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Mount Rainier inspires legend and poetry as countless people have struggled to define the mountain's allure and danger in words and images.
"Out of the forest at last there stood the mountain, wholly unveiled, awful in bulk and majesty, filling all the view like a separate, newborn world, yet withal so fine and so beautiful it might well fire the dullest observer to desperate enthusiasm." --John Muir, Steep Trails, p. 264.
The region's Native Americans had many legends and associations that contributed to the spirit and culture surrounding Mount Rainier. These stories included the warning given to Stevens and Van Trump before their ascent to the summit. This version, translated and remembered from the Chinook by General Stevens, is printed in Edmond Meany's Mount Rainier: a record of explorations, 1916.
"Without snow on top or verdant trimming of fir below, without its ice-cream-cone shape in the sky, Rainier would still inspire. We are drawn to the quirks of the planet, those deformities of landscape which mock convention...The old forests which cloak these cones and the wild streams which scramble from their glacial tops are mere façade...we look at them and see beauty, the perfect picture of the Northwest." --Tim Egan, The Good Rain
, 1990, p. 147
"The highest and most imposing mountain in our country, outside of Alaska, is Mount Rainier - Tahoma, the Indians called it - "the mountain that was God." It is the representative of the Cascades, and the crown of the Puget Sea. One's first view of Rainier, or Tacoma, can never be forgotten.... It is the chosen Apollo among these giant cones that show themselves to men, -- rising in one majestic sweep from the surge of the Puget Sea to the stars of Heaven...." --John Wesley Carter, From the Heights
"It is so real this mountain, yet so unreal, that one may never altogether know it, for there is a indescribable ghostliness about it, that suggests a living double personality..." -- The Saga of a Mountain
, Tacoma Eastern Railroad pamphlet, 1911
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Perhaps you've seen one in your house, scurrying along a wall or even across the ceiling. A smallish lizard -- a gecko, to be sure -- it must have suction cups on the bottoms of its feet that prevent it from falling. Either suction cups or its feet must be coated with gecko glue.
The truth, it turns out, may be neither. According to a report recently published in the journal Nature, researchers believe that it's a type of electrical attraction that allows geckos to defy gravity.
Look closely, very closely, at the bottom of a gecko's foot, and you'll see thousands and thousands of microscopic hairs. When these densely packed hairs come into contact with another surface -- a window, for example -- an attraction develops at the intermolecular level. Scientists call the phenomenon van der Waals forces, and in the case of geckos, it appears to work like tape. In fact, the researches who conducted the gecko study hope to use the information they've gathered to create a new adhesive.
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Could mobile-phone transmitters drive the first widespread commercial use of solar-power in Africa?
A number of companies are betting on that -- and whether they succeed will say a lot about the long-term chances that solar-energy can deliver real benefits to large numbers of Africans.
Generally, solar-energy has proved too expensive for African homes and too difficult for African electricity companies -- beset by many operational handicaps -- to master. Mobile-phone companies, which in Africa are prospering, are better positioned to embrace alternative energy sources, and mobile-phone base stations are a good candidate because, in rural Africa, grid power often is unavailable.
A Swedish-Indian company named VNL, VNL, plans to introduce solar-powered base stations aimed at the African marketing, working through various suppliers of telecom equipment.
VNL's big engineering claim: an easy-to-build radio tower that consumes no more electricity than required for an ordinary light bulb.
Ericsson and Alcatel-Lucent have separately installed about 400 solar-powered base stations in African countries including Senegal and Uganda.
VNL's base station will cost $3,500 and require 100 watts to run, about the same as a light bulb. By contrast, the GSM stations most widely used today can cost anywhere from $40,000 to $100,000. The most energy-efficient models require around 600 watts; others may need several thousand watts.
Critical support for these innovations is starting to come from Africa's leading mobile-phone providers, notably Celtel, MTN and Vodaphone, who together control a majority of the sub-Saharan telephone market.
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Williams syndrome is a rare genetic disease characterised by a developmental disorder associating a cardiac malformation (most frequently supra valvular aortic stenosis, SVAS) in 75% of cases, psychomotor retardation, a characteristic facial dysmorphism and a specific cognitive and behavioural profile. The incidence of typical forms is 1/20 000 births, however, partial forms also exist but their incidence is unknown. Children suffering from Williams syndrome present with a very characteristic face: flattened nasal bridge with a bulbous tip, large mouth with a wide everted lower lip, chubby cheeks, periorbital oedema, epicanthus and often stellar iris. With age, the face becomes narrower with coarser features. The cognitive profile is dominated by visuospatial deficits, which contrast with relatively well-preserved language skills. Affected children display hypersocial behaviour and interact well with other people. They have a distinctive sensitivity to noise and have good musical abilities. The prevalence of tooth decay is increased, and sometimes associated with enamel hypoplasia. Ophthalmologically, 40% of the affected children present with strabismus and/or refraction disorders. Vascular malformations such as SVAS and pulmonary or renal artery stenosis, which can lead to renovascular arterial hypertension, can be observed from birth. Hypercalcaemia can progress to nephrocalcinosis. Williams syndrome is caused by a chromosomal microdeletion in the q11.23 region of one copy of chromosome 7. It can not be detected conventional karyotyping and is revealed by FISH (Fluorescent In Situ Hybridization) analysis, which leads to diagnosis in 95% of the cases. This microdeletion, which generally occurs sporadically, results in the loss of many genes, including the elastin gene. Vascular malformations require regular follow-up as well as dedicated management. For this reason, children affected by Williams syndrome should be managed by a paediatric cardiology team with knowledge of this pathology. The management of arterial hypertension requires a combination of pharmaceutical treatment with a healthy diet and lifestyle. The decision to opt for surgical repair of renal artery stenosis must take into account the global involvement of the vascular walls in this pathology. Hypercalcaemia is treated by a calcium-restricted diet. Arterial tension and renal function require life-long surveillance. Educational management of children affected by Williams syndrome should be proposed in a multidisplinary setting involving paediatricians, orthodontists, psychomotricists, speech therapists and psychologists. Adult patients are rarely self-sufficient.
Last update: December 2006
- Pr Brigitte GILBERT-DUSSARDIER
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“Hardness of heart:” Jesus did not go into the details of law but went deeper into to the reason why Moses gave such a ruling. Jesus said Moses permitted divorce because of “hardness of heart.” It is very important to note that Mathew and Mark say “your heart” instead of ‘their heart’. Moses lived and gave law about 1300 years before Christ. By saying in the ‘second person’ Jesus was making them know that the law as well as the circumstances that caused Moses to give such a law never changed and that they still lived in the same hardness of heart as their forefathers. Israel is often reprimanded for being guilty of Hardness of heart. Prophet Ezekiel alleges that they had a stony heart. “A new heart I will give you and a new spirit I will put within you; and I will take away the stony heart out of your flesh and I will give you a heart of flesh,” Ezekiel 36:26. Rebellious and unrepentant attitude is what the prophet refers here. Disbelief and failure to obey God’s commandments is hardness of heart. Hardness of heart is a symptom of destruction as in the case of Pharaoh. Scholars say hardness of heart is “sklerocardia” in Greek. This has got some link with the function of heart. Blood flows to and from heart regulated by rhythmic opening and closing of heart-valves. When the heart-valve is closed blood cannot flow in and out. If the valve is defective it will not open and that will cause death. Similarly, marriage union is by the grace of God. The relationship of the spouses is guided by and through the grace. Spouses sin because they disbelieve the grace. Heart of the sinner or disbeliever is in closed condition that it prevents grace to flow in causing spiritual death. Spiritual death is severing the communion with God. The spouse who is spiritually dead does not consider God’s laws mandatory and is vulnerable to all sorts of evils. Satan immediately takes control over them instigating to commit all wickedness. This situation is harmful to the other. In this situation Moses was allowing a lesser evil for the safety of women, as explained above.
“Kiddusin,” is Hebrew word for marriage. Of all the Middle East ancient tribes, Israel had the best form of family and social life. Although it is a fact that women were not given equality with men, comparing other nations like Rome, Greece, etc they were far better of. Man and woman who wed say each other, “Enter into kiddusin with me.” Kiddusin means holy or sanctify. It is said in the same sense as we sanctify and dedicate a house for dwelling or a church-building exclusively for worship. That means; husband is setting himself apart exclusively for relationship with his wedded woman and woman is setting apart herself for exclusive relationship with her wedded man. In other words each one is setting apart and consecrating oneself for each other. From this mutually sanctifying commitment experience there flows grace of God, true love, companionship, physical, emotional and spiritual fulfillment. In this context St Paul said their children are holly. Celibacy was unknown in Judaism. Every man of 20 years must marry and lead family life until the age of 60; it was mandatory obligation. Sanctification invokes a sense of ownership. When spouses sanctify each other they are voluntarily surrendering their right of ownership to the other spouse. St Paul said, “Wife has no authority over her own body, but the husband; and likewise also the husband has no authority over his own body, but the wife,” 1C7:4. They should not separate themselves except for prayer time rather they ought to do all things together and in harmony. Apostles envisaged an outgrowing, self-humbling and self-emptying love that transcends all personal limitations enabling perfect submission to the other’s interest. It is in this background St Paul said; no one should seek one’s own comfort but of the other. In such state of oneness there is no room for divorce.
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http://www.orthodoxherald.com/2009/09/18/is-it-lawful-for-man-to-divorce-for-any-reason/8/
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Definition from Wiktionary, the free dictionary
See also: expulsión
expulsion (plural expulsions)
- The act of expelling or the state of being expelled.
- The scandal involved every member of the high school's football team resulting in a flurry of expulsions, starting with the quarterback.
the act of expelling or the state of being expelled
expulsion f (plural expulsions)
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https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/expulsion
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August 23, 2013
NASA Reveals New Images, Video Of Asteroid Redirect Mission
[WATCH VIDEO: Asteroid Redirect Mission Concept Animation]
Lee Rannals for redOrbit.com - Your Universe OnlineNASA has released a new animation along with new photos of the space agency's proposed asteroid redirect mission.
The space agency said it is developing the first-ever mission to identify, approach, capture and redirect a small asteroid into a stable orbit in lunar vicinity. The part of this mission would be performed by an asteroid capture vehicle, while another part of the mission would involve a two-person crew rendezvousing with the already caught asteroid.
Images released by NASA show the asteroid capture vehicle in a "stowed" configuration. The vehicle would release an object that stretches out like a vacuum cleaner tube for the asteroid to go into. Once the asteroid is inside the cylinder-shaped device, the robot collapses the tube-like object around it similar to a net, capturing the asteroid.
NASA is developing a cutting-edge solar-electric propulsion thruster that uses xenon ions for propulsion to help redirect the asteroid. An earlier version of this propulsion engine has been flying on NASA's Dawn mission to the asteroid belt.
"This mission represents an unprecedented technological feat and allows NASA to affordably pursue the Administration's goal of visiting an asteroid by 2025," NASA said. "It raises the bar for human exploration and discovery while taking advantage of the diverse talents at NASA."
The video depicts a manned mission heading towards a near-Earth asteroid aboard an Orion spacecraft. During the journey, the animation shows the crew relying on a lunar gravity assist in order to gain momentum to rendezvous with the asteroid.
After rendezvousing with the asteroid, crew members would connect NASA's Orion spacecraft to the robotic asteroid capture vehicle, where they would perform a spacewalk to collect samples to return back to Earth. The trip from Earth to the captured asteroid would take Orion and its two-person crew about nine days to complete.
The space agency said it is creating an asteroid mission baseline concept to develop further in 2014 to help engineers establish more details about the mission. NASA scientists will continue to evaluate several alternatives for consideration throughout mission planning.
NASA brought together agency leaders in July for an internal review of the multiple concepts and alternatives proposed for each phase of an asteroid mission. The experts also assessed technical and programmatic aspects of the mission. NASA said it is assessing more than 400 responses it has received from universities and the public on ideas for the potential asteroid mission.
The asteroid initiative capitalizes on activities across the agency's human exploration, space technology and science efforts. The space agency said it is enhancing its ongoing efforts to identify and characterize near-Earth objects for investigation, and to find potentially hazardous asteroids and targets for capture.
(LEFT) In this conceptual image, the two-person crew uses a translation boom to travel from the Orion spacecraft to the captured asteroid during a spacewalk. Credit: NASA
(RIGHT) This concept image shows an astronaut preparing to take samples from the captured asteroid after it has been relocated to a stable orbit in the Earth-moon system. Hundreds of rings are affixed to the asteroid capture bag, helping the astronaut carefully navigate the surface. Credit: NASA
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Smallpox is an infectious disease caused by two variants of a virus—variola major and variola minor. Since smallpox was certified as eradicated by the World Health Organization (WHO) in 1979, it has managed to make its way back into the news. Vaccination has become a hot button topic among parents. As a nation, free from epidemics and pandemics, we have become suspicious—sometimes with the perceived risks of vaccination outweighing the advantages. Without a large-scale and successful vaccination program, however, smallpox would still be claiming lives. During the 20th century alone, an estimated 300-500 million people worldwide were victims of this deadly disease.
Since the September 11th terrorist attacks, the concerns about using lethal viruses, like smallpox, as weapons of bioterrorism have become all too real. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) traveled to New Mexico and the College of Santa Fe’s Fogelson Library in 2004 and the Virginia Historical Society in Richmond in 2010 to remove and study smallpox scabs found in their collections. Smallpox scabs could contain the live virus. In these cases, the virus was no longer live but the scraps of DNA found allowed researchers to expand their knowledge of the evolutionary history of the smallpox virus. Under President George W. Bush’s administration, a new policy to make the vaccine available to every American was instituted. As the scientific community continues … read more »
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http://www.virginiamemory.com/blogs/out_of_the_box/tag/inoculation/
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ACIE Award 2010
Using Virtual Patients to Teach Electrolyte Disorders
C1106 UPMC Presbyterian
Fluid and electrolyte abnormalities are common problems encountered by medical and pharmacy students. Because of their varying symptoms, these disorders can be difficult to diagnose; they must also often be treated within a critical timeframe. To address these gaps in student learning, Hoda Kaldas, Medicine, and Kristine Schonder, Pharmacy, have created the project Virtual Patients to Teach Electrolyte Disorders: An Innovative Approach to Integrate Physiology and Pathophysiology during the Clinical Rotations. With this, they have developed seven interactive case-based modules to teach electrolyte disorders, using virtual patient simulation software (vpSim). vpSim is an online virtual patient player that simulates clinical encounters where the learner plays the role of a healthcare provider by interacting with an on-screen patient.
This tool provides medical and pharmacy students on clinical rotations the opportunity to practice diagnosis and management of these disorders. Cases are combined with a tutorial that integrates physiology learned in the didactic curriculum with the clinical aspects of the virtual patient, allowing students to apply basic science knowledge to clinical practice. Students work through each module step-by-step, with each step covering a specific objective, followed by a series of multiple-choice questions and immediate feedback. Modules are validated to assess their effectiveness in improving knowledge by comparing pre-test and post-test scores and the feasibility of integrating the scenarios into medical and pharmacy curricula.
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<urn:uuid:76910d8b-ebae-4b2d-899d-ca09153fe273>
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CC-MAIN-2016-26
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http://www.pitt.edu/~facaffs/acie/Kaldas.html
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What can help persuade people to do unethical things?
Background music is often used in ads as a means of persuasion. Previous research has studied the effect of music in advertising using neutral or uncontroversial products. The aim of the studies reported here was to examine the effect of music on the perception of products promoting unethical behavior. Each of the series of three studies described examined the effect of background music on recall and evaluation of a fictive radio ad promoting different types of cheating. The studies consider the effect of involvement, attitudes, priming and presentation context, and music’s valence. In all the studies, background music led to reduced recall of information. Positive-valence music reduced awareness of the unethical message, and increased acceptance of the product. The results demonstrate the power of music to manipulate and bias moral judgment.
Source: “Music and moral judgment: The effect of background music on the evaluation of ads promoting unethical behavior” from Psychology of Music
Join 45K+ readers. Get a free weekly update via email here.
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<urn:uuid:bb624002-0408-43e1-b6e4-3255f73574ff>
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CC-MAIN-2016-26
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http://www.bakadesuyo.com/2011/08/what-can-help-persuade-people-to-do-unethical/
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This talk, by Ray Pierrehumbert, is an excellent response to Naomi Oreskes’ observation that: “climate scientists are so busy talking about stuff they don’t understand that they never get around to taking credit for what they got right.”
UPDATE: Steve Easterbrook has compiled a helpful list of the successful predictions in Ray Pierrehumbert’s talk:
Here are the sucessful predictions:
1896: Svante Arrhenius correctly predicts that increases in fossil fuel emissions would cause the earth to warm. At that time, much of the theory of how atmospheric heat transfer works was missing, but nevertheless, he got a lot of the process right. He was right that surface temperature is determined by the balance between incoming solar energy and outgoing infrared radiation, and that the balance that matters is the radiation budget at the top of the atmosphere. He knew that the absorption of infrared radiation was due to CO2 and water vapour, and he also knew that CO2 is a forcing while water vapour is a feedback. He understood the logarithmic relationship between CO2 concentrations in the atmosphere and surface temperature. However, he got a few things wrong too. His attempt to quantify the enhanced greenhouse effect was incorrect, because he worked with a 1-layer model of the atmosphere, which cannot capture the competition between water vapour and CO2, and doesn’t account for the role of convection in determining air temperatures. His calculations were incorrect because he had the wrong absorption characteristics of greenhouse gases. And he thought the problem would be centuries away, because he didn’t imagine an exponential growth in use of fossil fuels.
Arrhenius, as we now know, was way ahead of his time. Nobody really considered his work again for nearly 50 years, a period we might think of as the dark ages of climate science. The story perfectly illustrates Paul Hoffman’s tongue-in-cheek depiction of how scientific discoveries work: someone formulates the theory, other scientists then reject it, ignore it for years, eventually rediscover it, and finally accept it. These “dark ages” weren’t really dark, of course – much good work was done in this period. For example:
- 1900: Frank Very worked out the radiation balance, and hence the temperature, of the moon. His results were confirmed by Pettit and Nicholson in 1930.
- 1902-14: Arthur Schuster and Karl Schwarzschild used a 2-layer radiative-convective model to explain the structure of the sun.
- 1907: Robert Emden realized that a similar radiative-convective model could be applied to planets, and Gerard Kuiper and others applied this to astronomical observations of planetary atmospheres.
This work established the standard radiative-convective model of atmospheric heat transfer. This treats the atmosphere as two layers; in the lower layer, convection is the main heat transport, while in the upper layer, it is radiation. A planet’s outgoing radiation comes from this upper layer. However, up until the early 1930′s, there was no discussion in the literature of the role of carbon dioxide, despite occasional discussion of climate cycles. In 1928, George Simpson published a memoir on atmospheric radiation, which assumed water vapour was the only greenhouse gas, even though, as Richardson pointed out in a comment, there was evidence that even dry air absorbed infrared radiation.
1938: Guy Callendar is the first to link observed rises in CO2 concentrations with observed rises in surface temperatures. But Callendar failed to revive interest in Arrhenius’s work, and made a number of mistakes in things that Arrhenius had gotten right. Callendar’s calculations focused on the radiation balance at the surface, whereas Arrhenius had (correctly) focussed on the balance at the top of the atmosphere. Also, he neglected convective processes, which astrophysicists had already resolved using the radiative-convective model. In the end, Callendar’s work was ignored for another two decades.
1956: Gilbert Plass correctly predicts a depletion of outgoing radiation in the 15 micron band, due to CO2 absorption. This depletion was eventually confirmed by satellite measurements. Plass was one of the first to revisit Arrhenius’s work since Callendar, however his calculations of climate sensitivity to CO2 were also wrong, because, like Callendar, he focussed on the surface radiation budget, rather than the top of the atmosphere.
1961-2: Carl Sagan correctly predicts very thick greenhouse gases in the atmosphere of Venus, as the only way to explain the very high observed temperatures. His calculations showed that greenhouse gasses must absorb around 99.5% of the outgoing surface radiation. The composition of Venus’s atmosphere was confirmed by NASA’s Venus probes in 1967-70.
1959: Burt Bolin and Erik Eriksson correctly predict the exponential increase in CO2 concentrations in the atmosphere as a result of rising fossil fuel use. At that time they did not have good data for atmospheric concentrations prior to 1958, hence their hindcast back to 1900 was wrong, but despite this, their projection for changes forward to 2000 were remarkably good.
1967: Suki Manabe and Dick Wetherald correctly predict that warming in the lower atmosphere would be accompanied by stratospheric cooling. They had built the first completely correct radiative-convective implementation of the standard model applied to Earth, and used it to calculate a +2C equilibrium warming for doubling CO2, including the water vapour feedback, assuming constant relative humidity. The stratospheric cooling was confirmed in 2011 by Gillett et al.
1975: Suki Manabe and Dick Wetherald correctly predict that the surface warming would be much greater in the polar regions, and that there would be some upper troposphere amplification in the tropics. This was the first coupled general circulation model (GCM), with an idealized geography. This model computed changes in humidity, rather than assuming it, as had been the case in earlier models. It showed polar amplification, and some vertical amplification in the tropics. The polar amplification was measured, and confirmed by Serreze et al in 2009. However, the height gradient in the tropics hasn’t yet been confirmed (nor has it yet been falsified – see Thorne 2008 for an analysis)
1989: Ron Stouffer et. al. correctly predict that the land surface will warm more than the ocean surface, and that the southern ocean warming would be temporarily suppressed due to the slower ocean heat uptake. These predictions are correct, although these models failed to predict the strong warming we’ve seen over the antarctic peninsula.
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<urn:uuid:3674771c-09ce-4d5c-8eb1-b8a94dd685dc>
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CC-MAIN-2016-26
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http://planet3.org/2012/12/09/successful-predictions/
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Preventing violence: evaluating outcomes of parenting programmes
This new publication seeks to increase understanding of the need for, and the process of, conducting outcome evaluations of parenting programmes in low- and middle-income countries.
The result of a collaboration between the University of Cape Town, WHO, UNICEF, and the WHO-led Violence Prevention Alliance, the guidance is aimed at policy-makers; programme planners and developers; high-level practitioners in government ministries; representatives of nongovernmental and community-based organizations; and donors working in the area of violence prevention. This project and publication was kindly funded by the UBS Optimus Foundation.
The publication focuses on parenting programmes to prevent child maltreatment and other forms of violence later in life such as youth and intimate partner violence. It is made up of three main sections:
- Section 1 defines outcome evaluations, explains why they are important and counters some of the oft-encountered justifications for not doing them.
- Section 2 reviews the evidence for the effectiveness of parenting programmes to prevent violence, discusses adapting parenting programmes to other cultures, and identifies some of the main features of effective programmes.
- Section 3 describes the activities that need to be completed before an evaluation can be carried out and the six steps of the evaluation process.
Supplementing this publication is a web-appendix which includes links to useful evaluation websites, evaluation guides, key scientific papers on evaluation, and a list of evaluators working in the area of parenting programmes to prevent violence.
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<urn:uuid:f0e604b4-a639-4601-b6be-71a0f19fb664>
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http://www.who.int/violence_injury_prevention/publications/violence/parenting_evaluations/en/
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Dr. Peter Hotez discusses what he refers to as "a very serious and dangerous tropical disease situation now unfolding in Venezuela."
"Malaria is not the only tropical disease to re-emerge in Venezuela. Dengue cases are increasing and there are serious concerns about chikungunya spreading from the Caribbean. Moreover, there have been shortages in the national stockpile of antimonial drugs for treating leishmaniasis, and we learned of an unresolved problem with urban schistosomiasis caused by Schistosoma mansoni. In 2010, Dr. Belkisyole Alarcon de Noya and her colleagues from the Instituto de Medicine Tropical, Universidad Central de Venezuela, reported on a large urban outbreak of orally acquired acute Chagas disease at a school comprised of mostly middle-class schoolchildren in Caracas. More than 100 of 1,000 exposed individuals became infected with Trypanosoma cruzi when they ingested contaminated guava juice. More than one-half of the confirmed cases exhibited abnormalities on their ECG recordings, while 20 percent required hospitalization. There was also one death – a five-year-old child who died of acute Chagasic myocarditis. Subsequent T. cruzi genotyping confirmed a common source of infection."
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INITIAL COST => ( Carbon steel X 10 )
Perhaps the oldest copper-nickel boat in existence, the Asperida is still in fine shape
Nickel Magazine, March 2005 -- Designers of boats need to consider many things when choosing materials for the hull of their ocean-going vessels – for example: ensuring the surface is smooth so that the vessel can move through the water with little resistance, keeping the weight to a minimum, and ease of maintenance. Attending to these design considerations improves the availability of the boat and lowers operating and maintenance costs, as Dr. Kenneth W. Coons has learned.
Coons, who was professor of chemical engineering at the University of Alabama in the late 1990s, is an avid yachtsman, who owned vessels made of wood, steel, aluminum and fibreglass. But he was dissatisfied with them all and so spent decades evaluating alternative materials. One technique he used was to tow sample coupons behind his yacht and then examined their resistance to corrosion. Based on these evaluations, he decided in 1966 to build a yacht made of copper-nickel alloy C71500, which contains 29-33% nickel.
Today’s boat designers should be thankful that he made that decision because it allows today’s designers to use this material with confidence.
Coons’ yacht was designed by S. M. van der Meere and built in northern Holland in 1967 by Trewes International. The method of construction was almost identical to that used for carbon steel. However, welders had to be trained, and some welds (in W60715, containing 29% nickel) had to be redone. The hull was painted above the waterline for aesthetics. The hull plates were just 4 millimetres (mm) thick.
Although the initial cost of the hull was ten times that of a boat made of carbon steel, annual maintenance costs were so low that the savings paid for the higher initial cost in just five years.
After being sold five times, the Asperida landed in the hands of its present owners Waldemar Cieniewicz and Anna Muriglan. The duo sailed the ship to New Jersey in 2004, where it was refurbished and refitted. The average thickness of the hull was 3.86 and 3.96 mm (close to the original thickness), based on measurements by the Copper Development Association.
"Clearly, C71500 should be considered seriously as a hull material, not only for pleasure boats but also for commercial and military vessels," says Harold Michels, vice-president, technical and information services for Copper Development Association.
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Genetics may provide humankind its most comprehensive answers in controlling the age-old scourges of malaria, dengue fever and West Nile virus by eliminating the ability of vector mosquitos to host the diseases.
But the new genetic solutions that involve introducing engineered malaria-resistant mosquitos or mosquitos replete with engineered resistant gut bacteria raise questions of their own. How large of a population with the genetic trait will be needed to be viable? Will the population survive, persist and mate with wild mosquitos? Is it possible to completely overtake the susceptible wild population with resistant mosquitos? Among the large number of biological factors involved in such a process, what are the most sensitive and important ones to make the genetic solutions work? As far as the release of genetically altered mosquitos into the field is concerned, what are the better strategies for that biologically as well as economically?
Theoretical mathematical models developed by Department of Mathematical Sciences chair Dr. Jia Li at The University of Alabama in Huntsville (UAH) can help in answering those questions. Following 20 years of disease modeling research that includes influenza and sexually transmitted diseases such as AIDS/human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), Li began working on mosquito population models in 2004, when scientists discovered they could genetically alter mosquitos to be resistant to the malaria parasite with a process called transgenesis.
His work has been funded through a series of National Science Foundation grants since then. Recent papers are “Discrete-time models with mosquitos carrying genetically-modified bacteria,” Mathematical Bioscience, 240.1; November, 2012: pp 35-44, and “Simple discrete-time malarial models,” Jia Li; Journal of Difference Equations and Applications; 19.4; April, 2013: pp 649-666.
“Our work builds a theoretical framework that provides guidance to biologists, public health workers and policy makers,” Li says. “We can apply our models to malaria, dengue fever and West Nile virus. It is an interesting application of mathematics, and it shows people that mathematics is not just purely theoretic or only in the classroom.”
Transmitted back and forth between humans and mosquitos, malaria and dengue fever have no vaccine protections available and are global health menaces. Malaria is caused by parasitic protozoans. Dengue fever is viral. Both can be fatal. In 2010, the World Health Organization estimated there were 50-100 million cases of dengue fever and over 2.5 billion people – 40 percent of the world’s population – are at risk from dengue. The WHO estimated 219 million cases of malaria in 2010 worldwide, causing 660,000 deaths. It is a major problem in Asia, Central America and regions of Africa.
“If you want to control malaria, the most effective way is to control the mosquito,” says Li. Besides the use of pesticides and release of sterile mosquitos to reduce vector populations, scientists have developed newer methodologies to control malaria’s spread that include the transgenic parasite-resistant mosquitos and also paratransgenic mosquitos, which are colonized by a gut bacteria that has been altered to be resistant. These biological control measures have shown great success and are promising in laboratories, but what happens if you release them into the field?” His theoretical models may be helpful by indicating potential outcomes of various approaches and expenditures on future vector populations.
“For the transgenic mosquitos, there are some ecological concerns, because they change the gene of the mosquito, and then these mosquitos bite people,” Li says. “It is also very expensive to alter the genes of each mosquito one by one in the lab.”
The bacteria colonization approach doesn’t have the same environmental concerns because the bacteria don’t change the genetic makeup of the mosquito, he said, and bacterial inoculation of mosquitos in the lab is much less expensive than transgenesis.
In either case, success lies first in survival. The introduced mosquitos must be able to successfully compete with native wild mosquitos to establish viable populations after release. Transgenic mosquitos must be able to successfully reproduce with wild mosquitos and pass along the genetic trait modification that resists disease transmission to their progeny. Paratransgenic mosquitos also need to reproduce, after which their eggs are infected by the bacteria they carry and pass some bacteria through the water they are laid in to wild eggs that are present.
The mathematical models can provide researchers with “some idea about whether their approach is working,” Li says, through quantitative or qualitative analysis and asymptotic analysis. Quantitative analysis is used to model near-term numerical results of a vector control action. Qualitative and asymptotic analyses are used to model the much longer-term results and the limiting behavior of the model dynamics.
“We want to determine key biological, vital parameters, like the birth rate and the death rate, for the transgenic and paratransgenic mosquitos,” Li says. “What are the key parameters to ensure the survival of the mosquitos released and the transgenes inherited?”
Also of concern to researchers is the threshold release value. At what population level should lab-treated mosquitos be released to cross the threshold of viability? What are optimal release levels for given disease control goals? What will be the effects of various release quantities on a disease control goal?
Then there is the question of how persistent a dominant or recessive trait malaria resistance transgene in a lab-produced mosquito would be when interbred into a wild population.
“Our model is showing that it is not the dominance that is most important,” says Li. “The fitness – that is, the ability to both survive and reproduce – is more important than the dominance. We must make the mosquitos so they live longer and reproduce more” than the wild populations.
In the models, longevity success can lead to a state of equilibrium between native and introduced mosquitos. Li’s models are either of discrete time, based on difference equations, or of continuous time, based on differential equations, to help predict qualitative outcomes over a very long period of time. Difference equations compute an output at a certain times based on past and present input samples in the discrete time domain. Differential equations relate the value of an unknown function and its derivatives of various orders in a continuous time setting.
“With the difference equations, the advantage is that it is more intuitive, but its theory and development have a short history and the analysis is relatively more difficult,” says Li. “The theory of differential equations, on the other hand, has a very long history and is well developed so that it provides more tools that we can use.”
Through mathematical analysis, the models show that in theory over a very long period of time, the wild malaria-susceptible mosquitos succumb to the introduced bugs under certain conditions, or coexist with the introduced bugs under other conditions.
“We are trying to satisfy those certain conditions under which the wild mosquitos will be wiped out,” Li says. “If it is necessary to have the other conditions satisfied and then the two types of mosquitos coexist, we can still manage to bring the number of the wild mosquitos down via controlling some parameters.”
Source: University of Alabama Huntsville
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http://www.infectioncontroltoday.com/news/2013/10/disease-prevention-is-the-goal-for-uah-math-chairs-mosquitocontrol-models.aspx
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- Brain Activity Map project wants to study brain in great detail
- This could lead to treatments for paralysis, Parkinson's and other brain disorders
- Budget cuts may affect funding, but scientists are working with existing resources
You have a brain with billions of neurons. You have thoughts, and you do things because of those thoughts. But how do tiny cells translate into thoughts and actions?
The Brain Activity Map initiative is seeking answers to that question. As described in a proposal published online Thursday in the journal Science Express, a group of prominent researchers is proposing a large-scale effort to create new tools to map the human brain in unprecedented detail. This could lead to treatments for brain disorders such as epilepsy, autism, dementia, depression and schizophrenia, as well as ways to restore movement in paralyzed patients.
"We don't actually understand (how circuits of neurons) generate all these interesting behaviors we have, like speech and language and thoughts and memory," said John Donoghue of Brown University's department of neuroscience.
"What we're hoping is that as the tools develop -- and they will continue to develop -- we have additional insights that will lead to better medical devices."
Donoghue and his colleagues are eagerly waiting to see if the federal government will approve new money to pump into the project; the recent spending cuts known as the sequester could affect that prospect. But the scientists' proposal states that the project should be "funded by a partnership between federal and private organizations," and they're already beginning to ramp up their collective efforts, according to George Church, professor of genetics at Harvard Medical School, who is one of the key minds behind the project.
There are already indications of federal interest. President Barack Obama, in his State of the Union address in February, said, "If we want to make the best products, we also have to invest in the best ideas," and alluded to scientists "mapping the human brain to unlock the answers to Alzheimer's." Along with talking about drug development and materials science, Obama stated, "Now is not the time to gut these job-creating investments in science and innovation."
Fixing and manipulating the brain
A big goal of the initiative is to create ways of stimulating neurons that are less invasive than what's currently available, said Church.
There is already research being done on brain implants. Parkinson's disease, for example, is being treated with deep brain stimulators, electrical devices in the brain that restimulate specific circuits of neurons that have become faulty.
Donoghue is working on a project called BrainGate2, where scientists are developing technologies to reconnect the brain to the body in patients with paralysis. Researchers implant a small sensor -- about the size of a baby aspirin -- in the motor area of the brain. The sensor picks up a person's thoughts about moving, and transforms brain signals into movement signals.
Through this technology, researchers have demonstrated that patients can move a computer cursor by thinking and manipulate a robotic arm as if it were their own.
A next step will be to connect to the person's own arm or -- if a person has an amputated limb -- to a prosthetic limb that they could control with thoughts.
So far, the movements of the robotic arm don't seem as natural, coordinated or quick as a real arm. That's because scientists do not yet understand the precise brain processes involved. The Brain Activity Map project could help, for instance, look at the neural connections involved in brushing teeth.
"If we truly understand the code of how the brain does that, we could reproduce it," Donoghue said.
Further into the future, if scientists better understand the neural bases of mental illnesses such as schizophrenia, it could be possible to also develop treatments by targeting groups of neurons with electrical impulses.
"If you understood how thinking emerges from the interaction of many neurons, then you would have ideas about what a disordered thought would look like," Donoghue said.
Another set of tools in the project that looks promising is called optogenetics. Ed Boyden of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology is well-known for this technique. It involves using proteins that are sensitive to light, derived from other organisms such as algae, and putting them into neurons.
Researchers can then use optic fibers to manipulate those neurons. High-density optical fiber arrays would offer more, and thinner, probes for neuronal exploration than bulky electrodes.
"About a thousand groups are using these right now to study the brain because it lets you turn on one cell, or one kind of cell, and figure out what it does," Boyden said. "Although we don't have a complete list of the parts of the brain, we know that some cells are different than others, and people can turn on and off those cells to figure out how they work."
From worms to humans to cars
The intention of the Brain Activity Map project is to study the human brain, but there is also a lot of work going on in animal models, as they allow opportunities for testing devices before they are deemed safe for human trials. Worms, flies and leeches are good invertebrate candidates, and zebra fish, mice and rats provide another level of depth.
"Within 5 years, it should be possible to monitor and/or to control tens of thousands of neurons, and by year 10 that number will increase at least 10-fold," Donoghue and colleagues wrote in the Science article. "By year 15, observing 1 million neurons with markedly reduced invasiveness should be possible."
Donoghue anticipates that there will be insights that come out of the Brain Activity Map project that go beyond the human brain. After all, as a result of the space program, we have GPS. We have the Web because a primitive version of it was developed at the European Organization for Nuclear Research so that particle physicists could communicate better.
In the case of this project, next-generation sensors that work in the brain could also be used to make cars smarter, Donoghue said. For instance, a car could automatically slow down if a soccer ball is detected in the road, anticipating that a child may dart out next.
About that money...
Researchers compare the economic benefits of brain mapping to the Human Genome Project, which generated $800 billion in economic impact as a result of a $3.8 billion investment, according to the Science Express article.
The genome project, for which Church was a key leader, was another one of the "best ideas" Obama mentioned in his State of the Union. The Human Genome Project started out in 1990 with $30 million in funding a year, and was ramped up to $300 million a year, Church said.
But Church and his colleagues involved in the brain project have a vision that is akin to what happened after that project ended in 2003. Between 2004 and 2011, Church said, there was a "million-fold" reduction in the cost of genome sequencing, and it's still happening.
"Every person who does molecular biology now is a million times more effective because of the cost drop that came after the genome project was over," he said.
Cost reduction of brain mapping is also a big aim of the Brain Activity Map project. As technology gets better, it will also get cheaper, Church said.
"Rather than have some monolithic juggernaut goal, where we're compulsively going to get this neuron and this neuron and this neuron, I think it's more, we want to enable all the creativity, and maybe even jostle the creativity a little bit, because people can dream different dreams," he said.
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Catholic Activity: Teaching Perseverance
We are all get discouraged about mundane repetitive things we must do in life. Here's a story from the Desert Fathers to help one stay with what grows wearisome.
Who does not say to himself now and then, "What is the use of this! I am only doing what I have already done a thousand times and anyone could do it. It is a waste of time!"
One of the hermits of old who dwelt in the desert had a cell situated all of seven miles from the water, and it was necessary for him to walk the distance to the river and back each time he replenished his supply. Growing tired of this journey, he said to himself: "What need is there for me to endure this toil? I shall come and live near the water." As he said this, he caught sight of someone who followed behind him, counting his footsteps. He asked, "Who art thou?" and the one behind said, "I am the angel of the Lord, and I am sent to count thy footprints and give thee thy reward." And the monk, when he heard this, set his cell still farther from the water!
Activity Source: Saints and Our Children, The by Mary Reed Newland, P.J. Kenedy & Sons, New York; reprinted by TAN Publishers, 1958
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<urn:uuid:4a599adf-d845-48ef-a585-22863961fad3>
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CC-MAIN-2016-26
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http://www.catholicculture.org/culture/liturgicalyear/activities/view.cfm?id=250
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Download Source Code
The .NET Framework provides a fairly rich set of libraries for working with a variety of graphics files. You can easily load, modify and save most graphic-file types.
One of the formats .NET supports is the JPG (JPEG) format, which is a very common graphics format. JPG files can be stored with varying levels of quality. However, controlling this quality level from .NET can be a little tricky.
As with most graphic-file formats, JPG files employ compression to reduce the size of the image data. However, unlike other formats, JPG uses a "lossy" compression, which means some data is lost when the data is uncompressed. The result is that JPG images can have visible artifacts that result from the data being compressed.
The amount of compression, and therefore the image quality, can vary in a JPG file. When using less compression, images are higher quality but result in more data and larger files. So the JPG format lets you choose between smaller files with lower quality or larger files with higher quality.
How noticeable compression is depends also on the type of image. The compression artifacts may be less noticeable on photos with many different colors and textures, while images with large areas of a single color can make those artifacts easier to see.
Most graphics applications lets you specify a value in the range of 0 to 100 for the compression, or quality, when saving JPG files, where higher values represent less compression, higher quality, and larger files. Note that this value is somewhat arbitrary and a quality value of 85 in one graphics application may not match the results of the same value in another application. Figures 1 through 3 show JPG images with varying levels of quality.
Figure 1: Image with Quality Value 75 (3 KB File)
Figure 2: Image with Quality Value 90 (4 KB File)
Figure 3: Image with Quality Value 100 (8 KB File)
As you can probably see, the artifacts are quite visible at 75, and much less so at 90. They are even less visible at 100. What's interesting is the resulting file sizes. From 75 to 90, the difference in quality is substantial with only a small difference in file sizes. But from 90 to 100, the difference in quality is hardly noticeable and yet the files size doubles!
So, as the values gets higher, additional increases cost more in bytes and return less in improved quality. Looking at JPG images created with .NET, the value seems to be somewhere around 75. For better image quality, you may want more like 85 to 95.
Controlling JPG Compression from .NET
When working with .NET graphics classes such as Image, you can save an image to a file using the Save() method. This method is very simple, you can supply a filename and the target image format. The Save() method has a number of overloads, but there are no parameters with names like "JpgQuality" or anything like that.
The main reason there are no such parameters is because the Save() method works with all the supported file types. A JPG-quality parameter would be specific only to JPG files. So controlling JPG quality is not quite as simple as we'd like. But the Save() method still allows us to control such parameters.
Listing 1 shows my SaveJpgSetQuality() method. This method takes an Image object, a file path, and a quality value. The method will save the image to a JPG file with the specified path name with the specified JPG quality.
Listing 1: The SaveJpgSetQuality Method
/// Saves an image as a JPG file using the specified quality level. The file is stored as JPG
/// format regardless of the extension of the given filename.
/// <param name="image">Image to save</param>
/// <param name="path">Filename to store the image</param>
/// <param name="quality">A value from 0 to 100. Higher values produce better quality images
/// and larger files</param>
public void SaveJpgSetQuality(Image image, string path, byte quality)
// Get jpeg encoder
ImageCodecInfo jpgEncoder =
ImageCodecInfo.GetImageDecoders().First(c => c.FormatID == ImageFormat.Jpeg.Guid);
// Create an encoder object based on the Quality parameter category
Encoder encoder = Encoder.Quality;
// Create an EncoderParameters object with just one EncoderParameter
EncoderParameters encoderParameters = new EncoderParameters(1);
encoderParameters.Param = new EncoderParameter(encoder, (long)quality);
// Write file using encoder and parameters
image.Save(path, jpgEncoder, encoderParameters);
The SaveJpgSetQuality() method starts by locating the ImageCodecInfo object associated with JPG files. This is the same object used when you specify the ImageFormat.Jpeg image format. Next, it creates an Encoder object to control the JPG quality value. It then creates an EncoderParameters object with a single parameter (the quality parameter). Finally, the SaveJpgSetQuality() method passes these objects to the Save() method.
That's all there is to it. Obviously, the Save() method can be used to control many other parameters for the various image file encoders. They aren't quite as accessible as most settings, but they can be accessed.
The downloadable source code contains the SaveJpgSetQuality() method, and some example code I used to generate the images shown in Figures 1 through 3.
Use of this article and any related source code or other files is governed
by the terms and conditions of
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<urn:uuid:3ef765ad-cf2e-4da1-92c1-e0e242667525>
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CC-MAIN-2016-26
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http://www.blackbeltcoder.com/Articles/graph/controlling-jpeg-compression
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A Nested Case-Control Study of Leukemia and Ionizing Radiation at the Portsmouth Naval Shipyard
DHHS (NIOSH) Publication Number 2005-104
This study analyzed the relationship between external ionizing radiation and leukemia mortality among civilian employees of the PNS to help determine whether occupational exposures to radiation were associated with a risk for leukemia. Exposure assessments for benzene and carbon tetrachloride were also completed since these chemicals might also cause leukemia.
The study population included 115 PNS employees who had died from leukemia. They were compared with a total of 460 other PNS workers who served as controls. All workers in this study were selected from the 37,853 civilians employed at the Shipyard for at least one day between January 1, 1952 and December 31, 1992. Thirty-four of the leukemia cases and 167 controls were monitored for ionizing radiation exposures while employed at PNS.
The case-control study results suggest that leukemia mortality risk increased with increasing cumulative occupational ionizing radiation dose among PNS workers. The magnitude of increase in leukemia risk is consistent with other radiation epidemiology study results. Workers potentially exposed to benzene or carbon tetrachloride for longer periods of time also appear to have greater risk of death from leukemia. Uncertainty in the risk estimates, i.e., the rather wide confidence intervals, is attributed to the relatively small number of leukemia deaths (34) among radiation-monitored workers and reliance on job titles and shops to estimate benzene and carbon tetrachloride exposures instead of individual monitoring results for these chemicals.
- Page last reviewed: June 6, 2014
- Page last updated: June 6, 2014
- Content source:
- National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health Education and Information Division
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http://www.cdc.gov/niosh/docs/2005-104/
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Quick quiz. Which of these sentences are passive? (There may be more than one.)
1) There were a great number of dead leaves on the ground.
2) At dawn the crowing of the rooster could be heard.
3) The reason he left college was that his health became impaired.
4) It was not long before she was very sorry that she had said what she had.
All these sentences are given as examples of the passive in Strunk and White, showing that even those who proclaim themselves as expert often don’t know the passive when it smacks them in the face. Only the second is passive, but S & W thought they all were. Orwell, who also decried the passive, had trouble recognizing it. Despite the fact that he claimed to abhor it, he used it about twice as often as other writers of his era.
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<urn:uuid:737c6a7d-af0a-4953-99b7-d60d795ebbfb>
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CC-MAIN-2016-26
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http://www.wordorigins.org/index.php/forums/viewthread/2502/
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Last week in my Kirkus column, I mentioned Jen Bryant’s The Right Word: Roget and his Thesaurus, illustrated by Melissa Sweet, coming from Eerdmans in September. It’s such a superb picture book, and today Melissa visits to share a bit about what went into creating the art for it.
Melissa: The research for this book began when I visited a private collector who owns Roget memorabilia, including the original word book [from] Roget, which later became his Thesaurus.
Holding Roget’s book was like holding a hummingbird — delicate, diminutive, yet powerful. Though I saw his handwriting in lovely sepia ink, I knew that to mimic Roget’s handwriting would only be interesting for a page or two.
One of the most challenging types of picture books to illustrate is a biography of a writer. There needs to be more to the story than someone writing at their desk over and over again. In A River of Words, the poems of William Carlos Williams provided the visual imagery as a launch pad for the art. For this book, Roget’s lists became the inspiration. However, as I explain in the Author’s Notes, the only surviving lists were his Latin lists. Much of my time on this book was spent reading his original Thesaurus (published in 1852) in order find the right words—no pun intended—for the art. (This first Thesaurus was classified by “ideas,” similar to the way Linnaeus classified plants and animals.)
The words and pictures had to be intertwined. I crafted the content of the lists to reflect his age at the time, the setting, what he was studying. I confess to getting sidetracked by this book for hours on end (full disclosure: it was days and weeks on end), riveted by the beauty of his classification in his Thesaurus. I could not put this book down!
Every book starts with the dummy, but storyboards help determine pacing, even if it’s just a cryptic note. In this case, we weren’t certain if the book would be 40 or 48 pages, and this helps to see various paginations. I make three to four storyboards as I sort out the book.
On the right are the Latin lists Roget worked on as a boy. Illustrating this first list set the tone for the rest of the lists in the art.
(Click either image to see spread in its entirety)
(Click second image to see spread in its entirety)
Once I had the word lists for a given spread, the collages had a life of their own. There’s no real way to know what the final art will look like. I just begin.
In this case [below], Jen had written a list within the text, which was incorporated into the art seen on the left-hand page. It made sense visually to hand–letter it.
A sketch for the left page:
The collage on the right [second image below] is partly carved out of an old book and partly crafted by adding to it.
Inspired by the text: “all the ideas in the world” led to using the words light and dark, universe, cosmos, etc. and visually creating depth in this collage with the celestial sky in the background and the natural world in all its minutia in the foreground.
The [cover] sketch was very simple, enough to tell me this could work:
(Click to enlarge)
It was such a pleasure to work with everyone at Eerdmans. There was a lot trust this would all work out with only my sketchy dummies to go by!
The production on this book is gorgeous. We’re all thrilled.
Logophiles (or logomaniacs, as a friend refers to word aficionados), here’s to finding the right word whenever you need it.
And to Jules: Thank you, with gratitude, much obliged!
THE RIGHT WORD: ROGET AND HIS THESAURUS. Copyright © 2014 by Jen Bryant. Illustrations copyright © 2014 by Melissa Sweet. Published by Eerdmans Books for Young Readers, Michigan. All images here reproduced by permission of Melissa Sweet and the publisher.
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A paramedial herniated disc is also known by several other names including posterolateral herniated disc, paramedial disc bulge, paramedian bulging disc and paramedial disc protrusion. This condition, regardless of the exact diagnostic terminology used, is the most common type of herniated disc in existence, particularly in the lumbar and cervical spinal regions.
While it is not crucial to fully understand the nature of a posterolateral herniation when compared to a far lateral or central disc herniation, it is always a good idea to learn the basics about disc bulges in order to better your chances for successful resolution of your pain. After all, each type of herniation can produce different effects on different types of nerve tissue.
This essay examines the specific paramedian variety of bulging disc in the spinal column.
Paramedian disc bulges describe herniations which are off center and asymmetrical in their bulge pattern. These herniations can affect the right side or left side of the disc and generally enter into the lateral recess on the side of the spinal cord.
In some cases, paramedian herniations are said to impinge upon the thecal sac, typically on the frontal/side surface. In rarer cases, these herniations may actually impinge upon the spinal cord itself.
Other common speculative or verified diagnostic terms used in conjunction with posterolateral herniations include crowding, impinging or compression of a nerve root, typically in the lateral recess, although sometimes in the neuroforaminal recess.
Remember that herniations which fully or partially block the foraminal space are often referred to as foraminal herniated discs.
Paramedial disc bulges may be broad based or focal in nature. The vast majority are not problematic or pain-inducing in any way and of those which are symptomatic, many will not require any special care, but will likely improve with time alone.
Some herniations may require professional medical treatment and a few may even be indicated for herniated disc surgery intervention. This is particularly true for severe and verified instances of pinched nerves or spinal stenosis enacted by a bulge which actually compresses the spinal cord itself.
Remember to compare any actual symptoms with the clinical expectations of the diagnosis in order to improve the chances for successful treatment, no matter which path to therapy path you choose to traverse. If the symptoms do not correlate to the diagnosis, then any treatment is unlikely to prove successful.
I am happy to see you all increasing your specific knowledge of herniations by reading pages such as this one. Most of you probably ended up here when searching for terms on your MRI report, which is always advised.
You need to understand your diagnosis in order to become active in your own care and you need to become active in your own care in order to recover from a herniated disc. Just remember that no particular type of herniation is inherently any worse than any other and most are still non-issues in terms of causative potential for chronic back pain.
If you have been actively pursuing disc pain care for months or years without relief, there is a good chance that the bulge is not the problem after all. Never forget that misdiagnosed herniated discs may surely be present, but are not the actual source of pain in a great number of patients.
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The Honeysuckle is a family of arching shrubs or twining vines in the family Caprifoliaceae. They are native to the Northern Hemisphere. There are about 180 known species of Honeysuckle. Approximately 100 of these species are native to China. Another 20 native species occur in Europe, India and, North America each. Hummingbirds are particularly attracted to the flowers on many of these plants.
Most species of Honeysuckle are hardy twining climbers. The leaves are opposite, and simple ovals. The leaves average approximately 4.5 in (10 cm) in length. Most varieties are deciduous, but some are evergreen. Many of the species of Honeysuckle have sweetly-scented flowers. These flowers produce a sweet, edible nectar. Most flowers are borne in clusters of two. Both shrubby and vining sorts have strongly fibrous stems. These stems have been used for binding and textiles.
The fruit is a red, blue or black spherical or elongated berry. These berries contain several seeds. In most species the berries are mildly poisonous. However, in a few species they are edible. These are grown for home use and commerce. Most Honeysuckle berries are attractive to wildlife. Many species of Honeysuckle are eaten by the larvae of some Lepidoptera species. Several species of honeysuckle have become invasive when introduced outside their native range. This is particularly true in New Zealand and the United States.
The Honeysuckle is widely valued as a garden plant. This is partly due to their ability to cover unsightly walls and outbuildings. They are also popular for their profuse tubular flowers in summer. Yet another reason is the intense fragrance of many varieties. The hardy climbing types need their roots in shade. But they need their flowering tops in sunlight or very light shade. Varieties need to be chosen with care, because most grow prolifically.
Todd Sain Sr.
Related Articles: Elderflower, Flame Azalea, Honeybee
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Parents do know best: Using hummus to tempt children into eating veg works
Parents eager to get their children into vegetables should add hummus and yoghurt to the dinner table.
Researchers have found that youngsters won't eat their greens because they are sensitive to the bitterness.
The study, led by Jennifer Orlet Fisher at the obesity research centre in Philadelphia, found that adding a small amount of dip to a serving helped them to eat more.
Hummus can actually help 'train' children to appreciate the taste of their greens
A sample of 152 pre-school children showed that over a seven week period, there was an 80 per cent increase in the amount of broccoli that children were willing to eat.
Low-fat and regular versions of yoghurt and hummus were tested and both were equally effective according to the study published by the Journal of the American Dietetic Association.
Ms fisher said: 'We know that children can learn to like vegetables if they are offered frequently, without prodding and prompting.
'Children with a sensitivity to bitterness may avoid certain vegetables, but offering a low-fat dip could make it easier for those foods to become an accepted part of children’s diet.'
She added that parents don’t necessarily need to stick to dressings high in fat and salt to see a positive effect.
'Try apple sauce, hummus, or a low-fat yoghurt-based dip for more calcium,' she added.
Dislike of the bitterness in some foods may stem from the TAS2R38 gene, which influences how we perceive bitter tastes.
To determine which children in the study had this sensitivity, researchers offered each child a cup with increasing amounts of a bitter-tasting compound common in green vegetables.
After each cup, the child was asked whether the fluid tasted like water, or was 'bitter or yucky.' About 70 percent of the children responded in the latter.
'Parents and caregivers do not make laboratory measurements of children’s bitter sensitivity, but most will know if their child is wary of vegetables,' said Ms Fisher.
'Our research shows that offering dip is another tool that parents can use to help children learn to eat their vegetables.'
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FERDINAND III. (the Holy):
King of Castile and Leon; son of Alfonso IX., King of Leon, and the pious Berenguela; born 1200; ascended the throne 1217; died 1252. His reign may be regarded as marking a turning-point in the destinies of the Jews. Despite the opposition of the clergy, he retained the Jewish chief tax-farmer, Don Meïr, as wellas all the other Jewish tax-farmers, and sanctioned the "Concordia" which Archbishop Rodrigo of Toledo made with the Jews of his diocese. Ferdinand was the conqueror of Cordova, the old seat of the califs. In recognition of the services rendered by Jews during his expeditions he confirmed their privileges in several cities. Although he was not very favorably inclined toward Jews, they shared in the distribution of land after the capture of Seville. Aznalfarache, Aznalcazar, and Paterna, for a long time called "Aldeas de los Judios," were almost entirely turned over to them. Don Meïr received Valencia del Rio, several thousand feet of olive gardens, and 1,414 acres of land. The tax farmer Maestre Zag; his sons Moses, Zag, and Abraham; his brother Salomon; the king's physician Joseph Abraham ha-Kohen, and his son Joseph; the interpreter, or physician, Samuel of Fez; an interpreter of Talavera; and an unknown rabbi received in Paterna 40,000 feet of olive-and fig-gardens and many farms in Aznalcazar. The kings also granted Jews lands in Leirena, or Valfermoso, Galichena, Valencina-Toston, Treya, and La Algaba. He allowed the Jews of Seville to retain their synagogue, and presented them in addition four small mosques to be transformed into synagogues, while Don Meïr, Maestre Zag, Don Zag, and Don Joseph received various houses.
The Jews of Seville presented Ferdinand (according to some authorities, Alfonso X., whom Grätz credits with the benefactions referred to) with a large, artistically worked silver key, bearing on one side the inscription , and on the other side the same sentiment in Spanish:
"Dios abrirá, rey entrá." (God will open, the king will enter.)
- Amador de los Rios, Hist. i. 356 et seq.;
- Ad. de Castro, Hist. de los Judios en España, pp. 52 et seq.;
- Ersch and Gruber, Encyc. section ii., part 27, p. 210;
- Grätz, Gesch. vii. 136. The key, now in the possession of the cathedral in Seville, is represented in Zuñiga's Anales de Sevilla, i. 47, and in Papenbroeck, Acta Vitœ; S. Ferdinandi, Antwerp, 1684.
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[ Metal in Early Historic Times ] [ Len the Smith ] [ 18th Century Mining in Killarney ] [ Rudolf Raspe ] [ Weaver Map ] [ Mining At Muckross ] [ An Industrial Venture ] [ Thomas Weaver ] [ The Mining Companies ] [ Mines in Killarney ]
The most important phase of industrial mining at Ross
Island began with the arrival of Colonel Robert Hall to this area in the
early 1800s. With 13 partners, he established the Ross Island Company and
obtained a 31 year mining lease from Lord Kenmare for a one eight royalty
of ore raised. Mining commenced in 1804, employing 150 miners and
labourers. The company initially worked the Blue Hole, discovering a rich
bed of lead and copper '..which was raised with great facility, and
afforded for a time considerable profit'. Mining continued until 1810,
raising some 3200 tons of rich copper ore, worth an estimated £80,000.
Unfortunately, this involved considerable expense, mainly due to problems
of lake flooding, leading to an outlay of around £50,000 between 1804-8.
Bank Note Ross Island
This first phase of mining ended around 1810 due to
financial problems, however the Ross Island Company continued operations
for another four years. In 1811, Lord Kenmare granted a new lease to the
mine captain William White. He tried to develop the mine over the
following two years before finally abandoning it in 1814. The Ross Island
Company also mined some 86 tons of copper ore on nearby Crow Island
'A Gentleman from Cornwall'
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Writing the Declaration
of Independence, 1776
The summer of 1776 was a harrowing time for the British colonies in America. Open warfare with the mother country had erupted a year earlier and the future was filled with political and military uncertainties.
In this tense climate, the Continental Congress met in Philadelphia with the intention of voting for independence from England. In anticipation of this vote, the Congress selected a committee to draft a declaration of independence. The committee, composed of John Adams, Benjamin Franklin, Thomas Jefferson, Robert R. Livingston, and Roger Sherman, in turn instructed Thomas Jefferson to write the declaration.
|The Committee presents its draft
of the Declaration of Independence
to the Continental Congress
Jefferson began his work on June 11 and toiled in seclusion writing a number of drafts. After presenting his final draft, the committee further revised the document and submitted it to the Continental Congress on June 28. On July 2, the Continental Congress voted for independence and refined its Declaration of Independence before releasing it to the public on July 4th.
The Declaration of Independence stands with Lincoln's Second Inaugural Address as one of the noblest of America's official documents. In 1822, John Adams wrote a letter to Timothy Pickering responding to Pickering's questions about the writing of the Declaration of Independence. Adams' letters were published in 1850:
"You inquire why so young a man as Mr. Jefferson was placed at the head of the committee for preparing a Declaration of Independence? I answer: It was the Frankfort advice, to place Virginia at the head of everything. Mr. Richard Henry Lee might be gone to Virginia, to his sick family, for aught I know, but that was not the reason of Mr. Jefferson's appointment. There were three committees appointed at the same time, one for the Declaration of Independence, another for preparing articles of confederation, and another for preparing a treaty to be proposed to France. Mr. Lee was chosen for the Committee of Confederation, and it was not thought convenient that the same person should be upon both. Mr. Jefferson came into Congress in June, 1775, and brought with him a reputation for literature, science, and a happy talent of composition. Writings of his were handed about, remarkable for the peculiar felicity of expression. Though a silent member in Congress, he was so prompt, frank, explicit, and decisive upon committees and in conversation - not even Samuel Adams was more so - that he soon seized upon my heart; and upon this occasion I gave him my vote, and did all in my power to procure the votes of others. I think he had one more vote than any other, and that placed him at the head of the committee. I had the next highest number, and that placed me the second. The committee met, discussed the subject, and then appointed Mr. Jefferson and me to make the draft, I suppose because we were the two first on the list.
The subcommittee met. Jefferson proposed to me to make the draft. I said, 'I will not,' 'You should do it.' 'Oh! no.' 'Why will you not? You ought to do it.' 'I will not.' 'Why?' 'Reasons enough.' 'What can be your reasons?' 'Reason first, you are a Virginian, and a Virginian ought to appear at the head of this business. Reason second, I am obnoxious, suspected, and unpopular. You are very much otherwise. Reason third, you can write ten times better than I can.' 'Well,' said Jefferson, 'if you are decided, I will do as well as I can.' 'Very well. When you have drawn it up, we will have a meeting.'
A meeting we accordingly had, and conned the paper over. I was delighted with
its high tone and the flights of oratory with which it abounded, especially
that concerning Negro slavery, which, though I knew his Southern brethren would
never suffer to pass in Congress, I certainly never would oppose. There were
other expressions which I would not have inserted if I had drawn it up, particularly
that which called the King tyrant. I thought this too personal, for I never
believed George to be a tyrant in disposition and in nature; I always believed
him to be deceived by his courtiers on both sides of the Atlantic, and in his
official capacity, only, cruel. I thought the expression too passionate, and
too much like scolding, for so grave and solemn a document; but as Franklin
and Sherman were to inspect it afterwards, I thought it would not become me
to strike it out. I consented to report it, and do not now remember that I
made or suggested a single alteration.
We reported it to the committee of five. It was read, and I do not remember that Franklin or Sherman criticized anything. We were all in haste. Congress was impatient, and the instrument was reported, as I believe, in Jefferson's handwriting, as he first drew it. Congress cut off about a quarter of it, as I expected they would; but they obliterated some of the best of it, and left all that was exceptionable, if anything in it was. I have long wondered that the original draft had not been published. I suppose the reason is the vehement philippic against Negro slavery.
As you justly observe, there is not an idea in it but what had been hackneyed in Congress for two years before. The substance of it is contained in the declaration of rights and the violation of those rights in the Journals of Congress in 1774. Indeed, the essence of it is contained in a pamphlet, voted and printed by the town of Boston, before the first Congress met, composed by James Otis, as I suppose, in one of his lucid intervals, and pruned and polished by Samuel Adams."
Adams, John (Charles Francis Adams ed.), The Works of John Adams, vol II, The Diary (1850) reprinted in Commager, H.S. and Nevins, A., The Heritage of America (1939); Maier Pauline, American Scripture: Making the Declaration of Independence (1997).
How To Cite This Article:
"Writing the Declaration of Independence, 1776," EyeWitness to History, www.eyewitnesstohistory.com (1999).
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Dispelling Myths About CDC's New Recommendations Regarding HIV Testing, Informed Consent and Pre-test Counseling
"The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) in September 2006 issued new recommendations for expanded testing of people for HIV. We support the CDC's goal of increasing the numbers of people living with undiagnosed HIV who get tested, so that they will learn their status and get into care earlier. Increasing access to HIV testing and care will serve well both the public health and the individuals who are infected. Ensuring that those who are tested get into care is vital not only for the individual, but to protect the public health."
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| 0.949174
| 131
| 2.640625
| 3
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Library JournalDurham (Crime in America, ABC-CLIO, 1996) has done a good job of bringing a large amount of material on Franklin into one useful book. Topics are arranged alphabetically in four categories: Franklin's writings, people important to him, events in which he participated, and his multiple interests. In general, the entries are short and straightforward, geared to readers without much acquaintance with Franklin or 18th-century Anglo-America. There is a good deal of repetition in the entries, as well as some odd formulations, such as Jefferson's being "born to an aristocratic family." Durham offers frequent suggestions for further reading but confines herself generally to primary sources, without noting the latest scholarship. More troubling is her use of Albert Smyth's edition of Franklin's writings for extensive quotation and for the selection of writings included in the book, instead of the modern edition now being edited at Yale. On the whole, however, the book would be an appropriate resource for high school and public libraries.David B. Mattern, Univ. of Virginia, Charlottesville
BooknewsEntries are arranged alphabetically by subject matter and fall into four categories: writings, people, events, and interests. Each entry (typically one page or so, though some are longer) describes and defines the topic, places it in its historical context, and includes cross-references and suggestions for further reading. Contains an introduction, a chronology, and b&w illustrations. For high school students and above, and for general readers. Annotation c. by Book News, Inc., Portland, Or.
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| 0.944708
| 344
| 2.6875
| 3
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Fever, 1793 Memory and the Past Quotes
How we cite our quotes: Citations follow this format: (Chapter.Paragraph)
"Captain William Farnsworth Cook, Pennsylvania Fifth Regiment, here to escort you beyond the lines of the dread and terrible enemy, Yellow Fever, Miss Matilda."
He clicked his boots together and offered his arm to me. Eliza laughed as she wiped her eyes with her apron. (10.73-10.10.74)
With his boots and his saluting, Grandfather really is the past come to life. Here, Grandfather becomes a comic figure.
The tall thief lifted Grandfather's sword from the mantle. "Go to New York if you wish, but I know a gentleman in Wilmington who will pay a pretty price for this."
"That's not worth a Continental," the short one laughed. "I could get a better price for my old stockings. Every old man in America drags his rusty sword around and claims he ran it through a hundred British. It's a piece of junk." (19.24-19.25)
The thieves' view of Grandfather's soldiering weapon isn't as grand as the way Grandfather would see it. For Grandfather, the sword is a symbol of his authority, his honor, and his accomplishments in battle. To them, it's simply a piece of junk that won't fetch a very high price on the black market.
"That's nearly the last of the flour," the woman said.
"It'll be sawdust after this, just like the War." (24.7)
The parallels between the war and the fever are fairly clear – both are times of hardship that test people's character and call for sacrifices. What events have you experienced that have tested you and your community?
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| 0.977802
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Contrary to popular belief, we really can live peaceably with those slimy mollusks in our gardens. Slugs start sneaking and sliding around our gardens each spring when the weather begins to warm.
The “Western Society of Malacologists Field Guide to the Slug” by David George Gordon, published by Sasquatch Books says, “You’ll never be able to eliminate all of the slugs in your garden—as proved by one English zoologist who systematically removed 400 slugs from a quarter-acre garden each night for several years without any observable effect on the population.”
Slugs can live from one to six years. Their eggs are less than one-fourth-inch in diameter and resemble fertilizer beads. Eggs are laid in clutches of 3 to 50; some species lay as many as 500 eggs per year. A slug’s mouth has a tongue like organ called a radula covered with up to 27,000 teeth. Our mucous covered mollusk friends are distantly related to oysters and squid. Slugs moved onto land, developing a lung. The hole on their right side functions like a nose bringing in air.
The slime absorbs water, keeping slugs moist. Alice Bryant Harper in “The Banana Slug: A Close Look at a Giant Forest Slug of Western North American Forest,” by Bay Leaves Press, says, “Water absorbency is why you can’t wash slime off your hands; you have to rub it off, as you would rubber cement. Slime probably has a scent that helps slugs find other slugs. Slime of our native Banana slugs acts as a nitrogen rich fertilizer.”
Locally, find “Rainy Day Slug,” a delightful children’s book by Port Orchard writer Mary Palenick Colborn and illustrated by Sumner resident Lorie Ann Grover. This story is about a very cute and colorful banana slug who wends his way through a home.
Banana slugs are good slugs and we want to cherish them in our woodlands and gardens. If you find any, please try not to kill them. Nudge them back into the woods.
According to wildlife biologist Klaus Richter, our pesky brown, black, grayish non-native slugs “are annuals like our annual plants. They die in the winter. Only their eggs survive. You won’t want to bait for slugs until a problem occurs.” Then when you find munchings eradicate the slugs with an environmentally friendly product or method.
Conscientious gardeners avoid baits with Metaldehyde which can lead to nervous system damage or death in humans and other animals. Slugs feeding on these baits become dehydrated but they can and do rehydrate when it rains so you’re not really killing many of them. Read every bit of the labels for baits containing this chemical, including the hazards section before deciding to purchase these baits. If you have any Metaldehyde products left over in garages or sheds, take them to the Kitsap County Hazard Waste Site for disposal.
A more satisfying and efficient product, out on the market for several years, is iron phosphate, commercially sold as “Worry Free” and “Sluggo.” Other products become available yearly containing iron phosphate. It will not harm plants, humans, other critters or our furry pets. Iron phosphate also works as a fertilizer. It can be a bit pricy but a little bit goes a long way. Use iron phosphate around your prized plants and then let the slugs munch judiciously on other plants. Determine your own tolerance level for slugs.
Please don’t use salt or ammonia to kill slugs. There are too many slugs for this method to be useful. An abundance of salt or ammonia is not good for your plants. Sharon Collman, WSU Extension Educator (now in Snohomish County) is a slug and insect expert. When she explains how slugs will literally turn themselves inside out writhing in pain from salt exposure it changed many gardeners’ minds about using this method ever again.
Many of us do take perverse pleasure in the slice and dice method of slug control though. Go out early in the morning and evening to find slugs. Slice and dice, using a knife, clippers or scissors. Slug family members will come and cannibalize the carcasses. (Yuck!) Several gardeners strategically place flower pots turned upside down around choice plants. Early morning and evening they upend the pots, harvest the slugs and dump the slugs in soapy water to melt them. Alas, the gardeners didn’t explain what to do with the slug gunked soapy water. Perhaps you’ll avoid this method too.
Another way to reduce slug damage is eliminating slug hiding places. Cut back all overgrown grassy and weedy areas near your vegetable or flower gardens. Pick up and compost all rotting garden debris. Plant extra flowers and vegetables so you’ll have some left to enjoy. Believe it or not, there are quite a few plants slugs don’t even nibble: herbs, scented plants, evergreen plants, prickly plants. Ask your gardening friends and nursery staff to recommend plants ignored or avoided by slugs.
Sluggo works on snails too. Our area is getting more and more dry land snails. These pesky critters hitch-hiked in on nursery stock. Use the same methods of control as you would with slugs. When purchasing new plants for your garden look for snails and slugs on the bottom and rim of the containers. Scrape them off and leave them behind. Avoid bringing them home to visit.
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One of the most significant changes in Ottoman internal policy which impacted on foreign interests generally and sectarian concerns in particular (both Christian and Jewish), related to the acquisition of land in Eretz Yisrael- Palestine.
As explained earlier the sale of land to Christians and Jews under 1858 Ottoman land reformation legislation was generated not by a new liberalism per se. On the contrary, the internal economic exigencies associated with the costs of the Ottoman centralisation of its public administration and discharging its foreign indebtedness made the Porte more vulnerable to foreign influence, brought to bear by respective foreign consuls.
a. Christian Land Acquisitions.
Events in Europe in the latter half of the nineteenth century and first two decades of the twentieth brought a degree of Christian interest in developing their holy sites. The objective of these acquisitions was to gain and maintain control over distinctive and separate Christian holy places in Palestine and to establish religious institutions.
For the Christians, these purchases were motivated by missionary, humanitarian, philanthropic, social and political objectives. Other, private, individual investors were also encouraged by the Ottoman government to acquire and develop land, especially if they surrendered their European citizenship and assumed that of the Ottomans.
France gave its support to the Roman Catholic acquisition in Nazareth (and to the Maronite Christians), Russia supported the Eastern Church in Jerusalem and Germany supported the Templar settlements in Jerusalem and Haifa. Britain extended its protection to the Anglicans and also to the Jews.
According to Professor Kark, the churches and the missions were the most active land purchasers among the Christians in the second half of the nineteenth century. Prominent among them were the Greek Orthodox Patriarchate, Roman Catholics, Armenians, Anglicans, German Evangelist Community and smaller churches, including Ethiopians, Copts, and Greek Catholics. In the aggregate, the Christian Churches acquired both directly and indirectly through Ottoman nominees extensive urban property interests in and around Jerusalem, Bethlehem, Nazareth, Haifa, Beit Jalla, Acre and large rural holdings in areas that were sparsely populated, such as the Coastal Plain, Jezreel Valley, Galilee, Beit Shaan, and Jordan Valley. This activity provided a purchasable (fluid) inventory of relatively empty and inexpensive lands. (Kark p. 362).
Kark also makes particular reference to The Temple Society founded in Germany during the mid-nineteenth century, whose members believed in the importance of settling in Palestine. It established centres in Haifa, Jaffa and Jerusalem, as well as a number of small villages. On the eve of World War I, the Society’s population in the cities amounted to some 1,400 persons, in addition to 624 persons in the villages (Kark p.365)
Initiatives by private investors in land development were also forthcoming from European entrepreneurs, amongst whom were Emil Bergheim, a banker who established a farm near Tel Gezer managed on European principles and equipped with modern machinery, Swiss-born Johannes Frutinger – both of whom were German subjects, and British-born Lawrence Oliphant.
In addition to establishing their own religious institutions, a number of influential Christians writers, notably Alexander Keith of the Church of Scotland, writing in 1843, English social reformer, Lord Shaftsbury, in his 1853 correspondence with Foreign Minister, Lord Palmerston, and William Eugene Blackstone, an American Christian, writing in 1881 on his return to the United States after a visit to the area, saw for themselves the extent of human habitation in Palestine or, more accurately, the relative absence of it, and advocated the restoration of a Jewish population to Palestine as an essential part of their respective belief systems.
b. Religious Jewish Land Acquisition
i. Expansion of Existing Urban Settlement.
Religiously motivated Jewish migration from Europe (and also from Yemen) in anticipation of the coming of the messianic millennium succeeded in encouraging only a very limited Jewish migration to Palestine.
The faith of religious Jews in Palestine was sorely tested by political-sectarian violence and by natural and human disasters.
Politically, between 1831-1841, Muslim authorities and the local Arab population encouraged Arab fellahin to rebel against the rule of Egyptian Muhammed Ali’s son, Ibrahim Pasha, during his occupation of Palestine. In the process, they rampaged against the Jews of Safed and other towns, looting their property; destroying their homes; desecrating their synagogues and study-houses; raping, beating and, in many cases, killing Jews.
In 1837 an earthquake killed more than two thousand Jews in the Galilee; the Messiah failed to appear in 1840, contrary to the predictions of the Kabalists; and plagues raged throughout the region.
Despite these setbacks, Jewish religiously motivated urban migration continued to grow but at a low rate. It must be borne in mind that the religious Jewish urban communities were not self-sustaining. Their male population did not engage in agriculture, manufacturing or commerce, but were, in the main, committed to the performance of religious precepts, the study of Jewish religious texts and the philosophic evolution of religious thought (including Kabbalah). It was the Jewish woman who, in addition to caring for their husbands and households, engaged in ‘trade’ and marketing. The communities relied upon the distribution (‘halukah’) of financial donations sent voluntarily by Jewish communities in the diaspora or collected by Jewish emissaries sent from Palestine for that purpose.
(see Andrew G. Bostom, Under Turkish Rule, FrontPage magazine July 27, 2007 (Part I) http://frontpagemagazine.com/Articles/Read.aspx?GUID=68314118-6D77-4E06-B4D5-282AF4285BC9 and Part II August 3, 2007 http://www.frontpagemag.com/Articles/Read.aspx?GUID=3CA6CAE4-04C9-4AC6-BA1C-08B047719A1A
In 1855, English missionary W.H. Bartlett records in his book, ‘Jerusalem Revisited,’ that the Jewish community in Jerusalem numbered over 11,000. James Finn, the second British consul in Jerusalem, confirms this fact in his book Stirring Times, published in 1878. Other writers, notably, Mary Elisa, Andrew Bonar and W.F. Lynch, confirm in their respective books and reports during the 1840-1860’s an increased Jewish immigration and active Jewish communities and institutions in Haifa, Nablus and Jaffa, respectively. (see Behat)
Notwithstanding the danger to life and limb from Bedouin raids, pillage and general banditry in the region, Jewish residents of the Old City of Jerusalem were compelled, by reasons of overcrowding and insanitary conditions prevailing there, to seek the aid of Sir Moses Montefiore in establishing Jewish urban settlement outside the walls of the City.
Montefiore had already received a firman from the Sultan allowing for the reconstruction of a synagogue in the Old City. In the process he took the opportunity of purchasing a tract of land to the west of the city as the site for almshouses, Mishkenot Sha’ananim, for Jerusalem’s Jewish population overflow. In 1859, however, implementation of the project was suspended under orders of the local Ottoman authorities, who were no longer willing to classify it as a business or trade or even to consider it as philanthropy (which would have been permissible). It took a year of considerable effort to persuade Fuad Pasha, the Ottoman Foreign Minister, to grant Sir Moses an ‘exceptional permission’ to proceed with the construction of housing (which without the special permission would have been prohibited) for twenty families. The project was completed and dedicated in 1861. (Friedman, 1977, p. 36)
The continuing growth of the Jewish urban population in Eretz Yisrael put pressure on the community to create a second urban settlement outside Jerusalem’s walls. In 1880, Mea Shearim was established by a building society comprising 100 shareholders, who pooled their resources to acquire a tract of land a little farther away from Mishkenot Sha’ananim. Constructed by both Jewish and non-Jewish workers, 100 apartments were ready for occupancy by October 1880. Development continued, such that, by the turn of the century, the suburb had 300 houses, a flour mill and a bakery.
However, the existing Jewish population could barely sustain itself – let alone expand – being downtrodden, poverty stricken and lacking local resources. Support – financial, human and spiritual – had to come from the European Jewish Diaspora. But even this was not achieved without difficulty.
- Indeed one of the main fears lying in the hearts of the existing Jewish urban settlements was that the haluka on which they relied would be reduced if demands for other purposes were made on Jewish philanthropists in the Diaspora. It was this fear that led a number religious Jews to oppose the settlement in Eretz Yisrael of poverty stricken Jewish migrants fleeing from East-European anti-Semitism.
- It must also be remembered that, in general, the Ottoman authorities were opposed to any settlement in Palestine by persons who claimed foreign consular protection. Even individual Jews who were born in the Empire and inherited property but claimed to be under foreign jurisdiction were told that unless they renounced their consular protection their title deeds would be invalidated.
ii. Early Attempts at Establishing Jewish Agricultural Settlement
During the second half of the nineteenth century, there were also attempts at establishing a Jewish agricultural settlement. In 1859 a Baghdadi Jew, Shaul Yehuda, with the aid of British Consul James Finn, purchased farmland on the outskirts of Jerusalem in Motza, from the nearby Arab village of Colonia, for agricultural and industrial purposes (a tile factory). Unfortunately, legal complications prevented the construction of the settlement for some considerable time, although a travellers’ inn was established at the site in 1871.
While rural settlement close to Jerusalem may have been blocked for the time being, as was earlier noted in Chapter the Jewish messianic impetus to bring about a Jewish return to agricultural work still continued.(see Arie Morgenstern, Dispersion and Longing for Zion 1240-1840 in Azure, 2002, Winter Issue, Shalem Center, Jerusalem, (hereinafter ‘Morgenstern’ http://www.azure.org.il/article.php?id=264 )
Although the Jewish migration to Palestine grew out of the messianic dream, it was an obscure orthodox Sephardi rabbi, Rabbi Judah Alkelai from Belgrade, who began to promote the necessity for establishing Jewish agricultural settlements in Palestine as a prelude to the Redemption. By the 1870’s he succeeded in attracting only a small group of followers to settle together with him in Palestine, before his death in 1878, but his extensive writing stirred others to consider doing likewise.
Contemporaneously, other rabbinical figures in Poland with substantial followings, such as Rabbis Zvi Hirsh Kalischer and Eliyahu Guttmacher, believed that the Jewish people would be redeemed only after they first returned to the land of Israel, worked the land and observed the commandments relating to the land. Instead of waiting passively for the Messiah, redemption could be achieved by natural means – self help. Jews should purchase land in Palestine, establish agricultural settlements and send poor Jews from Europe to be farmers, so as to colonize Palestine without delay.
Only when many pious and learned Jews volunteered to live in Jerusalem, Kalischer explained, would the Creator hearken to their prayers and speed the Day of Redemption. Prayers would not suffice. Kalischer urged the formation of a society of rich Jews to undertake the colonization of Zion; settlement by Jews of all backgrounds on the soil of the Holy Land; the training of young Jews in self-defence; and the establishment of an agricultural school in the Land of Israel where Jews might learn farming and other practical subjects. Far from undermining the study of the Torah (the first five books of the Bible), “the policy we propose will add dignity to the Torah …. ”
(Howard M. Sachar A History of Israel From the Rise of Zionism to Our Time, Alfred A. Knopf, 2nd ed. New York 2003 (Sachar- History ) pp.7-8
To implement their ideas, Guttmacher and Kalischer made appeals to European Jewry to raise money for Jewish settlement in Palestine and participated in a conference in Thorn (Torun, Western Poland) in 1860. This laid the groundwork for the establishment of the Society for the Settlement of the Land of Israel.
However, Jewish religious efforts to return to Eretz Yisrael in significant numbers had to await the occurrence of East European (Rumanian and Russian) Anti-Semitic Violence and the failure of Western European secular ‘Haskala’ (Enlightenment) movements to eliminate Anti-Semitism in order to produce a combined Jewish religious and secular response expressed in practical, cultural and political Zionism.
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Yes, the most decisive Civil War battles were fought by large armies on the sprawling landscapes you read about in your high school history books. But from New England's mountains to Arizona's deserts, memorials and museums remind visitors of a far-flung, secret Civil War.
6 Fascinating Civil War Battles Across the ContinentJuly 1, 2011
Location: Picacho Pass, Arizona
On April 15, 1862, a Union cavalry patrol from California and a local band of Confederate Ranger scouts waged a fierce hour-and-a-half battle at the base of 3,374-foot-high Picacho Peak, the eroded flow of a long-extinct volcano. The Union troops retreated after two soldiers and their commander were killed, but Arizona soon fell to the Union.
What to See: Picacho Peak State Park, about 45 miles north of Tucson, features several scenic trails — the most spectacular one is 2-mile-long Hunter Trail, which leads to the top of Picacho Peak. The park is closed late-May through mid-September.
What's nearby: Nothing — the peak's isolation is part of its haunting charm. But 26 miles away is Casa Grande Ruins National Monument, the vestiges of an ancient desert farming community.
Location: Saint Albans, Vermont
With orders from President Jefferson Davis, 21 Confederate soldiers posing as tourists drifted from Canada into Saint Albans, Vermont, over several days in the fall of 1864. On October 19 they robbed three banks (forcing the tellers to swear allegiance to the Confederacy), then galloped back to Canada with $208,000. The money was to enrich the Confederacy's treasury, but the strategy was to draw Union forces north and aggravate a political rift with Canada. Amazingly, both aims were accomplished.
What to See: An 1861 school building, across the street from Taylor Park, where the raiders gathered for their bank-robbing spree, is now the Saint Albans Historical Museum, open mid-June through early October. There you can enjoy not only exhibits about the Saint Albans Raid but also a diorama of the Lake Champlain basin from Quebec to Fort Ticonderoga.
What's nearby: On the eastern shore of Lake Champlain the Missisquoi National Wildlife Refuge is home to the endangered spiny softshell turtle.
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American Indian & Alaska Native Students Test Scores Not Improving
The National Indian Education Study 2011 indicates that more attention needs to be given to the education of elementary and junior high school American Indian and Alaska Native students.
The reading scores for fourth and eighth grade AI/AN students showed virtually no change from 2005 to 2011. Fourth-grade AI/AN students scored 19 points lower in comparison to non-AI/AN students who participated in the NAEP (Black, Hispanic, White, Asian, Native Hawaiian/Other Pacific Islander, and students of two or more races). In grade eight reading, the gap was 13 points.
For mathematics, grade four AI/AN students’ scores were virtually unchanged from 2005 and 2009, while scores for all other grade four students went up. The gap between the two groups was 16 points, larger than the gap in 2005, when it was 12 points. The grade eight mathematics results were pretty much the same: AI/AN students’ scores were unchanged, while non-Native students scored higher. The gap in scores between the two groups was 19 points, while in 2005 it was 15 points.
Eighth-grade students eligible for the National School Lunch Program (which gives free or reduced-cost school lunches to kids) scored 23 points lower in reading and 20 points lower in math than students who were not eligible. Eligibility for the program is used as a rough indicator of income. Students who qualify for the program generally come from lower-income families than those who do not. In 2011, 72 percent of fourth-grade AI/AN students participating in the reading portion of the NAEP qualified for the school lunch program, compared with 66 percent in 2009 and 65 percent in 2005.
A huge majority of AI/AN students taking the NAEP attend public schools (89 percent at grade four, 92 percent at grade eight). Fifty percent of fourth graders and 44 percent of eighth graders attend high-density schools, those in which there are more than 25 percent AI/AN students. Students attending low-density schools (less than 25 percent AI/AN students) performed best on the NAEP; those in BIE schools performed the worst. A higher percentage of children attending high-density public schools were eligible for the free lunch program (83 percent of fourth graders and 78 percent of eighth graders) than those attending low-density schools (62 percent of fourth graders and 57 percent of eighth
American Indian & Alaskan Native Student dropout rates are among the highest in the nation. There are direct correlations between dropout rates and poverty and yet, as a nation, we choose to ignore these correlations. If we wish to improve our nation’s test scores and graduation rates politicians on the local, state and federal level need to provide additional services, teachers and funding to those schools and students who need the most help. Politically, politicians shy away from providing the greatest assistance to the ones who need the most.
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Definitions for ecbatanaɛkˈbæt n ə
This page provides all possible meanings and translations of the word ecbatana
Ancient city in Iran on the site of modern Hamadan. The capital of Media and subsequently a royal residence of Persian and Parthian kings.
Origin: From Ecbatana, from Ἐκβάτανα.
Ecbatana is supposed to be the capital of Astyages, which was taken by the Persian emperor Cyrus the Great in the sixth year of Nabonidus. Under the Persian kings, Ecbatana, situated at the foot of Mount Alvand, became a summer residence. Later, it became the capital of the Parthian kings, at which time it became their main mint, producing drachm, tetradrachm, and assorted bronze denominations. It is also mentioned in the Hebrew Bible under the name Achmetha. In 330 BC, Ecbatana was the site of the murder of the Macedonian Greek general Parmenion by order of Alexander the Great.
The Nuttall Encyclopedia
the ancient capital of Media, situated near Mount Orontes (now Elvend); was surrounded by seven walls of different colours that increased in elevation towards the central citadel; was a summer residence of the Persian and Parthian kings. The modern town of Hamadan now occupies the site of it.
The numerical value of ecbatana in Chaldean Numerology is: 4
The numerical value of ecbatana in Pythagorean Numerology is: 2
Images & Illustrations of ecbatana
Find a translation for the ecbatana definition in other languages:
Select another language:
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A study of more than 18,000 patients with type 1 diabetes has shown that use of insulin pumps to administer insulin rather than treatment with multiple daily insulin injections results in a 29% reduction in all-cause mortality and 43% reduction in the risk of fatal cardiovascular disease (CVD, i.e. coronary heart disease or stroke). The study is presented at the annual meeting of the European Association for the Study of Diabetes in Vienna, Austria, and was prepared by Dr Soffia Gudbjörnsdottir, University of Gothenburg, Sweden and colleagues.
Insulin pump treatment (CSII or continuous subcutaneous insulin infusion) has been given for more than 30 years, on the basis that it improves blood sugar control and quality of life. However, few studies have examined the effect of CSII on long-term risk for cardiovascular disease (CVD) and mortality. In this nationwide study, patients with type 1 diabetes in the Swedish National Diabetes Register were analysed. A comparison was done between 2441 patients with CSII during the study period and 15,727 patients with multiple daily insulin injections during the study period, followed-up for a mean study period of almost 7 years.
The researchers found that patients with insulin pumps were 29% less likely to die from any cause than those with multiple daily insulin injections, and also 43% less likely to develop fatal CVD, with both results being statistically significant. Specifically looking at fatal or nonfatal coronary heart disease, pump use was associated with an 18% risk reduction (borderline statistical significance). Non-significant risk reductions with pump treatment were seen for fatal/nonfatal CVD combined and for non-CVD mortality.
Unmeasured confounders (such as personality, type of care, how often blood sugar is controlled, diabetes education, use of continuous glucose monitoring (CGM), adherence) could, say the authors, affect the results. However, they carried out a sensitivity analysis that showed that these confounders were unlikely to affect the findings.
The authors conclude: "The conclusion of this large observational study is that pump treatment may be associated with a lower risk of CVD and all-cause mortality than injections."
They add: "This study showed that pump treatment of type 1 diabetes was beneficial with regard to long-term complications. However, it is important to note that the patients treated with pump therapy in this study were selected from the total patients with type 1 diabetes because they were able and willing to manage use of a pump."
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- Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS) Facts
- Digestive Disease Common Misconceptions
- Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS) Quiz
- Patient Comments: SIBO - Symptoms
- Patient Comments: SIBO - Causes
- Find a local Gastroenterologist in your town
Can SIBO be prevented?
Since SIBO is often a secondary illness that occurs because the intestine has in some way been damaged by another disease, it is important to keep chronic diseases properly treated and under control as best as possible.
What is the prognosis for SIBO?
Small intestine bacterial overgrowth is usually associated with another underlying illness. Even with appropriate treatment, the relapse rate is high and often depends upon how well the underlying illness is managed and controlled.
Medically reviewed by A Board Certified Family Practice Physician
Tursi A, Brandimarte G, Giorgetti GM, Elisei W. Assessment of small intestinal bacterial overgrowth in uncomplicated acute diverticulitis of the colon. World J Gastroenterol. 2005;11:2773–2776
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Last year, Albert Hwang debuted the Wiremap, an array of tightly-strung cables that, with a projector, could be used to create visual 3D models. Boiled down, the process relies on some carefully-spaced vertical strings that each align with a single column of projected pixels. At the time, Hwang made the whole thing available under the Creative Commons licence; now he's back with an Instructable, just in case you'd like to make your own Wiremap.
Video demo of the Wiremap in action after the cut
Assuming you already have a computer and a projector, the project can be put together relatively cheaply. It looks to be pretty time-consuming, though, as you need to make sure each of the cables are properly spaced; if not, then the projection will be off.
The number of wires used affects the resolution of the overall Wiremap; 256 seems a sensible thing to aim for on your first attempt, but higher-resolution is certainly possible. According to Hwang, one of the perhaps unforeseen limiting factors is that standard projectors aren't intended to focus in 3D - i.e. across all the distances the wires are strung at - and as such you get some blurring. Tricky to make, but very cool.
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The importance of including multicultural literature in U.S. secondary classrooms has been increasingly recognized in the recent decade. Preparing teachers to instruct culturally and linguistically diverse students is a popular concern in teacher education, and a great quantity and quality of literature can be found centering on the applications of multicultural literature in U.S. schools. Some commonly discussed issues include the enhancement of teachers’ cultural awareness so they can better address that of their students (Athanases; Gove & Benjamin; Lowery & Sabis-Burns; Stallworth, Gibbons, & Fauber; Zygmunt-Fillwalk & Clark), take advantage of the various pedagogical approaches or theoretical backgrounds important to teaching literature from diverse cultures (Appleman; Cai, Multicultural Literature , “Transactional Theory”; Dong; Ernst-Slavit, Moore, & Maloney; Hunt & Hunt; Langer; Rogers & Soter; Simmons & Deluzain), and be familiar with the myriad criteria for selecting quality multicultural literature for classroom use (Gates & Hall Mark; Hinton; Landt; Loh; Louie; How to Choose ). These discussions and debates concerning the role of multicultural literature in the secondary school curriculum have deepened understandings of literature from diverse cultures and the benefits it brings to the education of all students.
However, as literature teachers, English educators, and researchers, we have noticed that integrating multicultural literature in actual classrooms seems easier said than done for many practitioners. Many teachers find it challenging to weave multicultural literature into the curriculum for various reasons, including lack of time, curricular restraints, lack of community support, and lack of interest among students. Without doubt, new perspectives and ideas about the benefits of teaching multicultural literature continue to be of interest to researchers and theorists; however, the question remains: how does the high school teacher “in the trenches” translate these ideas into day-to-day classroom practice?
In this article, our goal is to address the concerns of teachers with whom we have worked who teach in a predominately rural, Midwestern region of the US and who struggle with integrating multicultural young adult literature into their largely homogenous classrooms of White, middle class, American-born students. First, we will describe the concerns of these teachers as they were expressed in various informal interviews with us. Then, we will describe a classroom observation in a very different kind of instructional setting—a high school ESL class containing students from five different countries and at least three different continents—in which a multicultural young adult novel, Yang the Youngest and His Terrible Ear , by Lensey Namioka, is effectively used. We believe analysis of this classroom observation sheds light on the concerns of the teachers with whom we’ve worked, providing possible solutions to the challenges they face when sharing multicultural literature and associated cultures with their students. Finally, we will share additional theoretically and philosophically consistent pedagogical strategies for teaching another multicultural YA text, American Born Chinese , by Gene Luen Yang.
As mentioned earlier, despite the many theoretical and research-based arguments for including multicultural literature in the secondary school curriculum, specifically multicultural young adult literature, carrying out such curricular integration can be a challenge for many teachers. The most widely self-reported and discussed issue is teachers’ lack of knowledge of works from different cultures. Based on their own past schooling experiences, many middle class, White school teachers have a profound knowledge about literature in the European canon (Gove and Benjamin; Hunt & Hunt; Stallworth, Gibbons, and Fauber), but limited experience with literature from other cultures. A large population of these teachers, therefore, either holds on to the belief that only books written from a Western perspective are worthy of study, or they confess to not knowing the criteria for selecting quality multicultural literature.
For teachers who lack such a sense of cultural awareness, Zygmunt-Fillwalk and Clark suggest that people need to understand their own cultural selves before recognizing and understanding the cultures of others. This type of reflection could begin by examining one’s own cultural heritage, values, and beliefs and recognizing them as part of a multifaceted teacher identity, including multiple personal and professional subjectivities. (See Appendix 1 for a checklist for engaging in such reflection.) As for how to select literary works by diverse cultural groups, we have assembled some scholarly advice (Cai, Multicultural Literature ; Landt; Loh; Louis; How to Choose ):
We feel confident that teachers who follow these suggestions will find a rich supply of resources. Notable awards given for quality children’s and young adult multicultural literature are listed in Appendix 2.
In a continuing effort to explore the challenges real teachers face when implementing multicultural YA literature in their classrooms, we interviewed nine middle school and high school teachers in the winter of 2009 about their experiences teaching multicultural literature. We asked them several questions focusing on their teaching context, their preparation to teach, and their experiences teaching multicultural literature, both successful and challenging.
The ethnic identities of the nine teachers were either White or Asian. Their students came from a variety of backgrounds, but they were predominately White and middle or working class. These teachers cited many challenges when teaching or attempting to teach multicultural literature, which we have organized into several thematic categories, such as “lack of cultural knowledge,” “creating relevancy for the text,” and “lack of parental support.” We have summarized the challenges they described in the Figure 1 and included some key quotations from their interviews.
|Teacher||Lack of cultural background||Teachers don’t always have a well-rounded knowledge about a culture.||“I was also afraid I might have conveyed to students information or feelings irrelevant to the culture we were studying.”|
|Create relevancy of the text||Teachers find it challenging to help students see the relevance of the text introduced.||“Since the vast majority of students are White and from middle class families, they find it difficult to identify with characters who do not live similar experiences and/or have similar belief systems.”|
|Parents||Lack of parental support||Parents are not familiar with literature that is not part of the traditional Western canon.||“Often, the parents must be convinced that multicultural literature is valuable, useful, and a necessary aspect of their children’s education.”|
|School||Time/Curriculum||Tight curriculum schedule makes it hard to squeeze in extra materials.||“It is difficult to find multicultural pieces for which I can do justice in a short span of time.”|
|Teach to the standard||School and educational policy restrict teachers’ choice of extra materials.||“I feel very tied to teaching so many standards that I must use a lot of what is in the literature book, and that leaves little time for reading novels and other outside sources.”|
|Censorship||The school board gives restrictions on teachers’ choice of materials.||“Censorship is an issue, though, at the school where I taught. They were very traditional and conservative and would prefer to avoid any controversial texts.”|
The most commonly cited challenges were lack of parental support/understanding, lack of time, creating relevancy for the text within a classroom of students who may not be able to easily “identify” with diverse characters, censorship or the possibility of censorship, lack of personal background knowledge about the culture portrayed in the book, feeling restricted in their teaching by curricular and state standards, and the limiting nature of literature anthologies. Representative comments include the following:
“What I find most challenging when using multicultural literature is working it into our strict curriculum. Since the vast majority of students are White and from middle class families, they find it difficult to identify with characters who do not live similar experiences and/or have similar belief systems” (interview, February 23, 2009).
“I feel very tied to teaching so many standards that I must use a lot of what is in the literature book, and that leaves little time for reading novels and other outside sources. Not to mention all the standardized testing, ISTEP twice this year and a new acuity computer-based program, three times this year. When I do get to read a novel with my class, I have to look at the 6th-grade corporation’s reading list and choose from it. Then, I try to take into consideration what they [students] will relate to” (interview, February 23, 2009).
These teachers clearly experience multiple challenges when thinking about teaching multicultural young adult literature. For the purposes of this article, we will focus primarily on the challenge of building relevancy and interest for multicultural books among students from homogenous, often White, middle class backgrounds.
As we analyzed the interview data, we realized one of the teachers interviewed was quite different from the others. Gloria reported very positive experiences teaching multicultural literature in her 9th- and 10th-grade classroom. She stated,
I’m not sure these were “successful” experiences, but every time I taught multicultural literature in my classroom, my students seemed to be interested. Sometimes we would put stories to dramas/plays and act out. Sometimes we drew pictures about the stories. Sometimes we would watch films of the same titles of the books (interview, February 11, 2009).
One difference between Gloria’s class and the classes of the other eight teachers is that her class was truly multicultural itself: she had students from at least five different countries and three continents. Perhaps this difference alone was enough to increase the students’ interest in multicultural literature. However, students were not always reading literature from their own cultures; they often read literature that depicted experiences quite alien from their own lives, just as the students in the other small, midwestern schools near our university. Nonetheless, Gloria reported great success teaching diverse books to her students.
In our continuing effort to discover novel ways for teachers to approach the teaching of multicultural young adult literature, particularly with resistant adolescents, we decided to observe Gloria teaching a YA novel about an Asian pre-teen. Yang the Youngest and His Terrible Ear tells the story of a young boy, Yingtao, who moves to America with his musically talented family only to discover that he himself does not possess the musical gift. Yingtao’s experiences trying to integrate into a new culture while also trying to fit into his own family are depicted with humor and insight by author Lensey Namioka, who was herself born in China and later emigrated to the U.S. as a child.
To more closely examine the teaching of this multicultural YA book in Gloria’s class, we observed and videotaped a class session in which students discussed Chapter 4 of Namioka’s book. We also read Gloria’s written reflections on the class after it was completed, as well as students’ response journals. The varying sources of information helped us to see how an experienced teacher might successfully integrate multicultural literature into the high school curriculum in ways that make the text relevant for a diverse group of student readers, none of whom share the same cultural identity as the novel’s protagonist.
When teaching this novel, Gloria made a great deal of effort to connect her students’ lives to that of Yingtao, even though many of them had never been anywhere near China (students were from the Philippines, Burma, Mexico, Sudan, Vietnam, Haiti, Thailand, and Guatemala). In a classroom that seemed open, friendly, and nonjudgmental, Gloria engaged students in a discussion of Chapter 4, in which Yingtao visits the home of his new friend Matthew. During this visit, Yingtao struggles with many American expressions and cultural realities, including part-time jobs, being “laid off” from work, what it means to be a “nerd,” and the difficulty with foreign names. Gloria’s class discussed all of these aspects of the chapter while trying to connect them to their own experiences. At one point in the class discussion, a student from Africa asked an important question: “Why do Chinese people have weird names?” Instead of silencing this question and chastising the questioner, Gloria used this as an opportunity to explore language difference: “It is true that anything new to you might seem weird. Wouldn’t it be possible for a Chinese man to think African names are weird and hard to pronounce?” The student agreed that this was a possibility.
Belinda Louie, in “Guiding Principles for Teaching Multicultural Literature,” lists several guiding principles for helping students respond to multicultural literature, including several related to building empathy for others unlike yourself and seeing the world through the perspectives of the characters (439). Gloria seems to build her literature curriculum around this idea of empathy building by consistently asking her students to simultaneously consider the text from both their own perspective and the perspective of the characters. When thinking about why her class might be having such a positive experience with multicultural literature, we began to view her approach to the teaching of literature as a variation on the traditional reader-response-based strategy of asking first for student personal response, then moving to interpretation and analysis. In this case, however, Gloria does not see personal response as the first stop on a linear road to having a literary experience; instead, she perceives it is an ongoing part of the reading process that places the text in the center, as a mediator between the student reader and the culture he/she is reading about. This concept is made visible in Figure 2.
In this model of the reading process, the multicultural young adult text not only mediates between an adolescent’s dual experiences as “adult” and “child,” it also introduces the teen reader to other cultures and peoples (i.e., context) by acting as a focus of conversation and reflective thought. As happened when we observed Gloria’s class, the novel was always the center of the discussion; however, Gloria constantly used the text as a bridge to discussions about other cultures and the students’ own lives. When she could demonstrate connections between the reader and the context through the YA text, she succeeded in building student interest in the novel as well as an understanding of its relevancy to their lives. Selected quotations from the students’ reader-response journals demonstrate such bridge building at work. In these writings, Yingtao’s experiences learning about aspects of American culture—part-time jobs and the importance of sports, for instance—made it possible for students to connect with similar experiences of their own:
Jose writes, “For me, playing soccer is so important. When I have to go to another place to play and when I tell my dad sometimes to get me there, he will say, ‘I have to do something more important,’ and he says playing soccer is not so important.”
Taran writes, “Even if someone offers me a part-time job, I will not take it now. I think the part-time job will be in the shops or restaurants, or haircutting or doing nails, and they will not pay me much money.”
Clearly, these students are making intimate connections between the novel and their own lives.
After such analysis of Gloria’s teaching, we began to wonder if what we learned from her classroom might be applied to other secondary school classes in which students read multicultural YA novels about settings and characters very unlike themselves. Therefore, we took what we learned and imagined how a similar teaching philosophy might look when applied to another popular multicultural YA text, American Born Chinese by Gene Luen Yang.
American Born Chinese differs from other books by and about Chinese Americans. Not only is it a graphic novel, but it is also the first graphic novel to both win the Michael Printz Award (in 2007) and be nominated for the National Book Award (also in 2007). Gene Luen Yang is of Taiwanese origin, although he grew up in the U.S, and he incorporates his personal life experiences as a Chinese American into the plot of American Born Chinese . His struggles with cultural identity, fitting in at school, coming of age, and relationships with the opposite sex will resonate with teenagers from many backgrounds.
Reader-centered teaching is consistent with the goals of constructivist education (Appleman 26). Students are the creators of meaning through their transactions between personal background and the text; these transactions also help to change the power dynamics of the classroom (Rosenblatt 40). With this in mind, we can envision introducing this book in the following ways.
Before having students read the book, give them a book talk. Start a discussion about the genre of the book (a graphic novel) and its cover layouts. Then introduce students to the structure of the book, which contains a juxtaposition of three storylines. Ask about students’ previous knowledge of the Chinese culture, either from their own experience or what they’ve learned from the media. Introducing the main characters that appear on the cover pages can give students a sense of what to expect.
Also depicted on the book’s cover are a melancholy, black-haired boy holding a transformer; a bucked-tooth, slant-eyed, yellow-skinned Chinese man in traditional costume; and an irritated monkey buried under a huge pile of crushed rocks. By introducing them as major characters in the three stories, the teacher can then ask students to predict what might happen to these characters based on the visual clues (facial expressions, their poses, the title, the settings, etc.).
When students are reading the graphic novel, ask them to keep track of the cultural icons depicted throughout the book. This can be used later as the basis for a discussion about the cultural features of the text and the difficulties students might encounter as cultural outsiders reading this piece of literature. In addition, it would be a good way to gauge students’ sensitivity to cultural difference. Later, they could be divided into groups and asked to write on the board the visual and textual cultural icons they found in the novel. After students list all these features, the teacher can intervene to determine if students can distinguish between an icon (positive representation) and a stereotype (negative image). For instance, one of the main characters, Cousin Chin-Kee, is the concoction of all the negative stereotypes associated with Chinese characters. Through the stereotyped Cousin Chin-Kee, we can see how Yang deals with racism and stereotypes in an ironic, and often humorous, way. Quoting his explanation of the creation of this controversial character, Yang ( Gene Luen Yang ) maintains:
There is always the danger, of course, that by making a comic book about Cousin Chin-Kee I’m helping to perpetuate him, that readers—especially younger readers—will take his appearance in American Born Chinese at face value. I think it’s a danger I can live with. In order for us to defeat our enemy, he must first be made visible. Besides, comic book readers are some of the smartest folks I’ve ever met. They’ll figure it out.
In fact, the uneasiness or disturbance students might have while reading about this character can serve as a superb opportunity to discuss such cultural stereotypes ( Yang, n. d. ).
Next, a teacher might utilize Appleman’s Reader-Response Diagram (see Figure 3) as a tool to investigate students’ reflections on the story and the meanings they constructed from reading.
On the “reader” end, students are to consider what personal characteristics, qualities, or elements of their personal histories could be relevant to their reading of this specific graphic novel. For example, “I have (have not) read the Monkey King tale before. I have (have not) eaten Chinese food before. I’ve read stories about Chinese/Chinese Americans in . . . .” Such reflection helps the students to see which parts of their past experiences are contributing to their responses to this novel. Then on the “text” end, they might be asked to discuss the textual/visual aspects of the novel that could affect their reading or response. For instance, “It’s in a comic format. Texts are mostly dialogues. Chinese words are included,” etc. Such characteristics of the literary work also play a part in affecting a reader’s responses to the novel. For the “context,” it would be interesting for students to reflect on where and how they are reading the story. Is it out of school? Is it in school? During any specific emotional condition or experience? Did they read it in one sitting? Finally, as to the “meaning” section, students could record their strongest responses to the novel in writing. After reading all the responses from students, the teacher might lead a more comprehensive class discussion about the impacts of personal experience and textual representations on a reader’s understanding of a particular literary work.
We believe that activities such as these that focus on how texts can reflect and affect the lives of student readers have the potential to help teachers feel more comfortable and confident using multicultural literature in their classrooms.
We hope that this article has given practicing teachers some ideas about how to ameliorate the very real challenges of teaching multicultural literature in the secondary classroom. We have found that using young adult literature to introduce our often homogeneous students to diverse cultures can be quite effective—particularly when coupled with literature pedagogies, such as those above, that place texts at the center of a literary experience connecting the student reader with a world he or she has not experienced firsthand. In this way, reading YA lit can become part of a personal–cultural transformation that can help student readers become more empathetic, thoughtful, and communicative citizens in, as Friedman refers to it, our “flat” globalized world.
We have focused on two wonderful multicultural texts, Yang the Youngest and His Terrible Ear and American Born Chinese . However, we know there are many more examples of multicultural YA texts that a secondary teacher might incorporate into the curriculum, so we have included a few of our favorites in Appendix 3. No matter what book or books teachers choose to use, we encourage them to always see the literary experience as a way to transform the adolescent reader.
Nai-Hua Kuo is a doctoral student in the Department of Curriculum & Instruction at Purdue University in Indiana. Her research interests include children’s and young adult literature, teacher education, and multicultural education. She is currently a graduate assistant for First Opinions, Second Reactions —a Purdue-sponsored e-journal that reviews children’s and young adult literature.
Janet Alsup is associate professor of English Education at Purdue University. Her specialties are teacher education and professional identity development, the teaching of composition and literature in middle and high schools, critical pedagogy, young adult literature, and qualitative and narrative inquiry. Her first book, coauthored with Dr. Jonathan Bush, is titled But Will It Work with Real Students? Scenarios for Teaching Secondary English Language Arts (NCTE, 2003). Her second book, Teacher Identity Discourses: Negotiating Personal and Professional Spaces (Erlbaum/NCTE), was published in 2006 as part of the NCTE/LEA Research Series in Literacy and Composition.
|Americas Award for Children’s and Young Adult Literature||Latin Americans|
|Pura Belpre Award||Latin Americans|
|Tomás Rivera Book Award||Mexican Americans|
|Carter G. Woodson Award||Ethnic Minorities|
|Coretta Scott King Book Award||African Americans|
|Batchelder Award||Outstanding Foreign Language Children’s Books Translated into English|
|Jewish Book Council Children’s Literature Award||Jewish|
|Sydney Taylor Book Award||Jewish|
|Asian Pacific American Award for Literature||Asian/Pacific Americans|
|Amelia Bloomer List||Women in all Ethnic or Social–Economic Backgrounds|
|Great Graphic Novels for Teens||Graphic Novels and Illustrated Nonfiction for Ages 12–18|
|Native Writers Circle of the Americas||Native Americans (not limited to YA literature)|
Appleman, Deborah. Critical Encounters in High School English: Teaching Literary Theory to Adolescents . New York: Teachers College Press, 2000. Print.
Athanases, Steven Z. “Deepening Teacher Knowledge of Multicultural Literature through a University–Schools Partnership. Multicultural Education 13.4 (2006): 17–23.
Cai, Mingshui. Multicultural Literature for Children and Young Adults: Reflections on Critical Issues . Santa Barbara, CA: Greenwood Press, 2002. Print.
Cai, Mingshui. “Transactional Theory and the Study of Multicultural Literature.” Language Arts , 85.3 (2002): 212–220.
Dong, Yu R. Taking a Cultural-Response Approach to Teaching Multicultural Literature. English Journal , 94.3 (2005): 55–60.
Ernst-Slavit, Gisela, Monica Moore, and Carol Maloney. Changing Lives: Teaching English and Literature to ESL Students. Journal of Adolescent & Adult Literacy , 46.2 (2002): 116–128.
Friedman, T.L. The World is Flat: A Brief History of the Twenty-first Century . New York: Farrar, Straus, and Giroux, 2005. Print.
Gates, Pamela S., and Dianne L. Hall Mark. Cultural Journeys: Multicultural Literature for Children and Young Adults . Maryland: Scarecrow Press, 2006. Print.
Gove, M. K., and Benjamin, K. E. “Raising Pre-Service Teachers’ Cultural Antennas: Choosing and Using Quality Multicultural Literature.” Thinking Classroom , 7.2 (2006): 11–19.
Hinton, KaaVonia. “Trial and Error: A Framework for Teaching Multicultural Literature to Aspiring Teachers.” Multicultural Education 13.4 (2006): 51–54.
Hunt, Tiffany, and Bud Hunt. Learning by Teaching Multicultural Literature. English Journal , 94.3 (2005): 76–80.
Landt, Susan. M. Multicultural Literature and Young Adolescents: A Kaleidoscope of Opportunity. Journal of Adolescent & Adult Literacy 49.8 (2006): 690–697.
Langer, Judith A. (1994). A Response-Based Approach to Reading Literature. (ERIC Document Production Series No.ED366946).
Loh, Vu. Quantity and Quality: The Need for Culturally Authentic Trade Books in Asian American Young Adult Literature. The ALAN Review , 34.1 (2006): 36–53.
Louie, Belinda Y. Guiding Principles for Teaching Multicultural Literature. The Reading Teacher 59.5 (2006): 438–448.
Lowery, Ruth M., and Donna L. Sabis-Burns. “From Borders to Bridges: Making Cross-cultural Connections through Multicultural Literature.” Multicultural Education 14.4 (2007): 50–54.
Namioka, Lensey. Yang the Youngest and His Terrible Ear . New York: Yearling, 1994. Print.
Rogers, Theresa, and Anna O. Soter (1997). Reading across Cultures: Teaching Literature in a Diverse Society . New York: Teachers College Press.1997 Print.
Rosenblatt, Louise. Making Meaning with Texts . Portsmouth, NH: Heinemann, 2005. Print.
Simmons, John S., and Edward Deluzain. Teaching Literature in Middle as Secondary Grades . New York: Simon & Schuster, 1992. Print.
Stallworth, B. Joyce, Louel Gibbons, and Leigh Fauber. “‘It’s not on the list’: An Exploration of Teachers’ Perspectives on Using Multicultural Literature.” Journal of Adolescent & Adult Literacy 49.6 (2006): 478–489.
Yang, Gene L. American Born Chinese . New York: First Second, 2006. Print.
Yang, Gene L. Gene Luen Yang . New York: First Second Books, n.d. Retrieved April 28, 2008, from http://www.firstsecondbooks.com/authors/geneYangBlogMain.html
Zygmunt-Fillwalk, Eva, and Patricia Clark. “Becoming Multicultural: Raising Awareness and Supporting Change in Teacher Education.” Childhood Education 83.5 (2007): 288–293.
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Cool things to do to beat the summer heat
By Jobyna Nickum
Senior citizens are more susceptible to the effects of heat, as their bodies return to normal slowly and their cooling mechanism is not as efficient as younger people’s.
Seniors are particularly vulnerable during hot weather to heat exhaustion or worse. Dehydration from the body accelerates during the summer months and some medications whose side effects include loss of fluid and electrolytes from the body can prove dangerous. It has been found that some diuretics, antibodies and other medications can slow down the body’s natural capacity to control body temperature.
Here are some hot-weather tips:
• Seniors should avoid caffeine and alcoholic beverages as much as possible as they accelerate dehydration.
• Drink plenty of water; also the popular sports drinks can replenish needed salts that are lost through sweating.
• Wear light-colored, loose-fitting, cool clothing (preferably cotton) and use head coverings like hats or caps.
•Use sunblock (30+) and avoid direct sun as much as possible by seeking out shaded spots.
• Work the split shift: Work earlier in the day. Work in the shade whenever possible and between the hours of 5 a.m. and 9 a.m. and 5 p.m. and 9 p.m., if the middle of the day is predicted to be hotter than 90 degrees.
Signs of Trouble
Signs of dehydration or heat exhaustion are less pronounced in seniors due to aging, certain medications and chronic conditions. Symptoms of heat stroke will become pretty obvious, but may mimic a heart attack or other coronary event. Watch out for a feeling of being overheated and dizziness. As it progresses, you may notice you are no longer sweating and your skin feels flush. After that, your heart rate will speed up, you may throw up and you will become disoriented. The results can be seizure or, in some cases, death.
Consult your doctor immediately if you or your loved one experiences any of the following symptoms:
1. Development of hot dry skin with inability to sweat;
2. Confusion or disorientation;
4. Fainting or loss of consciousness.
The faster anyone moves, the faster your body gets heated up. Hence, seniors should take it slow in the summer, especially when it is hot.
Out on the town: Visit public buildings with air conditioning during the hottest hours of the day if the heat becomes unbearable. Libraries, shopping malls and movie theaters can all be good places to cool down.
Cool water: Fill buckets or basins and soak your feet. Wet towels and bandanas can have a cooling effect when worn on the shoulders or head. Take cool showers or baths and consider using a spray bottle filled with cold water for refreshing spritzes.
Don’t heat the house: Eat fresh foods that do not require you to use the oven or stove to prepare. Ride the senior van to the Enumclaw Senior Activity Center to eat lunch Monday through Friday.
Remember, pets also suffer when the temperature rises. Cooling animals by giving them a cool bath or shower will help keep their body temperature down. A cool towel on a tile floor to lay on or a cool towel or washcloth laying over the skin next to a fan will also help cool the animal. Make sure they have plenty of water to drink as well. Signs of heat stroke in a pet are: rapid panting, wide eyes, lots of drooling, hot skin, twitching muscles, vomiting and a dazed look. Call your vet if you think your pet has heatstroke.
This information taken from the American Red Cross/Humane Society/www.livestrong.com.
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“To Build a Fire” by Jack London is a short story about a man traveling along the Yukon River in the bitter, winter weather. While warned against traveling alone in the frigid cold, he ventures out to meet his companions at a remote camp many miles away, with only a stray dog by his side. From the beginning, the reader understands that the man is undertaking a task where most would wait for more suitable conditions. The most important remark for this man is from The Old-timer from Sulpher Creek, who warned him about the dangers of the Yukon. His trip begins well enough, yet soon becomes disastrous when he breaks through the ice and “wets himself up to the waist.” He is more angry than worried as he begins to build a fire to dry his wet boots and socks. His arrogance shows when he thinks to himself about how The Old-timer from Sulpher Creek "was rather womanish.” With this arrogant insult against the elderly and the wisdom that they conceal, many may see that this gap between generations is may find that it connects with Ernest Hemingway’s infamous short story “A Clear Well Lighted Place,” where we find another epic fight between generations. As the story goes on the main character faces the icy bath of cold water again and has to make a fire once more. Due to a grave mistake on his part of building the fire under a tree branch overburdened with fresh snow, his fire is doused out when the heat collapses the branch. Many may think that this may be a form of Karma towards our protagonist due to his rude comment about the Old-timer from Sulpher Creek. His extremities are already numb from the cold and he lacks the dexterity to light another fire so begins to run in an effort to get to his companions camp as well as increase his circulation enough to warm up. He fails in both attempts and soon collapses from exhaustion. While lying in the snow, defeated and dying, he comes to understand that the old-timer was right. “You were right, old hoss; you were right,” he says; further realizing how important the old-timer’s advice was.
With the ending of this tragic tail, one may consider this as a forewarning towards the youth of America; a dramatization of the dangers of ignoring the guidance of the elderly not only in nature, but also in the twenty-first century. In hopes that this work of fiction is not created in reality, for those you who have the time to change your moronic, rebellious ways, stop as soon as possible to avoid the same fortune as Jack London’s protagonist.
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In the Pacific there is an island that looks like a big fish sunning itself in the sea. Around it, blue dolphins swim, otters play, and sea elephants and sea birds abound. Once, Indians also lived on the island. And when they left and sailed to the east, one young girl was left behind.
This is the story of Karana, the Indian girl who lived alone for years on the Island of the Blue Dolphins. Year after year, she watched one season pass into another and waited for a ship to take her away. But while she waited, she kept herself alive by building a shelter, making weapons, finding food, and fighting her enemies, the wild dogs. It is not only an unusual adventure of survival, but also a tale of natural beauty and personal discovery.
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Rent Island of the Blue Dolphins 1st edition today, or search our site for other textbooks by Scott O'Dell. Every textbook comes with a 21-day "Any Reason" guarantee. Published by Laurel Leaf.
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I would, and I would point to the fact that that Dr. Kings dream began to be realized when President Lyndon Johnson passed the Civil Rights Act of 1964, when he was able to get through Congress something that President Kennedy was hopeful to do, the president before had not even tried, but it took a president to get it done. That dream became a reality. The power of that dream became real in peoples lives because we had a president who said, We are going to do it, and actually got it accomplished.
Sen. Hillary Clinton made these comments during a Jan. 7 interview on Fox News and, in the process, touched off a debate over whether the New York senator and former first lady was engaging in racial politics in her efforts to turn back rival Sen. Barack Obama before the New Hampshire primary.
While there may have been racial overtones to the comment and to some of the comments offered by Clintons surrogates there is another light in which her statement should be considered.
As John Nichols wrote in January, question is not whether Clinton was disrespecting the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., but whether she understands the synergy that must exist between the grassroots and the nations political leadership that is required for real change to occur.
Quoting Frederick Douglass (Power concedes nothing without a demand, the antislavery icon said in 1857. It never did and it never will.), Nichols reminded readers of his blog on TheNation.com that the relationship between struggle and power is definitional for those who seek consequential change in the body politic. Both are needed to bend the arc of history toward progress.
But the activism must come first.
Clintons comment about King and the media reaction to it reveal, as Barbara Ehrenrich wrote for TheNation.com, a theory of social change thats as elitist as it is inaccurate.
Black civil rights werent won by suited men (or women) sitting at desks, she writes. They were won by a mass movement of millions who marched, sat in at lunch counters, endured jailings and took bullets and beatings for the right to vote and move freely about. Some were students and pastors; many were dirt-poor farmers and urban workers. No one has ever attempted to list all their names.
At each turn in the movement for civil rights in the United States which runs from the days of the abolitionist movement before the Civil War through the founding of the NAACP and the writings of W.E.B. Dubois through Brown v. the Board of Education to the Montgomery Bus Boycott, Kings I Have a Dream speech and the civil rights acts of the mid-1960s it was the activism, the struggle, as Douglass described it, that created the moral imperative to action on the part of government.
And the movement to end slavery and to win voting and civil rights for African-Americans was not the only in which mass action moved the government to act. Decades of suffragist agitation eventually won women the vote. Labor struggles led to changes in law and the growth of unions that, for a time, won workers significant gains that helped level the playing field with management. The antiwar movement in the 60s, now viewed with derision by some, turned public opinion against the Vietnam War, which helped bring it to its end.
The 60s and 70s brought us feminism and gay rights, the 80s the fight against apartheid the list is long. Whats important to remember, however, is that each of these fights created an atmosphere in which the United States government had to act.
And that is the key.
Who we elect as president is damned important as the disaster of the last seven years reminds us. All of the Democratic candidates have their virtues and their flaws (the GOP crowd lacks virtue), but it is clear to me that for any of them to be successful in righting the wrongs that have been done to the nation under George W. Bush and Dick Cheney, they will need some prodding from active antiwar and labor movements, from feminists and civil rights activists, from people fighting to cleanse their neighborhoods of pollution and crime and drugs and the economic conditions that breed these dangers.
Hank Kalet is a poet and managing editor of the South Brunswick Post and The Cranbury Press (N.J.). Email firstname.lastname@example.org. See his blog, Channel Surfing, at www.kaletblog.com.
From The Progressive Populist, February 15, 2008
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Advanced Cell Technologies (ACT) has reported the successful cloning of a human embryo by removing DNA from the skin of a man's leg and inserting it into a cow's egg, which previously had its nucleus removed. The announced cloning took place in November 1998, although ACT may have performed the same experiment years before. Researchers allowed the cloned embryo to develop for 12 days before halting the experiment. Several more clonings have reportedly been done with the goal of harvesting stem cells from embryos. Stem cells are found inside embryos during the first two weeks of their development and have the potential to develop into any kind of cell in the human body. After two weeks stem cells differentiate into more specialized tissues.
Tissues created from stem cells could be used to treat nerve damage, Parkinson's disease, and diabetes. Stem cells could also be used to create organs for transplantation. In addition many other medical benefits are expected. See the essay, "The Benefits of Human Cloning."
ACT's clone may be the first cloned human embryo. There were reports of similar work in South Korea, but it remains unclear as to whether those scientists were successful.
Sources for this page were the BBC's SciTech News, ITN Online, and The New York Times.
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Acoustic Guitar Set Up's
Adjusting Action For Playability & Tone
Action is a term used to describe the way an instrument is adjusted and how well it plays. Action is most commonly thought of as how high the strings are from the frets.
A Basic Guitar Set Up Includes:
A good set up can:
- Increase comfort by decreasing pressure on the players finger tips
- Eliminate or decrease buzzing
- Improve sustain and tone
- Improve intonation
Depending the abilities of the instrument and the needs of the player adjustments can be made to improve the instruments action and increase the comfort of playing. I like to have my customers play for me, even if they're just beginning. The opportunity to communicate and watch someone's playing style is essential to getting it right. The feel that's right for you is as unique as the instrument you play.
Setting Up An Instrument
3/32" = .093 = 2.3mm = .23cm
1/8" = .125 = 3.18mm = .32cm
Let's start with a few measurements...
String Height At 12th Fret
Saddle height directly affects how high the strings sit above the frets. Saddle radius/contour also affects the instruments action as the curvature of the saddle changes the strings height.
Not all instruments play the same with the identical set-up and a player's pick attack and style will certainly contribute to how an instrument is set up. I mention this because it can be the difference between a professional set up, and one "done by the numbers".
Measure Distance Between
Top of 12th Fret and Bottom of String
Place a ruler on top of the 12th fret and measure the distance between the top of the fret and the bottom of the outer E strings.
High action on an acoustic guitar not only affects the intonation, it can make the instrument difficult, if not painful, to play.
String Height At The Nut
String height at the nut should be as low as possible without causing open string buzz. The distance between the string and the 1st fret would nearly always be below .020 (.5 mm). When I am certain of the condition of the frets I set action at the nut as low as possible. String height at the nut can also be affected by the condition of the frets, string gauge and pick attack.
To check string height at the nut, fret each string on the 3rd fret and check the gap between the string and the 1st fret. While some instruments may still play clean if the string is touching the first fret, most will require a gap of a few thousands to avoid buzzing.
Proper Nut Specs
- Outer string positioning to prevent fret edge roll off
- Equal string to string spacing
- Bottom slot angle provides sustain and clarity
- Slots width keeps strings from binding
- Depth to provide lowest action and best intonation.
Correct Neck Relief
Appropriate relief (bow) in the neck gives the strings amble room to vibrate without hitting the frets. Too much relief and a neck feels "mushy" towards the center. Read more about this adjustment on the truss rod page.
An instrument that is not intonated properly will not play in tune when moving up and down the fingerboard. Even after tuning the guitar, players will notice certain notes are sharp or flat. Correcting intonation issues obviously makes a big difference in the way an instrument sounds.
Level and Well Crowned Frets
Frets need to be perfectly level and have a nicely formed crown. Frets of inconsistent height can cause buzzing, also know as fretting out.
Worn or flattened fret crowns can affect intonation and cause buzzing.
Things That Can Raise or Lower String Height
Humidity / Dryness
Moisture causes the woods of an instrument to swell, loss of moisture will cause them to shrink. Most will find that during the summer or times of high humidity the top may swell and lift the strings higher off of the fingerboard making it more difficult to play.
On the other hand, instruments that have been left without proper humidity will often become dry, which can cause the top to drop and create buzzing problems. You may also encounter sharp fret ends that are now exposed due to the shrinking of the fingerboard. During times of low humidity it is essential that you keep your instrument properly humidified. Read more about humidity.
Wear and Grooves
The grooves of the nut and/or bridge saddle will wear as the strings pass over them. As the strings pull to and fro across the nut and saddle they are slowly but surely deepening the groove. Excessive wear in the nut slots may cause the strings to buzz when played open since they are now too close to the frets. Grooves in the saddle can affect intonation and cause strings to break
Tension and Top Bellying
It is particularly common for the action on flat top instruments to raise over time due to the tension placed on the top. The strings continual pull on the bridge and top can create a slight arching which raises the action over time. While a slight arch is quite normal, greater changes in the tops shape may be and indication of structural problems such as loose braces or a warped or cracked bridge plate.
Changing String Gauge
If you change the gauge of strings you are using, be it heavier or lighter, there will be a change in tension on the top and neck of the instrument. When setting up an instrument you must choose what gauge of string you will be using so that the action can be adjusted accordingly. Changing the string gauge will effect your set up.
Loose braces, loose bridges, loose necks, cracks and other structural problems may first become apparent when a player notices a significant change in an instruments action.
Acoustic Guitar Repairs
- Action / Set Up
- Bridge Plate
- Bridge Pins
- Buzzing - Noise
- Care / Maintenance
- Convert Rt. to Lt.
- Fret Replacement
- Fret Types
- Neck Damage / Issues
- Neck Angle
- Neck Resets
- Part Glossary
- Strap Buttons
- String Changing
- String Choices / Effects
- Truss Rod
- Tuning Machines
- Tuning Troubles
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Understanding Negative Numbers
Date: 5/18/96 at 17:8:37 From: Anonymous Subject: negative numbers I don't understand negatives - can you help me?
Date: 7/19/96 at 19:51:25 From: Doctor Jodi Subject: Re: negative numbers Hi there! Did you want information on adding and subtracting or multiplying and dividing? Here's something about addition and subtraction. If you need more help, please write us back. Subtracting a number from a negative number is like starting below zero on a thermometer and removing more heat. Sounds wierd but if the temperature is -13, not only is it cold, but it is BELOW ZERO. If we remove 6 more degrees of heat, it gets colder and the mercury moves down the scale 6 more degrees to -19. Make sense? So subtracting a number is like moving down the thermometer. The other part of your question is trickier. Subtracting a NEGATIVE number is like REMOVING a debt. Let's think in terms of money. If I owe you 5 dollars, it could be written as -5 in my book, to remind me that I must remove 5 dollars from my account. But if you say "Oh forget it. You don't owe me any more," then I need to subtract the debt from my books. It's like saying -(-5), which to ME is like adding the money back into my account. What we say is that subtracting a negative is JUST LIKE adding a positive. So let's get specific. If I SUBTRACT -5 from 12, I can write it as 12-(-5) which is JUST LIKE 12 + 5 which is 17. You might also want to think about how we can show this on a number line. A thermometer is a vertical number line. Discuss this with your teacher and other students. If you want to get back in touch with us, please do so. -Doctor Chaos and Dr. Jodi, The Math Forum Check out our web site! http://mathforum.org/dr.math/
Search the Dr. Math Library:
Ask Dr. MathTM
© 1994-2015 The Math Forum
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The Biology Department's Initiative for Vector and Insect Science, directed by the department's chairman, DeLuca Professor Marc Muskavitch, with assistance from Assoc. Prof. William Petri and Senior Researcher John Roche, studies the developmental and cell biology of the Anopheles mosquito that carries malaria.
Through research on the midgut of the Anopheles, they hope to learn how to disrupt the host-parasite interaction that allows the malarial parasite to reproduce in the mosquito, and spread to humans.
"Mosquitoes are part of the mission of Boston College," said Muskavitch. "Insect-borne diseases of humans tend to be most prevalent in tropical regions and most severely afflict people who are least able to muster the financial and organizational resources to combat those same diseases. Working toward the reduction of such diseases is 'fighting the good fight,' consistent with BC's mission to support scholarship with human impact."
With funds from the University and the DeLuca Chair endowment, Muskavitch is establishing in the Biology Department a gene microarray facility that will allow researchers to study thousands of genes simultaneously on a single microscope slide.
Later this year, the complete genome sequence is expected to be available for Anopheles gambiae, the mosquito that is the primary carrier of malaria to humans in Africa. "With those sequence data, we will be able to synthesize fragments of each gene in the mosquito genome, put those fragments on slides, and begin to study each gene and its possible role in disease transmission," Muskavitch said.
The Insect Initiative has a web site that Muskavitch says offers "one-stop surfing" for those looking to learn about diseases transmitted by insects.
The pages on tsetse flies and malarial mosquitoes are not as incongruous as they may seem to some visitors who don't readily associate tropical bugs with the Heights, he said.
"I hope over time many people will naturally associate with BC this type of information and our research efforts in this area, because these issues are important to global human health and their study fits with the mission of BC," he said.
-Mark Sullivan and John Roche
Return to February 28 menu
Return to Chronicle
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My previous discussion of Tacitus and Josephus concluded with the observation that the execution of Jesus under the Roman prefect Pontius Pilate is one of the most secure things we can know about the peasant from Nazareth with a high degree of probability using modern historical methods. This is because reference to the execution is attested in multiple, independent sources (criterion of multiple, independent attestation), including sources which refer to Jesus only incidentally, as an aside. Historical methods are limited in what they can reveal to us, particularly in the case of ancient history and especially in the case of studying an obscure Galilean villager who lived two thousand years ago (our knowledge of Galilee is quite limited, let alone our knowledge of an individual living there). When historical approaches can reveal something to us, it is only with certain levels of likelihood or probability, not certainty or “truth.” So cases of “high probability” that x or y happened are the best you can get in doing history (in the modern sense).
(Joachim Patenier, The Baptism of Christ [1515; Kunsthistorisches Museum, Vienna])
A second highly probable thing about Jesus accessible through historical methods is his immersion or baptism by John the Baptist. Scholars of early Christianity have developed a set of criteria for establishing the historical “authenticity” of particular activities or sayings attributed to Jesus in our sources, and multiple attestation is an important one. Another is known as the criterion of embarrassment. The principle here is: if a source reports some incident or saying even though the author of that source was hesitant about reporting it and somewhat embarrassed by the incident or saying, that author is not likely to have completely made up that incident or saying. On the other hand, the author in question could have simply omitted it to avoid any difficulty. In other words, when our sources report something in a round about way that reveals some embarrassment, there is a higher likelihood that it actually did happen.
One of the most illustrative cases in which this criterion plays a key role relates to the immersion of Jesus by John the Baptizer. The actual incident of Jesus being baptized in this case is attested in the gospel of Mark and in both Matthew and Luke. However, if one is using the two-source hypothesis, this would entail only one independent source for the incident, since Matthew and Luke are here drawing their material from Mark, the earliest ancient biography of Jesus. The Gospel of John completely omits the baptism itself and the Q-sayings source may or may not have included the actual baptism (Q did have material about John the Baptist and Jesus interacting). The so-called Gospel of the Hebrews and Gospel of the Nazoreans each report the immersion, so they may or may not (depending on their reliance on the synoptic traditions) supply further independent attestation. So the criterion of multiple attestation is not much help here.
This is where evidence of embarrassment comes in handy for the historian. The way that New Testament scholars explain this is that the embarrassment arises from the implications of a superior teacher or mentor in relation to an inferior student or protégé. At the time when the authors of the synoptics were writing (late first century) there were apparently still groups of followers of John the Baptizer (cf. Acts 19:1-7), which might raise the question: why not join a movement devoted to the superior baptizer rather the inferior baptized one. An early follower of Jesus might be concerned to assert that Jesus is superior to John the Baptist, even though Jesus’ baptism by John might imply otherwise.
Each of the gospels deals with this in different ways. The earliest, Mark, presents a saying in which John explicitly identifies his inferiority to Jesus, in terms of not being worthy to even undo Jesus’ sandals, and a dove, interpreted as the Spirit, confirms Jesus special status (Mk 1:7-11). Mathew uses Mark but adds in a further interchange in which John tries to prevent Jesus from being baptized by him, which would imply Jesus’ inferiority, but Jesus gives the green-light in terms of “fulfilling righteousness” (Mt 3:13-15). Luke goes about dealing with the embarrassment in an interesting way. Mark, Luke’s source, has that Jesus was “baptized by John in the Jordan” but Luke takes out John here and changes the phraseology so that there’s an ambiguity about who exactly baptized Jesus: “when Jesus also had been baptized… ” (Lk 3:21-22).
Finally, the Gospel of John (1:29-34) is usually out in left-field in comparison to the synoptic gospels, but the material on John the Baptist and Jesus is one of the very few cross-overs. How does the author of the gospel of John show what scholars call “embarrassment” here? The gospel of John omits the baptism of Jesus altogether but still presents John’s proclamations about the superiority of Jesus (e.g. the “Lamb of God” that takes away the sins of the world) and the descent of the dove indicating Jesus’ special status.
So all of our sources for the relation between John the Baptist and Jesus reveal what could be called an embarrassment at the implications of the baptism itself, one gospel to the point of omitting the immersion altogether. Mark, Matthew, and Luke could have likewise simply omitted this incident to avoid having to explain, but they included it despite their embarrassment. It is highly unlikely that the authors of these sources made up the baptism, and in historical terms it is highly probable that Jesus was actually baptized by John the Baptist. There are important corollaries of this piece of information, particularly relating to the apocalyptic worldview of John the Baptist, but I’ll have to save those for another post.
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Humphrey No. 255: ‘a large fish-hook made of Wood pointed with Mother o’pearl from the Society Isles.’
The U-shaped fish-hook made of brown hardwood has the same form as Oz 206 and Oz 383, but differs in that it has a point made of shell material. As in Oz 383, a support at the upper end secures a binding made of plaited coconut fibres. The point made of shell material was apparently attached as an addition because the wood of the hook was not bent enough naturally, or could not otherwise be bent far enough. Moschner (1955: 188) pointed out that hooks were assembled in the same way in other regions as well, e.g., in Tongareva. In particular, the lashing of the hook for securing the shell point corresponds in every way to that of the wooden hook in the Vienna Collection (No. 44), so much so that there can be no doubt that it originated in the Society Islands.
Bunzendahl (1935: 176) also mentioned similar compound fish-hooks made of wood with mother-of-pearl, tortoiseshell, or bone points found in the Society Islands. They were mainly used to catch sharks, ma’o, and dolphins, mahimahi or mahimahi tari’a.
A specimen made of wood with a shell point similar to the Göttingen object is depicted in Parkinson (1773: 75, 77, PI. 13, No.19). Gundolf Krüger
Bunzendahl, Otto, Tahiti und Europa: Entdeckungsgeschichte der Gesellschaftsinseln, Studien zur Völkerkunde, Leipzig, 1935, vol. 8.
Moschner, Irmgard, ‘Die Wiener Cook-Sammlung, Südsee-Teil’, Archiv für Völkerkunde, Vienna and Stuttgart, 1955, vol. 10, pp. 136-253.
Parkinson, Sydney, A Journal of a Voyage to the South Seas in his Majesty’s Ship, the Endeavour, London, 1773.
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by Staff Writers
Washington DC (SPX) Jan 25, 2016
If you've ever experienced a bad sunburn, you know the damage that ultraviolet (UV) light can cause to living cells (like your skin). Out in space, where the level of radiation from the sun can be even higher, it can damage sensitive electronics aboard in-flight spacecraft.
The dangers of UV light have prompted scientists to search for versatile materials that block UV and can withstand long radiation exposure times without falling apart. Now a group of researchers in China has developed a new method to create transparent, glass-based materials with UV-absorbing power and long lifetimes.
The team demonstrated that the new glass effectively protects living cells and organic dyes, and believe it could also be developed as a transparent shield to protect electronics in space. They describe their results in Optical Materials Express, a journal of The Optical Society.
The researchers used a metal oxide - cerium (IV) oxide (CeO2) - well-known for its ability to absorb UV photons to craft the composite glass-based UV absorber.
Other key features of the final composite material are the optical transparency of the glass and the material's ability to suppress the separation of photo-generated electrons and holes. The later feature slows down a light-induced reaction that would lead to the ultimate breakdown of the material under prolonged exposure to UV radiation.
The method the team developed is based on the self-limited nanocrystallization of glass.
"Self-limited nanocrystallization of glass can be achieved by taking advantage of the rigid environment of the solid-state matrix, rather than the conventional solution and vapor conditions to modulate the ionic migration kinetics," explained Shifeng Zhou, School of Materials Science and Engineering, South China University of Technology, Guangzhou, China. "It allows us to create glass-ceramics embedded with a CeO2:fluorine (F) nanostructure."
The viscous glass matrix involved poses a considerable constraint for oxide (O2-) and F- ion diffusion, so the group gradually etches trifluorocerium (CeF3) by O2- ions within an oxide matrix until F - doped CeO2 is generated in a controllable manner. It's important to note that this technology is also routinely used to prepare other UV absorbers such as zinc oxide (ZnO) and titanium oxide (TiO2).
"This work establishes an effective approach for the functionalization of glass," said Zhou. "And it allowed us to demonstrate the construction of a novel glass-based UV absorber."
The group's innovative approach for fabricating the UV absorber has important implications "for the construction of novel glass materials with new functions via microstructure engineering," he added.
Among the group's key discoveries was finding that the self-limited nanocrystallinization of glass is indeed an effective way to functionalize it. The special glass they created suppresses photocatalytic and catalytic activity, while boasting an extremely high UV-absorbing capacity.
"Our glass shows excellent optical quality, and it can be easily fabricated either in bulk form or as a film," said Zhou. "It effectively protects organic dye and living cells from UV radiation damage."
Potential applications for the group's work include radiation hardening of electronic devices, serving as a biological shield, and preserving cultural artifacts and relics.
"In space, the high-energy radiation environment encountered by electronic equipment aboard spacecraft can be quite damaging," noted Zhou. "Fortunately, in the future, if you add a radiation-blocking coating onto the surface of the package - a transparent glass/polymer material - the device would be well protected, and its service lifetime may be prolonged."
In terms of applications as biological shields and to preserve cultural artifacts and relics, the special glass can "protect cells from UV-induced damage," he added.
Going forward, the group plans to focus their efforts on developing other novel and effective glass-based UV absorbers, using the self-limited nanocrystallization method.
"We'll explore ways for large-scale fabrication of this type of film, which is extremely important for practical applications," said Zhou. "Our group will also further study the functionalization of glass based on its microstructure engineering, because we believe this fundamental research may have great significance for the glass industry."
The Optical Society
Hospital and Medical News at InternDaily.com
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By embracing errors, a new microchip design could power your cellphone for weeks without charging.
Give your computer a break. Does it really have to give you the right answer every single time? Can't it be allowed to screw up once in a while?
Rice University computer science professor Krishna Palem thinks so. He wants to relax the standards of the microchip. "Errors are not bad things if you think about them the way we do," assures Palem, who also directs the Institute for Sustainable Nanoelectronics at Singapore's Nanyang Technological University.
As any SAT-taker knows, getting the exact right answer every time takes a tremendous amount of energy. The same for microchips. When trying to add 8,132,004 to 7,081,974 it's much faster and easier--both for a microchip and a brain--to spit out the rough answer "15 million" than to crunch all the numbers to 15,213,978.
By developing and deploying a new type of logic called probabilistic logic, Palem has invented a computer chip that uses 30 times less electricity while running seven times faster.
Sure, it doesn't always get the answer right, but it is precise enough to be very useful, Palem hopes. It runs on standard silicon CMOS (complementary metal oxide semiconductor) technology and it could boost the life of your cellphone battery by days or even weeks.
"We trade off a small amount of error, get a lot of energy savings and make [the chip] incredibly faster," he says.
Palem's idea came to him first in 2002 after hearing a lecture that the Nobel physicist Richard Feynman had given toward the end of his life. Feynman was pondering what might be the very smallest amount of energy necessary to compute one bit of information.
Feynman was thinking about a bit the way most people would--namely, that the bit would have to deliver the correct answer, a one or a zero. But Palem, aware of another problem facing computing, realized there might be another way to tackle this issue.
As classic computer chips continue to get smaller, it takes a smaller and smaller number of electrons to turn a chip "off" or "on." At some point, possibly in as little as six to eight years, it will be hard for circuits to distinguish between a meaningful electrical signal and the general "noise" of odd electrons bouncing around the atoms that make up chips.
One way to deal with that noise is to employ logic that takes into account the probability of noise getting in the way, so-called probabilistic logic.
"This logic will prove extremely important because basic physics dictates that future transistor-based logic will need probabilistic methods," said Shekhar Borkar, an Intel Fellow and director of Intel's Microprocessor Technology Lab, in a statement about Palem's discovery.
Palem realized that if he could develop and use probabilistic logic, he could build a chip that didn't have to always be right, while still delivering a "right enough" result. This logic, which he calls PCMOS (the "p" for probabilistic), would make for a faster, more efficient chip, and it could also someday be used to help allow chips to continue to get smaller.
Palem explained the concept to his graduate students using a metaphor of a bank balance. If you have $1,000.01 in your bank account, it is much more important for the bank to get that first "one" in the series right, the one that says you have $1,000.
It also important, though a little bit less so, that the bank get the number in the hundreds and the tens columns right. It's even less important that the bank get the individual dollars right, and it hardly matters at all if the bank gets that last number, the penny, right.
This is how Palem's chip crunches data works. It is designed to invest as much energy as needed getting the important numbers right, and much, much less energy getting the pennies right. "Why put in a lot of energy investment, if it's only returning you cents?" Palem reasons.
The logic that now powers chips, Boolean logic, can't handle random failures. So Palem, along with his then doctoral student, Lakshmi Chakrapani, designed a new logic that uses classical Boolean terms like "and" and "or" but allows for some flexibility by incorporating the term "may."
As in, the result may be x or y. From there, the chip finds the traditional Boolean circuit that has the best chance of delivering the right answer.
This kind of logic might have helped Intel back in the 1990s, when it was lambasted by critics for a flaw in its Pentium processor. Executives at the time contended that the chance of an erroneous calculation was one in 9 billion Turns out Intel's real miscalculation, however, was the public outcry over "defective" chips. The company ultimately agreed to take back processors from grumpy customers.
Palem's chip wouldn't be used to calculate something so sacrosanct as money, but audio and video feeds to a small cellphone screen don't need to be nearly as precise as they now are. "Most of the time we over-provide quality," Palem says.
That's partly because, with things like audio and video, there is another computer on the receiving end of the data that can workaround the errors--your brain. "There is that chip, the CPU, in your cellphone and there is the chip in your head," he says.
Palem wants to rely on the brain's ability to make a cohesive picture out of fragments, the way it sees light from a bulb as steady, even though it is flickering on and off 60 times per second.
Palem first published his concept in 2003, and he has been working to develop chips ever since, first modeling the math then building actual chips. Last week Palem presented the results of the tests of his first chip, one that can be used to quickly and efficiently generate random numbers for applications like encryption, at the International Solid-State Circuits Conference in San Francisco.
Palem is nearly finished with the design of a more flexible chip, one that could be used in cellphones or iPods, and hopes to produce prototypes by next year. He is also studying the physiology of vision and hearing to see how much "glitchiness" the brain can handle
"We want to see how much of the chip's load can be offloaded to us," he says.
It's a new world order: To err is digital, to forgive, human.
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Space has getting its close-up this week, with fresh photos of a giant asteroid and planet Mercury raising new mysteries for scientists.
NASA's Dawn spacecraft has captured stunning new images of the asteroid Vesta, one of the largest objects in the main asteroid belt between Mars and Jupiter. The new photos reveal unusually bright spots that may show original material beneath the surface, exposed by collisions as well as darker markings with origins that scientists are yet to understand.
And recent high-res images by NASA's Messenger spacecraft has revealed that our tiniest planet, Mercury, may have a huge iron core wrapped in a solid shell of iron and sulfur. Not only that, polar imagery of the planet has revealed what seems like an impossibility on its 400 degree Celsius surface: water in the form of ice hiding in sun-protected craters.
Water on Mercury and bright spots on giant asteroids? Sounds like it’s already time for NASA to demand an update to the new Angry Birds space game!
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Welding is a way of heating pieces of metal using electricity or a flame so that they melt and stick together. There are many kinds of welding, including arc welding, resistance welding, and gas welding. The most common type is arc welding. Anyone who is near arc welding needs to wear a special helmet or goggles because the arc is so bright. Looking at the arc without visual protection may cause permanent eye damage. It is also important to cover all your skin because it can give you something like a sunburn. Hot sparks from the weld can burn any skin that is showing. One kind of welding that does not use an arc is Oxy-fuel welding (OFW), sometimes called gas welding. OFW uses a flame to heat up the metal. There are other kinds of welding that do not use an arc.
Arc Welding[change | change source]
Any welding process that utilizes an electric arc is known as arc welding. The common forms of arc welding include:
Shielded metal arc welding (SMAW): SMAW is also known as "stick" welding.
Gas metal arc welding (GMAW): GMAW is also known as MIG (metal/inert gas welding).
Arc welding heats metals by making a high-current electric arc between pieces of metal to be joined and an electrode.
Use of the electrode varies based on the type of welding process. In SMAW, GMAW, and related welding processes, the electrode is consumed and becomes part of the weld. The electrode is usually made of the same kind of metal to be welded. Because the electrode is consumed by the welding process, the electrode must constantly be fed into the weld. The SMAW welding process features a "stick" electrode impregnated with a weld promoter known as flux, clamped to the end.
The GMAW welding process features a continuous electrode as a thin wire on a rotating spool. The size of this electrode varies from around 0.635 millimeters to about 4 millimeters. The welding machine has a motor-driven spool inside that feeds the wire electrode into the weld.
The TIG welding (GTAW) process features an electrode that is not consumed by the welding process as the metal that makes up the weld does not have any electricity flowing through it. The electrode is made of Tungsten, so used as it will not melt while immersed in the electrical arc. A filler metal, in the form of a rod, can be used to add metal to the weld area.
Almost all welding uses filler metal to fill in the small gap between the metal. The extra metal helps to make the weld strong. Sometimes welds need to be made without any filler metal. Welding with no filler metal is called autogenous welding.
Shielding in arc welding[change | change source]
All types of welding require that the hot metal have protection. Dirt, rust, grease, and even the oxidation of the metal under the weld process can prevent a proper weld joint. As such all weld processes use one of two protection methods: flux, and shielding gas.
Welding flux may be used in a solid, liquid, or paste form. During welding, the flux will melt and some of it will evaporate. This creates a small pocket of gas around the weld. This pocket of gas prevents oxidation of the metal under weld. Melted flux, through a corrosive reaction, cleans contaminants that prevent a proper weld. After welding, the flux solidifies. This layer of solid flux is called slag, and must be removed from the weld. The SMAW weld process most commonly uses flux, and is most commonly used on steel.
Shielding gas protects the weld by being a pocket of gas around the weld. The purpose of this gas is to keep normal air out, especially oxygen. It is different from flux because there is no liquid on the weld. There is only a gas around the weld. Because there is no liquid, it will not clean up dirt and other things on the metal. This means that the metal has to be clean before it is welded. If it is not, the dirt and other things could cause problems. The gases that are usually used are argon, helium, and a mixture that is 3 parts argon and one part carbon dioxide. Other mixtures of gases can have nitrogen, hydrogen, or even a little bit of oxygen in them. One kind of welding that uses shielding gas is gas metal arc welding. It is usually used in factories to make things.
Welding that uses flux is easier to do outside when it is windy. This is because the liquid flux is protecting the hot metal and it will not blow away. Also, the flux is always making the pocket of gas which keeps the electric arc from going out. Welding that uses shielding gas usually cannot be used outside because the gas would blow away if there were any wind.
Other kinds of welding[change | change source]
Some kinds of welding do not use an electric arc. They might use a flame, electricity without an arc, an energy beam, or physical force. The most common type of welding that does not use an arc is called gas welding. In gas welding, a flammable(meaning it will burn) gas and oxygen are combined and burn at the end of a torch. Gas welding does not need any special shielding because a flame which is adjusted right has no extra oxygen in it. It is still important to make sure the metal is clean. The flame heats up the metal so much that it melts. When both the pieces of metal are melted at the edge, the liquid metal becomes one piece.
The other kind of welding that does not use an arc still uses electricity. It is called resistance welding. With this kind, two pieces of thin metal are pinched together and then electricity is made to go through them. This makes the metal get really hot and melt where it is pinched together. The two pieces melt together at that place. Sometimes this is called spot welding because the welding can only happen at one small place(or spot) at a time.
Forge welding is the first kind of welding that ever was used. Forge welding needs the two pieces of metal to so hot that they almost melt. Then they are beat together with hammers until they are one piece.
The other kinds of welding that do not use an arc are hard to do, and usually new. They are expensive too. Most of these kinds of welding are only done where specially needed. They might use an electron beam, laser, or ultrasonic sound waves.
Energy for welding[change | change source]
Every kind of welding needs to use energy. This energy is usually heat, but sometimes force is used to make a weld. When heat is used, it can be from electricity or from fire.
Power supplies for arc welding[change | change source]
A lot of electricity is used in arc welding. Some kinds of welding use alternating current like the electricity that buildings use. Other kinds use direct current like the electricity in a car or most things with a battery. Almost all kinds of welding use a lower voltage than the electricity that comes from a power plant. Arc welding requires using a special power supply that makes the electricity from the power plant usable for welding. A power supply lowers the voltage and controls the amount of current. The power supply usually has controls on it that allow these things to be changed. For kinds of arc welding that use alternating current, sometimes the power supply can do special things to make the electricity alternate differently. Some power supplies do not plug into a power plug, but instead generate their own electricity. These kind of power supplies have an engine that turns a generator head to make the electricity. The engine might run on gasoline, diesel fuel, or propane.
Energy for other kinds of welding[change | change source]
OFW uses a flame from burning fuel gas and oxygen to heat up the metal. This fuel gas is almost always acetylene. Acetylene is a flammable gas that burns very hot, hotter than any other gas. That is why it is used most of the time. Other gases like propane, natural gas, or other industrial gases can be used too.
Some kinds of welding do not use heat to make the weld. These kinds of welding can get hot, but they do not make the metal melt. Forge welding is an example of this. Friction stir welding is a special kind of welding that does not use heat. It uses a very powerful motor and a special spinning bit to mix the metals together at the edge. This seems odd because metals are a solid. this is why it takes a lot of force to do and is very hard. The energy for this kind of welding is mechanical energy from the spinning bit.
Other websites[change | change source]
|Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Welding|
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In this lesson we will be sequencing the major pentatonic scale in groups of three notes. We will be in the key of A major so we will be using the major pentatonic scale shape that is based off of the 5th fret of the 6th string starting with your second finger. If you don’t know this scale shape yet this is a great opportunity for you to learn it. Just take some time to get familiar with the scale diagram that we have included for you. Scale sequences like this are a great way to develop your phrasing while keeping your hands in shape. We have given you two versions of this scale sequence, an alternate picking version and a legato version. Once you learn this sequence try applying it to all of the other pentatonic scales that you already know.
For the alternate picking version of this sequence start on the lowest note of the scale, the fifth fret of the 6th string, with your 2nd finger and play the first three notes of the scale starting with a downstroke. Now start on the 2nd note of the scale, 7th fret of the 6th string, with your 4th finger and play the next three notes starting with an upstroke. Continue this pattern until you reach the highest note in this scale shape. You will probably notice that every time you start a new sequence of three notes you alternate starting with a down or upstroke. This is because there are an odd number of notes in the sequence. This may feel really strange to your picking hand at first but if you start out slowly you will get used to it. Once you make it to the top note of the scale try working your way back down. If you have any question about the picking just check out the picking indicators at the bottom of each line of TAB.
The legato version of this sequence feels quite different from the alternate picking version. Go back to the first note of the scale with your 2nd finger and pick that note with a downstroke and then hammer on to the 7th fret of the 6th string with your 4th finger. Hop over to the 4th fret of the 5th string with your 1st finger using an upstroke. That is your first group of three notes. Now start on the second note of the scale on the 7th fret of the 6th string with your 4th finger using a downstroke. Hop over to the 4th fret of the 5th string with your 1st finger with an upstroke and then hammer on to the 4th fret of the 5th string with your 2nd finger. That is the second group of three notes. Continue this pattern all of the way up and back down the scale. Notice that even though we are playing with a more legato feel we are still keeping the alternate picking going. Pay particular attention to the picking indicators on this exercise especially when coming back down the scale. Coming back down can feel quite different than going up. Just take your time and try to be aware of what the TAB is telling you.
Have fun with this sequence. Use it in your solos or as part of your weekly exercise routine. There are a lot of great players out there that use this kind of idea in their playing all of the time. Check out the song “Cliffs of Dover” by Eric Johnson to hear what this kind of playing sounds like at light speed.
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|Name: _________________________||Period: ___________________|
This test consists of 5 short answer questions and 1 (of 3) essay topics.
Short Answer Questions
1. What does Allende see at her bedside one morning?
2. Which of the following does Allende not witness in Caracas?
3. What job did Allende take when she returned to Caracas?
4. Which of the following does not exist in Allende's home?
5. What does Willie think Allende is doing every night?
Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:
Essay Topic 1
What do you think are the three main sorrows in Allende's life? Cite examples to support your answers. Explain how Allende grows from these experiences.
Essay Topic 2
What do you think are the three main joys in Allende's life? Cite examples to support your answers. Explain how Allende grows from these experiences.
Essay Topic 3
The relationship of mothers and daughters is of obvious importance to Allende. Briefly describe the relationship between Paula and her mother. What lessons did her mother impart to her that become invaluable in her own relationship with her daughter, Paula? Explain.
This section contains 197 words
(approx. 1 page at 300 words per page)
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Published on May 23rd, 2011 | by ecolocalizer2
Reclaiming Our Heritage: Growing Heirloom Plants and Saving Seed
The popularity of heirloom fruits and vegetables is much deserved; their flavor, variety, and beauty are clearly superior. But there are also other compelling reasons to preserve heirloom edibles, and they have serious implications for our future.
The Evolution of Localized Seed
Over the history of human agriculture, food plants became adapted to specific regions as they were nurtured, propagated, shared, and passed on through generations to preserve their special flavors and unique attributes. No matter where people have been born and raised, they all lovingly recall favorite foods that they dearly miss after moving from their home regions, and whenever possible they brought their food plants with them. At a minimum, this is the definition of heirloom seeds and plants.
Some sources define heirloom plants by the age of the particular cultivar, that is, how long ago the plant type came into existence, ranging from 50 to over 100 years ago. But the most important point is that they must be open pollinated, which means that they can be propagated through their seeds and that they are adaptable to different regions by growing them and selecting the plants that thrive and produce well under local conditions.
This dynamic quality is possible due to the genetic diversity retained by the plant, and this is a critical advantage in creating new adaptable varieties that have disease resistance, tolerance to either heat or cold, or the amount of water necessary for successful cultivation, and so on. They are also known for their unsurpassed range of flavors.
In contrast, hybrid plants, those that have been purposefully crossed under controlled conditions to select for commercially advantageous traits such as color, durability under transport, high production, etc., have lost genetic diversity and are dependent on high fertilizer input, the use of pesticides and herbicides, and the seeds are either sterile or do not breed true. Hybrids began to be used extensively at around 1945, the end of World War II, and during the 1970’s the distribution of hybrid seeds was firmly established by commercial seed companies.
To grow hybrid varieties of vegetables or fruit you must depend on a commercial supplier for the seeds or seedlings, not on seeds saved by your grandparent or neighbor. This industrialization of agriculture has had a profound effect on farmers, and therefore has limited the types of vegetables and fruits available to consumers. The proliferation of farmer’s markets across the nation is an attempt to regain access to wonderful edibles not available in supermarkets, because they are grown on a small scale, and many are grown using organic practices.
Gardeners Help Preserve Our Agricultural Heritage
Organizations such as Seed Savers Exchange are dedicated to actively preserving the legacy of heirloom plants by operating a seed bank and a heritage farm for propagation. Most important, however, is their large grassroots membership of local gardeners and farmers that continue to grow and save seeds of heirloom edible fruits and vegetables:
“The genetic diversity of the world’s food crops is eroding at an unprecedented and accelerating rate. The vegetables and fruits currently being lost are the result of thousands of years of adaptation and selection in diverse ecological niches around the world.
Each variety is genetically unique and has developed resistance to the diseases and pests with which it evolved. Plant breeders use the old varieties to breed resistance into modern crops that are constantly being attacked by rapidly evolving diseases and pests. Without these infusions of genetic diversity, food production is at risk from epidemics and infestations.”
Seed Exchange members are listed in a database and yearbook and offer their seeds to other gardeners for a small fee. There are literally thousands of varieties with interesting stories, and some are known only as “My grandmother’s sweet pepper“.
Members can also join the Member-Grower Evaluation Network (M-GEN) and volunteer to grow plant varieties in order to collect information about how the particular variety grows in their region. M-GEN is in it’s pilot year, and has 41 participants in 24 states, plus Ontario and Belize.Keep up to date with all the hottest urban planning news by subscribing to our (free) newsletter.
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|Some programming languages are more strict than others when it comes to following syntax and coding rules. For example, the HTML scripting language is somewhat forgiving when it comes to programming errors. You can have errors in your source code and your web page will still be viewable in the web browser. However, if you have worked with FlashR and ActionScript at all, you know that it is far less forgiving. Therefore, we need to be far more careful when writing our ActionScript code.|
One of the coding rules that you will encounter many times when writing your ActionScript code is the use of data types. One place where you will need to use data types is when declaring a new variable. In a previous tutorial, you learned the code to create a new variable.
var name_of_variable = value;
var container = 20;
In the above code from the previous tutorial, we have not declared a data type for our new variable. We need to do that. Let's add the data type to the above code now.
var container:Number = 20;
As you can see, we first add a colon to the end of the name we have given to the variable. We decided to name the variable "container". So the colon is placed at the end and the data type is added to the right of the colon. In the example, the value of the variable is 20 and 20 is a number. Therefore, we need to declare the Number data type.
There are two other data types, which are the String and Boolean.
If we had set the initial value of our container variable to the word "David", then the data type would have been set to String because "David" is a text string of letters. We would also have needed to place quotation marks around the text string. String data is the only type of data that requires you to enclose the data between quotation marks.
The third data type is Boolean. You would use the Boolean data type whenever the value of the variable is true or false. One good example of this is a conditional statement. We could write a conditional statement that tests if a value is greater than 10. If the value is 11, the Boolean will be true. Otherwise, it will be false.
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Many of us, although we may hate to admit it, occasionally experience forgetfulness, fuzzy thinking, mental fatigue and other signs that our brain is aging. But what, if anything, can be done to maintain mental sharpness?
To find out, I contacted Michael Walker, PhD, a consulting professor at Stanford’s Center for Biomedical Informatics Research. This summer, Walker is teaching a Stanford Continuing Studies course exploring how genetics and lifestyle choices influence cognitive decline and methods for slowing or reversing the process.
In the following Q&A, Walker offers a preview of some of the topics covered in the course, which begins June 22.
What are some of the main reasons our cognitive function declines with age, and how much of it can be prevented?
Genetics plays a role. In the course, I talk about the genetic variants that increase the risk of rapid decline and drugs that are being tested to combat the genes. However, much of the decline is caused by choices we make about food, exercise, supplements, stress and other factors. There is a great deal we can do to prevent or slow cognitive decline.
At the molecular level, we understand many of the factors that cause cognitive decline. These factors include fats that damage or save neurons, damage from free-radicals, loss of nerve synapses due to lack of stimulation, the role of nerve growth factors in maintaining neurons and what things we do that keep up levels of the nerve growth factors. The molecular data show how our choices cause much of the decline.
Previously on Scope, we’ve highlighted research about how meditation may shape the brain. From your experience, how can meditation influence how quickly our brain ages?
The role of meditation is indirect, primarily through stress reduction. A small amount of stress, say from exercise or a novel situation, can be stimulating and good for your brain. Too much stress can be very bad for your brain. Staying in a constant, stress-induced state of “red alert” does all sorts of damage to our bodies. It also does damage to our brains primarily through the stress hormone cortisol. In the short-term, a small dose of cortisol improves our memory by increasing levels of the neurotransmitter glutamate. Glutamate activates neurons in our hippocampus, a key memory-forming region of the brain. But in the long-term, high levels of glutamate kill neurons. It overexcites them and burns them out. Excess glutamate is also responsible for brain damage from stroke. Robert Sapolsky, PhD, my colleague at Stanford, wrote “Why Zebras Don’t Get Ulcers“, an outstanding book on stress and stress-related diseases. Sapolsky’s experiments have shown that high levels of corticoids damage the hippocampus. Alzheimer’s disease often first appears as damage to the hippocampus. Alzheimer’s may occur sooner or be made worse by a life of stress.
Another topic that’s been discussed on Scope is the link between physical activity and cognitive function. Can you provide additional insight into how exercise can affect the aging brain?
Your brain recognizes physical activity as a stimulus for your entire brain not just the part required to control movement. When our ancestors were physically active walking around the plains of Africa, they had to use their cognitive skills to predict and recognize danger, to remember or learn where the lions hid, where the best berries can be found, what route is best to get from your find back to camp and so forth. So physical activity tells your brain to get active too.
Exercise protects your aging brain in many ways including producing nerve growth factors (neurotrophins) like nerve growth factor (NGF) and brain derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF). Exercise, NGF and BDNF all increase neuron survival and neurogenesis in the hippocampus. Even going for a walk induces these changes. So when you feel stressed do some physical activity and save your brain.
The stress response evolved to support intense physical activity: fight or flight. It makes sense that a good way to relieve stress is intense physical activity: beat up a pillow, hit a punching bag or go for a run. This is what the stress response is intended to do. So why not do it?
Previous studies have shown that eating berries can boost brain health. How can certain foods slow the brain’s natural aging process?
Three major food choices affect our brain function. The first is total caloric intake, which dramatically affects both lifespan and cognitive decline. In animal studies, for every 2 percent reduction in total calories, we see about a 1 percent to 2 percent extension of lifespan. So reducing calories by 20 percent gives about a 10 percent to 20 percent extension in lifespan. There is a limit: 100 percent reduction doesn’t work. Up to 50 percent calorie reduction appears to extend lifespan. In the island of Okinawa in Japan, more people live to over 100 years of age than anywhere else in the world. Their rates of stroke, cancer, dementia and other age-associated diseases are among the lowest in the world. Why? While many factors may contribute, caloric restriction appears to be one of the most important. In the course, we’ll look at effective ways to reduce caloric intake.
The second is the type of fat we eat. The type and amount of fat you eat determines:
- The number of dendrites and synapses in your neurons
- The type and amount of neurotransmitters your neurons produce
- Your ability to learn
- Your mood
- Your risk of stroke, Alzheimer’s disease and Parkinson’s disease
Good fats (polyunsaturated fats such as omega-3 fatty acids) are major components of our neural synapses and the mitochondria that produce the energy our neurons need. Insufficient omega-3 can contribute to loss of cognitive abilities as well as to early death from heart disease. Saturated fats and hydrogenated fats are bad for your brain.
Carol Greenwood, PhD, at the University of Toronto has studied the effects of fat on the brain. In one set of experiments, Dr. Greenwood fed rats diets containing up to 10 percent saturated fat and tested their learning ability. The result: The rats’ ability to learn fell directly with the amount of saturated fat in the diet. For rats on a diet of 10 percent saturated fat, their learning ability was near zero. The average saturated fat in Americans diets? About 11 percent.
The third food choices with major effects on our brain function are the antioxidants. This is where berries come in. Many studies in animals show that high levels of anti-oxidants can greatly extend lifespan and maintain cognitive function. However, for humans, achieving these benefits probably requires more antioxidants that we get from food sources. In the course, we’ll talk about which supplementary sources are effective.
Your course examines potential future treatments to slow or reverse brain aging. What areas of research are showing promising results and how far out are these types of treatments?
Some new treatments are in clinical trials now such as drugs to improve memory or slow cognitive decline and a new treatment for stroke that pumps laser energy into the mitochondria to save neurons. We’ll take a closer look at those in the course.
Much of the research on anti-aging applies directly to slowing brain aging. Understanding the mechanisms by which caloric restriction and antioxidant therapy slow aging is giving us new potential targets for treatment and prevention, and identifying the most effective interventions.
Our greatly increased understanding of the genetics of aging and cognitive decline gives us many new targets for treatments to slow or reverse these effects.
Further out in time are stem cell treatments for diseases such as Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s. But stem cell clinical trials in humans to treat nerve damage in spinal cord injuries are now under way. Clinical trials using nerve growth factors to treat Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s are also ongoing. We are making amazing progress in understanding aging and cognition and what we can do to slow or prevent it.
Previously: Researchers working to improve Alzheimer’s detection, Mental illness becoming more common in the elderly, warn researchers, The long good-bye: Stanford expert discusses Alzheimer’s in new podcast and Alzheimer’s disease costs to soar over next 40 years
Photo by Wellcome Trust
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Nonerosive, Immune-Mediated Polyarthritis in Dogs
Nonerosive immune-mediated polyarthritis is an immune-mediated inflammatory disease of the diarthroidal joints (movable joints: shoulder, knee, etc.), which occurs in multiple joints, and in which the cartilage of the joint (articular cartilage) is not eroded away. A type III hypersensitivity reaction, which causes antibodies to be bound to an antigen, in this case joint tissue, causes this condition.
These antibody-antigen complexes are called immune complexes, and they are deposited within the synovial membrane (where the fluid that lubricates the joints is held). There, the immune complexes trigger an abnormal immune response to the joint cartilage. What this means is that, in effect, the body is fighting against itself. This leads to an inflammatory response, and complement protein activation by the tissue surrounding the cartilage, in response to the immunity displaying cells, leading to the clinical signs of arthritis.
- Stiffness in legs
- Decreased range of motion
- Cracking of the joints
- Joint swelling and pain in one or more joints
- Joint instability, subluxation (partial dislocation) and luxation (complete dislocation)
- Often cyclic, comes and goes
- Systemic lupus erythematosus: a noninfectious disease in which nuclear material from various cells becoming antigenic; autoantibodies (antinuclear antibodies) are formed to attack the body’s own joints
- Idiopathic polyarthritis: of unknown origin
- Polyarthritis associated with chronic disease: chronic infectious, neoplastic (uncontrolled growth of tissue), or enteropathic disease (intestinal disease)
- Polyarthritis-polymyositis syndrome: combination of arthritis in multiple joints, with weakness, pain, and swelling of the muscles
- Polymyositis syndrome: weakness, pain, and swelling of the muscles in the neck and legs
- Polyarthritis-meningitis syndrome: combination of arthritis in multiple joints with inflammation of the brain, with fever, pain, and stiff muscles
- Polyarthritis nodosa: arthritis in multiple joints with small nodular swellings
- Familial renal amyloidosis in Chinese shar-pei dogs: genetically predisposed condition causing deposits of hard, waxy protein fiber in the kidneys or surrounding area
- Juvenile-onset polyarthritis of Akita breed dog
- Lymphocytic-plasmacytic synovitis: swelling of the synovial membrane of the joint (where the lubrication for the joint is produced) as the result of antibody attack on the tissue
- Idiopathic (unknown)
- Immunologic mechanism likely: abnormal immune response to the system
- May occur secondary to a hypersensitivity reaction to sulfas, cephalosporins, lincomycin, erythromycin, and penicillins, involving the deposition of drug antibody complexes in the blood vessels of the synovium (lining of the joint)
- Chronic cases:
- Antigenic stimulation along with concurrent meningitis (brain swelling)
- Gastrointestinal disease
- Periodontitis: infection of the tissues that support the teeth
- Neoplasia: uncontrolled growth of tissue
- Urinary tract infection
- Bacterial endocarditis: bacterial infection of the heart lining
- Heartworm disease
- Pyometra: infection and accumulation of pus in the uterus
- Chronic otitis media (infection of the middle ear) or external fungal infections
- Chronic Actinomyces or Salmonella infections: bacterial infections, with fever, abscesses
You will need to give your veterinarian a thorough history of your dog's health leading up to the onset of symptoms. Your veterinarian will perform a thorough physical exam on your dog, taking note of signs of pain, decreased range of motion, and any lameness. A complete blood profile will be conducted, including a chemical blood profile, a complete blood count, a urinalysis, and an electrolyte panel. In dogs suspected to have lupus erythematosus, a lupus erythematosus preparation or an antinuclear antibody test can be performed. Joint fluid aspirate will be taken for lab analysis, and submitted for bacterial culture and sensitivity. A biopsy (tissue sample) of synovial tissue will also help to make a definitive diagnosis.
X-ray images can also be used as a diagnostic tool. If a nonerosive, immune-mediated polyarthritis condition is present, it will be visible on the radiograph image.
Physical therapy, including range-of-motion exercises, massage and swimming can help treat severe disease. For dogs that have a lot of difficulty walking, bandages and/or splints may be put around the joint to prevent it from further degrading. Weight loss will also help to decrease pressure on the joints if your dog is overweight. If your dog is on antibiotics your veterinarian will attempt to rule out a reaction to the antibiotics.
Surgery is only recommended to remove infection if your dog has a concurrent infection when diagnosed with the nonerosive polyarthritis.
Living and Management
Your veterinarian will schedule frequent follow-up appointments with your dog, but if its condition worsens, contact your veterinarian immediately. Remission is usually achieved in 2-16 weeks, but the recurrence rate jumps to 30-50 percent when therapy is discontinued.
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Ebola, which is often fatal, is caused by infection with a virus. The virus was first recognized in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (formerly Zaire) in 1976. No case of this illness in humans has ever been reported in the United States. There is no cure; treatment usually consists of providing supportive care while the body fights the infection.
Ebola hemorrhagic fever (also just called Ebola) is a highly contagious illness that is often fatal in humans and nonhuman primates (monkeys, gorillas, and chimpanzees). It has appeared sporadically since it was first recognized in 1976.
The cause of Ebola is an infection with a virus (see Ebola Pictures). The virus got its name from a river in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (formerly Zaire) in Africa, where it was first recognized.
The virus is one of two members of a family of RNA viruses called Filoviridae. There are four identified subtypes. Three of the four have caused disease in humans:
- Ebola-Ivory Coast.
The fourth virus subtype, Ebola-Reston, has caused disease in nonhuman primates, but not in humans.
(Click Causes of Ebola for more information.)
Ebola outbreaks typically appear sporadically. Confirmed cases of Ebola virus infections have been reported in:
- The Democratic Republic of the Congo
- The Ivory Coast
No case of Ebola in humans has ever been reported in the United States. Ebola-Reston virus caused severe illness and death in monkeys imported to research facilities in the United States and Italy from the Philippines; during these outbreaks, several research workers became infected with the virus, but did not become ill.
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From Center for Biological Diversity, November, 2011
The new designation means the government must prevent destruction of the abalone's protected habitat.
On the outside, it's dark-colored and dull. On the inside, it gleams pink and green and iridescent. It's the black abalone, one of the rarest shellfish in the world -- and it now has a chance to become less rare.
As the result of a March 2010 lawsuit by the Center for Biological Diversity, the National Marine Fisheries Service set aside nearly 90,000 acres of federally protected "critical habitat" for the black abalone, once decimated by overfishing and today threatened by global warming and other dangers. The new designation means the government must prevent destruction of the abalone's protected habitat.
"Numerous threats besiege our coasts -- ocean warming, acidification, pollution -- and have pushed black abalone to the brink of extinction," said Center attorney Catherine Kilduff. "Today's decision will help them and help California's coastal ecosystems at the same time."
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Children will have fun with sun!
- Grades: PreK–K, 1–2
- clear contact paper
- transparent and shiny collage material including tissue paper, aluminum foil, foil paper, and a variety of sequin shapes
- trays or containers for the collage materials
- masking tape
- fine motor
In Advance: Cut tissue paper and foil into small shapes.
Set out the suggested art materials in containers. Invite a few children to the art area, and suggest they look at the different materials they can use. Talk about how some materials are shiny and invite them to move the foil or sequins in the light.
Next, invite children to look through the tissue paper to see how it is transparent. Ask them to layer two or three colors of tissue paper so they can see how the colors change.
Provide each child with a sheet of clear contact paper. Tape the corners to the table with the adhesive side facing up. Invite them to make a collage using the various materials.
When they are finished, cover the collage with another sheet of contact paper. Bring children together to share their work. Discuss how the different materials reflect light and how the tissue paper changes colors in their collages.
Tape their collages onto the windows. Make time for children to notice how the sunlight and the indoor lighting affects their collages.
Remember: Some children may have trouble describing what they see. Assist them in learning descriptive words so that they can express their thoughts.
My Reflection. Ask families to assist their child in finding reflective things in their homes. Request that they make a list of the different objects. Bring children together to share their lists.
Curriculum Connection: Movement
Dancing Flashlights. Ask families for donations of small flashlights (with batteries). Turn off the lights, play music, and invite children to dance with the flashlights. Find a recording of "This Little Light of Mine" or teach children to sing the song while dancing.
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There will undoubtedly be, after the Falkland events are over, a lingering debate on whether the United States may have encouraged the Argentine invasion.
There is little evidence that the US knew in advance of Argentine preparations and intentions. It is highly unlikely that any responsible US official would have encouraged the precipitation of such a crisis.
The question of whether the US, knowing Argentina's intentions, encouraged the action is not the issue. The issue is whether the new stance of the Reagan administration toward Argentina encouraged the leaders of that country to believe that the US would not only stand aside, but would discourage the British from reacting. The answer to this question will be much more difficult to find, locked as it is in the minds of those who conceived and launched the invasion.
A look at the circumstances surrounding recent US-Argentine relations may not provide a definitive answer, but it can suggest the risks involved in moving closer to a regime such as that in Buenos Aires.
Throughout Latin America there exists an undercurrent of mixed suspicion and expectation toward the US. Even in the democracies it is hard to shake the assumption that the US retains and exercises the power to control events in Latin America.
This belief is even more pronounced in an authoritarian regime like Argentina. As proud and as distant as that nation is, its rulers, particularly its military rulers, have long sought the approbation of the US for Argentine actions.
It has been a matter of special frustration and bitterness on the part of the current military regime that the US has not accepted the premise that the internal excesses against the population, the disappearances, the torture, the confinement without trial, were a necessary part of a ''civil war'' against the communists.
In the relatively simple way the Argentine leadership looks at the world, the US is seen as the primary opponent of communism and a natural supporter of Argentina's internal struggle. They have not previously been able to understand why, when they see their own internal opposition in terms of the global struggle against the communists, Washington has not been fully sympathetic to both objectives and methods.
During the Carter administration, the Argentine regime felt alienated by the US, but the leadership continued to hope that other political elements in the US would ultimately see things differently and turn the relationship around. Representatives of Argentina made special efforts to cultivate those unsympathetic to the Carter policies.
The US election campaign was, to them, marked by clear indications in the rhetoric and in some of those who were prominent in the campaign that, if Ronald Reagan won, there would be a change in policy. That change in policy was not long in coming.
It was marked by a visit to Washington of the President of Argentina. It was followed by trips to Argentina by prominent US officials and by signals that Argentine help was desired in the broader Latin American battle against communism.
It is not hard to imagine that the Argentine leadership, having at last achieved US recognition of their cause, would assume that the US might be prepared to tolerate the pursuit of other Argentine national objectives as well. The disappointment that this did not happen is obviously very deep.
The US clearly cannot be held responsible for the actions of another, very different government. But the issue is that of the risk to the US's broader interests of building cooperative relationships with leaders who take an unreal view of the world and of its own objectives and policies.
In such a case, it is not US actions, but the way they are interpreted. When a regime seeks US approbation for questionable policies, Washington should be cautious. The probability is always present that it will assume, however incorrectly, that the US will also be tolerant of questionable policies.
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Lebanese don’t usually need an excuse to party but they might need an incentive to recycle. Albeit one of the only countries at the COP18 climate change negotiations to commit to reducing their greenhouse gas emissions, Lebanon has a shoddy recycling record – mostly because it lacks the necessary infrastructure.
Which is why the NGO Food Enthusiasts Recycling Nutrients (FERN) is taking matters into their own hands. On the first Thursday of every month the group hosts an awareness and fundraising event at Tawlet – a restaurant in the Mar Mikhael neighborhood to promote the speedier uptake of both organic and non-organic recycling.
FERN teaches restaurants and hotels around Lebanon how to separate recyclable and non-recyclable waste, a process that is not well understood. Knowing which materials can be recycled and which can’t can be a nebulous process – even for the most experienced recycler.
Once processed, FERN collects the recyclables twice a day.
Eventually they will also collect organic waste for composting, which will be transformed into organic fertilizer. But they won’t do that until they are certain that the scraps have not been contaminated.
The organization teamed up with Tawlet in order to generate awareness about recycling and to raise funds. $25 gets participants a barbecue dinner with beer and wine aplenty. The beer is provided by the 961 microbrewery and the wine by Ixsir winery.
Roughly 63% of Lebanon’s organic waste piles up in landfills, where it generates heat-trapping methane into the atmosphere, Daily Star reports.
Glass, metals and plastic are rarely recycled, laying waste a perfectly good resource that can be re-used in a number of applications.
But sorting the waste prior to collection cuts costs, which is why FERN is devoting so much energy to training new partners.
The group has also reached out to various schools throughout the country to further reinforce the mandate to recycle.
“Schools are an essential intervention for recycling,” president and co-founder of FERN Meredith Danberg-Ficarelli told Daily Star.
“It’s hard to quantify the potential environmental and economic benefits of instilling knowledge of the importance of waste as a collection of valuable organic and recyclable materials, rather than thinking of ‘garbage’ as a burden to individuals and municipalities.”
:: Daily Star
Image of waste training via FERN Facebook Page
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July 23, 2013
New Record Set By Team From University of Leicester For Cosmic X-ray Sightings
Exploring the extreme Universe with a rich new resource
- Three years' research led by University of Leicester Department of Physics and Astronomy
- Team produces new catalogue with 531,261 detections of X-ray emitting objects - a new record
- 372,728 unique X-ray sources identified
- The total area covered on the sky by the combined observation fields is -1400 square degrees
The XMM-Newton Survey Science Centre, led by a team from the University of Leicester's Department of Physics and Astronomy, used the University's 'ALICE' supercomputer to help them produce a new X-ray catalogue, dubbed "3XMM".
This new catalogue contains over half a million X-ray source detections, representing a 50% increase over previous catalogues and is the largest catalogue of X-ray sources ever produced. This vast inventory is also home to some of the rarest and most extreme phenomena in the Universe, such as tidal disruption events - when a black hole swallows another star, producing prodigious outbursts of X-ray emission.
Professor Mike Watson of the University of Leicester, who leads the XMM-Newton Survey Science Centre, said: "The catalogue contains more than half a million sources, all of which are provided to a better quality than ever before.
"Using the University's 2.2m EUR High Performance Computer meant we could process the data up to a hundred times faster than before. This was key for testing and implementing advanced new processing strategies."
"The catalogue provides enormous scope for new discoveries as well as in-depth studies of large samples. XMM-Newton is pre-eminent amongst current X-ray missions in its ability to perform 'survey' science, with a chance to find previously undetected objects and then explore their properties."
The catalogue provides an exceptional dataset for generating large, well-defined samples of objects such as active galactic nuclei, clusters of galaxies, interacting compact binaries, and active stellar coronae.
The XMM-Newton Survey Science Centre is one of the teams behind the European Space Agency's (ESA) X-ray Multi-Mirror Mission (XMM-Newton). Since Earth's atmosphere blocks out all X-rays, only a telescope in space can detect and study celestial X-ray sources. The XMM-Newton mission is helping scientists to solve a number of cosmic mysteries, ranging from the enigmatic black holes to the origins of the Universe itself.
The sources in the 3XMM catalogue are identified and isolated from serendipitous data recorded by XMM-Newton's EPIC X-ray cameras, built by a team also led by the University. In each of the 600-700 observations made each year, around 70 extra sources are captured in addition to the target object which usually only takes up a small fraction of the field of view. Covering observations between February 2000 and December 2012, the catalogue contains some 531 261 X-ray source detections relating to 372 728 unique X-ray sources.
Professor Watson, who is Head of X-ray and Observational Astronomy in the Department of Physics and Astronomy, adds: "The third XMM-Newton Serendipitous Source Catalogue shows how much added value can be gained from the observations. I'd like to pay tribute to the efforts of the whole team which were crucial to completing this major undertaking.
"3XMM is the largest catalogue of X-ray sources ever produced. As such it offers an unparalleled resource for exploring cosmic X-ray populations, in particular in studying Active Galactic Nuclei (AGN) - those galaxies such as quasars which harbour a super-massive black hole at their centres. Such active galaxies dominate the detections in the 3XMM catalogue, meaning that 3XMM is the key to unlocking a storehouse of several hundred thousand AGN."
On The Net:
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Although U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton says economic sanctions against Burma will not be lifted until certain policies of the Burmese government change, there is debate among analysts over the effect of Washington’s trade restrictions and the role they play in promoting political reform.
The United States has gradually tightened trade restrictions on Burma for more than two decades to promote reform and punish the country's military leaders for their human rights violations - abuses, activists say, that continue unabated.
But with pro-democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi agreeing to reenter politics, and Burma's new government taking steps to reform, what role should economic sanctions continue to play?
U.S. firms stay out
Maung Zarni, a Burmese researcher at The London School of Economics and Political Science, said one thing sanctions have done is to keep U.S. companies from becoming important players in Burma's economy.
"The Chinese, the South Koreans, even Japan and the Indians have stepped into the place that has been vacated by U.S. investors. Economically, sanctions, per se, do not have much of an impact on the behavior of the Burmese generals," said Zarni.
After nearly five decades of military rule, Burma is one of the region's poorest economies. The country is rich in natural resources, though, which are needed by neighboring China and other countries in the region.
Carlyle Thayer, an Asia analyst at The University of New South Wales in Canberra, Australia, said, "Sanctions really don't work, unless everybody cooperates; there are ways of evading it. And that country has a long track record of self-imposed isolation from the outside world and leaders who had a world view that won't be changed by what Washington would like them to do."
As Western countries tried to isolate Burma, the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, or ASEAN, took a different route, engaging Burma's military leaders and allowing the country to become a member in 1997.
Last month, ASEAN approved a decision to allow Burma to become its chair in 2014, after a flurry of reforms by the country's government that is now led by a retired general, President Thein Sein.
In recent months, the government has relaxed media controls, passed laws that allow for labor unions and the right to protest, released more than 200 political prisoners and held direct talks with Suu Kyi.
Analyst Thayer said that unlike Western sanctions, Burma's participation in ASEAN helps accelerate reforms.
"When ASEAN holds its ASEAN related summits twice a year, there's a gathering momentum for things to take place around that time," said Thayer.
Earlier this year, the European Union broke ranks with the United States, approving the temporary removal of some sanctions against Burma. The move was the first reversal of punitive measures put in place by Western governments.
President Barack Obama calls Burma's recent reforms "flickers of progress," but there is no sign that Washington will end sanctions soon. The Obama administration says it wants to see more political and economic reforms.
Counterbalancing Chinese influence
Zarni said that although he advocated the lifting of sanctions in the past because of their effect on the Burmese people, the situation has changed now that Burma is seeking more engagement with Washington.
"Without the sanctions in place, the regime would not have even made whatever gestures or superficial gestures that they have made to date, much less bring Aung San Suu Kyi onboard," said Zarni.
Analysts add that the flood of small- and medium-sized Chinese businesses into northern Burma, and a wide array of investment projects from China, are another reason why Burma's wants more engagement with Washington and why sanctions still can help promote reforms.
"The Burmese regime wants to basically counterbalance China's growing power and influence in the country. I think that's where the sanctions and the role of the United States all of a sudden takes on a new dimension of significance," said Zarni.
Zarni said that one way the United States might use this leverage is by taking a more critical stance when it comes to issues such as the Burmese military's continued operations against the country's ethnic minorities. He said the United States also should get the Burmese government to acknowledge that it holds and tortures political prisoners.
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The Key of David
By Warder Cresson (Michael Boaz Israel ben Abraham).
Reasons for Becoming a Jew, No. 4
The Scepter of Judah
"The Scepter shall not depart from Judah, nor a Lawgiver from between his feet, until Shiloh come." Gen. 49:10. Jews and Christians both admit that Shiloh means the Messiah, and that the Scepter is that Royal staff and sign which Kings hold in their hands, as a mark of their Kingly Power and Authority. When, then, did the Scepter depart from Judah? Above 607 B.C. In proof of this see Dan. 1:1 and 2; 2 Kings, 24:1, 13, and 2 Chronicles 36 6 and 7; and now see Christians' own "Union Bible Dictionary," p. 138, under the head of "Captivity." They there say, that the fourth (and last) "Captivity of Judah took place A. M. 3416," THEN THE SCEPTER DEPARTED.
Jesus, their Messiah, was not born until about A. M. 4004, so that, according to their own account, and the Testimony of God's Word, both declare that there were above 607 years that the Scepter departed from Judah BEFORE their Shiloh, or Messiah, came;--so that Jesus could not be the true Messiah. Christians, what will you do in the end thereof?
I will put it in another form.
If the "Scepter were not to depart from Judah until Shiloh (Christians say Jesus) come," how was it that the Christians' Shiloh was not born until A. M. 4004, and the Scepter departed from Judah 607 years before that? See Dan. i. 1, 2; 2 Kings 24:1 and 13, and 2 Chronicles 34:6, 7. "Is Wisdom no more in Teman?"* i.e. Edom, (Jer. 49:7,) or has the Word of God proved false and untrue? Nay Verily. Because David was the Anointed† or Messiah of God, (see 2 Sam. 23:1,) and will be the Messiah in the Redemption, as is declared in Jer. 30:9; Ezek. 34:23 and 24, and 38:22-24, and Hosea 3:5, and Psa. 89:19 to 30. And David was born above 400 years before the Scepter departed from Judah.
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A Critical Component
A wide variety of feedstock pretreatment materials and technologies is readily available in the marketplace. From steam stripping, to acid esterification, glycerolysis, enzyme pretreatment or even adsorbents, biodiesel producers have a number of options to consider and vet for possible implementation at their facilities.
Each method clearly has its relative advantages and drawbacks when compared to other technologies and materials available to the industry. Not all pretreatment methods are appropriate for a given plant, however. In most cases, economic considerations coupled with feedstock characteristics and plant design will be driving forces in the final selection of a pretreatment solution.
While existing plants can be retrofitted with new equipment and pretreatment systems to allow more feedstock flexibility, Klaus Ruhmer, BDI-BioEnergy’s business development manager for North America, cautions producers not to think of pretreatment solutions as some sort of magical “black box.”
“We are often approached by customers who have an existing facility designed to process virgin vegetable oils,” Ruhmer says. They want to be able to take in lower-cost, lower-quality feedstocks, such as waste cooking oil. Oftentimes, those producers are looking for some sort of magic device, Ruhmer says, that can turn these lower quality feedstocks into something suitable for their existing plant. There is no magic black box of a solution, he says. “An efficient pretreatment solution has to be integrated with the rest of the plant,” Ruhmer says. “It can never be looked at as a standalone solution.” Rather, pretreatment solutions should always be considered an integrated component of a plant, and one that is designed to make plant operations more efficient and economical. “The ultimate thing about the biodiesel business is really to maximize yields,” he says. “You can always take a feedstock and remove the free fatty acids and make biodiesel. It’s not a question of [whether] you can make biodiesel; it’s how much biodiesel you can make out of a given feedstock stream, because margins are razor thin.”
Raj Mosali, president of JatroDiesel, adds that the ability to be feedstock flexible has almost become a mandatory requirement for a plant to be profitable and successful. For this reason, he says, the future looks bright for pretreatment technologies. He also stresses that existing processes and technologies should be more than capable of handing the needs of new feedstocks, such as pennycress and camelina, as they become more widely available. “Primarily any technology that works with the existing and commonly available chemicals has a good future,” he says. “Anything that needs a customer or plant to buy new chemicals or enzymes is a tough sell.”
The presence of FFAs in biodiesel feedstocks is a chronic problem, says Jon Van Gerpen, professor and department head of biological and agricultural engineering at the University of Idaho. The problem is made more complex by the fact that feedstocks can contain FFA levels as low as 0.5 percent, or as high as 100 percent. While at least a half dozen solutions are available to reduce these FFA levels, most are only effective and economical with a relatively small range of FFA levels.
“For example, if you have an oil that has 10 percent free fatty acids in it, the distillation approach—or the steam stripping of fatty acid approach—works very well,” Van Gerpen says. “It’s natural in that range of [10 to 15 percent] free fatty acids. If you only have 1 or 2 percent free fatty acids in your oil, that has been a real challenge because it’s high enough free fatty acids that you are going to have problems with high soap formation during your reaction. You’d like to have some recourse to deal with that, but most of the other technologies [are equivalent to] hitting that problem with a sledge hammer. They are really expensive, they are really high technology and they are energy intensive. They just cost too much.” In those cases, materials like adsorbents can make much more economic sense.
According to Masali, JatroDiesel currently offers three different types of pretreatment methods designed specifically to deal with FFAs, including acid esterification, a glycerolysis process known as MGEN, and FFA stripping. He notes that his company has also assessed enzymatic technologies developed by third parties to reduce FFAs. Although those enzymatic solutions work well in the lab, he says they still face some technical issues when it comes to implementing them on an industrial scale.
When considering the need for a pretreatment technology, Masali recommends that biodiesel producers first consider how their existing production system works. That alone can drive which method to use, he says. Second, producers also need to consider what their primary feedstock will be over the long term, and the FFA level of that source. Existing plants also need to consider what type of existing equipment is onsite and how the pretreatment technology ties into those systems.
While each process may have its own unique range of FFA levels it is most appropriate for, each solution also has challenges that must be considered. Although Van Gerpen stresses that adsorbents can be very effective when dealing with low levels of FFA, generally up to 2 percent, he also notes that the method results in a fairly significant amount of waste material that a producer will need to deal with. “The adsorbents are extracting the free fatty acids out and adsorbing those free fatty acids into the powder,” he says. “That powder then needs to be disposed of, and typically you do that by putting it into a landfill.”
Acid esterification also results in a significant amount of waste. Although the method can effectively deal with fatty acid ranges a high as 100 percent, Van Gerpen notes that the disadvantage is that you are working with concentrated sulfuric acid at the facility. “Ultimately, that sulfuric acid has to be neutralized and disposed of,” Van Gerpen explains. “You end up with a waste stream there. The acid esterification is a very versatile technology, but it does involve handling more hazardous materials than certain biodiesel producers might be comfortable with.”
When it comes to enzyme treatments for FFA reduction, Van Gerpen seems to agree with Masali’s assessment. “They are limited by most of the same factors as acid esterification, except they tend to be slower and they are still constrained by things like chemical equilibrium,” Van Gerpen says.
While enzymes might not be currently considered the most effective solution to reduce FFA levels in a feedstock, enzymatic solutions can be a highly effective means to reduce impurities like metals. Verenium Corp. offers one such product that is specifically designed to remove phosphorous from vegetable oils, predominantly soybean oil. The product, Purifine phospholipase C (PLC), was originally developed for use with edible oils, but is also an effective way to lower the phosphorous levels of feedstock destined for conversion into biodiesel. Although other enzymes on the market can actually increase the FFA level of feedstocks as a side effect of the degumming, Verenium Chief Operating Officer Janet Roemer stresses that is not the case with Purifne PLC.
“One of the primary benefits of our product is that it actually [achieves] an increase in the yield of oil from the degumming step,” Roemer says. “Some of the oil that would otherwise be lost in that step is redeemed using our product. It’s really a very nice economic boost for the plant.” She also notes that feedback Verenium has received from plant operators indicates that the use of enzymes can make products flow more effectively through the conversion process of a plant.
According to Van Gerpen, adsorbents can also be used to effectively remove phosphorus. While there are less expensive methods to do so, especially if a plant is willing to buy a degumming system, he says that adsorbents can offer additional flexibility to facilities that usually take in low phosphorous oils as feedstock. “If you are a producer that is normally buying low phosphorous oil, but you have access to buy a load of low-cost oil that still had some phosphorus in it that has not been degummed, you could use an adsorbent on a discretionary basis to take advantage of opportunities that might arise in the marketplace,” he explains.
The presence of sulfur is another area in which pretreatment solutions would be beneficial. Van Gerpen says that his group has been working to identify an adsorbent that would be effective in reducing the sulfur level of a feedstock. “Typically when people are starting out with an oil that is high in sulfur, they have to distill the biodiesel to reduce the sulfur content,” Van Gerpen says. The process would be much simpler if an adsorbent were available that could effectively reduce the sulfur level of a feedstock.
Chris Abrams, general manager of the Dallas Group, notes that Magnesol 600R is just one product in his company's R series of adsorbents. Different adsorbents in that line are designed to remove a broad range of contaminants from oils, esters and surfactants. “What it removes are predominantly metals, especially phosphorous and sulfur,” Abrams says, “but they also pick up soaps, sterol glucosides, polymers, and polyethylene. They increase oxidative stability of the feedstock, and they also can remove free fatty acids, which is what 600 R is specifically designed to do.” He says by using the product on feedstocks with FFAs, producers can remove that material and will not have to address that either with acid pretreatment or as a soap from transesterification. “With adsorbents, you get a broad range of removal,” he says. “There are some pretreatment options that specifically address acid, some specifically address soaps…but with the adsorbents you can remove a broad range. You really get the full spectrum of contaminants that could affect the quality of your fuel.” Abrams stresses, however, that the use of adsorbents is really an economic consideration. “If you have grossly contaminated feedstock, then our products become less viable,” he says.
“We’d love to find something that was really effective for sulfur,” Van Gerpen says. “That’s kind of the Holy Grail right now, to find an adsorbent that will pull the sulfur out. We have had fairly good success looking at things that could take out phosphorous and some calcium and magnesium, those types of materials, but not very good luck with sulfur. And sulfur is the one that we really need.”
Author: Erin Voegele
Associate Editor, Biodiesel Magazine
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A new use of additive manufacturing technology is a
machine called a 3-D Bioplotter that can fabricate a wide range of
According to Dr.
Vladimir Mironov, director of the Advanced Tissue Biofabrication Center at
the Medical University of South Carolina, one of the long-term goals is to
print human organs such as kidneys and livers.
The Bioplotter uses a nozzle to print materials within
temperatures ranging from -50 to 150C. The materials include calcium phosphate
ceramics, degradable polylactic/polyglycolic acid polymers, and hydrogels such as
alginate, agarose, fibrin and collagen. 3-D printers, such as the 3-D Bioplotter,
are currently used to manufacture biodegradable scaffolds used for custom bone
implants. In the future, machines may apply advanced microfluidics to print
human stem cells.
The nozzle is driven by numerical control code supplied
from a contour file. After transferring 3-D CAD data to a PC provided with the
Bioplotter, it is processed by a special software package.
"Tissue spheroids will be used as building blocks,"
Mironov said in a presentation at Rapid 2010, held in Anaheim, CA May 18-20. He
describes tissue spheroids as living materials with certain measurable,
evolving and potentially controllable composition, material and biological
properties. When they are placed closely together, tissue spheroids undergo
fusion. After a structure is printed it would then go into a bioreactor.
In his presentation Mironov described his efforts to
engineer small segments of a branched vascular tree by using vascular tissue
spheroids. Without vascular systems, the organ wouldn't survive more than five
hours," he says.
That's where the 3-D bioprinters play a key role because
of their ability to create complex internal designs in minute layers.
The economics for the technology are promising considering
that annual dialysis costs $75,000 and many people wait several years before
receiving a transplant.
The Bioplotter shown at Rapid 2010 is a fourth generation
machine that costs 150,000 Euros ($188,000).
The 3D-Bioplotter, developed by a German company called
envisonTEC, operates in sterile environments in a laminar flowbox, which is a
requirement of biofabrication. The technology was invented at the Materials
Research Center in Germany.
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AUSTIN, Texas -- The United States is fighting a messy war alongside an unreliable ally in Asia, residents are deeply divided between conservatives and liberals, a new health care law just took effect and the nation is struggling with racial and ethnic divisions.
What's happening in the United States in 2012 could just as easily describe the nation in the 1960s: President Lyndon Baines Johnson escalating the war in Vietnam, defeating conservative Republican nominee Barry Goldwater, passing Medicare and pushing through landmark civil rights legislation.
An insider's look at how the Texan dealt with those challenges is on display at the newly remodeled LBJ Presidential Library in Austin, where the old 1970s-style exhibits now use 21st century technology to put visitors in Johnson's shoes. Mark Updegrove, the library's director, said the reopening comes as historians take a fresh look at Johnson's efforts to fight poverty and improve the health of the nation by creating a Great Society.
"The election of 2012 was a referendum on the Great Society programs put into place by President Johnson," he said. "If you look at what is happening in America today, the Great Society is so evident, in the Supreme Court taking a look at voting rights or racial quotas, and the Congress debating cuts to Medicare or PBS."
The new permanent exhibit takes advantage of the presidential archives, which includes 643 hours of recorded phone conversations between LBJ and dozens of people. At one station, a display resembling an old telephone booth plays key conversations about civil rights with Martin Luther King Jr., FBI Director J. Edgar Hoover and others. After a yearlong renovation, the library reopens Saturday in honor of first lady Lady Bird Johnson's 100th birthday.
The library also has a Vietnam "situation room" where an interactive display provides formerly secret documents and recordings of conversations with advisers such as Secretary of Defense Robert McNamara. The display lets the visitor decide what they would do and then shows whether LBJ agreed. The computer screen then displays the consequences, with short videos of presidential historians explaining the significance of the decision.
LBJ's biggest accomplishments, though, are the Great Society programs that extended life expectancies, reduced poverty and banned discrimination. An exhibit shows how he used his years of experience in Congress to push through some of the most iconic laws in the nation's history, including Medicare.
"Every social issue we're dealing with now, Johnson tried to tackle it," said historian Douglas Brinkley of Rice University in Houston. He added that "the season is right for a revisionist look" at Johnson, with a focus on his domestic achievements.
Updegrove, who this year authored "Indomitable Will: LBJ in the Presidency," said that when LBJ took over after President John F. Kennedy's assassination, the U.S. poverty rate was at about 20 percent. It plunged to 12 percent, by the time he left office. Poverty in the United States hit an all-time low of 11 percent just after LBJ left office, then went up to 15 percent under President Ronald Reagan, where it remains today.
Medicare was the Affordable Care Act of its time, providing federally administered health care to all people 65-years-old or older. Reagan, a young conservative at the time, called Medicare a socialized medicine scheme that would bring an end to freedom in America. More than 45 years later, the program is one of the most popular in the nation.
That year Congress also passed Medicaid, the joint state-federal health care program for the poor. President Barack Obama tried to expand Medicaid coverage through his health care overhaul, but a dozen Republican governors around the country have refused.
LBJ also passed major civil rights legislation that guaranteed people of all races the right to vote, access to public services and to equal opportunity. Yet LBJ's decision to expand the war in Vietnam remains his foremost legacy, something Updegrove believes is changing.
"We haven't properly honored Johnson's herculean domestic achievements," said Brinkley, the historian from Rice University. "It got overshadowed by the Vietnam War. Half a century later we can see that a lot of what Johnson did has stuck."
For now, though, Democrats rarely invoke LBJ's name, and Republicans use the phrase "Great Society" to ridicule social justice proposals. But Updegrove said politicians of all stripes could learn a lot from how Johnson forged consensus.
"The conversations are a primer in how to get things done in Washington," he said. "If you listen to those conversations you can hear how remarkably effective LBJ was at getting things done and they serve as an example of Washington can do."
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noun (plural same or pufferfishes)
A stout-bodied marine or freshwater fish which typically has spiny skin and inflates itself like a balloon when threatened. It is sometimes used as food, but some parts are highly toxic.
- Family Tetraodontidae: several genera and many species, including the common pufferfish (Tetraodon cutcutia).
- We saw crabs, eels, batfish, unicornfish, pufferfish, boxfish, lionfish, squirrelfish, racoonfish, butterflyfish, parrotfish and angelfish, to name just a few.
- Having soon blown a film on these shoals and the occasional diversion of singletons like a moray eel, a porcupine pufferfish and a variety of grouper, I turn to the other reef life.
- Take a look inside them - they are home to moray eels, shrimps, sleeping gobies and pufferfish.
For editors and proofreaders
Line breaks: puf¦fer|fish
Definition of pufferfish in:
What do you find interesting about this word or phrase?
Comments that don't adhere to our Community Guidelines may be moderated or removed.
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| 0.897455
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Computer Graphic Design
A computer graphic designer works with computer software to create designs and illustrations using principles of art. Creativity and attention to detail are important qualities, as well as a willingness to take on responsibilities and challenges.
With the impact of technology on the design fields, designers are required to have both artistic and computer skills. The computer graphic design program acquaints the student with artistic principles while developing each student's ability to solve problems and adapt to changes affecting the work environment, namely the continuous changes in the work hardware and software technology.
Skills and Knowledge
Skills and knowledge gained in the program include:
- Apply technical competency with a variety of drawing tools.
- Use basic color theory to execute work.
- Edit graphics and text information received from external sources.
- Use various imaging properties of software to accomplish texture, smoothing, and scaling.
Training in computer graphic design will prepare you for employment in this field. Occupations include illustrator, free-lancer, video graphics, product designer, art director, and desktop publisher.
Program Certificate & Degree Options
In this program you can earn the following:
- Associate in Applied Science in Computer Graphic Design
- Certificate of Completion in Computer Graphic Design
The Maricopa Community Colleges also offer an Associate in Arts, Fine Arts (AAFA). Contact the Transfer Center for information.
Employment is found in a variety of environments including newspapers, advertising, public relations, web design and development firms, and specialized design services. Occupations in computer graphic design are expected to have a high number of job openings in the next few years.
For information about careers in your area of study, visit O*NET OnLine for detailed job descriptions, education requirements, wage and employment trend information.
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BALTIMORE (WJZ)—A new study could shed some light on how the flu virus is spread. The doctor leading the groundbreaking research has ties to Maryland.
Gigi Barnett has more.
As doctors across the nation reported epidemic level flu cases back in December and January, a new study released on Thursday found that many people are more likely to get the illness through tiny, airborne droplets of the virus.
But how is it that the small flu particles could end up sending so many more people to emergency rooms?
“There’s a lot more of these droplets than we had previously suspected that contain the virus,” said Dr. Donald Milton, Maryland School of Public Health.
Milton led the groundbreaking research.
WJZ talked with him in the United Kingdom over Skype. His team learned that when a flu patient wears a surgical mask, the release of the virus into the air is greatly reduced.
It’s a recommendation the Centers for Disease Control made a few years ago to protect health workers from sick patients. But Milton says the practice just hasn’t caught on.
“This is common in some other cultures that people do this. And they consider it impolite that you are sick and coughing and not wearing a surgical mask. Things change, and this may be a change that’s coming our way,” Milton said.
Doctors initially thought that the flu spread mostly through direct or indirect contact, like doorknobs and keyboards. But now Milton’s study even changes the way people protect themselves from the flu.
This winter, Milton recruited more than 100 patients at the University of Maryland to study the disease. His study is featured in the journal, “PLOS Pathogens.”
Milton says the airborne flu droplets contain nearly nine times more flu virus than the larger droplets of flu that may be found on doorknobs or keyboards.
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|Name: Green Tea
Name: Camellia sinensis
Names: Green Tea
Green tea contains volatile oils, vitamins, minerals, and caffeine, but the active constituents are polyphenols, particularly the catechin called epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG). The polyphenols are believed to be responsible for most of green tea's roles in promoting good health.
Research demonstrates that green tea guards against cardiovascular disease in many ways. Green tea lowers total cholesterol levels and improves the cholesterol profile (the ratio of LDL cholesterol to HDL cholesterol), reduces platelet aggregation, and lowers blood pressure.
The polyphenols in green tea have also been shown to lessen the risk of several types of cancers, stimulate the production of several immune system cells, and have antibacterial properties-even against the bacteria that cause dental plaque.
According to Chinese legend, tea was discovered accidentally by an emperor 4,000 years ago. Since then, traditional Chinese medicine has recommended green tea for headaches, body aches and pains, digestion, depression, immune enhancement, detoxification, as an energizer, and to prolong life. Modern research has confirmed many of these health benefits.
Green tea is useful for:
Cancer risk reduction
Gingivitis (periodontal disease)
Hypertension (high blood pressure)
Hypertriglyceridemia (high triglycerides)
Most of the studies of the effect of the green tea have been focused on its cancer-causing and cancer-protecting aspects. Green tea polyphenols are potent antioxidant compounds. They are more potent antioxidants than vitamin E and vitamin C.
Green tea may also increase the activity of the antioxidant enzyme. A number of animal studies have shown that green tea polyphenols may offer significant protection from cancer. It is believed that they do so by blocking the formation of cancer-causing compounds such as nitrosamines, suppressing the activation of carcinogens, and detoxifying or trapping cancer causing agents.
Green tea is believed to have the greatest effect on cancers of the gastrointestinal tract such as stomach, small intestine, pancreas, and colon; lung cancer; and estrogen related cancers including most breast cancers.
It is interesting to note that green tea prevents cancer, whereas black tea increases the risk of certain cancers such as cancer of the rectum, gallbladder, and endometrium.
All teas (green. black, and oolong) are derived from the same tea plant, Camellia sinensis. The difference is in how the plucked leaves are prepared.
The tea plant has long been cultivated in China. It is an evergreen shrub or tree that can grow to a height of 30 feet, but is usually maintained at a height of 2 to 3 feet by regular pruning. The hairy leaves of the tea plant are used both as a social and medicinal beverage. The parts used
are the leaf bud and the two adjacent young leaves together with the stem, broken between the second and the third leaf. Older leaves are considered inferior in quality.
Green tea, unlike black and oolong tea, is not fermented, so the active constituents remain unaltered in the herb. It is produced by lightly steaming the fresh cut leaf. Green tea is very high in polyphenols with potent antioxidant and anticancer properties.
Much of the research documenting the health benefits of green tea is based on the amount of green tea typically drunk in Asian countries-about three cups per day (providing 240-320 mg of polyphenols).
To brew green tea, 1 teaspoon of green tea leaves are combined with 250 ml (1 cup) of boiling water and steeped for three minutes. Tablets and capsules containing standardized extracts of polyphenols, particularly EGCG, are available; some are decaffeinated and provide up to 97% polyphenol content-which is equivalent to drinking four cups of tea.
Green tea is extremely safe. The most common adverse effect reported from consuming large amounts of green tea is insomnia, anxiety, and other symptoms caused by the caffeine content in the herb.
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Despite common wisdom, frequent consumption of diet soda (and artificial sweeteners) often leads to weight gain.
…. Did I read that right?
YES! The average diet soda drinker gains more weight than the average regular soda drinker. How can this be? The short answer: you can’t trick your body.
When we taste something sweet, evolution has finely tuned our bodies to expect a payoff: calories. If your body doesn’t get any calories after consuming something sweet like diet soda, it actually slows down your metabolism to try to make the most of the real calories you do consume. Additionally, after you drink diet soda, your befuddled body and brain starts to crave carbs, so don’t be surprised if you suddenly find yourself wrist-deep in a bag of Fritos.
A study at the University of Texas Health Science Center (go horns!), found that consumption of diet soda was correlated with weight gain, likely because undelivered expected calories from diet soda may stimulate the appetite. Of the 622 study participants who were of normal weight at the beginning of the study, about a third became overweight or obese.
For regular soft-drink drinkers, the risk of becoming overweight or obese was:
- 26% for up to 1/2 can each day
- 30.4% for 1/2 to one can each day
- 32.8% for 1 to 2 cans each day
- 47.2% for more than 2 cans each day.
For diet soft-drink drinkers, the risk of becoming overweight or obese was:
- 36.5% for up to 1/2 can each day
- 37.5% for 1/2 to one can each day
- 54.5% for 1 to 2 cans each day
- 57.1% for more than 2 cans each day.
- For each can of diet soft drink consumed each day, a person’s risk of obesity went up 41%.
Isn’t that insane? Just one can of diet soda a day indicated a 41% increase in a person’s risk of obesity! Now correlation does not imply causation, but the findings are strong enough to make me run away from diet soda like a freaking ninja, how about you?
Other researchers have found that diet soda drinkers are less likely to consume healthy foods, and that drinking diet soda with artificial sweeteners increases cravings for sugar flavored sweets. Animal studies suggest that the ingestion of artificial sweeteners found in many diet sodas cause a faulty insulin response and animals encountered increased caloric intake, increased body weight, and increased fatness (scientifically known as “adiposity”). So you heard it from me, if you want to get fat, keep on drinking diet soda.
Want to lose weight, build muscle, and get free downloads? Enter your e-mail below!
Discover how to drop fat with chocolate, bacon, and cheesecake. Plus: learn the 3 worst foods you should NEVER eat and the 7 best exercises for rapid fat loss. Click below to to claim your FREE gift ($17 value)!
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Given the quality differences in different cloud services and issues of compatibility, ISO, the world’s best known standards body has issued two standards related to cloud computing.
The first standard, ISO/IEC 17788, provides definitions of cloud computing terminology such as Software as a Service (SaaS), and the difference between “public” and “private” cloud deployments.
The second standard, ISO/IEC 17789, deals with cloud computing reference architecture. It contains diagrams and descriptions of how the various aspects of cloud computing relate to one another, including roles, activities, and functional components and their relationships within cloud computing.
ISO hopes this will lay down the basic terminology and architectural framework, which will, in turn, help provide assurances to companies buying cloud services and allow the cloud computing industry continue to grow.
The standards were developed by the joint ISO/IEC technical committee JTC 1/SC 38, in collaboration with the International Telecommunication Union, and involved experts from more than 30 countries.
The complete text of the 17788 standard can be purchased for around $60, and CHF 58,00, and 17789 for around $190.
Another organization, the IEEE Standards Association, has originated two working drafts around cloud computing covering similar areas. P2301 (Cloud Profiles) provides information for different ecosystem participants such as cloud vendors, service providers, and users. P2302 (Intercloud) is meant to define topology, functions, and governance for cloud-to-cloud interoperability and federation.
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[Parameters: Topic='SOLID EARTH', Term='TECTONICS', Variable_Level_1='EARTHQUAKES']
Natural Hazards Image DatabaseEntry ID: gov.noaa.ngdc.Hazard_Images_Database
Click to see members of this collection.
Abstract: Photographs and other visual media provide valuable pre- and post-event data for natural hazards. Research, mitigation, and forecasting rely on visual data for post-analysis, inundation mapping and historic records. Instrumental data only reveal a portion of the whole story; photographs explicitly illustrate the physical and societal impacts from an event.
This resource provides high-resolution geologic and damage photographs from natural hazards events, including earthquakes, tsunamis, slides, volcanic eruptions and geologic movement (faults, creep, subsidence and flows). The earliest images date back to 1886. Each event also links to NCEI's Global Historical hazards databases, which provide details for these events.
Purpose: Make available damage images for research and education
Data Set Citation
Dataset Originator/Creator: DOC/NOAA/NESDIS/NGDC > National Geophysical Data Center, NESDIS, NOAA, U.S. Department of Commerce
Dataset Title: Natural Hazards Image Database
Dataset Release Date: 2012-02-01
Data Presentation Form: imageDigital
Dataset DOI: doi:10.7289/V5154F01
Start Date: 1886-01-01
HUMAN DIMENSIONS > INFRASTRUCTURE
HUMAN DIMENSIONS > NATURAL HAZARDS > EARTHQUAKES
HUMAN DIMENSIONS > NATURAL HAZARDS > LAND SUBSIDENCE
HUMAN DIMENSIONS > NATURAL HAZARDS > LANDSLIDES
HUMAN DIMENSIONS > NATURAL HAZARDS > TSUNAMIS
HUMAN DIMENSIONS > NATURAL HAZARDS > VOLCANIC ERUPTIONS
OCEANS > OCEAN WAVES > SEICHES
OCEANS > OCEAN WAVES > TSUNAMIS
SOLID EARTH > GEOMORPHIC LANDFORMS/PROCESSES
SOLID EARTH > GEOMORPHIC LANDFORMS/PROCESSES > TECTONIC PROCESSES > SUBDUCTION
SOLID EARTH > TECTONICS > EARTHQUAKES
SOLID EARTH > TECTONICS > VOLCANIC ACTIVITY
SOLID EARTH > GEOMORPHIC LANDFORMS/PROCESSES > TECTONIC LANDFORMS > FAULTS
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Use Constraints While every effort has been made to ensure that these data are accurate and reliable within the limits of the current state of the art, NOAA cannot assume liability for any damages caused by any errors or omissions in the data, nor as a result of the failure of the data to function on a particular system. NOAA makes no warranty, expressed or implied, nor does the fact of distribution constitute such a warranty.
DOC/NOAA/NESDIS/NCEI > National Centers for Environmental Information, NESDIS, NOAA, U.S. Department of Commerce
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Distribution Format: TIF
Fees: Free online download
Distribution Format: JPG
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Creation and Review Dates
DIF Creation Date: 2016-04-19
Last DIF Revision Date: 2016-04-19
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Exploring pupil segregation between specialist and non‐specialist schools.
Oxford Review of Education, 35
One of the most significant developments within English education over the last decade has been the expansion of specialist schools as a means by which to promote diversity and drive improvement. While much research has examined the impact of specialist schools on outcomes such as attainment, little attention has been paid to the schools’ demographic compositions or their potential for exacerbating segregation. Gorard and Taylor (2001) reported that specialist schools admitted proportionally fewer children from deprived backgrounds over time. Building on their work, this paper uses data from the Pupil Level Annual School Census and the Index of Multiple Deprivation to examine changing intakes of specialist and non‐specialist schools between 2001/2 and 2004/5. Trends in segregation were not significantly associated with the presence or otherwise of specialist status in a school. However, they were significantly associated with foundation status and the presence of strong and/ or improving examination results. Such schools drew more ‘privileged’ intakes over time.
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http://eprints.lse.ac.uk/37981/
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Gardeners use English ivy as a ground cover or climber to enhance fences and trellises, or to protect areas around mature trees. This fast-growing plant can be used as an accent plant in containers to create a trailing effect in the planter. Ivy often outgrows a location and requires transplant to thin the vine. Transplanting English ivy requires standard gardening practices of soil enrichment to ensure the success of the plant.
Locate areas in the existing ivy garden bed that will tolerate removal of transplants. English ivy grows as a vine that attaches itself with root spaced directly below each new set of leaves. Each root has the potential to become a new plant.
Cut off a section of healthy vine next to a set of bright green leaves. Flip the ivy over and clip the vine between every set of leaves. This will create individual plants to use as plugs to create a new ivy bed. If you prefer, place cuts spaced every two to three sets of leaves for more foliage in the new planting bed.
Create enough clippings to space transplanted ivy plants about 12 inches apart. Plants will fill in within a year to form a dense ground cover.
Turn over the top 6 inches of the garden to loosen the soil in a garden plot featuring partial to full sun. Apply compost to the garden surface and work this into the planting bed. Smooth the soil surface and dig 2-inch deep individual holes spaced about 12 inches apart throughout the garden.
Place each ivy plant in a hole and firm soil around the plant. Use a watering can to water around the main stem of each transplant.
Mulch the garden surface to restrict weeds and conserve moisture in the ivy planting bed. Water English ivy transplants to ensure that plants receive adequate moisture during the establishment period. Give the plants water at the soil level during times of drought.
Apply a 15-5-15 fertilizer in the spring and fall to promote healthy foliage based on package recommendations. Rinse all fertilizers completely from the ivy leaves to limit burning.
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LONDON, Jan. 25 (UPI) -- A U.N. study said at least one-in-five people, including half of school-age children, were infected with swine flu in the first year of the pandemic in 2009.
A World Health Organization-led study analyzed data from 19 countries, searching for evidence of the body's immune system fighting the H1N1 virus. Researchers examined more than 90,000 blood samples collected before and during the pandemic from countries across the globe.
They said there was evidence of wide-spread infection, although they noted not all infected people would have developed full-on flu symptoms.
First detected in Mexico in 2009, H1N1 spread quickly around the world.
Fewer than two in every 10,000 people infected died during the pandemic, the researchers said.
"However, those that did die are much younger than in seasonal flu so the years of life lost will be much more," Dr. Maria Van Kerkhove from Imperial College London told the BBC.
"The figures drive home how incredibly infectious the virus is."
John Oxford, a virology expert at Queen Mary, University of London, agreed.
"It was the busiest virus on the block and it displaced other influenza viruses -- it was the only virus in town," he said.
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IPv4, the internet address system born out of the birth of the internet, serves as a cautionary tale to always plan ahead: no one thought there would ever be more than 4.3 billion devices connected to the internet, only to be proved horribly wrong 30 years later. But YouTube planned ahead.
Tom Scott explains the math behind YouTube’s video ID, the string of 11 characters in every YouTube URL that identifies one specific video. It’s counted in base 64, meaning YouTube can squeeze 73,786,976,294,838,206,464 IDs into just 11 characters. That means YouTube won’t be running out of IDs for quite some time.
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July 21, 2008
Researchers at MIT and the Karolinska Institute in Sweden have identified specific adult stem cells in the spinal cord that might be activated to repair a spinal cord injury. Konstantinos Meletis and co-workers have been able to mark the specific stem cells for the spinal cord. "We have been able to genetically mark this neural stem cell population and then follow their behavior," Meletis said. "We find that these cells proliferate upon spinal cord injury, migrate toward the injury site and differentiate over several months." The study, published in the July issue of the journal PLoS Biology, could lead to ways to activate the cells in an injured spinal cord for repair of damage and regrowth of nerve axons.
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http://www.frcblog.com/2008/07/identification-of-spinal-cord-adult-stem-cells-for-repair/
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THE TAO OF
Seven Levels of Humankind:
Seven Types of Government:
In the entire history of China only two dynasties, the Han and Tang Dynasties, observed the philosophies of Taoism. These empires were the wealthiest, happiest, and most advanced of all the earthly civilizations. The prisons were empty. Any valuable object left on the streets remained there. All the subjects had selfesteem. That was because the governments of these two dynasties had attained the Righteous and Propriety levels of government. Historians refer to these dynasties as the Golden Ages of China.
The fall of these dynasties began when Confucianism was adopted as the philosophy of government by selfish emperors. Confucianism demanded complete obedience to one’s ruler or other figures of authority and in the extreme even allowed the father to order his son to die just to demonstrate their faith in Confucianism. Obedience at all levels of society results in repression of free thought. Unchallenged by free thought ultra-conservatism halts progress and society plunges into backwardness. Everybody becomes the prisoner of the state and the family, from which there is no escape except through death. The rich will capitalize on such a conditioned society and make life a playground for the few and a torment for the majority. Such a deterioration of society resulted in the fall of the Han and Tang empires.
Unfortunately the dynasties that followed also observed Confucianism for selfish reasons. No other empire equaled those of the Han and Tang Dynasties in attaining the highest forms of government in history.
The universal principles of government or private organizations in Taoism should be as follows:
A. The size of government must be small.
B. Laws and regulations must be simple and few.
C. Policies must be honest.
B. Economic system must be fair.
C. Taxes must be low.
F. Population growth must be controlled.
G. Individual freedom must be protected.
H. Education must be a priority.
I. Military expenditures must be limited.
J. The leader must voluntarily retire.
In the following paragraphs the word “government” represents both government and private organizations.
Lao Tze insisted that the size of government must be small, so that power may be distributed in favor of the people. A big government deprives the people of freedom, while a strong government weakens the people. When power is placed in the hands of government officials―who will use it to expand their own power―heavy taxes, huge government deficits, and administrative inefficiency will only be a few of the many problems plaguing the country. Since the balance of power between the people and the government is inherently unbalanced in favor of the latter and power in the hands of government officials tends to expand unjustly, the freedom of the people is best secured by limiting the size of government.
According to Lao Tze laws and regulations breed evil. Saint Paul said almost the same thing: “While we were living in the flesh, our sinful passions, aroused by the law. . . . If it had not been for laws . . . I should not have known sin.”
When a government imposes laws and regulations upon its subjects, it becomes its subjects’ worst enemy. A government that produces excessive numbers of laws and regulations (fascist, military, etc. governments) tend to be short-lived. This is because the merciless and continuous oppression of the people heighten their endurance to the point that death becomes appealing. When people come to take death lightly, as Lao Tze said, nothing can hold them back. In revolution there is everything to gain and nothing to lose, so the wisest form of government is that which forms a peaceful alliance with its subjects. Peace is assured.
Another argument against laws and regulation is that they produce more problems than they solve. Laws and regulations need enforcement, which requires the addition of police officers, judges, lawyers, and countless other people. This escalates government expenses and results in higher taxes. Furthermore other laws and regulations must be created to enforce or fine-tune the original laws and regulations. Then still more laws and regulations must be created to enforce the secondary ones. An endless chain-reaction results, and government expenses are multiplied a million times. This endless chain-reaction also results in confusion, which causes early laws and regulations to be forgotten and exposes law enforcement to lawyer manipulation, which then leads to cynicism and rising disobedience and crime. Nothing is accomplished, yet the confusion and expenses mount.
TOO MANY REGULATIONS = NO REGULATION
During the Ch’in Dynasty China was ruled by tyrants and the laws and regulations were said to be as numerous as the hairs on a cow. This dynasty was overthrown and was replaced by the Han Dynasty, which started the Golden Age of China with the nullification of these laws and regulations. Only three simple laws were left, but everybody remembered and obeyed them enthusiastically.
A government should treat its subjects honestly to create a bond of trust between it and its subjects. Government policies, by reflecting the moral wishes of the larger portion of the population, should protect the people from oppression in any way, form, or means. Outside of true law enforcement, government is not allowed to grant any wish of the majority that may cause any short- or long-term discomfort or harm to any individual. Government officials must serve the people and represent their moral wishes. Lao Tze said that politicians should not form their own opinions; instead they must regard the moral mind of the people as their own. On the contrary in Romans 13:1, Saint Paul said, “Let every person be subject to the governing authorities. For there is no authority except from God and those that exist have been instituted by God.” But entrusting a ruthless politician with one’s well-being is not wise, especially when his policies reverse one’s evolutionary progress. The succession of abuses of power must be halted by the selection of government officials for their integrity toward the people. Otherwise “politicians who are not benevolent treat people like dogs,” warned Lao Tze.
When a government engages in cheating games with its subjects, it weakens the state. No matter what ruses it uses against its subjects, its subjects will always outwit it, because they outnumber the government workers. Such games create an unbridgeable rift between the government and its subjects; nothing will prevent a revolution from toppling this government. Lao Tze said, “Rulers who try to use cleverness cheat the country. Those who rule without cleverness are a blessing to the land.”
Lao Tze said, “The Tao is nameless because it is in everything and yet it is formless. Its simplicity and minuteness is unmatched by all the power of the alliance of all the world’s nations. When the leaders are able to utilize it, everything comes to an equilibrium and heaven and earth will be unified.”
Lao Tze also said, “A balanced universe is one in which the rich are denied and the poor are supplemented. However human beings defy the Tao and exploit the poor to perpetuate the rich. Violent confrontations will result and all human beings suffer.” This statement is reinforced with another: “The Tao of heaven is found in the aiming of the bow and arrow. That which is too high must be brought down and that which is too low must be brought up.”
According to Lao Tze, “the sweet dew of heaven nourishes all.”
“All people are self-sufficient.” Everybody must have an equal share of opportunities to improve themselves, otherwise “the multiplication of prohibitive enactments increases the poverty of the people.”
Taoism teaches free enterprise and economic equality, or social-capitalism. Government is discouraged from interfering in the business ventures of its subjects. Taxation of businesses and other acts of interference complicates and worsens the economy. But it is responsible for guiding the direction of the economy and keeping and enforcing strict standards of moral and fair business practices. Social-capitalism is the fusion of the best theories of capitalism and socialism.
Lao Tze said, “People suffer from poverty because of excessive taxation.”
The taxation policies of a government determine whether it is benevolent or tyrannical. A benevolent government is one that fixes the tax rate at 3%. A tyrannical government imposes a tax rate of 10% or more on its subjects.
During the Golden Ages of China (the Han and Tang Dynasties) tax rates were 3%. The subjects prospered because of this low rate and anti-social activities were almost non-existent.
When the later Han rulers raised the tax rate to 10% or more, revolution followed as surely as the shadow followed the body.
The Old Testament proposed a 10% tax rate. (This might have begun as a settlement between Jacob and God.) The fact most people neglect is that during the age described in the Old Testament, church and state were not separated. The taxes collected were for both the church and the state. In reality, only 5% of income was collected for the government. During the Roman occupancy of Israel, Israelites were forced to pay the original 10% in addition to the payments to Caesar. Taxes were doubled and life was insufferable for the Israelites. That is why Caesar’s tax collectors were called sinners by the Israelites.
When a government increases taxes, it is drinking poison to relieve its thirst.
Why does a government suffer from thirst, or deficits?
1) War and weapons.
2) Squandering and extravagance.
4) Scandal and corruption.
These four problems make government deficits a chronic disease.
But this “disease” may be treated by a good “physician.” More often than not a great “surgeon” better suits this purpose. The cure is moral adjustment rather than economic adjustment. The cure should be administered to the ruler himself. As the person who serves as a model to his subjects the leader should reverse his selfishness and corrupt behavior. If reversing a leader’s character becomes impossible, then healing of the nation is virtually impossible.
Lao Tze insisted upon small governments. He also insisted upon small populations.
It is impossible to achieve peace, prosperity, and happiness if population growth is not firmly controlled. Overpopulation causes hunger, hunger leads to war, and war results in death, the greatest transgression from the viewpoint of Taoism. These horrors are only a few natural, elementary, or birth-control responses triggered by overpopulation. Others include natural disasters due to environmental stress and killing diseases.
Over-reproduction takes place among people who cannot discipline their lust, a result of poor education. To prevent over-reproduction people must be taught that sex should not be limited to mere physical interactions. Sex should be an act of intimacy, love, understanding, helping, and caring. Taoist teachings also provide techniques that separate sex and reproduction. As explained fully in the book The Tao of Sexology: The Book of Infinite Wisdom, sexual activity can be utilized to improve one’s health and elevate one’s spirituality, while heightening enjoyment at never-before-experienced levels. Practicing Taoism will help people discipline their lust and further social progress.
Population control is not empty conjecture, political opinion, or philosophical belief that can never be practiced. It is vital to the advancement of society and the effectiveness of small governments.
Taoism values and respects life. That is why it places great emphasis upon protecting life. According to the Taoist theory of evolution, all humans arise from other forms of life and are dependent upon other forms of life; therefore, Taoists do not deny plants, animals, or humans the right to live. Life, longevity, and happiness are sacred rights.
Nobody has the right to violate the rights of others. Nevertheless, people and other organisms are intentionally slain or hurt for money, privilege, and other petty reasons. These perpetrators will never escape punishment, even if they escape earthly laws. No one escapes the Law of Cause and Effect or Karma, the unseen but omnipresent protector of life. Lao Tze said (in reference to Karma), “The meshes of the net of heaven are large and far apart, but it never allows anything to escape.” Any act that denies life will cause the perpetrator perpetual torment in his present and future lives.
Greed causes transgressions; therefore it must be eliminated. “There is a time to be born and a time to die. Three out of ten years are spent ministering life, another three are spent ministering death, and another three are spent perpetuating life through excessive endeavors which only result in death,” observed Lao Tze, “There is no fault greater than greed and no fault greater than furthering one’s gains. People who recognize contentment are always wealthy.”
The government is charged with a very important duty: that of discouraging the egoism and ambition of its people, especially those of its leaders. Excessive efforts, extravagance, and self-indulgence are symptoms of egoism and ambition: these must be discouraged. Lao Tze said, “Too much color makes people blind. Too much music makes people deaf. Too many flavors dulls the palate. Too much entertainment maddens the mind. Too many precious things leads one astray.” To maintain peace, “the leaders must repress selfishness and evil like lust.” Lao Tze also said, “Not exalting the superior genius prevents rivalry. Devaluing treasures prevents robbery. Not seeing desirable things prevents false illusions and desires from confusing the mind.” By diminishing the occurance of antisocial activities through the practice of Taoism, the rights of all organisms are protected and the nation is strengthened.
Improving the educational system must be a priority in any government agenda. Education―Taoist education―directly effects an individual’s satisfaction with life. A wrong educational approach increases dissatisfaction, which can surface as antisocial activities, divorces, child abuse, etc.
Many systems of education exist, but few are successful; history books and newspapers provide ample evidence of educational failure. Children are taught mathematics, chemistry, physics, literature, sports, etc. These are called in Taoist terms “Dead Knowledge.” “Dead Knowledge” encourages egoism and ambition, is irrelevant to everyday life, and distinguishes enthusiasm for learning. Children are led to believe that identities and satisfaction can be found in material possessions and material success. That is why nuclear bombs, crime, poisonous chemicals, madness, and other abnormalities exist. Material possessions and material success never provide satisfaction in life; they provide instead only frustration and rage, which will surface in antisocial activities and the invention of other abnormalities. Generations of people have lived their lives blindly without any understanding about the true meaning of life. Recall that God gave man His spirit and His desire to improve himself in order to enter the Kingdom of God.
Students should first be taught how to live, how to live better, and how to live longer. The knowledge they learn can be applied to their lives immediately and will be useful to them for the rest of their lives. They will see immediate results and interest in learning will be stimulated.
With a preliminary education in the true meaning of life, students will be able to apply themselves and their secondary education in mathematics, literature, etc. in ways that speed up the evolution of man and protect the natural ways of the universe.
The success of fair government policies depends on the cooperation of the people. Without Taoist education nothing can succeed because the majority of the subjects will be Evil or Little Men, who will because of ignorance, selfishness and avarice block any attempt to better the world. Through Taoist education Evil and Little Men are lifted to higher levels, and when Gentlemen outnumber Evil and Little Men, the world will truly become a better place in which to live.
Warfare is not limited to the human kingdom; it is also characteristic of the animal and vegetable kingdoms. Therefore desiring to throw away weapons is unnrealistic. Human beings find it necessary to protect their right to life, as long as those uneducated in Taoist theories exist; therefore theories concerning warfare, called the Tao of Abnormality, are a necessary part of life.
Sun Tze or Sun Tzu, the disciple of the famous Immortal Kuei Ku Tze, wrote a book called The Art of the Military 3,000 years ago. “The Tao of Abnormality” is the first verse in the book, in which Sun Tze states that conquering the enemies’ hearts is better than occupying their cities. In other words he is saying that psychological warfare is more effective and more important than combat. Sun Tze wrote, “Battles need not be fought, for a three-inch tongue is mightier than the cannon.”
Human beings are the only organisms who use weapons in warfare. The need for weapons results in the invention of more and more complex and destructive weapons which produce an aura of hostility, or abnormality. When the state of abnormality becomes uncontrollable, an entire planet could be destroyed. “Advanced weapons are better instruments of evil Karma . . . they do not belong to Gentlemen,” said Lao Tze, “Whenever the army has passed, briars and thorns spring up. Years of hunger follow in the wake of a great war.”
Lao Tze said, “Those who assist the leaders must suggest Taoism. They must never suggest military solutions [because] the army shall be the last resort, as its success is uncertain.” History has shown that weapons alone can never win a war; the economy, education, the leader, the spirit of the people: all contribute to victory. The government may do everything necessary to strenghten the country except engage in a competition of weapons with potential enemies. Weapons do not guarantee victories but they do empty the state treasury. Furthermore, weapons which bear evil Karma bring the state misfortune.
A nation’s leader is a leader because of his accomplishments, which suit the will of Heaven. The leader is a leader because his thoughts, actions, wisdom, Karma, ability to ignore criticism, and good or bad deeds perfectly suit the conditions of a particular period in time. His mission is to carry out the Will of Heaven.
When that leader has accomplished his mission, he must voluntarily step down from office, because his policies will not suit a new time period. If he persists he will block the mission of another person, reverse all progress made, and incur the people’s wrath. He can never finish or hope to finish the projects he began, because the universe is always in a state of flux. If he does not realize this, he will be terminated and his credits taken away.
Tao is change and the needs of the time always change. When the leader follows the Tao, he has accomplished a good deed. When he goes against the Tao, he has done a great wrong. Lao Tze said:
The utility of Spring is the renewal of life.
The utility of Summer is the growth of life.
The utility of Autumn is the harvest of life.
And the utility of Winter is the storage of life.
If, for example, the Spring season were to continue, the arrival of Summer and the other seasons will be delayed and the order of the universe muddled. Any blockage is a disease to be removed.
When a leader clings desparately to his post, he will be removed in three ways:
1. When he has accumated good Karma during office, he will be removed by death, a benign method of allowing the successor to fulfill his destiny.
2. When he has accumulated both good and bad Karma, he will be assassinated.
3. When he has accumulated bad Karma, he will be forced off his post through shame and public humiliation. He may suffer a violent death or his name will be associated with evil and filth.
The pages of history provide ample evidence for these three universal principles. For example George Washington would not be respected if his ambitions provoked him to declare himself king.
When these ten universal principles are followed, there will be heaven on earth. Such a claim is neither empty theory nor conjecture because this state has been achieved before―under much more trying circumstances―and it can be achieved again. Even though this achievement is undeniable and possible, human beings would rather torment themselves with the cataclysms of economic collapse, war, chaos, and heart-rending suffering than follow with ease Lao Tze’s road map to paradise.
Taoism must be practiced. You cannot enter the Kingdom of God by paying somebody to pray for you. Take the simple example of a plane flight. Think of the amount of energy that goes into a take-off. Then think of the amount of energy needed to sustain the plane in flight―there is no string holding the plane up. Now think of the amount of energy you spend in trying to enter the Kingdom of God. Can you trust something as important as your entrance into the Kingdom of God to a simple prayer? You must walk with God yourself. You must practice Taoism step by step. Not only will you eventually enter the Kingdom of God, but you will gain immediate benefits.
In Genesis 5:24 Enoch was described to have walked with God and to have been taken to heaven by God. But there is no description of how he walked and even if one traced this verse back to its source The Book of Enoch and searched through it, one would still have no clue as to how he earned a place in God’s Kingdom.
With Taoism a clear path from general principles to detailed technique is laid out for anyone who wishes to walk with God to His Kingdom.
The entire universe is governed by the Cause and Effect Law (Karma), and this law determines whether one moves upward or downward on the Taoist evolutionary scale. No one escapes judgement by this law, not even “suicides” (in fact “suicides” face greater punishments because they have taken a life―even if it’s their own). When one learns one’s lessons well and uses one’s knowledge only for magnanimous purposes, one progresses into a higher state of consciousness. When one’s knowledge is used for devious purposes, one will be slapped back into a lower evolutionary level. This is best summarized thus:
Plant melons, reap melons
Plant beans, reap beans
What you do in this life will determine your fate in the next life, and what you have done in your past life has determined your present fate. “There are no special doors for calamity and happiness. They come as men themselves call them. Their recompenses follow good and evil as the shadow follows the substance,” said Tai Shan Tractate, “Accordingly, there are stars that record and compute men’s transgressions, and, according to the lightness or gravity of their offenses, take away from their term of life or sentence them to bitter sufferings.”
No other story captures the essence of Karma as the following story told by a Taoist master.
There once was a wicked man who stole, cheated, and oppressed other people to make himself rich. At old age he had everything: countless possessions and three grown sons who had just gotten married. He was looking forward to having grandchildren.
Then one day he thought to himself, “I’m so happy! I don’t have to continue doing all the cruel things I’ve done in the past. Now I want to make up for what I’ve done. From this day on I shall repay those I’ve ruined and help others in need.”
He became a good man. Then one month later his eldest son suddenly became ill and died and his widow married another man. This turn of events left the old man extremely sad. Then a month later his second son died and his widow also left to marry another man. This left the old man very shaken. Then a month later his beloved third son died.
“There is no justice in this world!” he cried in anguish.
“When I was wicked I had everything. I almost held a grandchild in my arms! From the day I converted to Taoism and began doing good deeds, all these calamities befell me. What hope do I have? My dear sons for whom I’ve slaved are all dead! There is nobody to inherit the products of my labors.”
He became a madman. He hated everything and everybody. One day, in the midst of a fit, he was interrupted by a servant, who said that a Taoist master came to visit him.
“Bring him to me!” roared the old man, “I want to rub his nose in his ragged teachings! I will show him how wrong he is!”
When the master was shown in, the old man treated him with utmost cruelty. But the master, calm as ever, asked, “Do you know why?”
“That is what I want to know. Why?”
“Do you remember how, 25 years ago, you and your friend fought for a property? Violence erupted and your friend was killed and you obtained the property. You knew this man very well. You knew all the characteristics of his personality. Now think about your eldest son. Did they not display exactly the same characteristics?”
“Yes,” admitted the old man, “they were very much alike.”
“Your friend had reincarnated as your son. He came to recover what he had lost to you.”
“Do you remember cheating another man?” continued the master, “That man had reincarnated as your second son, and he came back to claim his property. And do you remember hurting another man? He came back as your third son. Your sons were not your sons; they were your ‘enemies’ and they came with the blessings of the universe to claim your debt to them. They were here to collect interest from you too; they were to waste all of your money and treat you with utmost cruelty. For the last part of your life, you were to suffer as if you were boiling in oil. Finally you were to kill yourself. But when you converted and did many good deeds, you automatically paid off your debt. The higher beings in the universe found that your good deeds balanced your debts and they found no necessity for your ‘sons’ to claim their debts, so they were removed painlessly. You have not lost your sons; you have only lost your enemies. Since your good deeds have paid off your debt, you will not be denied a grandson. The wife of your third son is now pregnant. She will give you a grandson who will cherish you, respect you, and love you. You will be extremely happy and you will enjoy the rest of your life.”
The old man, enlightened, cried with tears of gratitude.
Christianity is taught in many churches, wherein Jesus is described as the lamb of God, the sacrifice that would serve as payment for everybody’s sins. In these churches one is also taught that whoever believes in Jesus will never be condemned, be guaranteed a place in heaven, and have everlasting life. The Crucifixion has been called the Mercy of God by theologians; with the Crucifixion all of God’s demands for justice will be satisfied and no one will have to be responsible for their actions, since all bad Karma has been dissolved. But from the Taoist view of Christianity, Christian teachings still hold a person responsible for his actions, even if he has faith in Jesus. A detailed study of the New Testament will uncover the truth: that everyone is not forgiven for their sins and that faith without deeds will incur the denial of Jesus and exclusion from heaven.
Jesus died on the cross to pay for man’s sins, or bad Karma, so that man will not have to suffer the consequences of his sins. Now whenever a trangression is committed, Jesus is supposed to take the transgressor’s place and bear the punishment intended for the transgressor. Every time a transgression is committed, the transgressor just opens his mouth and calls Jesus by name to summon Jesus to bear his punishment. Or the transgressor may confess to a priest to wash away the sins. A simple act of repentance is supposed to unfailingly set the transgressor free. Does this seem logical? If paying for a car is so hard, how could payments for one’s sins be so easy?
Although some parts of the Bible extoll the virtues of calling upon Jesus’ name, other parts of the Bible do otherwise. A story in the Old Testament describes the futility of repentence: when King David abducted the wife of his friend, the punishments he and his family suffered continued to plague them even though David repented. Knife and sword (in the form of famine, plague, and interminable wars) never left his kingdom. In Hebrews 6:6-8 it is clearly stated that those who called upon Jesus’ name to crucify him again and again will sin even more.
The passage reads as follows:
If they shall fall away, to renew them again unto repentance; seeing they crucify to themselves the Son of God afresh, and put him to an open shame.
For the earth which drinketh in the rain that cometh oft upon it, and bringeth forth herbs meet for them by whom it is dressed, receiveth blessing from God: But that which beareth thorns and briars is rejected, and is nigh unto cursing; whose end is to be burned.
This passage is written the following way (but not literally translated) in the Revised Standard Version:
if they then commit apostasy, since they crucify the Son of God on their own account and hold him up to contempt. For land which has drunk the rain that often falls upon it, and brings forth vegetation useful to those for whose sake it is cultivated, receives a blessing from God. But if it bears thorns and thistles, it is worthless and near to be cursed; its end is to be burned.
According to Hebrews 4:3 a sinner is punished by being excluded from the Kingdom of God, called “rest” in this passage, which reads as follows in the Revised Version:
For we who have believed enter that rest, as he has said, “As I swore in my wrath, ‘They shall never enter my rest,’” although his works were finished from the foundation of the world.
Entrance into the Kingdom of God is described as the fruits of ones labors in James 1:25 and 2:14-26, which read as follows:
But he who looks into the perfect law, the law of liberty, and perseveres, being no hearer that forgets but a doer that acts, he shall be blessed in his doing.
What does it profit, my brethren, if a man says he has faith but has not works? Can his faith save him? If a brother or sister is ill-clad and in lack of daily food, and one of you says to them, “Go in peace, be warmed and filled,” without giving them the things needed for the body, what does it profit? So faith by itself, if it has no works, is dead.
But some one will say, “You have faith and I have works.” Show me your faith apart from your works, and I by my works will show you my faith.
You believe that God is one; you do well. Even the demons believe―and shudder.
Do you want to be shown, you foolish fellow, that faith apart from works is barren?
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
You see that a man is justified by works and not by faith alone.
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
For as the body apart from the spirit is dead, so faith apart from works is dead.
In Matthew 7:21-25, Jesus placed our entrance into the Kingdom of God in our own hands:
Not every one who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ shall enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of my Father who is in heaven.
On that day many will say to me, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and cast out demons in your name, and do many mighty works in your name?’
And then will I declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from me, you evildoers.’
Every one then who hears these words of mine and does them will be like a wise man who built his house upon the rock;
and the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and beat upon that house, but it did not fall, because it had been founded upon the rock.
In Romans 12:19, God is described as being subject to the Law of Cause and Effect:
Beloved, never avenge yourselves, but leave it to the wrath of God; for it is written, “Vengeance is mine, I will repay, says the Lord.”
Some Christian churches place great emphasis upon the Crucifixion of Jesus, thinking that calling upon Jesus’ name saves a person and guarantees his entrance into heaven. Concerning the Crucifixion, it is based on the ancient practice, described in the Old Testament, of sacrificing animals to appease God. By sacrificing innocent creatures and shedding their blood, the ancients hoped to wash away their sins and seek forgiveness from God. Since sins cannot be washed away this easily, these practices seem silly and inhumane. Theoretically speaking, one cannot help thinking that if there is such a God, he would double or triple the sacrificer’s punishments―the sacrificers not only did nothing to pay for their original sins, but they also killed innocent creatures strictly for selfish purposes. Examining the Crucifixion from the modern man’s viewpoint brings to mind a question: how could civilized people still glorify such cruel and barbaric behavior?
Human beings are born with spiritual, mental, and physical bodies. They are capable of exercising wisdom in order to evolve to a higher evolutionary level. This innate ability should be used, not abused or buried because of laziness or bad deeds. How quickly one attains immortality depends on how hard one works. Eventually everyone will complete their evolution and enter the Kingdom of God, because the universe is eternal.
Taoism is also very different from Buddhism. Unlike Buddhism, which emphasizes the ugliness and bitterness of life and seeks to terminate it in a slow suicide, Taoism emphasizes the beauty, enhancement, and prolongation of life.
According to true Buddhist teachings, all that is within the universe is a cause for suffering. There are eight causes of bitter suffering: birth, aging, sickness, death, not getting the things you love, getting the things you hate, being in a state of limbo, and happiness that does not last.
Buddhists found relief from pain in the avoidance of the human pattern of life and death. Since human beings are more often than not tortured by their emotions, they must cease to feel. Since human beings suffer from indigestion after feasting, they must cease to feast. And so on. Thus enlightened Buddhists deny all mundane matters, including the existence of the universe. Buddhist teachings forbid participation in world affairs, for all must await death, through which the soul is emancipated from earthly sufferings.
However, Buddhists do not realize that in seeking true happiness, they have caused themselves more pain. If a Buddhist adept shuns intercourse, he or she would have to fight sexual urges and temptations for fifty years or more. If the Buddhist adept shuns delicious foods, he or she would have to fight cravings for food throughout their lives. So suffering cannot be avoided; human matters are more complex than what Buddhists have anticipated.
Buddhist classics group human beings into three groups according to their understanding of the above concepts:
l) the Multitude, 2) the Associates, and 3) the Buddhists. The first group comprises of unenlightened people who drown in a “sea of bitterness” (suffering). The second group comprises of those who are sympathetic to Buddhist teachings and support Buddhist monks and temples with monetary offerings. (One cannot help wondering what Buddhists would want with money―that incomparable, infamous “root of all evil” and therefore suffering. The answer should not be known by purists who adhere to founder Gautama Siddhartha’s [Shakyamuni Buddha] teachings of complete denial. In contrast, Taoists have developed an entire body of sound money management principles.) Nevertheless, the Associates who donate money are labled Good Men or Good Women. The third group comprises Buddhist monks or nuns. To become a real Buddhist a person must break all worldly relationships (called Chū Jiā, or “Leaving the Family”); then accept lessons in the various forbiddens (sex, food, wine, meat, any form of entertainment, fighting, lying, etc.) from an advanced monk; and then attend Buddhist lectures, read Buddhist classics, meditate, and practice isolation until death elevates the Buddhist to the level of Buddha. In death the “dirty bag,” or physical body is kicked off, and the Buddhist has achieved the highest state of being. (Some divergent groups of Buddhists even deny the existence of Buddha, regarding Buddha as empty or vain.)
In direct contrast, Taoists acknowledge the existence of the universe and seek a thorough understanding of the universe. They have a realistic approach to their research and their teachings reflect it. In Taoist teachings life is not fraught with misery nor is it replete with bliss. The universe is perpetually in a state of flux; therefore, misery is always succeeded by bliss and bliss is always succeeded by misery. Armed with this knowledge, one will never be too sad or too happy; one will comprehend the underlying forces in this universe; and one’s eyes will be opened to the good in everything. The knowledge Taoists seek increases enjoyment of life, extends happiness, increases longevity, and helps mankind achieve immortality. Thus Taoists are able to praise human relationships, feast without indigestion, engage in world affairs, and do great deeds without suffering their negativities. Anybody who practices Taoism can experience heaven on earth.
Buddhism survived into this century in the Far East because of three reasons. Buddhist monks first changed their outward appearance by putting on masks of superficial adaptations of some Taoist teachings, even twisting it to appeal to the masses and thus escape political persecution. Statues of Taoists were made and placed alongside statues of Buddha in Buddhist temples, so that they may be kowtowed to and beseeched for the fulfillment of every desire, even though Taoists never allowed such practices and Buddha specifically stated that such beseechers bring calamity upon themselves. Some Buddhists even became I-Ching scholars, herbalists, acupuncturists, personologists, directionologists, etc. The second reason was that Buddhists willingly changed their religion because Taoist-Buddhism was easily accepted by the public and because Buddhists themselves experienced a greater degree of freedom in their own lives with the change. The third reason was that, over a period of time of willful change, Buddhism itself was completely and permanently changed into Taoist-Buddhism. The change was too complete: Taoism and Buddhism were thought of as sister religions, and Buddha was even thought to be the transformation of Lao Tze.
These changes benefited Buddhism. Taoist-Buddhism was no longer a negative religion. Instead of encouraging estrangement of mankind, it encouraged a helpful attitude toward mankind.
These changes, however, contaminated and reduced Taoism to a religion maintained by superstition.
Buddhist concepts such as idolatry, burning of incense, construction of temples and participation in other religious rituals, were adopted by pseudo-Taoists, those who lacked the education or capacity to understand the teachings of Taoism yet exploited its good reputation for personal advantage. Much of these contaminated concepts are still retained today. Consequently there are two Taoist traditions: that embraced by scholars and that exploited by uneducated cultists. The scholars walk with God. The cultists exploit Taoism to create a personal following.
This site introduces the entire spectrum of scholar-Taoist teachings.
In China, Buddhism developed another branch called Zen Buddhism, which dealt strictly with dialogue. Zen Buddhism was founded 2,500 years ago by a scholar named Kung Sun Lung when he developed theories of word play, exemplified by the following: “hard stone is not stone,” “white horse is not horse,” and so on. When these “negatisms” were strung together in a dialogue between the famous monk Huei Nen and his master, Zen Buddhism was born. An excerpt of such a dialogue is as follows:
Master: The body is the Buddhi tree,
His mind is a mirror on its stand.
Thou shalt always keep them clean and
shalt never let them be covered by dust.
Huei Nen: Buddhi never existed as a tree.
The mirror never existed on its stand.
If there has never been such a thing,
How could they be covered by dust?
The dialogues always dealt with the non-existence of something. Poetry and literature lovers were fond of these and devoted tremendous amounts of time to composing them. The futility of Zen Buddhism made it the favorite status indicator for the relatively upper classes.
Taoism must not be mistaken for Buddhism, Zen Buddhism, or anything else that may borrow from Taoist teachings. Because of the expansiveness of Taoist teachings, Taoism is often mistaken for many things to which it is not even remotely related. For instance it is often mistaken for medicine, since its teachings include many diagnostic and healing techniques. But the equivalence is one-sided: medicine begins with diagnosis and ends with the curing of diseases; whereas the methods, tools and knowledge set down by Taoists thousands of years ago reach beyond the cure, to helping mankind complete their evolution into the Kingdom of God.
For example, when people discovered the healing potential of some Taoist methods and techniques, they isolated these and called them medicine. When one branch of Tuei-Na was converted into medicine and given the name acupuncture, it was mechanized and altered by the incorporation of lasers, soundwaves, lights, and other electronic machinery from its original procedure. As a branch without its roots, acupuncture is less effective than Tuei-Na. That is why the AMA claims that acupuncture has only 18% effectiveness and that it is not worthy of the title of “medicine.” There is a great gap between Taoist Tuei-Na and medicinal acupuncture.
Not only are Taoist techniques and teachings appealing to “borrowers,” but also its signs and symbols―in whole, in part, or in altered states―are just as appealing. Unknown to the “borrowers” is the fact that these signs and symbols, when taken out of context, become meaningless and the traces of meaning that remain intact through the “borrowing” process will reverse the purpose it is “borrowed” for.
It is especially important to keep in mind that Taoist meditative techniques bear no relation to any other kind of “meditation-visualization.” Taoist meditative techniques were developed to help the cultivator heal him- or herself and ultimately to cleanse the spiritual, mental and physical folds of the body of all earthly desires and their corruptions. Other “meditations” are―under the strict definition of the word as devotional acts of solemn reflection on sacred matters―less meditation and more visualization in that objects of desire are concentrated upon and drawn to the visualizer regardless of consequences.
The tremendous efficacy of Taoist methods and techniques attracted many people who “borrowed” bits and pieces of information to become geomancers (feng-shui practitioners), politicians, martial arts instructors, dieticians, exercise instructors, acupuncturists, etc. But these people do not realize that these bits and pieces of information, when isolated from other Taoist teachings, cannot help mankind enter the Kingdom of God. These bits and pieces are branches without roots and, in the words of Jesus, “cannot bear fruit.”
Taoism instructs mankind to lead lives that follow God’s ways. These teachings are best summarized by the following passage from the Qīng Jìng Jīng, or The Classic of Purity. One passage from the translation by James Legge is as follows:
1. Lao the Master said, The Great Tao has no bodily form, but It produced and nourishes heaven and earth. The Great Tao has no passions, but It causes the sun and moon to revolve as they do.
The Great Tao has no name, But It effects the growth and maintenance of all things.
I do not know its name, but I make an effort, and call It the Tao.
2. Now, the Tao (shows Itself in two forms); the Pure and the Turbid, and has (the two conditions of) Motion and Rest. Heaven is pure and earth is turbid; heaven moves and earth is at rest. The masculine moves and the feminine is still. The radical (Purity) descended, and the (Turbid) issue flowed abroad; and thus all things were produced.
The pure is the source of the turbid, and motion is the foundation of rest.
If man could always be pure and still, heaven and earth would both revert (to true existence).
3. Now the spirit of man loves Purity, but his mind disturbs it. The mind of man loves stillness, but his bodily desires draw it away. If he could always send his desires away, his mind would of itself become still. Let his mind be made clean, and his spirit will of itself become pure.
As a matter of course the six desires will not arise, and the three poisons will be taken away and disappear.
4. The reason why men are not able to attain to this is because their minds have not been cleansed, and their desires have not been sent away.
If one is able to send the desires away, when he then looks in at his body, it is no longer his; and when he looks farther off at external things, they are things which he has nothing to do with. When he understands these three things, there will appear to him only vacancy.
The idea of vacuous space having vanished, that of nothingness itself also disappears; and when the idea of nothingness has disappeared, there ensues serenely the condition of constant stillness.
5. In that condition of rest independently of place how can any desire arise? And when no desire any longer arises, there is the True stillness and rest.
That True (stillness) becomes (a) constant quality, and responds to external things (without error); yea, that True and Constant quality holds possession of the nature.
In such constant response and constant stillness there is the constant Purity and Rest.
He who has this absolute Purity enters gradually into the (inspiration of the) True Tao. And having entered thereinto, he is styled Possessor of the Tao.
Although he is styled Possessor of the Tao, in reality he does not think he has become possessed of anything. It is as accomplishing the transformation of all living things, that he is styled Possessor of the Tao.
He who is able to understand this may transmit to others the Sacred Tao.
1. Lao the Master said, Scholars of the highest class do not strive (for anything); those of the lowest class are fond of striving. Those who possess in the highest degree the attributes (of the Tao) do not show them; those who possess them in a low degree hold them fast (and display them). Those who so hold them fast and display them are not styled (Possessors of) the Tao and Its attributes.
2. The reason why all men do not obtain the True Tao is because their minds are perverted. Their minds being perverted, their spirits become perturbed. Their minds being perturbed, they are attracted towards external things. Being attracted towards external things, they begin to seek for them greedily. This greedy quest leads to perplexities and annoyances; and these again result in disordered thoughts, which cause anxiety and trouble to both body and mind. The parties then meet with foul disgraces, flow wildly on through the phases of life and death, are liable constantly to sink in the sea of sufferings, and forever lose the True Tao.
3. The True and Abiding Tao! They who understand It naturally obtain It. And they who come to understand the Tao abide in Purity and Stillness.
The task that lies ahead can be made simpler by using the Three Treasures, which were given to us and explained by Lao Tze:
l) Be kind, 2) be thrifty, and 3) be humble, not to take precedence over others. By being kind [hearted], one can be courageous [when confronting injustice]; by being thrifty [not overstretching beyond one’s limit in any area of life], one can be great [by steadily building upon solid foundations]; and being humble [not fighting to be foremost in fame, money, power and sex], one will be honored with the highest success and leadership. Now-a-days there are those who forget kindness while being brazen; forget thriftiness while seeking aggrandizement [when largeness or impressiveness is obtained through expenditures, it is empty without solid backing and must always be maintained by theft, deceit, etc.]; and forget humility while seeking to be foremost. Such people are dead.
It is never too late for anyone to appreciate these treasures, because anyone able to possess them will be saved, for they offer protection against all adversities.
In the entire history of earth, only those selected were allowed to enter the Kingdom of God. Those selected spent many lives in the pursuit of comprehending and cultivating Taoism, knowingly or not.
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When a Greek tyrant in the days of the city-states was asked his secret of staying in power, he took his cane and neatly whacked off the tops of the cornstalks that rose above the others. Study dictators and you'll be struck by the extent to which their actions are governed by fear. You can persuasively argue that Hitler, Stalin, and Mussolini were more interested in staying in power than in efficiency. They often sacrificed it and other organizational necessities for personal security.
One can conclude that if those individuals, who exercised enormous power over their associates, were fearful, then fear may be an inherent part of leadership. A counterpoint, however, would be that the more you are addicted to power, the more you fear losing it, and that dictators are examples of extreme power addicts and are not representative of the average leader. Most leaders know that they can survive a loss of power whereas dictators usually - and accurately - surmise that losing their position probably means losing their life. Wolves tend to surround themselves with wolves.
Dial down several notches and consider what leaders who do not exercise dictatorial power routinely fear:
- Embarrassment. This is a status blow to many leaders. They'd be wise to learn how to laugh at themselves. Their employees, however, are equally wise to avoid any situations that may embarrass the leader.
- Surprises. These are rarely good and are therefore unwelcome. Any surprise calls into question how much the leader knows.
- Disloyalty. Most leaders fear disloyal acts. The truly paranoid also fear disloyal thoughts.
- Encroachment. Even the best leaders will reserve some responsibilities and territory for themselves. When subordinates jump the chain of command, this fear may be enhanced.
All of these are forms of a loss of control. Leaders are reassured with information, deference, loyalty, and competence. Unfortunately, for many the last item is the lowest priority.
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If you ran into Jesus today, you would most likely see a very small, black little guy with rugged looks, a muscular posture, dark, curly hair and a large nose.
The bible doesn’t contain any description of Jesus. But we do know that the image we have of Jesus today, was only created many hundreds of years later, in the Middle Ages.
In those days, artists began picturing Jesus as a typical saint, with handsome, European looks and an angelic appearance. This is basically how we still picture Jesus today – from Andrew Lloyd Webber’s ‘Jesus Christ Superstar’ to Mel Gibson’s ‘The Passion of The Christ’!
But in the meantime, historians and other scientists agree that the real Jesus must have looked very different. First, we know for sure that Jesus didn’t have long hair. The New Testament explicitly calls it ‘a disgrace’ if a man had long hair (Cor 11:14).
Also, it’s almost certain that Jesus wasn’t tall and white. After all, he wasn’t an Anglo-Saxon, but a carpenter’s son from the Middle East.
Medical examiners have put this to the test. In 2002, researchers from the University of Manchester used skulls from first century Palestine, historical texts and facial reconstruction software to reconstruct what an average man in those days must have looked like.
They came up with a broad face with short, curly hair, a prominent nose and a dark skin. An average peasant from those days would have been 5 foot and 1 inch tall (1,55 meter).
If the bible is accurate, Jesus also must have had hardened, muscular looks, because he worked as a construction worker with Joseph in Nazareth until he was about 30 years old. In those days, this meant: intense, outdoor physical labour with primitive tools, saws, hammers, chunks of wood and stones.
There goes the frail, skinny Jesus we see in catholic churches!
Another clue is that in the gospels, Jesus’ looks don’t stand out. If the bible is correct, he must have looked like any other guy. When he was arrested, Judas Icariot had to point him out with a kiss (in Matt 26:48). According to the gospel of John, Jesus had to tell the Romans who he was (John 18:3-9).
But there is also some evidence that Jesus was noticeably ugly. In Byzantine citations of a now lost text of the Roman historian Josephus Flavius, Jesus is said to have been three cubits tall (that’s three human underarms tall – almost a midget!), crooked and dark-skinned.
In fact, the texts explicitly describe Jesus as being very ugly. He was almost completely bold, had a long nose and eyebrows that touched each other. Jesus looked much older than he really was, the Byzantine texts read.
Among the first christians, it was a well-known fact that Christ wasn’t exactly Mr. Handsome. Around the year 200 AD, the church father Tertullian strongly opposed the notion that Jesus looked angelic. Instead, Tertullian called Jesus a ‘puerulus’: that’s Latin for ‘wretched little fellow’.
But we must add: we can’t be sure how accurate this is. After all, Tertullian lived two centuries after Jesus, and his goal may have been to picture Jesus as a frail and ordinary human being, instead of a heavenly creature.
"Halloween is a liberal holiday because we're teaching our children to beg for something for free. … We're teaching kids to knock on other people's doors and ask for a handout." —Fox News host Sean Hannity (October 31, 2007)
"I went to the movie this weekend with a gun. And surprise, surprise, I didn't kill anybody!" --Glenn Beck
"God gave us the earth. We have dominion over the plants, the animals, the trees. God said, 'Earth is yours. Take it. Rape it. It's yours.'"
"It would be a much better country if women did not vote. That is simply a fact. In fact, in every presidential election since 1950 - except Goldwater in '64 - the Republican would have won, if only the men had voted."
"I'm a Christian first, and a mean-spirited, bigoted conservative second, and don't you ever forget it."
Fox News anchor declares that 'Jesus and Santa are 'verifiably white'
Funny how many people get worked up over skin color - especially considering we are talking about two fictitious characters.
People should take note though. Colors can be light medium or dark.
I don't give a crap either way. This is a stupid subject to argue about imo.
Arguing about St. Nick, who was originally Greek before Currier & Ives got their hands on him, is one thing. But as for Jesus, people have been arguing about his skin color since the earliest days of American history. You might even call it an American tradition.
It seems that now, if you want to call Christ — or even Santa — white, you should expect a fierce fight.
The immediate and widespread rebuttal showcases how much America has changed over the past few decades. The nation not only has a black president, but also has refused to endorse the Christian savior as white.
Since the earliest days of America, Jesus was thought of as a white man.
When white Protestant missionaries brought Bibles and whitened images of Jesus to Native Americans, at least a few mocked what they saw.
Even Martin Luther King Jr. claimed that Jesus was white, after being asked why God created Jesus as a white man.
King responded that the color of Christ’s skin didn’t matter. Jesus would have been just as important “if His skin had been black.” He “is no less significant because His skin was white.”
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Fast, inexpensive computers are now essential for nearly all human endeavors and have been a critical factor in increasing economic productivity, enabling new defense systems, and advancing the frontiers of science. For the last half-century, computers have been doubling in performance and capacity every couple of years. For example, the raw performance of a 1970s supercomputer is now available in a typical modern cell phone. The remarkable growth in computing throughout the lifetimes of most people has resulted in the expectation that such phenomenal progress will continue well into the future. As our demand for increased technology performance shows no signs of slowing, it becomes apparent that we need to find ways to sustain increasing performance.
In their efforts to make faster computers, scientists have concentrated on reductions in transistor size, enabling more transistors to be packed onto computer chips. Current chips range from several complex processors to hundreds of simpler processors. To use chip multiprocessors, applications must use a parallel programming model, which divides a program into parts that are then executed in parallel on distinct processors. However, much software today is written according to a sequential programming model, and applications written this way cannot easily be sped up by using parallel processors. The Future of Computing Performance: Game Over or Next Level? recommends that our nation place a much greater emphasis on IT and computer-science research and development focused on improvements and innovations in parallel processing, and on making the transition to computing centered on parallelism.
This book also discusses the need for research and development on much more power-efficient computing systems at all levels of technology, including devices, hardware architecture, and software. The Future of Computing Performance makes recommendations aimed at supporting and focusing research, development, and education in parallel computing. It sets a path forward to sustain growth in computer performance so that we can enjoy the next level of benefits to society.
This book and others from the Computer Science and Telecommunications Board can inform discussion and guide decision-making.
|The Future of Computing Performance: Game Over or Next Level?
The end of dramatic exponential growth in single-processor performance marks the end of the dominance of the single microprocessor in computing. The era of sequential computing must give way to a new era in which parallelism is at the forefront. Although…
|Wireless Technology Prospects and Policy Options
The use of radio-frequency communication–commonly referred to as wireless communication–is becoming more pervasive as well as more economically and socially important. Technological progress over many decades has enabled the deployment of several successive…
|Transforming Combustion Research through Cyberinfrastructure
Combustion has provided society with most of its energy needs for millennia, from igniting the fires of cave dwellers to propelling the rockets that traveled to the Moon. Even in the face of climate change and the increasing availability of alternative energy…
|Biometric Recognition: Challenges and Opportunities
Biometric recognition–the automated recognition of individuals based on their behavioral and biological characteristic–is promoted as a way to help identify terrorists, provide better control of access to physical facilities and financial accounts, and…
|Critical Code: Software Producibility for Defense
Critical Code contemplates Department of Defense (DoD) needs and priorities for software research and suggests a research agenda and related actions. Building on two prior books–Summary of a Workshop on Software Intensive Systems and…
|Toward Better Usability, Security, and Privacy of Information Technology: Report of a Workshop
Despite many advances, security and privacy often remain too complex for individuals or enterprises to manage effectively or to use conveniently. Security is hard for users, administrators, and developers to understand, making it all too easy to use,…
|Proceedings of a Workshop on Deterring CyberAttacks: Informing Strategies and Developing Options for U.S. Policy
In a world of increasing dependence on information technology, the prevention of cyberattacks on a nation’s important computer and communications systems and networks is a problem that looms large. Given the demonstrated limitations of passive cybersecurity…
|Report of a Workshop on The Scope and Nature of Computational Thinking
Report of a Workshop on the Scope and Nature of Computational Thinking presents a number of perspectives on the definition and applicability of computational thinking. For example, one idea expressed during the workshop is that computational thinking is a…
|Technology, Policy, Law, and Ethics Regarding U.S. Acquisition and Use of Cyberattack Capabilities
The United States is increasingly dependent on information and information technology for both civilian and military purposes, as are many other nations. Although there is a substantial literature on the potential impact of a cyberattack on the societal…
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Campaign to save British Bees launched
12th February, 2008
The British Beekeepers' Association (BBKA) will this week call for for a five-year £8m research programme to save the insect from colony collapse disorder (CCD).
Countries currently affected include Germany, Switzerland, Spain, Portugal, Italy and Greece. However, the most serious losses have occurred in the US. On the West Coast keepers have seen bee population losses in the 30 to 60 percent range. On the East Coast and Texas it gets as high as 70%. These are catastrophic drops for an industry that considers around a 20% population decline to be an off-season norm.
The importance of bees is significant. They pollinate more that 30% of our food and contribute £165m annually to UK agriculture. In the US that figure rises to $14bn.
Currently the government gives £200,000 annually towards bee research. The farming minister Lord Rooker said that 'if nothing is done about it, the honeybee population could be wiped out in 10 years'. He has also told the BBKA that the government could not find additional money to put into research. Tim Lovett, president of the BBKA, says Lord Rooker's position 'defies logic'.
The causes of CCD are thought to include GM crops and electromagnetic waves from mobile phone masts and electricity cables. GM in particular seems at fault. In the US, which has experienced the most severe bee losses, 40% of the corn is now a GM insect-resistant strain. One study into the effects of GM crops on bees took place at the University of Jenna from 2001 to 2004. The researchers used a GM maize variant named 'BT corn' that includes a gene from a soil bacterium in order to make it insect-proof. At first the study seemed entirely positive. No discernible negative effects were detected in the bees from the BT corn. Then researchers discovered that when the bees were attacked by a parasite, the portion of the colony exposed to the BT corn had a much lower ability to fight off infection and showed much more rapid levels of decline.
For more information on CCD and the threat facing British Bees read 'Give Bees a chance' by Pat Thomas here
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Packaged seed is one of many technological advances that have taken cotton farming by storm in recent years, but it also may have sealed the fate of several older cotton practices.
Packaging, in this case, doesn't refer to the seed's container but to what is included in the seed: traditional breeding for high yields, quality and disease resistance; transgenic engineering that provides herbicide or insect resistance; and, finally, agrochemical seed treatments added to prevent seedling disease or early insect damage.
Revolutionary? Without a doubt. The huge advances in seed technology have freed growers of much of the stress that accompanied planting time.
Still, while it's freed them in many respects, some wonder whether the technology has limited their choices in other ways.
“No one would deny that treated seed has been highly successful,” says Bob Goodman, an Alabama Cooperative Extension System economist and Auburn University associate professor of agricultural economics. “We have between an 80 and 90 percent adoption rate in Alabama for transgenic cotton alone.”
Even so, there has always been a minority of cotton growers who insist on planting conventional cotton either because it saves them money or because it affords a measure of management flexibility often not possible with packaged varieties, he says.
Therein lies the problem, Goodman says. The phenomenal success and growth of packaged seed, he fears, ultimately will crowd out what remains of conventional seed, bringing an end to many once common cotton practices.
One long-standing practice, for example, is brown bagging or holding back seed saved from the previous year's crop for cleaning, bagging and replanting - a practice that not only was permitted but safeguarded by the Plant Variety Protection Act passed in 1970.
Yet, that practice is being undermined by a new interpretation of the law that allows seed companies to patent their varieties — a practice that prohibits the brownbagging of seed.
“What this means is that farmers who are currently brownbagging cotton seed — saving their seed and having it cleaned, delinted and repackaged for planting next year — are pretty much going to be out of luck when all the seed varieties are patented,” Goodman says.
While conceding that seed companies have every right to protect what they have developed through patenting, especially transgenic varieties, he worries about the effect this will have on the minority of farmers who simply choose not to plant treated seed.
“There is a real challenge here. What's going to become of farmers who just don't want to buy into packaged seed? Don't we, those of us involved in the public sector, have an obligation to provide them with the chance to buy conventional seed through some other avenue?”
Goodman believes the answer to that question is yes. But this raises yet another question: How? Will the benefits associated with treated seed completely overshadow and ultimately eliminate conventional seed as an option in a few more years?
One thing is for sure, he says: For the land-grant university plant breeders who conceivably could fill this void, the challenges will become harder with each passing year.
“Any good plant breeder will tell you that his or her profession is as much an art as a science. So, who knows? Maybe some variety developed by one of these scientists will make it feasible for that small minority of growers who want to keep using conventional seed. But the odds are against it,” Goodman says.
Because of the onward march of technology, plant breeders have a tremendous handicap in their race with seed companies to develop new varieties, Goodman says.
“Not only must they beat the varieties that are already out there. They've also got to beat those that are under development five years in the future by major seed companies.
“You could be given a five-year start on these companies and still fail unless you're very lucky.”
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Welcome to Fort Zeller, located in Newmanstown, Pennsylvania
Fort Zeller was built in 1745 by Heinrich Zeller
Zeller's Fort is one of the few and rare remaining examples of Germanic Architecture in the Western Hemisphere and is also Pennsylvania's oldest existing fort. Pioneers who came to the Tulpehocken from the Schoharie valley built it in 1723 and rebuilt it in 1745. It was used as a place of refuge during Indian Wars.
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STUDIO CITY (CBS) — Spice up your holiday party with some Christmas Trivia!
Thomas Quinn stopped by the KCAL 9 studios Monday to share some little know facts about the holiday season.
Quinn is a writer for print and television, a documentary producer / director, and an author.
WHERE DID RUDOLPH COME FROM? Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer was invented by an ad copywriter for Montgomery Ward.
HOW DID THE TRADITION OF CHRISTMAS TREE AND ORNAMENTS START? The Christmas tree is a pagan symbol for life enduring the winter. Christmas tree ornaments were originally apples, emblematic of the Garden of Eden.
DOES SANTA CLAUS HAVE ANY RELIGIOUS SIGNIFICANCE? Yes! St. Nicholas was a fourth century bishop with a reputation for gift-giving, but he wasn’t even Catholic and St. Nicholas’ Day was December 6th.
WHY DO WE CALL IT CHRISTMAS? Christians got tired to seeing pagans have all the fun at Winter Solstice, so they celebrated the event with a church mass. “Christ’s mass.” Christmas. o Every culture has a major celebration at the Winter Solstice. o The Romans celebrated Saturnalia (basically one big party) which was later turned into Christmas when the Empire became officially Christian.
WHEN WAS CHRISTMAS FIRST CELEBRATED IN THE U.S.? Christmas as we know it today (cards, carols, gift shopping, Santa down the chimney, evergreen trees, eight reindeer) is less than 200 years old. It was established by the Victorians. o Until the Civil War, Americans paid little attention to Christmas. o Congress even met on Christmas Day for the first few decades after the Revolution. o The painting of George Washington kneeling in prayer in the snow on Christmas Eve is an urban legend. o Observing Christmas was actually banned in many towns in colonial America.
WHAT DAY WAS JESUS BORN? Sounds obvious right? Wrong! Jesus was not born on December 25th: o Nothing in the Bible supports the idea of December 25th as Jesus’ birthday. Medieval scholars thought he was born on March 25th. o December 25th is a birthday borrowed from another beloved religious figure from ancient Rome-Mithras, the sun god.
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Map view basics
Tutorial transcript 8Welcome to the TableBuilder Tutorial Series: Module 8 - Map View basics. In this module, I'll show you how to create a map of your data, how to use the interactive tools, how to change the map areas, how to download a map and run you through some of other map functions. To complete this module, you'll need to log into TableBuilder and either create a new table or select a saved table.
In this example, I've created a table that shows the number of people in each Commonwealth Electoral Division in Australia.
We will now map the data from the Table View screen. To map the data, simply select the “Map View” tab. Your map is now being processed. You will be able to see it being drawn on screen on the right of the screen. The map of Australia has been drawn with Electoral Division boundaries and each area coloured with one of the 5 colours available from the palette. The map has finished drawing when you see the green dot in the box immediately above the map.
You can do several things with our map. You can zoom in by using the mouse, or the “zoom in” (button with upward pointing triangle) or “zoom out” (button with downward pointing triangle) buttons on the left of the map.
We can change the palette using the ‘Palette’ drop down box in the control panel on the left of the screen. Options available include LightGreen-Grey, DarkBlue-Grey, and LightBlue-Grey etc.
You can change the opacity of your map using the “Thematic Opacity” slider in the control panel. Moving the slider toward the right makes the colour less transparent. Moving the slider towards the left makes the colour more transparent.
You can also change the data classifier using the “Data Classifier” drop down box in the control panel on the left of the screen. Options available include Natural Breaks, Equal Distribution, Quantile and Custom Ranges.
When you click on any particular area on the map, it will show you the data for that area. In this example, clicking on the area in Northern Territory, the pop up dialogue states there are 101305 Persons Place of Usual Residence in Lingiari Commonwealth Electoral Division. In another example, selecting an area from Queensland, it tells you the data for the Kennedy Commonwealth Electoral Division (144526 Persons Place of Usual Residence). Select the cross button at the top right hand corner of the pop up will close the dialogue box.
You can also toggle between a street map and an aerial map by using the map option drop down box at the top right corner of the map.
To add or remove areas from your map, you can use the tools at the top left corner of the map. These include ‘Single’, ‘Freehand’ and ‘Rectangle’.
In this example, we have selected the 'Single' button. The map is now completely coloured in yellow and the tool tip appeared states “Click to add or remove a region”. Use your mouse to point to an area on the map and click. Your area will be removed. To put it back, simply click in the areas that you have removed.
If you want to remove or add multiple areas to the map, you can use either the Freehand or rectangular selection by using the ‘Freehand’ button or ‘Rectangle’ button.
We will use the freehand tool. Now click somewhere on the map and draw a shape around the area you would like to remove. Tool tip states “Press down to start and let go to finish”. Click and hold to start drawing, drag to draw the area to be removed, and then release to finalise. An oblique shape with red boundary has been drawn with enclosed area coloured in a darker shade than the original colour. All these areas have now been removed. To add them, or a selection of them, back, simply click and drag a shape again.
If we zoom into our map by clicking on an area as centre, you might want to remove a batch of Commonwealth Electoral Divisions in New South Wales and Victoria and maybe take a couple more out from Queensland. Click and hold to start drawing, drag to draw the area to be removed, and then release to finalise. Then click the “Apply Changes” button.
By applying changes to the map, you are also changing your table. Simply click the “Table View” button. You will notice the table has now removed several Commonwealth Electoral Divisions.
If you go back to the “Map View” tab by clicking the “Map View” link, we can now check our map and download or save it for later use. You can download your map in either PDF or KMZ format using the Download drop down box at the top right corner. For this example, we’re going to download our map as a PDF and simply click the 'Go' button.
Select ‘Open’ button in the “File Download” dialogue box. That is our downloaded PDF map opened up in Adobe Reader. You can either print this or save it for later use.
That ends this Module - Map View basics.
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The most authoritative recent analysis of community college year-round enrollment (as opposed to fall enrollment only) is from 2012–2013. The analysis indicates that in 2012–2013, 10.1 million undergraduates were enrolled in public two-year colleges (NCES, Digest of Education Statistics 2014, Table 308.10).
According to AACC, in fall 2014, approximately 7.3 million undergraduate students were enrolled in community colleges (defined as regionally accredited and primarily associate degree–granting). Approximately 2.8 million students were enrolled full-time, and approximately 4.5 million students were enrolled part-time. AACC estimates that an additional 5 million noncredit students were enrolled in community colleges in fall 2014 (AACC, 2016 [analysis of IPEDS Fall 2014 Enrollment Survey data]).
In fall 2014, 42 percent of all undergraduate students attended community colleges. Of full-time undergraduates, 25 percent attended community colleges (College Board, Trends in Community Colleges, 2016).
Among all students who completed a degree at a four-year college in 2013–14, 46 percent had enrolled at a two-year college in the previous 10 years. Of those, more than one fifth were enrolled for only one term, but 47 percent had been enrolled for five or more terms (National Student Clearinghouse Research Center, 2015).
An analysis of Education Longitudinal Study (ELS: 2002-06) data shows that 44 percent of low-income students (those with family incomes of less than $25,000 per year) attend community colleges as their first college after high school. In contrast, only 15 percent of high-income students enroll in community colleges initially. Similarly, 38 percent of students whose parents did not graduate from college choose community colleges as their first institution, compared with 20 percent of students whose parents graduated from college.
The same analysis found that 50 percent of Hispanic students start at a community college, along with 31 percent of African American students. In comparison, 28 percent of white students begin at community colleges.
In Fall 2014, 56 percent of Hispanic undergraduates were enrolled at community colleges, while 44 percent of black students and 39 percent of white students were at community colleges. The overall number was 42 percent. (College Board, Trends in Community Colleges, 2016)
According to a nationally representative survey of first-time college students in 2003–04, among first-time college students with family incomes of $32,000 or less, 57 percent started at a two-year or less-than-two-year college rather than at a four-year institution (Berkner & Choy, 2008).
The National Center for Education Statistics collects information on family income for independent community college students and students dependent on their parents. The table below shows the percentage of students overall, dependent students, and independent students who fall into each income category (NPSAS 2011-12).
|Less than $20,000||36%||19%||48%|
|$50,000 and up||33%||52%||21%|
Approximately 1 percent of associate-degree enrollees and 6 percent of certificate enrollees at community colleges do not have any high school credential (diploma or GED). Nineteen percent of certificate enrollees have a GED or other equivalency instead of a high school diploma, as do about 10 percent of associate-degree enrollees and 2 percent of enrollees at four-year institutions (Judith Scott-Clayton, CCRC Senior Research Associate, personal communication based on data from the National Center for Education Statistics Beginning Postsecondary Students: 2009 study, computation by NCES QuickStats).
National data on term-to-term persistence are scant, but two CCRC studies of community college students in Virginia and Washington found that a quarter of students who enroll in the fall semester do not return in the spring. Of those who do enroll in the spring, one fifth do not return for the subsequent fall semester (Jaggars & Xu, 2010; Jaggars & Xu, 2011).
Of first-time college students who enrolled in a community college in the fall of 2009, 38.1 percent earned a credential from a two- or four-year institution within six years (National Student Clearinghouse Research Center, Shapiro & Dundar, 2015).
15.1 percent of students who started at community colleges in 2009 completed a degree at a four-year institution within six years. 59.6 percent of these bachelor's degree earners (or 9 percent of the total cohort) did not obtain a two-year degree before transferring (National Student Clearinghouse Research Center, Shapiro & Dundar, 2015).
Because the graduation rate used for federal accountability purposes only includes completions that occur at the starting institution, they do not account for this type of outcome. Community colleges therefore do not receive credit for many students who go on to complete a four-year degree (Shapiro et al., 2012).
The most recent national data indicate that 14 percent of dependent students with family income in the lowest income quartile (less than $30,000) who started at a public two-year college in 2003–04 completed an associate degree by 2009. An additional 6 percent earned a certificate, and 13 percent earned a bachelor's degree.
Among students in the second lowest income quartile ($30,000-$64,999) who started at a public two-year college in 2003–04, 18 percent completed an associate degree by 2009. An additional 7 percent earned a certificate, and 16 percent earned a bachelor's degree. (College Board, Trends in Community Colleges, April 2016)
Federal BPS (Beginning Postsecondary Students) data from 2009 indicate that 68 percent of students beginning at public two-year colleges in 2003–2004 took one or more remedial courses in the six years after their initial entry. Between 2003-04 and 2011-12, the percentage taking a remedial course in their first year increased from about 30 percent to almost 35 percent. That followed an increase between 1995–96 and 2003–04 from about 25 percent to 30 percent (NCES QuickStats).
A CCRC study of more than 250,000 students at 57 community colleges in the Achieving the Dream initiative found that 59 percent of entering students were referred to developmental math and 33 percent were referred to developmental reading (Bailey, Jeong, & Cho, 2010).
Another study using national data found that 58 percent of recent high school graduates who entered community colleges took at least one developmental course. Only about one quarter of these students (28 percent) went on to earn any degree or certificate within 8.5 years (Attewell, Lavin, Domina, & Levey, 2006).
A number of recent studies on remediation have found mixed or negative results for students who enroll in remedial courses. Bettinger and Long (2005, 2009) found positive effects of math remediation for younger students. Calcagno and Long (2008) and Martorell and McFarlin (2009), however, used a broader sample of students and found no impact on most outcomes (including degree completion), with small mixed positive and negative effects on other outcomes (for an overview, see Jaggars & Stacey, 2014).
Based on the 2011 National Center for Education Statistics Digest of Education Statistics, CCRC researchers estimate the annual cost of college-level remediation at community colleges to be nearly $4 billion (Scott-Clayton & Rodriguez, 2012) and the annual cost of remediation at all colleges to be nearly $7 billion (Scott-Clayton, Crosta, & Belfield, 2012).
A CCRC study of 57 community colleges participating in the Achieving the Dream initiative found that only 33 percent of students referred to developmental math and 46 percent of students referred to developmental reading go on to complete the entire developmental sequence (Bailey, Jeong, & Cho, 2010).
Developmental completion rates vary according to remedial level. Only 17 percent of students referred to the lowest level of developmental math complete the sequence; 45 percent of those referred to the highest level complete the sequence (Bailey, Jeong, & Cho, 2010).
A CCRC study of 250,000 community college students found that only 20 percent of students referred to developmental math and 37 percent of students referred to developmental reading go on to pass the relevant entry-level or "gatekeeper" college course (Bailey, Jeong, & Cho, 2010).
CCRC researchers found that students who ignored a remedial placement and enrolled directly in a college-level course had slightly lower success rates than those who placed directly into college-level courses but substantially higher success rates than those who complied with their remedial placement. This may be because relatively few students who entered remediation ever went on to attempt the college-level course (Bailey, Jeong, & Cho, 2010).
CCRC’s study of a statewide community college system found that about half of developmental English students and one third of developmental math students enroll in gatekeeper courses. Among college-ready students, around four fifths enroll in gatekeeper writing and reading, and three fourths enroll in gatekeeper math.
Once enrolled, the pass rates for college-ready and developmental students—regardless of their remedial level, or whether they took or skipped their remedial requirements—are very similar, hovering around 75 percent. Nevertheless, because overall gatekeeper enrollment rates are low (62 percent for English and 36 percent for math), less than half of all students in the college system pass gatekeeper English, and just over a quarter pass gatekeeper algebra (Jenkins, Jaggars, & Roksa, 2009).
A 2006 study using data from the National Educational Longitudinal Study (NELS:88) found that among students who take at least one remedial course, 28 percent go on to complete a college credential within 8.5 years (Attewell, Lavin, Domina, & Levey, 2006).
Ninety-two percent of two-year institutions use scores on assessment tests for placement into remedial education (Hughes & Scott-Clayton, 2011).
Two college placement exams dominate the market. The ACCUPLACER, developed by the College Board, is used at 62 percent of community colleges, and the COMPASS, developed by ACT, Inc., is used at 46 percent (Primary Research Group, 2008). Some colleges use both ACCUPLACER and COMPASS exams (Hughes & Scott-Clayton, 2011).
ACT announced in 2015 that it is phasing out the COMPASS exam. (Inside Higher Ed, June 18, 2015)
One CCRC study of a statewide community college system found that the ACCUPLACER severely misplaces 33 percent of entering community college students. In other words, based on their ACCUPLACER scores, one third of entering students were either "overplaced" in college-level courses and failed or "underplaced" in remedial courses when they could have gotten a B or better in a college-level course. Using students' high school GPA instead of placement testing to make placement decisions was predicted to cut severe placement error rates in half (to 17 percent) (Belfield & Crosta, 2012).
The same study found that the COMPASS severely misplaces 27 percent of entering community college students. Using students' GPA to make placement decisions could have reduced severe placement error rates by more than half (to 12 percent) (Belfield & Crosta, 2012).
A CCRC study of a large urban system found that the COMPASS severely misplaced 33 percent of entering students into English and 24 percent of entering students into math. More than one third of all tested students who placed into remedial English were severely underplaced, and almost a quarter of all tested students who placed into remedial math were severely underplaced (Scott-Clayton, 2012).
In this system, using high school transcript information instead of test scores was predicted to lower severe placement errors by 10 to 15 percent. Using the best of either placement test scores or high school transcript information was predicted to lower the remediation rate by 8 to 11 percentage points while reducing placement errors and increasing college-level success rates (Scott-Clayton, 2012).
A wide variety of instruments are currently available that assess non-cognitive skills—a group of skills and attributes that, although difficult to define and measure, are widely acknowledged to be essential for student success. The interest in developing and measuring non-cognitive skills has spurred the growth of instruments used to assess students’ competencies in these areas (for more information, see Kafka, 2016).
Accelerated developmental education is an approach that reorganizes developmental education instruction and/or curricula in order to help students complete remediation within a shorter timeframe so they can enroll more quickly in college-level math and English.
Proponents of acceleration believe that it can mitigate two problems that tend to discourage students’ progress through developmental education and into college-level courses: multiple opportunities for exiting the developmental course sequence (which can consist of up to four pre-college courses) and poor alignment with college-level curricula (Jaggars, Edgecombe, & Stacey, 2014).
Most acceleration strategies fall into two broad approaches, course restructuring and mainstreaming.
Course restructuring models reorganize instructional time or modify the curriculum to reduce the time necessary to fulfill developmental education requirements. Compressed courses allow students to complete multiple sequential courses in one semester. Curricular redesign involves removing redundant content from the developmental sequence and modifying the remaining curriculum to align more closely with college-level requirements, allowing the removal of one or more developmental courses from the sequence. Modularized approaches accelerate students’ progress by customizing instruction (usually via online learning) so that students can focus on the competencies they need for success in a particular academic pathway.
Mainstreaming models accelerate students’ progress by placing students referred to developmental education directly into college-level courses. Mainstreaming with supplemental support involves placing students with developmental education referrals directly into introductory college-level courses and providing additional instruction through mandatory companion classes, lab sessions, or other learning supports. Basic skills integration is a form of contextualization and involves placing students directly into college-level occupational courses and that integrate relevant basic skills instruction (Edgecombe, 2011; Jaggars, Edgecombe, & Stacey, 2014).
CCRC has studied four different acceleration strategies at four different colleges and college systems across the country. In each analysis, accelerated students were compared to a matched set of students with similar placement exam scores who proceeded through a longer developmental sequence.
In all four studies, accelerated students were significantly more likely to complete college-level math or English within one and three years. Students in accelerated English developmental education accrued more college-level credits within one and three years than students in the traditional sequence. Students in accelerated math developmental education were not more likely to accrue more college-level credits (Jaggars, Edgecombe, & Stacey, 2014).
In the most recent national report from the National Center for Education Statistics, 82 percent of high schools reported that students were enrolled in dual enrollment courses, with a total of approximately 2 million enrollments.
Seventy-six percent of high schools reported that students took dual enrollment courses with an academic focus, and 46 percent reported that students took dual enrollment courses with a career or technical-vocational focus (Thomas, Marken, Gray, & Lewis, 2013).
According the to most recent report from the National Center for Education Statistics, 69 percent of high schools reported enrollments in AP or IB courses, with a total of about 3.5 million enrollments (Thomas, Marken, Gray, & Lewis, 2013).
There are no national data on the number of students taking just AP courses (as opposed to AP and IB courses), but the number of AP exam-takers increased from 1,221,016 in 2004–05 to 2,483,452 in 2014–15 (College Board, 2015).
According the most recent report from the National Center of Education Statistics, 63 percent of high schools that offer dual enrollment have established requirements that students must meet in order to enroll in dual enrollment courses (Thomas, Marken, Gray, & Lewis, 2013).
CCRC has conducted studies in Florida, New York City, and California that found that dual enrollment participation is positively related to a range of college outcomes, including college enrollment and persistence, greater credit accumulation, and higher college GPA (Hughes, Karp, & Stacey, 2012).
According to U.S. Department of Education's IPEDs data, 5.5 million students took at least one online course in 2012.
The Sloan Consortium reports a larger estimate based on its 2013 survey of online learning. According to the survey, slightly more than 7 million college students took at least one online course in fall 2012. This represents a 6.1 percent increase from fall 2011.
Since 2002, the compound annual growth rate in online course enrollment has been 16.1 percent. For comparison, over the same period, the overall higher education student body has grown at an annual rate of 2.5 percent (Allen & Seaman, 2014).
In fall 2012, the proportion of higher education students taking at least one online course was 33.5 percent. This rate was 32 percent in fall 2011, and slightly less than 10 percent in fall 2003 (Allen & Seaman, 2014).
A CCRC study of Washington State community and technical college students found that completion rates in online courses were 5.5 percentage points lower overall than those in face-to-face courses. Because online courses were more popular among better prepared students, the researchers also compared course completion rates among only those students who had ever enrolled in an online course. Among those students, the completion rate for all online courses was 8.2 percentage points lower than the completion rate for face-to-face courses; completion rates for online English and math courses were lower by 12.8 percent and 9.8 percent, respectively. Further, students who took higher proportions of online courses were slightly less likely to attain a degree or transfer to a four-year college (Jaggars, Edgecombe, & Stacey, 2013; Xu & Jaggars, 2011).
A CCRC study of Virginia Community College System students found that among all courses taken by all students, the online completion rate was 12.7 percentage points lower than the face-to-face completion rate. Among students who had taken at least one online course, online completion rates were 14.7 percentage points lower for all courses, 16.1 percentage points lower for English courses, and 18.7 percentage points lower for math courses. Among this subset of students, the completion rate for online developmental English was 22.3 percentage points lower, and the completion rate for online developmental math was 22.1 percentage points lower (Jaggars, Edgecombe, & Stacey, 2013; Xu & Jaggars, 2010).
A CCRC study found that while all community college students show a decrement in performance in fully online courses, some students show a steeper decline than others, including male students, students with lower prior GPAs, and Black students. The performance gaps that exist among these subgroups in face-to-face courses become more pronounced in fully online courses. For instance, lower performing students (< 3.02 GPA) are 2 percent more likely to drop out of face-to-face courses than higher performaning students (> 3.02 GPA). In online courses, lower performing students are 4 percent more likely to drop out. Black students overall receive a .3 point lower grade than White students in face-to-face courses (2.7 vs. 3.0 GPA). In fully online courses, they receive a .6 point lower grade (2.2 vs. 2.8) (Jaggars, Edgecombe, & Stacey, 2013; Xu & Jaggars, 2013).
In 2015–16, the average tuition and fees for a full-time student at public two-year institutions nationally were $3,435, compared with $9,410 at public four-year colleges. The average net price, however (taking into account grants and education tax benefits), was -$770, meaning that grants and tax credits and deductions covered a portion of other expenses for the average full-time community college student (College Board, 2015).
While sticker prices at community colleges have increased over the past decade (from $2,670 in 2005–06, adjusted to 2015 dollars), net prices at community colleges have actually fallen over this period due to increases in Pell Grants and education tax credits and deductions (College Board, 2015).
According to the 2011–12 National Postsecondary Student Aid Study (NPSAS), after accounting for grants (but not tax credits), nearly four in 10 (38 percent) community college students (full- and part-time) pay nothing or receive money back for attending. Nearly three in four (71 percent) pay less than $1,000, and only 9 percent pay more than $2,500 after accounting for grants (NPSAS 2011–12).
Community colleges have the lowest FAFSA (Free Application for Federal Student Aid) application rate of any sector at 61 percent. This rate nevertheless represents an increase of almost 50 percent since 2007–08. Public four-year institutions have the next lowest FAFSA application rate at 72 percent.
As a result of the increase in FAFSA applications, the rate of Pell receipt for community college students has nearly doubled in recent years, from 21 percent in 2007–08 to 38 percent in 2011–12. However, community college students are still leaving Pell Grants on the table: Even though community colleges have a much higher proportion of low-income students than other higher education sectors, their students' rate of Pell receipt is the same as at public four-years, and barely higher than the rate at private nonprofit four-years (NPSAS 2011–2012, NPSAS 2007–08).
One in three community college students have family incomes of less than $20,000, putting them near or below the poverty line. Sixty-nine percent of community college students work while in college, with 33 percent working 35 or more hours per week. Yet only 2 percent of community college students receive any Federal Work Study aid, compared with 25 percent of students at private four-year colleges (NPSAS 2011-2012).
Sampled at a point in time, 37 percent of all community college students have at least some loans, up from 30 percent in 2007–08; those that have any loans have an average of $11,771. However, both the rate of borrowing and the average amount borrowed are far lower than in other sectors. For example, 61 percent of students at public four-year institutions and 85 percent of those at for-profits borrow, with average loans of $18,339 and $19,520, respectively (NPSAS 2011–2012).
Among first-time community college students who enrolled in 2003–04 and were tracked over six years, nearly 60 percent never borrowed, and 75 percent borrowed less than $6,000 (at for-profit two-year colleges, these rates are 8 percent and 24 percent, respectively; at public four-year institutions, they are 39 percent and 50 percent). Only 2 percent of community college students (6 percent of those with federal loans) defaulted on their loans six years after entry, compared with 21 of students at for-profits (23 percent of those with federal loans) (Beginning Postsecondary Students Longitudinal Study [BPS]:04-09)
Of the 33 percent of community college students who transfer to four-year colleges, 42 percent complete a bachelor’s degree within six years. In other words, 14 percent of the entire cohort of entering community college students earns a bachelor's degree within six years (Jenkins & Fink, 2016).
Bachelor’s completion rates are higher among students who earn an associate degree or certificate before transferring. Among community college students who transfer with an associate degree, 48 percent complete a bachelor’s degree within six years of starting at a community college, compared with 35 percent of community college students who transfer without an associate degree. One study (Shapiro et al., 2013) tracked students six years after they transferred (up to 10 years total) and found that while 62 percent completed a bachelor’s degree, 72 percent of those who transferred with an associate degree earned a bachelor’s degree, compared with only 56 percent of those who transferred without first having earned an associate degree. A recent CCRC study, however, found that while there was a positive correlation nationally between community colleges' transfer-with-award rates and their transfer-out bachelor's completion rates, this association varied by state and was not significant in most states (Jenkins & Fink, 2016, endnote 17).
Bachelor’s completion varies by type of four-year institution. Of students who transfer to four-year public institutions (73 percent of all transfers), 42 percent complete a bachelor’s within six years of starting at a community college. Of students who transfer to private nonprofit four-year institutions (19 percent of all transfers), 31 percent complete a bachelor’s within six years. Of students who transfer to private for-profit four-year institutions (9 percent of all transfers), 8 percent complete a bachelor’s within six years . Additionally, among students who transfer to very selective four-year institutions (17 percent of all transfers), 58 percent complete a bachelor’s degree within six years. Of transfers to moderately selective and nonselective four-year institutions (53 percent and 27 percent of all transfers, respectively), 39 percent and 22 percent complete bachelor’s degrees within six years of starting at a community college (Jenkins & Fink, 2016).
Shapiro et al. (2013) found that transfer students who enrolled full-time were significantly more likely to attain a bachelor’s degree six years after transfer (80 percent) than students who switched between full- and part-time enrollment (55 percent) and students who enrolled exclusively part-time (25 percent).
Twenty-nine percent of first-time, degree-seeking community college students who successfully transfer to four-year colleges do so after first earning an associate degree or certificate (Jenkins & Fink, 2016).
On average, community college students earn significantly more over their lifetimes than individuals who do not go to community college. Many studies have shown higher earnings for community college awards (Belfield & Bailey, 2011).
But the exact amount varies. It depends on what subject is studied; if the student transfers to a four-year college; if the labor market is strong; and, most importantly, if the student completes community college.
Based on large-scale studies from six states, the average student who completes an associate degree at a community college will earn $5,400 more each working year than a student who drops out of community college. This estimate adjusts for factors such as the subject studied, college attended, and college GPA (Bailey & Belfield, 2015).
Vocational certificates can serve two functions for community college students: They can increase earnings directly, and they can help students get jobs.
Most research finds that having a certificate is associated with higher earnings; the effect is especially strong for certificates in health fields. In addition, certificates increase the probability that the person is employed and that the job is in an industry related to their skills (Xu & Trimble, 2015).
Tuition and fees at community colleges are approximately $4,000 per year of full-time study (NCES, Digest of Education Statistics 2013, Table 330.10). By comparison, a student who completes an associate degree will earn on average $5,400 more than a dropout each year. This gap appears within eight years of first enrollment (Bailey & Belfield, 2015). So, the earnings gains are large compared to the fees.
Plus, there are many other benefits of attending college besides having higher earnings (Belfield & Bailey, 2011).
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For courses in Criminology, Sociology of Crime, Crime and Criminal Justice, or any course focusing on sociological influences on crime. This book provides a sociological perspective on crime and criminal justice by treating social structure and social inequality as central themes in the study of crime-and major factors in society's treatment of criminals. It gives explicit attention to key sociological concepts such as poverty, gender, race, and ethnicity, and demonstrates their influence on crime. An accessible writing style allows students to reach their own informed judgements about why crime occurs and how society can best address this problem.
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Rent Criminology 2nd edition today, or search our site for other textbooks by Steven E. Barkan. Every textbook comes with a 21-day "Any Reason" guarantee. Published by Prentice Hall.
Need help ASAP? We have you covered with 24/7 instant online tutoring. Connect with one of our Criminology tutors now.
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Threats to any early literacy programs have a way of arousing passions. After the Nova Scotia government of Darrell Dexter announced in early February 2011 that it was “phasing-out” Reading Recovery, the immediate response was predictable. Parents of early elementary age children were panicked, early years teachers were up in arms and , before long, a “Save Reading Recovery” Facebook group rallied in its defense. Then on March 9, 2011 dozens of parents and teachers descended upon the Nova Scotia House of Assembly to make their personal pleas with heart-rending stories and a few tears. http://thechronicleherald.ca/Front/9020121.html
Passionate supporters of Reading Recovery were desperate to save the embattled literacy program for Grade 1 pupils. Many assumed that killing RR meant a further decimation of both literacy programming and special education services. Since the promised alternative was described in only the vaguest terms, they feared the worst. Few educators, let alone the general public, had any inkling that Reading Recovery was a problematic program, according to a mounting number of research studies. Fewer still knew that both its cost and effectiveness had been called into question.
Reading Recovery (RR) is a hardy plant in the garden of elementary education. Since being developed by Marie Clay in New Zealand in 1985, it has attracted a loyal following as a means of responding to the alarmingly high incidence of reading failure in early elementary grades. It actually emerged out of the “Reading Wars” as a kind of antidote to the rise of phonics (the “sound-out -letters” method ) While critics of Whole Language (WL) (“see and say” methods) campaigned for the restoration of systematic phonics, Reading Recovery programs popped up all over North America as a “band aid” for what ailed WL-based literacy programs.
The RR program was seized by Education Departments and boards as the latest panacea. By 2000, RR had spread to 10,000 American Grade 1 classrooms and had made inroads in Ontario as well as Nova Scotia. Over a 15 year period, Nova Scotia poured millions into RR, training some 600 teachers and running 33,000 kids through the 12-week, intensive, one-on-one program.
Thousands of parents in the 1990s were “hooked on phonics,” but school boards found their salvation in Reading Recovery. “These days,” Ramesh Ponnaru wrote in the OQE Newsletter (March 2000), ” it’s rare to find a school that does not claim to teach phonics, but whole language programs like Reading Recovery remain prevalent.” Simply stated, RR filled the need for a “balanced” program where phonics was “embedded in the context of a total reading/language program.”
Overzealous promoters of Reading Recovery contend that it works miracles with struggling readers. It focuses only on 6-year-old children who show signs of reading difficulty and score in the bottom 20 percentile in reading. Pupils selected for RR are provided with 30 to 40 minutes of daily one-on-one “pull-out” instruction for at least 12 consecutive weeks. The one-to-one delivery model and the use of regular “on-grid” teachers make it exceedingly expensive to run.
Reading Recovery does have a fiercely loyal following, but independent educational research has shown that it is not good value for money. Not only does it serve only a few students (and those are Grade 1 students) per year in a school, but for the same or less cost a school could offer a variety of more empirically validated, effective interventions for groups of children at several grade levels.
With Reading Recovery, what do school boards get for their money? The best validated research says not enough in terms of improved reading skills to warrant the expense, compared to other early reading programs and interventions. One leading authority, Dr. Melissa Farrall, reviewed the literature and conclude that it fell short on five different counts. She cited research studies identifying high program withdrawal rates, challenging the company’s success rate indices, and analyzing the negligible effects on demand for special education language services. “Independent research, ” she stated bluntly,” does not validate Reading Recovery’s claims of success.” http://www.wrightslaw.com/info/read.rr.research.farrall.htm
Struggling readers cry out for support and should be an educational priority for schools. So if Reading Recovery is not the answer, what is?
School districts in Britain, California, and even New Zealand have demonstrated the success of systematic phonics. One school, Elmhurst Primary in Newington, UK, a low SES area, has had amazing success with such an program for all Grade 1 students. They actually found they no longer had a need for Reading Recovery after implementing a structured and systematic reading program. http://www.teachers.tv/videos/applying-a-systematic-phonics-scheme.
The stakes are high for kids when it comes to learning to read. What explains the remarkable spread of Reading Recovery in school boards across North America? Why has Reading Recovery survived, in spite of the independent, validated research findings? If it is overly expensive and of dubious merit, why do parents cling so passionately to the program? To what extent does the fixation start in faculties of education where novice teachers continue to be socialized to believe in Whole Language and its methods?
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Michigan-based photographer Vincent Brady uses an elaborate 4-camera rig and lots of software to capture what he calls Planetary Panoramas. These are somewhat similar to the tiny planet videos we’ve seen the last few months, but the results are quite a bit more dramatic. He shares about his technique:
While experimenting with different photography tricks and techniques back in 2012, I was shooting 360 degree panoramas in the daytime and long exposures of the stars streaking in the sky at night. It suddenly became clear that the potential to combine the two techniques could be a trip! Since the Earth is rotating at a steady 1,040 mph I created a custom rig of 4 cameras with fisheye lenses to capture the entire night-sky in motion. Thus the images show the stars rotating around the north star as well as the effect of the southern pole as well and a 360 degree panorama of the scene on Earth. Each camera is doing nonstop long exposures, typically about 1 minute consecutively for the life of the camera battery. Usually about 3 hours. I then made a script to stitch all the thousands of these panoramas into this time-lapse.
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|Introduction to Sociology|
|INTRO TO SOC|
|CLASS CODE:||SOC 111H||CREDITS: 3|
|DIVISION:||EDUCATION & HUMAN DEVELOPMENT|
|DEPARTMENT:||SOCIOLOGY AND SOCIAL WORK|
|GENERAL EDUCATION:||This course fulfills a General Education - Social Science requirement.|
|DESCRIPTION:||This course focuses on the social and cultural foundations of human life. Its basic concepts enable the students to appreciate the degree to which they and others are molded and shaped by society, and to understand the complexity of the social forces in their environment.|
|CONTENT AND TOPICS:||This course focuses on the social and cultural foundations of human life. It's basic concepts enable the student to appreciate the degree to which he/she and others are molded and shaped by society and to understand the complexity of the social forces in the environment.
|GOALS AND OBJECTIVES:||Learn sociological theory - the field of Sociology.
Become familiar with sociological terms and concepts.
Become acquainted with the social/cultural forces that mold individuals within society.
To gain a desire to study "society" more critically, and see how you are affected by the society in which you live.
|REQUIREMENTS:||There will be exams, quizzes and an 8-10 page paper on sociological theory will be required. A reading list will be provided with references from which you can extract information about theories to write on. You will be expected to briefly state the theoretical premise(e.g. explain the theroy) and then use an example to apply the theory. The paper should have a cover page, be concise and readable, be appropriately documented and show you understand the theory. The paper will require out of class reading time in addition to your text material. There may also be some (brief) homework-type discussion papers due on particular chapters. These papers will be used to participate in class discussion and to emphasize terms or concepts covered in class. These will be pass/fail in nature. Attendance: Please plan on being here for class discussions and participation. These variables (attendance, discussion, participation) will be part of the grade you earn for the course.|
|PREREQUISITES:||You must have a 3.5 or higher accumulative GPA to take an Honor's course.|
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Financial crises of all colours (banking, currency, inflation, or debt crises) leave deep marks on an economy. Deep economic contractions, both in output and employment, are systematic in the interim and in the aftermath of financial crises, as thoroughly documented in research by Reinhart and Rogoff (2009) and Reinhart and Reinhart (2010).
Sustained waves of volatility, often resulting in secondary crises (e.g. debt crises following banking crashes), are almost the norm in the post-crisis period (Reinhart and Rogoff 2011).
What exactly occurs in the aftermath of financial crises that makes recovering from such shocks so hard? This column argues that the answer may lie mostly with the politics, not the economics.
Let us start with some stylised facts. One thing that happens with some regularity, but seems not to have been systematically documented, is an association of financial crises with economic polarisation.
- The World Bank (1999) reports increases in income inequality in 15 out of 20 crisis episodes of Latin American countries.
- Klein and Shabbir (2007) report a 4% increase in Gini from 1996 to 1998 in the wake of the 1997 Asian Crisis.
- South Korea experienced a 5% increase in income inequality over the same period.
Although the relationship between higher inequality and persistent contractions is not conceptually straightforward, the evidence is consistent with the view of a financial crisis damaging certain constituencies in society more than others.
As an example we can look at the Federal Reserve US flow of funds data in Figure 1. One can notice the disparity of how the value of real estate assets, mostly held by middle- and low-income indebted households, is still far from having recovered to pre-crisis levels, while financial assets, mostly held by the wealthy, have already bounced back. Some may be hit harder than others in a financial crisis, and this is a consequential phenomenon.
Figure 1. Real estate and financial asset values over time
Individual impacts and policy reform attitudes
Individuals differentially affected will probably support different policy responses to the crisis. Agreement on unified reactions to the negative financial shock may become harder to achieve or nonexistent. This may stall potentially beneficial macro-financial reform, which could speed up the recovery. Wars of attrition preventing useful policy intervention are not new to the economic literature (Alesian and Drazen 1991, Drazen and Grilli 1993 or, for empirical evidence, Alesina et al. 2006) or to anybody having witnessed the behaviour of the US Congress legislating on the public debt ceiling. Their detrimental effects are also well understood.
A systematic analysis of ‘politics after the crisis’ fits this logic. In Mian et al. (2012) we show that not only economic, but political polarisation systematically increases around financial crises in a large sample of countries. Voters become more ideologically polarised in the aftermath of banking, debt, or inflation crises. Government coalitions become weaker in terms of both vote shares and seat shares. Opposition coalitions become larger. Party fragmentation increases across the board. Just as illustration, consider Figure 2, which traces an ideal distribution of voters’ ideological positions before and after banking crises, as averaged in the Reinhart and Rogoff (2011) sample of countries.
Figure 2. Voter ideology around banking crises
Notes: All 70 Reinhart and Rogoff (2011) countries. All Crises 1975-2010. Pre-Crisis Sample: 5 years before first year of crisis. Post-Crisis Sample: 5 years after last year of crisis. Self Positioning in Political Scale, World Values Survey 1981-2008 Official Aggregate (e033, 2009).
As one would expect, the population is mostly comprised of moderates, with fewer left-wing and right-wing extremists. However, after the crisis hits, the moderate middle sinks and the extremes rise. This is reminiscent of the rise of the Tea Party on the right and of Occupy Wall Street on the left in the post-Great Recession US. In Figure 3, you can further follow the support for the government coalition tanking after the crisis. Notice that we are not necessarily talking about the same government who led the country into the financial crisis. This is any government in charge in the aftermath of the crisis.
Figure 3. Support for the government around crises
Notes: All 70 Reinhart and Rogoff (2011) Countries. All Crises 1975-2010. Pre-Crisis Sample: 5 years before first year of crisis. Post-Crisis Sample: 5 years after last year of crisis. Government share from Database of Political Institutions (World Bank, 2010).
It is sufficient to turn to political-science research to understand what all this implies. McCarthy et al. (2006) have carefully documented relationships between inequality and political polarisation trends in the US, as well as between polarisation and legislative stalemate. Political gridlock and lack of reform are natural outcomes of polarisation. Gridlock delays reform and possibly makes recovery slower (explaining the long recessions and sluggish recoveries). The failure of the US Congressional Supercommittee on deficit reduction is the norm, not the exception. Crises are occasionally thought of as critical junctures where macroeconomic reform unlocks by shattering entrenched conditions (Drazen and Easterly 2001). The opposite seems true.
The list of potential negative implication does not stop here though.
- Gridlock brings selective intervention. In the aftermath of a financial crisis, any type of reform, including bailouts, faces a higher bar for passage. Unfortunately, if a reform overcomes political gridlock, it may well be not because of efficiency or merit, but because of strong political organisation by its constituency (Olson 1965). Is it surprising that concentrated special interests (such as large US banks, see Johnson and Kwak 2010) got a sizeable bailout through TARP, while diffused special interests (such as mortgage debtors) did not? This selective intervention may then feed back into further increasing economic and political polarisation.
- Gridlock brings political uncertainty. Markets for sovereign debt do not seem particularly appreciative of governments engaging in stalemate or political bickering at the time a country needs decisive intervention the most. Recent credit rating downgrades of US or European debt fit this interpretation. Debt crises following other financial crises may be a natural outcome of the post-crisis political constraints.
- In the same way that financial crises appear to polarise constituencies at the national level, it is not hard to envision polarisation at the international level playing an important role. The EU is experiencing the painful drifting apart of creditor countries, like Germany, and debtor countries, like Greece and Italy.
In conclusion, to those of us interested in efficient policy response in the aftermath of financial crises, understanding the logic of political constraints may be useful. The chances are that a country will not achieve reform precisely when it needs it the most. Any model of post-crisis macro intervention that leaves this political feature aside forgoes an important dimension.
Alesina, A. and A. Drazen (1991), “Why Are Stabilizations Delayed?” American Economic Review, 81: 1170-88
Alesina, A., S. Ardagna, and F. Trebbi (2006), “Who Adjusts and When? On the Political Economy of Reforms,” IMF Staff Papers, 53, 1-29.
Drazen, A. and V. Grilli (1993), “The benefits of crisis for economic reform,” American Economic Review 83(3), 598—607.
Drazen, A. and W. Easterly (2001), “Do Crises Induce Reform? Simple Empirical Tests of Conventional Wisdom,” Economics and Politics, 13:2, 129-158.
Johnson, S. and J. Kwak (2010), 13 Bankers: The Wall Street Takeover and the Next Financial Meltdown. Pantheon Books NY.
Klein Lawrence R., Tayyeb Shabbir (2007), Recent Financial Crises: Analysis, Challenges and Implications. Edward Elgar Publishing Inc. MA.
McCarty N., K. T. Poole, and H. Rosenthal (2006), Polarized America: The Dance of Political Ideology and Unequal Riches, MIT Press.
Mian, A. R., A. Sufi, and F. Trebbi (2012), " Resolving Debt Overhang: Political Constraints in the Aftermath of Financial Crises” NBER Working Paper 16334.
Olson, M. (1965), The Logic of Collective Action. Harvard University Press.
Reinhart, C. M. and V. Reinhart (2010),"After the Fall", NBER WP 17831.
Reinhart, C. M. and K. Rogoff (2009), "The Aftermath of Financial Crises" American Economic Review P&P, 99, 466-472.
Reinhart, C. M. and K. Rogoff (2011), "From Financial Crash to Debt Crisis" American Economic Review, 101, 1676-1706
World Bank (1999), Global Economic Prospects and the Developing Countries 1998/1999. Washington DC: World Bank.
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Major Public Lands
Delaware and Raritan Canal State Park — Lower Delaware
The "D and R" had its origins in the 19th century canal system that transported coal and household goods from towns near the Delaware and Raritan rivers in central New Jersey. Along the Delaware the canal and towpath began at Bulls Island, continuing south through Trenton, the state capital, and ending at Bordentown. Next to the Delaware, the park continues for over 22 miles, but its towpath and canal are disrupted in and around Trenton. The park is a National Historic District and the towpath is a National Recreational Trail.
Today the canal is a source of drinking water for central New Jersey, and the towpath is maintained with a stone-dust surface, making it suitable for bicycles, walking, and wheelchairs. The park also includes several islands in the Delaware River and Bulls Island Recreation Area which includes a natural area, river access, camping, and foot bridge over the Delaware River to Lumberville, PA and Delaware Canal State Park. There are several access sites to the Delaware River along its length.
Park Uses: hiking, bicycling, cross-country skiing, camping, nature education, canoeing, kayaking
Bulls Island Recreation Area
2185 Daniel Bray Highway, Stockton, NJ 08559
Web page: www.state.nj.us/dep/parksandforests/parks/drcanal.html
Delaware Canal State Park — Lower Delaware
The 60 mile long park in the Lower Delaware River segment follows the towpath and canal from Easton to Bristol; for the most part, it is as wide as the right-of-way of the canal, but also includes natural areas such as The Giving Pond and several islands in the Delaware River.
When completed in 1832, the Delaware Canal connected with the Lehigh Navigation System at Easton and helped to develop the anthracite coal industry in the Upper Lehigh Valley. The canal provided a convenient and economical means of transporting coal to Philadelphia, New York, and the eastern seaboard. Recognized for its importance to the country's economic development, the park is part of the Delaware & Lehigh National Heritage Corridor. The canal is a Registered National Historic Landmark and its towpath is a National Recreation Trail.
Today, it serves as a connector for Pennsylvania River Towns and its towpath is a recreational trail. There are several access sites to the Delaware River along its length. The towpath has suffered much destruction in some areas due to flooding and reconstruction is on-going. Check with the park to determine which sections are open.
Park uses: nature education, fishing, canoeing, kayaking, hiking, bicycling.
Delaware Canal State Park
11 Lodi Hill Road, Upper Black Eddy, PA 18972-9540
Delaware Water Gap National Recreation Area — Middle Delaware
Located in both New Jersey and Pennsylvania, the park preserves over 70,000 acres of land along the Middle Delaware River. The park was originally conceived as part of a plan to build a dam on the River at Tocks Island and create a 37 mile lake in the center of the present park for use as a reservoir. Because of environmental opposition, dwindling funds, and an unacceptable geological assessment, the property was transferred to the National Park Service, and the section of the Delaware River running through it designated to the National Wild and Scenic Rivers System.
Today, the park is one of the most popular facilities of the National Park System, with visitors coming to see the mountains, waterfalls, natural resources and historic villages. A segment of the Appalachian Trail crosses from Pennsylvania to New Jersey. There are several viewing areas where visitors can see the actual water gap, with the Delaware between Mount Minsi in Pennsylvania and Mount Tammany in New Jersey.
Park uses: canoe/kayaking, swimming, hiking, bicycling, camping, picnicking, cross-country sking, horseback riding, fishing, and hunting.
Delaware Water Gap National Recreation Area
HQ River Rd off Route 209, Bushkill, PA 18324
Telephone: Visitor Centers in season 570-828-2253 or 908-496-4458;
other times of the year: 570-426-2451
Web site: www.nps.gov/dewa
Washington Crossing Historic Park — Lower Delaware
Most people are familiar with the picture of Washington crossing the icy Delaware River on Christmas Day in 1776. From this location in Pennsylvania, Washington was able to make his famous attack on the Hessions camped on the New Jersey side in Trenton and went on to further victories in New Jersey.
Today, Washington Crossing Historic Park preserves and interprets the site at which Washington planned and executed his crossing of the Delaware River. Many structures of that era are open to the public. A visitor's center is under renovation. The park is noted for sponsoring an annual reenactment of Washington crossing the Delaware on December 25. Also located in the park boundaries are Bowman's Hill Tower and Wildflower Preserve. There is no official access to the Delaware River.
Park uses: historic and nature education, walking, picnicking
Washington Crossing Historic Park
Washington Crossing, PA 18977
Web site: www.ushistory.org/washingtoncrossing
Washington Crossing State Park — Lower Delaware
After crossing the Delaware on Christmas night, 1776, General Washington and the Continental Army landed at Johnson's Ferry, at the site now known as Washington Crossing State Park. From there they continued to Trenton where they defeated the Hessian troops in an unexpected attack. This battle was successfully followed by the Second Battle of Trenton on January 2, 1777, and the Battle of Princeton on January 3, 1777.
The Visitor Center Museum has exhibit galleries exploring the military campaign known as "The Ten Crucial Days." There are other period structures open to the public. The park is also well known for its trails, wildlife habitat, nature center, and observatory. There is access from the Delaware River in the park.
Park uses: historic and nature study, hiking, mountain biking, horseback riding, cross-country skiing, group camping, and picnicking.
Washington Crossing State Park
355 Washington Crossing-Pennington Road, Titusville, NJ 08560-1517
Web page: www.state.nj.us/dep/parksandforests/parks/washcros.html
Worthington State Forest — Middle Delaware
Worthington State Forest sits at the tip of Mount Tammany and the Appalachian Mountains. It is dominated by hemlock and mixed hardwood forests, jagged outcrops, waterfalls, and scenic vistas. The Appalachian Trail picks up after crossing the Delaware River from Pennsylvania. The park is noted for Dunnfield Creek Natural Area and Sunfish Pond, a glacial lake formed by melting ice at the top of Kittatinny Ridge. There is access to the Delaware River in the park.
Park uses: canoeing/kayaking, hiking, cross-country skiing, picnicking, camping, hunting, and fishing.
Worthington State Forest
HC 62, Box 2
Columbia, NJ 07832
Web site: www.state.nj.us/dep/parksandforests/parks/worthington.html
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THE BELLED BUZZARD
Myth, Legend, or Fact
For half a century, the belled buzzard was the object of headlines throughout the Southeastern United States and the subject of fascination, speculation and doubt. Was this scavenging bird real? News accounts always refer to "the belled buzzard" and rarely to "a belled buzzard." The question still looms, was there more than one of these creatures? And, if not, why were so many of them spotted for more than fifty years when the average buzzard lives just past the age of twenty years? Why were so many of them killed or captured? Why were they seen on succeeding days far, far away from where they were observed the day before?
First of all, let's clear up one fact. What we call a buzzard is not really a buzzard at all. The black birds we see soaring in the sky are in reality known as "turkey vultures." Now, where does the name "belled buzzard" come from? No one really knows. Apparently someone, or some ones, got the idea of tying bells around the necks of the ugly black birds.
One legend states that the bell around the buzzard's neck tolls to signal the upcoming death of a notable person.
One account of the origin of the belled buzzard goes back to the latter years of the Civil War when "a group of jolly boys" belled the bird and released it into the wild. The first reported sighting of a belled buzzard in Georgia came in the winter of 1877 when the vulture was spotted over Cartersville. Seven years later over in nearby Taylorsville, a belled buzzard caused one field hand to flee in terror as he believed the sight was an omen of a deadly tornado. Another story claimed that in 1882, the bird was a pet belonging to a farmer Freeman in Paulding County. One day, one of his children attached a sheep bell to one of its legs. When it tinkled, the bird was so afraid that it flew away. The first night into his flight, the vulture landed on the roof a sharecropper's cabin. When the inhabitants heard the ringing, they ran out to see what the matter was. Seeing the black specter and hearing its haunting ring, they fled into the darkness fearing that the end of the world was at hand.
S.R. Bishop saw it over his cornfield in May 1885. The belled creature was spotted again in Georgia in McDuffie County in the winter of 1886. A year later, it was spotted in Tunis, Texas. By the end of the 1887, the bird had returned to Georgia, where it was eating the remains of a dead dog on the Rabun Hall place near Sandersville.
Alex Johnson, of Tennessee, claimed to have shot and killed the belled buzzard in the spring of 1888. A closer look at the bird's corpse revealed a bell three inches in diameter around its neck. Scratched on the bell were the words, "C.W. Moore, Alabama 1863." However, the clapper was gone, which seemed to explain why no one had heard the ringing in several months.
But, by the fall of that year, the belled buzzard was back in flight, this time over Dawson, Georgia. Upon seeing the bird, an elderly black woman picking cotton rose to her feet, raised her hands, and exclaimed, "Oh, Lawd!" before she ran for the safety of her home. Some thought the bird scolded her for her sins as the reason she fled for shelter.
Five years elapsed before the next appearance of the vulture in the spring of 1893 in Marietta and Calhoun, Georgia. After that, the next appearance came in Valdosta in 1899. It turned out the bird was not a buzzard at all, but an eagle shot by John M. Bennett.
With a revival of published stories about the legendary bird, there was always someone who would claim credit for putting the chime on the bird in the first place. When R.C. McCallister, of Fort Gaines, Ga., purportedly captured the belled buzzard and put it on display in May 1900, H. Cobb Davis, Jesse L. Jerrell, and George T. Smith, all members of the Echols Light Artillery during the late War Between the States, claimed that they set a sapling trap and captured the bird. Not wishing to kill their prisoner, the men released it with a copper bell attached to its neck with a leather strap.
A decade passed before "The Man from Juliette" saw the bird as it was flying toward Macon. J.E. Ledford claimed to have captured the buzzard near the Marietta Camp Ground in August 1912. Ledford's claim is somewhat doubtful in that he claimed that after he captured the bird, he removed the small brass bell and then set it free. Roger Taylor and several others saw it again a year later in Monroe County. Amazingly, the bell had found its way back onto the vulture's neck. Just after Christmas, the belled bird was spotted in Tifton for a holiday gathering with a wake of buzzards.
The famous flying fowl finally made it to Laurens County in May 1914. The bird was observed flying over the farm of T.J. Blackshear near Orianna by his farm hands, who alerted friends and family. They ran outside to see the bird and the rest of its friends feeding on a rotting carcass. These witnesses claimed that the other buzzards seemed to be afraid of their belled brother. A month later, the creature was spotted in Dallas by rural mail carrier H.Y. Holland near the same spot as it had been seen twenty years prior. W.C. Brown, of Culloden, was sure he saw the big buzzard with a tinkling silver bell as it flew low over his head.
The wandering bird was spotted in Boston, Ackworth, and Rebecca during the World War I years. In the spring of 1920, the Harrodsburg W.Va. Herald published the obituary of the turkey vulture. Members of the W.H. Leach family saw the emaciated bird and were sure its condition was mortal. But somehow the resilient creature, which had been present at all of the country's wars since the War of 1812 and was known to have been more than a century old, appeared in Waycross, still at the point of imminent death.
Like the phoenix, the belled buzzard rose from death to be seen by Messers Sadler and Cain in Thomas County and a week later in nearby Colquitt County in 1922. The bird returned to Middle Georgia when Miss Wilma Lowe of Gresston, Dodge County, said, "While I was in the backyard I was attracted to the tinkling of the bell. It sounded like a cowbell, only not so loud. I soon found that it was a buzzard flying around. I could see the bell plainly and it could be heard as the buzzard circled around me."
The legendary turkey vulture was seen sporadically in Hahira, Marietta, and Comer until W.C. Birchmore, who claimed he shot the bird, which had perplexed Georgians for 44 years. He put the dead animal and its bell on display. The belled buzzard was never heard or seen again. That is until thirty months later when it walked into Atlanta's Wesley Memorial Hospital in the summer of 1927 seeking treatment for its wounds. I'm not lying. This really happened.
Newspaper stories of the belled buzzard ended in August 1933, when the Atlanta Constitution reported that the famous critter, then still a chick, was finally and truly set free by Robert Nash.
Was the belled buzzard a myth, a legend or a fact? What do you think?
P.S. On the day this column was published, I received a call from Charles Taylor who way back about 60 years ago heard the tinkling of the belled buzzard as he was walking from his school to downtown Gillisville, Georgia. Thanks Charles!
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- Historic Sites
Lincoln Takes Charge
His shrewd handling of the Radical Republican bid for power at the end of 1862 established him as the unquestioned leader of the Union
October 1960 | Volume 11, Issue 6
Lincoln, half prostrated by Fredericksburg, felt with keen anxiety the approach of the crisis. After the defeat his early news from Burnside was fragmentary and misleading: but he obtained a complete account of the disaster from the war correspondent Henry Villard, who called at the White House the evening of December 14. When official confirmation came next day, Lincoln, according to a reporter, was “awfully shaken.” He told a friend: “If there is a worse place than Hell, I am in it.” Sleepless and haggard, he knew that the Radicals would try to remake the Cabinet so as to give themselves full sway and rob him of control, or at any rate proper freedom to formulate policy.
And almost immediately, the storm broke.
On Tuesday, December 16, immediately alter the Senate adjourned in early afternoon, the Republican members met in secret caucus. As soon as the doors were shut, Senator H. B. Anthony of Rhode Island asked someone to state the purpose of the gathering. Thereupon Lyman Trumbull of Illinois, rising, set the stage for action by asking what the Senate could do to rescue the nation: and Morton S. Wilkinson of Minnesota, taking the cue, launched into an invective against Seward, saying that he had ruined the country by his halfhearted, compromising views. Other senators followed in a vehement clamor against the Secretary. Some who had supported him for the Presidency in 1860 now spoke of him with angry disillusionment. Zach Chandler, a frantic extremist, believed that he was actually a traitor; that he was plotting the dismemberment of the land. The general view was that he had obstructed a vigorous prosecution of the war, had constantly advocated a patched-up peace, and had overruled the demands of such earnest Administration members as Chase for larger armies and sterner measures.
The caucus did not hesitate to criticize Lincoln for his mildness and hesitancies. But the majority held that it was Seward who had blunted the President’s purposes. The able but rather waspish William Pitt Fessenden of Maine, a tall, angular Yankee of blunt speech, was a close friend of Chase: and in indicting Seward he made it plain that he was using information derived from Chase and Stanton. Indeed, he used a phrase about Seward’s “back-stairs influence” which came straight from Chase’s lips. Chase had also been in communication with Chandler, writing the rough-hewn Zach: “There is no Cabinet except in name. The heads of departments come together now and then—nominally twice a week; but no reports are made; no regular discussions held; no ascertained conclusions reached. Sometimes weeks pass by and no full meeting is held.” Chase had complained to others, and had written General William S. Rosecrans, commander of the Army of the Cumberland, that if he had been given a proper voice in affairs, “some serious disasters would have been avoided.”
SIDEBAR: THE BATTLE OF FREDERICKSBURG
Grimes of Iowa, who also was a close friend of Chase, spoke against Seward in the same vein as Fessenden. He believed that the nation was going to destruction as fast as imbecility and corruption could carry it. Senator Jacob Collamer of Vermont lent his voice to the attack. It must be remembered that the Senate at this time kept the special prestige which it had gained in the days of Webster and Clay, Calhoun and Benton; it regarded itself as the balance wheel of government. Nearly everyone in the caucus agreed that in so terrible a crisis, it should not keep within its tight constitutional sphere, but should intervene in executive affairs.
But how? Ben Wade of Ohio proposed that the senators go in a body to Lincoln to demand Seward’s removal. Grimes, knowing that this would offend both the President and the country, suggested that the caucus instruct Anthony to present a resolution in the Senate expressing want of confidence in Seward.
For a few minutes it seemed that the Senate and President were about to collide head-on. But Preston King of New York and others protested against Grimes’s proposal, and several members agreed with Orville H. Browning of Illinois that the best course would be to send a deputation to call on the President, learn the true state of affairs, and give him a frank statement of their opinions. The caucus broke up to sleep on the matter. When they met next day, feeling against the Administration had hardened. Several senators even wished to propose a resolution calling on the President to resign. Trumbull, like Browning the first day, warmly defended Lincoln, extolling his high character, asserting that he wished to fight the war with all his might, and declaring that only a bad Cabinet and worse generals had thwarted his purpose. The conservative Ira Harris of New York proposed a resolution for general reconstruction of the Cabinet. But to this John Sherman of Ohio objected that it sounded as if the whole body were to go: “No one wishes Mr. Chase to leave the Treasury, which he has managed so ably.” And, added Sherman, merely changing the Cabinet would not help, for the root-trouble was with Lincoln, who lacked proper dignity, orderliness, and firmness.
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