patients developing Sjogren’s syndrome after surgery, an autoimmune disorder that harms the glands that create tears and saliva.9 However, we don’t know how often this happens. A 2008 study by Dr. Jorge Alio and his colleagues from universities in Spain and Turkey, published in the American Journal of Ophthalmology, reported that 28% of the eyes treated with LASIK needed re-treatment within 10 years because of under-correction, over-correction, or regression. The percentage of patients was even higher, since many patients have the problem in one eye: 35%.10
An additional concern is that while the blades used to cut the LASIK flap in a patient’s cornea are only cleared by the FDA for single-use, reports indicate that surgeons often reuse the same blade on the second eye after completion of the first. The medical literature indicates that reuse of blades lowers the quality of the flap-cut in subsequent LASIK procedures. Moreover, tissue on a blade from the first eye can be dragged into, and trapped inside, the second eye. Reports have also circulated of doctors reusing blades on more than one patient-a practice that could easily expose those patients to infection.
Given the severe and potentially life-long nature of many of these complications, it is not surprising that reports have indicated elevated rates of suicide among LASIK patients. For example, in 2008, preliminary findings of an Emory Eye Center study suggested a four-fold increased suicide rate among cornea donors who had LASIK surgery, compared to cornea donors who had not had LASIK.11
Recognizing the profound negative impact that LASIK can have on quality of life, some doctors have revised their post-operative information packets to include language regarding risk of possible psychological damage from an ideal or less-than-ideal LASIK procedure.12
Are patients adequately warned of these risks before deciding to have LASIK surgery? The problems mentioned on the FDA web site and in this article are rarely publicized. And, since LASIK is a relatively new procedure (first approved in the United States in 1998), very little long-term data even exist to be made available to the public.
If you are considering LASIK surgery, carefully read about the risks and likely benefits before you make a decision. For example, women and patients requiring higher refractive correction are at an increased risk of developing dry eye after LASIK surgery, which can be a chronic and very painful condition.7 Also, since LASIK is a costly procedure, farsighted patients should know that gains in vision from LASIK may be lost with age. Individuals who use reading glasses prior to getting LASIK should be aware that they may still need them after surgery. Be sure to thoroughly investigate your options, and read the informational materials on the FDA website (quoted in part below). If you decide to proceed with the surgery, make sure that you do careful research before selecting a doctor to perform the procedure.
The FDA counsels patients considering any sort of refractive eye-surgery, including LASIK, with the following information (available at http://www.fda.gov/MedicalDevices/ProductsandMedicalProcedures/SurgeryandLifeSupport/LASIK/ucm061366.htm).
The FDA explains that you are not a good candidate for refractive surgery if:
- You are not a risk taker
- Vision problems could jeopardize your career
- Cost is an issue: the surgery costs several thousand dollars per eye and is not covered by most health insurers
- You required a change in your contact lens or glasses prescription in the past year
- You have a disease or are on medications that may affect wound healing
- You actively participate in contact sports
- You are not an adult
Other risk factors:
- Blepharitis (inflammation of the eyelids)
- Large pupils
- Thin corneas
- Previous refractive surgery of any type (e.g., RK, PRK, LASIK)
- Dry eyes
Additional LASIK information:
- “Your corneal flap will never adhere to the surface of the eye with quite the same strength it did prior to the surgery, so there is a rare but possible risk of the flap becoming displaced with sufficient force.” Source: October, 2008 publication of the American Academy of Ophthalmology (AAO), International Society of Refractive Surgery (ISRS), and Opthalmic Mutual Insurance Company (OMIC) titled “Is LASIK For Me? A Patient’s Guide to Refractive Surgery” located online href=”http://www.geteyesmart.org/correction/upload/LASIK_guide.pdf”>http://www.geteyesmart.org/correction/upload/LASIK_guide.pdf. ▲
- Lauranell H. Burch, Ph.D. letter to Government Accountability Office (GAO) and the HHS Inspector General (June 11, 2009) available at href=”http://www.lasiknewswire.com/Ltr-GAO-11Jun09.pdf”>http://www.lasiknewswire.com/Ltr-GAO-11Jun09.pdf. ▲
- FDA, 110th Meeting of the Medical Devices Advisory Committee, “Summary Minutes, Medical Devices Advisory Committee” April 25, 2008, available at href=”http://www.fda.gov/ohrms/dockets/ac/08/minutes/2008-4353m1.htm”>http://www.fda.gov/ohrms/dockets/ac/08/minutes/2008-4353m1.htm. ▲
- Food and Drug Administration, Center for Devices and Radiological Health, “FDA Letter to Eye Care Professionals” (May 22, 2009) available href=”http://www.fda.gov/MedicalDevices/ProductsandMedicalProcedures/SurgeryandLifeSupport/LASIK/ucm154882.htm”>http://www.fda.gov/MedicalDevices/ProductsandMedicalProcedures/SurgeryandLifeSupport/LASIK/ucm154882.htm. ▲
- Sugar A, et al., “Laser in situ keratomileusis for myopia and astigmatism: safety and efficacy: a report by the American Academy of Opthalmology.” Opthalmology. 2002 Jan; 109(1): 175-87. ▲
- Hovanesian JA, Shah SS, Maloney RK, “Symptoms of dry eye and recurrent erosion syndrome after refractive surgery” Journal of Cataract & Refractive Surgery. 2001 Apr; 27(4): 577-584. ▲
- Shoja MR, Besharati MR (2007). Dry eye after LASIK for myopia: Incidence and risk factors.European Journal of Ophthalmology, 2007 Jan-Feb; 17(1): 1-6. ▲
- Bailey MD, Zadnik K. “Outcomes of LASIK for myopia with FDA-approved lasers.” Cornea. 2007 Apr; 26(3): 246-54. ▲
- Rosenthal P. Patients as teachers. The Boston Eye Pain Foundation. Retrieved from href=”http://www.bostoneyepain.org/patients-as-teachers/?utm_source=Copy+of+Copy+of+Copy+of+June+10th+2013+LASIK+Advisory&utm_campaign=LasikAdvisory&utm_medium=email”>http://www.bostoneyepain.org/patients-as-teachers/?utm_source=Copy+of+Copy+of+Copy+of+June+10th+2013+LASIK+Advisory&utm_campaign=LasikAdvisory&utm_medium=email (Accessed August 9, 2013) ▲
- Alio J et al. “Ten-year follow up of laser in situ keratomileusis for myopia of up to – 10 diopters.”American Journal of Ophthalmology 2008; 145: 46-54. ▲
- Sabine Vollmer, “Some link depression, failed LASIK.” (February 3, 2008, The News Observer)available at href=”http://www.newsobserver.com/150/story/920341.html”>http://www.newsobserver.com/150/story/920341.html. ▲
- Ocular Surgery News, “Surgeon Shares Refractive Surgery Trends in Clinic in Australia” (May 18, 2009) available at href=”http://www.osnsupersite.com/view.aspx?rid=40013″>http://www.osnsupersite.com/view.aspx?rid=40013. ▲
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One of the basic parts of the Net is the online search engine. An online search engine, as its name implies, helps folks try to find essential websites and web pages which have info based upon the key words that the web surfers have actually encoded. A survey disclosed that around 90 % of Internet users utilize search engines in doing their Internet-related activities.
Web sites are created for the primary factor of being watched. They are websites which offer details that are planned to reach their target audience. This is the primary context which details the relevance of search engines.
Being listed in search engines is one point as well as being listed on the top listings of the search engines is an additional thing. When a person searches for a specific keyword via the search engine, the most preferred sites show up first and are typically the most seen websites.
Search engine optimization contains methods which intend at enhancing a website’s position in search engines’ listings. SEO has actually turneded into one of the sunlight sectors that belong to the Web. There are multiple ways on ways to do search engine optimization and many firms have actually dealt into this business.
Just how do Search Engines Run?
To be able to cherish the beauty of the fine art and also scientific research of search engine optimization, one should have the ability to understand exactly how search engines function. One might not have the ability to totally comprehend the nitty-gritty details of search engine optimization operations, yet he can value it to a level that he recognizes the significance that it plays in effectively marketing his website.
Look engines rank internet sites in various methods. An internet site can mainly be noted by an online search engine as a sponsored web link or a pay-per-click advertising campaign or as a result of organic search.
With the continuous development of online search engine, several online search engine have presented paid advertising. Website owners can really bid to be presented atop the web site listings of search engines. One of the most preferred example of this system is the Google Adwords system, which is shown at the right-hand side corner of the internet browser when one utilizes the Google online search engine.
A website could likewise be specified via natural search. Online search engine make use of “crawlers” and also “robotics” to be able to assess the components of a web site and they after that relay the details to the major search engine system to ensure that when a web surfer hunt for a certain topic, the sites which are organized to have that subject show up first. Search engine optimization is aimed mainly to be able to do certain things to a web site so about achieve ideal company to mirror a certain key phrase or topic.
History of SEO
Search engine optimization could be traced back to the mid-1900s. During those times, the online search engine launched the cataloging of the contents of the Internet. Webmasters had to submit their web sites to different online search engine to be able to obtain the interest of the engines’ crawlers. The crawlers gathered, looked at and also stated the details to the search engines. When the keyword phrase or subject is searched by surfers, the engines would then prepare the websites according to subject and displayed the internet sites.
Meta tags were utilized by web designers to be acknowledged by the search engines. After that, abuse of meta tags ended up being out of control, causing web sites to dominate searches that are irrelevant to them. Online search engine began to combat back by making use of more complex formulas which took into factor to consider various other factors such as the content that is contained within the floor tile, the domain, the file names, the key words density, the keyword distance, and also other such aspects.
Today, the newly created internet sites don’t require to send to the online search engine to be discovered. Spiders today can finding websites even via web links that are in the web site. The use of a website map or hypertext web links can aid the spiders to navigate the website.
The market of search engine optimization is a thriving one. As the Internet takes folks’s lives into more innovative stages, it has actually become increasingly more essential terms of info circulation, business property development and also communications. Having one’s internet site discovered by online search engine is an excellent way to start the entire Net quest.
Being listed in search engines is one thing and being specified on the top lists of the search engines is an additional point. When someone searches for a specific keyword phrase through the search engine, the most preferred internet sites show up initially as well as are typically the most gone to internet sites. Search engine optimization consists of approaches which intend at improving an internet site’s position in search engines’ listings. With the continuous property development of search engines, many search engines have introduced paid advertising. Browse engines utilize “spiders” as well as “robotics” to be able to analyze the components of an internet site and also they then relay the info to the main search engine system so that when a web surfer searches for a certain subject, the websites which are arranged to have that topic appear.
To learn more visit Bobs SEO http://www.BobsSEO.com
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Urban planning advocates like Jane Jacobs argued that people who live in neighborhoods should be active in the planning decisions around their homes.
But a new study from UCLA's Michael Lens and Paavo Monkkonen shows that in major cities, the wealthy have used the planning process to prevent increased density in their neighborhoods, freezing out lower-income residents who require more modest homes.
Cities have always had their share of wealthy and poor neighborhoods, but the result of decades of this kind of intervention, coupled with the exclusion of state-level governments from US city planning decisions, has greatly reduced the number of mixed-income neighborhoods where moderately wealthy, middle class, and poor people live close to one another.
This segregation has real effects on poor families, as studies have shown that poor kids who grow up in poor neighborhoods are more likely to become poor adults than those who grow up in mixed neighborhoods.
The study's authors recommend that cities shift their planning strategy from "beautifying" poor neighborhoods to get rich people to move there, to overriding residents NIMBYish objections in rich neighborhoods and building "inclusionary housing" there.
Lens and Monkkonen believe that regulations got us here, and it's possible that changes to the regulations could get us out. In a set of policy recommendations for city planners, they suggest that income segregation might be eased if states were more actively involved in regulating land use. They also suggest that cities relax density restrictions. Cities might also want to create incentives for people to live in mixed neighborhoods. Write Lens and Monkkonen:
We also urge a more extensive implementation of inclusionary housing in the wealthier areas of cities. Such policies have a much greater potential to reduce segregation than the alternative approach of incentivizing affluent households to move into lower-income parts of the city.
Data analysis reveals that US cities are segregating the wealthy [Annalee Newitz/Ars Technica]
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When Ted Turner donated $1 billion to the United Nations in 1997, he made headlines around the world. Today, he is known not only as a billionaire and founder of CNN, but also as a philanthropist and someone invested in making the world a better place.
Many people give away their money or time with no expectation of benefits in return. Now some scientists believe they may be one step closer to unlocking the biological secret behind generosity
A study published this week in the journal Public Library of Science suggests that a chemical in the body may be responsible for this behavior. Researchers found that subjects in the experiment who were given a nasal spray dose of oxytocin, a hormone that acts on the brain, were willing to give away 80 percent more money compared to those taking a placebo nasal spray.
"There are no good models to explain why people give away so much money and so many resources," said study author Paul Zak, a professor of economics and director of the Center for Neuroeconomics Studies at Claremont Graduate University in California.
"Some people give away money for social status or to impress friends, but many people give away $100 or $1,000 anonymously to someone they don't even know," he said. "Why do we do that? What drives us to care for other people?"
The answer to those questions may lie with our ability to empathize with others -- to put ourselves in another's shoes and to feel what others are feeling.
Hormones Just a Part of Giving
In 2005, individuals in the United States donated $200 billion to charity and more than 65 million people volunteered to help charities. When asked why they gave away their money and time to help strangers, 96 percent said they felt compassion toward others.
"Charitable giving is driven by empathy," said Zak. "We are a socially connected species."
And this empathy may be driven in part by the effects of the body's own oxytocin on the brain, Zak's research suggests.
Stephanie Brown, an assistant professor of general medicine at the University of Michigan Medical School, agrees.
"This is one of the first studies to suggest that the effect of oxytocin on helping behavior is dependent on certain social cues," she said.
But oxytocin alone is unlikely to make people any more generous. "There has to be trust or empathy as a moderator to determine if oxytocin is going to have an effect," Brown said.
The Generosity Game
To test the role of empathy, Zak and his colleagues had participants play the ultimatum game. Participants were divided into teams of two, and one subject in each pair received $10. The participant with the money was then asked to offer some amount of this money to their partner whom he or she did not know and could not see.
The second person could either choose to accept the offer, in which case the money was split as agreed upon, or reject the offer, in which case both participants received nothing.
"This game forces the person with $10 to think about how much the other person needs," said Zak. "You really have to take into account others' behaviors and feelings."
Researchers found that when participants were given oxytocin through a nasal spray, participants playing the ultimatum game were 80 percent more generous in their offers to split the money.
"People left the lab with less money," said Zak. "But they weren't necessarily unhappy.
"We are designed to care about others. The reason we are charitable is that we can't help it, we have a built in brain mechanism that connects us to other people."
Brown calls this brain mechanism the "care giving system."
"When people give out of compassion or because they really care about someone, there is a biological system at its roots," she explained. "There is a neurohormonal mechanism in the brain that exists because of a need to raise helpless offspring."
Dividends of Generosity
And it is this care giving system that oxytocin appears to affect. Oxytocin is a chemical that facilitates social interactions and bonding with our spouses and children. Previous studies have shown it may also be involved in trust.
Zak proposes that oxytocin cranks up the empathy and attachment we feel toward others. When we are more empathetic, we become more generous -- which explains why participants infused with the hormone gave away more of their money.
Brown agrees. "There are hormones, including oxytocin, that motivate us to suppress immediate short-term interests to take care of someone else," she said.
"It's obvious that people are all over the map when it comes to generosity -- some people are quite generous, others, not so much," said Bill Harbaugh, an associate professor of economics at the University of Oregon.
"Previous studies to understand this have focused on easily observable characteristics like gender, age, and religiosity. This paper provides a way to understand the biological and chemical foundations of the differences that we all observe in everyday life."
Of course, outside of the lab, people are not inhaling oxytocin. Our bodies make this hormone, which means further research is needed to determine how natural levels of oxytocin affect generosity.
"What this important paper does is reveal a chemical pathway that alters generosity," said Harbaugh. "So to understand why people give, we need to understand the factors that determine the production and uptake of oxytocin. How much of this is genetic, how much of it is acquired, and what are the interactions?"
And whether or not generosity is innate or acquired, writing that check to charity or volunteering your time at the soup kitchen may pay off in the long run.
"People who behave more empathetically tend to be happier, live longer, and are less sick," said Zak. "Social connections are associated with a longer, healthier life.
"Although it might be monetarily costly to be generous in the short run, there are long-term health benefits."
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Dr. Ronnie Hastings would like to correct two errors that appeared in Creation/Evolution XV.
FIGURE 6 in the Plates page, which features a comparison of the Taylor and II-D dinosaur trails, shows the direction of travel for the II-D trail as 10.1 degrees S of W, when it should be 9.9 degrees S of W. It should also have been noted that the two trails actually cross each other. This is the most important source of the stories that the Paluxy River area near Glen Rose features a human trackway that crosses a dinosaur trackway.
Also, on page thirteen of Hastings' article, it states that Dr. Schafersman visited Baugh's creation museum and the "mantrack" sites on September 1, 1984. He actually visited the museum and the "mantrack" sites on September 1 and 2 and ran into Richard L. Tierney who was photographing creationist sites at the time.
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With the flick of a switch Tuesday morning, OMRF began drawing energy out of the sky.
In a ceremony atop the foundation’s new research tower, OMRF President Stephen Prescott, M.D., and Oklahoma Supreme Court Chief Justice Steven Taylor released the brakes on 18 new vertical wind turbines. Those turbines will provide a portion of the electricity used in the tower, making it the first medical research facility in North America to harness the wind to generate its own power.
“With equipment like high-powered microscopes, DNA sequencers and freezers that maintain temperatures of 80 degrees below zero to preserve biological samples, medical research facilities are typically energy hogs,” said Prescott. “This wind farm will help diminish OMRF’s external power needs and lessen our carbon footprint. It will also make us unique among our peers.”
The turbines, each 18 ½ feet tall, stand in three parallel rows and are mounted in a specially designed hood that crowns the roof of OMRF’s 130-foot-tall research tower. Their purchase and installation was made possible through a gift from the McAlester-based Puterbaugh Foundation.
“The Puterbaugh Foundation has supported OMRF for more than a half-century,” said Chief Justice Taylor, Chairman of The Puterbaugh Foundation. “This wind farm is one more example of how OMRF is breaking new ground, and we are proud to be a partner in this effort.”
The helical turbines, reminiscent of the shape of DNA that OMRF scientists study, will create an estimated 85,500 kilowatt hours of energy annually—enough to power seven average-sized homes for a year.
“That’s not enough for the whole tower to run on wind energy alone, but it’s an investment in the future,” Prescott said. “By making some of our own energy and using new technology to make the rest of the building energy efficient, we’re cutting our carbon emissions by about 2 million pounds annually and saving the equivalent of 44,000 gallons of gasoline each year.”
Mounted and installed by Dallas-based SWG Energy Inc., the Venger Wind Model 2 turbines are constructed of aluminum and steel, making them heavy-duty enough to withstand the Oklahoma elements but light enough to harness the maximum amount of wind power. The energy they create is fed directly into the tower’s grid in a system that uses wind-generated power when available but seamlessly switches to OG+E power when necessary.
Other features of the tower, which was completed in 2011, include a state-of-the-art HVAC system with chilled beam technology to reduce the energy needed for heating and cooling, a rain garden made up of native Oklahoma plants to contain storm water discharge, and motion-activated lights. The entire building is also designed to capture as much natural sunlight as possible to reduce lighting needs and is expected to receive a gold LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) certification.
“Every day, OMRF’s scientists work to sustain human life,” Prescott said. “The turbines and the tower’s other energy-saving technologies are our small way of helping to sustain the planet.”
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Researchers have developed flexible, stretchable polymer-based solar cells on plastic foil substrates thinner than spider silk and able to generate 10 watts per gram.
Cooperation between scientists at the Johannes Kepler University Linz (JKU) in Austria and the University of Tokyo led to the development of the cells, which are over ten times thinner, lighter and more flexible than any other solar cell of any technology to date.
While not the type of solar cell you would use in traditional solar panels – silicon based PV is still far superior to organic photovoltaics when it comes to efficiency – the development has applications for electronic textiles, synthetic skin and robotics.
“In all of these areas it is important that cells not only be highly efficient, but also light and flexible. There are many areas in which rigid and inelastic cells are inapplicable,” said Dr. Martin Kaltenbrunner, from JKU’s Institute of Experimental Physics.
“The basic system can also be applied to electrical circuitry which would be something that the industrial sector, for example, would take interest in.”
The new cells can attain a 4.2% power conversion efficiency and tensile strains of more than 300% on an elastomeric support, according to the research paper published in scientific journal, Nature Communications.
The image above depicts the bending flexibility of the cell demonstrated by it being wrapped around a human hair with a radius of 35 microns.
The substrate used for the cell is a commercially available form of Mylar 1.4 CW02, a form of PET film. The total device is only 1.9 microns thick and around one-quarter of the thickness is the active solar cell.
Source/image source – Kaltenbrunner, M. et al. Ultrathin and lightweight organic solar cells with high flexibility. Nat. Commun. 3:770 doi: 10.1038/ncomms1772 (2012).
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Kevin wants to take Dana out to dinner for her birthday, but she is afraid to leave the apartment. As she and Kevin eat dinner in the kitchen, she feels dizzy and gets whisked away.
Dana finds herself in a bedroom. A red-haired boy stands in front of burning drapes, holding a charred stick. Dana out puts the fire. The boy turns out to be Rufus; he remembers almost drowning a few years earlier. He also remembers that before he went under, he saw Dana sitting in her apartment and unpacking books. Because she was wearing pants, Rufus thought Dana was a man. Rufus says he thinks Dana went back to the room with the books. He says his mother thought Dana was just a “strange nigger.” Dana bristles at the epithet, a reaction Rufus doesn’t understand. Dana asks him to call her a black woman instead.
Rufus says he set fire to the drapes because his father beat him. He shows her awful welts on his back, and she notices old scars underneath the fresh wounds. He tells her that they are in Maryland, and that it is the year 1815. He says his last name is Weylin and confirms that he has a young black friend, a free woman, named Alice Greenwood. When Dana hears these names, she realizes that Rufus is her ancestor. Rufus tells Dana that she would be safe at Alice’s house. He helps her sneak out of the house, and she helps him destroy the charred curtains.
Dana makes her way through the fields and woods. She has to duck out of sight to avoid encountering a patrol of several young white men on horses. She follows the men to a cabin in the woods. She watches as they drag a black man out of the cabin and tie him to a tree. The men whip the black man and speak rudely to his wife, who is standing in the yard with her young daughter. One of the patrollers takes the black man away. Another punches the woman’s face. After the white men leave, Dana calls out “Alice,” and the young girl looks in her direction.
Dana helps bring Alice’s mother to consciousness and then tells her that she is a free woman in need of help. Alice’s mother tells Dana that the beaten man, her husband, is a slave of Tom Weylin, Rufus’s father. Knowing that the idea of California would be confusing, since in 1815 it was a Spanish colony, Dana lies and says she is from New York, and that her husband is there. Dana goes to retrieve the blanket from outside, but a patrolman has returned. Mistaking Dana for the twin of Alice’s mother, he chases her into the woods, beats her savagely, and rips her clothes off as a preface to raping her. Dana hits him with a stick and loses consciousness.
Dana returns to her home, and Kevin is there. She refuses to tell him what happened until after she has slept.
Nigel is the son of Carrie and Luke, but it says Carrie is Nigel's wife. Not sure about that.
6 out of 15 people found this helpful
Carries and nigel are married and their babies name is jude luke is nigels father duhhhhh
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The purpose of this article is to provide nurses with information about herpes simplex virus (HSV): its transmission and diagnosis, and the recommended management during pregnancy and birth. Genital herpes is one of the three most common, chronic sexually transmitted infections in the United States. Diagnosis of HSV infection is challenging, because obtaining cultures of lesions can be difficult and delays occur before accurate results are available. Serological testing can determine whether a person has had the infection, but antibodies are not present in sufficient quantities for about 6 to 12 weeks after exposure, leaving a large window of time for false-negative results. Pregnant women who have genital herpes present a complex management situation because fetal exposure to the virus during the birth process can lead to neonatal infection and high morbidity and mortality rates. Appropriate physical, psychological, and educational management of seropositive and/or symptomatic women during pregnancy, coupled with prompt diagnosis and treatment of infected newborns, offers the best hope for positive outcomes.
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Let's not repeat the Galileo fiasco
Can biblical wisdom share a stage with science?
Fr William Grimm International
June 30, 2014
In the 16th and 17th centuries, advances in astronomy came faster than people -- including Church leaders -- could understand the new ideas and adapt to them. That was among the reasons that Galileo was condemned by the Inquisition. Church leaders had not had (or taken) time to reconcile the newly discovered facts of science with traditional religious views. So, they did what we all do in such situations: they became more vehement in holding to the old. It remains one of the more embarrassing events of Church history.
It is a safe assumption that we will increasingly find ourselves saddled with out-of-date scientific views and teachings based upon them as scientific progress accelerates and broadens. And it is an equally safe assumption that we will either ignore new discoveries and understandings in the sciences or try to make them fit old prejudices until we are forced to admit that demonstrated reality must take precedence over venerable intellectual presuppositions.
For example, astronomers had added such planetary acrobatics as epicycles (basically loop-the-loops) to the ancient Greek idea of the universe in order to keep up with observed phenomena. But, the complications became so involved that when Copernicus presented a sun-centered picture that simplified it all, the Ptolemaic system was doomed.
In fact, the system presented by Copernicus, in a work he withheld from publication until after his death in 1543 because he feared the sort of treatment Galileo eventually received, was less accurate than the traditional one, but it was clear that though adjustments were needed, it was closer to the observable facts. (The adjustment entailed abandoning the prejudice that planetary motion must be circular because the circle is a "perfect" form. Planetary orbits are actually ellipses, or squashed circles.)
Eventually, of course, we came to accept that the Earth is not the unmoved center of the solar system, though it was only in 1992 that Pope John Paul II declared that Galileo was right in saying that the sun is the center of the solar system and that the Roman authorities who condemned him as being "suspect of heresy" were wrong.
The Catholic Church has a better record when it comes to scientific theories of evolution. Perhaps in part because of embarrassment over the Galileo affair, Catholic teaching has been pretty much at ease with the ideas of Darwin and his successors and has taken time to see how traditional teachings might have to be adapted or understood in new ways. Instead of using biblical accounts to describe the how of creation, we use science to describe it and biblical wisdom to understand it.
Today, where might we find leaders of the Church struggling to maintain disciplines, ideas and practices based on out-of-date scientific (including social scientific) ideas? Where might advances in the sciences be moving faster than our ability to evaluate, moderate, change, abandon or re-affirm old attitudes?
Clearly, issues of reproductive biology and other life issues present contemporary examples. A frequent response has been to hold to the old. Sometimes that may be done as a stopgap while exploring options; at other times it is done as a way of forestalling reevaluation. However, as St Augustine pointed out as early as the fifth century, teachings that fail to take into account the most up-to-date scientific knowledge merely bring believers and faith itself into disrepute.
Issues of birth control, fertility treatment, in vitro fertilization, sperm and egg donation, surrogate pregnancy and such are "hot button" issues that are often dealt with by recourse to concepts of natural law and philosophy that do not take into account modern knowledge and thus leave the Church open to opposition not because its position is right or wrong, but because of the ignorance of those who espouse that teaching.
At the other end of life, medical advances in maintaining biological functioning raise questions of what can and cannot be done in cases that only a few years ago would have not arisen because death was inevitable and quick.
There are also, of course, issues about life between conception and death that also require taking into account wisdom acquired especially through the social sciences. For example, in defiance of facts Church leaders insist upon a definition of the family as a unit of a father, a mother and offspring even though, for example, single-parent families have been with us forever.
The upcoming synod on the family will deal with some of these issues, but unless the bishops listen humbly and attentively to what the world has learned about biology, psychology, sociology and anthropology, their deliberations will be ignored or even scorned.
We may, in fact, find that old wisdom gains new life when based upon new knowledge. Or, we may find that what was thought to be sure and based upon reality has actually relied upon inaccurate data for its justification; justification that no longer makes sense and merely draws the Church, its teachings, teachers and believers into futile battles with reality.
Maryknoll Fr William Grimm, based in Tokyo, is publisher of ucanews.com.
Marites Flor, a Filipino woman, was kidnapped with two Canadians and a Norwegian in September
Vatican spokesman treads lightly in response to events occurring inside China
Villagers in Bago Division destroyed parts of a mosque, a madrassa and some houses following an argument
Francis Atul Sarker vows to boost Caritas services for more people
Reintroduction will see many innocent and poor people executed in the Philippines, they say
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Iran is one of the ancient and enduring civilizations that have abundant intellectual variety and depth. It has had significant political impact on its neighbours and the world in general. Its history is rich and has a lot to tell from the times of Prophet Zoroaster to the period of ancient Persian Empires, and Iran’s nuclear standoff.
Iran shares a common culture, a series of dynasties and ethnic diversity. Iran was known as Persia until 1935 when it adopted its current name. Iran is also an Islamic state that sits on an area of 1.648 million square kilometres.
It is mostly a desert with a theocratic government and more than 60 million people. The early Persian Empire was an intimidating terrain with plateaus and mountain ranges. Arabs, Mongols and Turks also constantly invaded it.
The major interest with Iran arose when they discovered oil in the 20th century and those who were interested were countries like Russia and Great Britain. The United States also expresses interest in Iran’s oil reserves and largely influenced the governance of the state. United States and Britain organised a coup d’état in 1953 to oust Prime Minister Mohammed Mosaddeq and subsequently Shah Mohammad Reza Pahlavi took power.
Iran become close to Washington who provided military and economic aid until the 1960s. Iran then developed a strong army with the help of the British and American defense programs.
Although Iran is an Islamic state, it has experienced increased Westernization despite criticism from the clergy on secularization.
It started with disharmony among the hereditary monarch-Shah- in the 1960s. In 1970s, Shah Reza Pahlavi had to deal with strong opposition orchestrated by an exiled spiritual leader, Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini. Pahlavi had to leave power in 1970 due to this and Khomeini succeeded him.
Khomeini was mostly anti-American and did not support the West. This is the time when Iran became an Islamic republic.
Iran inaugurated a new constitution that required the president to be elected and serve as the head of government. However, the supreme authority came from the clergy who could appoint the commanders of the armed forces, chief judge and other high ranking position holders.
Ties With America
The overthrown Shah went to the United States for medical treatment but this also led to protests from Islamic students to return him for trial in Iran. The United States did not act on this. Subsequently the students and military attached the U.S. embassy in Tehran and took 50 people hostage.
The hostages were held for 444 days and plans to rescue them failed. This situation stressed the relationship between America and Iran. The hostage situation ended when Ronald Reagan became the U.S. president and saw to their release.
The War With Iraq
In the 1980s, Iran fought Iraq for eight years. The war began due to rising tension with its neighbor. It was Iraq who invaded Iran in 1980 over a border dispute in the Shatt-al-Arab waterway area.This war largely affected Iran, and there were so many casualties. The estimated number is 300,000 to two million but the exact number is unknown.
Leadership After the War
Since the takeover by the clergy, the leadership mostly remained conservative. There were small attempts by moderates to Westernise some of the institutions but this did not achieve much. The conservatives had already advanced their agenda due to being in power.
Iran and Nuclear Installations
Iran was also been mentioned in negative light when they set-up nuclear operations and failed to disclose the same during international inspections. There werefears that Iran is developing nuclear weapons but they strongly denied this. They insisted that their drive towards nuclear was peaceful and aimed to build an atomic power station.
The United States consequently suspended trade with Iran in 1995 over this and over claims that it supports terrorist groups. The tension with the United States built over time especially due to its plans to pursue nuclear weapons. This was further heightened when the United States invaded Iraq in 2003.
In 2005, a hardline mayor of Tehran became president and continued the nuclear project. The president, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, repudiated the Holocaust and made anti-Israel comments. He constantly gave controversial remarks.
In 2006, Iran made enriched uranium. The world called for the cease but that did not happen and sanctions were hence imposed. Iran greatly suffered because of this and because of declining oil prices. As a result, the support for Ahmadinejad weakened.
In 2009, Ahmadinejad still took office with a landslide victory. He beat a reform candidate, Mir Hossein Mousavi, who was the former prime minister. Mousavi cried foul and the supports of both candidates took to the streets to protest.Some of the protesters lost their lives, including innocent bystanders.
In the 2013 presidential election, Hassan Rouhani won, and he promised to restore Iran’s relationship with the world.
In 2015, Iran held talks with six world powers on its nuclear strategy, and they came to an understanding to limit Iran’s programs. After the talks, the European Union foreign policy chief, Federica Mogherini, was happy about the decision with Iran and sanctions were lifted.
The deal was a provisional agreement that had facts and figures and was a great leap.
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Buildings or architectural elements have often been used to provide form or decoration for some apparently unrelated objects, such as a wine jars, biscuit tins or workboxes.
Wine pot in the form of a Chinese gate
Miyagawa Kozan (1842-1916)
Porcelain with underglaze blue decoration
Height 17 cm x width 20 cm x 8 cm
Museum no. C.562 &A-1920
Gift of Kenneth Dingwall through the National Art Collections Fund
This porcelain wine pot depicts various architectural features including a gateway and the lid shaped as a pagoda-style building reminiscent of ancient Chinese city wall architecture. The dragon-shaped handle and spout also add to the whimsical character of the vessel.
Model of a Chinese garden with pavilions
Wood, metal, kingfisher feathers, pearls and ivory
Height 59 cm x width 62 cm x depth 46 cm
Museum no. 9348 (IS)
Acquired by the V&A in 1880 from the India Museum, part of the East India Company which disbanded in 1858, this model shows imaginary building structures. These large rocky landscape scenes dotted with pavilions were often produced for Chinese export to the west. Unusually, this example is almost entirely inlaid with kingfisher feathers rather than the customary carved ivory.
Biscuit tin in the shape of a windmill
Huntley & Palmers
Probably manufactured by Huntley, Boone & Stevens
Lithograph printed tin
Museum no. M.388-1983
It is unusual to find decorative additions, such as the blades on this windmill tin, intact, as tins were often played with by children. A particularly charming detail on this tin is the miller's wife in the doorway, holding a large tin of Huntley & Palmers biscuits.
Ring with an architectural motif
Designed and made by Michael Burton
Height 6 cm x width 2 cm x depth 2 cm
Museum no. M.296-1975
The design of this ring was inspired by traditional Jewish marriage rings. These rings are often decorated with a representation of a miniature building, said to portray the Temple, the synagogue or the new home the married couple were about to set up.
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Philip William , Margrave of Brandenburg-Schwedt
b.19 May 1669
d.19 Dec 1711 Schwedt an der Oder, Brandenburg, Preußen, Germany
m. 13 Jun 1668
Facts and Events
Philip William, Prince in Prussia (; May 19, 1669, castle of Königsberg – December 19, 1711, castle of Schwedt) was a Prussian Prince, was the first owner of the Prussian secundogeniture of Brandenburg-Schwedt and governor of Magdeburg from 1692 to 1711.
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The royal abbey of Fontevraud
900 years of history on 14 hectares
The 14 hectares of the Royal Abbey of Fontevraud tell 900 years of history.
From the first constructions in Romanesque style through to the last 19th-century additions, its buildings narrate the history of architecture and the history of France. The Royal necropolis of the Plantagenêts is the final resting place of sworn enemies of the crown during the Hundred Years War: Eleanor of Aquitaine, Henry II, Richard the Lionheart and Isabelle of Angoulême).
The Abbey also tells the history of equal opportunities before there was any such thing. The 5 monasteries that formed the site were home to men and women alike. And according to the wish of its astonishing founder, Robert d'Arbrissel, at their head was a woman.
But at the French Revolution, the country’s richest abbey lost its religious vocation. Napoleon made it a prison and it is only since 1975 that it has been home to the very active Cultural Centre of the West.
Vaste citée monastique fondée en 1101 (architecture romane XIIè s) et transformée en partie au cours des siècles (architecture des XVIe, XVIIe, XVIIIe et XIXe siècles), l'Abbaye Royale de Fontevraud est l'une des plus grandes d'Europe.
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HANS HECKLEMANN’S LUCK
Hans Hecklemann had no luck at all. Now and then we hear folks say that they have no luck, but they only mean that their luck is bad and that they are ashamed of it. Everybody but Hans Hecklemann had luck of some kind, either good or bad, and, what is more, everybody carries his luck about with him; some carry it in their pocket-books, some carry it in their hats, some carry it on their finger tips, and some carry it under their tongues—these are lawyers. Mine is at this moment sitting astride of my pen, though I can no more see it than though it was thin air; whether it is good or bad depends entirely as to how you look upon it.
But Hans Hecklemann had no luck at all. How he lost it nobody knows, but it is certain that it was clean gone from him.
He was as poor as charity, and yet his luck was not bad, for, poor as he was, he always had enough for his wife and his family and himself to eat. They all of them worked from dawn to nightfall, and yet his luck was not good, for he never laid one penny on top of the other, as the saying is. He had food enough to eat, and clothes enough to wear, so his luck was not indifferent. Now, as it was neither good, bad, nor indifferent, you see that it could have been no luck at all.
Hans Hecklemann’s wife was named Catherine. One evening when Hans came into the cottage with just enough money to buy them all bread and not a cracked farthing to spare, Catherine spoke to him of this matter.
“Hans,” said she, “you have no luck at all.”
[Illustration: Hans Hecklemann, Catherine.]
“No,” said Hans, “I have not,” which was the truth, as I have already told you.
“What are you going to do about it?” said Catherine.
“Nothing at all,” said Hans.
“Doing nothing puts no cabbage into the pot,” said Catherine.
“It takes none out,” said Hans.
“See, Hans,” said Catherine; “go to the old wise woman in the wood and talk to her about it; who knows but that she can tell you how and where you lost your luck?”
“If I should find my luck it might be bad and not good,” said Hans.
“It is worth having a look at,” said Catherine; “you can leave it where you find it if it does not please you.”
“No,” said Hans; “when a man finds his luck he has to take it, whether he likes it or no.”
So Hans talked, but he had made up his mind to do as Catherine said, to go and see the old wise woman in the wood. He argued with her, but he only argued with her to let her know how little was her knowledge and how great was his. After he had clearly shown her how poor her advice was, he took it. Many other men are like Hans Hecklemann.
So, early the next morning, Hans jogged along to the old wise woman’s cottage, while the day was sweet and fresh. The hedgerows were covered all over with white blossoms, as though it was with so much snow; the cuckoo was singing among the budding branches, and the little flowers were looking up everywhere with their bright faces. “Surely,” said Hans to himself, “if I find my luck on this day, it must be good and not ill.”
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Irrigation Systems Irrigation Scheduling
Watering your landscape with an automatic irrigation system will likely be the single largest use of water in your home. You can dramatically improve efficiency by using proper irrigation scheduling techniques such as those outlined below.
In the best of all possible worlds your irrigation system would supply your landscape with exactly the right amount of water to keep it healthy. The system would shutoff when it rains and would increase watering times during dry spells. The perfect system would supply different amounts of water to different types of plants and would eliminate over-spray onto sidewalks and pavements. The perfect system would only run at night to minimize evaporation losses and it would alert you if there was a broken head or a stuck valve or some other problem.
Unfortunately, the perfect irrigation system does not exist. Some new technologies to control irrigation based on weather patterns are being tested across the country (see Irrigation Future Trends), but until these products reach the mass market, irrigation scheduling and clock programming is a regular chore for many homeowners.
Proper irrigation scheduling is a skill that surprisingly few have mastered. Many people don’t realize that they must change their irrigation program regularly as the seasons change. Ideally you should program your sprinkler clock weekly or even daily to maximize efficiency. But even monthly changes to the irrigation schedule will result in substantial water savings and improved plant health. You should turn the system off when it rains and make frequent adjustments to the timing of each zone so that just the right amount of water is applied. Few people have the time or inclination to take this micro-managing approach, so these tips are designed to help you maximize efficiency with your sprinkler system through sensible scheduling.
The biggest problems encountered are watering too much and too frequently. Many of the common turf grass and landscape shrub diseases are made worse by, or even may be the result of, watering too frequently.
Irrigation Scheduling Tips
Water At Night
Understand the Water Needs of Your Plants
It is important to understand the needs of drought-tolerant plants. These plants are often native to arid climates where it rains heavily for short periods, followed by long periods with no rain at all. The drought tolerant features of arid region plants allow them to survive and even thrive under these feast or famine water conditions.
Drought tolerant plants may be found growing in all types of soils, from sand to clay. Sandy soils do not hold moisture well, and drain quickly. They are the easiest soils to grow drought tolerant plants in when irrigation is available. Clay soils hold water tightly for long periods of time, and cause the most problems with over-watering. Watering needs to be much less frequent in clay soils to allow the drying time that these plants need.
Never Water if the Soil is Wet
The first basic irrigation scheduling rule for drought-tolerant plants is never water if the soil is still wet. The old rule for landscape care was "if it doesn't look right, water it". This is often the worst possible thing to do. Plants wilt for any number of reasons other than needing water. Wilting for some perennials happens on hot afternoons no matter how much water they have.
Wilting in drought tolerant plants is often the first sign of too much water. The roots die from too much water, then the plant wilts from lack of water uptake by the roots. Any number of other diseases or even insect damage can also cause wilting. Some drought tolerant plants fold their leaves on hot afternoons to conserve water, which can be mistaken for wilting. So never assume a plant needs to be watered because it looks wilted. Check to see if the soil is wet first.
When You do Water, Don't be Stingy
Cycle Your Sprinklers
Technical note: in large areas of turf you may not notice the run-off because the water doesn't run into a gutter or over a sidewalk, but runs off to the lowest area in the lawn. It's still critically important to prevent the run-off. If you don't, muddy, wet areas will result where turf diseases will thrive, mosquitoes will breed, and your mower will leave ruts.
Avoid Cycling Drip Systems
The problem with a drip system is saturating the soil throughout the entire planter area, not just the soil directly under the emitter. To saturate the entire planter area the water has to move outward in the soil from the emitter locations. In all but the sandiest of soils the water can be forced to move at least 36 inches in each direction away from the emitter through a combination of positive displacement and capillary action.
To achieve the positive displacement part of this action it is necessary to avoid cycling the drip system. Run the drip system as long as possible at a time. Create small berms if necessary to control run-off. In some clay soils you may need to cycle the drip system like you would a sprinkler system to avoid run-off, but try to keep it down to just one repeat cycle if possible. Remember, if you can't achieve saturation of the entire planter area, you at least want the wetted area around each emitter to be as big as you can make it in a single 24 hour period. You may even need to add more emitters to achieve the goal. If you do add more emitters, space them at least 36 inches apart. Remember, the goal isn't to add more water to the areas that are already wet, the goal is to wet more area for the roots to grow in.
Click here for information on different drip emitters and their precipitation rates.
Multiple Start Times
Table 1: Sample watering schedule
Start times: 12:30 a.m., 2:00 a.m., 3:30 a.m.
Adjust Your Schedule As Needed
Some sprinkler clocks have a rain pause button that enables you to postpone irrigation for a day or more. On other clocks it is easy to shut the entire system off for any period of time. Some newer clocks also have % increase/decrease feature. This is a nice feature that enables you to reduce or increase watering across your entire system by a fixed percentage. This feature makes it much easier to adjust your clock for changes in the weather.
Consider a Rain Shutoff Device
For more information on irrigation scheduling visit:
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Field trials and genetic studies have shown that a new variety of broccoli reliably yields higher levels of a health-promoting compound.
Broccoli contains a compound called glucoraphanin, which has been shown to promote health by maintaining cardiovascular health and a reduction in the risk of cancer. A long term breeding programme to increase glucoraphanin levels has resulted in the commercial release of Beneforté broccoli. Beneforté was developed by crossing standard broccoli with a wild relative derived from Sicily.
Publicly funded research to develop Beneforté broccoli was led by two of the UK’s world-leading biological research institutes: the Institute of Food Research and the John Innes Centre, on the Norwich Research Park. They both receive strategic funding from the Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council (BBSRC).
Three years of field trials at over 50 different sites in Europe and the United States have shown that Beneforté broccoli consistently produces 2-3 times the amount of glucoraphanin than other leading varieties of broccoli, without affecting yield, quality or the levels of other nutrients.
Glucoraphanin contains sulphur, which broccoli derives from the soil. New research, published in the journal New Phytologist, shows that Beneforté increases the amount of sulphur it takes up from the soil, and also channels more of it into glucoraphanin. Genetic analysis identified a single gene derived from the original wild relative that is responsible for both of these changes. In standard broccoli varieties, different soils can cause variation in glucoraphanin levels. These findings explain how Beneforté consistently delivers more glucoraphanin than ordinary broccoli.
Professor Richard Mithen of the Institute of Food Research is now leading ongoing studies to understand how glucoraphanin in Beneforté exerts its effects on human health, with particular focus on the cardiovascular system and prostate cancer.
Beneforté broccoli was launched in the UK in 2011 and is available from Marks and Spencer and Asda.
We are currently looking to recruit volunteers for a study into whether extra Broccoli in your diet have an effect on your risk of developing heart disease?
We are aiming to recruit:
- Men and Women aged 50 and above
- Smokers and Non-smokers
- People willing to eat broccoli
For more details please click here: Annex 4 _V2_NorwichAd_
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Eyes and wings are among the most stunning innovations evolution has created. Remarkably these features have evolved multiple times in different lineages of animals. For instance, the avian ancestors of birds and the mammalian ancestors of bats both evolved wings independently, in an example of convergent evolution. The same happened for the eyes of squid and humans. Exactly how such convergent evolution arises is not always clear.
In a new study, published in Nature Scientific Reports, researchers have found that, despite belonging to completely different lineages, humans and squid evolved through tweaks to the same gene.
Eyes are the prize
Like all organs, the eye is the product of many genes working together. The majority of those genes provide information about how to make part of the eye. For example, one gene provides information to construct a light-sensitive pigment. Another gene provides information to make a lens.
Most of the genes involved in making the eye read like a parts list - this gene makes this, and that gene makes that. But some genes orchestrate the construction of the eye. Rather than providing instructions to make an eye part, these genes provide information about where and when parts need to be constructed and assembled. In keeping with their role in controlling the process of eye formation, these genes are called "master control genes".
The most important of master control genes implicated in making eyes is called Pax6. The ancestral Pax6 gene probably orchestrated the formation of a very simple eye - merely a collection of light-sensing cells working together to inform a primitive organism of when it was out in the open versus in the dark, or in the shade.
Today the legacy of that early Pax6 gene lives on in an incredible diversity of organisms, from birds and bees, to shellfish and whales, from squid to you and me. This means the Pax6 gene predates the evolutionary diversification of these lineages - during the Cambrian period, some 500m years ago.
The Pax6 gene now directs the formation of an amazing diversity of eye types. Beyond the simple eye, it is responsible for insects' compound eye, which uses a group of many light-sensing parts to construct a full image. It is also responsible for the type of eye we share with our vertebrate kin: camera eye, an enclosed structure with its iris and lens, liquid interior, and image-sensing retina.
In order to create such an elaborate structure, the activities Pax6 controlled became more complex. To accommodate this, evolution increased the number of instructions that arose from a single Pax6 gene.
pacificklaus, CC BY-NC
Making the cut
Like all genes, the Pax6 gene is an instruction written in DNA code. In order for the code to work, the DNA needs to be read and then copied into a different kind of code. The other code is called RNA.
RNA code is interesting in that it can be edited. One kind of editing, called splicing, removes a piece from the middle of the code, and stitches the two ends together. The marvel of splicing is that it can be used to produce two different kinds of instructions from the same piece of RNA code. RNA made from the Pax6 can be spliced in just such a manner. As a consequence, two different kinds of instructions can be generated from the same Pax6 RNA.
In the new study, Atsushi Ogura at the Nagahama Institute of Bio-Science and Technology and colleagues found that Pax6 RNA splicing has been used to create a camera eye in a surprising lineage. It occurs in the lineage that includes squid, cuttlefish, and octopus - the cephalopods.
Cephalopods have a camera eye with the same features as the vertebrate camera eye. Importantly, the cephalopod camera eye arose completely independently from ours. The last common ancestor of cephalopods and vertebrates existed more than 500m years ago.
Pax6 RNA splicing in cepahlopods is a wonderful demonstration of how evolution fashions equivalent solutions via entirely different routes. Using analogous structures, evolution can provide remarkable innovations.
Malcolm Campbell receives funding from the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada, and from Genome Canada.
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1920 Diary, by Isaac Babel
By Mark Heckman
Related to: Volhynia (Province)
, Book Reviews
Author: Babel, Isaac; [edited by Carol J. Avins; translated by H.T. Willetts].
Publishing information: New Haven & London: Yale University Press, 1995.
In Russia at the end of WWI, the Bolshevik Red Army was locked in a civil war with the remnants of the Royalist White Army and with various nationalist groups. In 1920, having finally gained the upper hand over the White armies, the Bolsheviks faced a new threat from the newly reconstituted Poland. Trying to conquer territory that they had last ruled 150 years before, Polish armies marched eastward into Rusia. The Poles made rapid advances, eventually taking Kiev in May of 1920. To counter the Poles in Ukraine, the Red Army brought up its powerful Cossack First Cavalry Army. By the summer of 1920, Bolshevik forces managed to push the Poles back through Volhynia into Eastern Galicia (to within five miles of Lvov) and behind the borders of Congress Poland, advancing west of Bialystock. Polish resistance stiffened, however, and with armaments supplied by Western nations the Poles turned back the Russians. By September the Poles had once more advanced as far east as Rovno.
Isaac Babel was an army correspondent with the Red Army's First Cavalry Army, attached to the Political Department of the Sixth Division, filing stories for the Army's daily newspaper, the Red Cavalryman. In addition to his official duties, Babel kept a personal diary, which was later a source of material for his most famous literary works, a group of short stories collectively titled Red Cavalry. Diary" reflects Babel's simultaneous admiration of the Cossacks' daring and his disgust at their cruelty. Despite the efforts of the political officers, the Cossacks were notorious for slaughtering prisoners, for plundering each town, and for attacking and raping the townfolk. Another source of unease was the uncomfortable position of a Jew in the Red Army, where anti-Semitism was officially counter-revolutionary, but where deep-seated bigotry still remained -- especially among the Cossacks.
While not necessarily keeping it a secret, Babel kept his Jewishness quiet. Sometimes, when asked point-blank if he was a Jew, he would say only that his father was Jewish. Babel was also troubled by the conflict between his belief in the value of socialism and the brutality of his army toward the people it was ostensibly intended to liberate.
A major theme that runs through the Diary is Babel's reaction to the plight of the unfortunate people in each town, primarily Jews, caught between the two armies. In town after town, Jews were robbed, raped and murdered, first by one army and then the other. Babel describes in detail some of the worst of these events that occurred in Komarow and Berestechko, and at one point draws a parallel between the destruction caused by Bohdan Khmelnytsky's army (see the book review for Abyss of Despair) and the First Cavalry Army: "Unfortunate Jewish population, everything repeats itself, now that whole story -- Poles, Cossacks, Jews -- is repeating itself with stunning exactitude, the only new element is communism."
The value of 1920 Diary for Jewish genealogists who are researching their families from Volhynia and Eastern Galicia is its first-hand account of the conditions endured by the people during a period whose history is not well known in the West. The Diary contains entries that Babel made in a number of towns, including (from Volhynia) Dubno, Khotin, Berestechko, and Kovel, as well as (from Eastern Galicia) Brody, Laskow, Adamy, and Sokal. A true diary, and not a narrative, each entry consists of impressions and shorthand descriptions -- intended to jog the writer's memory rather than to convey complete descriptions to another reader.
Isaac Babel was arrested in May 1939 by the NKVD (predecessor to the KGB) and shot eight months later; his papers were burned. The Diary, however, had been left at a friend's house in Kiev and survived. Excerpts were finally published for the first time in 1987. I obtained this book from the library at the University of California at Davis, call number DK 265.7 B28 1995. -- Mark Heckman (Apr 1998)
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On March 18, 1937, a natural gas leak resulted in an explosion at the school, killing over 300 people. The disaster lead to the addition of odorants to natural gas so that leaks would be quickly detected.
Related categories 4
New London Texas School Explosion
Museum site dedicated to the victims. Includes community history, articles, photographs, recollections, and reunions.
Robert Hilliard's Website of the World
Information about the New London school explosion on March 18, 1937.
KUHF Radio: New London School Disaster
Transcript and audio. (January 14, 2008)
Last update:April 15, 2016 at 3:39:10 UTC
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ECOVIEWS: Profiling, identity theft work well in some cases
Published: Sunday, November 17, 2013 at 3:30 a.m.
Last Modified: Saturday, November 16, 2013 at 10:14 p.m.
We often hear of someone being criticized for “profiling” someone else. In that context, profiling (aka stereotyping) means failing to recognize an individual for his or her personal qualities and instead indiscriminately projecting general traits ascribed to a group onto an individual. Among human beings, such behavior can have significant consequences for both the profiler and the person being profiled.
Interestingly, some other species also use a kind of profiling. And as with people, the consequences can be significant. Early scientific evidence of profiling in nature was presented in the 1800s by Henry Bates, a British naturalist. In the spirit of adventure, Bates set out to explore the jungles of the Amazon River. After spending more than a decade in South American forests collecting birds, insects and other creatures, Bates made a highly significant scientific discovery — the phenomenon of animal mimicry.
He reported the idea to science in a publication in 1862. He noted that insect predators, especially birds, readily ate butterflies. Nonetheless, he observed that a few species of butterflies flitted openly and languidly through the Amazonian forests without being eaten or even attacked by anything. He surmised that they must be unpalatable. Caterpillars feeding on plants that produce poisonous chemicals that do not harm the caterpillar develop into butterflies that are poisonous to predators. Bates noted that these free-flying butterflies all had conspicuously colored wings that made them readily recognizable. It was easy for a predator to make a quick judgment call and avoid the poisonous insect. In other words, a butterfly with a striking and identifiable color pattern was one not to be eaten. The birds used profiling to keep from consuming the wrong prey.
However, Bates also determined that some species of a typically plain-colored group of palatable butterfly species unrelated to the inedible group could also fly around the forest with impunity. Why? Because some of the edible species had evolved wing colors that mimicked the inedible species. Even he was unable to differentiate between some of the species when they were in flight, although they belonged to different families of butterflies.
For more than a century and a half, scientific debate has continued over Bates’ interpretations about mimicry, with many scientists dancing on the head of a pin about one aspect or another. But it is beyond debate that some butterflies can fly around protected from bird predation because their appearance is similar to other butterflies that are noxious.
Another classic example of profiling is seen in predators that prey on snakes. The harmless scarlet kingsnake of the Southeast, with its colorful red, yellow and black body rings, mimics the deadly eastern coral snake, which has rings of the same colors. The arrangement of the rings is different in the two species, but how many snake-eating birds are going to make that determination on the fly?
A field research project conducted in areas where both scarlet kingsnakes and coral snakes occur suggested that most predators will not take the risk. The researchers concluded that predators were significantly more likely to avoid snakes with red, yellow and black rings compared to snakes that were plain brown or longitudinally striped. In other words, most predators would consider it more prudent to forfeit a meal of a scarlet kingsnake than risk trying to eat a coral snake and ending up dead instead. Having a mental profile that red, yellow and black rings can mean trouble is a survival mechanism, although the particular tricolored individual may be harmless.
Although these examples may simplify the behavior, animals indisputably use profiling as a survival mechanism. So, since profiling is a natural phenomenon, perhaps we should not criticize the conduct in humans. Perhaps. On the other hand, among the other natural behaviors documented in various animals are siblicide (birds), suicide missions (honeybees) and slavery (ants) — not universally admired traits in humans. So perhaps we should not apply Mother Nature’s rules of behavior to people, but should instead judge human behavior by human standards.
Whit Gibbons, professor emeritus of ecology, University of Georgia, and head of the Environmental Outreach Program at the Savannah River Ecology Laboratory, grew up in Tuscaloosa. He received bachelor’s and master’s degrees from the University of Alabama and his Ph.D. from Michigan State University. Send environmental questions to email@example.com.
Reader comments posted to this article may be published in our print edition. All rights reserved. This copyrighted material may not be re-published without permission. Links are encouraged.
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September 11, 1599. All night long workmen on the Piazza prepared the scene of the tragedy, setting up a huge scaffold with a block and a mannaia (meaning "an axe", and possibly a mechanism resembling the guillotine). At eight o'clock the prisoners left the prison, accompanied by the Company of Misericordia bearing a great crucifix, and Comforters from the Brotherhood of St. John the Beheaded, who accompanied those about to be decapitated, robed in black, and baskets to bear away the head. Each of the women wore a black taffeta veil. Lucrezia was the first to step up to the scaffold, and after several crowd shuddering strokes, the executioner brandished her head to the people, then wrapped it in black taffeta.
Execution of Beatrice Cenci The machine was set up again, the blood washed off, and the executioner went to get Beatrice. She mounted the scaffold and unaided placed her head beneath the mannaia, so as to avoid being touched by the executioner. But the execution was deliberately delayed in order allow Pope Clement VII to give the doomed girl absolution from a distance. Unnerved by waiting, Beatice got off the plank and almost stood up. Then she finally had to put her head back on the block. The blade fell.
Thereupon, while Beatrice's head rolled on one side of the machine, the body rose up on the other, falling forward again with great violence upon the mannaia. The executioner next held up her head for the enjoyment of the crowd and then gave the body to the brotherhood of St John the Beheaded. While one of the brothers was attempting to place the body in a coffin, it slipped from his hands and fell from the platform, shedding a great deal of blood to the ground. In the fall, the entire torso came out of its clothes, so that now being totally covered with dust and blood, a good deal of time had to be spent in washing it.
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TechCrunch has heard that Facebook is buying Titan Aerospace, makers of near-orbital, solar-powered drones. They can fly for five years without needing to land and Facebook may use these high-flying drones to blanket parts of the world without Internet access, beginning with Africa.
Facebook apparently has plans to use 11,000 of these unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), specifically the “Solara 60″ model. According to TechCrunch, Facebook may have paid $60 million for the company. The Solara 50 has a 50 m (164 feet) wingspan. The upper surfaces of its wings and tail are packed with over 3,000 photovoltaic cells capable of generating up to 7 kilowatts. Technology demonstrations has flown with initial commercial operations planned for 2015.
Facebook does not have any plans to build or operate its own wireless network, reports Fierce Wireless. Instead it is working with carriers and partners around the globe to connect more people to the mobile Internet. At Mobile World Congress last week, Chris Weasler, Facebook’s head of global connectivity, said that it’s important for Facebook to focus on what it does best and leave the building of networks to operators.
But that was last week.
The Solara 50 and 60 models can be launched at night, then when the sun rises, they can store enough energy to ascend to 20KM (65,000 feet or about 12 miles) above sea level where they can remain for five years. A repeater on the aircraft re-transmits signals from a “base station” on the ground, which can be picked up by a mobile receiver.
As a communications relay, the Solara offers about an 18-mile radius of coverage easily covering all of New York City’s five boroughs, as shown in the map above. Of course 10 million people can’t simultaneously access one cell tower 12 miles away.
TriLumina’s “Light Engine” may provide up to 40 Gbps interlinks between the SOLARA nodes. “TriLumina’s optical backhaul technology will allow each SOLARA in a constellation to have aggregate access to a total of 120 Gbps via interlinks with its 4 neighboring constellation nodes,” Kyocera’s ultra-efficient macro base station, weighs less than 18 kg and uses only 211 watts or less power. It was shown at MWC 4 years ago.
Google will use high-flying balloons, among other technologies, to deliver Internet to remote areas. Google’s Project Loon sails through the stratosphere, where there are different wind layers. Using wind data from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), the balloons are maneuvered by identifying the wind layer with the desired speed and direction and then adjusting altitude to float in that layer.
Range Networks, the company that developed the open-source basestation software BTS wants to adapt their transceiver to use unlicensed white space spectrum for cellular networks all over the world.
It could dramatically change the face of mobile communications for billions of people in developing countries around the world, says ArsTechnica.
Related DailyWireless Space and Satellite News includes; Inside Google’s Loon Project, Project Loon Field Trip Hangout, First Four O3B Satellites Launched, Google Backhaul: Balloons & Satellites, Kymeta’s Flat Beamforming Antenna Links to Satellite, Blimp In A Box, ExactEarth Launches 5th AIS Satellite, Dish: Lower 700MHz Power Ups Speculation, Earth to Space Optical Communications – Again, O3B: Funded for Launch, Arianespace: Busy 2013, Gilat Does Satellite Cell Backhaul, SkyTerra 1 Launched, Broadband Satellites: Black Hole?, LightSquared: Phase 1, Intelsat Announces EpicNG Satellite Platform , Satellite 2012, Formation Flying Swarmbots, Flying Cell Towers, Range Networks: Open Source Cellular Networks
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CHOOSING NONFICTION BOOKS FOR CHILDREN
When we think about helping children find information, nonfiction books usually come to mind. As Richard Arlington, Ph.D., professor of education at the University of Tennessee, says, "Most of the reading people do across their lives is informational reading. Children are curious, and informational books and magazines can help them learn about the world in a way that stories cannot." But what informational books make the best addition to a classroom library?
Dr. Allington suggests that books (such as The New Way Things Work by David Macaulay; Penguin $35) that include cutaway drawings of household things like faucets, toilets, and toasters can be powerful learning tools for young children. A CD encyclopedia can also be another important component of your nonfiction library. Field guides on birds, fish, flowers, and animals can help children explore their interests in the natural world. Informational magazines, including Scholastic's Ranger Rick, and National Geographic's Young Explorer, help to round out your nonfiction library.
John Peters, supervising librarian at the New York Public Library's Donnell Center Central Children's Room, recommends picture dictionaries for preschoolers and new readers. Many publishers offer lines of inexpensive, high-quality children's dictionaries at a number of reading levels. Peter also likes single volume encyclopedias that combine simply presented information with stimulating color photos, such as Scholastic Children's Encyclopedia (Scholastic, 2004; $20) and The Kingfisher Illustrated Nature Encyclopedia (Houghton Mifflin, 2004;$25). Peter adds, "Keep in mind that a good nonfiction book can be as satisfying as any electronic substitute. As the original ‘multimedia,' illustrated informational books provide both visual and verbal content that children of literally any age can absorb at their own individual rate."
When selecting informational book titles for young children, an important element to consider is clear writing. The quality of illustrations is also key.
Barbara Moss, professor of literacy education at San Diego State University, looks for the 5 A's:
- Authority of the author (the author credits his or her sources)
- Appropriateness for a child audience
- Artistry ("This artistry involves text that is clearly organized, interesting, and written in a way that children can understand.")
Moss recommends sharing books by Byron Barton, Gail Gibbons, Jim Aronsky, and Seymour Simon. By reading aloud books about the real world, you "not only build knowledge about an array of topics, but familiarize children with the types of language found in the text type - language that differs from that found in stories."
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During the holiday season, even the ocean gets in the spirit! The Christmas tree worm (Spirobranchus giganteus) is a type of polychaete, a group of segmented worms mostly found in the ocean. It lives on tropical coral reefs and resembles a fluffy fir tree adorned with colored ornaments. Each worm has two tree-like appendages that are used to breathe and to catch meals of plankton floating by.
The Christmas tree worms are sedentary, attaching themselves to coral cover that act as their home base. Once attached, they create a calcium carbonate tube that they can then retract into for protection. The fluffy, eye-catching section of the worms that attract divers are small in size, usually not bigger than a few inches, but the remainder of the worm (hiding in its burrow) can be almost twice that size.
Check out more holiday-themed ocean animals and phenomena on the Ocean Portal!
Learn more about the ocean from the Smithsonian’s Ocean Portal.
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Group for the Study of Italian Seafaring
After the collapse of the Roman Empire and following the barbaric invasions the political unity of the Italian Peninsula was fragmented and reunification was not achieved until 1870, after the Third Civil War and the conquest of Rome. In this context the study of Italian Seafaring during the Middle Ages and the following periods must therefore be carried out having in mind a complex and contingent historical reality, in which the local shipbuilding traditions were enriched by external influences, such as Arab and Byzantine, originating a diversity of different cultural combinations in each geographical area.
In fact, as Braudel has pointed out, Italy has always been the middle axis of the Mediterranean, and always divided between an Italy that is turned to the West, and another that looks into de Levant.
With the advent of the 12th century the Italian Peninsula witnessed a phenomenon diverse and not simultaneous: its maritime cities developed autonomously and expanded their interests throughout the Mediterranean and even outside it.
The objective of this group is the study of the Italian ships and the contribution that its shipwrights brought to the development of shipbuilding.
- - Mauro Bondioli
Dopo il collasso dell'impero romano e le alterne invasioni barbare, l'unità politica e culturale della penisola italiana si frammentò per ricomporsi solo nel 1870, ovvero dopo la Terza Guerra di Indipendenza e la presa della città di Roma. Pertanto, lo studio della storia dell'Italian seafaring durante l'età medioevale e dei periodi seguenti, deve innanzitutto tener conto di una realtà storica molto complessa e articolata, in cui l'eredità delle tradizioni locali subì dapprima una serie di influenze esterne, come quella araba e bizantina, per dar luogo successivamente a combinazioni culturali diverse per ciascuna area geografica. Infatti, come ha giustamente sottolineato Braudel, l'Italia ha da sempre costituito "l'asse mediano" del Mediterraneo " e si è sempre sdoppiata...tra un'Italia volta a Ponente e un'altra che guarda a Levante". Con la rinascita del XII secolo, un fenomeno peraltro non omogeneo e simultaneo ovunque, la civiltà marittima italiana seppe ergersi autonomamente per diffondersi in tutte le sponde del Mediterraneo ed anche oltre.
Lo scopo quindi del gruppo è studiare le navi italiane e il contributo che i suoi artefici apportarono allo sviluppo della costruzione navale.
- - Mauro Bondioli
Mediterranean Lateeners and Round Ships
The variety of ships and boats built around the Mediterranean basin between the Middle Ages and the early modern period is difficult to imagine. Moreover, a number of important changes have occurred in the way ships were built between the 6th and the 11th centuries, and again a number of important changes seem to have occurred in the way ships were rigged and sailed during the 14th century.
Documental, iconographical, and archaeological sources are scarce for the millennium that that followed the fall of the Roman empire, making it difficult to attempt to study these technological changes from any standpoint. At the ShipLab and SAEN we are trying to use our experience modeling and testing hull shapes and rigging arrangements to improve our understanding of these changes.
Basing our preliminary studies on the reconstruction of a few medieval hulls, as reconstructed by the archaeologists that have studied them, we intend to use a number of technical tools to try to better understand these hull remains and their reconstructions. We believe that the growing corpus of data available - namely considering the important troves of medieval hull remains of the last decade, in Turkey, Israel and Sardinia - will allow a better understanding of these ships' cost, capacity, minimum required crew, speed, and performance under sail.
The main advantage of computer models is that they are flexible and easy to correct in view of new data, ideas, or theories, and we believe that the sooner we start looking at them with our technical tools the better we will be prepared to analyze a larger corpus of data.
Italian Treatises on Shipbuilding
The earliest known treatises on shipbuilding were written in Italy, at the end of the Middle Ages and early Renaissance period. This fact may reflect the importance of maritime trade in the lives of Italy's rich and sophisticated republics.
In cooperation with the Center for the Study of Digital Libraries, the ShipLab is gathering information about treatises and other documental sources on shipbuilding. Our main objectives are twofold: from the computer science viewpoint we want to develop tools that will help researches access and relate information; from the history of technology viewpoint we want to make information available. This project is titled Nautical Archaeology Digital Library.
Ships have been among the most complex artifacts produced by men al all time, and the importance of these treatises and texts on shipbuilding is paramount for a number of different disciplines, of which those with a stronger interest are nautical archaeology, naval history, history of science, history of technology, and history of ideas.
The part of the project that deals with the Italian texts is being developed by Mauro Bondioli and Lilia Campana, but counts with a large team of specialists. Our goal is to make texts otherwise difficult to access available, both on-line and through critical publications.
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| 0.850529
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| 2.671875
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|
A resilience -promoting dynamic learning community: A case study of a southern New England high school
A preponderance of educational research targets at-risk student populations by focusing on factors that contribute to student's failure. Emerging from this research, resilience theory is drawing increased attention. Resilience theory posits that resilience is a capacity that allows a person, group or community to prevent and overcome the damaging effects of adversity. The purpose of this research was to identify the ways schools support the at-risk student, calling forth the resilience already present in his or her life and to and to identify ways a school helps at-risk students to be successful in school. Applying constructs from resilience and learning organization theories, two primary research questions sought to locate the sources of resilience promotion and to determine the degree to which each might contribute to a better understanding of the school's role in promoting resilience as a dynamic learning community. Field study data were collected from interviews of students and parents and triangulated with school record documentation and extant literature in a single case-study. Converging themes emerged from quantitative and qualitative analysis of the data. The findings link the emergent themes and the supporting evidence. Themes related to resilience promotion include nurturing, visibility, risk-taking, influence and life skills. Themes related to dynamic learning communities included core, vision, learning, reflection and integration. The findings indicated that resilience promotion must be (1) deliberate and intentional; (2) the product of ongoing discussion among school staff, parents and students; (3) coordinated by school leadership; (4) supported by faculty in-service and training; (5) reflected in school policy. To become dynamic learning communities, the findings suggest that schools must (1) examine core values, assumptions, practices and beliefs; (2) craft a vision for the future; (3) provide cutting edge resources; and (4) provide time for reflection. ^
Michael E Marrapodi,
"A resilience -promoting dynamic learning community: A case study of a southern New England high school"
(January 1, 2001).
Dissertation & Theses Collection.
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http://scholarsarchive.jwu.edu/dissertations/AAI3017530/
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noun, plural: amnions
Amniotes are characterized by their amnion, which is part of membranes surrounding the developing embryo or fetus. They are exemplified by reptiles, birds, and mammals. Reptiles and birds lay eggs on land whereas mammals retain the fertilized egg within the uterus until such time the offspring is delivered at birth. This feature is in contrary to the anamniotes that lay eggs in water and lack the amnion. Other fetal membranes surrounding the embryo or the fetus are chorion, allantois, and yolk sac. These membranes provide nutrition, respiration, excretion, and protection to the developing offspring.
The amnion, in particular, is a thin and tough membrane. It is the innermost membrane that lines the amniotic cavity. Next to it is the chorion. The amnion is comprised of two cell layers: the epiblast-derived extraembryonic ectodermal layer and the thin non-vascular extraembryonic mesoderm.
At first, the amnion is in contact with the body of the embryo. In mammals, the amnion is derived from trophoblasts by folding or splitting. As the embryo develops, fluid starts to accumulate in it. The amnion then develops into a sac containing the amniotic fluid and the fetus. The amnion containing the amniotic fluid provides mechanical protection to the growing fetus. It serves as a shock absorber from a potential harmful external force. It also allows free movement of the fetus, thus, aiding in the neuromuscular development. At the time nearing birth though the amniotic fluid diminishes in quantity, and eventually trickles when the sac breaks at the onset or during labor.
Word origin: Latin amnion (“membrane surrounding a fetus”)
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- Full Description
- See the power of Silverlight in action
- Learn the building blocks of animation in Silverlight 2
- Includes over 180 example Silverlight projects
It covers the basics of animationthat is, Silverlight's storyboards and animations, which are used to provide interactivity to Silverlight applications. You'll take an in-depth look at double, point, and color animations. You'll also learn the difference between linear, spline, and discrete keyframes, and how they affect your objects as they move.
But it doesn't stop there. You'll go well beyond those simple timeline-based animations and learn how to create purely code-based animations. You'll use vectors to make objects move and bounce off boundaries and each other. You'll explore particle systems, kinematics, and collisions. You'll also learn how to use trigonometry to animate objects and simulate 3D motion in a 2D environment. The essential trigonometry required to create complex motion is simplified and explained through a series of fascinating and fun examples that can be incorporated into your own applications, games, and experiments.
Whether you're already familiar with Silverlight and you want to learn how to open it up, a Flash developer interested in expanding your skill set, or a web developer looking to take the next step into rich interactive application development, this book will bring you up to speed on Silverlight 2 and show you what it can do. From techniques for creating frame-based animations to learning how to simulate 3D in a 2D environment, there is something here to satisfy anyone's appetite for animation and interactivity.
What youll learn
- Break free from the timeline and animate objects using code
- Add interactivity between objects through collision detection and reaction
- Implement forward and inverse kinematic chains to create lifelike motion
- Build particle systems and apply gravity to particles to create fountains and explosions
- Implement a virtual reality object viewer for simulating 3D objects
- Source Code/Downloads
If you think that you've found an error in this book, please let us know by emailing to firstname.lastname@example.org . You will find any confirmed erratum below, so you can check if your concern has already been addressed. No errata are currently published
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| 0.922217
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| 3.234375
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Two million people have fled Darfur in northwest Sudan since 2003, 250,000 of them since last August (1), and the resources of neighbouring Chad are suffering from the strain of 250,000 refugees. The conflict has left 400,000 dead in four years. Aid workers from the United Nations and NGOs have had to move camps 31 times to escape attacks, although this did not prevent the arrest of several aid workers on 19 January in Nyala; they were beaten with rifle butts by the Sudanese police. Twelve aid workers were killed during massacres and five others have disappeared.
The Islamic government in Khartoum justifies frequent air raids by claiming their victims are rebels who refused to sign the Abuja “peace” treaty in Nigeria on 5 May 2006 (2). In reality, the Sudanese government is trying to prevent the fighters from holding a congress that would unify their movement and enable them to start negotiations with the support of the international community (3).
The UN and the African Union (AU) have been powerless in the face of this disaster, producing only symbolic measures and stalling tactics. For the past two years the African Union Mission in Sudan (AMIS), an inter-African military force of 7,500 men, has been deployed in Darfur. A dozen African countries contribute contingents but most come from Rwanda and Nigeria. The force is totally ineffectual. At least 30,000 men would be needed for an area the size of Darfur, 500,000 sq km.
AMIS is under-equipped and has a ludicrously restrictive mandate: soldiers may not carry out offensive patrols and may only negotiate. They are there to count the dead. The international force requires political determination to end the massacres that both the AU and the UN refuse to qualify as genocide. The powerless African soldiers admit in private: “We’re no use here at all”.
AMIS is almost entirely financed by the European Union; the US makes a nominal contribution. On 31 August 2006 the UN conceded a lack of results and adopted resolution 1706 to deploy a UN intervention force. But the resolution has not been implemented because the Sudanese government has yet to approve the deployment. Diplomats have flown to Khartoum to persuade President Bashir to change his mind.
His objections are astonishing. He accuses the UN of wanting to re-colonise the Sudan, and claims that the force is merely a cover for the West to enable it to get hold of Sudanese oil (4). He also says the international forces have “peddled Aids” (5) and he has threatened to use special Iraq-type suicide units against the peace troops.
The ghost of Milosevic
These justifications are fanciful. Jan Pronk, the former UN special representative in Sudan who was expelled from the country last November for having criticised the Sudanese army, explains in his blog: “On more than one occasion high political officials in Sudan have told me that they had weighed the risk of non-compliance with Security Council resolutions against the risk of compliance. Non-compliance might bring them in conflict with the council and its members: sanctions and threats against the regime.
“Compliance would entail a different risk: domestic opposition and efforts to change the regime from within. They had compared and weighed those risks meticulously, they told me, and they had come to a rational conclusion: the risk of compliance would be much greater than the risk of non-compliance. They have been proven right.”
The Sudanese government fears that the UN forces may act as the secular arm of the International Criminal Court, which for the past two years has held a UN-compiled list of war criminals. The list has never been made public but it is likely that several important members of the Sudanese government are on it, possibly even Bashir. It would be a great boost to the opposition if these were to be prosecuted: the ghost of Slobodan Milosevic hovers over the Islamists in Khartoum.
Although the Sudanese government will not permit the deployment of UN troops, it encourages the international community to continue financing AMIS, precisely because it serves no purpose. This arrangement is hypocrisy. The Europeans and the Americans turn a blind eye to the inefficiency of the African forces because it makes them appear to be doing something. On 23 January the British government said it would provide another $28.8m to AMIS, although British diplomats have confirmed in private that they do not believe these forces will be able to protect civilians in Darfur from the Janjaweed.
Faced with a deadlock, the UN has come up with a new concept: hybridisation. Since the Sudanese government will accept an African force but not a UN one, why not have an Afro-UN force? This would mean the UN sending 103 police officers and 20 administrative staff. Serious discussions are being held in the UN and the AU about the exact proportions of this hybrid force. The Sudanese government accepted this proposal on 28 December, knowing full well that it is just another futile gesture. They intend to keep it that way.
Why is the international response so weak? The US position is ambiguous. Beneath the firm entreaties is a mixture of tricks, double talk and impotence. Since 11 September 2001 Washington has considered that Khartoum has earned a good behaviour ticket in the fight against terrorism. The Sudanese secret services have a good cop, bad cop routine in which Nafi Ali Nafi, former interior minister and adviser to Bashir, plays the bad cop, while his deputy, Salah Abdallah “Gosh”, plays the good guy. Ali Nafi is denounced as an extremist while Gosh (one of the main authors of repression in Darfur) is invited to discussions with the CIA and considered an ally in the war against terror.
The practical results of this compromising collaboration have yet to be seen. Washington’s official declarations remain firm but are not followed up by concrete measures even when encouraged by President George Bush’s own political allies. California’s Republican governor, Arnold Schwarzenegger, passed a law obliging California public bodies to sell any shares in US or foreign companies working in Sudan. This disinvestment policy, which enabled human rights activists to force the Canadian oil company Talisman Energy to withdraw from Sudan in 2003, was not supported by the White House. The first victim of US double-dealing was Bush’s own special envoy, Andrew Natsios, former director of the US Agency for International Development. When he ran out of resources he threatened Bush with a mysterious plan B if plan A, which was UN deployment, failed. When pressed by journalists, Natsios was unable to provide any details about plan B.
China is an unknown, though important, factor in Sudanese geopolitics, and a reason for international inertia about Darfur. Sudan is China’s second-largest trading partner in Africa and bilateral trade was $2.9bn in 2006. China buys 65% of Sudan’s oil and is the leading supplier of arms to Bashir’s regime, the guns that are killing people in Darfur.
When Chinese president Hu Jintao went to Sudan in February he spoke only about business and visited the new hydroelectric plant in Meroe, financed by the Chinese to the cost of $1.8bn. Although he recommended the deployment of UN forces to Bashir, his lack of conviction was such that Bashir was able to say he felt under no pressure. In the UN, China demands that Sudan’s national sovereignty be respected, despite resolution 1706.
France is working behind the scenes to help its own proteges under threat from Sudan. Although it has long defended Sudan against the hostility of Anglo-Saxons, it has not received any benefits in exchange. Total’s oil permits in southern Sudan are blocked by legal squabbles and the regime’s militia uses Darfur, whenever possible, to destabilise France’s allies: Chad’s president, Idriss Deby, and Central African Republic (CAR) President François Bozizé.
Indeed, despite Deby’s protests to the contrary, he supports the guerrillas in Darfur. These include many fighters from his own ethnic group, the Zaghawa (see “The factions”). French forces provide logistical support to the Chad army fighting Sudan-backed rebels, and in December 2006 they were involved in bombing and ground skirmishes in the north of the Central African Republic, to chase out other rebels, also supported by Sudan. But beyond these frontier skirmishes, the oil stakes are real. The relationship between Chad and the US oil companies working there is tense and they have been threatened with expulsion. In April 2006 rebels who got as far as the streets of the capital N’Djamena were carrying Chinese weapons. One might wonder if China is trying to topple some of the central African regimes (6).
Ethnic cleansing, not ‘genocide’
The UN has raised the issue of ethnic cleansing in Darfur but, like the EU, will not use the term genocide. Among the arguments it uses to justify this is the myth of tribal warfare as a result of the desertification of the Sahel, with nomadic Arab herdsmen contending for pastureland with sedentary African peasants. Like all clichés, this one contains a modicum of truth, but no more than that.
Nomadic shepherds are unlikely to conduct aerial bombardments. The Janjaweed are armed, fed and equipped by the regular army, which often fights alongside them. Since December the main Arab ethnic group in Darfur, the Baggara Rizaygat, has set up its own militia, claiming that it was needed because of its poverty and the government’s negligence (even though it is an Arab government) (7).
There is another reason. The regular attacks by the militia on black African tribes do not resemble attacks by armed groups of nomadic Arab shepherds. The militia include criminals of various ethnic origins who have been freed from prison on condition they join, as well as deserters from the government forces stationed in the south of the country who have had nothing to do since the 2005 Nairobi agreement (8). There are also members of the small tribes of camel herdsmen from the far north of Darfur, such as the Jalloul, who are the real victims of climate change, and even members of small African groups, such as the Gimr, who hope that by allying themselves to this genocidal cause they may be co-opted into the larger Arab family and benefit from its social standing and economic advantages.
Why does the Sudanese government want to exterminate, or at least subjugate, the African population in its western province? The reason cannot be religious since everyone in Darfur, killer and victim alike, is a Sunni Muslim. The true reasons are racial and cultural. Arabs are a minority in Sudan. The Islamists are the latest historical incarnation of Arab dominance in the region.
Peace between north and south is disintegrating. On 9 January, the second anniversary of the Nairobi agreement, Salva Kiir Mayardit, deputy leader of the Sudan People’s Liberation Movement in the south, warned Bashir that if the situation did not improve, secession would be inevitable within four years.
‘Adjust’ the border
The Khartoum government needs to act urgently. It has to adjust the north-south frontier to place most of the oil in the south (this is under way). It has to buy arms in preparation for renewed hostilities and forge solid international alliances (China is a given, Iran is being negotiated). The government also has to maintain its territorial dominance by setting up an ethnic cordon sanitaire that would extend from the Nouba mountains to Kordofan and include Darfur (9). The Nouba tribes were crushed in fighting between 1992 and 2002, but Darfur represents far more of a threat. The Arab leaders in Khartoum will do anything to avoid a breach through which African tribes from the west could ally themselves with an independent, oil-rich, black Africa in the south.
It has become a strategic necessity to subdue revolt in Darfur by any means. The regular army, which includes representatives from many of the region’s African ethnic groups in its ranks, cannot be relied on for this task. Hence the recruitment of the Arab Janjaweed militias, largely made up of minority groups or social misfits. They must prevent the real Arabs in Darfur from revolution — meaning the Baggara tribes that make up 22%-30% of the population in the region. They, as much as their black African fellow-citizens, are the victims of discrimination in the region. The only reason the Baggara support the murdering elite in Khartoum is for reasons of misplaced Arabism, which is more imagined than real.
The protection of oil revenues comes at a deadly price, currently being paid. Unlike Rwanda, where 800,000 people were killed in 100 days, ethnic cleansing in Darfur has gone on for four years. Those who still dare to say never again are either totally ignorant or hypocritical. Once again the dead are being valued according to the colour of their skins.
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An Adaptive Learning Environment Supporting Cognitive Flexibility
COFALE is a Web-based open-source adaptive e-Learning platform
supporting cognitive flexibility, one important facet of constructivist
learning theories. COFALE is based on ATutor,
an open-source learning content management system. Here are the main
features of COFALE:
- COFALE has inherited all features of the ATutor system.
- COFALE provides students with many learning tools fostering
- COFALE provides teachers with guidelines and a set of easy-to-use
authoring tools for the design and use of Web-based courses supporting
- COFALE also provides teachers with a set of learner modeling
tools in order to implement adaptation support for different kinds of
COFALE is a derivative verion of ATutor. Therefore, the source code of
COFALE is distributed strictly under the licensing (GNU General
Public License) claimed by the authors of ATutor. Please read
The installation process and system requirements of COFALE are the same
as ATutor's. Please follow ATutor's
COFALE's first stable version: COFALE
1.0 Download (1.4 MB TGZ).
about the recursion course in computing science shows an example of use
ppt presentation briefly explains the operational approach for the
development of COFALE.
Integration of ACollab
To provide more learning facilities for students, it is useful to
integrate ACollab into COFALE. The source code and the installation and
integration processes of ACollab can be found at ACollab's website.
Note that the way to integrate ACollab into COFALE is the same as the
way to add it on to ATutor.
To design and use courses in COFALE:
To modify the source code of COFALE:
Please contact Vu Minh Chieu
for any further information about the design, use, and development of
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ASHEVILLE - Chances are, your family has a safe deposit box at a bank or a secure place in your house where you keep important papers and records about bank accounts, social security numbers and even medical information.
It turns out the state is working with the federal government to create a similar type of storage facility. But this will be used to keep a record... of plants.
It might sound a bit unusual, but think how North Carolina is changing. Development is changing the landscape - houses, shopping centers, industry and roads. Logging and farming is also altering the land. Scientists say combine those factors along with climate change and there is the very real danger that many native plants could be lost forever. So it’s important to preserve research-grade botanical samples of all native plants, especially medicinal plants, in the state.
“The primary mission for us is conservation; our primary goal is to preserve our native flora, specifically medicinal plants and rare plants,” says Dr. Joe-Ann McCoy, the Director of the Bent Creek Germplasm Repository at the North Carolina Arboretum. “Our goal is to get those plants in a long-term seed storage facility, vacuum sealed, tri-laminate packaging, stored correctly. And then once we get them stored in our site, and in a back up site, we’d like to use the crops for research for new products for our region."
Along one wall of the laboratory at the Repository are what appear to be giant metal storage closets. There is also a large white freezer. I asked if that was the storage facility. As Dr. McCoy replied, “Let me show you,” she opened the closet door. Row upon row upon row of dried, mounted plants greeted me. They were all in plastic, with identification numbers, GPS coordinates, slope, elevation, and directions printed on the side. Dr. McCoy pulled out a few.
“We have blood root here, with a long history of medicinal purposes in our region,” she said as she showed me a mounting. “This is black cohash, one of the top ten selling dietary supplements in the world.”
And the list goes on... Researchers want to preserve samples of about 2000 plant species deemed significant to the state. However, the challenge is that there is usually more than one population of each species. Roughly 1500 plant specimens are preserved at the repository so far. Scientists hope to collect and preserve about 2500 additional plant samples.
While the preservation is carefully done, following strict scientific preservation guidelines, there is also a sense of urgency. Dr. McCoy says the state is losing some critical habitats, such as the spruce fir zone at the tops of mountain peaks. What grows in those areas could soon be gone forever unless the plant’s seeds are preserved and it is reintroduced in another area of the state.
The repository protects those native plants in multiple ways. Besides the voucher specimen I saw earlier, if there are enough plants at a site, the seeds are collected and stored. That’s what is in the white freezer. Open it up and you find dozens of trays of foil pouches that are labeled. It looks like a feeding room for astronauts on the space station.
Researchers only collect about 15-20% of the plants in an area. If there is enough plant material to collect, samples are also ground up so a variety of extracts can be produced. That includes a powdered extract that is packaged and can be used for future research.
Material is also processed in a lab so a DNA sample can be recovered.
“We need to have a practical application tied in with our project, so this is a perfect way to do conservation, which is our primary goal, but also to do research,” adds Dr. McCoy.
The lab advises Bent Creek Institute, a non-profit organization which is helping to grow the region’s natural products industry.
"You need to develop a reference library of extracts of natural chemistries, some of which are traditionally understood, but many are not known and you have to start somewhere,” says Greg Cumberford, the President of Bent Creek Institute.
And that includes what might be the most obscure part of the project. In addition to the genetic material of the plant itself, researchers also want to collect and preserve the endophydic fungi, or the beneficial microbes that live inside the plant and protect it from diseases and other environmental stresses. Scientists believe the promise of new medicines and natural products live inside those cells.
“I live in a constant state of wonder of how amazingly adaptive and evolved our natural medicinary is,” says Cumberford, as he surveys the institute and then the sculpted grounds of the North Carolina Arboretum in Asheville, of which the Repository is part. “Consider how many wellness needs we have. In many cases, the plant kingdom has already created a solution. Our job is to understand how to bring them into our lives, safely and responsibly.”
George Briggs, Executive Director of the North Carolina Arboretum, says the repository is located in Asheville and at the Arboretum because of the area’s incredible biodiversity and its long history of using plants for natural remedies. That history dates back to the Native Americans, especially the Cherokee, that lived in the area.
“It just seemed to make sense to come to the mountains because of the riches that are here biodiversity wise, and because those riches have been protected by public lands and the lack development in the past century,” says Briggs. “So we want to make the economic side of this be a forerunner to conservation. The question is how can we make the plants of the region important economically, so people are motivated to protect them for an economic reason as well as a social and cultural reason.”
- Reporter's Blog: Growing North Carolina’s Botanical Industry
- Teacher Resources
- Understanding the Small Biological Molecules
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| 0.954203
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|
TRAVERSE CITY (AP) - Divers and scientists who combed a section of northern Lake Michigan for a 17th century shipwreck have retrieved a wooden beam that could belong to the long-lost Griffin, expedition leaders said.
The nearly 20-foot-long timber, about half of which protruded from the lake bed until dislodged last week as searchers dug beneath it, may hold the key to whether shipwreck hunter Steve Libert has discovered the remains of the mysterious vessel commanded by French explorer Rene Robert Cavelier de la Salle. It disappeared in 1679 after casting off from an island near the entrance of Green Bay with a crew of six and a cargo of furs. It was the first ship of European design to traverse the upper Great Lakes.
Libert's team removed the wooden beam from the lake Saturday but waited to announce it until arrangements for its safekeeping were completed, said Ken Vrana, the expedition's project manager. Crews lifted the heavy object onto a commercial fishing boat and hauled it to shore, then loaded it into a refrigerated truck for transport to a safe location, Libert said. It was wrapped in protective cloth and kept wet.
"It's not a smoking gun," Vrana said. "It could have come from other early wooden sailing vessels. But based on architectural drawings, overall length, construction details ... we cannot rule out this piece as being from the Griffin."
Libert, who has sought the Griffin for three decades, bumped into the beam during a 2001 dive and battled the state of Michigan in court over custody of what he suspected was buried wreckage. After finally securing state and federal permits to excavate in the area, his organization dug a deep pit at the base of the timber but found nothing except bedrock. The beam, they learned, was simply wedged in hard-packed, clay-like mud.
Even so, three French archaeologists who inspected the timber said it appeared to be a bowsprit - a spur or pole that extends from a vessel's stem - that was hundreds of years old. Libert said he believes the rest of the Griffin (also known by its French name, Le Griffon) is nearby and plans to resume his search but needs to raise more money first. He says he's spent more than $1 million on his lengthy quest and the cost of last week's privately financed mission was "six figures."
In the meantime, the timber is being stored in a safe place, Libert said. He wouldn't reveal the location but said it's submerged in cold water and a chemical solution recommended by Rob Reedy, an underwater archaeologist and specialist in preserving shipwreck artifacts.
Vrana said the team is preparing a proposal to the state Department of Natural Resources for experts to study the beam in hopes of determining its age and where the tree from which it was hewn originated. La Salle ordered the Griffin constructed near Niagara Falls before sailing it west and north across portions of Lakes Erie, Huron and Michigan.
Libert disputes the DNR's contention that the state owns shipwrecks embedded in Great Lakes bottomlands within its jurisdiction. But the two sides agreed the timber would be on loan to the expedition team for 30 days.
"We did this as an interim measure, to give us time to talk to them about what kind of testing and conservation comes next," said Sandra Clark, director of the Michigan Historical Center, the DNR office that issued the excavation permit. She said she still wasn't convinced the timber was part of the Griffin or any other shipwreck.
Libert said he wants to redo a sonar scan that previously indicated the presence of an object field buried near the timber. As it turned out, the readings apparently picked up a thick layer of mussel shells and sediment layers. But if re-calibrated to penetrate the mussels, the sub-bottom profile might detect a buried deck or hull, he said.
"That area is definitely a shipwreck site," he said. "There probably will be another expedition going out before summer's end to do more probing."
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Pacific Trash Vortex Could Signify Future of Our Oceans
The carcass of an albatross on the beach; birds and sea mammals mistake plastics for food then inevitably starve to death. This is the bird's actual gut sample. Photo courtesy Algalita.org.
Traveling the open oceans is not for everyone—sea mist, salt spray, tossing rock-a-bye-baby waves, and Dramamine days. Some people, though, were born for it. Case in point: Captain Charles Moore, third-generation resident of Long Beach, California and founder of the Algalita Marine Research Foundation. Now just more than sixty years of age, the weathered seafarer is the principal researcher on the ocean studying the pelagic plastic phenomenon in the Pacific. I recently had the privilege to head out on one of their research trips on behalf of Planet Green to understand the issues that are at hand. http://www.treehugger.com/files/2008/02/great_pacific_garbage_patch.phpHead out to the center of the Pacific halfway between Hawaii and California, and you'll see the thin, filmy island of floating trash that is estimated to be double the size of Texas. You don't need to go that far, though, if you want to see trash, as the captain pointed out. It's everywhere. Multiple paths of Ziploc baggies, bottle caps, balloons, pretzel bags, and other debris lead you to the swirling trash vortex like a trail of bread crumbs. In the most polluted areas, the plastic-to-plankton ratio is 48 to 1. It's become part of the oceanic landscape. Net a piece of plastic, and you'll find barnacles and small crabs clinging to it. Not a good thing for fish, birds, and mammals that mistake it for its natural food, such as eggs, jellyfish, or other sea creatures. Most of the plastic will eventually photo-degrade into small, dust-like particles to the point that it will be non-detectable to the human eye, but ingestible by sea mammals, birds, and fish—many of which we then consume ourselves.
One thing the captain said to me really hit home. "I lived in a world that was pre-plastic," he said, turning to face me. "I am the last generation to witness a clean ocean, free from plastic. All succeeding generations will only see an ocean filled with trash."
Damn. I think back to my childhood. Have I really only laid witness to Saran-Wrapped seas and littered beaches?
Back at the Sea Lab I noted some pretty effective ad campaigns hanging up on the walls, labelling the "Non-native Species of the California Coast"--satirical posters with images of a Cola Bass—half-fish half-soda can—and a Cig Egret—an elegant white egret with a cigarette for a bill. They're farcical, but memorable. I spied an actual photo of an albatross, its black oily wings spread out on the rocky beach as if it had been crucified. Its gut was open and neatly filled with plastic—toys, straws, bottle caps, cigarette lighters, plastic bags. I commented how powerful of an ad campaign it was. The lab manager looked puzzled.
"That's not an ad campaign," she said frowning. "That's the actual gut sample."
The Los Angeles Public Works department removes debris caught by booms from the L.A. River after a storm. Photo courtesy Algalita.org.
All that plastic was once hailed as a great technological breakthrough. Remember that famous quote from The Graduate (1967), when Ben (Dustin Hoffman) got an earful of "advice" from his neighbor about how to improve his future?
Mr. McGuire: I just want to say one word to you--just one word.
Ben: Yes, sir.
Mr. McGuire: Are you listening?
Ben: Yes I am.
Mr. McGuire: "Plastics."
Ben: Exactly how do you mean?
Mr. McGuire: There's a great future in plastics. Think about it. Will you think about it?
Ben: Yes I will.
Mr. McGuire: Shh! Enough said. That's a deal.
Something tells me the state of the ocean, with this giant trash vortex, is not exactly the "great future" that Mr. McGuire was referring to. Now only time will tell if the technology, the infrastructure to deal with the waste, and behavior such as recycling will catch up with our eagerness to embrace a plastic-wrapped world.
See Also: "Waiter...There's a Fly in My Plastic Soup" and The Great Pacific Garbage Debate: Out of Sight, Out of Mind
Stay tuned this summer for more of Summer Rayne's journey to the Pacific Trash Vortex on-air on Planet Green.
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Modern flint expert 'reverse engineers' Neanderthal stone axes - and says our ancestors were clever, elegant craftsmen
- 'Flintknapper' recreates techniques used as early as 300,000 years ago
- Used by three early 'hominins' including Neanderthals
- Flint flakes were shaped for durability and weighting
- Engineering suggests abilities 'similar to our own'
Dr Metin Eren flintknapping stone tools: The researchers say that it's unlikely our evolutionary predecessors shaped tools by accident - and instead shaped flint to be hard-wearing and have a good centre of gravity
Researchers at the University of Kent have recreated the processes Neanderthals used to produce sharp flint axes, and found that our ancestors were skilled engineers.
A modern-day 'flintknapper' replicated the sharpening processes that Neanderthals used to create tools - a sort of modern 'reverse engineering' of ancient techniques in use by three kinds of early 'hominin' including Neanderthals as early as 300,000 years ago.
The researchers found that Neanderthals could shape 'elegant' stone tools - shaping them to be hard-wearing, easily sharpened and with a perfectly balanced centre of gravity.
The reproduction of how Neanderthals worked shows that it is unlikely that stone flakes used in the tools could have been shaped by accident - and that our ancestors intentionally 'engineered' stone cores to create tools fit for their jobs.
Dr Metin Eren, Leverhulme Early Career
Fellow at the University’s School of Anthropology and Conservation and
the flintknapper who crafted the tools, said: ‘The more we learn about
the stone tool-making of the Neanderthals and their contemporaries, the
more elegant it becomes.
'The sophistication evident in their tool-making suggests cognitive abilities more similar to our own than not.’
The researchers say that our ancestors 'designed' tools to be hard-wearing, easily sharpenable and have a centre of gravity that meant they were easily usable.
Dr Stephen Lycett, Senior Lecturer in
Human Evolution and the researcher who conducted the laboratory
analysis of the tools, commented: ‘Mobility is a factor in the lives of
all hunter-gatherer populations, including Late Pleistocene hominins.
'Since mobile hunter-gatherers can only carry a fixed number of tools, it is paramount that the potential usefulness of their tools is optimised relative to their weight.
'The new analyses indicated that
Levallois flakes appear to be particularly in a variety of ways
relative to other flakes. These flakes are on average thicker across
their surface area, and more uniformly thick. These
properties would have optimised durability.'
'The symmetry and evenly distributed thickness of Levallois flakes would also align the tool’s centre of mass with the tool’s motion during use, making them ergonomically desirable.’
Three types of prehistoric hominin -including Neanderthals - could produce the flakes, which were manufactured across Euroepe, Western Asia and Africa as early as 300,000 years ago.
Replicas of the rocks that Neanderthals used to shape their tools - which the researchers say was a conscious process of engineering
Researchers have thought that our ancestors might have intentionally sought out the flakes for their size and shape.
But it was regarded as controversial, and recently researchers questioned whether Levallois tool production involved conscious, structured planning.
Now, the experimental study – in which a modern-day flintknapper replicated hundreds of Levallois artifacts – supports the notion that Levallois flakes were indeed engineered.
By combining experimental archaeology with morphometrics (the study of form) and statistical analysis, the Kent researchers have proved for the first time that flakes removed from 'prepared' cores were more standard than ones created by accident.
Importantly, they also identified the specific properties of Levallois flakes that would have made them preferable to past mobile hunter-gathering peoples.
Dr Lycett also explained that ‘amongst a variety of choices these tools are ‘superflakes’. They are not so thin that they are ineffective but they are not so thick that they could not be re-sharpened effectively or be unduly heavy to carry, which would have been important to hominins such as the Neanderthals’.
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What Parents Need to Know
Parents need to know that this film includes several scenes of violence, some dramatic and some comic. A man abuses his fiancée repeatedly, slapping, walloping, and shaking her, threatening to throw her out a window and throwing her to the floor. Madea threatens violence as punishment (she will "tear that ass up," for example), and in some scenes acts on her warning: She slaps a boy in the head and hits her foster child with a belt for skipping school; she advises her niece on revenge for her abuse, and eventually the niece throws hot grits on her abuser and then beats him with a frying pan. At the reunion, the family matriarchs chastise the younger generation for playing craps, arguing, and dancing provocatively (we see examples of all these bad behaviors). Characters refer to sexual activity and use slang ("get some"), including prostitution (one character says her mother was a "whore"). Characters drink beer, wine, and champagne, and refer to "weed," "the chronic," and "a fix."
- Families can talk about the strong ties among family members, and the power of forgiveness (why is it important that Vanessa forgives her mother, even though Victoria allowed her husband to abuse Vanessa sexually as a child?). How does Lisa feel trapped in her relationship with Carlos? How is Victoria's determination to have her daughter marry a wealthy man explained, so she remains "sympathetic"? How does Madea promote traditional values with practical/comic solutions (hitting an abuser with a frying pan)?
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Aerobics are an easy, fun way to get fit. Here's an outline of what's in it for you.
In a normal 24 hour period, investing 30 minutes in exercise and body toning isn't too much to ask. True, we're all in a hurry to get the kids to school, get to work on time, finish projects, get home and cook dinner and the rest of it. But what amount of time do we set aside for our bodies, that help us perform all these marvelous, multiple tasks? Not much, you say? Well, then, its time to change things for the better.
How aerobic exercise helps the body
Let's take a look and see what happens to the human body when it indulges in aerobics.
During any form of aerobic exercise, we use the large muscles of our hands, legs, hips and other muscles. The quick movements and jumping, along with side-to-side motion cause the heart to pump blood faster to the body. In addition to this, the lungs take in a lot more oxygen, which aids the circulation of blood to even the tiniest capillaries which open up wide. This way your body gets energised faster. It also helps the bloodstream carry toxins out of your body faster than normal. The body releases endorphins, which are natural painkillers. These endorphins flow throughout the body, through the blood stream and hence, make you 'feel better'.
The first step to starting any form of aerobic exercise is to consult your doctor. He or she will be the best person to assess your present condition and tell you how and when to start what type of exercise. If you're overweight, the doctor may suggest a mild form of aerobics, the absolute basic. If your weight is proportionate to your height, the doc will check other vital body functions before recommending moderate to intense aerobic exercises. Whatever be your age, weight and frame of mind, do not take up aerobics before consulting your physician.
What regular aerobic exercise can do for you
If you're looking for some reasons why you should begin aerobic exercise, here's a small list to begin with:
- Reduces health risks: From diabetes to cholesterol to high blood pressure, the list goes on. All these conditions and many more can be kept at bay if your body is healthy and aerobics is just one good way to do that.
- Keeps off the extra weight: Aerobics is the easiest and fastest way to help shed those extra pounds and keep them off for good. Once you've lost the bulk of your weight, the muscle weight that replaces it, can be maintained by regular, moderate aerobics. This can help you ward off osteoporosis, a degenerative bone disease.
- Keeps your arteries clear: Aerobics help increase the amount of 'good cholesterol' (HDL) in your body and decrease the 'bad cholesterol' (LDL). This is good news for your heart; you won't ever have to find out that your arteries are blocked.
- Strengthens your heart: This form of exercise strengthens your heart, making it pump blood to the rest of your body in the most efficient manner.
- Builds stamina: Initially, when you're new at it, aerobic exercise will make you a bit tired and sore. However, in the long run, you will notice that your stamina has increased and with it your body's resistance to illnesses and viral infections.
- Boosts your mood: Although aerobic exercise is all about increased movement and heart rate, it releases certain 'feel-good' chemicals from the pituitary gland in the brain. These tell your body to get out of the gloomy state it is in. You will instantly feel better, less anxious or depressed.
Don't wait any longer. Don't worry about how heavy you are. Hurry, ask your doctor and get started! The sooner you begin, the sooner you will reap the benefits of just 30 minutes of jumping around!
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Today it is deemed logical to travel great distances and pay a lot of money to see a single masterpiece, an original work of art. To do all this for a fake? Not so logical... But does it really matter if the work is truly authentic or only if someone tells us it is?
A new neurological study reveals that while our brain cannot itself differentiate between a genuine work of art and a fake, it does react differently when someone tells us that a work is fake. It doesn't matter whether the work really is a fake or not; our reaction depends upon what we are told.
Oxford University academics placed 14 people in a brain scanner and showed them different images of Rembrandt portraits, some authentic and some not.
The brain signals of the participants showed that they could not differentiate between the real work and the imposters, but when they were told which pieces were copies the brain reacted, regardless of whether or not the works really were copies.
When told a work was an original, participants were stimulated in the "parts of the brain that deal with rewarding experiences such as tasting good food or winning a bet." But upon hearing the work was a fake, the brain underwent a complex range of reactions.
Scientifically speaking, hearing that a work was a copy "evoked stronger responses in frontopolar cortex (FPC), and right precuneus, regardless of whether the portrait was actually genuine." This led to the belief that the FPC contributes to our visual reactions and aesthetic judgments, thus our aesthetic judgments are far more multifaceted than a single visual reaction.
Oxford professor Martin Kemp noted that he wished to conduct the experiment again using only art experts. But as of now, according to the Press Association: "The findings show that reaction to art is 'not rational' as the viewer reacts to what they are told about a piece of work - regardless of whether it truly is genuine." As if anyone ever thought that art viewing was rational!
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Our Adaptive Reinforcement Engine quickly learns what words are close to your forgetting threshold and schedules practice to boost your memory. Membean makes your practice smart.
Membean displays remarkable intuition about the way people learn and remember words. It may be the only vocabulary tool that has so effectively embodied what we know about learning and memory in the human brain. Even as a cognitive neuroscientist, I didn't realize I learned words in such a nonlinear way until I experienced how much easier it is to learn words with this tool. Membean is shockingly effective.
— Shereen Chaudhry, M.I.T
Knowing the meanings of words, and being able to use them, is an essential skill for both reading comprehension and effective writing. Researchers have long known that teaching individual words is essential, but it's even more important to build a student's word consciousness. Membean helps:
Encode so you don’t forget. What does it mean to really know a word? How must a word be incorporated into pre-existing mental schemata? Recognizing that people learn differently and that there are various levels of knowledge of words, Membean provides multiple learning pathways.
Maximize gain. Borrowing from economic theory, Membean maximizes allocative efficiency for each learner — time spent learning (costs) must be allocated in a way that maximizes word retention (gains). Membean tailors learning schedules to each person — it’s both effective and efficient.
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Molecular Biology and Genetics
Statistics of barcoding coverage
Specimens with Sequences:620
Specimens with Barcodes:555
Species With Barcodes:117
The Zamiaceae are a family of cycads that are superficially palm or fern-like. They are divided into two subfamilies with eight genera and about 150 species in the tropical and warm temperate regions of Africa, Australia and North and South America.
The Zamiaceae are perennial, evergreen, and dioecious. They have subterranean to tall and erect, usually unbranched, cylindrical stems, and stems clad with persistent leaf bases (in Australian genera).
Their leaves are simply pinnate, spirally arranged, and interspersed with cataphylls. The leaflets are sometimes dichotomously divided. The leaflets occur with several sub-parallel, dichotomously-branching longitudinal veins; they lack a mid rib. Stomata occur either on both surfaces or undersurface only.
Their roots have small secondary roots. The coral-like roots develop at the base of the stem at or below the soil surface.
Male and female sporophylls are spirally aggregated into determinate cones that grow along the axis. Female sporophylls are simple, appearing peltate, with a barren stipe and an expanded and thickened lamina with 2 (rarely 3 or more) sessile ovules inserted on the inner (axis facing) surface and directed inward. The seeds are angular, with the inner coat hardened and the outer coat fleshy. They are often brightly colored, with 2 cotyledons.
One subfamily, the Encephalartoideae, is characterized by spirally arranged sporophylls (rather than spirally orthostichous), non-articulate leaflets and persistent leaf bases. It is represented in Australia, with two genera and 40 species.
- Subfamily Encephalartoideae
- Subfamily Zamioideae
Some classifications also place the genus Bowenia in the Zamiaceae.
|Wikimedia Commons has media related to Zamiaceae.|
|Wikispecies has information related to: Zamiaceae|
To request an improvement, please leave a comment on the page. Thank you!
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|University of California, Berkeley|
Key to families | Table of families and genera
1. Leaf scale-like, < 1 mm
2. Stem canescent, especially at tip, ± red to green, rigid; spike with 1–3(7) fertile internodes; on Acacia, Cercidium, (Larrea), Olneya, Prosopis; < 1200 m ..... P. californicum
2' Stem glabrous, ± green or yellow-green, not rigid; spike with 1(2) fertile internodes; on Calocedrus, Juniperus; 1300–2600 m ..... P. juniperinum
1' Leaf with blade, generally 5–60 mm
3. Leaf length generally > 3 × width, (5)10–25 mm, generally < 20 mm; stem glabrous; spike with generally 1 fertile internode, pistillate 2-flowered; on conifers ..... P. bolleanum
3' Leaf length generally < 1.5 × width, 15–60 mm, generally > 20 mm; stem generally short-hairy, at least at tip; spike with 2–5(7) fertile internodes, pistillate 6–15(20)-flowered; on woody plants except conifers ..... P. leucarpum
4. Leaf <= 6 cm, width <= 5 cm; leaf yellow-green, generally shiny ..... subsp. macrophyllum
4' Leaf <= 3 cm, width <= 2 cm; leaf gray-green, dull ..... subsp. tomentosum
Citation for the whole project: Jepson Flora Project (eds.) [year] Jepson eFlora, http://ucjeps.berkeley.edu/IJM.html [accessed on month, day, year]
Citation for an individual treatment: [Author of taxon treatment] [year]. [Taxon name] in Jepson Flora Project (eds.) Jepson eFlora, [URL for treatment]. Accessed on [month, day, year].
We encourage links to these pages, but the content may not be downloaded for reposting, repackaging, redistributing, or sale in any form, without written permission from The Jepson Herbarium.
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Snowball Earth is a theory suggesting that – more than 650 million years ago, for up to millions of years at a time – Earth was entirely smothered in ice. Ice might have stretched from Earth’s poles to its tropics more than once in our planet’s history. There is geologic evidence suggesting this happened, but scientists have not been able to agree on how a highly reflective ice-covered Earth could ever have thawed out again. That’s why they’ve never entirely accepted the Snowball Earth theory. But on November 13, 2012, the American Geophysical Union announced a study casting some new light on this theory. Scientists studied the heat-trapping potential of clouds above an ice-covered world, which they now say could help explain how a Snowball Earth thawed.
Dorian S. Abbot at University of Chicago led this team of scientists from the U.S., Germany and France. They used a series of global general circulation models, the same sorts of models used to study global warming in our time.
Previous modeling had suggested that – to thaw out a glacier covering the entire Earth – Earth’s atmosphere would need to consist of at least 20% carbon dioxide, a greenhouse gas, by volume. This amount of carbon dioxide could have trapped enough heat near Earth to thaw an entire world.
But chemical evidence from ancient rocks doesn’t support this idea. This evidence suggests that carbon dioxide levels reached only 1 percent to 10 percent during the time periods often suggested for the Snowball Earth. The time periods looked at by this team were during the Neoproterozoic (524 to 1,000 million years ago) and Paleoproterozoic (1,600 to 2,500 million years ago).
Now back to global general circulation models. In these sorts of computer models, the role of clouds has been challenging to understand, because clouds both trap heat near Earth’s surface, warming the planet, and also reflect incoming sunlight, cooling the planet. In our modern warming climate, both effects are important, and clouds are often cited as a reason global climate models can’t do more than project a range of possibility for future temperature rise. On a Snowball Earth, though, say these scientists, clouds would have played a different role.
In other words, these scientists suggest that – set against a planet encompassed in ice – the reflectivity of clouds is not so important. They say that, on a Snowball Earth, the overall effect of clouds would be to warm the planet.
By accounting for the heat-trapping effects of clouds, the authors found that the atmospheric carbon dioxide concentration required to drive deglaciation is 10 to 100 times lower than previous research suggested, a concentration that fits within observed levels.
Bottom line: Scientists used a series of global general circulation models to study the Snowball Earth theory, the idea that Earth was covered by a planet-wide glacier one or more times in its history, more than 650 million years ago. They determined that clouds might have helped warm the Snowball Earth, ultimately leading to a global thaw and conditions more like what we experience today.
Deborah Byrd created the EarthSky radio series in 1991 and EarthSky.org in 1994. Today, she serves as Editor-in-Chief of this website. She has won a galaxy of awards from the broadcasting and science communities, including having an asteroid named 3505 Byrd in her honor. A science communicator and educator since 1976, Byrd believes in science as a force for good in the world and a vital tool for the 21st century. "Being an EarthSky editor is like hosting a big global party for cool nature-lovers," she says.
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Ancient Romans, Chinese Helped Warm Planet Ice samples reveal greenhouse gas emissions By Rob Quinn, Newser Staff Posted Oct 4, 2012 1:08 AM CDT 19 comments Comments Alus Gorius might have had something to say about this building's carbon footprint. (AP Photo) (Newser) – Human activity contributed to climate change long before the Industrial Revolution, according to new research. Scientists analyzing ice core samples from Greenland found a spike in emissions of the greenhouse gas methane during a 200-year period around 2,000 years ago, when the ancient Roman and Chinese empires were at their peak, reports the Los Angeles Times. Researchers believe the rise was caused by the widespread use of charcoal as fuel and the burning of large areas of forest to clear farmland. The amount of the heat-trapping gas emitted by human activity was only about a 70th of today's levels, but still accounted for a significant proportion of methane emissions, researchers say. Methane is also emitted from natural sources including wetlands and wildfires. "The pre-industrial time was not a natural time for the climate—it was already influenced by human activity," the lead researcher says. "When we do future climate predictions we have to think about what is natural and what did we add. We have to define what is really natural."
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WASHINGTON, April 30 (UPI) -- Data from a U.S. space agency probe flying over Mercury's surface suggest the planet has greater levels of activity that scientists suspected.
The National Aeronautics and Space Administration's Mercury Surface, Space Environment, Geochemistry and Ranging spacecraft, known as Messenger, has measured the planet's atmosphere, the interaction of its surrounding magnetic field with the solar wind, and its geological past. The probe also discovered a previously unknown impact basin about 430 miles in diameter.
On Oct. 6 the probe flew by Mercury for the second time, capturing more than 1,200 high-resolution and color images of the planet. Messenger unveiled another 30 percent of the planet's surface that hadn't been seen by previous spacecraft, gathering essential data for planning the remainder of the mission.
"This second Mercury flyby provided a number of new findings," said Sean Solomon, Messenger's principal investigator from the Carnegie Institution of Washington. "One of the biggest surprises was how strongly the dynamics of the planet's magnetic field changed from what we saw during the first Mercury flyby in January 2008. The discovery of a large and unusually well preserved impact basin shows concentrated volcanic and deformational activity."
The new findings are reported in four papers published in the May 1 issue of Science magazine.
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Environment Park Subotopic Layout
Loading maphttp://parkweb.vic.gov.au/_design/scripts/mapping/getlocationinfo http://parkweb.vic.gov.au/_design/ajax-requested-content/get-add-your-photo-url http://parkweb.vic.gov.au/_design/ajax-requested-content/get-add-your-video-urla3411076-28d9-766c-e040-a8c0ac642022
Change of conditions
- No change of conditions apply
Habitat types represented in the park include:
- sheltered intertidal mud flats
- subtidal soft sediments in tidal channels.
The mudflats within the marine national park are of national significance primarily as a feeding habitat for wader birds and other water birds. Many water birds and wader birds roost among the mangroves and nearby coastal woodlands.
Mangroves provide vital habitat for the life cycles of crabs, shrimps, sand hoppers, marine snails and bivalves, and well as important feeding areas for adult and juvenile fish. While not actually eating the mangroves directly, the leaves that fall into the water are decomposed and form detritus, a major food source for scavenging and filter feeding animals in the bay.
Over 295 bird species have been recorded in Western Port with 32 of these being international migratory waders that fly from as far away as Siberia, Japan, China, and Alaska during our summer months. The Yaringa Marine National Park forms an important part of the Western Port Ramsar wetlands that have been listed under the International Treaty for the Protection of Migratory Wader Birds (Ramsar Convention).
Eastern Curlew (Numenius madagascariensis)
The Eastern Curlew is the largest of a number of migratory wader birds that make their home for several months each year in the park. Eastern Curlews nest largely in Siberia in a hollow scoop on the ground filled with a layer of grass and leaves. Migrating during the northern hemisphere winter to wetlands in southern Australia, these magnificent birds usually arrive in August and depart in March or April. Occasional non-breeding birds remain in Australia for the entire year.
Eastern Curlews feed on a variety of invertebrates such as crabs, molluscs, or worms that they collect from the mudflats with their long probing beaks. The rich mudflats of Western Port provide these animals with energy to return back to eastern Asia and successfully breed. The survival of this species this depends on protecting habitat at both ends of their flight path.
White Mangrove (Avicennia marina)
The most developed and extensive Victorian mangrove populations occur in Western Port. White mangroves, Avicennia marina subsp. Australasica, are the only mangroves that grow in Victoria and also grow in most other states except Tasmania. They are often quite stunted in size in Victoria compared with their tropical relatives and many appear as growing as trees or shrubs, up to 2.4m tall rather than true trees.
Mangroves are actually flowering plants that have evolved strategies for surviving in a challenging environment. They are capable of surviving in highly saline soils and mud by actually taking up salt through their roots then getting rid of it through specialised salt glands on the back of their leaves. They can cope with the thick airless mud in which they grow by having a series of breathing roots or pneumatophores that allow them to gain oxygen directly from the air. There seeds are also well suited for transport by water and have often begun to germinate before they fall off the parent pant, giving them a good opportunity to start growing when lodged in a suitable environment.Sand deposits may drown mangroves through smothering of their pneumatophores (roots exposed to the air), therefore activities on land which increase sediment loads into Western Port can have a significant impact on mangrove habitats. Mangroves may be killed by reduced water salinity associated with fresh water drainage being diverted into them.
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Like an non evil, sustainable version of the Deathstar, the Technosphere by James Law Cybertecture replicates the Earth as a structural concept. Inside the eco-sphere is an entire world which serves as a vehicle to explore the issues of self-sustaining life on a smaller level. Although not nearly as self-sufficient as the Biosphere 2, the Technosphere is meant to reflect the state of our planet in current and future times. Proposed as an iconic building for the Technopark of Dubai, the eco-sphere would be a carbon neutral tourist attraction as well as a place in which to live and work.
The Technosphere is a mixed-use building providing office and residential space as well as a hotel and public courtyards. This living, breathing building operates in a similar fashion to the Earth itself, providing energy, recycling water, and providing sustenance to its occupants. The exterior forms a shell around the interior spaces and will house solar panels for electricity generation. Inside, sky gardens act to shield the interior spaces from the sun and filter the air to contribute fresh oxygen to the indoor environment. Water will be recycled and efficiently used.
James Law, chief Cybertect of the project, is known for his work in ‘cybertecture‘, which is a combination of advanced technologies, architecture, and multimedia experiences for users. This new design, the Technosphere, was presented at the UltraFuture Conference in 2008, during which the Future of the Built Environment was explored.
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Tuesday, January 27, 2009
Jan28,2009: St. George School Mass Homily (Catholic Schools Week)
Introduction to mass:
What is this that I'm holding in my hand? [an iPhone]
Did you know that Catholic education made iPhone possible? You're probably saying, 'huh?' Hold all your questions because I'm going to explain it during my homily.
How many of you have Nintendo at home? iPod? Computer? In order to play Nintendo, listen to iPod, and to email on computer, you need this one thing. What is this thing? (Let me give you a hint. Last year, when we had the hurricane, we could not play Nintendo, iPod or computer because we did not have this for a whole week). [Electricity]
Now where do we get electricity from? From the wall plug? From the electric lines? Where do they all lead to? We get it from power plants far from where we live. How about electricity that runs our Nintendo and iPod? From batteries right? But in order to generate electricity from power plant or from batteries, we need to understand laws of nature. We need to understand things like: why do lightnings strike? How does light bulb work? In order to answer these questions, we have to study. There are men and women who have gone before us who have learned how these things work, and they have left us instructions on how to understand it. I'm going to introduce to you three men who helped us understand how electricity work. Two are from France--André Marie Ampere, Charles Coulomb. And one is from Italy--Alessandro Volta. From these three men, we get the words, 'Amp,' 'Coulomb,' and 'Volt.' All three men were Catholic, and they received Catholic education.
Why is Catholic education important in being a scientist, for example? Well, we say every Sunday the following, "I believe in God, the Father the Almighty, Creator of Heaven and Earth." We believe that Heavenly Father created the universe with order and harmony. Things in the universe do not happen by chance or by accident. And God gave us brain and intelligence to learn about how the universe works. And we quickly discover that God placed laws to govern how the world operates. André Ampere discovered a law between electricity and magnetic field. He said, the magnetic field in space around an electric current is proportional to the electric current which serves as its source. Huh? It's hard for us to understand what he discovered right now. But this law he discovered goes into designing power lines, electronic equipment, batteries, and light bulbs. So without this law, Nintendo and iPod would not be possible.
But there is even more important reason why Catholic education is important. It's one thing to know these laws and formulas. For what purpose are we going to use this knowledge? Jesus taught us that there are two laws in the bible. First, love God. Second, love your neighbor. Everything that we learn should be for the service of others. The law of electricity that Andre Ampere discovered was for making our lives easier. Can you imagine, at home you click on the switch on the wall, and there is no light?
It's important not only putting our learning for service of others. It is equally important to strive to live a holy life. Have you heard of St. Vincent de Paul Society? It was Andre Ampere’s devotion at daily Mass that inspired a young Frédéric Ozanam to devote himself more earnestly to his Catholic Faith. Ozanam was going through a period of doubt and, while visiting a church in Paris, he saw the great scientist, Andre Ampere, praying fervently before the altar. He found Ampere there again the next day. Soon he struck up a friendship with the scientist and even lived with his family for over a year. When he was only twenty years old Ozanam founded the St. Vincent de Paul Society. He was beatified by John Paul II in 1997.
So what's the lesson that Andre Ampere teaches us? What we learn and how we pray are all for serving others and for the greater glory of God.
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The strong link between a tribe and their territory, and the fundamental respect tribal communities have for the natural systems on which they depend, are major factors in maintaining the ecological richness of tribal land.
Conservation organisation WWF has stated that 80% of the world’s richest ‘ecoregions’ are inhabited by indigenous communities.
We cared for the land. Now we’re gone, no-one cares for it.Tapal Bandialetto, Wanniyala Aetto
These areas are vitally important for us all, as reservoirs of rich biodiversity and sinks of carbon dioxide, and their conservation is a global priority. But they have been preserved until now precisely because they have been vitally important to the tribes who have lived there for generations.
This is not to say that all tribal peoples live in ‘harmony with nature’, but many tribes who have been able to protect their own land have maintained a rich, biologically diverse environment.
Long before the word ‘conservation’ was coined, tribal peoples had developed highly effective measures for maintaining the richness of their land.
|Palawan planting upland rice in the Philippines. |
© Dario Novellino
Their guardianship of the land includes practices such as taboos, crop-rotation systems, seasonal hunting bans and sacred groves. If they pillage their land, over-fish their rivers or over-harvest their timber they, and the spirits they revere, will suffer.
Taboos are deeply ingrained in many tribal cultures, serving both to maintain the social order and to protect the resources on which the community depends.
The result of these taboos and practices is an effective rationing of the resources in the tribe’s territory, giving a rich diversity of plants and animals the time and space to flourish.
Protecting the ‘heart of the world’
The spiritual leaders, Mamos, of the Kogi tribe of Colombia have protected the tribe’s sacred sites for centuries.
|Arhuaco Indians, Colombia
They, along with their neighbours of the Arhuaco and the Arsario tribes, conserve the sites, hold rituals and uphold the ‘Law of the Mother’ that rules over their world.
Theirs is one of the most complex indigenous stewardship systems in the world.
The peoples of the Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta have faced an onslaught from the time of colonisation, to the more recent waves of guerrilla fighters, paramilitary forces, drug-traffickers and settlers.
Despite these huge problems, the Mamos continue to teach the ways of the Mother and to protect their sacred mountain, which they see as the heart of the world.
Community Conserved Areas
In Australia, a strong indigenous movement is reuniting Aboriginal communities with their land and helping them to ‘care for country’.
With the appalling history of injustice, impoverishment and ill-health among the Aborigines, this homelands movement is bringing economic, health and environmental benefits.
|Aboriginal boy, Australia.
© Helen Ross/Survival
But movements like this have an uphill battle to change deep-set prejudices about Aboriginal peoples, ‘non-scientific conservation’ and the harvesting of wild resources.
Conservation agencies need to be encouraged to work with the local residents of conservation areas – to seek their consent before starting projects and to find ways to unite local and Western ways of protecting the world’s vital resources.
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For a burgeoning underdeveloped nation, the most widely used construction material in the world-concrete-is a valuable asset. But in Mongolia-that landlocked Asiatic country wedged between Russia and the People's Republic of China-knowledge of concrete is, at best, rudimentary.
One of the most sparsely populated nations in the world, the country is emerging from a modern history of political turmoil and looking to the west for assistance in its development. Mongolia is Asia's seventh largest country in area but with a population of less than 2.5 million.
This is why, in part, SIUE Engineering Professor Luke Snell and his wife, Billie, traveled to Mongolia-to lead the first Mongolian concrete conference in mid-May, where they served as "good will ambassadors" for concrete as they toured the country. The Snells departed for Ulaanbaatar-the Mongolian capitol-on May 14 for a 14-day visit that was packed full of activities promoting and providing information about concrete.
"Mongolia is on the verge of a construction boom," said Snell. "There is a great deal of need for the building of basic infrastructures, and the population has migrated to the cities, such as they are."
A colleague from the South Dakota School of Mines and Technology, who is spending a year teaching at the Mongolian University of Science and Technology, invited Snell to organize the conference. As director of the Concrete Construction Resource Unit at SIUE, Snell's expertise was valuable in its formation.
"The conference covered everything from the basics of concrete to discussions of why concrete cracks, and testing of concrete quality," said Snell.
Following the one-day conference, the Snells traveled throughout Mongolia, visiting factories, government offices and schools.
"We took a supply of our 'floating concrete' kits with us to teach Mongolian teachers how to teach this learning kit to their students," said Snell. "Somewhere between toddler age and sixth grade, children appear to lose their natural curiosity about the world. By sixth grade, children view science and math as boring and too hard. We've been using the 'floating concrete' unit to demonstrate otherwise."
Established in 2001, the Concrete Construction Resource Unit (CCRU) is an extension of the Department of Construction within the School of Engineering. The CCRU unites the knowledge and experience of faculty from civil engineering, computer science, electrical engineering, industrial engineering, and mechanical engineering, as well as construction. One of its primary missions is to develop, promote and implement programs that create awareness of the concrete construction industry, as well as encourage children to explore the possibility of a career in construction or engineering.
The Snells travel and participation in the Mongolian concrete conference was sponsored by the American Concrete Institute (ACI), the Missouri chapter of the ACI, and SIUE's School of Engineering.
Winners of attendance prizes at the SIUE Fitness and Benefits Fair in May have been announced. The fair is held each year in conjunction with the health Walk and the Staff Senate BBQ. The fair affords employees a chance to assess their health coverages through the university, as well as assess their health in general.
Two employees won prizes funded by Benefits Fair vendors' fees: Deanna Taylor, of the Office of Human Resources, a mountain bicycle, and Nancy Waltz, of the School of Education, a 19-inch color television set.
Other winners included:
Gloria Hartmann, of the Office of the Registrar, a birdhouse floral arrangement, and Bob Legate, of University Housing, a swim mat, both from Colonial Supplemental Insurance; Emily Coffin, of the Office of Continuing Education, Micro talk Walkie Talkies from Gallagher Byerly; and JoAnn White, of Facilities Management, a one-year Student Fitness Center membership, from Campus Recreation
Christy Simpson, of the Office of Graduate and International Admissions, and Karen Take, of Administrative Accounting, both received certificate for a free massage from Our Health Club & Spa in Glen Carbon.
SIUE's Alumni Association has created another first ... the first SIUE Alumni Days at Wrigley Field and Busch Stadium, that is.
SIUE alumni, as well, as other members of the university community, are invited to join in the fun in both Chicago and St. Louis.
The first event kicks off Sunday, June 23, at Wrigley Field in as the Chicago Cubs do battle with the St. Louis Cardinals. The event features a pre-game reception at The Cubby Bear, 1059 W. Addison St., across from Wrigley. The pre-game reception will begin at 4:30 p.m. and should end before game time.
Alumni association members pay a $32 event price, while non-members pay $35, which includes both the game ticket and pre-game reception buffet featuring hot dogs, bratwurst, hamburgers, cole slaw, potato salad, french fries, cookies, brownies, and soda. There is also a cash bar on location.
Then, it's "Meet me in St. Louis, Louie," as the association hosts the second part of the event on Sept. 7, at Busch Stadium in St. Louis as the Cards play host to the Cubs. The second event includes a pre-game picnic in the picnic area of the stadium beginning at 5 p.m.
That pre-game picnic includes hot dogs, bratwurst, chips, pasta salad, and a cash bar and will end by the first pitch. The price for this event is also $32 for association members; non-members, $35.
Tickets for both events are available from the SIUE Alumni Association, (618) 650-2760, from 8:30 a.m.- 4:30 p.m. weekdays.
Big changes are occurring in the Morris University Center as the $19.3 million renovation project progresses. The Food Court re-opened last week with limited seating in the Cougar Den, and as summer term begins we will see a number of closings, relocations and other related modifications to daily life in the MUC.
"We're minimizing inconveniences as much as we can," said Mary Robinson, director of the center. "Work will progress as quickly as possible to restore some semblance of normality, but a little patience and a little advanced knowledge will smooth things out greatly."
"With the start of the fall semester, the construction walls will come down and everyone will be able to enjoy the first phase of the new and improved seating," said Robinson. "Sometime in early fall the new food court will open in the southeast area of the dining area and the current servery will be closed to make way for additional seating."
Goshen Lounge continues to be closed until early June as renovations take place in that area. "But it's not all about things closing up," said Robinson. "June 14 will see the opening of the new and enlarged Union Station. We're also hopeful that the administrative offices and information center will be back in their locations by early June, and we're on track for an opening sometime in July of the new Starbucks Coffee café."
As Phase I renovation wraps up, work will begin on a number of other Phase II projects, including renovation of the University Restaurant's exterior patio that will eventually allow for outdoor dining, as well as renovations to the Alestle offices, Cougar Lanes, the Kimmel Leadership Center offices, the copy center, and the hair salon. "We anticipate completing Phase II by early November," said Robinson.
"The renovations reflect the types of things students told us they wanted to see in the University Center," said Robinson. More than a year's worth of focus groups and surveys were held before recommendations were made in the winter of 2000 on improving the 33-year-old building.
Completion of the improvements to the center is scheduled for the summer of 2003. For up-to-the-minute information on the project, click here.
SIUE's Tamekia Howard (Florissant, Mo.) and Dan Walden (Springfield) will travel to San Angelo, Texas, as competitors at the 2002 NCAA Division II Outdoor Track and Field Championships.
The national meet is a three-day event set for May 23-25 on the campus of Angelo State.
Howard qualified at 400 meters, while Walden is making his second straight appearance in the outdoor championships at 800 meters.
"Tamekia has made big leaps with her personal records this season," said SIUE Coach Darryl Frerker.
Howard was ninth on the list of twenty-three 400-meter runners with a time of 55.11 seconds in last Friday's Illini May Twilight meet in Champaign. "With that ninth spot, she should get a decent lane to run in. I think she's ready to get after it," Frerker said.
Howard will run the 400-meter preliminaries at 5:50 p.m. on Thursday, May 23. The finals for 400 meters are 7 p.m. on Saturday, May 25.
Walden's spot in the national meet was not as certain because he was 17th on the qualifying list. The NCAA committee overseeing the event selected 20 runners in the event. Walden hopes to qualify for the finals on Friday, May 24, at 7:40 p.m. The finals will be the next day at 7:50 p.m.
"Dan shouldn't be as nervous as he was last year in his first race at national," Frerker said. "This season he's been very consistent with his time and running within a few seconds of his personal best in every race." Walden's qualifying time at 800 meters was 1:51.43.
With a softball conference championship in hand, the SIUE athletics department finished third in this season's Great Lakes Valley Conference All-Sports Trophy standings.
Northern Kentucky won the annual trophy, accumulating the most points based on finishes in GLVC Championships and other GLVC-sponsored events. Northern Kentucky scored 113 points, followed by Indianapolis (104.75), SIUE (95.5), Lewis (91.75), Southern Indiana (89), Bellarmine (72.5), Saint Joseph's (67), Quincy (61), Wisconsin-Parkside (60.5), Missouri-St. Louis (57) and Kentucky Wesleyan (22).
SIUE won its first GLVC Championship event in nearly three seasons when softball Coach Sandy Montgomery's team won early this month.
Northern Kentucky won the most GLVC titles with seven, followed by Indianapolis (4), Lewis (4), SIUE (1) Southern Indiana (1) and Kentucky Wesleyan (1). Indianapolis shared two of its titles with Northern Kentucky in men's golf and Lewis in women's outdoor track.
Chad Opel (Edwardsville), who became the seventh player in NCAA Division II history to record more than 300 career hits, added another accolade to his growing list by being named All-North Central Region by the American Baseball Coaches Association.
Opel, who batted .420 in his final season as a Cougar, was named to the first team and will appear on the national ballot for a chance to be named All-American for a second consecutive season.
The shortstop completed his career with 302 hits, making him the seventh player in NCAA Division II history to record 300 or more in a career. He also ranks fifth in the NCAA in runs scored with 229 and at bats with 850. He helped the Cougars to a 30-24 record and a third-place finish in the GLVC Tournament this past season as well as fifth-place national finish during the 2001 season.
Opel holds career records at SIUE in runs scored and doubles with 59. He also is second all-time at SIUE in hits and at bats. He also holds single season records for at bats (274) and runs scored (82) in 2001.
Valerie McCoy (Bethalto), who helped SIUE to its third straight appearance in the NCAA Division II Softball Championships and a record 51 wins this season, was named All-American by the National Fastpitch Coaches Association.
McCoy, a senior, accepted her second All-American certificate in Salem, Va., in a ceremony at the national finals. McCoy was named an at-large third team All-American. "Val has been a steady force for this team for a long time. I'm happy she is getting well-deserved recognition," Coach Sandy Montgomery said.
The second baseman was steady in her final season as a Cougar with a .372 batting average. She completes her four-year career at SIUE among the all-time best in several offensive categories. McCoy is sixth in batting average at .357, fourth in at bats with 616, tied for second in hits with 220, eighth in runs batted in with 102, and fifth in walks with 55.
SIUE completed the 2002 season with a 51-12 record and its first Great Lakes Valley Conference Tournament title.
SIUE men's soccer Coach Ed Huneke filled his team's needs for next season with the signing of five players.
The soccer Cougars added Mike Ngonyani (Bloomington, Ind.), Pete Cacciatore (St. Louis), Brian Higgins (St. Charles, Mo.), Andrew Crider (Granite City), and Tim Velten (St. Louis). "We're still winning," Huneke said. "Last year's success has carried over into recruiting. The momentum should continue."
SIUE advanced to the Final Four last season and was eliminated by the eventual champion Tampa in the semifinals of the national championships. The Cougars finished with a record of 17-3-3.
Ngonyani enters SIUE after being named the national junior college Player of the Year at Springfield College. A two-time All-American, Ngonyani scored 46 goals in two seasons. As a forward, Ngonyani scored in every game as a senior at Bloomington North (Ind.) High School in leading his team to a 16-4-1 record. He also led his team to the school's first berth in the super sectional tournament. Ngonyani has been a part of a state title team for every year since 1995.
Huneke said Ngonyani will be a player to watch. "He's a very dangerous forward who can beat a defender in a variety of ways," Huneke said.
Cacciatore joins the list of family members who have played for the Cougars. His father, Steve, was a member of the 1972 national championship team. His uncles, Chris and Jeff, played for SIUE in the mid- to late-'70s. Pete Cacciatore helped St. Mary's High School to three straight state championships. He was honored as the Missouri Player of the Year in 2001 after earning numerous All-State and All-Conference honors. Cacciatore also competed in track where he was fourth at the state championships in the 300-meter hurdles.
"Pete has blazing speed and a flamboyant style of play," Huneke said.
Higgins led CBC High School with 12 goals last season and earned third team All-Metro honors from the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. A second team All-State selection his senior season, Higgins also played for the Scott Gallagher club team which won two state championships the past two seasons. "Brian is a classic playmaker who has great awareness, vision and execution," Huneke said.
Crider was a four-year letter winner at Granite City High School. An All-Southwestern Conference selection his junior season, the midfielder capped his prep career with two goals his senior season. "Andrew is a versatile player with a good sense of how to play," Huneke said.
Velten scored three goals as a back for Webster Groves (MO) High School his senior season. A second team All-State and third team All-Metro selection, Velten was the Suburban South Conference's Player of the Year in 2001 and a three-time All-Conference pick. "Tim is a superb athlete who is cool on the ball for a back," said Huneke.
Jenny Esker (Steeleville) and Missy Koenig (Mapleton) have been named members of the Verizon/CoSIDA District V College Division softball team.
Esker, the Great Lakes Valley Conference's Player of the Year, was named to the first team as an outfielder, while Koenig was selected to the second team. The Verizon/CoSIDA District V College Division includes institutions from Illinois, Minnesota, Iowa and Wisconsin who are NCAA Divisions II or III or NAIA.
Esker has been placed on the national ballot for consideration for Academic All-American.
A sophomore, Esker batted .395 for the Cougars, who finished the 2002 season with a 51-12 record and a No. 2 national ranking in the final USA Today/NFCA NCAA Division II regular season poll. Esker led the Cougars in several offensive categories, including hits (83), runs (56), doubles (22), home runs (12) runs batted in (48) and stolen bases (30). The hits and runs numbers broke single-season records at SIUE.
Koenig completed her second season at SIUE with a 16-4 record, one save and a 1.70 earned run average. In two seasons, Koenig has compiled a 32-11 record as an SIUE pitcher.
Anna Wiszniewska, a 5-foot-10-inch forward from Warsaw, Poland, has signed a national letter of intent to play women's basketball for SIUE next season.
Wiszniewska played in the Polish I League last season and has previously been a member of a team which placed third at the Polish Junior Championships. "We like what we saw when we brought her in for a visit," admitted Coach Wendy Hedberg.
Coach Hedberg first learned of Wiszniewska through a compact disc the player had had sent to the women's basketball office. The CD had a video of her displaying her basketball talent. The Cougars took a chance on bringing Wiszniewska in for a visit.
Wiszniewska has been among winning teams since age 10 when she began to play in Warsaw's sports club. In 1999, her club team advanced to the Polish I/II finals. In 2001, her team won the bronze at the Polish Junior Championships as she averaged 10.5 points and 5.9 rebounds per game. "I think she is going to develop into a good player," Hedberg said.
The coaching staff may not have received an accurate view of her capabilities when she arrived for a visit since she was playing the day after flying in from Poland, said Hedberg. But the women's basketball coaching staff liked her maturity and poise after being put in a tough position.
After finishing the 2002 season with a 51-12 record, five SIUE softball players were named All-Great Lakes Region by the National Fastpitch Coaches Association.
Jenny Esker (Steeleville), RyAnn Spann (Bethalto) and Valerie McCoy (Bethalto) were named to the first team. Erin Newman (Fairfield, Calif.) and Koree Claxton (Rantoul) were selected to the second team,
The members of the first team have been placed on the national ballot and will have an opportunity to be named All-American. "This is an outstanding achievement for these players," Coach Sandy Montgomery said. They have worked hard this season and deserve the reward."
SIUE finished the 2002 season this past weekend after being eliminated by Ashland in the consolation bracket of the NCAA Division II Great Lakes Regional Tournament held in Edwardsville.
Esker, a sophomore outfielder, was named the Great Lakes Valley Conference Player of the Year after leading the league in several offensive categories, including hits (83), runs scored (56), runs batted in (48), and stolen bases (30). She set a single-season record for hits and runs scored as the team's leadoff hitter for most of the season.
Spann, a junior, recorded the most victories in a season (27) since Coach Montgomery set the record as a player with 30 in 1985. Spann fanned 219 batters in 247 2/3 innings and finished the season with a 1.10 earned run average.
McCoy, a senior, earned a back-to-back All-Region selection at second base. This season, McCoy hit .372 with 26 runs batted in. McCoy, an second team All-American last season, was the hardest player to strikeout with 11 in 183 at bats.
Newman, a two-time All-American, completed her collegiate career by shattering numerous offensive records, some of which she already had held after her junior season. Newman, a third baseman, batted .303 with eight home runs and 40 runs batted in this season. For her career, Newman leads SIUE in at bats (697), hits (265), walks (96), doubles (69), home runs (44), and runs batted in (185).
Claxton batted .311 in the outfield as the cleanup hitter. Claxton, a junior, recorded four home runs and 37 runs batted in, and was 11 of 11 in stolen bases.
Opel Named GLVC Player Of The Year
SIUE senior Chad Opel (Edwardsville) has been named Player of the Year by Great Lakes Valley Conference.
Opel, who needs four hits to become the seventh player in NCAA Division II history to record 300 or more hits, heads into the GLVC Tournament batting .429 with a team-best 51 runs scored, 19 doubles and 78 hits.
Opel was named first team as a shortstop for the Cougars. Wes Pickering (Springfield, Mo.) and Eric Meyer (Topeka) were named second team All-GLVC as a utility player and relief pitcher, respectively. Pickering is batting .331 with three home runs and 18 runs batted in. Meyer is 6-2 with a 3.31 earned run average and five saves.
Jarad Rettberg (Divernon) was named to Co-Freshman of the Year. Rettberg is currently 5-2 with a 3.29 ERA.
Logan Glosser, a 6-foot-5-inch forward from Mt. Zion, has signed a national letter of intent to play basketball for SIUE.
It is the first recruit for new Coach Marty Simmons.
In his first move as head coach, Simmons went after a scorer. "He will be a real asset to the kind of program we have here," Simmons said. "He's an all-around player."
Glosser averaged 19.4 points per game as a senior this past season at Mt. Zion High School. He shot 177 of 405 (43.7 percent) from the field. That includes hitting 51.9 percent of his shots from inside the arc. He also led his team with 70 three-pointers and was second in rebounding with 5.2 per game.
"He has had a lot of talent around him, and Mt. Zion has won a good number of games with him," Simmons said.
Glosser was a three-year starter and completed his career as a member of the Illinois Basketball Coaches Association's Class AA All-Star team.
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|Keyed Joints - Course: Techniques of Fitting and Assembling Component Parts to Produce Simple Units. Trainees' Handbook of Lessons|
Keyed joints are detachable joints connecting machine parts by fasteners - keys - a non-positive way.
1 key, 2 shaft, 3 hub
Keyed joints are made in order to
- connect machine parts that shall perform rotational movements transmitting little to great rotary powers;
- connect machine parts that shall perform a to-and-fro movement where little to great axial force must be transmitted;
- connect machine parts in such a way that their exact position relative to one another can be adjusted.
If parts of machines are designed as keys or tapers, they can be connected immediately as a result of this shape. In this case, no additional wedges are required. Such machine parts must be adapted to one another very accurately. Advantage of keyed joints:
- Guarantee of function even with reciprocal stress in the form of shocks.
- With rotating machine parts, the accuracy of true running is not guaranteed in case of high peripheral speeds.
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Although Colmar was French for most of its modern history (as all of Alsace and also Lorraine), its population used to be predominantly German. Alsace changed nationalities many times in the course of history between France and Germany. During WWII Hitler reclaimed Alsace (it was annexed to France after Germany lost WWI) and it is quite shocking to see photographs from the time with Nazi flags hanging through the streets. Cultural supression of local culture led to the francification of Alsace (and Colmar with it). Notwithstanding, you will still hear a lot of German spoken in Colmar, some because of the numerous tourists from neighbouring Germany and Switzerland, but some spoken by native Alsacians, speaking their German dialect called Alsatian. Alsatian is the local minority language, although it is endangered, with ever fewer speakers in young generations. Alsatian is not identical with standard German, but it is to a certain extent mutaully intellegible. In some parts of the city, as well as in Strasbourg, streetsigns will be written in French and Alsatian German underneath. Among the minority languages of France, Alsacian German is the most prosperous one nowadays (followed by Breton, Occitan, Basque and Catalan), and many Alsatians will be delighted to be adressed in German rather than in French (though not all of them). If you do not speak French, German will always be the next preference. English is unfortunately not widely spoken, however if you politely address someone in French they may make an effort to help you despite language barriers.
Colmar lies between Basel (French: Bâle) and Strasbourg. There is a direct train connection from both cities. If you arrive from the German side, there is a bus leaving near the border at Breisach (to which there is a direct train from Freiburg). Driving the car to Colmar will lead you along the same route. Even the comfort of the journey is comparable to that of public transport: There is a toll-free Autoroute (motorway) connecting Basel and Strasbourg but only a normal road from Freiburg.
If you arrive by plane you will probably use one of the closest airports: Euroairport at Basel (with a variety of low cost flights) or Strasbourg (with none). Other airports in the area are Baden Airport, Stuttgart, Zurich and Nancy.
All of Colmar's attractions are concentrated in its old town. For a medieval city it is surprisingly big, but you can nonetheless get around on foot with no difficulty.
Colmar's old town is the main attraction if you come to Colmar. It is stunningly beautiful and well preserved. You should allow yourself a day to stroll along Colmar's old streets and many many shops.
- Maison des Tetes (House of the Heads) – a Renaissance building decorated with faces, and the Pfister House, a marvellous old wooden house, one of the oldest in Colmar.
- Dominican Church worth visitig only because of a famous Schongauer painting. It costs 4.50 euros (2006) to get in. The painting is very beautiful and so is the church, but skip this if you are pressed for time.
- St. Martin Church a large church entirely made of pink stone.
- Unterlinden Museum It is a most interesting museum situated in a medieval convent near the tourist information center. It exhibits objects ov very different arrays, but its highlight is definitely the Isenheim altarpiece by Gruenewald, a revolutionary Alsatian Renaissance painter. Even if you are not much into art it is still shocking to see how modern and inventive this painter was. The museum also shows some very interesting touring exhibits and also musical events. The locals are very proud of this museum and many people turn out for the openings of exhibits.
- Bartholdi Museum , dedicated to the sculpture of the Statue of Liberty who was native to Colmar.
- Little Venice, enjoy this little corner of the city; with small canals reminiscent of Venice, Italy.
- Bartholdi High School, near the Little Venice. Dating back to 1698, it is worth a sight. If you are brave enough to go inside, you will be able to see one of Auguste Bartholdi's original sculpture : "Genie funebre".
Make sure to keep an eye out for dates painted onto the side of buildings. Some of the oldest date back to the 1300's.
Wandering about Comar's old streets is the best way to explore it. There is a variety of shops of different sorts. The Alsatian cuisine is also omnipresent (in restaurants as well as specialist stores).
Most recommended is to buy clothes and shoes in Colmar. The variety is satisfactory and the prices lower than in neighbour Germany, Switzerland and even Strasbourg. Apart from these you could find typical crafts which can be bought as souvenirs. Notable is the typical Alsatian pottery. It comes in a coloured variety, usually blue, green or cream coloured, and decorated with motifs of storks (the regional bird) and flowers. Pottery is also available in a pale blue style, but this type has a stronger German influence. Typical wine glasses for the region are short glasses with green stems. Look for tablecloths, tinware and other such households reproduced with depictions of children and adults in typical Alsatian dress. Food and wine are also major components of the Alsatian production, so look below for relevant tips.
Alsace is known for its pastries. Kugelhopf is a well-known cake similar in shape to the American Bundt cake and has raisins with powdered sugar on top. You can buy traditional ceramic Kugelhopf pans in any tourist shop with recipes to make at home. During Easter, small cakes molding from lamb-shaped pans are made. They are served with a ribbon around their necks and topped generously with powdered sugar. Macaroons are also found in specialty sweet shops and also in the frozen isle of the supermarket (try the Monoprix in the center of the town), which can be eaten straight from the box frozen. Note that they are not like American macaroons (coconut haystacks) but are the French version composed of two small, pastel colored cookies made from almond flour (which has a melt-in-your-mouth quality) with an icing in between. In sweet shop you will also find Meringues, made from whipped egg whites and sugar, dyed in pastel colours and then baked. Make sure to try the tarte aux poires, which is a pear tart with an eggy custard filling with baked pears. Tarte flambee (or Flemkusch in Alsatian) is an Alsatian concurrence to the Pizza, though extremely different. Traditionally, it is made of a thin layer of dough, covered with crème fraîche (light fresh cheese that doesn't truly have an American equivalent), cheese, onions, and bacon (lard in French). It is baked very quickly in an extremely hot oven so that it gets crispy.
Legend has it that the dish was a solution to the extra scraps of dough left over from the bakers. Other regional specialties include the Black Fo
rest cake (with raspberry, cream and sponge) and quiche Lorraine. Alsace is also famous for their Bretzels (pretzels in English). They are fresh baked and soft with generous amounts of salt. Sometimes you can find them with melted cheese on top accompanied by smoked salmon or ham. Alsace is also famous for their Sauerkraut (or choucroute in French). This is pickled cabbaged served hot with boiled potatoes and a variety of meats. Choucroute aux Poissons (with fish) is becoming more widespread.
Alsace is a traditional area of wine production and its wine is widely esteemed in France and outside it. In Christmas time try the cooked orange juice with honey and spices and also the spiced (or mulled) wine served hot in many of the creperies or bars. Alsatian wine is very unique and similar to some German wines. A popular tour is to take the Routes des Vines and sample the wineries along Alsace. Two well known wines that comes from Alsace are Geurwertraminer (very dry) and Muscat (very sweet). In any of the creperies, they will serve a apple cider, slightly alcoholic.
Doux is the sweet version and Brut is the dry version. This is not an Alsation specialty, all of the ciders come from Brittany on the Northern Coast, but it seems all French people enjoy crepes and cider so authentic restaurants catering to these foods are widespread. Eau de Vie is a very strong alcohol, similar to a vodka and lightly flavoured with fruits usually, originally produced by the monks of the region. Look for the Eau de Vie flavoured with Mirabelle, which is a regional plum unique to Alsace.
See the Listing of the Hotels in Colmar
- Maison Martin JUND, 12, rue de l'Ange 68000 COLMAR, This small hotel is family owned and they make their own wines. The building is extremely historic and is within walking distance of museums and bike rental companies. Bathroom is shared but rooms have their own shower and kitchen furnished with utensils.
You can use it as your starting point for travels in Alsace.
- The Massif des Vosges is nearby and offers a lot to nature lovers (in winter as well as in summer).
- Alsatian Vineyard Route passes through Colmar. Some of its medieval villages are justifiedly popular among tourists (Riquewihr, Ribeauville (Rappoltweilen), Kaysersberg…) whereas others are virtually unknown, but have a charm of their own (like St. Hypolite in the mountains). All of them offer beautiful medieval architecture, wonderful wine, good Alsatian food and a lovely pastoral atmosphere.
- Hochkoenigsburg, also spelled Haute-Koenigsberg, a fully restored medieval castle on the top of the mountain near Selestat(Schallstadt).
- Across the German side you will find the beautiful Black Forest.
- Mulhouse is at the end of the Route de Vins. This town was badly damaged in WWII and consequently not as much of a tourist attraction, skip if you are pressed for time.
- Near Basle Laufenburg is another beautiful medieval town situated on both banks of the Rhine with a lovely route along the Rhine leading to it.
- The historical casino town of Baden-Baden is also a short journey away.
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This blockbuster novel, and the television mini-series made from it, are widely acknowledged as the sparks that ignited the genealogical craze in America in the 1970s. It also started a national conversation on topics that had been off limits for most Americans–slavery and race.
Working from his own family’s history, Alex Haley tells the story of Kunta Kinte and his descendants. Kunta Kinte’s early life in Africa, his capture and sale to slave traders, and the horrific sea voyage to America hold the reader’s attention for the first third of the book. In America, Kunta is sold to a plantation owner in Virginia. As the years go on, Kunta attempts escapes, but freedom will not be his. Yet Africa remains alive in his mind, and he passes words and stories of his homeland on.
The scholar Michael Eric Dyson, writing in the introduction to the thirtieth anniversary edition of Roots says that the novel “helped convince the nation that the black story is the American story.” It is also a North Carolina story. Kunta’s daughter Kizzy is sold to a cockfighting ne’er-do-well in Caswell County. That man rapes Kizzy, fathering her only child, “Chicken George” Lea. George works with the master’s birds and becomes so valuable to the master that George is allowed to bring his love, Matilda, onto the farm. Their family grows, but the master’s bad bet at a cockfight breaks the family apart. George is sent to England and the rest of the family is sold to a more prosperous plantation in Alamance County. There they remain until after the Civil War, when the family moves west into Tennessee.
Check this title’s availability in the UNC-Chapel Hill Library catalog.
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The Growing Leader
David is identified in our text as the growing leader. He had to lead through a lot of different obstacles personally and publicly. The Peter Principle is the theory that employees within an organization will advance to their highest level of competence and then be promoted to and remain at a level at which they are incompetent. A growing leader defeats the Peter Principle because they continue to grow as different tasks and challenges are overcome. David became a leader as the result of effectively managing a conflict. His opportunities for influence continued to grow to the point that he was installed as the King of Israel. David is one of the most well known leaders in the Bible and is known as a “man after God’s own heart.”
Growing leaders aren’t necessarily young. They may be older leaders who are looking for a new challenge or a new opportunity to develop some skills. Many of today’s church planters and small business owners would be identified as growing leaders. They have many challenges ahead, but that isn’t enough to scare them away from the task that God has placed before them.
David is a favorite of many Christians because we had a chance to watch him grow up before our eyes. In I Samuel, we see that Samuel had his own ideas for who God should choose as the king. God responded to Samuel in I Samuel 16:7 “Do not consider his appearance or his height, for I have rejected him. The LORD does not look at the things man looks at. Man looks at the outward appearance, but the LORD looks at the heart.” In that very next moment, Samuel asked Jesse to bring his youngest son. Jesse said that his youngest was out tending sheep and Samuel responded that they would wait for him to get there. Upon David’s arrival, God confirmed to Samuel that he was the one and told Samuel to anoint him. I Samuel 16:13 says, “So Samuel took the horn of oil and anointed him in the presence of his brothers, and from that day on the Spirit of the LORD came upon David in power.” When others saw a shepherd boy, God saw a king!
It is ironic that David’s lack of position is what made him most qualified for the position of king. David modeled growing leadership because he had never been a leader before. God had gifted him in this area, but he had never before had a chance to refine those skills. The Bible records David’s life in over eighty chapters laying out what might be the most concise review of what it really takes to be a leader.
The first quality of growing leadership is the hunger for a close relationship with God. That was the very thing that caused the Lord to select David in the first place. He wasn’t the strongest or the smartest, but his heart hungered and thirsted for the things of God. Even when he was tending the sheep, he was developing his relationship with the Lord. This first quality is the one that tends to get left out the most. In the excitement of what it takes to get things done, many leaders build their schedules in such a way that leaves out time to spend with the Lord in favor of other things. They know how critical it is to build relationships in order to ensure the success of their new venture and they often neglect their time with God, when in fact, that is the most important appointment of any day.
The next quality we see is David’s heart for service. In I Samuel 16:21 it says, “David came to Saul and entered his service. Saul liked him very much, and David became one of his armor-bearers. Then Saul sent word to Jesse, saying, “Allow David to remain in my service, for I am pleased with him.” The very king that would lose his throne to David recognized his heart for service. Many leaders forget that leadership is ultimately about serving. In order to lead, you must be willing to work.
Not only was David willing to serve, he was also the first to volunteer to step up in a dangerous situation. When the Philistines threatened the Israelites, they were in danger of being defeated and made subjects of the Philistines. For forty days, the Israelites stood in fear of Goliath and his threats towards them. David returned from watching his sheep and asked who was going to take on Goliath. He found out that all the Israelites were terrified and not willing to challenge Goliath. In 1 Samuel 17:32, David said “Let no one lose heart on account of this Philistine; your servant will go and fight him.” Saul tried to talk David out of it, but David would hear nothing of it. He talked about what he had to do to protect his sheep in the fields and knew that God was calling him to stand up for Israel. Saul lent him his armor and David went to take on the giant. In I Samuel 17:50, David killed Goliath with a sling and a stone. David gave all the credit to God because he knew the battle belonged to the Lord.
Defeating Goliath was just the beginning. From that point on, David continued to serve Saul. Saul’s eldest son Jonathan came alongside David and became a great friend to him. This relationship was a big sacrifice to Jonathan and could cost him his life. David’s reputation continued to grow as he accomplished more and more military conquests. It finally got to the point that Saul became very jealous of David. Saul’s people began to question his leadership as they became more and more enamored with David. Leaders must work hard to expand their influence. David grew as a leader because he continued to work hard and didn’t let up. He didn’t try and take over Saul’s position, he just worked hard and stayed true to the calling that God had placed on his life.
David knew the benefit of relationships and worked very hard to strengthen those bonds with the men he was serving with. His character caused many to notice him. They knew he was a hard worker and a great leader. Every leader needs to be reminded that the spotlight is often the hottest when you are not in charge, but are following someone else. One day you will be a leader, how do you want those under you to follow? David didn’t waste his time campaigning to be the king. He knew if he was faithful in the task God had placed before him, his time would come.
Saul didn’t support David. He knew that he would eventually lose his position to David and therefore spent a good bit of time making things difficult for David. David had to learn how to serve a leader that didn’t even like him. Most leaders will encounter this situation at some point along the road. This comes up a lot when someone is getting near the end of his or her career and a successor has already been named. You would like to think that this would be a smooth transition phase, but that isn’t always the case. Saul’s focus wasn’t necessarily to “leave well.” David modeled the strengths of a growing leader by staying focused on the task at hand. He didn’t spend all of his time trying to leverage his position. He knew his time would come.
As David continued to work hard, he experienced more success and earned the trust of those around him. His following grew as more and more people saw the kind of leader that he was. Many of them were willing to lay down their lives in order to serve alongside David.
In the first chapter of 2 Samuel, we read the account of Saul and Jonathan’s death at Mount Gilboa. David was obviously distressed to hear of Saul’s death and particularly the death of his good friend Jonathan. Immediately after David spent time mourning the loss of his friend and the king, the men of Judah came to anoint David as the new King of Judah. God had honored his faithfulness. David waited patiently, and now the time had come for him to lead.
David served faithfully as the king of Judah for seven and a half years. He continued to seek God and to build relationships with those around him. He served them as their king. At the end of seven and a half years, David’s kingdom was expanded to include Israel.
David’s kingdom and the descendants of Saul battled for a long time. There was a great civil war between Judah and Israel that David eventually won. The war was another chance for David to grow as a leader. Taking over or starting a new ministry or new business is not always the smoothest process. It can get ugly and bitter when people divide into different teams. David had to learn how to deal with this adversity as he grew into the leader that God created him to be.
David was a wise leader because he recognized that his longevity as king would be directly affected by the influence of those in Saul’s house. He reached out to Abner and Ishbosheth. He knew that an alliance with those loyal to Saul would be of great benefit to the people of Israel. This is a great demonstration of the fact that we have to put our personal agendas aside in favor of God’s much greater plan.
This alliance gave David a chance to build a bridge to the people of Israel. His efforts were rewarded in 2 Samuel 1:1-5, “All the tribes of Israel came to David at Hebron and said, “We are your own flesh and blood. In the past, while Saul was king over us, you were the one who led Israel on their military campaigns. And the LORD said to you, ‘You will shepherd my people Israel, and you will become their ruler.’ “When all the elders of Israel had come to King David at Hebron, the king made a compact with them at Hebron before the LORD, and they anointed David king over Israel. David was thirty years old when he became king, and he reigned forty years. In Hebron he reigned over Judah seven years and six months, and in Jerusalem he reigned over all Israel and Judah thirty-three years.”
David set a wonderful example of what a growing leader should look like. Through all of the trials and tribulations, David continued to seek God. He wanted to become all that God had created him to be. As we read on through 2 Samuel, we know that David still faced many obstacles. He wasn’t perfect. He made poor choices, but he grew through them. He was also smart to build relationships with people like Nathan and Jonathan throughout his life that could hold him accountable to living a life that would honor God. As a result of his faithfulness to God’s call on his life, David is a man that many model their leadership style after even today.
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How to Wire a Circuit "In Parallel"
There are two basic types of electrical circuits; series and parallel. A complex circuit can consist of sub circuits of each kind.
In a series circuit, the path of electrons from the negative (-) side to the positive (+) side goes through all the electrical components of the circuit. Another way to think of this is that if you open the circuit at one point, on either side of a component, there is no complete path for the electrons to follow from - to + for any of the components. A good example of this for those of you old enough to remember is the old style Christmas lights where if one light were to burn out, the whole series of lights would go out. Series circuits are used extensively in electronics but rarely by someone who is providing power to electrical components such as supplying power to a group of lights as in the case of low voltage LED lights sold by Berkeley Point. A simple schematic of a series circuit containing three electrical components (represented as light bulbs below - icky incandescent light bulbs at that), is illustrated below:
In a parallel circuit, each component has its own direct path to both the negative (-) and positive (+) sides of the circuit. A simple schematic of a parallel circuit is shown below. In actually wiring the LED lights from Berkeley Point, as long as the red leads from the lights are connected to a wire that goes directly to the positive (+) side of the power supply and the black leads are connected to a wire that goes directly to the negative (-) side, you have wired the lights in parallel. If you follow the wire path back from a light to the power supply, it can "T" to other lights but should not go through any other lights. If your feed wire is similar to the Belden wires provided by Berkeley Point in so far as they consist of a red and black wire. In a parallel circuit, you will never have a black wire connected to a red wire (contrasted with example of series circuit shown above). Further, as long as you can follow a path from the red wire of a light back to the positive (+) side of the power supply through red wires and the same through black to the negative (-) side, you have wired in parallel. A group of many lights may have all their red leads connected together with one red (+) feed wire and all their black leads connected together with one black (-) feed wire.
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Tension headache refers to radiating, steady pain in the head, neck, or eyes that can be mild or intense. Tension headaches may be occasional or chronic.
Tension Headache: Areas of Pain
Copyright © Nucleus Medical Media, Inc.
Tension headaches may occur when muscles in the neck, face, and scalp contract. In some cases, muscle contraction is the result of teeth grinding and jaw clenching. In others, it may be unknown.
Some tension headaches are nearly constant, with daily pain that may vary in intensity. Other tension headaches only occur once in a while. Symptoms usually start slowly and build.
Tension headache may cause:
Constant, steady pain and pressureDull and achy painPain which may be felt on both sides of the head, in the forehead, temples, and the back of the headPressure may feel like a tight band around the headIntensity ranges from mild to severe and can vary during the dayTightness in head and neck muscles
Headaches can become so severe and constant that they interfere with normal activities and sleep.
You will be asked about your symptoms and medical history. A physical exam will be done. Diagnosis can be made on exam, based on specific features. The cause of the headaches however, may be more difficult to determine. A neurological exam may be done.
Imaging is not usually needed, but if pain is unusual or severe it may be done to look for other causes of the headache. Imaging tests include: CT scanMRI scan
There are no specific cures for tension headaches, but they can be managed. Therapies aim to stop the headache and reduce the frequency of future episodes.
Treatment may include:
For occasional headaches, the following medication may be recommended to relieve pain:
Over-the-counter nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) such as ibuprofen and naproxenPrescription pain relievers
Note: Pain medications are most effective when taken at the first sign of pain and before it becomes severe. Overusing some over-the-counter medications may actually cause headaches. Continuous use of medications may create rebound pain when you stop taking the drug.
Taking a caffeine supplement with your pain reliever may improve pain relief.
The following medications may also be recommended to treat or prevent headaches: Antidepressants Muscle relaxersBotulinum toxin injections (Botox)Anti-seizure medicationBeta blocker medication
Self-care may include:
Rest if neededAn ice pack or heat pack on your head or neck to ease discomfortA warm shower, with water running over tense muscles
Lifestyle changes may include:
Regular exerciseImproving your postureAdequate sleepRegular breaks from tasksStress management
and relaxation techniquesCounseling
Develop new coping skillsIdentify events that trigger the headaches and work toward resolution
Additional therapies may include:
Acupuncture—to have more headache-free days and lessen the intensity of headaches when they do occurPhysical therapy—to develop a home exercise programMassage therapy
To help reduce your chances of getting a tension headache, try the following strategies:
Keep a diary, marking when headaches occur and what you were doing before they started.Learn to recognize what provokes a tension headache.Avoid or minimize stressful situations.Take frequent breaks to walk or move around.Make time for pleasurable activities.Practice relaxation techniques, such as deep breathing and focusing on something pleasant.Learn techniques for coping with difficult or stressful situations.Make time for friends and build a strong support system.Go to bed early and get a good night's sleep.Exercise regularly.Do not slouch.Hold the phone, rather than cradling it on your shoulder, or use a headset.
Melchart D, Streng A, Hoppe A, et al. Acupuncture in patients with tension-type headache: randomized controlled trial.
Brit Med J. 2005;331:376-379.
NINDS headache information page. National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke website. Available at:
http://www.ninds.nih.gov/disorders/headache/headache.htm. Updated September 26, 2014. Accessed January 15, 2015.
Tension-type headache. EBSCO DynaMed website. Available at: http://www.ebscohost.com/dynamed. Updated January 6, 2015. Accessed January 15, 2015.
National Headache Foundation website. Available at:
http://www.headaches.org/education/Headache_Topic_Sheets/Tension-Type_Headache. Accessed January 15, 2015.
12/16/2008 DynaMed's Systematic Literature Surveillance
http://www.ebscohost.com/dynamed: Jena S, Witt CM, Brinkhaus B, Wegscheider K, Willich SN. Acupuncture in patients with headache.
8/27/2010 DynaMed's Systematic Literature Surveillance
http://www.ebscohost.com/dynamed: Robberstad L, Dyb G, Hagen K, Stovner LJ, Holmen TL, Zwart JA. An unfavorable lifestyle and recurrent headaches among adolescents: The HUNT Study.
5/12/2014 DynaMed's Systematic Literature Surveillance
http://www.ebscohost.com/dynamed: Yancey JR, Sheridan R, et al. Chronic daily headache: diagnosis and management. Am Fam Physician. 2014 Apr 15;89(8):642-8.
2/4/2015 DynaMed's Systematic Literature Surveillance http://www.ebscohost.com/dynamed: Derry CJ, Derry S, et al. Caffeine as an analgesic adjuvant for acute pain in adults. Cochrane Database Syst Rev. 2012 Mar 14;3.
Last reviewed January 2015 by Rimas Lukas, MD
Please be aware that this information is provided to supplement the care provided by your physician. It is neither intended nor implied to be a substitute for professional medical advice. CALL YOUR HEALTHCARE PROVIDER IMMEDIATELY IF YOU THINK YOU MAY HAVE A MEDICAL EMERGENCY. Always seek the advice of your physician or other qualified health provider prior to starting any new treatment or with any questions you may have regarding a medical condition.
Copyright © EBSCO Publishing. All rights reserved.
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It has been hard work in recent times to get the world to take seriously the dangers posed by global warming. Those who have been persuaded, through misguided short-term self-interest, to deny the reality of climate change, have had succour from a number of sources.
The scandal surrounding the leak of private emails from the Climatic Research Unit at the University of East Anglia was deeply damaging with its allegations that scientists fudged and fiddled the figures to bolster the case for international action. So too was the fiasco in which an unsubstantiated claim that the Himalayan glaciers could melt away by 2035 was allowed to find its way into the 2007 report of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change. And the fact that the challenge of global warming was scarcely mentioned by any major political leader during the general election campaign has not helped. All this has been grist to the mill of the climate-change deniers.
Yet the inconvenient truth is that, whatever errors or over-statements individuals may make in this debate, the overwhelming body of climate science still shows that man-made climate change is real. Our report today, of solid and robust research measuring changes in temperature in our planet's great oceans and seas, demonstrates that. The satellite and float technology involved is producing evidence from a wide area. This sets in context minor disputes about the reliability of data from Chinese weather stations and other squabblings. The temperature of our deep waters does not fluctuate in the way that temperatures do on land, where they are subject to the vagaries of weather as well as urban heating.
There is a key difference between weather and climate, and the temperature of the seas is an important indicator of that. And the water in our deep seas is warming. Add to that the recent evidence from Lake Tanganyika – which was recently shown to be warmer than at any time for at least 1,500 years – and the serious evidence is all pointing in one direction only.
It may well be that heightened anxiety over the massive oil leak in the Gulf of Mexico will dispose the public to take the environment more seriously for a while. But ups and downs in public awareness must not be what determines the seriousness with which this problem is addressed. Climate change represents a serious challenge to human survival. Our political leaders must not be allowed to forget that.
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baby boom, a period in which the birthrate is significantly higher than in other periods, especially the post–World War II period in the United States, Canada, Australia, and New Zealand. In the United States, the postwar baby boom was the largest demographic spike in the nation's history; more than 78 million Americans were born. Experts differ about the span of the U.S. baby boom, which the Census Bureau defines as 1946 to 1964; the number of births peaked in 1957. Some break the period into two sections: "Leading-edge Boomers" (1946–54) and "Generation Jones" (1955–65). Marriage and pregnancy were delayed during the 16 years that spanned the Great Depression and World War II. After the war, births went up precipitously as the average ages at which people got married and began having children both went down. The baby-boom years were also marked by an expanding economy, increased educational opportunities, and population shifts to the growing suburbs. The baby boom ended in the late 1960s and by the 1970s America's birthrate had declined to 1930s levels.
Baby boomers are the largest generation in U.S. history, and have had a profound effect on many of the country's political, economic, and cultural trends. Many boomers reached young adulthood during the 1960s and contributed to and were affected by the period's antiauthoritarian and alternative hallmarks, such as political and social activism and rock music. Boomers also are united by such factors as television (they were the first generation to grow up with the medium) and consumerism (they have tended to be voracious commercial consumers). Many baby boomers have struggled to achieve the standard of living enjoyed by their parents because the large size of their cohort has tended to diminish economic opportunity, but the generation as a whole is the richest in American history. In the 21st cent. aging baby boomers are expected to present a significant challenge to the U.S. healthcare industry, Medicare, and social security.
See P. C. Light, Baby Boomers (1990), N. A. Hamilton et al., Atlas of the Baby Boom Generation (2000), S. Gillon, Boomer Nation (2004); J. Goldsmith, The Long Baby Boom (2008)
The Columbia Electronic Encyclopedia, 6th ed. Copyright © 2012, Columbia University Press. All rights reserved.
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SOAP - Body Element
The SOAP body is a mandatory element that contains the application-defined XML data being exchanged in the SOAP message. The body must be contained within the envelope and must follow any headers that might be defined for the message.
The body is defined as a child element of the envelope, and the semantics for the body are defined in the associated SOAP schema.
The body contains mandatory information intended for the ultimate receiver of the message. For example −
<?xml version="1.0"?> <SOAP-ENV:Envelope> ........ <SOAP-ENV:Body> <m:GetQuotation xmlns:m="http://www.tp.com/Quotation"> <m:Item>Computers</m:Item> </m:GetQuotation> </SOAP-ENV:Body> </SOAP-ENV:Envelope>
The example above requests a quotation of computer sets. Note that the m:GetQuotation and the Item elements above are application-specific elements. They are not a part of the SOAP standard.
Here is the response to the above query −
<?xml version="1.0"?> <SOAP-ENV:Envelope> ........ <SOAP-ENV:Body> <m:GetQuotationResponse xmlns:m="http://www.tp.com/Quotation"> <m:Quotation>This is Qutation</m:Quotation> </m:GetQuotationResponse> </SOAP-ENV:Body> </SOAP-ENV:Envelope>
Normally, the application also defines a schema to contain semantics associated with the request and response elements.
The Quotation service might be implemented using an EJB running in an application server; if so, the SOAP processor would be responsible for mapping the body information as parameters into and out of the EJB implementation of the GetQuotationResponse service. The SOAP processor could also be mapping the body information to a .NET object, a CORBA object, a COBOL program, and so on.
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CEDAR CREEK (HOPKINS COUNTY)
CEDAR CREEK (Hopkins County). Cedar Creek rises just south of Cumby in western Hopkins County (at 33°08' N, 95°50' W) and runs south for seven miles to its mouth on Turkey Creek, two miles west of Miller Grove (at 33°01' N, 95°50' W). It crosses generally flat terrain with locally shallow depressions, surfaced by clay and sandy loams that support water-tolerant hardwoods, conifers, and grasses.
Image Use Disclaimer
All copyrighted materials included within the Handbook of Texas Online are in accordance with Title 17 U.S.C. Section 107 related to Copyright and “Fair Use” for Non-Profit educational institutions, which permits the Texas State Historical Association (TSHA), to utilize copyrighted materials to further scholarship, education, and inform the public. The TSHA makes every effort to conform to the principles of fair use and to comply with copyright law.
For more information go to: http://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/17/107.shtml
If you wish to use copyrighted material from this site for purposes of your own that go beyond fair use, you must obtain permission from the copyright owner.
The following, adapted from the Chicago Manual of Style, 15th edition, is the preferred citation for this article.Handbook of Texas Online, "Cedar Creek (Hopkins County)," accessed June 25, 2016, http://www.tshaonline.org/handbook/online/articles/rbcbm.
Uploaded on June 12, 2010. Published by the Texas State Historical Association.
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Jane Austen Introduction
What Jane Austen did... and why you should care
It is a truth universally acknowledged, that a reader of Jane Austen's novels will either love the author passionately or despise her with equal force. How did six little novels written by a middle-class woman in early nineteenth-century England came to have such worldwide popularity, their author becoming the subject of cult-like devotion among her fans and shuddering dislike among her detractors? Why is Jane Austen such a big deal? And why are all of her characters so obsessed with marriage?
Let's start with that last one first. Jane Austen's characters are obsessed with marriage because everybody in Regency England was obsessed with marriage. For virtually all of English history, marriage had been an economic transaction, one arranged for the financial benefit for the families involved without much regard to the couple's feelings (or lack thereof) for one another. Suddenly, during the late eighteenth- and early nineteenth-century period in which Austen lived, people began wondering if it might be okay to factor love into the equation as well, making matters all the more complicated.
Jane Austen knew all too well how marriage defined a woman's life. She never married, and as a result was dependent most of her life on the charity of her brothers. She fit her writing into the otherwise dull daily routine of chores, visits, and "respectable activities" expected of a middle-class lady. She didn't even get to put her own name on her books—the four novels she published during her lifetime were described only as being written "By a Lady." Still, from this perch of relative obscurity she managed to make some of her era's sharpest (and funniest) observations on human behavior, most of which still apply today.
One thing is certain: Jane Austen fans love their Jane. Film and television adaptations of her books proliferate like rabbits, and self-professed Janeites (the official term for diehard fans) are scattered across the world. Why the adoration for this author whose entire body of work can fit neatly in a backpack? It might be because her characters are so charming. It might be because she's so funny. And it might be because the books really are just that good.
Austen's novels were the first literary works to acknowledge this complex dance of gender and social convention, in a way that was funny, perceptive, and realistic. With her elegantly crafted plots and characters, Jane Austen pretty much single-handedly rescued the novel from the trash heap of the literary world. Before Austen, all novels were regarded with the same kind of respect we now give to cheap supermarket romance novels; thanks to Austen, it is now possible to gain a "serious" literary reputation on the backs of novels alone.
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In the distant north of Middle-earth, between the far reaches of the Blue and the Misty Mountains, lay a wide icy bay of the Great Sea. This was the mighty Icebay of Forochel (the name Forochel means 'northern ice'), which extended far into the coldest regions of the north of Arda. To the north and west, the bay was sheltered from the Sea by the curve of the Cape of Forochel.
Despite its freezing climate, tribes of Men lived around the shores of the Icebay. Far back in the Elder Days, these were the people known as the Forodwaith, but by the Third Age, their descendants - the Lossoth - occupied the northern wastes in their place. Their main settlements were along the sheltered Cape, but they wandered far and wide around the Icebay, even venturing as far as the Icebay's southern coasts.
For acknowledgements and references, see the Disclaimer & Bibliography page.
Website services kindly sponsored by Axiom Software Ltd.
Original content © copyright Mark Fisher 2004. All rights reserved. For conditions of reuse, see the Site FAQ.
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Posted by ESC on March 05, 2003
In Reply to: Re: March posted by S. Ryan on March 05, 2003
: : A quote about March I heard this morning: "In like a lion and out like a lamb". Where did this come from--what does it mean?
: : Where we live in Michigan it means that the weather at the beginning of March is still roaring, like a lion, in the grips of winter, but eventually turns quickly to the gentle weather of spring ( lamblike ). I assume it is the same elsewhere.
Yes, weather may be fierce at the beginning of March but mild at the end. I couldn't find an origin. Just that it is a "proverb." More on March from AskOxford.com:
"March", according to the proverb, "comes in like a lion and goes out like a lamb", but what are its other proverbial associations?
March is traditionally wet and
windy, so that dusty soil would be rarely seen: from the 16th century it was said
that "a peck of March dust is worth a king's ransom" (a peck was a dry measure
of two gallons). It was also thought that the weather in March could be an augury
of what was to come: "So many mists in March, so many frosts in May." There is
however one March proverb which is not to do with the weather: "On the first of
March, crows begin to search" refers to the tradition that crows begin pairing
on this day. The proverbial phrase "mad as a March hare" has a similar origin:
a "March hare" is a brown hare in the breeding season, noted for its leaping,
boxing, and chasing in circles. In literary terms, strong winds seem to be a constant
factor. Thomas Hood in "The Bridge of Sighs" writes of his despairing heroine,
"The bleak wind of March Made her tremble and shiver; But not the dark arch, Or
the black flowing river." Kipling refers to "the clanging arch of steel-grey March",
and Shakespeare notes that the daffodils of early spring can "take The winds of
March with beauty". But perhaps the strongest literary and historical association
of the month is not with the weather, but with the "ides", or middle day of the
month, in the ancient Roman calendar. Julius Caesar, who in Shakespeare's play
unwisely ignores the soothsayer's warning, "Beware the Ides of March!", was murdered
on the Ides (15th) of March in a conspiracy led by Brutus and Cassius.
http://www.askoxford.com/worldofwords/quotations/quotefrom/hares/ Accessed March 5, 2003. AskOxford.com
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What is a sales agreement?
The basic description of a sales agreement is simple – it is an agreement between two parties for one to sell an item to the other. This is a sales agreement in its simplest form. The agreement usually sets out the terms of the sale in full detail including the price of the transaction, the conditions of the sales and a complete description of the item or property being sold or transferred to the other person or legal entity.
What types of items or property can be transferred using a sales agreement?
Any number of different types of property can be transferred using an appropriately drafted sales agreement. This could include a house, a car, a boat, a piece of machinery or equipment, an animal a business or a combination or range of any and all of these types of items. The details of the agreement concerning the conditions of sale and the details of the transfer from one person to another in relation to each of these items may be different, but essentially the situation can be covered by using the basic terms of a sales agreement.
The sales agreement in relation to the sale of a business is the key document in buying the business assets or stock of a corporation. You need to review the document in minute detail to make sure it outlines the terms you have agreed to. It is in this agreement that you should define everything that you intend to purchase of the business and its assets, customer lists, intellectual property and goodwill. If you don’t have a lawyer to help you draft the terms of the sale, you should at least have one review the agreement before you sign it.
What Should Be Included?
The following is a checklist of some of the items that should be addressed in an agreement for the sale of a business, for example:
Names of seller, buyer, and business
Assets being sold
Purchase price and allocation of assets
Covenant not to compete
Any adjustments to be made
Terms of the agreement and payment terms
List of inventory included in the sale
Compliance with the Bulk Sales laws of the state
Any representation and warranties of the seller
Any representation and warranties of the buyer
Determination as to the access to any business information
Determination as to the running of the business prior to closing
Possibilities of having the seller continue as a consultant
Fees, including brokers fees
Date of closing
- Auto sales agreement We have an auto sales agreement available for immediate download.
- Boat sales agreement We have a boat sales agreement available for immediate download.
- Car Sales Agreement Information We have a car sales agreement available for immediate download.
- Mobile home sales agreement We have a mobile home sales agreement available for immediate download.
- Sales agreement contract We have a sales agreement contract available for immediate download.
- Sales agreement template We have a sales agreement template available for immediate download.
- Sell your things with a Sales agreement form We have a sales agreement form available for immediate download.
- Simple sales agreement for immediate download We have a simple sales agreement available for immediate download.
- Vehicle sales agreement We have a vehicle sales agreement available for immediate download.
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Facts and Events
- Robert Walker 1630-1690 Descendancy
- Descendancy:Cumberland County Walkers
- Data:Walker Land Records in Lancaster County
|Sometime before 1734 five brothers, sons of person:James Walker (160) and his wife Elizabeth, and grandsons of Robert Walker (52), immigrated from Letterkenney, Ireland, to Pennsylvania with their parents Source:Egle's Notes and Queries. The earliest records for these Letterkenny Walkers date from 1734. Some authors give an immigration date of before 1715, others indicate that they landed in Baltimore Maryland in 1725. Supporting original source documentation has not been found for any of these views. It is of some interest that YDNA evidence supports the view that descendants of the Letterkenney Walkers are closely related to descendants who trace their heiritage to the Wigton Walkers. IN this regard it is interesting to note that the later line is identified in Source:White, 1902 as having settled in what is now Cecil County Maryland, about the same time as the Letterkeeny Walkers are said by some to have settled in Maryland. While we have some original source documentation that tends to confirm the Wigton Walker presence in Cecil County Maryland circa 1734, we have no documentation as yet for their presence in the area in the 1726 time frame. Nor do we have original source documentation for the Letterkenney Walkers in Baltimore about the same time. Additional research is needed on these points.
James Walker (160) is believed to be the immigrant ancestor of the Letterkenny Walkers who settled in Cumberland, Dauphin, and Lebanon Counties PA, sometimes around 1734. The following diagram shows a "concensus view" of the family relationships among these Walkers. The wife of James is commonly identified as "Elizabeth", but the basis for this is unknown. He is said to have settled in Lancaster County, but exactly when and where is not known.
- ↑ See Descendancy:Cumberland County Walkers for a discussion of the basis for this diagram. The information shown here should be considered a "working diagram"; as the understanding of this lineage develops, the diagram may disagree in some respects from the text, at least until the diagram has been updated.
- ↑ At least one of James children (William 186), is said to have married in Philadelphia before 1715. If true, then the date of immigration would have been somewhat earlier than that. At this time the earliest records for the family seem to date to about 1734.
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Jean-Claude Trichet, President, European Central Bank
Governments and central banks managed to avoid a global economic catastrophe, but the crisis has left a legacy of nearly bankrupt governments. A quick return to solvency is required.
As we head into 2011, economies around the world are still emerging from the worst economic crisis since the Great Depression. But, unlike then, this crisis was largely contained as a result of swift action by central banks, governments and parliaments.
These actions were extraordinary and have left challenges in their wake. The biggest of these challenges comes from a deterioration in public finances of unprecedented scale and geographical reach. The recession has depressed tax receipts and increased government outlays on unemployment benefits while the levels of many other expenditure items have not adjusted fully to the much-lower-than-foreseen output level. This places significant pressure on government budgets. At the end of 2010, government debt in the euro area is 18 percentage points above its 2007 levels according to the European Commission's autumn forecast data. In the US and Japan it has increased by more than 30 percentage points according to the OECD. There is little doubt that all countries among the advanced economies are now in urgent need of implementing a credible medium-term fiscal consolidation strategy.
Fortunately, there is an increasingly large consensus to maintain government fiscal integrity by offering credible exit strategies and embracing profound financial sector reform. There is by now also an increasing understanding in many parts of the global economy that there is no time to lose in implementing consolidation and restoring sound public finances.
Sustainable economic growth depends on sustainable public finances. Policymakers are doing everything possible to prevent another extreme malfunctioning of the financial sector. But even if the world manages to implement the most challenging of financial reforms, there may be other unpredictable triggers for a future economic and financial challenges. Unexpected and unavoidable events, such as the natural disasters that struck several countries in 2010, may require emergency government support. We can only face these if we have spare capacity in our public finances.
Fiscal buffers are essential when our economies are in a typical business cycle. They are even more necessary when our economies are coping with exceptional circumstances. During the financial crisis governments were forced to commit large funds to prevent the financial system from collapsing. Taxpayers took on great risks in this area, as calculations by the European Central Bank demonstrate. At one point, support earmarked for the financial sector, including recapitalisation, guarantees, dealing with toxic assets and other options, reached as much as a quarter of GDP in the EU and in the US. Commitments of this magnitude meant that governments need financial credibility.
Those who argue against a determined move toward fiscal consolidation are, in my view, underestimating that under extraordinary economic circumstances, established empirical relationships may no longer function in the same way as before. Today we are navigating in largely uncharted territory. Fiscal imbalances imply that it is no longer possible to trust the basic models that economists use to measure the impact of stimulus spending-or deficits for that matter-on economic growth. In these conditions, other factors, much more difficult to measure, come into play. I believe that, in the vast majority of OECD countries, orderly and resolute medium-term fiscal consolidation will boost confidence among households, enterprises, investors and savers.
This is why I do not agree with the argument that delaying the restoration of fiscal soundness would consolidate the economic recovery. In most advanced economies bolstering the current recovery and promoting job growth is precisely the reason why fiscal consolidation is needed right now.
The circumstances that the world economy faces are indeed extraordinary. And extraordinary times have called for extraordinary measures. Central banks have taken great efforts to maintain credibility of price stability against both inflationary and deflationary risks. The European Central Bank has been actively responding to the financial turmoil since the very beginning while always keeping its sense of medium to long-term direction: ensuring price stability over the medium term, which is its primary mandate.
The remarkable track record of price stability over the last 12 years and the solid anchoring of inflation expectations are key elements for confidence in the euro area and in Europe.
For the recovery to take hold, progress towards sound public finances in the euro area as well as in other advanced countries will be important.
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Québec playwright Marco Micone was born in Montelongo, Italy in 1945 and emigrated to Canada with his family in 1958. He grew up in Montreal and earned French degrees at Loyola and McGill. At the latter he wrote a M.A. thesis (1969) on the theatre of Marcel Dubé. His first play, Gens du silence was staged in 1980 at Le théâtre de l’Ouverture and was published in 1982. The English version, Voiceless People, premiered in Vancouver in 1986. As the first French-language play to examine the immigrant experience in Québec it achieved critical and popular success with repeated productions. Micone’s argumentative style took a feminist turn with Addolorata (1994) and a more pessimistic one with Déjà l’agonie (1988). See the bibliography for the English translations of the plays. See also the critical essay on Micone’s theatre.
All of Micone’s plays engage the polemics of Québec politics and the place of immigrants in a nationalistic society. These questions are explored in many of Micone&’s magazine articles and in his book of essays and narratives, Le Figuier enchanté (1992). Annette Hayward of Queen’s University pointed out that Micone wrote a poem that has had an important history. It is called "Speak What" and is sort of an answer to "Speak White" by Michele Lalande, at another point in Quebec history. It was published in Jeu.
As an important translator for Québec theatre Micone has adapted a number of classical Italian plays for the Montreal stage. They include Goldoni’s La Locandiera (1993) and La serva amorosa, Pirandello’s Six personnages en quéte d’auteur, and Gozzi’s l’Oiseau vert. The first version of Goldoni’s Les femmes de bonne humeur premiered in April, 2000. Micone is not afraid to give these classical plays a feminist adaptation which he did in a controversial version of Shakespeare’s La Mégère apprivoisée (Taming of the Shrew). In addition to arousing debate about the adaptations of different cultures in Québec theatre, Micone’s translations have also won several awards.
Updated February 12 2015 by Student & Academic Services
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Manuel I "the Fortunate" King of Portugal 1814
- Born: 31 May 1469, Alcochete, Setúbal, Portugal
- Marriage (1): Isabella of Aragon in 1497 1816
- Marriage (2): Maria of Aragon on 30 Oct 1500 1816
- Marriage (3): Eleonore of Austria on 16 Jul 1518 1816
- Died: 13 Dec 1521, Lisbon, Lisboa, Portugal at age 52 1816
Cause of his death was Plague.
Manuel I of Portugal (pron. IPA /m?.nu.'??/; Archaic Portuguese: Manoel I, English: Emanuel I), the Fortunate (Port. o Venturoso), 14th king of Portugal, was born in Alcochete in May 31, 1469 and died in Lisbon in December 13, 1521. He was the son of Prince Fernando of Portugal, duke of Viseu, by his wife, Brites of Aveiro, princess of Portugal. His mother was the granddaughter of King John I of Portugal; his father was son of King Duarte of Portugal. Manuel succeeded his first cousin John II of Portugal who was also his brother-in-law in 1495.
Manuel grew up among the conspiracies of the aristocratic high nobility against king John II. He watched many people being killed and exiled, including his older brother Diego, the duke of Viseu, murdered by the king himself. Thus, when receiving a royal order in 1493 to present himself to the king, Manuel had every reason to worry. Without reason: John II wanted to name him heir to the throne, after the death of his son prince Afonso of Portugal and the failed attempts to legitimise George, Duke of Coimbra, his illegitimate son. This lucky event granted him the nickname the Fortunate.
Manuel would prove a worthy successor of John II, supporting the Portuguese exploration of the Atlantic Ocean and the development of Portuguese commerce. During his kingdom, the following was achieved:
1498 - Vasco da Gama discovers the maritime route to India
1500 - Pedro Álvares Cabral discovers Brazil
1505 - Francisco de Almeida becomes the first viceroy of India
Afonso de Albuquerque, an admiral, secures the Indian ocean and Persian Gulf maritime routes monopoly for Portugal
All these events made Portugal rich on foreign trade whilst formally establishing its empire. Manuel used the wealth to build a number of royal buildings (in the manueline style) and to attract scientists and artists to his court. Commercial treatises and diplomatic alliances were forged with China and the Persian Empire. The Pope received a monumental embassy from Portugal during his reign, designed to be a show of the newly acquired riches to all Europe.
In Manuel's reign, the state internal life tended to absolute power of the king. The cortes (kingdom's assembly) only met three times during his reign, always in Lisbon, the king's address. He reformed the courts of justice and the towns agreements with the crown, modernizing the taxes and the concepts of tributes and rights.
Manuel was a very religious man and invested an important amount of the Portuguese income to sponsor missionaries in their way to the new colonies, such as Francisco Alvarez, and the construction of religious buildings, like the Monastery of Jerónimos. Manuel also endeavoured to promote another crusade, against the Turks. His relationship with the Jews started out well. At the outset of his reign, he released all the Jews who had been made captive during the reign of João II. Unfortunately for the Jews, he decided that he wanted to marry princess Isabella of Aragon, then heiress of the future united crown of Spain (widow of his distanced nephew Afonso of Portugal). Ferdinand and Isabel had expelled the Jews in 1492, and would never marry their daughter to the king of a country that still tolerated their existence. In December 1496, it was decreed that any Jew who did convert to Christianity would be expelled from the country. However, those expelled could only leave the country in ships specified by the king. When those who chose expulsion arrived at the port in Lisbon, they were met by clerics and soldiers who used force, coersion, and promises in order to baptize them and prevent them from leaving the country. This period of time technically ended the presence of Jews in Portugal. Afterwards, all converted Jews and their descendents would be referred to as "New Christians", and they were given a grace period of thirty years in which no inquiries into their faith would be allowed; this was later to extended to end in 1534. A popular riot in 1504 would end in the death of two thousand Jews; the leaders of this riot were executed by Manuel.
Isabella died in childbirth in 1498, putting an end to the Portuguese ambitions to rule in Spain, which had been an ambition of various rulers since the rule of Fernando I (1367-1383). Manuel and Isabella's young son Miguel was for a period the heir apparent of Castile and Aragon, but his death in 1500 put the final end to the Portuguese ambitions to rule in Spain. Manuel's next wife, Maria of Aragon, was also a Spanish princess, but not the oldest. This was Joan of Castile, the mad queen.
The Monastery of Jerónimos in Lisbon houses Manuel's tomb. His son João succeeded him as king.
Manuel's marriages and descendents
Manuel married three times: first to Isabella of Aragon, princess of Spain and widow of the previous Crown Prince of Portugal Afonso of Portugal; then he married another princess of Spain, Maria of Aragon; and then married Eleanor of Habsburg who after Manuel's death married again to Francis I of France. 1816
• Acceded: King of Portugal, 1495-1521. 1816
Manuel married Isabella of Aragon in 1497.1816 (Isabella of Aragon was born on 2 Oct 1470 1816 and died on 28 Aug 1498 1816.). The cause of her death was Childbirth.
Manuel next married Maria of Aragon on 30 Oct 1500.1816 (Maria of Aragon was born on 29 Jun 1482 1816 and died on 7 Mar 1517 in Lisbon, Lisboa, Portugal 1816.)
Manuel next married Eleonore of Austria on 16 Jul 1518.1816 (Eleonore of Austria was born on 15 Nov 1498 in Louvain, Brabant, Belgium 1816 and died on 25 Feb 1558 1816.)
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Well, what can I say about this devastating and jaw-dropping picture of our nearest spiral neighbor, the Andromeda Galaxy?
[Click to massive chainedmaidenate. Do it!]
Well, I could start with HOLY HALEAKALA!
This image is a collection of 11 separate observations of Andromeda taken by NASA’s GALEX satellite. Launched in 2003, GALEX (which stands for Galaxy Evolution Explorer) scans the sky in ultraviolet light, specifically targeting galaxies. Hot stars produce UV light, and so does the gas it illuminates, so by looking in the ultraviolet astronomers can learn about how galaxies are constructed. In the decade since its launch, GALEX has been phenomenally successful, cataloging hundreds of millions of galaxies, some as far as ten billion light years away!
This image of Andromeda is simply stunning. It’s comprised of two colors: what you see here as blue is higher-energy ultraviolet light, and red is lower energy (closer to the kind of light we see). Right away you can see that objects emitting the higher-energy UV are confined to the spiral arms, and lower-energy emitters are spread out across the galaxy. That’s exactly what I would expect: massive stars, the kind that really blast out UV, don’t live very long. They’re born, live out their short lives, and die (as supernovae) pretty much near the spot where they formed, which is in spiral arms. Lower mass stars live long enough to gradually move away from their nurseries, populating the rest of the galaxy.
Also, star formation at the very center of the galaxy probably occurred long ago and shut down, so we don’t see many or any massive stars there.
One thing I didn’t know is that the arms of Andromeda are more like rings! The galaxy is at such a narrow angle that it’s hard to tell, but if you trace the blue emission, the pattern does look more like a ring than a spiral. This jibes with earlier images in infrared taken by Spitzer Space Telescope (which I’ve inset here) and a huge and incredibly beautiful newer one taken with ESA’s Herschel far-infrared telescope (and OMFSM you want to click that link).
From what I’ve read, it’s not clear why the spiral arms appear to be more ring-like. Which I love. Why? Because Andromeda is the nearest big spiral galaxy in the sky, a mere 2.5 or so million light years away. It’s easily visible to the naked eye from a dark site, and I’ve seen it myself countless times using my own eyes, binoculars, and telescopes ranging from small ones up to Hubble. Yet there it is, in all its huge and obvious splendor and beauty, still able to surprise me. That rocks.
And a note about GALEX: NASA recently handed off its operations to Caltech, a very unusual move. The satellite was put into standby mode in February, and I was worried it would be shut down permanently. However, Caltech signed a three-year agreement with NASA — while NASA still owns the satellite, Caltech will now be in control of GALEX’s science mission, managing and operating it. At the end of the agreement it can be renegotiated if GALEX is still in good operating condition. This is an interesting idea, and I’m not sure how I feel about it. I love that GALEX gets to continue operations, but handing off science missions to private groups makes me a little uneasy. In this particular case I think it’s fine — Caltech is a research institute after all — but the precedent may have unforeseen consequences. We’ll see.
Still and all, it’s good to see new life breathed into an important and wonderful instrument like GALEX. I certainly hope it will continue to produce cutting-edge science for years to come… as well as amazingly beautiful images like this one.
Image credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech
– The cold arms and hot, hot heart of the fuzzy maiden
– The first spectacular views of the sky from WISE
– A Swift view of Andromeda
– Andromeda’s warm glow
– Andromeda: born out of a massive collision?
Hot (and cold) on the heels of my posting the infrared view of the nearby spiral M33, the European Space Agency just published this incredible picture of our other spiral neighbor, M31, the Andromeda Galaxy!
[Click to galactinate.]
Oh my. This is a composite of two orbiting observatory images: the far infrared using Herschel (colored orange), and the X-ray emission using XMM-Newton (blue). There’s so much to see! That’s not surprising, since at 2.5 million light years away, Andromeda is the closest big galaxy to us, and presents itself with loads of detail.
First, shown here is Robert Gendler’s magnificent visible-light image of the galaxy. You can see it’s tilted almost edge-on to us, but you can see the central bulge of old stars, the spiral arms winding out, the dark lanes of dust. This image has roughly the same orientation and border as the big one above, so you can compare them.
The infrared observations trace the presence of cold dust, created when stars are born and when they die. And by cold, I mean cold: much of it is just a few degrees above absolute zero. That dust is opaque in visible light, as you can see in Gendler’s shot. But it glows in infrared! The X-rays, on the other hand, are from incredibly hot gas heated to millions of degrees by neutron stars, black holes, and newly-born massive stars; you can see several individual objects in the galaxy’s core. Read More
What shall be the first astronomical object to grace this blog in 2011*? With a whole sky to choose from, why not use an old friend, but seen in a surprisingly new way? So I present to you the nearby Triangulum Galaxy, M33, as seen by the orbiting far-infrared telescope WISE:
Yeah, that’ll do! Click to galactinate.
M33 is familiar to pretty much any serious amateur astronomer north of the Equator. It’s not that far in the sky from its bigger buddy M31, the Andromeda Galaxy, and in fact isn’t terribly far in space either; Andromeda is about 2.5 million light years away, while M33 is about 3 million. M33 is a spiral galaxy as well, and one of the closest to us.
Andromeda is probably the most well-known galaxy in the sky. So why is M33 so less famous? Mostly because it’s smaller; Andromeda and the Milky Way are roughly the same size (so close, in fact, that astronomers have been arguing for decades over which is the beefier of the two, and the title has swapped back and forth many times), but M33 is only half our size. Also, it’s more face-on to us, spreading its light out, making it actually a somewhat tough object to see. I’ve seen it in binoculars from dark sites, but it’s only marginally brighter than the sky background.
In the WISE image, blue and cyan are from infrared light at 3.4 and 4.6 microns (roughly 5 and 6.5 times the reddest light your eye can see). That comes mostly from stars. Green and red are IR at 12 and 22 microns, much farther in the infrared, and comes from cooler material like interstellar dust, which is opaque to visible light.
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see how diamond cutters are at work and discover the diamond in all its facets
Amsterdam has a long heritage in the diamonds, and has been a major diamond centre since Sephardic Jews introduced the diamond cutting industry in the later 16th century.
Guided toursNowadays there are about a dozen diamond factories in the city, five of which offer guided tours. The tours are free and are usually conducted daily from 9am to 5pm. You will see how diamonds are worked, and when you buy from a factory you get an extensive description of the purchase so you know exactly what you are buying.
See the art of diamond cutting in one of Amsterdam's diamond factories
Jewish diamond industry in AmsterdamThe different diamond factories in Amsterdam are a reminder of Amsterdam's flourishing Jewish diamond industry before World War II. The diamond trade was dominated by Sephardic Jews from Spain and Portugal with international commercial contacts in the areas where diamonds were to be found. Besides the trade, the cutting of the diamonds also became a predominantly Jewish business.
Coster Diamonds - craftman at work
Jews were not allowed to join guilds, so they were unable to engage in traditional trades. As there was no guild for diamond cutters, Jews were free to specialise in this trade from the 17th century onwards.
In the early 20th century around 30% of the male and 10% of the female Jewish population of Amsterdam worked in the Diamond industry.
Amsterdam diamond factoriesThe following renowned diamond factories offer diamond-cutting and polishing tours, and sales of the finished diamonds:
〉 Coster Diamonds
Paulus Potterstraat 2-4 (Oud-Zuid, close to Museumplein)
Coster Diamonds is the oldest, still operating diamond factory in Europe. Over 350,000 visitors see craftsmen at work every year. Free-guided tours are available in more than 25 languages, the process of cutting and polishing a diamond is explained in detail. After the tour, visitors have the opportunity to browse around in the spacious showrooms. open daily from 9:00 to 17:00
〉 Royal Asscher
Tolstraat 127 (Zuid, De Pijp)
Only 10 Asscher family members and 15 of the 500 polishers survived the Holocaust. During the war the patent on the famous, original Asscher cut expired and other companies started to utilize the Asscher cut. Today original Asscher cut diamonds are for sale via retailers .
〉 City Diamonds
Kalverstraat 51 (Dam Square)
City Diamonds has its own diamond factory and has been cutting and polishing diamonds for generations. They design, manufacture and sell diamond jewelry as well as many international well-known watch brands in their Kalverstraat store.
〉 Zazare Diamonds
Weteringschans 89 (Spiegelkwartier)
In a 30-minute tour visitors learn about the different shapes, sizes and colors and they can admire the Star of Amsterdam, Zazare's masterpiece with 257 facets.
Amsterdam's former diamond bourse building on the Weesperplein
when in Amsterdam visit one of the authentic diamond factories
The history of the diamondsee actual diamond cutters and goldsmiths at work in the Diamant Museum Amsterdam
New Diamond BourseHogehilweg 14 (Zuidoost)
The Amsterdam Diamond Exchange
the oldest diamond bourse in the world
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An apple is an edible fruit which comes from the apple tree (Malus sylvestris). It is widely cultivated in temperate climates. Over 7,000 varieties are known, of which 40 or so are commercially important. The most popular United States variety is known as the Delicious. 15 - 20% of the world's crop is produced in the United States. There are three main types of apples, those used for:
- making cider
In popular culture, The Forbidden Fruit, which was offered by the serpent to Eve, who then offered the apple to Adam, causing the fall of mankind, is often portrayed as an apple. The Bible does not specify the kind of fruit because in Old English and up to as late as the 17th century the word referred to fruit generally; that is any fruit or nut that was not a berry.
Heath Benefits and Risks
Apples have long been recognized as a healthy food. Although they contain sugar (fructose) they offer a variety of vitamins, minerals, and enzymes which are health for humans and many animals. Because of the health benefits of apples, the saying, "an apple a day keeps the doctor away" was coined. Unfortunately, modern apples are usually grown in the presence of pesticides. These pesticides find their way into this fruit to some extent, even when only the ground is sprayed. Perhaps of greater concern to many is the new genetically modified apple variety called Arctic. This variety was developed and released as quietly as possible by Okanagan Specialty Fruits. It is designed to better resist browning from oxygen exposure than regular apples in order to address the concerns of caterers and food services.
Some Popular Varieties
|Name||Ripens||Eating||Cooking||Apple Sauce||Apple Pie||Apple Juice|| Apple
|Arkansas Black||October, mid/late||Too Hard||Acceptable||Too Hard||Not the Best|
|Gala||August/September||Very Good||Acceptable||Very Good||Acceptable||Acceptable|
|Golden Delicious||September, mid/late||Acceptable||Acceptable||Good||Acceptable||Acceptable||Acceptable|
|Granny Smith||October, mid/late||Acceptable||Acceptable||Acceptable|
|Honeycrisp||September||Very Good||Acceptable||Acceptable||Acceptable||Very Good||Acceptable|
|Jonagold||September mid/late||Very Good||Very Good||Acceptable|
|Red Delicious||September, mid/late||Acceptable||Good||Acceptable|
- The New American Desk Encyclopedia, Penguin Group, 1989
- Foods & Nutrition Encyclopedia
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Bromelain is a mixture of enzymes found naturally in the juice and stems of pineapples. Called a proteolytic enzyme, bromelain is believed to help with the digestion of protein.
Some bromelain appears to be absorbed by the body intact, so it’s also thought to have effects outside the digestive tract. In fact, bromelain is often marketed as a natural anti-inflammatory for conditions such as arthritis. It’s one of the most popular supplements in Germany, where it is approved by the Commission E for the treatment of inflammation and swelling of the nose and sinuses due to surgery or injury.
Bromelain is typically extracted from pineapples and made into capsule or tablet form. Because it’s able to digest protein, bromelain is available in some grocery stores as a meat tenderizer. A topical form of bromelain is also being explored experimentally for burns.
When used for as a digestive aid, bromelain is usually taken with meals. When used for inflammatory conditions, practitioners typically recommend taking bromelain between meals on an empty stomach to maximize absorption.
Bromelain is one of a group of proteolytic enzymes that are capable of digesting protein and is found in the stem and fruit of the pineapple plant. It is extracted from the pineapple by filtration or by chemical processing, and both are safe and effective. The German Commission E (the equivalent of the USFDA) recommends the use of Bromelain as a digestive aid, a treatment for traumatic injuries and joint inflammation and a treatment for bronchitis and sinusitis. There is a great deal of new research currently being conducted into its use as an antibacterial, an antiviral (including HIV) and an immune system enhancer.
Bromelain is considered an aid to good digestion, because it intensifies the digestive process by breaking down protein, and facilitates the passing of food to the intestine. The ability to speed protein digestion makes it useful in treating Crohn’s disease, and the protein digesting enzymes found in it may help to heal gastric ulcers and relieve symptoms of heartburn and stomach and gastrointestinal upset. It is believed to promote and maintain overall proper digestion and may be used as a digestive enzyme for pancreatic insufficiency. Interesting note: It is so effective in digesting protein that the food industry employs Bromelain to tenderize meat.
In the matter of diabetes management, Bromelain’s ability to facilitate the passing of food to the intestine helps to counteract gastroparesis, a condition caused by long-term diabetic nerve damage, in which the stomach is unable to pass food along properly. Controlling gastroparesis is of considerable importance in diabetes management, since delays in passing flood through the digestive tract makes the timing of insulin medications and injections difficult, and the use of Bromelain may help diabetics time the need for their insulin and other medications. Moreover, Bromelain has also been used as a digestive enzyme for pancreatic insufficiency.
Bromelain has been called a fine anti-inflammatory and is widely used after traumatic injuries and surgery. It is said to “release” inflammation by breaking down proteins in swollen tissues and is thought to reduce swelling in virtually all kinds of inflammatory reactions. Bromelain apparently inhibits formation of prostaglandin E-2, a chemical that causes inflammation, and it also helps to stimulate the production of prostaglandin E-1, an anti-inflammatory chemical. Bromelain supplements may be as effective as some commonly used nonsteroidal, anti-inflammatory medications (ibuprofen, etc.) for reducing the pain of carpal tunnel sydrome, osteoarthritis and rheumatoid arthritis. It has also been said to ease pain and bruising, bursitis, cuts, lymphedema, sore muscles, tendonitis and speeds up the healing of joint and tendon injuries.
For the relief of bronchitis and sinusitis, Bromelain is said to suppress cough, reduce nasal mucus that is associated with sinusitis and relieve the swelling and inflammation caused by hay fever and allergies. Although not all experts agree, The Complete German Commission E Monograph recommends Bromelain for sinus inflammation. Bromelain supplements are believed to enhance the efficacy of antibiotics by keeping them in the system longer and helping them to treat infection. Bromelain may also stop sinusitis from progressing to bronchitis and is also thought to decrease bronchial secretions, increasing lung function, and inhibit upper respiration infections. There have been reports that the same actions that reduce blood platelet stickiness (see heart health below) also reduce the thickness of mucus in patients with chronic bronchitis or asthma. Bromelain is also approved by the Commission for treatment of sinus and nasal swelling, following ear, nose and throat surgery or trauma, which supports its anti-inflammatory properties.
Bromelain may support good heart health and lower blood pressure. It is said to stop blood clot formation by inhibiting the platelet-activating factor (PAF), a chemical that signals blood platelets to form clots. Inhibiting PAF short-circuits the entire clotting process and leads to lower blood pressure and reductions in angina pain. This anti-clotting action might help to prevent ischemic stroke and heart attack. Moreover, it is also believed that Bromelain breaks down arteriosclerotic plaques once they have formed. This blood thinning action has been said to help in cases of thrombophlebitis.
Women may find relief from premenstrual syndrome (PMS) with the use of Bromelain supplements. It is believed to balance the body’s production of prostaglandins, a class of regulatory hormones, including a number of substances that cause smooth muscles to contract. As a smooth muscle relaxant, Bromelain is thought to decrease spasms of the cervix that accompany PMS.
Bromelain is believed to have strong antiviral properties and may be very helpful in stimulating the immune system. Scientists at Sloan Kettering Cancer Hospital in New York City have observed that Bromelain dissolves cellular adhesion molecules that allow HIV to attach to surfaces of uninfected
T- cells and increases production of compounds called integrins that are depleted when HIV attacks cells in the central nervous system. It also inhibits protease, an enzyme the human immunodeficiency virus HIV needs to replicate itself. Its antiviral qualities appear to provide enzymes that dissolve warts and activate immune system against the viruses that cause them.
As an antiseptic, Bromelain shows great promise in copious current lab research. Some research has shown evidence that the supplement can fight against infectious agents, such as bacteria and viruses (see above), and may prove to be a useful addition to conventional treatment of bronchitis, pneumonia and urinary tract infections. Its antibacterial effects may also help to control diarrhea caused by bacteria. Bromelain is believed to increase the actions of antibiotics and chemotherapy, apparently by keeping them in the system longer.
Take one (1) capsule, one (1) time each day with water at mealtimes.
You may click to see:-->The Benefits of Bromelain to improve quality of life
>Bromelain The Natural Treatment For Rheumatoid Arthritis
Side Effects and Safety Concerns:
Some of the more common side effects of bromelain include indigestion, nausea and diarrhea. Other side effects may include vomiting, increased heart rate, drowsiness and abnormal uterine bleeding or heavy menstruation.
Bromelain has resulted in allergic reactions and asthma symptoms, including breathing problems, tightness in the throat, skin hives, rash or itchy skin. People with allergies to pineapples should avoid bromelain. Allergic reactions may also occur in people with allergies to latex, carrot, celery, fennel, rye, wheat, papain, bee venom or grass, birch or cypress pollens.
People with peptic ulcers should not use bromelain. People with other digestive disorders should consult a qualified healthcare professional before using bromelain.
Theoretically, bromelain may increase the risk of bleeding, so people with bleeding disorders and those taking medication that can increase the risk of bleeding should only use bromelain under the supervision of their physician. It should not be taken two weeks before or after dental procedures or surgery.
The safety of bromelain in pregnant or nursing women, children or people with liver or kidney disease isn’t known.
Possible Drug and Herb Interactions:-
People taking “blood-thinners” (anticoagulant or anti-platelet medication), such as aspirin, warfarin (Coumadin), heparin, clopidogrel (Plavix), non-steroidal anti-inflammatory medications such as ibuprofen (Motrin, Advil), naproxen (Naprosyn, Aleve) should only use bromelain under a physician’s supervision. It should also be used with caution by people taking herbs and supplements that are thought to increase the risk of bleeding, such as ginkgo biloba and garlic.
Studies suggest bromelain may also increase the absorption of other medications, such as:
amoxicillin, tetracycline and other antibiotics
chemotherapy drugs such as 5-fluorouracil and vincristine
“ACE inhibitor” blood pressure medications such as captopril (Capoten) and lisinopril (Zestril)
medications that cause drowsiness, such as benzodiazepines lorazepam (Ativan) or diazepam (Valium), some antidepressants, narcotics such as codeine, and barbituates such as phenobarbitol.
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Developing And Evaluating Educational Programs – nur588 (3 credits)
Identifying learning needs provides the foundation for designing health care education programs for individuals, families, groups, or communities. Students select and develop teaching strategies and explore ways of monitoring and evaluating teaching methods and learner outcomes. Roles of educators in organizations, communities, and higher education settings are examined.
This graduate-level course is 6 weeks. This course is available as part of a degree or certificate program. To enroll, speak with an Enrollment Representative.
Monitoring and Evaluating Teaching Methods
- Explain ways of using evaluations to improve teaching effectiveness.
- Describe ways of monitoring effectiveness of teaching plans.
- Describe the purpose and benefits of program evaluations.
Role of the Educator in Healthcare Organizations
- Discuss the role of an educator in a healthcare organization.
- Identify the organizational factors involved in curriculum planning.
Role of the Educator in the Community
- Discuss the role of an educator in a community setting.
- Profile the various educator roles available to health care professionals.
Trends and Issues that Impact Educator Role
- Establish the importance of health care faculty to competence in technology application.
- Examine the impact of various health care and educational trends on the educational process and the role of the educator.
Designing Health Care Educational Programs
- Analyze the learning needs process related to the identification and development of a health care program.
- Design a health care educational program.
- Analyze the advantages, disadvantages, and specific uses of various teaching strategies.
- Discuss health behavior frameworks and their influence on learning.
- Distinguish between instructional methods and instructional materials.
The University of Phoenix reserves the right to modify courses.
While widely available, not all programs are available in all locations or in both online and on-campus formats. Please check with a University Enrollment Representative.
Transferability of credit is at the discretion of the receiving institution. It is the student’s responsibility to confirm whether or not credits earned at University of Phoenix will be accepted by another institution of the student’s choice.
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Top 8 Longest Words in English
You may be surprised if you see a list of Classic Longest word, maybe even you have never heard these words. In this article you will find a list of longest english word in terms of number of characters. This is a list of top 8 Longest words in English, have you ever heard these words?
8. Honorificabilitudinitatibus (27 characters)
When I typed using Microsoft word, the word Honorificabilitudinitatibus as words that are not known, added to the database of words. Honorificabilitudinitatibus one word in one of Shakespeare’s work lost love. With a common English word Honorificabilitudinitatibus means “a state that is able to achieve the honor.”
7. Antidisestablishmentarianism (28 characters)
In the beginning was the word used to name the position of the political opposition in 19th-century England against the disestablishment of the Church. Although the word is rarely used, we may have heard this word, although not aware of it. In the Eminem song “Almost famous”, we can find this one word.
6. Floccinaucinihilipilification (29 characters)
Floccinaucinihilipilification is a noun to define the actions that states one thing or something that is not important. This word is rarely used, or never used for school children.
Pseudopseudohypoparathyroidism is the medical word for determining the conditions under which one person appears to be influenced by Pseudohypoparathyroidism 1a.
4. Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious (34 characters)
Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious is part of a song lyric and song title Disney movie musical in 1964 by Mary Poppins. This word is a combination of Super, beauty, refinement, and educable.
3. Pneumonoultramicroscopicsilicovolcanoconiosis (45 Characters)
According to the Oxford English dictionary means Pneumonoultramicroscopicsilicovolcanoconiosis lung disease triggered by microscopic silica dust causing inflammation in the lungs.
2. Lopadote machosel achogale okranio leipsano drimhyp otrimmat osilphio paraom elitokat akechyme nokichl epikoss yphophat toperist eralektr yonopte kephallio kigklo peleiola goiosira iobaphe tragano pterygon (183 characters)
These are the words of old used to call the menu names that make up various kinds of dainties, fish, meat, poultry, and others. This word taken from the Ancient Greek transliteration and not available in a modern dictionary.
1. Methionylthreonylthreonylglutaminylarginyl … isoleucine (189,819 letters)
This is the longest word in English with 189,819 characters. It is a word used to name Titin, which is the largest known protein in the world. Titan has very long chemical names that say it is almost impossible. Even Wikipedia cannot write the chemical name of Titin in complete character.
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Chromosomes become visible during prophase, the stage of mitosis during
which the nuclear envelope disappears and the chromosomes shorten and ...
Nucleoli are present during _____. interphase. 4. Cytokinesis often, but not
always, accompanies _____. telophase. 5. Chromosomes become visible during
Nov 20, 2015 ... Chromosomes become visible during prophase. Prior to that, the chromosomes
were long strands of DNA material called 'chromatin'. During ...
The chromosome then consists of two strands called sister chromatids which ...
These centromeres become visible under a light microscope only during mitosis.
During 'prophase', which is quite different to the mitotic prophase, the
chromosomes become visible. They look very long, as they are not yet totally
www.pathology.washington.edu/galleries/Cytogallery/main.php?file=what is a chromosome
Chromosomes, composed of protein and DNA, are distinct dense bodies found in
... the chromosomes are somewhat less condensed and are not visible as
individual ... However during cell division, mitosis, the chromosomes become
the part of the cell cycle during witch cell division takes place ... before
metaphase, during which the chromosomes become visible as paired chromatids
and the ...
Jan 21, 2015 ... During interphase (1), chromatin is in its least condensed state and appears ...
begins during prophase (2) and chromosomes become visible.
Apart from this reduction in chromosome number, meiosis differs from mitosis in
yet ... During prophase I, the chromosomes condense and become visible inside
Aug 19, 2004 ... During interphase, cellular organelles double in number, the DNA ... The
chromosomes are not visible and the DNA appears as uncoiled ... During
prophase, the chromatin condenses and the chromosomes become visible.
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| 0.897168
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