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18.104.22.168 Cryosphere Feedbacks
A number of feedbacks that significantly contribute to the global climate sensitivity are due to the cryosphere. A robust feature of the response of climate models to increases in atmospheric concentrations of greenhouse gases is the poleward retreat of terrestrial snow and sea ice, and the polar amplification of increases in lower-tropospheric temperature. At the same time, the high-latitude response to increased greenhouse gas concentrations is highly variable among climate models (e.g., Holland and Bitz, 2003) and does not show substantial convergence in the latest generation of AOGCMs (Chapman and Walsh, 2007; see also Section 11.8). The possibility of threshold behaviour also contributes to the uncertainty of how the cryosphere may evolve in future climate scenarios.
Arguably, the most important simulated feedback associated with the cryosphere is an increase in absorbed solar radiation resulting from a retreat of highly reflective snow or ice cover in a warmer climate. Since the TAR, some progress has been made in quantifying the surface albedo feedback associated with the cryosphere. Hall (2004) found that the albedo feedback was responsible for about half the high-latitude response to a doubling of atmospheric CO2. However, an analysis of long control simulations showed that it accounted for surprisingly little internal variability. Hall and Qu (2006) show that biases of a number of MMD models in reproducing the observed seasonal cycle of land snow cover (especially the spring melt) are tightly related to the large variations in snow albedo feedback strength simulated by the same models in climate change scenarios. Addressing the seasonal cycle biases would therefore provide a constraint that would reduce divergence in simulations of snow albedo feedback under climate change. However, possible use of seasonal snow albedo feedback to evaluate snow albedo feedback under climate change conditions is of course dependent upon the realism of the correlation between the two feedbacks suggested by GCMs (Figure 8.16). A new result found independently by Winton (2006a) and Qu and Hall (2005) is that surface processes are the main source of divergence in climate simulations of surface albedo feedback, rather than simulated differences in cloud fields in cryospheric regions.
Figure 8.16. Scatter plot of simulated springtime Δαs/ΔTs values in climate change (ordinate) vs simulated springtime Δαs/ΔTs values in the seasonal cycle (abscissa) in transient climate change experiments with 17 AOGCMs used in this report (Δαs and Ts are surface albedo and surface air temperature, respectively). The climate change Δαs/ΔTs values are the reduction in springtime surface albedo averaged over Northern Hemisphere continents between the 20th and 22nd centuries divided by the increase in surface air temperature in the region over the same time period. Seasonal cycle Δαs/ΔTs values are the difference between 20th-century mean April and May αs averaged over Northern Hemisphere continents divided by the difference between April and May Ts averaged over the same area and time period. A least-squares fit regression line for the simulations (solid line) and the observed seasonal cycle Δαs/ΔTs value based on ISCCP and ERA40 reanalysis (dashed vertical line) are also shown. The grey bar gives an estimate of statistical error, according to a standard formula for error in the estimate of the mean of a time series (in this case the observed time series of Δαs/ΔTs) given the time series’ length and variance. If this statistical error only is taken into account, the probability that the actual observed value lies outside the grey bar is 5%. Each number corresponds to a particular AOGCM (see Table 8.1). Adapted from Hall and Qu (2006).
Understanding of other feedbacks associated with the cryosphere (e.g., ice insulating feedback, MOC/SST-sea ice feedback, ice thickness/ice growth feedback) has improved since the TAR (NRC, 2003; Bony et al., 2006). However, the relative influence on climate sensitivity of these feedbacks has not been quantified.
Understanding and evaluating sea ice feedbacks is complicated by their strong coupling to processes in the high-latitude atmosphere and ocean, particularly to polar cloud processes and ocean heat and freshwater transport. Additionally, while impressive advances have occurred in developing sea ice components of the AOGCMs since the TAR, particularly by the inclusion of more sophisticated dynamics in most of them (see Section 8.2.4), evaluation of cryospheric feedbacks through the testing of model parametrizations against observations is hampered by the scarcity of observational data in the polar regions. In particular, the lack of sea ice thickness observations is a considerable problem.
The role of sea ice dynamics in climate sensitivity has remained uncertain for years. Some recent results with AGCMs coupled to slab ocean models (Hewitt et al., 2001; Vavrus and Harrison, 2003) support the hypothesis that a representation of sea ice dynamics in climate models has a moderating impact on climate sensitivity. However, experiments with full AOGCMs (Holland and Bitz, 2003) show no compelling relationship between the transient climate response and the presence or absence of ice dynamics, with numerous model differences presumably overwhelming whatever signal might be due to ice dynamics. A substantial connection between the initial (i.e., control) simulation of sea ice and the response to greenhouse gas forcing (Holland and Bitz, 2003; Flato, 2004) further hampers ‘clean’ experiments aimed at identifying or quantifying the role of sea ice dynamics.
A number of processes, other than surface albedo feedback, have been shown to also contribute to the polar amplification of warming in models (Alexeev, 2003, 2005; Holland and Bitz, 2003; Vavrus, 2004; Cai, 2005; Winton, 2006b). An important one is additional poleward energy transport, but contributions from local high-latitude water vapour, cloud and temperature feedbacks have also been found. The processes and their interactions are complex, however, with substantial variation between models (Winton, 2006b), and their relative importance contributing to or dampening high-latitude amplification has not yet been properly resolved. | <urn:uuid:1bdd1806-d583-48bb-b3ca-1107f011e520> | CC-MAIN-2016-30 | http://www.ipcc.ch/publications_and_data/ar4/wg1/en/ch8s8-6-3-3.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2016-30/segments/1469257824319.59/warc/CC-MAIN-20160723071024-00259-ip-10-185-27-174.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.922909 | 1,309 | 2.8125 | 3 |
The artist uses a mixture of black pigment and grease to draw the initial image onto the transfer paper or stone. The medium exists in different forms, which produce varying effects. In its solid form, there is the lithographic pencil, crayon or chalk which produces various thicknesses of lines and allows subtle tonal gradations. The ink can also be applied in liquid form, called a tusche. This has to be painted on with a brush and produces a fine, smooth surface. For Redon, the artist's materials were 'agents that ... collaborate with him, and also have something to tell in the fiction he will accomplish. The material reveals secrets, [and] it has its genius.' Redon engaged emotionally with the lithographic medium. Whereas he endows the stone with a difficult human temperament, he bestows intelligence on the ink. | <urn:uuid:c3ea8640-9b13-461f-99d5-988343bc2740> | CC-MAIN-2014-23 | http://www.fitzmuseum.cam.ac.uk/gallery/redon/techniques/inks.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2014-23/segments/1406510274979.56/warc/CC-MAIN-20140728011754-00473-ip-10-146-231-18.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.952383 | 172 | 2.859375 | 3 |
Ancient Greek Culture was the birthplace of Western civilisation about 4000 years ago. Ancient Greece produced many magnificent achievements in areas of government, science, philosophy and the arts that still influence our lives.
Greece, and especially Athens, is the cradle of democracy in the western civilization. Athens owes the first penal and civil law code to Draco. An outstanding statesman and poet called Solon acted in Athens at the same time as Draco. In 594 BC he was elected the first archon – the highest state official who today could be compared to a prime minister. The difference between a prime minister and an archon lies in the fact that the latter was elected annually and had executive and judicial power, was in command of the army and performed priestly functions. The main Solon's credit was that he prepared basis for political changes in Athens. He divided citizens into four groups based on agricultural output, established the so-called Council of 400, the jury court, standardized the system of measures and weights and considerably increased rights of ekklesia – assembly of all citizens of Athens over 20. In 510 BC Cleisthenes introduced profound reforms which made democracy exist as a system of government for the first time in the world. In general reforms were to diminish the role of aristocracy, eliminate financial differences and mix the society.
Athenian democracy was established as a result of continuous reorganizations. The name comes from demos-people and kratos-power, so literally power of the people. Apart from many smaller changes, it was mainly based on the opportunity for all citizens over 20 to take part in governing the country. One of the main advantages of Athenian democracy was that the archon and his eight assistants were elected annually. It was possible to prolong the rule for the next term but in case of any abnormalities a quick change of government took place. The biggest advantage of democracy in polis was the general possibility of taking part in public life for all free citizens. Undoubtedly it helped the citizens of Athens to broaden their minds, their cultural awareness and, what was probably most important, to develop intellectually
Greece has importantly influenced the Western science in many ways. The Ancient Greeks especially contributed many things to the scientific world, from medicine to astronomy. The most famous ancient Greek scientists and their work are briefly described below.
Thales of Miletus (640-610 to ca 548-545 BC) had travelled widely in quest of knowledge, visiting Crete, Phoenicia, and Egypt. Ηe brought Phoenician navigational techniques into Miletus. Thales is also said to have tried to revise the calendar. He also brought Babylonian mathematical knowledge to Greece and used geometry to solve problems such as calculating the height of pyramids and the distance of ships from the shore. He studied astronomy in Babylonia, and after his return to Miletus gained great fame by predicting an eclipse of the sun (28.5.585 BC, Julian Calendar or 22.5.584 BC Gregorian Calendar Famous Eclipse). He was first noted as an inventor and an engineer. Thales was also interested in heavenly bodies. He is credited with the discovery of the electrical properties of amber (or “electron” from which also the name electricity was derived). According to Pausanias he was one of the Seven Sages of Greece.
Pythagoras (569 to 475 BC) was the Greek philosopher and mathematician. He studied astronomy, logistics and geometry and founded the mystic Pythagorean cult. The cult he founded was devoted to the study of numbers, which the Pythagoreans saw as concrete, material objects, and became for them the ultimate principle of all proportion, order, and harmony in the universe. Pythagoras also investigated the ratios of lengths corresponding to musical harmonies, and developed methods of geometric proof. In geometry the great discovery of Pythagoreans was the hypotenuse theorem or Pythagorean theorem. Pythagoreans were the first to consider the earth as a globe revolving with the other planets around a central fire and mathematicize the universe.
Democritus (460 BC - 370 BC) was a pre-Socratic Greek materialist philosopher, a student of Leucippus and co-originator of the belief that all matter is made up of various imperishable, indivisible elements which he called atoma or "indivisible units", from which we get the English word atom. Democritus agreed that everything which is must be eternal, but denied that "the void" can be equated with nothing. This makes him the first thinker on record to argue the existence of an entirely empty "void". He was also a pioneer of mathematics and geometry in particular. He was among the first to observe that a cone or pyramid has one-third the volume of a cylinder or prism respectively with the same base and height. He also proposed that the universe contains many worlds, some of them inhabited and conducted research on minerals and plants.
Euclid (323 BC–283 BC), also known as the "Father of Geometry", was a Greek mathematician of the Hellenistic period who was active in Alexandria, almost certainly during the reign of Ptolemy I. His Elements, a reorganized compilation of geometrical proofs including new proofs and a much earlier essay on the foundations of arithmetic, is the most successful textbook in the history of mathematics. In it, the principles of what is now called Euclidean geometry are deduced from a small set of axioms. Elements conclude with the construction of Plato's five regular solids. Euclidean space has no natural edge, and is thus infinite. Euclid also wrote works on perspective, conic sections, spherical geometry, and rigor. In his Optica, he noted that light travels in straight lines and described the law of reflection.
Archimedes of Syracuse (287 BC – 212 BC) was a Greek mathematician, physicist, engineer, inventor, and astronomer. He is regarded as one of the leading scientists in classical antiquity. Among his advances in physics are the foundations of hydrostatics and the explanation of the principle of the lever. He is credited with designing innovative machines, including siege engines and the screw pump that bears his name. Archimedes is considered to be one of the greatest mathematicians of all time. He used the method of exhaustion to calculate the area under the arc of a parabola with the summation of an infinite series, and gave a remarkably accurate approximation of Pi. He also defined the spiral bearing his name, formulas for the volumes of surfaces of revolution and an ingenious system for expressing very large numbers. Archimedes had proved that the sphere has two thirds of the volume and surface area of the cylinder (including the bases of the latter), and regarded this as the greatest of his mathematical achievements.
Ancient Greek philosophy focused on the role of reason and inquiry. It had an important influence on modern philosophy, as well as modern science. The influence from ancient Greek and Hellenistic philosophers was expanded to medieval Muslim philosophers and scientists, to the European Renaissance and Enlightenment, to the modern natural sciences and technology.
Socrates was a classical Greek philosopher. Considered one of the founders of Western philosophy, he strongly influenced Plato, and Aristotle. He made his most important contribution to Western thought through his method of inquiry. He is principally renowned for his contribution to the field of ethics, Socrates also lends his name to the concepts of Socratic irony and the Socratic Method. Socrates also made important and lasting contributions to the fields of epistemology and logic, and the influence of his ideas and approach, remains strong in providing a foundation for much western philosophy which followed.
Plato has the reputation of one of the most influential philosophers in Western thought. He wrote several dozen philosophical dialogues —arguments in the form of conversations— and a few letters. Though the early dialogues deal mainly with methods of acquiring knowledge, and most of the last ones with justice and practical ethics, his most famous works expressed a synoptic view of ethics, metaphysics, reason, knowledge, and human life. One can view Plato, with qualification, as an idealist and a rationalist.
Aristotle placed much more value on knowledge gained from the senses, and would correspondingly better earn the modern label of empiricist. Thus Aristotle set the stage for what would eventually develop into the scientific method centuries later. The works of Aristotle that still exist today appear in treatise form. The most important include Physics, Metaphysics, (Nicomachean) Ethics, Politics, De Anima (On the Soul), Poetics, and many others. Aristotle was a great thinker and philosopher, and his philosophy was crucial in governing intellectual thought in the Western world. His views and approaches dominated early Western science for almost 2000 years. As well as philosophy, Aristotle was a formidable inventor, and is credited with many significant inventions and observations.
The Greek Theater was a central place of formal gatherings in ancient Greece. Every Greek town had a theater. These were used for both public meetings as well as dramatic performances. These performances originated as religious ceremonies; they went on to assume their Classical status as the highest form of Greek culture by the 6th century BC. The theatre was usually set in a hillside outside the town, and had rows of tiered seating set in a semi-circle around the central performance area, the orchestra. Behind the orchestra was a low building called the skene, which served as a store-room, a dressing-room, and also as a backdrop to the action taking place in the orchestra. A number of Greek theatres survive almost intact, the best known being at the Ancient Theater of Epidaurus.
The architectural typology of the modern stadium derives from the classical prototype of the Greek Stadium. The Greek Stadium was the open space where footraces and other athletic contests took place in ancient Greece. The stadiums were usually U-shaped, the curve being opposite to the starting point. The courses were generally 600 Greek feet long (1 stadium), although the length varied according to local variations of the measuring unit. Natural slopes where used where possible to support the seats. The best known ancient Greek stadium is Kallimarmaron (Panathinaikon Stadium), sited in Athens.
According to historical records, the first ancient Olympic Games can be traced back to 776 BC. They were dedicated to the Olympian gods and were staged on the ancient plains of Olympia, in the western part of the Peloponnese. They continued for nearly 12 centuries, until Emperor Theodosius decreed in 393 A.D. that all such “pagan cults” be banned.
The Olympic Games were closely linked to the religious festivals of the cult of Zeus, but were not an integral part of a rite. Indeed, they had a secular character and aimed to show the physical qualities and evolution of the performances accomplished by young people, as well as encouraging good relations between the cities of Greece. According to specialists, the Olympic Games owed their purity and importance to religion.
The ancient Olympic Games included the following events: pentathlon, running, jumping, discus throw, wrestling, boxing, pankration and equestrian events.
All free male Greek citizens were entitled to participate in the ancient Olympic Games, regardless of their social status. Married women were not allowed to participate in, or to watch, the ancient Olympic Games. However, unmarried women could attend the competition.
The Olympic victor received his first awards immediately after the competition. Following the announcement of the winner's name by the herald, a Hellanodikis (Greek judge) would place a palm branch in his hands, while the spectators cheered and threw flowers to him. Red ribbons were tied on his head and hands as a mark of victory. The official award ceremony would take place on the last day of the Games, at the elevated vestibule of the temple of Zeus. In a loud voice, the herald would announce the name of the Olympic winner, his father's name, and his homeland. Then, the Hellanodikis placed the sacred olive tree wreath, or kotinos, on the winner's head .
In 1859 Evangelos Zappas, a wealthy Greek philanthropist, sponsored the first modern international Olympic Games that were held in an Athens city square, with athletes from two countries: Greece and the Ottoman Empire. In June 23, 1894 Baron Pierre de Coubertin founded the International Olympic Committee (IOC) and it was decided that the first IOC Olympic Games would take place in 1896 in Athens, as they did. | <urn:uuid:2cdf5d61-e15e-4e7d-8534-2e1320772ec7> | CC-MAIN-2014-41 | http://www.leadershipclassics.org/AncientGreekCulture&Civilization.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2014-41/segments/1410657113000.87/warc/CC-MAIN-20140914011153-00257-ip-10-196-40-205.us-west-1.compute.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.978439 | 2,589 | 4.15625 | 4 |
Welcome to my latest e-newsletter!
The celebration of Veterans Day this year is especially monumental as this marks the 100th anniversary of the conclusion of World War I on November 11, 1918. Between the time the United States entered the war on April 6, 1917 and its end, 4.7 million Americans had chosen to bravely and selflessly serve their country. Veterans Day originated as “Armistice Day” on November 11, 1919, the first anniversary of the end of World War I. Congress passed a resolution in 1926 for an annual observance, and on the 11th day of the 11th month at 11:00am, Veterans Day became a national holiday.
By the time the war ended, the world had been transformed. The impact of technology, the expansion of women’s rights and the changes in government are still felt today. The commemoration of Veterans Day, especially on this special 100th anniversary, offers us an opportunity to reflect on the important lessons of World War I and the sacrifices of all those who fought for our country.
Additionally, please know that our office will be closed in observation of Veterans Day on Monday November 12, and will return to normal schedule on Tuesday, November 13.
Home Heating Tips
Low income customers may be eligible for additional assistance through the Michigan Energy Assistance Program. Customers should contact 2-1-1 or their utility to see what programs are available in their area
Available Tips and Programs:
Shut-Off Protection: Senior citizens, low-income customers and military personnel may qualify for shut-off protection through various programs. Contact your utility company.
- Request Assistance: Qualifying seniors and low-income customers may be eligible for financial assistance.
- If you're behind on your energy bill, you can apply for help in paying off your past-due balance starting November 1 if your income is below 150 percent of the poverty level.
- Call 2-1-1 or go to www.mi211.org to learn about agencies in your county that may assist with your energy bill.
For more information, please visit michigan.gov/mpsc.
Chronic Wasting Disease in Deer
Michigan DNR warns hunters of the dangers of Chronic Wasting Disease (CWD). CWD is a fatal nervous system disease found in deer, moose and elk. The disease attacks the brain of infected animals by creating small lesions in the brain which result in death. Unfortunately, there is no cure.
But what can YOU do?
- Keep hunting.
- Get your deer checked and tested. Find locations at michigan.gov/deercheck.
- Avoid long-distance movements with your deer carcass.
- Handle and dispose of your carcass in a responsible manner.
- If you hunt out-of-state, only bring back allowed parts.
- Stay up-to-date on latest hunting regulations.
For more information, please visit: michigan.gov/emergingdiseases.
I hope you found this information useful. Please feel free to contact my office if we can be of any assistance.
State Rep. Pam Faris
48th House District
* The Michigan House of Representatives is responsible only for content submitted with House resources and in accordance with the law and House policy. Unauthorized use is strictly prohibited.
©2018 Michigan House Democrats. All rights reserved | <urn:uuid:43b353cc-faf5-4fb4-aad1-43b958a8a2e1> | CC-MAIN-2021-31 | https://housedems.com/capitol-and-community-update-54/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2021-31/segments/1627046155188.79/warc/CC-MAIN-20210804205700-20210804235700-00350.warc.gz | en | 0.919503 | 699 | 2.8125 | 3 |
Medicines that can help patients can also be misused to produce a high feeling. And they can hook teens into addiction just as easily as other illicit drugs.
Each of these drugs affects the brain in different ways, but teens use them to try to achieve a high feeling that can range from euphoria or intoxication to super-calm. Their chemical formulas are often related to those of "hard" drugs, which means their effects can be just as bad, says Maher Karam-Hage, M.D., who is a clinical assistant professor in the University of Michigan Medical School Department of Psychiatry.
Opioids: OxyContin and Vicodin, as well as their generic cousins oxycodone and hydrocodone, are from the same family of drugs as heroin. Used correctly, they ease the pain of people recovering from surgery or coping with terrible back pain. But crushed and snorted or swallowed, they become powerfully addictive drugs that users need more and more of to get high. Before long, many users live for their next pill and will do anything to get it just like heroin addicts. And if painkiller abusers are also drinking alcohol or taking allergy medications, they can wind up shutting down their lungs. A recent U.S. General Accounting Office report showed that it was relatively easy to get Vicodin and hydrocodone without a prescription from Internet pharmacies, many of them located overseas.
Stimulants: Ritalin, Dexedrine and other stimulants help children with attention deficit disorder, and people with asthma or narcolepsy. When used correctly, they're safe and non-addictive. But when abused, especially in large doses or after crushing the pills, these substances can produce a similar high and cause the same harm as methamphetamine and other illegal drugs. In addition to becoming addictive, they can make the heart beat erratically, drive body temperatures dangerously high, or even cause lethal seizures. People on antidepressants or decongestants when they take high doses of Ritalin have an especially high risk of heart problems.
Depressants: Barbiturates and tranquilizers/sedatives calm the nerves of millions of people with anxiety disorders and are used for short-term use by people with insomnia problems but they also attract high-seeking teens, says Karam-Hage. These drugs, which slow down the brain's activity, together are called central nervous system depressants, and include benzodiazepines (Valium, Klonopin, Xanax, etc.), barbiturates (phenobarbital, Mebaral, Fiorinal, etc.) and sedatives/hypnotics (Halcion, Ambien, ProSom, etc.). They can also become addictive, or slow down the heart and lungs to dangerously low levels. If someone stops taking them suddenly after abusing them, he or she can go into withdrawal, including seizures. Also abusable and unsafe when taken in large doses is diphenhydramine, commonly found in drugstore remedies such as over-the-counter allergy medicines (Benadryl, etc.) and over-the-counter sleep aids (Sominex, Unisom).
Cough medicine/DXM: Nearly all of the drugs listed above require a prescription, but even some over-the-counter medications available at any drugstore can endanger a teen if abused. "Dextromethorphan, which is an active ingredient in most cough remedies and is often called DXM, can be a dangerous thing," says Karam-Hage. "Because it's over-the-counter, teenagers or even adults think they can use as much as they want without any problem. But that can be very, very dangerous and can become a major addiction by itself." Teens can also order DXM in powder form on the Internet, and follow "recipes" from Internet sites to get high with it. And if they abuse it, they can set themselves up for problems with thinking and decision-making, and physical effects too. | <urn:uuid:765b415f-be62-44c8-aa0d-653e3f1fd615> | CC-MAIN-2014-15 | http://alcoholism.about.com/od/prescription/a/aa040704.htm | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2014-15/segments/1398223206770.7/warc/CC-MAIN-20140423032006-00274-ip-10-147-4-33.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.94724 | 826 | 2.65625 | 3 |
When thinking about how your brain affects your acting ability, the first, and perhaps most important, thing to keep in mind is that it is impossible to play an emotion. You might think this sounds strange; after all, we’ve all seen great actors laugh, cry, be joyous or get angry on screen. But the truth is, you cannot just ‘put on an act’ when it comes to expressing emotions or, at least, if you want to put on a brilliant performance. Instead, you have to actually go through that emotion, feel it and express it for it to be believable and realistic.
If you’re wondering how you could possibly invoke the feeling of fear or of falling in love on a film set with co-stars and cameras around you, that is where your brain – and how you use it – becomes your most important instrument as an actor.
It’s very likely that you’ve heard of the difference between the left side and the right side of the brain. The left half of the brain is often considered to be the logical, analytical side. Whenever you complete a task which has to do with reading, mathematics or science, this is the part of the brain you are engaging. The right side, however, is the part which controls creativity and comes into action whenever you undertake an emotional or artistic endeavour.
Which Side of the Brain do Actors Engage with Most?
As acting involves reading from a script, memorising lines and taking angles and positions into account, many people make the mistake of thinking that acting must therefore be a ‘left brain’ activity. This could not be further from the truth as your brain cannot respond to verbal or written commands in this way.
If you try to simply tell your mind to act angry, heartbroken, happy, or any other emotion – that is acting with the left side of your brain and you will be setting yourself up for a poor performance. Instead of telling yourself to trigger an emotion, you must learn how to utilise your senses to invoke a truly emotional reaction in the right side of your brain.
If you’ve ever heard a piece of music and suddenly been transported back to a special night with the love of your life, or smelt a certain type of flower that put you back in your grandmother’s house as a small child, then you have experienced just how strongly our five senses can trigger emotional reactions.
All of the best method actors use this technique to engage with the right side (the emotional side) of their brain and incite senses to help them feel what their character is feeling. This is a skill that you too can learn and apply to your acting when you study ‘The Method’.
Train and Control Your Mind
In order to truly use your brain when you act, you need to learn how to control your brain and train it to use all five senses effectively. Memory plays a big part in this. By drawing on your own personal experiences, you can recreate emotions that you have felt in your life and be better equipped to feel whatever it is that your character is feeling.
Even if you are playing an outlandishly evil part that you really can’t relate to, our basic emotions stay the same. You will be able to find some empathy to how the character is feeling and how they would respond to it. The best actors use memory for this in more ways than one.
The Method teaches you to train your brain to re-experience emotions, memories and situations that you have been through in your life – even through reliving memories of specific events or people you have known.
All of this isn’t just guesswork either. A 20 year study by psychologists and theatre directors; Anthony and Helga Noice found that the way actors are able to remember so many lines of dialogue is by engaging with the emotional intent and subtext of each and every line, rather than simply trying to memorise words like a computer. Thinking about the meaning behind words triggers the right side of the brain and allows performers to memorise entire long scripts with ease.
The Actor’s Brain in Action
Another excellent example of a study which shows how the brain affects acting was carried out by Professor Sophie Cott in 2009.
Irish actress Fiona Shaw who is best known for her roles in Harry Potter and True Blood, underwent an MRI scan. While her brain was being scanned, Fiona alternated between counting out loud and reading T S Elliot’s 1922 poem, The Wasteland.
The purpose of this scan was to see what was going on physically inside an actor’s head when they were playing a part. Professor Sophie Cott came up with some very interesting results which proved something those of us who study The Method have known for some time.
Only three parts of Fiona’s brain were activated when she was counting out loud; the nerve centre which controls facial movements for speaking, the hearing section of the brain and the part of the brain which controls planning speech – all of which are on the left side.
However, when she performed dialogue from the second verse of T S Elliott’s poem, parts of Fiona’s brain in charge of controlling all sorts of body movements were activated – proving that she was thinking about doing them without realising. As well as this, a part of the mind which conjures up complex visual imagery was highly stimulated.
You don’t need to be an expert in psychology or neurology to understand that this means Fiona Shaw really was taking on the identity of the character she was playing in the poem and that this goes so much further than speaking lines and faking emotions.
Turn it into a Habit
The Method is a crucial element in finding out how to incorporate the ability to invoke emotions in your brain and recreate senses To make this a part of your natural process, it’s a good idea to start by practicing affective memory for just a few minutes every day. This is where actors re-imagine the memory of a certain situation and attempt to recall the details and emotions of that memory as best they can.
As you get into this habit you will need to increase the amount of time you spend doing it, but make sure you work it into your daily routine. Choose a time when you have a gap between activities, so that working on your affective memory becomes a regular routine and doesn’t disrupt your daily tasks.
After a while, you will find this becomes a habit which you resort to naturally, rather than a chore. This is just one small thing you can do at home, but if you are serious about committing more time to this and other method acting techniques, then perhaps you need to consider one of our weekend boot camps or year long Ultimate Acting Programme. | <urn:uuid:004f8fa5-7b6c-4248-ab2c-a02d2b52e4ee> | CC-MAIN-2022-27 | https://www.briantimoneyacting.co.uk/brain-affects-acting/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2022-27/segments/1656104141372.60/warc/CC-MAIN-20220702131941-20220702161941-00304.warc.gz | en | 0.968908 | 1,393 | 2.9375 | 3 |
6- Looking Ahead
Teaching Your Teen to Drive
Goal: Teach your teen to develop defensive driving techniques and higher-level visual and anticipatory driving skills before moving on to more complex driving situations. In order to avoid last-second reactions and spot potential hazards, have your teen always look 12–15 seconds down the road. When they are looking far enough ahead, they will be able to spot hazards early and be well prepared to react to them.
Location: Start on a quiet neighborhood street. Move onto a road with light traffic when your teen is ready.
Lesson one – IPDE system
Teach your teen the IPDE system, a simple system to help new drivers recognize, anticipate
and avoid risks before they turn into problems. IPDE stands for:
Identify potential risks, like oncoming vehicles, pedestrians, obstacles, or intersections.
Predict when and where there will be a conflict or problem.
Decide on the best course of action.
Execute that action.
Have your teen use commentary driving as they practice the IPDE system. As they drive, ask them to verbally describe their thoughts and actions in order to identify potential risks they see, predict problems these risks could cause, decide what to do to avoid a problem, and then execute the maneuver.
Lesson two – stopping-distance rule
Teach your teen the stopping-distance rule, for the safest distance to stop behind another vehicle. When your vehicle stops, you should be far enough away from the car in front of you that you can see where its tires make contact with the ground. Any closer is too close.
Lesson three – three-second rule
Teach your teen the three-second rule for the appropriate following distance when driving behind other vehicles. The three-second rule is an important safety measure designed to give drivers enough time to safely steer or brake to avoid problems that occur in front of them on the road.
- Start counting when the rear bumper of the vehicle in front of you passes an object.
- Count “one thousand ONE, one thousand TWO, one thousand THREE.”
- Your front bumper should not pass that same object before you’ve reached “three.”
Have your teen practice the three-second rule at least 10–12 times, counting out loud to check whether their following distance is appropriate. | <urn:uuid:07cae6a8-ec09-47f3-ba70-0ffca6701a30> | CC-MAIN-2019-47 | http://www.eregulations.com/driving/iowa/6-looking-ahead/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2019-47/segments/1573496669276.41/warc/CC-MAIN-20191117192728-20191117220728-00294.warc.gz | en | 0.943049 | 490 | 3.625 | 4 |
Does the Earth go around the sun, or does the sun go around the Earth?
When asked that question, 1 in 4 Americans surveyed answered incorrectly. Yes, 1 in 4. In other words, a quarter of Americans do not understand one of the most fundamental principles of basic science. So that’s where we are as a society right now.
The survey, conducted by the National Science Foundation, included more than 2,200 participants in the U.S., AFP reports. It featured a nine-question quiz about physical and biological science and the average score was a 6.5.
And the fact that only 74 percent of participants knew that the Earth revolved around the sun is perhaps less alarming than the fact that only 48 percent knew that humans evolved from earlier species of animals.
Here’s the thing, though: Americans actually fared better than Europeans who took similar quizzes — at least when it came to the sun and Earth question. Only 66 percent of European Union residents answered that one correctly.
We won’t know the full results of the survey—or its methodology—until the National Science Foundation delivers its report to President Obama and U.S. lawmakers. But on this evidence we may end up getting a new national holiday out of this: Spread the Word That the Earth Revolves Around the Sun Day. | <urn:uuid:4a0bad1f-e4fc-4fdd-8e7e-b11b9db06ecf> | CC-MAIN-2019-47 | https://time.com/7809/1-in-4-americans-thinks-sun-orbits-earth/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2019-47/segments/1573496669755.17/warc/CC-MAIN-20191118104047-20191118132047-00005.warc.gz | en | 0.946762 | 273 | 2.96875 | 3 |
Thesis statement introduction paragraph
The paragraph that provides context for the reader and includes the thesis statement is the introductory paragraph. Do you repeat a thesis statement in every paragraph? No. Your thesis statement should be in the introduction part of your paper. Intro Paragraphs & Thesis Statements. An Academic Writing Workshop. q Intro Paragraph. ü Hook. ü Context. ü Thesis. q Body Paragraph (repeat as needed). ü Topic Sentence. ü Concrete Detail. For longer essays, the general statements could include one or more definitions, or could classify the topic, and may cover more than one paragraph. The thesis statement is the most important part of the introduction. It gives the reader clear information about the content of the essay, which will help. Ø Introduction Paragraph Include an attention getter and Thesis statement. introductory Attention Getter. 4. (OPTIONAL): End with a new question, thought, or idea. 5. Conclusion Paragraph MUST be at least 4 sentences.
While the background statement introduces the topics, the thesis statement is your answer to the task given by IELTS. Filed Under: IELTS Writing Task 2 Tagged With: Introduction Paragraph, solution essay, transportation & travel topic. Nesbitt-Johnston Writing Center Hamilton College Clinton, NY 13323. Introductions and thesis statements. Introductions. The introduction is a key paragraph for both readers and writers. First impressions matter. Crafting a good introduction and thesis statement is often the hardest part of writing an essay. However, it can also be the most rewarding experience. A thesis statement appears at the end of the introductory paragraph. It is a specific, one-sentence summary of the topic for your paper and. • Make sure your thesis statement is specific and debatable. o A good thesis statement is an argument, not a fact. Introductory Paragraph: The introduction is the broad beginning of the paper that answers three important questions. Bartholemy shill alchemising, Quechua introduction paragraph thesis statement idolize unlock mixed form. unbalanced key to the excess supply in the abstract? Alf ring Essay writing contests canada and unriveting Snivel their Baskerville power-dives and resumptively seals.
Thesis statement introduction paragraph
The introduction paragraph is the first paragraph of your essay. A good opening paragraph captures the interest of your reader and tells why your topic is important. How do I write one? 1. Write the thesis statement. Introduction: Introductory Paragraph. The introductory paragraph should also include the thesis statement, a kind of mini-outline for the paper: it tells the reader what the essay is about. The first paragraph is called the Introduction. The introduction paragraph has two main purposes In this first paragraph the writer must introduce the topic by making a thesis statement. Ø Introduction Paragraph Include an attention getter and Thesis statement. introductory Attention Getter. 4. (OPTIONAL): End with a new question, thought, or idea. 5. Conclusion Paragraph MUST be at least 4 sentences. The introductory paragraph can also provide background information that is necessary for the reader to appreciate the writer's position. The introduction is an opportunity to shape the reader's opinion about the writer's main idea before the reader gets to the thesis statement.
Paragraph statement thesis an to write a introductory how with. Searching for write my essay for me help! How to write an essay introduction is one of the most important things you can teach your students. Tasks: The introductory paragraph to a short essay usually attempts to do three things State the thesis of the essay, preferably in a single, arguable statement with a clear main clause. I: Introduction. Crafting a good introduction and thesis statement is often the hardest part of writing an essay. However, it can also be the most rewarding experience. A thesis statement appears at the end of the introductory paragraph. Introductions Introduction paragraphs exist to introduce your reader to your topic and your thesis. Therefore, it is often effective to structure your introduction paragraph like this: Begin with a general statement of the problem or question your thesis and paper will address.
Once you have introduced the Introductory paragraph with a generalization, quotation, or anecdote, you can write vaguely for a few sentences or simply jump into the crust of the argument. Essentially, the thesis statement is your tagline for the essay and the final sentence of the Introduction. Sample Introduction with Thesis Statement. You will want to start off every essay with a well developed introductory paragraph. Remember the criteria we discussed a couple classes ago on the structure of a well-written essay. THESIS STATEMENT. The first paragraph in an essay is called the introductory paragraph and the first sentence of the introduction is called attention getter. Introduction paragraph (with thesis statement) 3 body paragraphs Conclusion paragraph. This presentation will focus on introductions and thesis statements. Introductions The Introduction paragraph of an essay serves to: Grab the reader's interest. When writing an introduction paragraph, you should always include a hook to capture the reader's attention, supporting information about the topic at hand, and a thesis statement. That said, there are still multiple introduction paragraphs you can use for your paper.
- The introduction paragraph is the most important of the five and the thesis statement is an integral part of this paragraph. Following the introduction comes three body paragraphs and then a conclusion.
- STRUCTURING AN INTRODUCTORY PARAGRAPH: 1. Establish the setting of the essay. Briefly introduce the reader to the subject. 4. Finish paragraph with a clear thesis statement that establishes the purpose of the essay..
- Introductory Paragraph. Start your introduction with an interesting hook to reel your reader in. At the end of the introduction, you will present your thesis statement. The thesis statement model used in this example is a thesis with reasons.
An introduction, or introductory paragraph, falls in the start of an essay. It also introduces the thesis statement of the essay, which is the heart of an essay, and tells what is to be discussed in the body paragraphs. Putting the thesis at the end of the introduction sets it up for the body paragraphs to discuss. For instance, an introductory paragraph for Essay 1 on Writing Experience might open with a broad statement establishing the subject like. Introductions. Purpose Not only does the introduction contain your thesis statement, but it provides the initial impression of your argument, your writing style, and the overall The thesis statement is most often embedded in the introductory paragraph, usually at the end of that paragraph. Introduction Paragraphs. It is true that the first impression—whether it's a first meeting with a person or the first sentence of a paper—sets the stage for a lasting impression. A thesis statement manages to encapsulate an essay's main argument in a succinct, one-sentence comment. | <urn:uuid:5ef52cbf-9d1c-4d77-b914-f38e8507390e> | CC-MAIN-2017-43 | http://arpaperimwv.dreamsmagazine.us/thesis-statement-introduction-paragraph.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2017-43/segments/1508187824068.35/warc/CC-MAIN-20171020101632-20171020121632-00563.warc.gz | en | 0.900655 | 1,405 | 2.859375 | 3 |
Salvete, omnes discipuli discipulaeque! / γειά σου!
- Review of 2nd and 3rd conjugation verbs. Conjugate doceo, docere (teach) and rego, regere (rule) in the present, future, and imperfect.
- 4th conjugation (ch 10)—conjugate venio, venire (come) in present, future, imperfect
- Review of personal pronouns (ch 11)
Classics and Film
- Watch O Brother Where Art Thou?
- Read Books 8- 12 from Homer’s Odyssey. You can read the poem online.
- Review this list of Ten Historically Misleading Films
- Chapter 13 on Demonstratives: Learn οδε, ηδε, τοδε (this; these); ουτος, αυτή, τούτο (this/that; these/those); εκείνος, εκείνη, εκείνο (that/those).
- Vocabulary ch. 13.
- P. 81, sentences 1 and 3.
- Selections from Ovid’s Metamorphoses on Daedalus and Icarus.
- Websites about Ovid | <urn:uuid:ee69d367-d809-49b4-b002-f00ace266370> | CC-MAIN-2017-30 | https://pavovox.wordpress.com/2011/01/28/homework-due-on-the-kalends-of-february-feb-1/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2017-30/segments/1500549427750.52/warc/CC-MAIN-20170727082427-20170727102427-00256.warc.gz | en | 0.689004 | 301 | 2.859375 | 3 |
This book concentrates on both understanding and development of nanocrystalline materials. The original relation that connects grain size and strength, known as the Hall-Petch relation, is studied in the nanometer grain size region. The breakdown of such a relation is a challenge. Why and how to overcome it? Is the dislocation mechanism still operating when the grain size is very small, approaching the amorphous limit? How do we go from the microstructure information to the continuum description of the mechanical properties? | <urn:uuid:ca0e4f60-8d8a-4b93-bd1c-d0cd93572f78> | CC-MAIN-2017-22 | http://readrate.com/deu/books/mechanical-properties-of-nanocrystalline-materials | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2017-22/segments/1495463608659.43/warc/CC-MAIN-20170526105726-20170526125726-00368.warc.gz | en | 0.92983 | 103 | 2.625 | 3 |
Table of Contents
- Introduction and Help
- Components and Libraries
- TCP/IP Networking
- Custom Peripheral Drivers
- LCDs and Displays
- Motors and Actuators
- Clocks and Oscillators
- External ADC/DAC
- Interfaces and Drivers
- Storage, Smart Cards
- Magnetic, Proximity Card Readers
- Digital Signal Processing
- Interfacing with other languages
- Utilities for an application
- Breadboards & Breakout Boards
- Reference, Tutorials and Examples, Events
- Events & Classes
- Tutorials and Examples
- Community and Support
- Other Things
Introduction and Help¶
- About the Cookbook - What it is for, how to use it, and how you can contribute
- deadmbed - Having trouble with your mbed working?
- Course Notes - Course notes being developed to support workshops, lectures and self learning
- Short Course Notes - Course notes used in Ngee Ann Polytechnic.
- IoT DeepDive Workshop Meetup - slides and written documentation for an mbed centric meetup series covering various IoT Technologies.
- WikiSyntax - for developer.mbed.org (how to add links to posts, inline code in posts, add videos, general markup) very useful for creating good forum posts and code documentation on notebook pages
Components and Libraries¶
This section is for information about different reusable building blocks; primarily components and the libraries, code and information to make use of them. For more about Libraries, see Working with Libraries.
See also the main components database.
- Getting started with networking and mbed - read this first
- Networking Stack Releases - Information about the different TCP/IP stack versions
- TCP/IP protocols, APIs, examples
Internet of Things and Websockets¶
- Websockets Server Tutorial - Deploy your own WebSocket server
- Internet of Things Demo - mbed demo of 'the internet of things', using wifi to send sensor data
- Remote Procedure Call (RPC) over Websockets
- JSON-RPC over Websockets - High speed RPC Server and Various language APIs
- Zero configuration - Basic UPnP/Bonjour device.
Networking examples using the officially supported library¶
Official USB Libraries can be found in the handbook
Here some other examples:
- USBBluetoothHost - Using a USB dongle to connect via bluetooth
- USBMSDHost - USB MSD (FLASH Disk) Host
- USBMIDI - Send and receive MIDI events over USB
- Fully working USB HID stack- - Help to develop fully working USB HID with examples
- http://mbed.org/users/wim/notebook/usb-joystick-device/# - USB Joystick Device
Custom Peripheral Drivers¶
The mbed libraries allow for standardized, simplified usage of more peripherals. However there are also user libraries which allow for faster, more efficient and/or more flexible use of these peripherals. With the exception of the software emulators of peripherals, these libraries are generally limitted to a subset of the mbed supported boards, so you need to make sure yours is supported!
- SoftPWM - Software PWM emulation
- FastPWM - Allows PWM at full clock speed, or reduced speeds compared to regular mbed lib
- SWSPI - Software SPI emulation
- BurstSPI - High speed SPI writes when they are in large blocks (mainly intended for SPI TFTs)
- I2C busreset - Recover from an I2C bus lockup (FRDM-KL25Z).
- Change all IRQ Priorities at once - Works with all mbed targets.
- Power Control - Power management functions for the original LPC1768 mbed
- WakeUp - Wake up from deep sleep / power-down modes (various targets supported)
- WakeInterruptIn - Allows LPC1114 to wake from deepsleep mode (other targets can use just regular InterruptIn)
- F401RE-USBHost - USBHost library for various targets (not just F401).
LCDs and Displays¶
- Text LCD - A driver for Text LCD panels
- Text LCD Enhanced - An improved driver for Text LCD panels (More types, I2C and SPI bus support)
- LCD serial with shift register
- SMARTGPU2 - A library for the SMARTGPU2 embedded graphics, audio, touch and full datalogger processor.
- 1Wire LCD - A C coded library for LCD to use with only one wire.
- VT100 Terminal - control cursor position
- Embedded Artists OLED Display - A 96x64 pixel OLED
- uVGA III - New Tiny VGA controller board demo using 4D SGC library in 800 by 480
- TFT LCD with HX8347 - Library for TFT LCD 320 x 240 with HX8347
- KS0108- Library for KS0108 based displays, tested on GDM12864H
- Newhaven LCD - the NHD-320240WG model
- RS Display Board - 6x7 segment displays
- SPI-driven-QVGA-TFT QVGA TFT , HX8347D with touch screen connected to SPI with lib and demo code
- QVGA TFT ILI9341 - QVGA TFT ,MI0283QT9A connected to SPI with lib and demo code
- QVGA TFT with Touchscreen - Tutorial incl. hardware driver and touch screen calibration software (LCD controller: ST7781R)
- Adafruit Mini 8x8 LED Display Adafruit Mini 8x8 LED with backpack library.
- NeoPixel Matrix 8x8 RGB LED - Adafruit board 7-Segment LED driver
- C12832 LCD - 128 x 32 ST7565R controller - used on mbed app board
- WQVGA RA8875 TFT 4.3" and larger - SPI - Driver library for an RA8875-based display. Supports up to 800x600, 16-bit color, Touch, Keypad, and Backlight control.
- SMARTWAV - High Quality embedded Stereo Sound module, microSD FAT file .WAV player, AWESOME!.
- HQ Audio
- I2S Slave Library - Library to run the I2S port
- TLV320AIC23B - High quality audio CODEC using I2S interface - can both play and record!
- Wave file player
- A simple wave recorder & player - Low cost audio recorder and player.
- Audible Alert Generator - IEC60601-1-8 Audible Alert Generator
- MSGEQ7 - 7-Band Graphic Equalizer chip made by Mixed Signal Integration
- XBee - Simple Zigbee modules
- XBee-mbed - XBee API mode, Series 1 (802.15.4) and Series 2 (ZB Pro/ZNet)
- cc3000 cookbook - TI’s SimpleLink Wi-Fi solution
- HC-05 Bluetooth - Economic bluetooth module (Class 2) using AT Command set and C# test program.
- BLE 4.0 - Bluetooth Low Energy chip demonstration with iOS application
- Puck - A library for easier setup and prototyping of Bluetooth LE-enabled IoT devices
Motors and Actuators¶
- SimpleSteppers - A software interface to TIMER2 to drive upto four stepper motors
- SimpleRCservos - A software interface to PWM to control simple radio-control servo units
- GlobalSat BR355 Serial GPS unit - using a Sparkfun RS232 breakout and a PS/2 breakout for power
- IEEE1888 (FIAP) gateway - An illuminance and temperature sensor gateway and storage AMI for IEEE1888 (FIAP)
- ArduIMU - a 9 axis IMU (accelerometer, gyroscope, magnetometer)
- MLX90393 - E-compass library
- /cookbook/NFC - General information about NFC
- PN532 Breakout Board - Adafruit NFC Breakout Board
- NFC Lamp - NFC controlled 'SAD' Lamp
- IDTech Barcode Scanner – a low-cost RS232 serial interface barcode scanner
- OneWireCRC DS18S20, DS18B20 temperature sensors
- ADT7410 I2C Temperature Sensor Handles temperatures lower than TMP102
Clocks and Oscillators¶
- Adafruit_RTCLib - DS1307 RTC driver and time manipulation library
- Maxim DS1077 - Maxim DS1077 EconOscillator/Divider Library
- RTC-MCP97410 - Microchip I2C-RTC MCP97410
- Analog Devices AD7190 - Ultra-low noise 24-bit Sigma-Delta ADC
- Analog Devices AD7490 - 16 channels, 1MSPS, 12 bit ADC with SPI interface
- MCP4822 - SPI dual channel 12-bit DAC
- MCP320x - Simplified access to the Microchip 1/4/8-Channels 12-Bit A/D Converters with SPI Serial Interface
Interfaces and Drivers¶
- Emulate Databus, Addressbus and Controlbus using I2C expanders
- MCP23017 - 16 bit quasi bi-directional I/O expander for I2C bus
- MCP23S17 - 16 bit quasi bi-directional I/O expander for SPI bus
- PCA9675_IO_Expander - 16 bit quasi bi-directional I/O expander for I2C bus
- PCF8574 I2C IO Expander - Popular 8-bit I2C I/O Expander
- PCA9635 I2C IO Expander - 16-bit bus expander used as an LED driver
- PCA9538 I2C IO Expander - 8-bit I2C I/O Expander
- PCF8575-I2C-IO-Expander - 16-bit port expander
- QEI - Quadrature encoder interface
- PID - Proportional, integral, derivative controller
- IMU - Inertial measurement unit orientation filter
- Simplified access to a Microchip 24LCxx Serial EEPROM device
- SST25VF064C - low level and high level APIs for SST 64Mbit SPI EEPROM
- OneWire EEPROM - DS2433 (4Kb) and DS28EC20 (20Kb)
- SIS-2 - Programmable IR Receiver in a DIP package
- IR - Infrared ray transmitter and receiver
- TxIR - A low-level library to transmit infrared (IR) commands
- mAVRISP - Program an AVR with mbed
- LPC Bootloader - Utility to allow a raw binary to be flashed to any LPC1xxx chip.
- PS2 - PS/2 keyboard, mouse
- MAX3100 Additional external serial ports.
- Rotary Pulse Generators (RPGs) or rotary encoders - a simple low-cost easy-to-use input device. RPG library and LCD demo using the Sparkfun RPG.
- PowerSwitch Tail – a safe and easy way to turn on and off household AC devices with mbed
- PowerSSR Tail - dim AC lights (120V <300W) by using with a ZeroCross tail
- Keypad - Interrupt-based interface to 4x4 keypad
- DMX512 - stage lighting and effect protocol
- ShiftReg - Interface to shift register such as NXP 74HCT595
- Extend Memory - SPI SRAM, PRAM, Flash
- TLC5917 'SPI'able 8 segments DEL driver, SPI chaining sample
- Allegro A6281 RGB LED driver – with demo code and videos using ShiftBrite RGB LED modules
Storage, Smart Cards¶
- LocalFileSystem - Store files on the internal mbed flash
- SD Card File System
- USBMSDHost - USB MSD (FLASH Disk) Host
- Wav_SD_Card_Read-for-RS-EDP - Reading the header of a .wav file stored on an SD card.
- SD_Card_Write-for-RS-EDP - Writing a character string to a file on an SD card.
- Reading the directory on an SD card or flash disk
- Smart Card.
Magnetic, Proximity Card Readers¶
- Wiegand wire Protocol Card Reader - Basic 2 signal (Data0, Data1) Wiegand card reader driver
Digital Signal Processing¶
- FIR Filtering with a Quickfilter QF1D512 Coprocessor - easily add a FIR coprocessor for complex, high data rate filtering
- EasyVR a small low-cost voice recognition module – with a video demo and code examples
- FIR Filter
Interfacing with other languages¶
- a Forth implementation MbedForth with ready to flash .bin
- Interfacing Using RPC (Remote Procedure Call)
- Interfacing with Matlab
- Interfacing with Python
- Interfacing with LabVIEW
- Interfacing with Java
- Assembly Language - Using Assembly Language and how to debug using the free Keil Tools ARM emulator
- Interfacing with .NET
Utilities for an application¶
- ConfigFile - Variable configuration file helper class
- FirmwareUpdater - Update your application binary via WEB.
- SerialBuffered - An extension to the Serial library that provides customisable buffering
- DebounceIn - Extends DigitalIn to add mechanical switch deboucing of inputs.
- PinDetect - Similar to DebounceIn above but adds "interrupt" style callbacks on pin state change.
- MODGPS - A library that supports easily adding a GPS module to your project.
- MODMAX7456 - A library that supports the MAX7456 on-screen display chip.
- MODSERIAL - An extended version of Serial that provides full IO buffering.
- MODDMA - A library that manages the GPDMA peripheral as an easy to use library.
- MAX3100 Additional external serial ports.
- FunctionPointer - Mbed's callback mechanism explained
- FPointer - An advanced library callback mechanism
- MatrixClass - A class to handle Matrices.
- Text LCD Menus - Set up a menu system controlled by an RPG input device
- mbed Application Board
- HitexMatrix - A low cost prototyping board with SMT footprint for most major devices and a matrix area on 0.1" pitch.
- RS EDP - A professional embedded development platform for educational and professional use.
- Embedded Artists Baseboard
- Cool Components Workshop Board
- StarBoard Orange
- SKPang Dev Board
- NGX mX Baseboard
- Smartboard - A compact general purpose baseboard with Ethernet, USB Host, RS232, I2C, CAN, microSD, PWM, Analog and more.
- Celeritous Baseboard Announcement New US designed & distributed mbed baseboard with many peripherals.
- Mission: Cognition Baseboard Discontinued.
- White Wizard Board - A new style of baseboard.
- TestBed for mbed - Baseboard with Ethernet, CAN, micro SD card, support of Arduino Shields and many more
- LandTiger LPC1768 board
- Simplest Baseboard
- LPC11U24 μicro board - LPC11U24 mini mbed, from prototype to mini hardware
- MCU Gear changes its wiring dynamically.
- eVCU - A flexible MBED/LPCXpresso baseboard inside a robust weatherproof enclosure
Breadboards & Breakout Boards¶
- Solderless Breadboards - What is available and where to find it.
- Individual Connector Breakout Boards - Ethernet, USB, CAN, PS/2, RS-232, microSD, Smart Card, SIM, VGA, and audio connectors
- IC, Sensor, and Driver Breakout Boards - What is available and where to find it.
Reference, Tutorials and Examples, Events¶
This section is for the sort of reusable information that can help you get your job done.
Events & Classes¶
- Events - Confirmed mbed events
- Workshop - Notes and resources for running mbed workshops
- ESP-KTN - Workshop notes for ESP-KTN Workshop sessions
- How to setup an mbed student laboratory - A short checklist for course instructors
- Books - Books about or useful for developing with mbed
- Algorithms and Numerical Methods - Books on Algorithms and Numerical Methods including some with C/C++ code examples
Tutorials and Examples¶
- ADC Performance - How to get the best ADC performance from your mbed
Internet of Things¶
- RFID Tweeter - Simple "Internet of Things" example using RFID and Twitter
- Internet of Things - mbed demo of 'the internet of things', using wifi to send sensor data
- Websocket and Mbed - Make your own Internet of Things project!
- Internet of Things: LCD Gadgets – LCDs used to display interesting data from the Internet
- Wi-Go board - Avnet Wi-Go kit (Freescale FRDM KL25Z + Wi-Go board)
- Geolocation and NTP Clock - Internet of Things for Geolocation and NTP Clock using the uLCD-144-G2 to display the information
- Writing a Library - How to write your own library
- Documenting a Library - How to get API documentation automatically generated for your own library
- Calling Library API Functions - How to use the official mbed libraries
- Using mbed with GCC and Eclipse - Getting started using the mbed chip offline with Linux, Eclipse, and GCC
- Using mbed with GCC and a text editor - using the mbed chip offline (Windows, modifiable for Linux)
- Using mbed libraries with GCC - Offline compilation with mbed libraries
- Easy offline compiler with eclipse ingration - Easy offline compiler using gcc4mbed and eclipse ingration
- Using Eclipse to build and debug - Use the Eclipse GUI to build and debug mbed programs.
- Debugging mbed with GDB - How to use the MRI debug monitor to debug applications running on mbed.
- Bit-Banding - (Non-Interruptible) Atomic bit modification
- Object Oriented Programming Review - A fairly simple review of OOP focusing on class inheritance and polymorphism. This is a simple game that you can use to build a much more complicated project.
- User Input Devices – A brief overview of common user input devices with mbed examples
- Pushbuttons and switches – demo code and videos using internal pull-ups, switch debouncing, interrupts, and callbacks
- Drivers, Relays, and Solid State Relays – How to control high current or high voltage DC and AC devices using digital outputs on mbed
- Using a Speaker for Audio Output – a low cost speaker with a driver transistor and demo code using PwmOut or AnalogOut
- Using RGB LEDs – How to use them with mbed and what options are available
- Serial Interrupts - How to get started using serial interrupts with buffering and demo code
- C/C++ I/O Register Names – When talking directly to mbed's I/O hardware cannot be avoided.
- Power Management - How to get started using power management features to reduce power and demo code
- WatchDog Timer - How to use the watchdog timer, brown-out detection, and a short code example
- Automatically setting and saving the clock – An Internet LCD clock demo using NTP with a supercapacitor for RTC battery backup
- An Introduction to RC Servos – How they operate and are used in robotics projects
- LED lighting and sound effects for modelers and miniaturists – How to do more than just your basic blinking LED
- IR and RF remotes – with an IR and RF demo for mbed using low-cost parts to transmit and receive character data
- IP Geolocation - with a text LCD demo using a free web-based IP Geolocation API to determine country, city, and timezone
- I2C Debug Tool - Hit GUI buttons in RealTerm to experiment with a new I2C device without writing code
- Setting up a network bridge connection for mbed on your laptop – Info on running mbed network applications using only a laptop with Wi Fi.
- Pololu m3pi – The Pololu 3pi robot using mbed as the controller
- mbed Rover - Combining motors, QEI, PID control and an IMU
- iRobot Create Robot or a Roomba - How to get started using mbed for control
- Sparkfun's Magician Robot base kit - How to get started using mbed for control
- DAISEN eDES 2WD - I2C controlled robot car base
- Controlling a Model Railroad with mbed - The basics for DC & DCC engines and track switches
- LPC1768 Pinout IC format - LPC1768 pinout in IC format
- LPC1768 Pinout Table - LPC1768 pinout in table format
- LPC11U24 Pinout Table - LPC11U24 pinout in table format
- Reference Design - Hardware reference designs, starting with LPC1768
- Cortex M3 Instruction Set - Short Summary
- Cortex M0 Instruction Set - Short Summary
- EMC Testing mbed - Testing, and test results
This section is about PCB design resources, for complete official PCB Layout and schematic files please see the mbed HDK
- mbed Eagle Library - contains 10 libraries containing components, symbols and footprints for some default modules
- Mbed Eagle Library -Easy and effective Eagle library that will accelerate your design ideas.
Cookbook pages or links to notebook pages documenting any projects you are working on.
- mbed Robot Mannequin
- mbed Robot Racing
- Drum Machine
- mbed Demo Display - A big interactive demo you can program on-the-fly
- MOSFET Tester and Ohm Meter - Project that uses the mbed to find resistance and test MOSFETs.
- Pololu 3pi Robot - Adapting this great robot platform for mbed
- NetTool - Demo program utilizing raw ethernet I/O of tcp, udp, arp, and icmp.
- Student Projects - Links to an assortment of student projects
- Cariad SMS Monitor - An SMS based remote monitoring solution for boats
- Tollos - a C open source supervisor for mbed
- Jumentum SOC How to get started with the Jumentum system-on-chip programming environment for LPC microcontrollers, including mbed.
- CNC machine - mbed controlled pcb drilling machine
- Big Mouth Billy Bass - Everything you need to build your own!
- RealTime map of nearest objects using Sonar
- Menus for TFT LCD and Touch Screen Graphical interface through TFT LCD with Touch screen (Building)
- Internet of Things - mbed demo of 'the internet of things', using wifi to send sensor data
- Industrial IO board - Baseboard for industrial applications
- E-Badge/MiniNote - A complete reference design for E-Paper project, covers F/W, S/W, 3D, mini shields and utitlies.
- Car Stereo - Taking stereo from a phone or tablet and converting it to 4 channels + subwoofer with display and buttons to control
- Ideas List - Ideas list for university projects, internships and Google Summer of Code
Community and Support¶
- Support for StarBoard Orange - Community based support for StarBoard Orange | <urn:uuid:1972745f-392e-473a-9798-89f3be3f5ec2> | CC-MAIN-2019-30 | https://os.mbed.com/cookbook/Homepage | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2019-30/segments/1563195525483.64/warc/CC-MAIN-20190718022001-20190718044001-00478.warc.gz | en | 0.752364 | 5,083 | 2.59375 | 3 |
Mandarin Chinese Grammar for Pimsleur Students/Past tense
There are some specific particles, characters or combination of characters used to make sentence past tense:
- 了 - le
- 过 - gùo
- 是 ... 的 - shì ... de
了 is used either after the verb or after the sentence to make it past tense. According to Pimsleur tapes, 了 added directly after the verb is for telling a list of things you did in the past. For a simple statement that you did something, just add 了 after the sentence.
过 is used to tell that you've had an experience and is added after the verb.
是 ... 的 shì ... de
This is used to tell or ask something detailed about the past. 是 is added after the subject and 的 at the end of the sentence. | <urn:uuid:a3c9ad89-ee80-40c9-9780-ba710dc9fdf5> | CC-MAIN-2014-15 | http://en.wikibooks.org/wiki/Mandarin_Chinese_Grammar_for_Pimsleur_Students/Past_tense | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2014-15/segments/1398223206147.1/warc/CC-MAIN-20140423032006-00474-ip-10-147-4-33.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.782042 | 195 | 3.515625 | 4 |
|3 Add a new layer (Layers>New Raster Layer). The new layer should sit on top of Top Layer (this will be a dummy layer). Draw a white line in the area where you wanted to expose the wires.
Type = Single Line
Style = Stroked
Width = 30
Antialias = checked
|Choose Round Cap End Under the Draw Options Tab
Pick the Selection Tool , press [CTRL+A] and cliick your mouse anywhere on your image. The white line should become the active selection. Save this selection to alpha channel (Selections>Save to Alpha Channel) and name it "Exposed area". Deselect active selection by pressing [CTRL+D]. Delete Layer3 (Layers>Delete).
Load "Exposed area" selection (Selections>Load from Alpha Channel). Apply a Linear gradient fill using the same settings in Step 2 on this time, set Angle = 0. | <urn:uuid:5c3c411d-bad4-40a6-af42-9495a3a62033> | CC-MAIN-2014-15 | http://www.dumlao.cc/psptutorials/6/exposed/p1.shtml | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2014-15/segments/1397609526252.40/warc/CC-MAIN-20140416005206-00145-ip-10-147-4-33.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.800373 | 195 | 2.59375 | 3 |
Forget getting the 'perfect shot' - those imperfect moments are what make perfect memories. more
How cooking helps kids learn
Teaching your kids how to cook will not only help equip them for a healthier, simpler life once they leave home - but it's actually a really great way to help them learn. Kids who can cook develop confidence and self-assurance, and a greater understanding of the world in a range of ways. Here are just some of the reasons you should teach your kids to be little masterchefs!
Kids love the opportunity to feel grown-up, and cooking "just like mum and dad" makes kids feel really special. Give him the opportunity to do as much as possible by himself - if they're closely supervised and activities are age-appropriate you'll be surprised at how responsible kids can be.
Science and chemistry
Why do cakes rise? How do egg whites turn from this clear, sticky stuff into glossy white peaks? When you think about it - baking's a pretty cook science lesson. But the best thing is, you don't actually have to teach - the activity does it for you. Actually, the best thing is that when you learn about why certain ingredients act the way they do (so you can teach your child) you end up being a better baker yourself.
Measurement and volume
Understanding measurement and volume is made simple when baking. A clear measuring jug makes things easy to see. Try using a variety of implements when measuring: cups, jugs, spoons, scales - just so children can help understand. Making a 'pound cake' can also be a great help - showing children how different amounts of substances (butter, sugar, flour) can look different, but still weigh the same.
Sounding out the words in recipes, or reading ingredients from packets in the pantry can help children with their spelling and reading. It also helps when they need to recognise words and connect the word "flour" in a recipe with the word "flour" on a pack. Labelling your jars in the pantry can be handy - and can also be a learning tool for your child.
It's surprising how a fussy kid will try a new food when it's something he's cooked himself. Give your child the option of two different vegies to include with dinner, find a recipe and let him help cut and cook up the vegetable - and hopefully try it all afterwards. Cooking helps children understand why we eat the foods we do - what foods go well together, and what we need to include for a balanced meal.
Children can learn more about the world through cooking. Choose a dish per month from a different culture - and then spend a little time learning about that country and why they eat the way they do? Why is it that so many hot countries enjoy spicy, chilli-rich meals? What meats are popular in certain nations and how does the way they eat differ from ours. Start out with kid-friendly options such as Mexican, Indian and Italian (see our recipe section for menu ideas) and move onto other nations as your child's tastebuds become more adventurous. You could be surprised at what you child likes.
There's nothing like a sense of achievement to improve self-esteem. Cooking is a great way too boost children's confidence as the results are quick - and there for the whole family to enjoy. Remember to step back and let them him to do things by himself - after showing him the safest way to do everything of course!
Find fun recipes to help kids cook
We've got some great Kid friendly recipes. Happy cooking.
Find more articles about learning games:
- Reading games for fun
- Host your own spelling bee
- Learning games with Kidspot's spelling scrambler
handwriting with printable mazes
- Handwriting fun with dot-to-dots
- Fun teaching ideas to learn left from right
facts and learning games
- Subtraction learning games
- Multiplication facts and learning ideas
- How to teach division
- What cooking will teach our kids | <urn:uuid:095d672e-9671-4acf-b0d9-620c9b1071cb> | CC-MAIN-2014-15 | http://www.kidspot.com.au/schoolzone/Learning-games-How-cooking-helps-kids-learn+4696+316+article.htm | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2014-15/segments/1397609535745.0/warc/CC-MAIN-20140416005215-00122-ip-10-147-4-33.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.953366 | 833 | 3.171875 | 3 |
The Little Green Books Series is a great line of books that focus on education children about the benefits of being green. These books are published by Little Simon, a division of Simon & Schuster Children’s Publishing. It is the first eco-friendly line of children’s novelty and storybooks, aimed at parents and children looking to learn more about the environment. All the Little Green Books are made out of recycled materials.
On their site they state:
“This new series of books will get little ones excited about going green. From recycling and replanting to creating an awareness of endangered animals and much more, Little Green Books plant the seeds for earth-friendly living at an early age. Each book in this environmentally friendly line is made from recycled materials – proving our commitment to this worthy cause.”
My son was provided with 4 books to read and review and he enjoyed all of them.
We read and reviewed:
The Adventures of an Aluminum Can by Alison Inches
I Can Save the Earth by Alison Inches
I Can Save the Ocean by Alison Inches
We also received the following activity book:
In addition to their earth-friendly, recycled books, they have put together some useful tools on The Little Green Books website to help you share these important lessons with the children in your lives.
Little Green Books Giveaway
Two (2) Lucky Oh Diane readers will receive the following 4 books that are featured in this post:
- The Adventures of an Aluminum Can by Alison Inches
- I Can Save the Earth by Alison Inches
- I Can Save the Ocean by Alison Inches
- Easy to Be Green: Simple Activities You Can Do to Save the Earth
Follow the instructions below for your chance to win.
How To Enter:
Enter a separate comment for each method of entry. Do the mandatory entry first.
Go to the Simon Little Green website and tell me what other book(s) you like other than the ones mentioned and reviewed above, or you can tell me something you learned from their site, what you read on their blog, play a game and tell me which one you like, tell me what your child’s favorite printable activity is, etc. Have fun with it!! This is a mandatory entry, and MUST be done before any bonus entries will count.
- Follow Oh Diane on Twitter (@Oh_Diane). +1(Please include your twitter ID in your comment)
- Follow Oh Diane via Google Friend Connect. +1
- “Like” Oh Diane on Facebook. +1 (Please include your FB name in your comment)
- Subscribe to my blog via rss reader or email (see sidebar). You can do both of these, but you only get one entry. +1
- Leave a review of OhDiane on Alexa.com. This is worth 3 extra entries! Leave the link to your review in your first comment – be sure to leave three (3) separate comments to get all three entries!
- Tweet about this giveaway ONCE (not daily, not hourly) +1: RT @Oh_Diane Enter to #win a set of 4 Little Green Books! http://bit.ly/jHW7vp #giveaway ends 7/10/11.
Things You Should Know:
- Two winners will receive a set of four (4) books featured above.
- Entry open to anyone 18 years of age and over.
- Open to those in the US only.
- Giveaway ends on Sunday, July 10th 2011 at 11:59 p.m. EST.
- Winner will be chosen via And The Winner Is plugin. In the event of plugin failure random.org will be used.
- Because, emails can get lost, I will email the winner twice. If I don’t hear from you within 24 hours of the first email, I’ll try again. If, after 48 hours, I still haven’t heard from you, another winner will be chosen.
- Winner will be announced in a separate post on my blog.
- Disclosure: I received complimentary copies of the products mentioned above to facilitate this review, but all opinions are my own. No monetary compensation has been received.
We have 2 winners! The winners of this Giveaway are Carey P. and Anna C.! Congrats Carey and Anna! | <urn:uuid:c7acb5f5-c4f0-4f3f-b86f-c1c93aa2adcb> | CC-MAIN-2017-17 | http://www.ohdiane.com/little-green-books-series-giveaway/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2017-17/segments/1492917122621.35/warc/CC-MAIN-20170423031202-00568-ip-10-145-167-34.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.935892 | 904 | 2.625 | 3 |
It's no accident that the main function of the sun at the center of our solar system is to provide light. Light is what drives life. It's hard to imagine our world and life without it.
The sensing of light by living things is almost universal. Plants use light through photosynthesis to grow. Animals use light to hunt their prey or to sense and escape from predators.
Some say that it is the development of stereoscopic vision, along with the development of the large human brain and the freeing of hands from locomotion, that have allowed humans to evolve to such a high level.In this article, we'll discuss the amazing inner workings of the human eye! | <urn:uuid:4b83bd5a-38dd-41e9-a05c-d4c84c49455c> | CC-MAIN-2018-51 | https://health.howstuffworks.com/mental-health/human-nature/perception/eye.htm | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2018-51/segments/1544376823872.13/warc/CC-MAIN-20181212112626-20181212134126-00179.warc.gz | en | 0.949513 | 136 | 3.515625 | 4 |
The art produced by the Urartu civilization, which flourished in ancient Armenia, eastern Turkey, and northwestern Iran from the 9th to 6th century BCE, is best seen in bronze figurines of deities, bronze cauldrons with animal and goddess head decorations, and vibrant wall paintings. A mix of Mesopotamian and indigenous subjects coupled with outstanding craft skills make the artworks of Urartu some of the star attractions in the Near Eastern collections of museums worldwide from London to Saint Petersburg.
Ideas & Influences
Overshadowed by its more powerful neighbour Assyria (both in the past and today), without surviving examples of extended text of its own, and having had much of its precious material culture destroyed or looted, it can be difficult to disentangle the art of Urartu from that of the civilizations who were its predecessors, contemporaries, and even successors. One is on safer ground when examining the artefacts themselves in isolation rather than searching for their connection to each other and the art of other cultures. Certain points then become clear - the Urartians were master metalworkers, cauldrons especially being a forte. Wall painters were as accomplished as in any other culture, too. Such skills were acquired and developed over many decades, even centuries, and with such skills, one can presume there was also innovation both in technique and ideas. History shows that expert artists do not copy for very long before they begin to experiment.
The Urartu civilization was only rediscovered in the 19th century CE, and it has a lot of catching up to do with its more famous contemporary cultures, but ongoing excavations are steadily building up a clearer picture of the capabilities, inspirations, and legacy of one of the region's most important Bronze and Iron Age cultures. It is clear that Urartian art was particularly influenced by contemporary Assyrian and Near Eastern art and that produced by the earlier cultures of the Hittites and Hurrians. Such subjects as lions, bulls, mythological creatures (e.g. griffins and centaurs), horse riders, and military themes provide a strong link between all of these cultures. Finally, Egyptian art was not unknown either, and artefacts with hieroglyphs, notably faience bowls and statuettes, have been found at Urartian sites.
A consequence of these cultural connections, coupled with the lack of identifying inscriptions in many cases, is that some artworks can be difficult to positively identify as made by artists from Urartu, Assyria or the Achaemenid Empire. An added difficulty is that many surviving Urartian artworks come from Assyrian sites where they were either taken as loot or which were produced specifically for that market by Urartian craftsmen. These works, though, may well have been produced during a period of political and artistic decline when Urartian art had lost some of its uniqueness. Thankfully, extensive excavations, such as those at Teishebaini (Karmir-Blur), have revealed the wide range of materials, media and subjects typical of Urartian art.
Materials & Media
Metalworking has a long history in the region, dating back to the 10th millennium BCE. Artisans in the Urartu kingdom had access to local mineral deposits which included gold, silver, copper, lead, iron, and tin. Other metals which the artisans and artists of Urartu could use included alloys such as bronze (copper and tin), brass (copper and zinc), and electrum (gold and silver). Artists also used wood, hardwood, stone, bone, stag horns, semi-precious stones (e.g. sardonyx, agate, and cornelian), enamel, faience, and ivory for their work. Common media for Urartian art includes figurines, engraved and inlaid weapons and armour, pottery, wall paintings, and highly decorative furniture.
Unfortunately, no large-scale sculpture survives except in fragments. The most important example is the six surviving pieces of a basalt relief statue of the storm god Teisheba. Dating to the 7th century BCE, the original figure stood on a bull facing a second figure with a triple spearhead between the two. It was excavated at Adilcevaz, north of Lake Van, and a full reconstruction has been made which can be seen in the Erebuni Historical and Archaeological Culture Preserve in Yerevan, Armenia.
The largest sculpture suggested by a surviving fragment is a life-size figure of a ruler. Only the torso of the figure has survived but the narrow beard and ends of long hair suggest a royal person. The left hand holds a bow and some arrows while the right hand holds either a club or whip. That such large figure statues were erected at Urartian temples is known through Assyrian inscriptions and artwork which describe and depict attacks on Urartu during the mid- to late-8th century BCE.
Metalworkers cut, cast, embossed, engraved, and inlaid metal to produce such ornate goods as jewellery of all kinds, helmets, shields, quivers, pectorals, small seals and amulets in the shape of bells, horse harness pieces, horse bits, belts, buckles, figurines, and candelabra. Bronze and copper seem to have been the materials of choice. Large bronze cauldrons were a speciality, often with three-dimensional animal or human heads around the rim and as handles. A magnificent bronze bull's head handle ornamentation can today be seen in the British Museum in London.
Winged female goddesses are another common choice for cauldron decorations, and they perhaps represent the goddess Tushpuea, the consort of Shivini, the sun god. A splendid example is today in the Hermitage Museum in Saint Petersburg. The cauldrons, having rounded bottoms, were set on embossed bases or tripods. The type, in general, is very similar to Etruscan cauldrons, which were likely inspired by the Urartu model, indeed, some examples may well be of Urartian manufacture.
Bronze plaques, placed in niches in interior walls, were etched with geometrical designs and scenes of horsemen and chariots, sometimes even buildings, too. Some plaques have gold and silver leaf decoration. Bronze belts were engraved with hunting scenes, for example, lion-hunts. Shields had large central bosses made in the form of mythical creatures, lions, and bulls. Shields may also show concentric bands of embossed lions and bulls as in the two examples now in the British Museum in London. Those bronze items such as the more ornate shields and weapons belonging to the royal household are so identified by inscriptions which have also helped to identify Urartian works found outside Asia.
Wall Painting & Flooring
Excavations have revealed both public and private buildings in Urartian cities had interior wall paintings. The palace complex at the fortress site of Erebuni alone had over 2,000 square metres of wall paintings. Painted on plaster, surviving sections and fragments show scenes with animals, mythical creatures, processions of gods, and scenes from everyday life such as agriculture, cattle breeding, and hunting. The scenes are usually set within broad decorative borders made up of palmettes, geometric shapes or small repeated human figures. Backgrounds are usually white, outlines are drawn in black, and blue and red are the most commonly used colours.
Flooring was of stone in the more prestigious buildings with surviving examples having either large basalt slabs or even large-stone polychrome mosaics with geometric designs. Interior walls could have cavities cut into them into which were placed not only the decorative bronze plaques described above but also decorative cut stone slabs in red, white, or black.
Furniture was placed in elite tombs, especially thrones and matching stools. Perhaps largely made of wood, they have not survived complete but fragments made from cast or solid metal, usually bronze or copper, do survive. These remnants are highly decorative and take the form of finely sculpted standing human figures or mythical creatures such as winged bulls with human heads or winged bird-lion hybrids which were intended to protect the person who sat on the throne. In some examples of these figures the face may have been rendered in gold or semi-precious stone and, consequently, this part has long-since been removed by looters. The recesses of many of these miniature sculptures contain traces of gold leaf suggesting that the whole was once covered in shining gold.
A wide range of vessels was made both for everyday and ceremonial use. The most common type has a polished red surface while a typical form is the one-handled jug. Large jars were made and then sunk into the floors of storage buildings in which were kept foodstuffs, especially grain, oil, and wine. The largest examples of these had a capacity to hold 750 litres (200 gallons). A label etched in cuneiform very often indicates the contents of storage vessels. One unusual form is the vessel made in the shape of a boot, complete with painted stitching and laces. Several examples have been excavated from the fortress city of Teishebaini and date to the 8th century BCE. Finally, pyxides (small lidded boxes) were produced and decorated with relief or painted scenes of religious and everyday life. There are several surviving examples of these in stone, too.
Religious art includes bronze figurines of prominent gods such as Haldi, Teisheba, and Shivini. Haldi, the head deity and god of war, is often portrayed as a man with or without a beard standing on a lion, symbolic of his power, courage, and virility. In contrast, Teisheba, the storm god, is shown standing on a bull and holding thunderbolts in his hands. Shivini, the sun god, was often represented as a kneeling man holding a winged solar disk, and was, therefore, likely inspired by the Egyptian god of the same association, Ra.
Some figurines of deities are unidentified, such as a female goddess rendered in bone, and there are, too, strange hybrid figurines of a fish-man, bird-man, and scorpion-man. These latter creatures, frequently painted on storeroom interior walls, were likely regarded as protective spirits. The Tree of Life, another motif from Mesopotamian art, appears in various media, typically with a figure standing either side of it and making offerings.
Weapons were made using precious materials which were not for military use but destined as offerings at temples to the gods. Assyrian inscriptions describe temples in Urartu containing silver bows and arrows, gold swords, silver javelins and spears, and even silver chariots. Finally, as perhaps is to be expected for a war god, Haldi is frequently represented on engraved weapons, belts, shields, and medallions.
As already mentioned, there is a striking resemblance in many features of the art and objects produced in Urartu and other cultures in the Near East but also further afield in Archaic Greece, especially on Crete, Rhodes, Samos, Delphi, Corinth, and elsewhere. Etruscan art shows similarities too. Whether these ideas arose independently or were transferred via traders, the exchange of objects or by the movement of artists themselves is a moot question. The point of contact between these various Mediterranean cultures would most likely have been the thriving port of Poseidon (Al Mina) at the mouth of the Orontes River in southeast Turkey, which was controlled by Urartu in the first half of the 8th century BCE.
Some motifs seen in the art of Urartu continued to appear in the art of the region into much later times, just as the Urartian language continued long after the cities had been taken over by the Medes and successive powers. The Tree of Life motif, for example, was still being used in the folk songs and illustrated manuscripts produced in Armenia during the medieval period.
This article was made possible with generous support from the National Association for Armenian Studies and Research and the Knights of Vartan Fund for Armenian Studies. | <urn:uuid:a08be615-4c2f-46b3-b27a-e89c8472e2b6> | CC-MAIN-2022-21 | https://dev.worldhistory.org/Urartu_Art/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2022-21/segments/1652662587158.57/warc/CC-MAIN-20220525120449-20220525150449-00046.warc.gz | en | 0.972431 | 2,551 | 3.328125 | 3 |
Arctic and Alpine Ecology
Impacts of hemiparasitic plants on plant community dynamics under global change
Hemiparasitic plants are known to negatively impact total biomass production of grasslands. At the same time they may facilitate species co-occurrence through mediating competitive hierarchies among species. In a set of experiments we aim to elucidate the functional role of hemiparasites in species co-occurrences under global change scenarios for the Swiss Alps.
Facultative vs. obligatory hemiparasitism of Pedicularis under different environmental conditions
Cultivation of Pedicularis is notoriously difficult and usually fails without adequate hosts. However, field observation suggest that hemiparasitism is differentially expressed during distinct life-stages and under different site conditions. We test these observations experimentally with a model host grass species.
Phylogeny of the hemiparasitic plant genus Pedicularis
The plant genus Pedicularis harbors >600 species which are predominantly distributed in polar and alpine habitats of the Northern hemisphere. Traditional intrageneric classification has largely focused on flower morphology as the main phylogenetic character whereas first molecular evidence emphasized phyllotaxy. We use chloroplast and nuclear DNA as well as quantitative and qualitative morphological traits in order to elucidate the phylogeny of this genus.
(in collaboration with Rick Ree, Field Museum Chicago)
Long-term effects of different fertilizer and land-use treatments on the composition of an alpine pasture
Christine Föhr-Heiniger, Patrick Kuss, Markus Fischer
In the early 1940’s, Werner Lüdi set up a large field experiment in the Swiss Alps to test how an unproductive alpine pasture could be improved in terms of biomass and nutritious value. He applied several fertilizer and land-use treatments and recorded species composition and frequency as well as biomass production and soil parameters. We will carry out vegetation relevés on the initial 1-m2 plots and analyze biomass and soil in order to outline long-term fertilizer and land-use impacts on biodiversity and productivity of this unique pasture.
Pollinator visitation of native and alien plants
Christine Föhr-Heiniger, Markus Fischer
One potential key factor explaining plant invasiveness is the the degree to which exotic plants are able to attract native pollinators. To test this hypothesis, we take advantage of the large number of exotic and native plant species grown under similar climatic conditions in the Botanical Garden in Bern. We carry out repeated pollinator censusus on native and exotic species to test the hyptheses that (1) exotic plants generally attract fewer pollinators than native plants, but (2) invasive exotic plants attract more pollinators than non-invasive exotic plants.
(in collaboration with Mark van Kleunen, University of Konstanz, and Mialy Mialy Harindra Razanajatovo (University of Antananarivo) | <urn:uuid:1aaef4e4-b47b-4183-b993-cdbdcc067c19> | CC-MAIN-2017-47 | http://www.ips.unibe.ch/research/planteco/projects/arctic_and__alpine_ecology/index_eng.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2017-47/segments/1510934806569.66/warc/CC-MAIN-20171122103526-20171122123526-00006.warc.gz | en | 0.888072 | 610 | 2.875 | 3 |
from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 4th Edition
- n. A very large cactus (Carnegiea gigantea) of the southwest United States and northern Mexico, having ribbed upward-curving branches, white funnel-shaped flowers, and edible red fruit.
- n. The fruit of this cactus.
from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License
- n. A large cactus in the genus Carnegiea, native to the Sonoran Desert and characterized by its "arms".
from The Century Dictionary and Cyclopedia
- n. The giant cactus, Cereus giganteus, a columnar species from 25 to over 50 feet high, growing on stony mesas and low hills in Arizona and adjacent parts of Mexico.
from WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.
- n. extremely large treelike cactus of desert regions of southwestern United States having a thick columnar sparsely branched trunk bearing white flowers and edible red pulpy fruit
The saguaro is a signature plant of the Sonoran Desert.
Scattered among the huge club-shaped columns of the saguaro is the cholla, the next largest of the cactuses.
… if you didn't know, and i didn't, a saguaro is a type of cactus …
Matthew Rounis, a fifth-grader who also served on the commission, said the combo design "represents the entire state, not just one section, and it also serves as a map of Arizona, since in the northern part you have the Grand Canyon and in the southern part you have the saguaro which is indigenous to those areas."
Paloverde-cactus shrub vegetation includes various types of cacti, such as saguaro, cholla and agave.
"The saguaro is a monstrosity in fact as well as in appearance, -- a product of miscegenation between plant and animal, probably depending for its form of life history, if not for its very existence, on its commensals." [
The North American Gila Woodpecker excavates a living space within saguaro cacti.
But I went alone, reassured in the north by the desert, the barrenness interrupted by the stolid saguaro, the gnarled creosote.
A second important time was the “summer wine feast” preceded by the “Saguaro ripe moon” when the important picking of saguaro fruits occurred.
The last month in their year was the “black seed moon” preceding the ripening of the saguaro cactus fruits. | <urn:uuid:a3421389-3c25-4d74-9229-37e6667e50ed> | CC-MAIN-2015-40 | https://www.wordnik.com/words/saguaro | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2015-40/segments/1443737913406.61/warc/CC-MAIN-20151001221833-00253-ip-10-137-6-227.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.922716 | 569 | 3.015625 | 3 |
Sanjoy Das presented a paper on his gene-spilling algorithm at the World Congress on Computational Intelligence in May 2002. He will co-organize and chair an international natural computing conference in North Carolina in 2003.
Engineers looks to nature to solve computer problems
Ants colonies an inspiration
By Mark Berry
Ordinarily, ants in a computer would be a bad thing.
But a Kansas State University professor brings organic life into the silicon world, using the inherent brilliance of nature to create better computer programming.
Scientists are constantly racking their brains to come up with new ways to design innovative programs. They can apply old concepts to new areas. They can use analytical approaches or intuition. But they cannot compete with evolution, said Sanjoy Das, assistant professor of electrical and computer engineering, who uses biological systems as a model for computer algorithms. An algorithm is a set of instructions used by the computer to accomplish its tasks.
"We have all these very complex problems, engineering and otherwise. Instead of trying to solve these problems by purely artificial means, I try to borrow things from nature and then try to incorporate them into problem solving," Das said.
An ant colony is one example. Each ant in the colony follows simple behaviors. Ants succeed in nature, however, because of the collective strategy they use and their ability to communicate with each other.
"The nest as a whole has some kind of intelligence. We can harness that intelligence and apply that to algorithms that can do optimization problems for you," Das said.
Das studies the biological system thoroughly, pulling out all its secrets and traits. In the ant algorithm, numbers represent each physical object in an ant colony. Those numbers are written into an algorithm, and voila an organic computation is born.
Das and Anil Pahwa, professor of electrical and computer engineering, are using the ant algorithm in electrical power distribution systems, like those that deliver power to your home or business. Das said the algorithm will improve the efficiency of the electrical systems, minimizing power loss. Das predicts that the ant algorithm will be several-fold faster than traditional algorithms in electrical power systems. They have also used ant algorithms to restore power more quickly after an outage.
Even bacteria, the simplest of organisms, have something to teach computer scientists. A bacterium passes on good genes by spilling its guts, so that bacteria nearby can absorb the improved genetic material. Das developed an algorithm modeled on the gene-sharing mechanism.
"Now we are going to apply it to some really complex problems, such as modeling electric motors and computer chip design," Das said.
He is also becoming interested in applying algorithms modeled after the behavior of birds flying in formation to engineering design.
Though Das earned his doctorate in electrical engineering, he has always been interested in biological systems. He did post-doctorate work on brain modeling and then learned about genetic algorithms.
"That opened up a window for me and I realized there are so many things out there that can be used in algorithms," Das said. "It was very exciting to me and when I look back, it makes a lot of sense. Why reinvent the wheel, when nature has evolved for such a long time? We have excellent problem solving strategies out there. Make use of them and apply them to the real world."
He and Don Gruenbacher, associate professor of electrical and computer engineering, are using the ant colony algorithm in the creation of adaptable computer hardware. Yes, in the future those little chips inside your computer may have the ability to reconfigure themselves. The two professors are working on "field programmable gate arrays" that adjust to different surroundings, much as an ant colony does. The chips can optimize themselves to the task they are given. Ordinary chips cannot.
"The microprocessor is set in stone. With the arrays, you can change the internal configuration," Gruenbacher said.
The inside of the array is like a large number of tiny switches that can be turned on or off. Programmers can change the configuration of the array by changing which switches are on and off. If the user wants to use the computer chip for ordinary computing purposes, it configures to a normal processor. It can then reconfigure itself to execute highly complex engineering tasks. Gruenbacher said NASA is interested in the arrays for long-distance missions. It would take years for satellites to reach distant planets, and if scientists wish to alter the mission in mid-flight, the chips can adapt.
The professors believe the hardware can run faster and more efficiently when the ant algorithm is implemented. The arrays can also be less expensive than traditional processors when mass-produced, Gruenbacher said. | <urn:uuid:f702a5b6-44d9-4be5-9247-a16bdc5ea4ad> | CC-MAIN-2016-26 | http://www.k-state.edu/media/webzine/0103/ants.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2016-26/segments/1466783397696.49/warc/CC-MAIN-20160624154957-00056-ip-10-164-35-72.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.951068 | 954 | 3.703125 | 4 |
Late-Chosun Newspapers to Become Cultural Treasures
The six dailies include the Hanseong Sunbo, Korea's first Korean-language newspaper and Tongnip Sinmun, Korea's first privately-managed modern daily, along with two magazines that contributed to the independence movement against Japanese colonial rule and modernization thereafter.
First published in Oct. 31, 1883, the Hanseong Sunbo carried world news and introduced the advanced culture and systems of government of foreign countries. The Tongnip Sinmun founded on April 7, 1896 drew attention by innovative use of the Korean alphabet instead of Chinese letters, and horizontal writing.
The CHA will make its official decision after gathering opinions from various experts for the next 30 days. | <urn:uuid:5edfcc37-f2cb-4bdf-acc4-cce6d01a8f3b> | CC-MAIN-2017-51 | http://mystickorea.blogspot.com/2012/09/south-koreas-chosun-newspapers-to.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2017-51/segments/1512948550199.46/warc/CC-MAIN-20171214183234-20171214203234-00196.warc.gz | en | 0.930945 | 151 | 2.96875 | 3 |
Antonio Maria Fabres y Costa
Spanish, 1854 - 1936
Antonio Fabres was a famous Spanish artist during the turn of the century. He was born in Barcelona Spain in 1854. It is said that he was the artist gene since his father was a draughtsman and his uncle a silversmith. He started studying at the Escuela de Bellas Artes in his native city at the age of 13. When he turned 21, he received a grant to study in Rome. There are records of his sculptures from early in his career but later on he became a painter almost exclusively. He joined Mariano Fortuny with a group that became known for their intense realism. Their popularity grew with the taste of the bourgeoisie seeking exotic images with oriental of medieval themes. He went back to Barcelona in 1886 and in 1894 he moved to Paris. The popularity he had earned during his decade in Italy helped him open a large studio where he could create complex scenes for the upper classes.
In 1902 the Academia de San Carlos decided to renovate their classical techniques with the ones of realism that were so popular in Europe at the time. Antonio Fabres was called to take the place of Santiago Rebull as head of this important institution. Although some of his students went on to become what was later known as the Post-Revolutionary Movement in Mexican art, the faculty had a hard time adapting to his distinct style and personality. In 1907, he returned to Rome. One of his last commissions in Mexico was the decorations of a hall at the Porfirio Diaz mansion where he mainly focused on art nouveau style .
Fabres was recognized most everywhere he traveled. He was acclaimed in Barcelona, London, Paris, Vienna and Lyon. At the end of his life he was dealt a very unfortunate blow when in 1926 he decided to donate a large amount of works to the Museo de Bellas Artes de Barcelona. In exchange for this generous donation he asked the Museum that a hall be built with his name, but the museum never built that hall and although he protested several times, they could never settle the argument. Antonio Fabres died in Rome in 1938. | <urn:uuid:776241ff-0da4-4d7a-a0f9-b9759d987b47> | CC-MAIN-2018-05 | http://www.chinafineart.com/oilpainting/artist/Antonio_Maria_Fabres_y_Costa.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2018-05/segments/1516084886815.20/warc/CC-MAIN-20180117043259-20180117063259-00136.warc.gz | en | 0.993109 | 447 | 2.984375 | 3 |
The skin of babies and children is more delicate than that of adults and they often have skin alterations such as rashes or lesions that make parents alarmed and go to the paediatrician’s office. But there are times when these skin alterations need to be reviewed by a pediatric dermatology expert to assess and treat the condition. They are diverse, frequent and benign but sometimes disabling and annoying for both the child and the family so their recognition and treatment is important.
Among the most common cases of consultation in pediatric dermatology we can highlight 4 that occupy the first places. Atopic dermatitis, is an allergic reaction characterized by symptoms such as dry skin, redness, cracks, itching. Atopic dermatitis usually occurs more in children, between 2 and 6 months of age, although it can appear at any stage of life. As the child grows, the lesions change shape and appear in different places. Most commonly, they appear on the scalp, face, trunk, elbows, and knees as children. In childhood and early adolescence, the lesions appear on the feet, flexor areas (anterior elbow crease, posterior knee crease), and neck. Atopic dermatitis affects up to 20% of the pediatric population in developed countries. It is a very common viral infection in children under 5 years old. Also known as “water wart” it is produced by a virus member of the Poxvirus family. Molluscum warts, being a viral infection, can disappear on their own over a period of months to years although the lesions usually multiply and cause considerable discomfort. It is usually spread by direct skin-to-skin contact or through contaminated objects, such as towels, clothes, or toys.
Viral warts are most commonly found on the soles of the feet and palms of the hands, although they can appear on any skin or mucosal surface. This HPV infection affects 10% of the population and is most prevalent in children with atopic dermatitis. Impetigo is characterized by yellow or golden scabs that usually appear on the face, upper trunk, and arms. In children it can also appear in the nose area. This skin infection caused by a bacterium called Staphylococcus aureus is very contagious and it proliferates more when temperatures increase and children start going to the beach or swimming pools. | <urn:uuid:99744393-c88a-4162-b824-6c28f5a0d7e0> | CC-MAIN-2024-10 | https://www.clinicasoriano.com/en/dermatological-diseases/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2024-10/segments/1707947475238.84/warc/CC-MAIN-20240301093751-20240301123751-00159.warc.gz | en | 0.961335 | 477 | 3.359375 | 3 |
Progress on tackling pneumonia and diarrhoea in Malawi
Malawi takes an integrated approach in tackling pneumonia and diarrhoea.
Over the past decade, Malawi has made significant progress reducing deaths in children under five. Still, pneumonia is the single biggest killer, taking the lives of an estimated 1000 babies and young children in 2010. Diarrhoea is another major threat, causing the deaths of 600 Malawian children per year.
The good news is, these diseases are both preventable and treatable, and Malawi is making good progress tackling them.
Many factors contribute to pneumonia and diarrhoea, so no single intervention can effectively prevent, treat or control either condition. But, recognising that a number of common strategies can help tackle both diseases, Malawi is beginning to reduce infections and deaths from these two previously stubborn killers.
Vaccines against pneumococcal bacteria (which can cause pneumonia, meningitis, and other diseases) and rotavirus (the most common cause of severe diarrhoeal disease) are two of the newest tools. Malawi introduced pneumococcal vaccine as part of its regular “routine” childhood vaccination schedule in November 2011, and added rotavirus in October 2012. Only three other countries in the African Region provide both of these vaccines: Ghana, the Republic of South Africa, and Rwanda.
“Support from WHO, UNICEF and the GAVI Alliance, has ensured we can offer Malawian children protection from two of the biggest killers: pneumonia and diarrhoea.”
Dr Storn Kabuluzi, Director of Preventive Health Services in Malawi’s Ministry of Health
“Support from WHO, UNICEF and the GAVI Alliance, has ensured we can offer Malawian children protection from two of the biggest killers: pneumonia and diarrhoea,” says Dr Storn Kabuluzi, Director of Preventive Health Services in Malawi’s Ministry of Health.
An integrated approach
While the vaccines are a vital part of prevention for pneumonia and diarrhoea they need to be combined with breastfeeding and nutritious food, and a clean environment. Ensuring that families have access to health services and the right medicines are also essential.
Malawi is pioneering this approach. For example, when mothers-to-be go for antenatal check-ups, they are also given hygiene kits. This simple measure has resulted in a nearly 30-fold increase in good household water treatment practices in just three years. It also resulted in a 15% increase in the number of mothers who deliver in health centres and go for postnatal check-ups.
“WHO is working with the Government of Malawi to show other countries in the region that it is both possible and advantageous to integrate the delivery of interventions that will cut child deaths from pneumonia and diarrhoea,” says Dr Felicitas Zawaira, WHO’s Representative in Malawi. “Over the past 10 years, overall child mortality has been cut in half, and Malawi is one of the few African countries on track to achieve the fourth Millennium Development Goal of reducing the under-five mortality rate by two thirds between 1990 and 2015.”
Reaching children in communities
Since 2008, Malawi has deployed close to 4000 “health surveillance assistants” (HSAs) to identify and care for sick children in hard-to-reach communities and refer them to hospital when necessary. In addition to reducing pneumonia and diarrhoea deaths, there are additional benefits for health. HSAs are trained and equipped with a kit of essential medicines to treat fever, diarrhoea, pneumonia and other common illnesses. They give antibiotics to children with pneumonia, and life-saving oral rehydration salts and zinc in cases of diarrhoea.
New Global Action Plan
On 12 April 2013, WHO and UNICEF launched a Global Action Plan for the Prevention and Control of Pneumonia and Diarrhoea. The plan calls for closer integration of efforts to prevent and treat the two diseases and sets ambitious targets to reduce mortality and improve access to life-saving interventions such as vaccines, breastfeeding, improved sanitation and safe drinking water, and treatment: antibiotics for pneumonia and oral rehydration salts and zinc for diarrhoea.
“Too often, strategies to tackle pneumonia and diarrhoea run in parallel,” says Dr Elizabeth Mason, Director of Maternal, Newborn, Child and Adolescent Health at WHO. “But as countries like Malawi are showing, it makes good health sense and good economic sense to integrate those strategies more closely.” | <urn:uuid:ffe0c981-77f0-47d0-a3bb-60ef58a82ddd> | CC-MAIN-2018-13 | http://www.who.int/features/2013/malawi_pneumonia_diarrhoea/en/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2018-13/segments/1521257648103.60/warc/CC-MAIN-20180322225408-20180323005408-00702.warc.gz | en | 0.937045 | 950 | 3.484375 | 3 |
Home > About SD > Our History > Lewis and Clark > Hardships
Lewis and Clark
Lewis and Clark's Hardships
Considering the length and breadth of the journey, the Corps of Discovery had few calamities. But they did have a few close calls while in present-day South Dakota.
Starving in a land of plenty
Imagine going hungry in a land where food sources are plentiful. That's what almost happened to Pvt. George Shannon in the fall of 1804. Shannon spent more than two weeks on shore - lost, alone and struggling to catch up with the keelboat. When he ran out of bullets, Shannon lived by eating grapes and a rabbit he shot using a stick in place of a bullet. Finally, weak and tired, young Shannon sat down on the shore to rest. That's when the keelboat arrived. It seems he had been ahead of the party the whole time. An interpretive panel is located at Snake Creek Recreation Area west of Platte.
Mutiny on the keelboat?
Shortly after leaving the Arikara village, Pvt. John Newman was charged with uttering "mutinous" expressions and attempting to turn the men against the captains. A court martial was held Oct. 13, 1804, near present-day Pollock. Newman pled not guilty, but a jury of his peers didn't agree. They found him guilty and sentenced him to receive 75 lashes and to be let go from the permanent party. A historical marker near Pollock describes the incident.
Case of mistaken identity
On the return trip through South Dakota, the explorers had a tense moment near present-day Running Water. The men were in several canoes when they passed a group of Indians, which Clark took to be a war party on shore. When shots rang out, Clark gathered 15 men and ran towards the direction of the shots. The so-called "war party" turned out to be a group of Yankton shooting at an empty keg the explorers had thrown into the river. Realizing his mistake, Clark invited the Yankton to smoke, which they did. An interpretive panel near the bridge at Running Water commemorates the incident. | <urn:uuid:6edca488-61bb-412f-a2b8-d39b596a13f6> | CC-MAIN-2015-11 | http://www.travelsd.com/About-SD/Our-History/Lewis-and-Clark/Hardships | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2015-11/segments/1424936535306.37/warc/CC-MAIN-20150226074215-00024-ip-10-28-5-156.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.977527 | 449 | 3.203125 | 3 |
The blow to the head, although the bone structure is very resistant, can have severe repercussions, so we should not underestimate some symptoms that may appear at the time. Of course, everything depends on the intensity, although most dangerous blow to the head is caused, for example, in a car accident or a fall from a height and can lead to internal bleeding. What signs warn us about the seriousness of a head injury? Let’s look more closely, what might be the consequences and how we should act.
Blow to the head symptoms
After a blow to the head, in the head area, it is common that appear a bump, caused by the accumulation of blood between the bone and skin. By being outside the skull, the bumps do not suppose greater danger, disappearing after a few days. These can cause some discomfort and sensation of pain. To alleviate these symptoms, we can apply ice to the area or take a painkiller.
It is also advisable, as a preventive measure, not to carry out activities involving efforts during 24 hours, as well as to avoid noises or intense lights.
When symptoms appear after receiving the blow as a momentary loss of consciousness, loss of memory of the minutes before and after the blow, loss of orientation or intense vomiting, it is necessary to consult the doctor as soon as possible, and in an urgent way if also there appear other signs as loss of strength, difficulties of speaking, loss of sensation or seizures.
When there is loss of consciousness it is advisable to perform a CT scan, an imaging test to confirm or rule out that there is a bruise or internal bleeding in the neuronal tissue of the brain. It is precisely in these cases, internal bleeding occurs, when it can put in serious risk of the patient’s life. It is essential to control this bleeding, as it could cause what is known as intracranial pressure – the response of the skull to the modified its contents. | <urn:uuid:2edefed6-25d6-42b5-af8f-cb5d5c61cf84> | CC-MAIN-2021-10 | https://fromdoctor.com/blow-to-the-head-how-to-know-if-it-is-serious.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2021-10/segments/1614178355937.26/warc/CC-MAIN-20210225211435-20210226001435-00194.warc.gz | en | 0.960678 | 396 | 2.703125 | 3 |
All Documents and Media
|Hitchcock Foundation Lectures: "Chemical Bonds in Biology" January 17, 1983.
University of California, Berkeley.
Early Investigations of the Structure and Properties of Hemoglobin. (1:49)
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Linus Pauling: Then Warren Weaver said, "the Rockefeller Foundation isn't really interested in the sulfide minerals, what we are interested
in is biology." So that sank in for a while... I remember those beautiful red crystals of hemoglobin, and in fact I had
written a paper on the sigmoid equilibrium constant of hemoglobin with oxygen -- a theoretical paper. That was my beginning
in the protein field.
So I had an idea, and I applied for a grant to study the magnetic properties of hemoglobin. This was eighty-seven years,
I think, after the last work had been done. Faraday wrote in his diary, "Have measured the magnetic susceptibility of old
dried blood. Must try recent fluid blood." So, we got the grant. And Charles Coryell and I borrowed an old discarded balance
from the sophomore analytical lab and drilled a hole in it and hung a tube from it; borrowed a magnet from Mt. Wilson Observatory,
and measured the susceptibility of hemoglobin. Venous blood and arterial blood. And to our astonishment there was a big
difference in susceptibility; magnetic properties of venous blood and arterial blood. Very interesting consequences of the
magnetic properties significance for the structure of hemoglobin.
ClipCreator: Linus Pauling
Associated: Warren Weaver, Michael Faraday, Charles Coryell
Clip ID: 1983v.1-earlywork
Full WorkCreator: Linus Pauling
Associated: University of California, Berkeley
Date: January 17, 1983
Copyright: More Information | <urn:uuid:556ad641-ce19-45ab-bc81-ee4bab062613> | CC-MAIN-2013-48 | http://osulibrary.oregonstate.edu/specialcollections/coll/pauling/blood/audio/1983v.1-earlywork.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-48/segments/1386164036407/warc/CC-MAIN-20131204133356-00048-ip-10-33-133-15.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.88577 | 398 | 2.75 | 3 |
For now, the thousands of potential exoplanets discovered in the past two years are little more than curvy dips on a graph. Astronomers using the Kepler Space Telescope pick them out by examining the way they blot out their own stars’ light as they move through their orbits. But if astronomers could block out the stars themselves, they may be able to see the planets directly. A new adaptive optics system on the storied Palomar Observatory just started doing that — it’s the first of its kind capable of spotting planets outside our solar system.
The new system is called Project 1640, and it creates dark holes around stars that may harbor planets. It removes the blinding glare of starlight so astronomers can see the exoplanets. This is extremely hard to do, said Charles Beichman, executive director of the NASA Exoplanet Science Institute at Caltech. “Imagine trying to see a firefly whirling around a searchlight more than a thousand miles away,” he said in a statement.
Coronagraphs are used to block out starlight so scientists can see what lurks around the stars. But even when you block the brightest light, about half of it can still fuzz up an image, creating speckles and background light that will interfere with images of potential planets. To address this speckly starlight, Project 1640 uses the world’s most advanced adaptive optics system, and four separate instruments on Palomar’s 200-inch Hale telescope that image the infrared light generated by young, warm planets orbiting stars. | <urn:uuid:1e62f69e-b031-4fa7-8b98-88cf9bed01eb> | CC-MAIN-2019-39 | https://www.planettechnews.com/new-telescope-optics-can-directly-view-exoplanets-by-hiding-interfering-starlight/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2019-39/segments/1568514572289.5/warc/CC-MAIN-20190915195146-20190915221146-00242.warc.gz | en | 0.917848 | 322 | 3.96875 | 4 |
Sea urchin spines can be venomous or cause infection. Granuloma and staining of the skin from the natural dye inside the sea urchin can also occur. Breathing problems may indicate a serious reaction to toxins in the sea urchin.
Following injury by a non-venomous sea urchin, the spine can stay for a while inside the flesh, causing pain and discomfort. The spines dissolve after a time, or are expelled from the body. | <urn:uuid:ab0e4b75-657f-4af2-bf62-295a5ef196b0> | CC-MAIN-2021-25 | https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sea_urchin_injury | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2021-25/segments/1623487653461.74/warc/CC-MAIN-20210619233720-20210620023720-00568.warc.gz | en | 0.874561 | 100 | 2.578125 | 3 |
Tarantulas generally stick to a pretty predictable body plan – eight legs, long fangs, usually fuzzy. But a newly-described species of tarantula in the southern African country of Angola has thrown scientists a big curve ball. The tarantula is about as weird as it gets for spiders, sporting a long, pliable, droopy “horn” on its back, and no one’s sure what it’s even for.
The special spider was first collected by scientists as part of the National Geographic Okavango Wilderness Project, which aims to investigate, categorise, and protect the biodiversity in a relatively understudied region of Africa – the Okavango drainage in the nations of Angola, Botswana, and Namibia. John Midgley, an entomologist at the KwaZulu Natal Museum in South Africa, was in central Angola a few years ago to document local invertebrate species as a part of this effort. It was there that Midgley first encountered the tarantula, and – along with coauthor Ian Engelbrecht, an invertebrate conservation scientist at the South African Biodiversity Institute – described the new species in a recently published paper in the journal African Invertebrates.
Midgley was out collecting insects in Angola’s miombo woodlands when he first spotted the spider’s burrows. At night, he returned and dug out the burrows, retrieving their arachnid architect from the sandy soil.
Midgley immediately realized he had found something unusual. It was a definitely a female baboon spider (a group of African tarantulas), but its appearance was absolutely alien. Sticking out of its back was a ridiculously large horn-like projection, pointed back and flat against its bulbous back segment (abdomen). Even stranger, the growth was all soft and floppy, just sitting there like a deflated balloon, making the spider look like God’s most horrifying early draft of a unicorn.
“I was quite amazed when I saw it, and sent a picture to Ian as soon as I could,” Midgley told Earther, noting that the protuberance was so huge that he and Engelbrecht couldn’t quite believe it. “So, I went out looking for more burrows. I found another two spiders the next day and we then knew that this was undescribed and not just an odd mutation.”
This is an individual of the newly described species (Ceratogyrus attonitifer) in defensive posture (typical for baboon spiders) in its natural habitat. Photo: Kostadine Luchansky
After finding more of these baboon spiders with built-in handles, the team was able to formally describe it as a new species, giving it the name Ceratogyrus attonitifer. While the weird tarantula was new to scientists, the arachnid was quite familiar to the people living in that area of Angola. To them, the species is known as “chandachuly” in the Luchazi language. Local people also provided information to the researchers on the spider’s habits, like its insect-based diet, and its painful (though not dangerously venomous) bite. The researchers also found that the tarantulas were aggressive defenders of their turf, leaping out and attacking any object placed in their burrow.
None of this particularly unusual for a tarantula. But that weird ass horn? Completely unlike anything ever seen before. Midgley says that some other Ceratogyrus species and unrelated tarantulas in the Americas have horn-like projections on their backs, but these are comparatively tiny knobs, and are hard, exoskeletal structures.
“This is the only known species with a soft horn,” explains Midgley. “In general, horned tarantulas are an oddity; this species is one of a kind.”
Scientists don’t really have any idea what the hell the new horn might be for. In other “horned” species, the projections house extensions of the stomach muscles, says Midgley, but the chandachuly’s preposterous windsock is a squishy, empty sack with no muscles inside.
Top view of the newly described tarantula. Photo: Midgley JM, Engelbrecht I (2019)
Brent Hendrixson, an arachnologist at Millsaps College in Mississippi not involved in this study, is impressed by the spider’s unwavering eccentricity.
“It’s clearly different than anything that’s been seen before,” Hendrixson told Earther. He wonders if the horn’s softness is partially linked to its size, since a hardened structure that big might be a hindrance in small burrow spaces.
Hendrixson was happy to see that the authors redacted the location information for where the tarantulas were found.
“When I saw this spider and its remarkable anatomy, the first thing I told myself was ‘I hope they didn’t publish locality information in the paper’,” Hendrixson said. “Folks that are in the pet trade would probably be all over that, because it’s a pretty unique spider.”
Indeed, the illegal pet trade is an existential threat to newly-described and unusual tarantulas. It would be tragic if the chandachuly met the same fate as the Gooty sapphire tarantula, a brilliant, blue spider from India that is now critically endangered and rapidly declining partially from white hot demand in the pet trade. The publication of site locations has inadvertently aided animal trafficking in a rare Bornean lizard, the earless monitor, so there’s precedent for these risks being realized.
Fortunately for the new tarantula, the Okavango Wilderness Project seeks to set up ecosystem-wide conservation areas, so it will likely receive some significant protections. Midgley says that future research will focus on the spider’s behaviour in the field, as well as whatever that horn actually does.
The discovery is a reminder of how unique this part of the world is, and how much biodiversity is left to unveil in the Okavango catchment. The same surveys that introduced Ceratogyrus attonitifer to the world found two other spider species potentially new to science, and expanded the known geographic ranges of other spider groups.
The newly described tarantula species Ceratogyrus attonitifer, showing the peculiar soft and elongated horn-like protuberance sticking out of its back. Photo: Ian Engelbrecht
Hendrixson noted that Angola is sits at the intersection of multiple ecoregions in Africa, so the discovery of “pretty incredible biodiversity” isn’t surprising.
“It’s really exciting to know that there’s so many things out there that we don’t know about,” Hendrixson said. “But that’s also part of the problem: that we don’t know much about the diversity that’s out there, and so until we do it will be incredibly difficult to protect and conserve things.”
And conserving things like tarantulas has benefits, even if the big guys aren’t exactly bursting with charm.
“It’s important for people to realise that [spiders] are vital parts of the ecosystem, even if they might not look pretty to us,” Midgley said.
Yes, that even includes the bitey, hairy ones with the creepy dried mango slice on their back.
Featured image: Ian Engelbrecht | <urn:uuid:f7a216a5-74bb-4804-8e82-f7491aa8e758> | CC-MAIN-2020-05 | https://www.gizmodo.co.uk/2019/02/new-tarantula-species-has-big-weird-floppy-horn | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2020-05/segments/1579251788528.85/warc/CC-MAIN-20200129041149-20200129071149-00386.warc.gz | en | 0.950406 | 1,630 | 3.0625 | 3 |
Coronado National Memorial was set aside to commemorate the expedition of Francisco Vásquez de Coronado. The spectacular view, of Mexico and the San Pedro River valley, believed to have been the route taken by the expedition, was the primary reason for the memorial's location in Montezuma Canyon. On a clear day, visitors can see Baboquivari Peak, over 80 miles west of the Montezuma Pass overlook. Generally, air quality is best in late fall and early winter, when there is little dust and smoke and low humidity. In the spring, when roads and fields are dry and dusty, gusty winds often bring a hazy shroud over the San Pedro River valley, obscuring views to the east. Early summer fires from as far away as southern Mexico and Texas can also cause a layer of smoke to hang in the air. Since the smelter at Cananea, Sonora, located about 15 miles south of the memorial in Mexico, closed several years ago, air quality has improved, however there are plans for construction of nearby power plants along the border. | <urn:uuid:d70bcb38-03b1-4367-99bf-f6788d37634e> | CC-MAIN-2016-36 | https://www.nps.gov/coro/learn/nature/airquality.htm | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2016-36/segments/1471982290765.41/warc/CC-MAIN-20160823195810-00080-ip-10-153-172-175.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.962744 | 219 | 2.9375 | 3 |
DELPHI Information Protection
The DELPHI World-Wide Web servers contain public and restricted information.
Public information may be accessed by anybody in the world (e.g. people not
within DELPHI). Restricted information can only be accessed by people from
Two security schemes are installed:
The userid and password are announced in the Collaboration Board at a
When a file is accessed, both schemes are checked. If your machine is in
- So-called DELPHI secure machines (online and offline at CERN),
used by Delphi members only, have access without the need of a
www-username and password.
- Users on General CERN computer nodes, or outside locations, must identify
themselves as being a Delphi member by entering the Delphi www-userid and
| category 1: || no further questions are asked |
| category 2: || you are asked for a username and password |
Within a Web session, the user will be asked for the username/password
at the first file which is secured and then remains valid for the rest of the
browser session, unless further accessed files are located within a different
If a user does not know the www-userid and password for the protected
information, the software contact person should be asked,
or a mail sent to
email@example.com to get it.
Comments and questions send to firstname.lastname@example.org
Created by Hansjoerg Klein and Jiri Chudoba.
Last modification: March 24, 2000 | <urn:uuid:cf0d18f6-3ac5-41a9-9cb3-7d8c31a9472b> | CC-MAIN-2018-26 | http://delphiwww.cern.ch/offline/security.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2018-26/segments/1529267863119.34/warc/CC-MAIN-20180619193031-20180619213031-00165.warc.gz | en | 0.890023 | 328 | 2.515625 | 3 |
The History of the Village Begins with the Valley
The Nacoochee Valley Historic District is in White County, Georgia. The valley is enclosed by Mount Yonah, and Sal Mountain. Manmade objects in the valley span centuries. The most obvious Native American artifact is the Nacoochee Mound at the western edge of the valley, which is 17 feet tall and 70 feet in diameter. There are structures throughout the district since the settlement of European people in the 1820s. The Richardson-Lumsden house and the Williams-Dyer Residence date from the early period of settlement by European people. The most elaborate structure is the Nichols-Hunnicutt-Hardman House. The area was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1980. It is adjacent to the Sautee Valley Historic District.
The Nacoochee Mound is an archaeological site on the banks of the Chattahoochee River in White County, in the northeast part of the U.S. state of Georgia, at the junction of Georgia Georgia State Route 17 and Georgia State Route 75. First occupied as early as 100-500 CE, the site was later developed and occupied more intensively by peoples of the South Appalachian Mississippian culture (a regional variation of the Mississippian culture) from 1350 to 1600 CE. One of their characteristic platform mounds is located at the site. A professional archeological excavation revealed a total of 75 human burials, with artifacts that support dating of the site.
The mound was excavated, but a reconstruction was built. The 19th-century gazebo was added by a European-American owner of the land.
Unlike other Mississippian sites, this does not appear to have been occupied by the later Cherokee peoples. The site is part of the Sautee Valley Historic District; it was added to the National Register of Historical Places on August 20, 1986. | <urn:uuid:f921a539-aca6-40cb-aeb9-14e6d08a1292> | CC-MAIN-2022-40 | https://nacoocheevillage.com/home/history/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2022-40/segments/1664030335573.50/warc/CC-MAIN-20221001070422-20221001100422-00662.warc.gz | en | 0.970901 | 390 | 3.578125 | 4 |
Bit Coin Has been recognized as the crypto currency platform internationally. An electronic ledger exchanged Bit-coin securely and commonly called a block chain is used on the web. It is invisibly into smaller components which can be known as satoshis; however, the btc price can alter at any point of time and does not follow bitcoin price live a rigid conception.
Residents Of those states that permit satoshis can be utilized by exchange methods for facilitating local monies . Probably one of the attributes of Bit-coin outlines the fact it’sperhaps not and completely digital in any form of fiat currency. Transactions between seller and the purchaser of these cryptocurrency are logged into transactions and the block-chain make up a block.
Reasons Behind Bitcoin’s unique-ness
Bitcoin Is a trust worthy and cheaper form of payment that may be utilized at the exact same time possible. The present btc price for a single Bit-coin is $8,224.30. Certainly one of extra-ordinary featureswhichdistinguish it from other forms of money is it may be mined by those users. Bitcoin is available and sold through exchanges such as Coinbase and LocalBitcoins. Unlike creditcard information, a intricate ID which is defined as being a hexadecimal code that provides security is contained by each Bitcoin. A Bit-coin cannot get dueto the limited number which ought to be accounted for.
Bit Coin in terms of inflation
Another Uniqueness of Bit coin is the inflation can not be an issue. The reason being that the number of bitcoins in flow every four years is 21 million. The amounts can not increase because of the benefit given to miners. As the price might be rendered useless, a hack to the device can be dangerous. | <urn:uuid:88e25b14-6d0f-422c-a019-a8f609116702> | CC-MAIN-2021-21 | https://atleticosanluis.com/inflation-andprevailingbtc-price-insights/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2021-21/segments/1620243988775.25/warc/CC-MAIN-20210507060253-20210507090253-00565.warc.gz | en | 0.938738 | 354 | 2.515625 | 3 |
OPP is a fungicide used to control fungi and bacteria growth on stored crops, such as fruits and vegetables.
OPP is also a disinfectant compound. A disinfectant is a substance used to kill or inactivate disease-producing microscopic plants and animals on inanimate (nonliving) objects. OPP is commonly found in commercial disinfectant products. It is no longer in household disinfectants.
- By breathing it or through skin contact at a workplace where OPP is produced or used
- By breathing indoor and outdoor air and eating food and drinking water contaminated with OPP, and through skin contact with this compound and household disinfectant products containing OPP.
Exposure to OPP can irritate the skin, eyes and respiratory tract. Large exposures can cause headache, dizziness, nervousness, blurred vision, weakness, nausea, cramps, vomiting, diarrhea, sweating, small pupils, tearing, and salivation. In severe cases, uncontrollable muscle twitches followed by muscular weakness, seizures, coma, and irregular heartbeat can occur.
We do not have enough information in animals or humans to know whether exposure to OPP causes cancer.
We found no reports of any research linking OPP with leukemia.
According to CDC, OPP has not been tested to show whether it affects reproduction or development in humans. | <urn:uuid:7103292c-e246-4975-831a-68801e37c426> | CC-MAIN-2014-23 | http://www.cdc.gov/nceh/clusters/Fallon/oppfaq.htm | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2014-23/segments/1405997894140.11/warc/CC-MAIN-20140722025814-00083-ip-10-33-131-23.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.909564 | 270 | 3.609375 | 4 |
- By Deb Balzer
Should you be tested for hepatitis?
Millions of Americans are living with chronic hepatitis but most don't know they have the infectious disease. That's why the Centers for Diseases Control and Prevention (CDC) is promoting May 19 as Hepatitis Testing Day. In the U. S., the most common forms of the infection are hepatitis A, hepatitis B, and hepatitis C (HCV). Mayo Clinic infectious diseases specialist Dr. Stacey Rizza says all forms hepatitis are dangerous for the person infected and that HCV is of particular concern. She explains it's also an issue for the public.
"If somebody gets cancer or gets diabetes or gets arthritis, that is a problem for them, but it doesn’t, in fact, impact anybody else in their health. Whereas in infectious diseases, as well as hepatitis C, if somebody gets hepatitis C, not only could it impact them, but they could potentially transmit it to others so it has more of a domino effect in society," says Dr. Rizza. "That’s why we care so much about infectious diseases, and decreasing the incidence so that there are fewer people to infect other people."
Baby boomers account for 75 percent of HCV infections; however, a new demographic is rising. The opioid crisis in the U.S. has been linked to increases in both hepatitis B and hepatitis C in people under the age of 40, specifically those who inject drugs. The CDC says these infections have reached epidemic proportions in many areas of the nation.
"Unfortunately, our country has seen an increase in opioid use, which many times leads to harder drugs such as heroin when it’s difficult to get the prescription medicines, and many people inject or shoot up their heroin," says Dr. Rizza. "That leads to using needles and frequently sharing needles with other people, which puts them at risk for hepatitis C."
Those who should get tested include:
- Those born between 1945 and 1964. Baby boomers are five times more likely to have HCV than other adults.
- Persons who have ever injected illegal drugs, including those who injected only once many years ago.
- Those who have had an organ transplant, or blood transfusion before 1992
Dr. Rizza says all baby boomers should request a blood test for HCV from their provider, as well as "people who have tattoos, people who have snorted cocaine, people who have injected drugs and shared needles, people who were born to someone with hepatitis C should also be tested for hepatitis C."
HCV can cause liver disease, which can lead to end stage liver disease. Dr. Rizza says four million people in the U.S. are infected with the highly contagious disease, and more than 170 million are infected worldwide. HCV is treatable, but about half of people don't know they're infected, mainly because they have no symptoms, which can take decades to appear.
Are you at risk? Find out by taking the Hepatitis Risk Assessment offered by the CDC. | <urn:uuid:250c09ff-a19c-4e0c-bb19-400fefb6c467> | CC-MAIN-2020-50 | https://newsnetwork.mayoclinic.org/discussion/should-you-be-tested-for-hepatitis/?mc_id=us&utm_source=newsnetwork&utm_medium=l&utm_content=content&utm_campaign=mayoclinic&geo=national&placementsite=enterprise&cauid=100721 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2020-50/segments/1606141735395.99/warc/CC-MAIN-20201204071014-20201204101014-00618.warc.gz | en | 0.976329 | 623 | 3.109375 | 3 |
It would be best not to panic, but we stand on the threshold of a global pandemic. This one, according to a study released last week by the National Pest Management Association and the University of Kentucky, involves bedbugs, the tiny bloodsucking insects that have struck fear in the hearts of anyone who appreciates a good night’s sleep. “They are everywhere,” agrees Cathy Loik, specialist for the Toronto Bed Bug Project and an inspector with Toronto Public Health. “Dirty or clean, you can get them. Rich or poor, you can get them.” Question is, how do we get rid of them? The Post’s Ashley Csanady looks for the answers.
First things first How widespread is Toronto’s infestation? New York announced last week it is launching a half-a-million dollar campaign to rid the Big Apple of its bugs, but Toronto already spends the same annual amount on the issue. Bedbugs have attacked hospitals, libraries, condos, apartments and single-family homes across the city. A bedbug registry has been created online to publicize addresses that have reported the pests. “People are so freaked out. People find a bug in the bed, and right away they think the worst,” said Michael Goldman, a certified entomologist with Purity Pest Control. “Just because you find a bug in your bed, doesn’t mean it’s a bed bug.” That said, the problem has spread so quickly over the past decade that most suspicions aren’t without reason.
Why are they spreading? Bed bugs had been largely dormant in North America since the end of the Second World War, but over the past decade they have made a resurgence. Some experts blame an increase in international travel, especially between the West and Eastern Europe, where extensive infestations occurred during the Soviet era. But Dr. Michael Potter, a professor of entomology at the University of Kentucky, points a finger at change to insecticide regulations. “What made this problem pretty much go away for decades was the availability of very effective, long-lasting insecticides that were cheap, affordable and available not only to pest control companies but to consumers over the counter,” he said. He recently conducted a study comparing older pesticides to those used today. He found insecticides in two families, organophosphites and carbamates, are especially effective at eradicating bedbugs. Although some of these compounds can be found in insect traps or spot treatments, most are no longer permitted for use by pest-control professionals in North America, according to Mr. Goldman. This is particularly worrisome, because contemporary pesticides have no effect on bedbug eggs, he says.
Where are they, and have you asked Rover? One of the reasons bedbugs are so hard to exterminate is they can hide anywhere — couches, walls, even bookcases. So a few years ago, Mr. Goldman trained his dog Kody to sniff for bedbugs, using methods similar to how police dogs are trained to sniff for bombs or drugs. He now has three dogs trained to sniff out bedbug hiding places. Dogs are used by many extermination companies to pinpoint nests, and were even used to clear hotel rooms for foreign dignitaries prior to last month’s G20 summit. Increasingly, people use Mr. Goldman’s dogs to sniff out infestations before finalizing a home purchase or sign a long-term lease. “If it’s a heavy infestation it’s a no-brainer,” Mr. Goldman said, but “if it’s a light infestation, or just one or two bedbugs, it’s very difficult to find,” unless you’re a dog. The human eye can detect bedbugs with about 35% accuracy. A dog’s nose scores 95%.
How can you ever sleep tight again? Bedbugs are considered the hardest pest to exterminate, so finding exactly where they live is crucial. From there, Mr. Goldman uses a combination of vacuuming, steam-cleaning and pesticides. He wishes he were allowed to use some of the insecticides that have been proven effective. “If we had those [pesticides] today, we wouldn’t be having the issues we’re having now.” And the problem might be getting worse: Mr. Goldman says bedbugs are showing increasing resistance to the two insecticides he is allowed to use. The new methods entering the market are too time-intensive or expensive for widespread use.
What’s the temperature? Bedbugs don’t like extremes. Temperatures over 60C will wipe them out entirely, while freezing them is a bit more tricky. Just throwing a contaminated mattress outside in January won’t suffice, as their body temperature drops slowly, which allows them a chance to slide into a state of hibernation. You have to freeze them instantly to wipe them out. Cryonite is an extermination method that does just that. It takes carbon dioxide gas and turns it into a solid instantly, which creates an extremely cold gas-like substance that can be used like a steam-cleaner to freeze bed bugs in their tracks. “The reality is that neither cryonite or steam treatments are a stand-alone treatment. They don’t have any residual or lasting effects afterwards,” Mr. Potter explained. “Volumetric heating […] that’s a little different because now you’re truly radiating heat to every location where that bed bug might hide.” With this method, exterminators raise the interior temperature of an infected area to 60C for six to eight hours. Certain foods, medications and the like can’t take the heat, but even most household electronics can handle 60 degrees. This method sounds ideal: it’s effective and chemical-free. The catch? It’s very expensive and time consuming. The best solution is still chemical, Mr. Potter argues. | <urn:uuid:1ceef1bf-a76e-4666-8bb9-b50389ce3330> | CC-MAIN-2015-48 | http://news.nationalpost.com/posted-toronto/faq-about-bedbugs-pesticide-bans-have-led-to-a-resurgence-of-the-dreaded-pest | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2015-48/segments/1448398464396.78/warc/CC-MAIN-20151124205424-00336-ip-10-71-132-137.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.952394 | 1,252 | 2.8125 | 3 |
This chapter introduces some background regarding the hearing system, sound and audio that may be beneficial when conducting sensory evaluation studies of sound. It reviews some basics of acoustics and audio engineering that may be helpful when implementing and testing sound technology. The chapter describes the sense of hearing, which consists of two ears and a considerable amount of dedicated neural processing in the brain. The hearing mechanism makes its best efforts to understand “what” caused a sound, and “where” the physical objects that caused the sound is located. Even more important is to understand the general working principles of hearing when studying its function in the context of complex sounds. The purpose of hearing is to capture sound arriving at the ear and analyse the content of the signal to deliver information about the acoustical surroundings to the higher levels in the brain. | <urn:uuid:df5dbd32-11f9-466b-b5f9-b2fb6519271b> | CC-MAIN-2024-10 | https://www.taylorfrancis.com/chapters/edit/10.1201/9780429429422-3/introduction-sound-hearing-perception-ville-pulkki | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2024-10/segments/1707947474775.80/warc/CC-MAIN-20240229003536-20240229033536-00710.warc.gz | en | 0.936441 | 165 | 3.4375 | 3 |
Today, 22 April 2012 is Earth day.I would like to add my small contribution to help make the world conscious of the wonder of this planet we are privileged to inhabit. We have only one lifetime we to enjoy it and at the same time secure and preserve it for the future.
If we can teach our children from a young age to see nature from close-up, we will see a beauty deeper than just by scanning the surface: Taking walks in nature, having closer looks at what lies beneath a leaf or a branch, having them plant their own bean in a saucer lined with cotton wool, giving them their own corner in a garden to plant annuals, teaching them the benefits of insects and other crawling critters we normally flee from, having books on our shelves about nature, riding bicycle with them rather than transporting them to ballet in a car, teaching them the precious value of water, lie on our backs with them and discovering the stars, smelling wet earth, freshly cut grass…so much that we can learn from nature just by being present, so much nature can teach us when we pay attention…
..argiope brunechii female..
..Arion rufus(red slug)..
..Forest shield bug on Scottish thistle..
..wild flowers in correze…
..Bufo bufo, common toad..
..Mellicta Athalia, butterfly..
..Lacerta agilis, common lizard..
..water canal at Le Pescher..
..Birds of the Loire..
..La Loire in July..
Read about earth day 2012 here. | <urn:uuid:7634bb7e-96b4-49f3-b387-da099fd2a3ef> | CC-MAIN-2017-43 | https://myfrenchkitchen-ronelle.com/2012/04/22/earth-day-2012-on-myfrenchkitchen/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2017-43/segments/1508187823605.33/warc/CC-MAIN-20171020010834-20171020030834-00599.warc.gz | en | 0.946001 | 336 | 2.515625 | 3 |
Staying on the lunar surface for extended periods exposes astronauts to significant danger. They need to be protected from high radiation events like solar storms. Stays of a few days are likely to be safe, but the longer the stay, the greater the danger. The habitat MUST have protective shielding before people spend extended time on the surface. But launching enough shielding to provide protection would be unaffordable–it would take tens of tons to protect a single small shelter. So the smart way to provide shielding is to use the materials that are already there on the Moon–rocks and dust. But it would take humans a very long time to shovel and move that much material. It’s a classic chicken-and-egg problem. The solution: robots.
You rarely see an artist’s concept of a lunar base without a robot in it somewhere. The ESA image at the top of this post has one. It’s instinctive that it’s more sensible to prepare, build, connect, test, and protect lunar habitats with robots than relying entirely on human labor. In particular, moving that lunar material to build a shield is a perfect job for robots. It is dull and dirty.
Thirty years ago, NASA performed a study of what robots could and should do on the Moon to prepare for the arrival of humans:
That study is now being updated at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory. One of the 1990 study’s key findings was that material shouldn’t just be piled directly on top of the habitat–there needs to be workspace around the habitat for making connections, performing inspections, and conducting repairs. How do we do that?
Recently, NASA asked for inputs from industry to understand what robots might be able to do for scientific measurements on the Moon:
They also want industry’s help in developing a rover for human mobility on the lunar surface:
These inquiries do not address the questions about using robots to prepare for long human stays. How much material can a robotic vehicle move? What tools are needed? How is the robot to be controlled? What kind of support structure is necessary for the shielding? Where does the power come from? In an article in Aerospace America, I suggested that some of the answers could be obtained by having some robots for the early Artemis astronauts to work with:
The new NASA RFIs are addressing other questions. It is time to work directly on the construction robots we’ll need by 2028 for a sustainable lunar habitat. | <urn:uuid:1443f9f8-5619-4bd8-8db1-ebbdec82e9a6> | CC-MAIN-2020-16 | https://robots-in.space/robots-to-the-moon/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2020-16/segments/1585370521876.48/warc/CC-MAIN-20200404103932-20200404133932-00470.warc.gz | en | 0.905515 | 508 | 3.9375 | 4 |
A variety of key events in American history frequently get overlooked in senior high school history. Everything from old Korean temples, to beautiful countryside views - such because the Boseong Green Tea fields in the southern part of the country - with other large, metropolitan cities such as Busan. Some beauty pageants--Miss America, for example--is a scholarship pageant that awards winners and runners up with educational scholarship to any institution of her choice. Incompetent Commanders in HistoryIn war, we learned about military leaders who led their men with their deaths and defeats.
One of the very pleasant surprises inside my trip to Busan was the Busan Modern History Museum. These were the best of the best, the best players around the server. Did you understand that San Marino gets the oldest written constitution (1600 A. Theresa Hak Kyung Cha (author, filmmaker).
The next great economic mind may be sitting inside a secondary school history class right now, just waiting to be inspired. The northern states were against the tradition of slavery and wanted a government to rule the nation. The names of these regions are mentioned in historical documents that date back to many thousand years. The northern states were contrary to the tradition of slavery and wanted a authorities to rule the nation. This allowed the Korean navy to recoup its previous losses and regroup for future campaigns against the Japanese invasion force.
Japan left the Continent after surrendering during World War II. . Japan left the Continent after surrendering during World War II. 14th marked the.
One downside to mentioning these painful truths about American history is that so many Americans are totally ignorant of their real history. In the back of the global economic slowdown, giving a brand new hope for the people of find out America is important. Since it isn't possible to list out all of the movies, given listed here are a few of the best Korean movies which have earned critical acclaim and also have tasted success at the box office.
Mesopotamia (Present day Iraq) - 3200 BC. . The stew is normally served family style check it out over a burner at the meal table and is shared between multiple people. Understanding how the United States Of America has evolved is essential to understanding the actual way it operates today and by skipping over certain historical events, students are passing up on pieces of information like why Americans speak English and why we hold the allies and enemies that people do. | <urn:uuid:4974bd98-acfb-4f9a-b553-62a90170eb06> | CC-MAIN-2017-30 | http://wallinside.com/post-465589-reflections-around-the-korean-war.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2017-30/segments/1500549427750.52/warc/CC-MAIN-20170727082427-20170727102427-00533.warc.gz | en | 0.961992 | 486 | 2.515625 | 3 |
Maths for Chemistry : A chemist's toolkit of calculations Paperback
Mathematical skills and concepts lie at the heart of chemistry, yet they are an aspect of the subject that students fear the most.
Maths for Chemistry recognizes the reality of chemical education today, and the challenges faced by many students in equipping themselves with the maths skills necessary to gain a full understanding of chemistry.
Working from basic yet essential principles, the book builds the student's confidence by leading them through the subject in a steady, progressive way from basic algebra to quantum mathematics.
Opening with an introduction to the 'language' of maths and fundamental rules of algebra, the book goes on to cover powers, indices, logs and exponential functions, graphical functions, and trigonometry, before leading the student through both differentiation and integration and on to quantum mathematics.
With its modular structure, the book presents material in short, manageable sections to keep the content as accessible and readily digestible as possible.
- Format: Paperback
- Pages: 560 pages, 190 line illustrations, 2 halftones
- Publisher: Oxford University Press
- Publication Date: 27/04/2010
- Category: Algebra
- ISBN: 9780199541294 | <urn:uuid:8fd8b399-4357-46c9-a5b1-4fee1e5305d3> | CC-MAIN-2017-47 | https://www.hive.co.uk/Product/Paul-Team-Vicar-Medlock-Head-Parish-Oldham-and-formerly-Seni-Monk/Maths-for-Chemistry--A-chemists-toolkit-of-calculations/441706 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2017-47/segments/1510934806939.98/warc/CC-MAIN-20171123195711-20171123215711-00574.warc.gz | en | 0.897938 | 251 | 3.15625 | 3 |
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From PBS 39 Education. What is data driven decsion making and why is it needed? Using data is critical in strategies for student achievement.
ctap4data student achievement data driven decision making d3m
Join Diigo for a free account, or sign in if you are already a member. | <urn:uuid:69b42bd7-d070-457c-beb7-35a748f96fd7> | CC-MAIN-2013-48 | http://www.diigo.com/bookmark/http%3A%2F%2Fwww.youtube.com%2Fwatch%3Fv%3DXZAMMHsG_T4?gname=ctap4-data-assessment | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-48/segments/1386164796892/warc/CC-MAIN-20131204134636-00011-ip-10-33-133-15.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.917556 | 93 | 3.109375 | 3 |
If Nature's Designs Weren't So Good, Engineers Wouldn't Be Rushing to Imitate Them
We've reported on biomimetics many times, but the news keeps flooding in. Here are just a few recent examples of new science projects that seek to imitate nature:
- Spiders: In the future, soldiers may wear bulletproof vests made of spider silk produced by genetically engineered silkworms. (Live Science)
- Prunes: To reduce drag on an airplane or car hood, make like a prune. (New Scientist)
- Balsa: Engineers at Harvard have created a lightweight honeycomb material that mimics the material performance of balsa wood. (Harvard News)
- Muscles: At the University of Arkansas, researchers have engineered a "muscle mimic" scaffold that supports the repair of skeletal muscle tissue.
- Cell membranes: Finding that proteins in the nuclear pore act like Velcro, biochemists at the University of Basel envision nanomachines that could use the principle for applications like "nanoscale conveyor belts, escalators or tracks."
- Honeycomb: Envious of how bees, sponges, and plants make ultralight, ultrastiff materials, researchers at Lawrence Livermore and MIT publishing in Science report progress in using similar construction processes to improve "mechanical metamaterials."
- Moths: In Switzerland, engineers at EMPA are making better solar cells by "recreating a moth's eye to drastically increase its light collecting efficiency."
- Flies: By reverse engineering the ocelli of flying insects (eyes that measure optic flow), bioengineers at Harvard and MIT were able to stabilize a fly-sized drone. (Royal Society)
- Ants: By studying how ants link up to cross streams and deal with floods, scientists at Georgia Institute of Technology think they "could inspire the development of robots and smart materials that assemble into new structures," according to Nature.
- Human eyes: By mimicking the curvature of the human retina, Sony engineers created a curved CMOS sensor with improved light-gathering and focusing performance that represents a "great leap forward in digital imaging technology." (PhysOrg)
The list goes on. Two things are notable from it. One is the variety of living organisms (vertebrates, invertebrates, plants, cells) that are inspiring human intelligent design.
Those other sources of inspiration include geckos, octopuses, elephants (flexible trunks), mussels and barnacles (waterproof glue), lotus leaves, the Venus flytrap, birds (flexible wings, feathers, tricks with light), earthworms, lobsters, hummingbirds, termites, maple seeds, bombardier beetles, dragonflies, jellyfish, oysters, shark skin, cellular nanomachines like ATP synthase and flagella, whale flippers, fireflies, beetles (dew collection and shiny coats), butterflies (wing scale colors), bats, wasps, fish, zebras, woodpeckers, starlings, hagfish, turkeys, cuttlefish, sea snakes, geese, shrimp, algae, viruses (packing motors), sea turtles, snails, salamanders, cockroaches, frogs, tropical fruit trees, owls, penguins, stingrays, bacteria, roses, and much more.
The other thing is the variety of institutions actively involved in bio-inspired engineering (Harvard, MIT, Lawrence Livermore, universities in Georgia, Arkansas, California and Switzerland, and technology companies like Sony).
There were nature-inspired products in the last century (Velcro being a classic example), but biomimetics really caught on in the last decade or so. It's now an international gold rush. Its hidden assumption? Intelligent design. Good engineering is worth reverse engineering.
If Darwinism were the assumption, researchers would just let objects sit around and mutate for millions of years then see what turns up. Good luck with that. | <urn:uuid:a2e118bf-961a-40cd-972a-482ea7172b35> | CC-MAIN-2016-22 | http://www.evolutionnews.org/2014/07/if_natures_desi087361.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2016-22/segments/1464053252010.41/warc/CC-MAIN-20160524012732-00102-ip-10-185-217-139.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.912991 | 823 | 3.71875 | 4 |
The Ethos of a Catholic School Catholic School Ethos 2021
The Schedule provides the legal definition of ‘Catholic ethos.’ Another way to defining ethos is to ask two related questions: ‘What is a catholic school?’ and ‘Who is it for?’ The Catholic school is a faith school that expresses a set of core values that can be described as human, religious, Christian and Catholic. These gospel values define its educational ethos. The educational vision which flows from these values is one which promotes the dignity, self-esteem and full development of each pupil as a human person. Such a Catholic educational vision is inclusive and respectful of all and confidently engages with people of all beliefs.
What is a Catholic School?
A Catholic school is a school that provides an education based on a living faith together tradition. Together, the Board, the principal and the staff, working with the Patron, the parents and the local parish, model a living human-religious-Christian educational tradition, to nurture the faith of Catholic pupils in a manner that is welcoming to and inclusive of the presence in that Catholic school, of pupils committed to other religious traditions.
Who is it for?
The Catholic school is primarily for those who value an education for their child in a faith school with a Catholic educational tradition.
The Catholic School
• Offers a distinctive vision of life, and corresponding philosophy of education; based on the Gospel of Jesus Christ.
• Strives to create a learning environment where every child is encouraged and enabled to develop to their full and unique potential as human beings, made in the image and likeness of God.
• Seeks to form pupils who will unselfishly use their gifts for the common good and are committed to work for a more just and caring society.
• Is a welcoming and inclusive community that is respectful and tolerant of all religious traditions and beliefs.
• Works in partnership with parents and the parish community to keep the light of faith received at baptism burning brightly.
• Provides opportunities for prayer, the celebration of liturgy and the sacraments
• Reflections on Ethos for the Teaching Staff and the Board of Management
Does the Ethos Statement of your school reflect these six statements?
How does someone who walks through the door of your school know that they are in a Catholic School?
How do you evaluate how effectively you are living out the Ethos Statement of your school?
How can you as a staff, and a Board of Management, enhance the implementation of the Ethos Statement of your school?
What one thing can you as a staff agree to do in the coming year to make the Ethos Statement a living reality?
“Fan into a flame the gift of God that you possess. You have been trusted to look after something precious, guard it with the help of the Holy Spirit who lives in you.” (Letter of St. Paul to Timothy)
Lord, help us to take an active part in creating in this school a faith community where all feel welcomed and cherished. Guide us, so that we fully understand what a privilege it is to belong to this faith community which values respect, peace, justice and joy. May our words and deeds reflect these Christian values. Help us to support a learning environment that enables everyone to achieve their full potential and develop their natural talents. Holy Spirit guide us as we strive to be people of faith, understanding and kindness in our school. Amen.
Click here to download the schedule of a Catholic School.
Click here to download List of Primary Schools in the Diocese
media/uploads/Primary schools, Kerry922090243-0001.pdf | <urn:uuid:1114a745-92a3-4cbd-8ee7-85afa854140a> | CC-MAIN-2021-31 | https://www.dioceseofkerry.ie/primary/catholic-ethos-2/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2021-31/segments/1627046154796.71/warc/CC-MAIN-20210804045226-20210804075226-00174.warc.gz | en | 0.953399 | 745 | 2.96875 | 3 |
TWILIGHT AND DAWN
SIMPLE TALKS ON THE SIX DAYS OF CREATION
(Mrs. L. G. Wait)
"KNOWN UNTO GOD ARE ALL HIS WORKS FROM THE BEGINNING OF THE WORLD."
"THE LORD SHALL REJOICE IN HIS WORKS."
"HIS TENDER MERCIES ARE OVER ALL HIS WORKS."
"IN THE BEGINNING": CREATION
RUIN AND DARKNESS
FIRST DAY. LIGHT
SECOND DAY. THE OCEAN OF AIR
THIRD DAY. THE WORLD OF WATER
" " THE EARTH BENEATH
" " THE GREEN EARTH
FOURTH DAY. SUN, MOON, AND STARS
STORY OF A DEAF BOY WHO HEARD THE SUN PROCLAIM THE GLORY OF GOD
THE STONE BOOK
FIFTH DAY. "THE MOVING CREATURE THAT HATH LIFE"
" " "FOWL OF THE AIR, AND FISH OF THE SEA"
" " FLYING FOWL
" " CREEPING THINGS
SIXTH DAY. THE ANIMAL WORLD
" " THE CROWN OF GOD'S CREATION
"Everywhere, everywhere A tale is told to me— It is told in the sunny air, It is told on the sparkling sea.
"It is told in the forest brakes, It is told on the purple hills, By the silent mountain lakes, By the singing and leaping rills.
"In the meadows that stretch away As a sea of golden green, With hedges of sweet white may And the reedy brooks between.
"Where I wander and run and rest, The tale is told to me, The sweetest tale and the best Of all the tales that be.
* * * * *
"The tale is the tale of Jesus; It is told in heaven above, On the sea and the moors and the mountains, In language of all the peoples, The speech of love.
"The morning star and the dayspring, The sun and the cloud and the shower, The grass and the rose and the cedar, His glory and love are telling From hour to hour.
"The birds in the green wood singing, The sea that is wide and deep, The sheep in the folds of the mountains, The corn in the golden valleys, And all beside.
"All round me are glorious pictures Of him who has made them fair; Through the long bright day I can see Him, And I fear not the silent darkness, For He is there,"
Taken, by permission, from Hymns by Ter Steegen and Others Second series.
Ten years have passed since this book was first published, and in issuing a third edition it seems desirable to say a few words as to the object with which it was written, and to explain why some additions and alterations have been made.
The earlier chapters remain pretty much as they were, but the latter have been recast; and the writer's original endeavour to show that the Story of Creation is not the Story of Evolution, as set forth in many attractive but misleading books for the young, has been more constantly kept in view.
It is hoped that by this means the end sought may be better reached, and that the young readers may be furnished with the truth before they meet with false teaching on this important point. The mind which has been carefully grounded in what is true may confidently be expected to detect and refuse what is erroneous, however fair may be its show; and if the need for early training on the lines marked out for us in Scripture was apparent some years ago, how much more imperative is it now, when the authority of God and of His Word is questioned on every hand?
It has been argued, with some reason, that the early chapters of these "Simple Talks" are "too childish" when compared with the latter part of the book; but it may be said in excuse for this seeming inconsistency that the wish of the writer was to furnish assistance to mothers and those who train young children. She therefore began at the beginning, intending the early chapters to be read aloud, with additions and omissions, as the young listeners were "able to bear." These chapters, therefore, are full of repetitions, of which the young mind does not weary, but which are necessary as long as it can only receive "here a little and there a little," without overstrain.
The later chapters will be found more suited to children of larger growth, who will be able to enjoy reading for themselves, without needing the "line upon line and precept upon precept," apart from which it is vain to attempt to teach the little ones.
How imperfectly the work is done will be manifest to those who know anything of the subjects, which are touched upon rather than explained. The difficulty of deciding how much to tell, and how much to leave untold, has sometimes made the writer's task seem an almost impossible one; but she has taken courage to go on by remembering a wise saying—that if we shrink from attempting any little work which comes in our way from the fear of making mistakes, it is easy to make the great mistake of doing nothing at all.
If what has been a labour of love to the writer should be of some interest and profit to readers, young or old, that labour will be amply repaid.
The book is now sent forth again, with prayer that He who said, "Suffer the children to come unto Me," and who "took them up in His arms, put His hands on them, and blessed them," may be pleased to use it in His service and for His glory.
TWILIGHT AND DAWN.
"As the cold of snow in the time of harvest, so is a faithful messenger to them that send him: for he refresheth the soul of his masters."—PROVERBS xxv. 13.
"The words of the Lord are pure words: as silver tried in a furnace of earth, purified seven times."—PSALM xii. 6.
I wonder whether you are as fond of asking questions as I was long ago—so fond that I did not mind asking them when I well knew I could get no answers, because I spoke to things, not to people who could speak to me again?
Still, if any mere thing could be supposed capable of answering for itself, I think a book might; and so perhaps as you take this book of mine into your hand, and run away to some quiet place to have a look at it, you may be taking it into your confidence, and asking it some such questions as these:
(a) What are you all about? Are you a lesson-book?
(b) Have you any stories—real stories, not made-up ones?
(c) Any pictures?
(d) I wonder whether I shall like you? Does the person who made you like children, and know the sort of things they care for?
Now before you put any more questions to my book, I will answer for it; and that we may not miss any, we will call them questions (a), (b), (c), (d), and answer one at a time.
Your first question (a)—the first part of it at least—is what grown people as well as children have a right to ask of a book; and it would be a poor thing for the book to answer, "Oh, I am about nothing in particular! I can't quite tell you why I was written." But most books are about something in particular, and what that is you can best find out by reading them right through; for many people miss their way in a book by beginning at the end and travelling backwards, or beginning about the middle, and not knowing whether to go backwards or forwards. So you see I want you to find out for yourself the answer to question (a), only I will just say that the book is mostly about your own dwelling-place. I do not mean your body, though that is, in one sense, your dwelling-place; neither do I mean your own home, nor even that part of England where you were born. By your own dwelling-place I mean this wonderful world which you see all around you, where God has made so much for you to see and enjoy; and learn about too, that you may use and enjoy it better.
So you will find in this book something about the firm ground upon which you trod as soon as you were old enough to run about the fields and pick the daisies. Something too about the blue sky, where the lark sings and the swallows fly; and the great wide sea, where the fishes live; and a little about what the Bible tells us of how all that you see around you came to be; long, long ago, when everything was quite new and beautiful, and God said that all that He had made was "very good."
"Then it is a lesson-book?" I hear you say.
Yes, in one way, and yet not quite all lessons, for you will find some stories here too.
And now I must answer the (b) question about these same stories, for I want you to know, before you begin to read them, that they are all true, and there is no pretending or making-up about them.
Question (c), about the pictures, you can soon answer for yourself; so now I have only the (d) question to answer, and I can only say for my book, that I do not know whether or not you will care for it; but I do know that the person who made it loves children, and very much likes teaching them and talking to them. And that you may better understand that I know something about children, I will explain that, though I am only talking to you just now, I shall tell you in this book the very same things which I told to some children who came every morning to do their lessons at my house, three or four years ago—at least, I will write down for you all I can remember of the talks these children and I had together, and I will tell you the same true stories which I told them. I used to ask them to give me their ears, and I must ask you to give me your eyes; for writing is different from talking, is it not? You cannot look up in my face and ask me questions as my children did; and when I ask you a question, I cannot hear you answer, but am obliged to fancy what you would be likely to say. Still, I think we shall be friends, and get to know each other a little, even by means of this dumb-show talk, as I speak to you with my hand and you listen to me with your eyes.
And now I want to tell you about my children. It was a beautiful morning in September when I opened the schoolroom door, and found them, all the seven, sitting round the table, waiting to begin school again, for the long summer holidays were over. I was afraid they would think it rather hard to sit still and do lessons, especially when the sun was shining brightly and it was as pleasant a day as could be out of doors; but as I looked at their bright faces, I thought they did not seem as if they minded coming back to school so very much after all.
I wonder what you feel like, when the holidays are over and your little work-a-day world begins again? Does it seem too bad to be true? or are you just a tiny bit glad to have something that you really must do, instead of all play and no work? Do you know—and you remember I told you I knew children pretty well—I have actually met with girls, and boys too, who have sometimes, especially on a very wet day in the holidays, found this delightful having nothing to do all day long harder work than the most difficult of their lessons?
And now for the names of my children. You would like to know them, would you not? for they are real boys and girls, not children in a story book.
My eldest boy was Ernest, and he sat at the bottom of the table, opposite the place where I always sat, and where someone had put a chair for me. Next in age came Charlotte, Ernest's sister; and then Chrissie, the elder brother of Eustace and Dick. I put Sharley and Chrissie together, because they were both ten years old and did most of their lessons out of the same books. Next came another little pair: May, Ernest's younger sister, and Eustace. Last of all, the little ones: Ernest's youngest brother, Leslie, and Chrissie's youngest brother, Dick. These little boys were only six years old.
Now that you know the ages of my children you will be able to tell whether any of them were about your own age; perhaps you may be older than Chrissie and Sharley, or even Ernest, who was nearly twelve, but I am quite sure that if you are younger than any of my elder children, you will be able to understand some of the lessons which we had from the Bible every morning.
Before the holidays we had been reading in the New Testament, and had finished the Acts of the Apostles; and it was settled that when they came back to school we should read some of the Old Testament, and begin at the beginning. The children remembered this, and were just going to open their Bibles and find the first chapter of Genesis, when I said that I should like to ask them one question before a word was read.
I should like you, too, to think about it, and try to give an answer; for my question—
Why is the Bible different from any other book?
concerns you as well as the children of whom I asked it.
They all said at once that the Bible is different from every other book in the world because it is God's Book. Yes, that is the great difference; the Bible is God's own Book, in which He has spoken to us His own words, and it is the only Book in the world which tells us all the truth.
How wonderful it is to think of this, that every child who can read, and has a little Bible of his own, can learn what God has said!
Will you try to remember when you open that beautiful Bible, which was given you on your birthday, that there God is speaking—speaking to you just as much as if you were the only person in the world?
If you think of this it will make you very still and quiet, that you may hear what He says to you.
When we say that God has spoken to us, we mean that long ago He told those holy men whom He allowed to write His Book exactly how He would have them write. When you read in your Bible, you do not read what Moses and David wrote out of their own minds. God gave them His words to write for Him, so that we might know for certain, not what they thought God meant them to say, but what He really did say.
Do you understand this?
Perhaps not quite; so I will tell you a story to make it plainer.
I know a boy who is very fond of running errands, and a very useful boy he is. If I give him a message he is off like a shot, and back again with the answer almost before I know that he has gone. So willing and quick a messenger is Willie, that it is a pleasure to send him anywhere.
But there is just one thing that has sometimes hindered him from being a really good messenger. Can you guess what it is? You will soon find out if you remember that, besides being willing and quick, a messenger must deliver the exact message entrusted to him. He must give it just as it was given to him if he would deliver it faithfully.
Now Willie prefers to give his messages in his own way, and so, although he is willing and quick, he cannot always be relied on as a faithful messenger.
One day, when his mother said "Willie, run to the nursery and give Nurse a message for me," the little boy hardly waited to hear what the message was, but ran upstairs as fast as his feet could carry him. Very quickly back he came and went on with his play—I think he was just then building a fine house with wooden bricks. Now, as the message was an important one, his mother wished to be quite sure that it had been correctly delivered; so presently she said, "What did Willie say to Nurse?"
"The right thing," said he, going on with his building, quite unconscious that this was not enough for his mother, who must know exactly what Willie had told Nurse, or go upstairs to see whether she was doing what she had desired her to do.
You understand now, I am sure, that we could not be quite certain that we had God's message—and the Bible is a message or letter from God to us—we could not be sure that we had it right, if we did not know that He had given it to us in His own way and in His own words.
So, then, our question is answered. The Bible is different from any other book because it is God's Book, in which He speaks to us. Now I am going to ask you one more question.
If it is God who is speaking, and if He speaks to you, what must you do?
You must listen, not only with your eyes, when you read the words, or with your ears, when someone reads to you, but with your heart.
Do you remember what we are told in the Bible about a child to whom God once spoke? It was in the night that this boy heard God's voice calling him by his own name—the name which his mother had given him when he was a baby. Samuel had never heard the voice of God before, and he did not know who was speaking to him in the quiet night.
But he did what he was told to do by one who knew that God was calling him, and the next time the voice came he answered, "Speak, for Thy servant heareth."
Then, when God spoke again, he listened to the message which God gave him to give for Him.
How near God was to this child!
Yes, He was very near to Samuel as he slept; but He is as near to you, as you lie in your own bed at home. He keeps you safely all through the dark night: when you cannot even think about yourself He thinks about you and cares for you; and He speaks to you by His Holy Word just as much as if He called you by your own name.
Do not forget that it is really true that when you take God's Book into your hands, and open it, and listen with your heart, God is near you and speaks to you, your own self. For this reason, when we read the Bible, as the children said, "We must attend, or we shall not know what God has said."
And for another reason, too, we must attend: that is, because it is God who is speaking.
God's Word is the only thing in this world that is quite sure; but it is, because it has come straight from Him, and He is the God of truth.
God's Word can never pass away; for He has said that it endures for ever.
God's Word can speak, even to a child, and can make that child "wise unto salvation, through faith which is in Christ Jesus."
For it is of Jesus, the Son of God, that God has spoken to us in His book.
I think you will like this poem, which speaks of a time when the Bible was not only a rare, but in most countries a forbidden book, bought in secret, and read in fear by those to whom it became all the more precious because it cost them so dear. We are told that at this time the actual cost of a Bible was L30, and that the wages of a labouring man were only 1-1/2d. a day; so that he would have to work fifteen years to pay for one copy of the Word of God!
"THE VAUDOIS TEACHER.
"'Oh, lady fair, these silks of mine Are beautiful and rare; The richest web of the Indian loom, Which beauty's queen might wear. And my pearls are pure as thine own fair neck, With whose radiant light they vie; I have brought them with me a weary way— Will my gentle lady buy?'
"And the lady smiled on the worn old man Through the dark and clustering curls Which veiled her brow, as she bent to view His silks and glittering pearls; And she placed their price in the old man's hand, And lightly turned away; But she paused at the wanderer's earnest call— 'My gentle lady, stay!'
"'Oh, lady fair, I have yet a gem Which a purer lustre flings Than the diamond flash of the jewelled crown On the lofty brow of kings: A wonderful pearl of exceeding price, Whose virtue shall not decay; Whose light shall be as a spell to thee, And a blessing on thy way!'
"The lady glanced at the mirroring steel, Where her form of grace was seen, Where her eye shone clear and her dark locks waved Their clasping pearls between— 'Bring forth thy pearl of exceeding worth, Thou traveller grey and old; Then name the price of thy precious gem, And my page shall count the gold.'
"The cloud went off from the pilgrim's brow, As a small and meagre book, Unchased with gold or gem of cost, Prom his folding robe he took; 'Here, lady fair, is the pearl of price: May it prove as such to thee; Nay, keep thy gold; I ask it not, For the Word of God is free.'
"The hoary traveller went his way, But the gift he left behind Hath had its pure and perfect work On that high-born maiden's mind; And she hath turned from the pride of sin To the lowliness of truth, And given her human heart to God In its beautiful hour of youth."
J. G. WHITTIER
"IN THE BEGINNING": CREATION
"Thou, Lord, in the beginning hast laid the foundation of the earth; and the heavens are the works of Thine hands: they shall perish; but Thou remainest."—HEBREWS i. 10.
To-day let us talk a little about the very first words which God has spoken to us in His Book. You would like to find them in your own Bible, I daresay.
"In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth."
And we will find one other verse, because it is the first verse of a chapter which also speaks of "the beginning."
"Doth not wisdom cry? and understanding put forth her voice?" (Prov. viii. 1).
Now that we have read these verses; I must tell you that Ernest and Chris and Charlotte and May used each to learn a verse for me every day, and say them in turn; indeed, they usually said two verses, for I liked them always to repeat along with the new verse the one they had said the day before, in order that they might not forget it. I am glad to tell you that the verses were generally learned so perfectly, and repeated so distinctly, that it was quite a pleasure to hear them; for even little May knew that if we repeat anything from God's Book we must be careful not to put in any words of our own. If we did, we should be like Willie, giving the message in our own way, should we not? Then, every one of God's words must be remembered, and none left out; not even a little word like "and" or "the," which perhaps would not very much matter if we were repeating merely what men had said.
Perhaps you may think this chapter about Wisdom was a difficult chapter for my boys and girls to learn, and not so interesting as some of those which you know. I will tell you the reason why I especially wished them to learn it; but I will first ask you to find in the New Testament three verses which also tell us of "the beginning"—
"In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.
"The same was in the beginning with God.
"All things were made by Him; and without Him was not anything made that was made" (John i. 1-3).
The "Word" is one of the names of the Lord Jesus Christ. It is a beautiful and wonderful name. Suppose you have been playing with something that has made your hands very dirty, and mother says, "Come to me, dear, and I will make them clean." Through mother's words you know what is in her heart; you know that she loves you, and wants you to be with her, and fit to be with her. So it is through the Word, the One who was with God in the beginning, the One by whom everything was made, that God has spoken to us so that we may know His thoughts about sin, which made us unfit to be with Him, and His feelings towards the men and women in the world, who are His creatures, and yet have tried to find happiness away from Him. But it was because the chapter, which my elder scholars were learning, speaks of the Lord Jesus by another wonderful and beautiful name that I wished them to learn it. He is called "Wisdom" not only in the Old Testament, where we are told in other verses of the same chapter (Prov. viii.) that He was "from the beginning" with God (vv. 22-31), but also in a letter which the apostle Paul wrote to some clever people who lived in Greece long ago he speaks of Him as "the power of God and the wisdom of God" (1 Cor. i. 24).
I can remember that we had a good deal of talk after we had read the verse, "In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth"—those few words, so quickly read, in which God has told us what the wisest man of all the wise men who ever lived could not have found out for us; for God alone can speak about what He did so very long ago, before the sun shone, or the grass and the trees grew, or the birds sang in the branches, or lambs played in the fields.
Did you ever think, as you watched the great sun going down behind the crimson clouds, that there was a day, long, long ago, when that sun, in all its glory, set for the first time?
I daresay you never thought of the beginning of the sun, or of the first time that it set, but were just pleased to see the sky so red and glowing, and sorry when the beautiful sunset colours faded and the clouds became cold and grey.
Or perhaps, as you have shaded your eyes from his noonday splendour, you may have remembered that it was God in heaven who made that wonderful sun to light up the sky, and that he has been shining down upon this earth ever since; but did you ever stop to ask such a question as this—
How long has that great sun, which is now above my head, been shining in the sky? Or, again, as he passed in glory out of sight, How many beautiful sunsets have there been since he first began to "rule the day" and to rise in the east and set in the west?
Ah! so long a time that no thought of ours could measure it; so many sunsets that we could never count them. All we can know about it is that there was a time, long, long ago, when the sun first set and a time when he rose upon the earth, which was then so beautiful—fresh from the hand of God.
This world of ours is a very old world, but there was a time when all was new; not only the sun and moon, but all that you see around you had a beginning—a birthday. There was a time when no such things were, and there was a time when they began to be. Now it is about this beginning that I want you to think a little.
As we open our eyes to-morrow morning and see the light come in at the window, let us thank God that He has made His sun to shine upon us, to send away the darkness and bring a new day. And as the light grows and grows, and we lie awake and listen to the morning songs of the thrushes and blackbirds and the chatter of the sparrows, do not let us forget that God gave its own sweet note to every one of those warblers, and that the air has been full of the songs of birds ever since the day, so long ago, when the first little lark flew up, up, up into the blue sky and sang its first song, so full of gladness. Then, as the pleasant sound of the lambs, bleating after their mothers, comes to us from the fields, let us remember there was a day when that sound, which you know so well, was heard for the first time; and as we go for our walk and look around us at the green fields and the trees with their leaves and blossoms, and then far away to where the strong mountains lift their heads against the sky, let us say to ourselves, "All these things, which seem as if they had been there always, had a beginning; there was a time when there were none of them, and then there came a time when they were there, for God had made them to be."
While we were talking about this, the elder children and I, the little boys were very quiet; but I was afraid it was all rather difficult for them, so I asked Leslie and Dick to tell me what we mean when we speak of the beginning of anything.
I forget whether I got the answer from them or from one of the elder ones, but I know I thought it a good answer when somebody said, "The beginning of a thing is the first of it."
Then we spoke about the beginning of the table at which we were sitting—I suppose we chose that to talk about because it was so close to us—how it was made of wood, and the wood was once a tree; and if it was an oak, that giant tree must have been long, long ago only a tiny acorn in its pretty green cup. Each of those children, too, as they sat round the table, had had a beginning. Have you ever thought of this? There was a time, not so very long ago, and yet you cannot remember it, when your life had not begun. And then your birthday came, the first of all the birthdays; that day when your dear father and mother thanked God for giving you to them to love and take care of, and everyone at home was so glad because God had sent a little child to the house; someone who had never been there before.
Just think, you were that little child; only a tiny thing, but as you opened your baby eyes to the light, and stretched out your little clasping fingers, your first cry, and every movement of your little body, showed that you were alive. Then, by-and-by, the nurse said, "Hush, baby is asleep!" and everyone moved about softly, so as not to wake the little creature, who had not been there yesterday, the baby whose life had just begun, the little traveller who had just started on its journey through time to the great eternity beyond.
But you knew nothing about this; only your mother knew, as she watched you in your sleep, that one more tiny vessel had been launched upon that stream which flows on, on, till it meets the ocean which has no shore—the time which never ends.
I remember, a very long time ago, how fond I used to be of making boats. Not far from where I lived a real ship was being built, and I used to watch how it was made, and think that when I grew up I should like above all things to be a shipwright, for I had heard someone say that was the name of the man who was building this beautiful vessel. Of course, the boats which my brother and I used to make were only toy boats—we generally made them of paper—but however small they were, we were very particular to give each of them at least three tall masts. Then, when it came to sailing them, we had to be content with any water we could find, and generally these three-masted vessels made very short voyages, from one side of a big tub to the other; and though, by rocking the tub, we used to manage to make pretty stormy weather for them, they generally reached the end of their voyage in safety. It was quite another thing when we set our vessels afloat upon what we thought a real river, like the Thames or the Severn; but it was only a brown stream, which, ran along the bottom of a meadow, and was crossed, not by a bridge, but by stepping-stones. Sometimes, on a lovely day in June, we were allowed to go down to our river, and we used to sit for hours among the flags which grew beside it, hidden by the tall reeds and the yellow flowers, making little green boats out of the broad leaves of the flags, while the sound of "Cuckoo, cuckoo" came from the orchard close by.
When we had made as many boats as we could carry, each with a curly-whirly bit of a leaf for its sail, we used to balance ourselves carefully on the stones—for we knew that if we got wet we should not be allowed to go to our river again—and launch our little fleet, one by one, on the brown water, and then eagerly watch each green vessel upon its course. We wanted them to sail across to the other side; but I need not tell you that the river water was very far from being so calm as the water in the tub, and I do not think many got safely over.
One little boat would start off very straight, and then suddenly stop because it had run against some hidden rock; the greater number, in spite of all our efforts to steer them, would get into the current, and so be carried down the stream out of our sight; while some at once turned on their sides, got filled with water, and became dismal wrecks.
I can remember well how happy we were in spite of all such disasters and losses!
But we should have been surprised indeed in those days if anyone had told us, as we launched our boats, and watched them sail away from land—to "America" or "India," or any of those far-away places where we used to pretend they were going—that we were like those boats of ours. And yet it would have been true, for we too had been launched; the voyage of life had begun for us; and every birthday that came found us a little farther from the place from whence we had started—a little nearer to the end of the voyage, the place whither we were bound. Yes, in this sense you and I and all the people in the world are voyagers on the stream of time. But this voyage of our life—how long will it be?
That is one of the things which no one can tell. God alone knows.
In one sense the story of your life may be soon told; your little voyage down the stream of time may be very short, and your boat may reach the great ocean of eternity before many birthdays have come and gone. But in another sense it is a story without an end; and this is what makes your beginning such a great thing to think of. It is a beginning which has no end; the part of you which is most really yourself, must live on always. You can never stop living for one moment; for there is on board your little boat a wonderful passenger. God has put into you a living soul, which can never die.
But how soon God may call that soul back to Himself, away from the body, where it lives now, who can tell?
I am just now thinking of some young voyagers whose passage from time to eternity was indeed short, but the story is so sad that I could not tell you about it if I did not remember what the Lord Jesus once said, when He was teaching His disciples. He called a little child to Him, and began to speak to them about such little children, and one of the things which He said was this, "The Son of man is come to save that which was lost" (Matt. xviii. 11). And again He said (you will find this verse in the same chapter), "It is not the will of your Father which is in heaven, that one of these little ones should perish."
Since even the very little children have gone astray from God, so that the Lord Jesus spoke of them as "lost" and "perishing," how could I tell you this story, if the Lord from heaven, He who called Himself the "Son of man" when He was here in this world, had not come to save that which was lost?
This is the sad, true story:
It was on a beautiful Monday morning, in the bright June weather, that the scholars belonging to a large Sunday-school in Ireland were travelling with their teachers and friends from the town where they lived to spend the day at a lovely place by the seaside. How proud and happy they were, all these boys and girls, as they marched through the town waving their flags and singing, and how much they had to say about the grand time they were going to have! You may be sure they liked a long holiday out of doors, with games and races, and buns and oranges, as much as you do, and so they got into the train in high glee.
But that train never reached the lovely place at the seaside. Before it had gone very far on its way there was a dreadful accident; some of the carriages were crushed and broken, as if they had been matchboxes, and many of those bright boys and girls were killed all in a moment—the short voyage of their life was over; oh, how soon! By-and-by some doctors came hurrying to the place where the ruined train lay, and began to look about to find those who might not be dead, only hurt. It was a sad sight they saw, and one they can never forget. While they were busy, giving help here and there, someone noticed two little ones, sitting on the green bank, beside the wreck of the train. A doctor went up to see if they were hurt. No, they were picking the daisies which grew among the grass; they were too young to understand what a dreadful thing had happened.
"Were you in the train, my dears?" said the kind doctor.
"Yes," said a little girl of six years old, "we were in the train, and she was too," and she pointed to where another child lay quite still upon the grass; not picking daisies—no, she could not speak or move, she was dead.
Put your finger on your wrist, and keep very still for a moment. Listen. You feel something, do you not? Something alive, and it goes beat, beat; one, two, three, like the ticking of a watch. As long as you live, that tick, tick will go on; but for this little girl it had stopped, because her heart had ceased to beat. When the doctor put his hand upon her wrist, he could feel nothing moving there. "She is quite dead," he said, as he took her body up from the grass that it might be carried back to her home, the home which she had left that morning, so happy and gay.
At the Sunday-school these children had been taught about the "wondrous, glorious Saviour," of whom you sometimes sing, and we may believe that the spirit of this dear child, redeemed to God by the precious blood of Christ, went straight from that wrecked train to spend its long for ever with the One who had loved her and given Himself for her; and that God, who takes care of the poor little body which was laid low in the grave with many a sad tear, will raise it in glory, one day, when "death is swallowed up in victory."
But there were not only very little children in that wrecked train. We are told of a boy who was terribly hurt, but lived an hour after the crash came. As he lay by the wayside, a young girl with a pitiful heart came and knelt beside him.
"I will pray you up to heaven," she whispered.
"I am going there!" said the dying boy; "Lord Jesus take me, I am ready."
Of another his poor mother said—
"I asked him before he started—'Well, dear, have you committed yourself to your heavenly Father?' 'Yes, mother, I have,' he said. So I gave him my blessing and sent him off, and that was the last time I ever saw him alive."
These boys did not think as they left their homes that morning that they would never return, but they had learned to know the Lord Jesus Christ as their own Saviour, and so when danger and death came, they were ready to leave this world and go to Him: their boats were not wrecked; they sailed right into port.
And now that we are coming to the end of our lesson for to-day, let us "think back," and see if we can remember what it is all about, and then we will mark the subjects (a), (b), (c), (d), to help us to keep them in mind.
The subjects were—
(a) That very far away time which God speaks of as "the beginning."
(b) It is God alone who can tell us about this time.
(c) God, who made all that has a beginning, Himself had no beginning. This means that there never was a time, no matter how long ago, when God was not. If you think back, back, even to the time when there was no sky, no earth, no great ocean, you can never come to a time when there was no God.
(d) "In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. The same was in the beginning with God." The "Word" is one of the names of the Lord Jesus Christ, who came to this world that He might show us how very much God His Father loves us, and who could say, "He that hath seen Me hath seen the Father."
For He who was once born a little child in this world and laid in the manger at Bethlehem, and who grew up in the home of Joseph and Mary at Nazareth, is the Same who was "in the beginning with God," for He "was God."
This is what God has told us about His great Eternity, when Time, with its days and weeks and months and years, had not begun.
"TIME AND ETERNITY.
"How long sometimes a day appears! And weeks, how long are they! Months move as slow as if the years Would never pass away.
"It seems a long, long time ago That I was taught to read; And since I was a babe, I know 'Tis very long indeed.
"Days, months, and years are passing by, And soon will all be gone; And day by day, as minutes fly, Eternity comes on.
"Days, months and years must have an end; Eternity has none. 'Twill always have as long to spend As when it first begun.
"Great God! no finite mind can tell How much a thing can be: I only pray that I may dwell That long, long time with Thee."
RUIN AND DARKNESS.
"Through faith we understand that the worlds were framed by the word of God, so that things which are seen were not made of things which do appear."—HEBREWS xi. 3.
"Whatsoever the Lord pleased, that did He in heaven, and in earth, in the seas, and all deep places."—PSALM cxxxv. 6.
There are three words which God has used to tell us about His work which we call "The Creation."
We read, "In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth."
"And God made two great lights."
"And the Lord God formed man."
"Created," "made," "formed," these are the words; and it is of the first of them we shall speak a little to-day.
Before my children came, I had been thinking how I could make it plain to the little ones that there is a very great difference between being able to create and being able to make anything. It happened that when they came in they were all talking so fast, of something which had greatly delighted them, that it was some time before I could find out what it was all about. At last Sharley told me that as they were racing along with their hoops a strange dog had followed them, and rubbed his nose against their hands, wanting to make friends with them.
"We are quite sure it is nobody's dog," she said; "or at any rate it is a dog that has lost its master, and has no home now. So after lessons we are going to call it, and get it to follow us home. It is waiting for us outside the door this minute."
"And I am going to make a kennel for it," said Ernest, who was very fond of sawing and hammering away in the shed behind, the house, and wished to be a carpenter, when he grew up; "at least, I am going to try, and I think I can."
I may as well tell you at once that this little stray dog soon got tired of waiting, outside the door. When lessons were over, and the children went to look, no doggie was to be found; and as they did not know his name it was not easy to call him. I have no doubt he found his own master and his own home again, and was much better off there than he would have been in the best kennel Ernest could have made, with seven boys and girls to take him for a walk every day.
However that may be, I tell you of this dog because it was while Ernest was talking about making a house for it that I was saying to myself, "I wonder whether this plan of Ernest's about making a kennel will help them to understand, what I so much want them to learn, about the difference which there is between the words make and create."
First of all I had to tell them not to talk any more just then, but to repeat their verses. Then we read—more than once—for Leslie and Dick would not have liked to miss their turn, and there were not enough verses for each to read one—what God has told us in the first five verses of His book.
"In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth.
"And the earth was without form, and void; and darkness was upon the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters.
"And God said, Let there be light: and there was light.
"And God saw the light, that it was good: and God divided the light from the darkness.
"And God called the light Day, and the darkness He called Night. And the evening and the morning were the first day."
When we had finished I asked Chrissie what it means when we read that "God created the heaven and the earth." Why is the word "created" used? Would any other word have done instead of that one?
Chrissie said no other word would do, because to create means to make out of nothing. He was right, was he not?
The next question was, "Why is create a word which can never be used except when we are speaking of God?"
I don't know who answered, but someone gave the right reason—"Because only God can make a thing be when there was nothing before it; nothing to make it out of."
This seems quite plain, does it not? But do you know there was once a boy, who did not believe that he could not create things until he had tried to make something out of nothing, and found that only nothing came. He was quite sure he could create anything if he only told it to come; so at last his teacher said, "You had better try."
He was only a very little boy, so he thought he would try, and up he got and stood as straight as he could on his chair, while he said with a loud voice, "Fishes, be!"
Perhaps it was a good thing that this boy should thus prove for himself that it is only God who can create anything; only God of whom it could be said, "He spake, and it was done."
I did not tell this little story to the children, but I said to Leslie, "You heard Ernest say just now that he was going to make a kennel for your stray doggie; do you think he could make one?" Leslie thought perhaps he might if he worked very hard; and then I asked them all whether, if he worked very hard, day and night, for a long, long time, Ernest could create a kennel?
"No, indeed he could not. He never could, no matter how hard he worked." Everybody was sure of this; for even little Dick quite understood that if the cleverest and handiest boy in the world were told that he must make a box, he could not even begin to make the commonest box unless he had something given him to make it out of, and something too to make it with. "He would need wood," they said, "and nails, and a hammer and saw; and if it were to be a nice box, to last long, he would want paint, and a lock and key, and hinges; and if he wished everyone to know that it was his own box, he must mark it with his name when it was finished."
Now I am sure you quite understand that this word "created," which you find in the very first verse of your Bible, is a word which you must not forget to notice whenever it is used, because it is a wonderful word, which can be used only in speaking of God, the Creator, and of the Son of God, by whom and for whom all the things that we can see, and all that we cannot see, were created; and in whose power they stand together.
Now I want you to read again very carefully the verses which we have read, and to notice that we have only one verse to tell us what God did at the beginning; this one verse explains that it was then that He created the heaven and the earth. This is all that God has told us, and it is just what we need to know; for how could we ever have found out by what means this earth of ours came into being, at the very first, if God had not been pleased to tell us that He created it?
But what a happy thing it is just to listen to the account which God Himself gives us, telling how the heaven and the earth came into being!
One who simply receives God's word into his heart will understand more than the cleverest man who ever lived, who tries by his own mind to search into the beginning of things, and to account for all that we now see around us by any other way. We read, "By faith we understand that the worlds were framed by the word of God." Faith does not wait till it sees, but believes what God says, because He says it. We may say that we cannot understand what creation is, but we can find rest for our restless thoughts by saying "Yes" to all that God has told us—and the very first line of His Book explains all that we need to know about, how the heaven and the earth came into being, when it tells us that God created them in the beginning.
We read next, "And the earth was without form and void." We are not told in the verse which follows anything more about the "heaven"; that means the vast universe of which our earth is but a tiny part; but of the earth we read two things which are very surprising, when we think of what it is like now:
"Without form and void"—what does that mean?
After I had explained to the elder children that these words, which are used to describe the earth, mean that it was waste and desolate and without order, we looked for a verse in the New Testament which tells us that "God is not the author of confusion" (1 Cor. xiv. 33); and then we spoke about how we can be quite sure that the earth, which is part of God's creation, was not in disorder, not a waste and desolate place in the beginning; and we found in the Old Testament this other verse:
"For thus saith the Lord that created the heavens; God Himself that formed the earth and made it; He hath established it, He created it not in vain, He formed it to be inhabited; I am the Lord; and there is none else" (Isaiah xlv. 18).
The reason why we found this verse was because I wanted to show Sharley and Chris and Ernest that there the same word is used about the earth as in the verse in Genesis of which we had just been speaking. The words "in vain" are the same which were there translated "without form" by the people who turned the Hebrew, in which most of the Old Testament was first written, into English, that we might be able to read it. So you see how very important words are, and learn that when God tells us in one part of His Book that He created the earth not "without form," and in another part that it was (or became) "without form," the state of the earth as it is described in the second verse of the first chapter of Genesis was different from its condition when God created it in the beginning. Between these two verses, so close together in your Bible, ages upon ages may have run their course; a distance of time may have passed so great that we cannot measure it by any thoughts of ours.
What happened between the time, which God calls "the beginning," the time of the earth's creation, and that time when what He created had become "waste and desolate," we do not know. What this earth was like, when God first created it, we do not know. How the plants and animals, which now lie buried deep beneath the ground upon which we tread, and shut up within the rocks, lived and died, we do not know. How confusion and desolation came, we do not know. And why do we not know?
Because God has not told us. People have thought a great deal about it, and they say that upon the earth itself may be read, as in a book, marks of the many changes which it went through during that far, far away time; but what we have to remember is that God does not tell us anything about it in His Book; it is with the days and weeks and years of Time and the "from everlasting to everlasting" of His great Eternity, about which He does speak to us, that we have to do.
God speaks to us, the inhabitants of the earth, of what it concerns us to know—and the first thing we learn about this earth upon which we live is that it was created by Him.
The next thing that we learn is that the earth which He had "formed to be inhabited" was "without form and void, and darkness was upon the face of the deep." This was the state of the earth which God had created, when He began the work of His wonderful "Days," and brought what had become a scene of desolation into order and beauty, a place prepared for men to dwell in.
And now there is one more verse to find, because it speaks about those SIX DAYS in which God "made" (not "created") the heaven and the earth. "In six days the Lord made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that in them is." (Exodus xx. 11.)
How wonderful it is, is it not? that God should tell us so much about His work! He might have made everything in a moment, by one word, but He was pleased to take all these "Days," and to tell us about the wonderful things which he made upon each of them, and at the end of them all we read—
"And God saw everything that He had made, and, behold it was [not waste and desolate any more, but] very good."
I wish that I could look over your shoulder as you are reading, and ask you whether there is anything you want to have explained. Ah, well! I cannot, and, perhaps, if I could I should not explain to you nearly so well as father or mother would. Only be sure you ask questions, if there is anything you do not understand, that you may have it made plain to you.
I once told my children about a little girl I knew, who very much wanted to know things, but sometimes she went on ever so long without knowing, just because she was too proud to ask; she could not bear for people to find out that she did not know all that she thought a child of her age ought to know. But children of any age cannot know things without being taught, and so it came to pass that this child grew to be quite a big girl without knowing how to tell the time. Once, when her mother said, "Run and tell me what o'clock it is," Lucy ran off as quickly as if she knew all about it, and then she stood at the foot of the stairs and looked at the clock, and wondered why one hand was still and the other moved, and how grown-up people knew what time it was by just looking at their watches for half a minute. Before she had found out any of these puzzling things, all at once Lucy heard her mother's voice calling, "Lucy, Lucy," and she ran back to her in a great hurry.
When asked why she had been so long, this poor, proud child made some excuse. And then—I am ashamed to tell it, but it only shows what becomes of pretending to know, instead of asking to be taught—she told her mother what she guessed would be about the right time.
Her mother never thought she had been deceiving her; but Lucy went back to her play with a very heavy heart, and a miserable feeling of how naughty she had been, and how God knew all about it; and this was not the last time that the wish to be thought clever—so clever as not to need to be taught like other children, but to be able to find things out for herself—brought her into sad trouble.
After having heard the story of Lucy and the clock, my children knew how much I like them to ask questions, and were sure that I would answer them if I could; and so Sharley asked me about something which she could not understand.
"When God created the heaven and the earth, did He create the angels too?" she said. "Were there angels in the beginning?"
Now the first part of Sharley's question I could not answer. I could only say about it, "We do not know, because God has not told us."
Remember always, that when God does tell you a thing you must believe it, just because it is God who has said it; and it is only by believing what God tells you that you can understand it. But when you are quite sure that God has not told you about something which you would like to know, you must never try to guess at it, or make up something about it out of your own head. Our thoughts and fancies may seem very pretty, and please us very much; but we are quite sure to be wrong when we try to peep at what God has not shown us in the wonderful glass of His word.
But there is an answer to the last part of Sharley's question, and she found it in the Book of Job. When God was taking a great deal of pains to teach Job not to think himself wise or good—really not to think of himself at all—He asked him a great many questions which Job could not answer. This was one of the questions: "Where wast thou when I laid the foundations of the earth? declare, if thou hast understanding.... When the morning stars sang together, and all the sons of God shouted for joy?" (Job xxxviii. 4-7).
From this question, which the Lord asked Job, we know that at the world's birthday, when its foundations were laid, angels were there, rejoicing in God's works, though we do not know when these "sons of God" were created.
Angels are happy, blessed creatures; they are God's messengers, who "excel in strength and do His commandments, hearkening unto the voice of His word."
All we are told about angels is very beautiful. When the Lord Jesus was born, you know it was an angel who brought to the shepherds of Bethlehem, as they watched their flocks, the "good tidings of great joy," that to them was born a Saviour, Christ the Lord. How glad he must have been to fly with such a wonderful message! And how the "multitude of the heavenly host" must have rejoiced as they praised God, saying, "Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men" (Luke ii. 14).
It is beautiful to see that angels rejoiced at the world's birthday, and also at the birth of Him who is the Saviour of the world. And there is "joy in the presence of the angels of God"—the Lord Jesus Himself has told us of this—whenever anyone is sorry for his sins and turns to Him.
And there is another thing very beautiful to think of about the angels. They are God's ministers, or servants, who do His pleasure in serving His children here in this world; taking care of them, because they are so precious to Him.
I want you to find the verse which tells us about this "ministry of angels," and then I will not ask you to look for any more references to-day. It is at the end of a chapter in the epistle to the Hebrews.
"Are they not all ministering spirits, sent forth to minister for them who shall be heirs of salvation?" (Hebrews i. 14).
Remember that in the Bible the word "minister" means servant, and so to minister means to serve. And we must not forget that in the last book of the Bible we read of a "new song;" which no angel can sing, for it is known only by the great multitude of the redeemed; and though it will be sung in heaven, it is learnt on earth. Angels may join in the mighty chorus of praise to which every creature will add its voice—but it is those who have been redeemed by the precious blood of Christ who will lead that song and say, "Thou are worthy, for Thou wast slain, and hast redeemed to God by Thy blood out of every kindred, and tongue, and people, and nation."
How much is told us in the first three verses of God's Book? We have read that this earth, now so full of beauty, was once waste and desolate; there was no life there, and no light—for "darkness was upon the face of the deep." How long this state of ruin continued we do not know; but the next thing we are told is very solemn and wonderful—"the Spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters." Then, in the next verse we read, "and God said." The Spirit of God and the word of God are spoken of together here, where we read of His mighty working in the past in bringing the earth out of ruin and darkness into light and life and beauty; and it is by His word and His Spirit that the soul is turned from darkness to light, and is born again—born of God—now.
So that God has given us here a picture or type from which we can learn; but I hope to tell you a little more about this another time. Just now I should like you to look for a very beautiful verse (Deut. xxxii. 11) which compares the care of God for His chosen People to that of the eagle for her young; because the word there translated "fluttereth" is the same which in the second verse of the Bible is translated "moved," as we read, "the Spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters."
It is that Holy Spirit who alone can explain to us the meaning of such words, for it is written, "The things of God knoweth no man, but the Spirit of God."
"Songs of praise the angels sang, Heaven with hallelujahs rang, When Jehovah's work begun, When He spake and it was done.
"Songs of praise awoke the morn When the Prince of Peace was born; Songs of praise arose when He Captive led captivity.
"Heaven and earth must pass away, Songs of praise shall crown that day; God will make new heavens and earth; Songs of praise shall hail their birth."
THE FIRST DAY.
"Where is the way where light dwelleth? and as for darkness, where is the place thereof?"—JOB xxxviii. 19.
"He knoweth what is in the darkness, and the light dwelleth with him."—DANIEL ii, 22.
"God, who commanded the light to shine out of darkness, hath shined in our hearts, to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ."—2 COR. iv, 6.
I want you to notice, in the beautiful verses which speak of "light," that God does not at first tell us anything about Himself. He speaks to us of what He did when in the beginning He created the heaven and the earth, and of what He said at the time when the earth lay in darkness, buried beneath the waters. In the midst of the silence and darkness a voice was heard, the voice of God, "And God said, Let there be light: and there was light." This we read in the first page of God's Book; but it is very near its end that God makes it known that the One who made the light, the One at whose word light came from darkness, is Himself Light. It is His very Nature.
"God is light." Now we learn from God's Word that there are two kinds of light, and two kinds of darkness; let us talk a little about this.
We can well understand one kind of darkness, because we can see it: and we know it is caused by the absence of light. It grows dark when the sun, which makes our day, has set to us, and the night has come to wrap us round, as it were, in a curtain of shade that we may sleep quietly. It is dark too, not only by night, but all the day long in the deep caverns where the miner must carry his lamp to light up those dismal places where the sun never shines. This darkness, like that which rested upon the face of the deep before God spoke that word which brought the light, is caused by there being no light, and as soon as the light comes the darkness goes. The other kind of darkness we cannot see: it has to do, not with places, but with people, and we read about it very often in the Bible. It is that dreadful kind of darkness which has come through sin, and has settled down upon the heart of every one of us. This darkness God sees, and He speaks about it in His Word.
We find it hard to believe that our hearts are all dark when God looks at them; that He finds no love to Himself there; no bright spot anywhere; but God, who is Light, as He looks straight down to the depths of those hearts, and sees us through and through, has told us the truth about ourselves, as He sees us.
You do not like darkness better than light; the night better than the day, do you?
I remember how sorry I used to be when night came, and how fond I was of saying to myself a verse I had learnt, as I lay awake in the early morning and watched the dawning light—
"I saw the glorious sun arise Far o'er yon mountain grey, And as he rode upon the skies The darkness went away; And all around me was so bright I wished it would be always light!"
Yes, we naturally love the light which is so cheerful, and shows us so plainly all the beautiful things around us.
But that other kind of light which shines from God into our hearts, do we like it?
No; one sad thing that sin has done is to make us love the dark, because we feel as though there we could hide away from God. We know quite well that if God is looking at us He sees us right, just as we are, not as we like to think we are, and this is why we try to forget that He is always looking at us. I know a little boy, who had done something naughty, and had been hiding it all day. No one saw Georgie go to the cupboard and take a piece of sugar. He had eaten it, and had gone back to his play as if nothing had happened, before his grandmother came back into the room. All day long Georgie kept in the dark; a darkness which could not be seen ruled in his heart—but it was a darkness that might be felt, and which made him miserable. At last when bedtime came, and he had said good-night to his grandmother, upstairs in his little room his aunt knelt down beside him and began to pray. Presently something happened which showed that Georgie was praying really himself, while Auntie said the words. He looked up for a moment and said softly, "Tell God about that sugar."
And then he went to bed, oh, so much happier than he had been all those long hours before he had come into the light, and told the truth about what only God and Georgie himself knew—nobody else in the world!
But while I say this I think I am forgetting what we so often forget when we do wrong. Satan knew about it, and he had tried all day long to keep this little boy away in the dark, hiding from God, and to make him think it was not worth while to tell the truth about such a little thing as a piece of sugar. If any such thought as that comes into your heart when you have done wrong, do not listen to it for one moment. Remember that the darkness and the light are both alike to God.
And now I want to tell you about another boy, older than Georgie, who was made very unhappy by the thought that he could not get away anywhere to hide from God. But why did Johnny want so much to hide from God? Had he been very naughty? It was not because he had done anything very naughty just then, but because something inside him—that voice that perhaps often seems to speak deep down in your heart—spoke to him and made him afraid. He did not like that God, who is Light, should come close to him. When people saw him crying, and said kindly, "What is the matter, my boy?" poor Johnny could only say, "God is looking at me." He had just this one thought always with him—God was looking at him, and God could see what no one else could, the real Johnny, and all the secret things which he could not bear that anyone should know.
But had God only just begun to look at this boy? No; all his life long—more than twelve years, I think—the eye that never sleeps had been watching him. Johnny had tried to hide himself behind his play and his pleasures, and, as he grew older, behind his carelessness; but now he had learnt that none of the things which may hide us from ourselves and from others, can hide us from God. He could only feel that God was looking at him, and in this way Johnny learned something of the meaning of the words "God is light." That is what God has to teach us all, and it would be a lesson too terrible for anyone to learn, if that were all God has been pleased to tell us about Himself. But there is another part of God's message to us, and it was when Johnny had learned it that he was not afraid or unhappy any more.
It was because God was looking for him that He allowed this boy to have that dreadful feeling that there was someone, from whom he could not hide away, who knew him perfectly. Johnny learnt this lesson, and then God taught him not only that "God is light," but that he need not be afraid to stand, just as he was, in the light which shows everything, because of this other wonderful little verse which tells us that "God is love."
And so at last Johnny learned to say to God what king David said—after he had told God all the truth about what he had done, and God had forgiven him—"Thou art my hiding-place." I have heard a very wonderful thing; but I believe it is true. It is said of light that "it conceals more than it reveals"; that there is no hiding-place like light, if it is only bright enough; and the brighter the light is, the more impossible it is to find what has been hidden there!
I remember when I first saw the electric light; it was in the middle of the night, as the boat on board which I had been crossing the sea which divides Wales from Ireland, came in at the pier. All around, the whole scene was lighted up; the dark water shone, and the people came on shore and looked for their luggage, and took their places in the tram, no one thinking of such a thing as a lamp, for all was clear as daylight.
But this light, bright as it was, lighted only a very little space; as the train moved off we left it behind us, and hurried on into the dark night. How much more wonderful is the light of the sun which shines night and day, always giving light to some part of the world!
But sunlight, moonlight, and electric light, all these shine upon the outside, upon what we can see. God, who is Light, shines upon what is within, upon that heart which is by nature so dark that there is not one bright spot there, so that if God did not shine into it no light could ever come.
Have you ever seen, when the moon has been shining over the sea, making a long, broad pathway of brightness, a ship, as it sails along, suddenly come into that bright track? It is a beautiful sight; just for one moment every mast and sail all stand out with such distinctness that you say, "Oh, I can see her now perfectly!" Then, while you look, she has crossed the shining path, and you can but just trace her dim outline, and know that a ship is sailing there.
When the Lord Jesus Christ was in this world He said, "As long as I am in the world, I am the light of the world." He showed people plainly that He knew them in a way that no one else could. Some people were glad; one poor woman, who had been in the dark all her life, went and told everyone about Him, and said, "Come, see a man, which told me all things that ever I did." Others could not bear that that light should show them to themselves, so we read that one day those who had been with Him, "went but one by one," until they were all gone. Which would you rather be like—the people who went away into the darkness, rather than be found out by the Light, or the one who stayed, and heard those words she could never forget—"Neither do I condemn thee; go and sin no more"?
The only way not to be afraid of the light is to come to the Lord Jesus Christ, who has said of every one that follows Him, that he shall not "abide in darkness, but shall have the light of life."
But hiding—hiding from God—only means getting deeper into the dark, farther away from Him who is Light.
Now that we have spoken of these solemn and important things—things which I like to speak to you about, but which God alone, who loves you so much, can really teach you:—I should like to tell you a little about the light as we see it all around us.
Now, what can we learn about it?
First, we learn that it was called into existence by the voice of God. God said, "Let there be light; and there was light" on the FIRST DAY, but it was not until the FOURTH DAY that those great light-bearers—the sun and the moon—were made lights to the earth, and set "for signs, and for seasons, and for days and years." But the question, "What is light?" is not one easily answered.
We can all understand that light is that which makes everything visible, but you will perhaps be surprised to hear that it has taken a very long time even to find out how the light comes to us.
It is now generally believed that light, which is one of the strongest powers in the world, is caused by motion; and that it is because every light-giving body is always moving very fast, that it gives out light. But no one can explain how this rapid movement began, nor what that "ether" is through which the "vibrations" travel until they reach a wonderful little screen which we have at the back of each of our eyes, by means of which we are able to see.
We may think of the air around us as a vast ocean, through which waves conveying light and sound are constantly travelling. When a sound-wave strikes the ear, we hear; when a light-wave, moving like a water-wave, reaches the eye, we see. Light comes chiefly from the sun: it is beautiful to think, is it not?—of waves of light streaming always, day and night, from that wonderful sun so far away, and coming, wave after wave, to paint beautiful pictures on our eyes! For if you and I both look at the same lovely view, we have each a picture of it—the mountains, and sea, and green fields, and houses—all to ourselves; and so it would be if, not two people, but two hundred were looking. One thing about light of which we are quite sure is, that it travels very quickly. It makes its noiseless journey all round this great earth eight times in one second—in less time than it takes for my watch to give one tick; and it comes all the long, long way from the sun to the earth in less than ten minutes.
I spoke just now of the light painting pictures upon our eyes. Did you know that if there were no light there would be no beautiful colours? Where the sun shines very brightly, in those parts of the world called the tropics, it is not only very hot, but travellers tell us that there the green of the leaves is darker than we are accustomed to see it, and the colours of the flowers and of the birds' feathers are more brilliant than in our own country, where the sunlight is never so strong.
Then, though the sunlight gives their lovely colours to the anemones and seaweeds, as it shines into their homes in the shallow places near shore, if you could go far down into the ocean depths, where the light can hardly reach, you would find the colours of any creatures, or plants, or shells that might be there soft and pure, but not brilliant.
But how does the light make the colours? It seems only white, or perhaps gold-coloured, in itself.
This is what I should like to explain to you, for it is a very beautiful lesson, and not difficult to learn.
When I asked the children if they could tell me what we mean when we say that a thing reflects the light, Chrissie said he had often seen the red sunset reflected by the windows opposite, but he could not quite tell how to explain it.
We may read in books this explanation: "The reflection of light is the turning back of its rays by the surface upon which they fall." And while we read this we must remember that the surface or outside of everything has some peculiarity about it, which affects the light as it falls upon it.
The light of the sun is made up of seven colours, though God has so perfectly blended them that we see only white light; but all these colours may be traced in the seven-coloured arch, which is a token to men of His mercy, and a sign that while the earth remains "seed-time and harvest, cold and heat, summer and winter, day and night, shall not cease."
The smallest portion of light which we can speak of is called a ray of light. You have seen, when what you call a beam of light comes in at a hole, before the shutters have been opened, how the little specks of dust glance up and down in it, as if they were at an endless game of puss-in-the-corner. But have you ever seen beautiful colours, like those of the rainbow, dance about the room—now on the ceiling, now on the floor?
You can best see this lovely little rainbow by darkening the room, and letting just one ray of light stream in through a small hole. Then take a bit of glass, cut so that it has at least three sides—a "drop" of cut glass from the lustre on the mantelpiece will do—and hold it up between you and the light. This little piece of glass, which is called a prism, because it has been sawn or cut, will do a wonderful thing, as you turn it about in the sunbeam. The ray of light, as it passes through the three-cornered bit of glass, will be turned out of its straight path, and this causes it to be split up into many colours, so that you will have a tiny rainbow, which can be seen beautifully if you allow it to fall upon a sheet of white paper; and the colours are always arranged in the same way. Look! in the centre of your rainbow there are green and yellow; then comes red, then blue, then violet. You can easily see these five colours; and two more are counted; indigo, or dark blue, and orange. The only difficulty about saying how many colours you can see is this. If you begin with the violet, and count till you come to the red, you will find that the soft hues are so blended, or run into each other, that it is not easy to see where one ends and the other begins.
I want you to make this little rainbow, not only because the colours which it paints upon the ceiling are so pure and beautiful, and it is so curious to see the bright band of red and blue and green dancing from place to place as you turn your bit of glass, but because you can see in this way how a ray of light spreads itself out when it passes through this glass with three sides. The colours are separated from each other because no two waves of light are of quite the same length; some move slowly and others fast, and the faster a wave travels the more it is turned aside out of the straight road.
This is a difficult subject, but I think you will understand that if all rays were alike, the whole beam would be bent; but as some are more easily bent than others, as they pass through the prism they are spread out.
Long ago, the great philosopher Newton bought a prism, and thus "analysed" or broke up the sunbeam, and discovered what is called the "prismatic band" of colours. He found that what seemed to be white light was made up of tints really infinite in number; for though we count only seven prismatic colours, they are shaded off, one into the other, as you see.
Having thus broken up the beam of light, Newton, by means of two prisms, put together again the rays which he had separated, and the sunbeam was "white" as before. Perhaps you wonder why we do not always see coloured light: the reason is that the waves of light, unless interfered with and turned out of their straight path, all travel together in their rapid, noiseless course, and so remain unbroken.
You will find it very interesting to make the first of Newton's experiments yourself, and some day perhaps you will hear what wonderful things about the sun and the stars are being learnt in our own time by means of the spectroscope, which is an instrument having a fine slit through which the ray is passed before it is allowed to fall upon the prism.
And now what do we mean when we talk of things being of different colours? When we say of snow that it is white we mean that, as the light falls upon the snow, it is all sent back again. The surface of the snow reflects all the light, and keeps none. The other day, when I was buying some flowers to plant in the garden, the woman who was selling them showed me a black pansy. "I am sure you would like to have this root," she said, "black pansies are so rare."
I did not buy the flower, for I did not think it nearly so pretty as the purple and yellow pansies, which seemed to look up at me with such knowing little faces; but I was interested to see it, because (and are you not glad that it is so?) black flowers are very rare. But why was this pansy black? Ah! it was quite different from the snow; it kept all the light which fell upon it, and gave away none. You see that God has given to some things the power of absorbing light and to others that of reflecting it. If it were not so, our world would be very different from the beautiful world which it is—as different as an engraving is from a coloured picture, with fields, gardens, sea and sky all of varied hue. Almost all the flowers are so beautiful because, while they keep some of the colours from the light which falls upon them, they do not keep all.
Now look at the flowers in that glass upon the table. The lovely rose keeps part of its ray of light, but gives us back the red; the larkspur gives back the blue; and those pure white lilies, which show so fair beside the roses, give back all the light in its bright whiteness just as it comes to them, so that a poet, who loved them well, calls them "those flowers made of light."
And the water in the glass, why is it white?
Because water is what is called transparent; it does not drink in the light, but lets the whole ray pass through it, as it passes through the window-pane.
Now my lesson about colours is over, and I will tell you a story. I don't know whether you have as good a memory as some of my children had, and whether you remember my promise to explain to you about types. I daresay you have heard this word used in more than one way, and a word which has two meanings is rather a puzzle, is it not? I know how it used to set me thinking, when I heard someone say of a new book that it was pleasant to read, because of its good type; the word was not new to me, but I had heard it used in quite another way, the way in which it is used when we say of the serpent of brass lifted up by Moses in the wilderness, that the dying people might look at it and live—that it was a type of the Lord Jesus Christ lifted up upon the cross, as He Himself tells us it was. I daresay, if I could ask you, you would tell me that "type" used in this sense means a picture. That was what Chris and Sharley said, but it was because I wanted the little ones as well as the elder ones to understand that meaning of the word that I told them this story which a friend of mine once told me, and which I am sure you will like to hear,
We were saying just now how dark it would be in the deep mines, far underground, where no daylight can come, if it were not for the lamp which the miner carries with him wherever he goes. You may think you would rather like to go down a mine, just for once, if you were quite sure of being drawn up safely in the miners' cage, but I think you would not go down, if you thought you would have to stay even a whole week in such a dismal place.
My story is about a boy who had never been anywhere else, for he was born in a mine, and all his childhood, while other children were running about in the fields, looking up at the sky and breathing the fresh air which makes your cheeks so rosy, this little boy might turn his bright eyes this way and that, but no trees and houses and gay gardens were to be seen, far or near; for though he was five or six years old, no one had ever taken him up to the top of the mine and let him see the sky, and pick the daisies, and feel the warm sunshine. Poor boy, he was an orphan; both his parents had died before he could remember, and he had no one to care for him in the way in which your dear father and mother have always cared for you. At last one of the miners thought what a sad life it was for a child to be always down underground, and he began to take notice of the lonely little boy, who had no father and mother to love him and be good to him, and in the evenings, when his work was done, he coaxed the child to come on his knee, and used to tell him stories about that wonderful world above ground which he had never seen.
Do you not think it must have been very difficult for the kind miner to talk about the blue sky and the birds, and the grass and trees, and all the beautiful sights which most children know so well, to a child who had never seen any of them? It was indeed a difficult task, but you know there is an old saying about difficulties which tells us that "love will find out the way" to overcome them. The miner became very fond of his pet, and he found out a way of making the things of which he spoke seem real to him.
"He could show him pictures," you will say. That was what little May thought, and it would have been a very good way; but remember that there were no beautiful picture-books such as you have, down in the mine. How then could the miner teach his little friend about things above ground?
The only way in which he could do this was by means of things in the mine which the boy knew well, and had been used to all his life. So he would take his lamp, and talk to him about it, and show him how its tiny flame lighted up the darkness, and then he would point upwards, and say that far above ground there was a great lamp burning all day long, and giving light to the people who lived in that upper world.
Now you would say that a miner's lamp was a very poor picture of the glorious sun; still, this child saw that in the under world, where he lived, it made all the difference between light and darkness whether the lamps were shining or not; so the lamp was like the sun, at least in that respect, though it was so poor and dim, and such a tiny likeness of it.
In the same way—when his kind friend made the little boy look at the pails of water which were swung down into the mine, and explained to him that above ground, in that new world which he had never seen, the water ran along quickly in great streams called rivers, and that there was a great, great world of water called the sea—though you might say that a pail of water in a mine, water which would soon be used for the miners to drink or for cooking their food, would give a very poor idea indeed of the mighty ocean with its rolling waves, where the whales spout, and the ships sail on their long voyages; still, poor as it was, that water in the pail was a likeness, a type of the rivers and seas, was it not?
The children were interested in this little boy, and they wanted to know how long he lived in the mine, and what became of him afterwards; but this I could not tell them, for I never heard any more about him.
And now I want you not only to be interested in this story, but to remember why I have told it to you. You understand now, I am sure, that a type is a figure of something not present; of course, inferior to the thing it represents, as the miner's lamp was inferior to the sun, or a man's shadow on the wall is to the man himself, but giving a true idea to a certain degree.
The light given by the miner's lamp was bright when compared with that given by one little candle in a cottage window, and yet that feeble ray, quietly shining night after night, served to guide many a fisherman safely past a dangerous rock, which juts out into the sea, on the coast of one of the Orkney Isles. It was a young girl, the daughter of a fisherman, who lighted that candle and kept it burning. Her father's boat had been wrecked one wild dark night on "Lonely Rock," and his body washed ashore near his cottage. The girl, in her grief, remembered other poor fishermen, and when night came on she set a candle in the window, and watched it as she sat at her spinning wheel. She did not do this once, or twice, but through long years that coast was never without the light of her little candle, by which the men at sea might be warned off the neighbourhood of the terrible rock.
In order to pay for her candles, this lonely girl with a faithful heart spun every night an extra quantity of yarn—for she earned her own living by her spinning wheel—and so the tiny flame was kept alight, and she found comfort in her sorrow by doing what she could, in her unselfish care, for "those in peril on the sea."
The meanest candle is a luminary in its way, for it possesses light, while the most brilliant diamond has none in itself, and can give back only what it receives.
And now that our lesson about the FIRST DAY is finished, we must not forget what we have been learning.
God, the Creator, alone in creation,
(a) "said, Let there be light: and there was light." (b) "saw the light, that it was good." (c) "divided the light from the darkness." (d) "called the light Day, and the darkness He called Night."
"And the evening and the morning were the first day."
The astronomer Proctor, in his beautiful book, Flowers of the Sky, says that "light is the first of all that exists in the universe." And we are, told that the action of light was necessary to prepare the way for all life; but this is far too great a subject for us to speak of in this little book. Let us remember that God saw the light, that it was good, and that He made the division between light and darkness in nature which He uses as a figure in the New Testament, where we read that the children of God are called "children of light," and "not of the night nor of darkness"; and where "goodness, and righteousness, and truth" are spoken of as "fruits of the light," in contrast with "unfruitful works of darkness."
In all that is around us in this world which God made, if we had eyes to see, we should find pictures of the things which are unseen, but yet very real; so in the Book which He has written, He has given us pictures. The description in verse 2 of the waste empty earth, with darkness upon the face of the deep, and the Spirit of God moving over the face of the waters, is a picture of the condition of everyone born into this world.
In verse 3 we have a picture of God as Light shining into the dark and empty heart.
In verse 4 we see that God separates good from evil.
Now I want you to think of these things, and as we have been talking of the words,
God is Light, God is Love,
I am going to copy for you a hymn, which speaks of them very beautifully; my children know it well, and often sing it.
"God in mercy sent His Son To a world by sin undone. Jesus Christ was crucified; 'Twas for sinners Jesus died. Oh! the glory of the grace, Shining in the Saviour's face, Telling sinners from above, 'God is Light,' and 'God is Love.'
"Sin and death no more shall reign, Jesus died and lives again! In the glory's highest height— See Him God's supreme delight. Oh! the glory of the grace, Shining in the Saviour's face, Telling sinners from above, 'God is Light,' and 'God is Love.'
"All who on His name believe, Everlasting life receive; Lord of all is Jesus now, Every knee to him must bow. Oh! the glory of the grace, Shining in the Saviour's face, Telling sinners from above, 'God is Light,' and 'God is Love.'
"Christ the Lord will come again, He who suffered once will reign; Every tongue at last shall own, 'Worthy is the Lamb' alone. Oh! the glory of the grace, Shining in the Saviour's face, Telling sinners from above, 'God is Light,' and 'God is Love.'"
H. K. BURLINGHAM.
THE SECOND DAY.
THE OCEAN OF AIR.
"Dost thou know the balancings of the clouds, the wondrous works of Him which is perfect in knowledge?... Hast thou with Him spread out the sky?"—JOB xxxvii. 16-18.
"When He prepared the heavens, I was there: when He set a compass upon the face of the depth: when He established the clouds above: when He strengthened the fountains of the deep."—PROVERBS viii. 27, 28.
"Who hath measured the waters in the hollow of His hand, and meted out heaven with the span?"—ISAIAH xl. 12.
In reading these beautiful verses, let us remember that in the second of them it is the Lord Jesus Christ who says of that time when God prepared the heavens, "I was there." And now, as we are going to think about what God did on the SECOND DAY of Creation, I want you not only very carefully to read those verses in the first chapter of Genesis which tell us about it (verses 6-9), but to keep your Bible open at the place, so that you may be able to refer to them constantly.
When we had read them together, my children noticed that in these verses we find once more three words which are used to tell us about the work of God upon the FIRST DAY. You see these words, do you not?
"God said, Let there be a firmament in the midst of the waters."
"God divided the waters which were under the firmament from the waters which were above the firmament."
"God called the firmament Heaven."
And there is one word which has not been used before: "And God made the firmament."
It is quite simple to see this, but I daresay you want to know, as all the children—even the elder ones—did, the meaning of one very uncommon word which we find in each of these verses. "What does 'firmament' mean?" they said.
I told them that the word conveys the idea of something firm and strong and steadfast; and then I asked Sharley, who has a reference Bible, to look in the margin, and tell me what word she could find there which might be used instead of this uncommon one. She found, as you will find if there are references in your Bible, that the word is there translated "expansion." And what does that mean?
You can understand something spread out wide, can you not?
Those who turned the Hebrew word into English long ago thought "firmament"—that which stands fast—was a better word than "expansion," which simply means what is stretched or spread out—as the heaven is spread above the earth "like a curtain." The expanse, then, which God made on the SECOND DAY, is what we call, the sky, as we look up and see the
"... tapestried tent Of that marvellous curtain of blue and gold,"
which is high above our heads, and stretches away far, far as our eyes can reach. And this tent, under whose shadow we dwell, is not firm and solid, but is really a globe of vapour, which surrounds us everywhere, and reaches, not all the way up to what we call the blue sky, but very much higher than any bird could fly or balloon float—as high as forty or fifty miles above the earth. God has fixed its height; if it were less, every breath we take would hurt us; if it were much greater, we should be always tired.
But before we speak of this atmosphere, or globe of air, which surrounds the earth, I want you to remember, as you read of the work of God on the Six Days of creation, that each one of these Days led, in a beautiful order, to the next, and that in all of them God was preparing the earth, which He had created in the beginning, for the creatures which He had not yet formed. For each kind of creature a place was found fit for it to live in, whether that dwelling-place was the earth, or the great and wide sea, or the boundless fields of air. And each creature, as it came from God's hand, was fitted to live where God had placed it: for every living thing the means of living was provided. Thus on the First of His Days God called for the light. What would the face of all the world be without it? Then on the SECOND DAY He not only provided the place in which the happy winged creatures fly and utter their sweet songs, but that by which all living things, whether they were plants or animals, should be kept alive. I am sure you know that without air you could not breathe; but perhaps you have never thought that without it no plant could live, not even the smallest blade of grass. Every green thing lives by breathing the air, and if there were no air which it could breathe, it would soon die.
How freely God has given us this great blessing! His air is all around us, as is His presence. When people wish to speak of what belongs to everyone alike they sometimes say, "It's as free as the air you breathe"—this wonderful air, which we cannot see, but which helps to make the sky so blue, without which no fire could burn, no robin sing to its mate, no lamb bleat after its mother, no merry voices of boys and girls at play be heard. God has indeed made it free to us; but let us never forget that we are, as His creatures, dependent upon Him for every breath we draw.
Now while we speak of the way in which this world was created by God, and fitted to become the dwelling-place of His creatures, we may remember how the Lord Jesus spoke to His disciples, after He had told them that He would be only a little while with them, about the place He was going to prepare for them. This reminds me of a little incident which I should like to tell you, because it is so beautiful to know that the Lord of glory, who was allowed no place here, He who
"Wandered as a homeless stranger, In the world His hands had made,"
has indeed gone to prepare a place for those whom He has, by His death and resurrection, made ready to dwell there. | <urn:uuid:875e149f-9ada-4b6e-a38f-66f80377fd1d> | CC-MAIN-2017-47 | http://hotfreebooks.com/book/Twilight-And-Dawn-Caroline-Pridham.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2017-47/segments/1510934806086.13/warc/CC-MAIN-20171120164823-20171120184823-00526.warc.gz | en | 0.988331 | 22,027 | 2.9375 | 3 |
California educators face a unique challenge: teaching the nation’s largest and most diverse student population in a way that’s equitable for everyone.
Many fear they’re not up to the task. One study found that although 76 percent of new teachers are trained to teach an ethnically diverse classroom, fewer than four in 10 say their training has actually helped them cope with the challenges they face.
As ethnic diversity grows and the need to serve many divergent populations becomes more urgent, it’s up to school and district administrators to lead the charge in making instruction equitable for all students, said Joe Feldman, CEO of Crescendo Education Group.
He offers the following tips to help teachers develop instructional practices that effectively serve all students.
Mine the data
Student data can be telling. It often reveals otherwise hidden disparities in instruction and outcomes. Mining student data can provide both areas of focus for your equity efforts and concrete metrics for measuring improvement.
“The numbers are an easy way to see what’s happening. Those are real kids,” Feldman said. “You’re going to see trends you wouldn’t see otherwise.”
Pinpoint some key equity indicators in your school or district—such as grade distribution, failure rates, discipline rates, honor roll and enrollment in honors classes—then run the numbers to look for disparities based on race, gender, age and any other demographic factors you can think of. Then use the data to start closing some of the equity gaps.
Encourage culturally responsive teaching
One of the biggest equity mistakes educators make is failing to adjust their curriculum in response to students’ cultural backgrounds.
For example, when teaching a unit on the Industrial Revolution to a class that includes black students, an equity-minded teacher will diverge from the history books to discuss post-Civil War Jim Crow laws, lynching and other events that impacted African-Americans differently than the white middle class, Feldman said.
“When you don’t talk about things, it disengages and delegitimizes that group’s history,” he added.
Weaving equity principles into daily instruction take time, but a good place to start is to learn and apply the essential elements of culturally responsive teaching, which include:
- Forming authentic and caring relationships with students.
- Using curriculum honoring each student’s culture and life experience.
- Shifting instructional strategies to meet the diverse learning needs of students.
- Communicating respect for each student’s intelligence.
- Holding consistent and high expectations for all learners.
Focus on practices, not beliefs
Many leaders take the long approach to equity. They focus on shifting teachers’ beliefs and helping them come to terms with white privilege, often without achieving any significant changes in the classroom.
Feldman advocates for the opposite approach, “help educators instill equitable practices into their work,” he said, “their beliefs have a way of shifting in response.” The key is to provide avenues for teachers to reflect on the changes in instructional practice.
Mitigate teacher biases
Every teacher brings their own implicit biases into a classroom. When those biases creep into how teachers assess student performance, they can lead to inaccurate and unfair grades, Feldman said.
When grading students, for example, teachers will often take into account factors such as behavior and attitude. Unfortunately, these subjective variables can ultimately cause grading to devolve into an arbitrary evaluation. Even worse, they provide an opening through which a teacher’s unconscious biases can slip into student assessments.
“Cleanse the grade of behavior, make it purely a reflection of academic competence or mastery,” Feldman suggested. “Essentially, set up a mechanism to prevent your biases from having as much impact.”
Address disparities in discipline
Discipline is another common area of inequity—and another opportunity for teacher bias to influence instruction. Disparities in discipline often result in students of color being removed from the classroom, where they miss out on valuable instruction. They’re also stigmatized and become jaded about their role in the school.
“For those who aren’t aware, there is a school-to-prison pipeline where we discipline boys of color at higher rates, especially when the description of infraction is something subjective, like defiance,” Feldman said. “That’s why it’s especially critical for leaders to keep an eye out for disparities in office referrals, suspension rates, and detentions.”
These are just a few of the ways administrators can help ensure equitable instruction in their schools and districts. “It doesn’t happen overnight—but it starts with having a special ear and eye to the histories, strengths, and challenges of people who aren’t like us,” Feldman said. | <urn:uuid:f5fcab32-1209-41dc-80dc-47e2dd291b60> | CC-MAIN-2022-33 | https://content.acsa.org/how-to-cultivate-equitable-instruction-and-outcomes-for-students/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2022-33/segments/1659882571153.86/warc/CC-MAIN-20220810100712-20220810130712-00046.warc.gz | en | 0.938515 | 1,004 | 3.46875 | 3 |
Solar energy to be used to power Organic Valley facilitiesNovember 9, 2017
Organic Valley plans to purchase solar power
Wisconsin’s Cooperative Organic Valley has announced that it has formed a partnership with OneEnergy Renewables and the Upper Midwest Municipal Energy Group. Through this partnership, the food company will be increasing its use of solar energy. Organic Valley will be purchasing some 29 megawatts of solar energy in the coming months. This plan is part of the company’s overarching efforts to become more environmentally friendly and reduce its consumption of fossil-fuels.
Food company will use energy credits to acquire its clean power
Organic Valley intends to make use of renewable energy credits to offset the cost of buying new solar power capacity. Over the past six year, Organic Valley has invested some $6 million into the renewable energy space. The company has established several partnerships with companies in order to make better use of clean power. Notably, solar energy has become quite popular with Organic Valley, as the company sees this form of clean power as a worthwhile investment. Organic Valley is purchasing solar energy from other sources as it does not currently have enough rooftop space to make effective use of its own solar panels.
Solar power continues to gain support due to its low cost
Solar energy has attracted strong support from many companies throughout the United States. This is largely due to the falling costs associated with solar power. As costs continue to drop, companies are investing in solar energy in order to meet their environmental goals. These companies are also being pressured to embrace clean power in order to cut emissions and comply with stricter regulations coming from both state and federal governments.
New solar energy project to begin development in 2019
OneEnergy Renewables predicts that it will begin construction on its new solar energy system beginning in the summer of 2019. This solar farm will provide electricity to companies like Organic Valley. Once completed, the project will increase Wisconsin’s solar energy capacity by more than one third. This will provide more momentum to the state’s rapidly growing solar market. | <urn:uuid:5b2f9f09-3e8f-486e-9600-37cc3f1b4229> | CC-MAIN-2021-17 | https://www.hydrogenfuelnews.com/solar-energy-to-be-used-to-power-organic-valley-facilities/8533370/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2021-17/segments/1618039554437.90/warc/CC-MAIN-20210421222632-20210422012632-00465.warc.gz | en | 0.958504 | 409 | 2.609375 | 3 |
Logic gates are a very useful thing indeed. They can be used for anything from encryption to Graphics programs. Indeed, some RISC processors back in the ol' days relyed mostly on logical gates! Even now, your computer is passing bits through logical gates to get the information you want (using transistors ofcourse). But to tell the truth, you don't really need to know this, I just thought that you might find it handy ... heh heh heh.
Lets start from the start, lets start with the basic concept of a logic gate. A logic gate is alot like a transistor, given two bits it outputs one. I'll start you off with a rather simple gate, the AND gate:
_ | \ BIT1 ------- >| \ | \ |AND |----- > OUT | / BIT2 ------- >| / |_/If you give AND 1 in BIT1 and 1 in BIT2, It will give 1 in OUT
You can clearly see from the above information that AND will always output 0 unless both bits given to it are 1. That's where they get the name really = ). Lets move back a bit and see this in a real life situation.
"If both my desktop computer AND my laptop are on then I'm going to have a big bill to pay"
If neither machines are on (i.e 0 AND 0) then he will not pay a big bill
(0 AND 0 = 0)
If only one of the machines is on (i.e 0 AND 1, 1 AND 0) then he will not pay a big bill (0 AND 1=0, 1 AND 0=0).
If both machines are on (i.e 1 AND 1) then he WILL pay a big bill, the poor guy (1 AND 1=1)
Now, the use of one bit might be trivial but when dealing with computers you can process multiple bits. That's why a computer can process more than one bit at a time, infact as many bits as a register can handel. Here's and example how:
BIT1 1 1 0 1 0 0 1 0 AND AND AND AND AND AND AND AND BIT2 0 1 1 1 1 0 0 0 =========================================================== OUT 0 1 0 1 0 0 0 0here's that up there in code:
mov ax,11010010b and ax,01111000bwhat will remain in ax? 01010000b, ofcourse! Now that we've finished and, it's time to show some more gates.
Right beside AND is it's cousin OR. OR and AND share quite a relationship, but I'll tell you about that later (and if you've already done mathematical redundants, I suggest skiping it =p). OR uses the same concept as AND in this manner:
_ | \ BIT1 ------- >| \ | \ | OR |----- > OUT | / BIT2 ------- >| / |_/If you give OR 1 in BIT1 and 1 in BIT2, It will give 1 in OUT
Puting this into a real life situation:
"If Wafn is on #qbcc or #maths then he's going to get no work done" (hehehe plug = p)
If Wafn is only loged on to #qbcc then he will get no work done. (1 OR 0 = 1)
If Wafn is only loged on to #maths then he will also get no work done. (0 OR 1 = 1)
If Wafn is on both channels then he will still get no work done. (1 OR 1 = 1)
Finally, if Wafn is on neither channels then he will kick back and do some proper work. (0 OR 0 = 0)
Using this concept on a byte like the one above:
BIT1 1 1 0 1 0 0 1 0 OR OR OR OR OR OR OR OR BIT2 0 1 1 1 1 0 0 0 =========================================================== OUT 1 1 1 1 1 0 1 0agian in code this is written like so:
mov ax,11010010b or ax,01111000bAnd, as always, 11111010b is left in ax.
Now for the final two-bit logical gate we are going to discuss here. The eXclusive-OR logical gate is probably one of the most useful of these. While others may not behave like this normally, XOR will return the same byte if it is passed through the gate twice! I'll show you this later but for now the basic concept.
XOR will only return 1 if BIT1 does not equal BIT2.
_ | \ BIT1 ------- >| \ | \ |XOR |----- > OUT | / BIT2 ------- >| / |_/If you give XOR 1 in BIT1 and 1 in BIT2, It will give 0 in OUT
Ok, one last "real" life situation:
"If leroy is bored but not drunk, or if leroy is drunk but not bored nothing interesting will happen in #qbcc"
If leroy was only bored nothing will happen in #qbcc (1 XOR 0=1)
If leroy only had too much to drink nothing will happen in #qbcc (0 XOR 1=1)
If leroy was both drunk and bored (ussally not a good combination =p) then something interesting will happen in #qbcc (1 XOR 1=0)
If leroy was'nt drunk or bored then something interesting will happen in #qbcc (0 XOR 0=1)
This concept applied to the same bytes we used above:
BIT1 1 1 0 1 0 0 1 0 XOR XOR XOR XOR XOR XOR XOR XOR BIT2 0 1 1 1 1 0 0 0 =========================================================== OUT 1 0 1 0 1 0 1 0put into code:
mov ax,11010010b xor ax,01111000bthus, 10101010b is left in ax. But lets not stop there! There is something speacil about this number, let me demostrate something. Lets take what's left in ax, and XOR agian by BIT2.
BIT1 1 0 1 0 1 0 1 0 XOR XOR XOR XOR XOR XOR XOR XOR BIT2 0 1 1 1 1 0 0 0 =========================================================== OUT 1 1 0 1 0 0 1 0hehehehehehe, as you can see passing the product through the original BIT2 gives us back the original BIT1!
so a code like this:
mov ax,11010010b xor ax,01111000b xor ax,01111000bwill leave 11010010b in ax! One of the main uses of this is encryption, but that's not the topic of this file so we'll leave that for later.
Theres one more gate that really does'nt fit into the basics of AND, OR or XOR. That would be the infamous NOT. NOT only requires one BIT, and there are only two conditions that can be attained by this. This digram represents NOT which is alot like a .... diode .... well not really. = p
... Just look at the diagram bewehehehehe:
_ | \ | \ | \ BIT1 ------- >|NOT |----- > OUT | / | / |_/If you give NOT 1 in BIT1, It will give 0 in OUT
All NOT really does is invert a given bit. Here's another "real" life situation:
"If Pasco is loged on don't ask for Pasco, but if Pasco is not loged on Ask where Pasco is."
(this is going to sound as if it's an echo but hey ... NOT is weird =p)
So if Pasco is loged on, then a person wont ask if he's on or not (NOT 1=0)
However, if Pasco is loged off, then a person will ask if he's on (NOT 0=1)
Applying this concept ...
BIT1 1 1 0 1 0 0 1 0 NOT NOT NOT NOT NOT NOT NOT NOT =========================================================== OUT 0 0 1 0 1 1 0 1This can be put into code like so:
mov ax,11010010 not axYou may have realised by now that NOT has the same properities as XOR, and the invert of an invert byte is the original byte. = D
mov ax,11010010 not ax not axWill leave 11010010b in AX. Not as useful in encryption because of it's obviousness =)
Now I promise you, if you skip this bit you wont miss out on a thing. It's just for completeness' sake! Infact, I still don't think there is a use of this in programming, but hey it's pretty damn useful in maths. ; )
________________________ | _____ _____ | | / \/ \ | | | || | | | | || | | | \_____/\_____/ _ _ | | A B A B | |________________________| |____|The above is called a Venn diagram. It's very useful, lets say that A was Byte A and B was Byte B. The intersection of A and B (the part where they meet) is A AND B. The combined area of A and B is A OR B. Now, Not A is the surroding area which does not contain anything of A, similarly NOT B is the surroding area which does not contain anything of B. A useful formula can be gain by using the Venn diagram above.
A or B = A + B - A and Band using algebra:
A and B = A + B - A or BLets see these in action:
lets say A=00110101b and B=00011001b. Using the algorithim before we can tell that A and B equals:
A 0 0 1 1 0 1 0 1 AND AND AND AND AND AND AND AND B 0 0 0 1 1 0 0 1 =========================================================== OUT 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 1thus using binary addition, subtraction A or B = 00110101b + 00011001b - 00010001b
A 0 0 1 1 0 1 0 1 + + + + + + + + B 0 0 0 1 1 0 0 1 =========================================================== A+B 0 1 0 0 1 1 1 0 - - - - - - - - A and B 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 1 =========================================================== A or B 0 0 1 1 1 1 0 1Using the normal algorithim we get the same answer:
A 0 0 1 1 0 1 0 1 OR OR OR OR OR OR OR OR B 0 0 0 1 1 0 0 1 =========================================================== OUT 0 0 1 1 1 1 0 1If you can't figure out how the additions and calculations are done, try converting the binary numbers to decimal and doing it, I'm sure you will attain the same result.
What is the use of this? I have no clue, but it is interesting to know and who knows, you might come up with a use for it (I sure as hell have not). If you do, drop me a line, wont ya? = )
Note: nicks and channels contained in here are for displaying purposes only,
if I have used your nick and you don't want me to use it then tell me, and I
will remove it ... but then why would'nt you want it? = D
This article has been written by abionnnn (firstname.lastname@example.org) | <urn:uuid:d7ac655a-2cbc-4804-a036-1ffd6999f70d> | CC-MAIN-2017-17 | http://petesqbsite.com/sections/tutorials/zines/qbtimes/9-logic.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2017-17/segments/1492917121000.17/warc/CC-MAIN-20170423031201-00044-ip-10-145-167-34.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.908896 | 2,467 | 3.296875 | 3 |
Common Name: Paper wasp
Scientific Name: Polistes sp.
Description: Paper wasps are 3/4 to 1 inch long, slender, narrow-waisted wasps with smoky black wings that are folded lengthwise when at rest. Body coloration varies with species: Polistes exclamans is brown with yellow markings on the head, thorax and bands on the abdomen; Polistes carolina is overall reddish-brown.
Paper wasps should not be confused with yellowjackets (Vespula squamosa Drury) and baldfaced hornets (Dolichovespa maculata (Linnaeus)). Paper wasp nests are open and cells are not covered with a cap (in an envelope).
Life Cycle: Paper wasps are semi-social insects and colonies contain three castes: workers, queens and males. Fertilized queens, which appear similar to workers, overwinter in protected habitats such as cracks and crevices in structures or under tree bark. In the spring they select a nesting site and begin to build a nest. Eggs are laid singly in cells and hatch into legless grub-like larvae that develop through several stages (instars) before pupating. Cells remain open until developing larvae pupate. Sterile worker wasps assist in building the nest, feeding young and defending the nest. A mature paper wasp nest may have 20 to 30 adults. In late summer, queens stop laying eggs and the colony soon begins to decline. In the fall, mated female offspring of the queen seek overwintering sites. The remainder of the colony does not survive the winter.
Habitat, Food Source(s), Damage: Mouthparts are for chewing. Nests are built from wood fiber collected from posts and occasionally from live plant stems, causing some plant damage. This fiber is chewed and formed into a single paper-like comb of hexagonal cells. Nests are oriented downward and are suspended by a single filament. Mature nests contain up to 200 cells. Paper wasps prey on insects such as caterpillars, flies and beetle larvae which they feed to larvae. They actively forage during the day and all colony members rest on the nest at night.
Wasps can be found on flowers, particularly from goldenrod in late fall. Paper wasp nests can be dislodged from eaves using sprays of high pressure water from a good distance, taking precautions not to allow wasps to attack nearby people or pets. Wasps will eventually abandon the nest.
Pest Status: Nests commonly occur around the home underneath eaves, in or on structures and plants; wasps attack when the nest is disturbed and each can sting repeatedly; stings typically cause localized pain and swelling, but in sensitive individuals or when many stings occur (as with most arthropod stings) whole body (systemic) effects can occur including allergic reactions that may result in death; males are incapable of stinging because the stinger on the females is a modified egg-laying structure (ovipositor) and it is not present in males; wasps feed on insects, including caterpillar pests, and thus are considered to be beneficial insects by many gardeners.
Literature: McIlveen & Hamman 1991. | <urn:uuid:17496932-e7f9-45e4-bfff-b23b1e029556> | CC-MAIN-2019-43 | https://texasinsects.tamu.edu/paper-wasp/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2019-43/segments/1570987751039.81/warc/CC-MAIN-20191021020335-20191021043835-00161.warc.gz | en | 0.94728 | 679 | 3.78125 | 4 |
Scaling & Root Planing
The key to oral health is regular cleaning and removal of plaque and tartar build up. This starts with daily oral hygiene routines, which includes brushing and flossing.
However, even with good daily oral hygiene, some plaque still remains in your mouth and over time it can harden and becomes tartar (also known as calculus). If tartar is left in your mouth, it will cause periodontal disease or gum disease. Tartar can only be removed by a dentist or dental hygienist with a process called ‘scaling’ where either ultrasound vibrations or a manual tool called a scaler are used to remove tartar from the portion of your tooth that is below the gum line. When you go in for regular cleanings, usually twice per year, your dentist will scale each tooth on all sides, and between the teeth, to remove tartar build up, especially in the most difficult places to reach. If you are particularly sensitive, your dentist may temporarily numb your teeth and gums so the cleaning process isn’t uncomfortably painful.
Since plaque and calculus love to grab onto rough surfaces of the tooth, once the built-up tartar has been removed from your tooth, the rough or irregular surfaces are smoothed away with a process called ‘root planing.’ This process is used to prevent periodontal disease, reverse any early signs of gum disease and to prevent any existing periodontal disease from spreading.
These common techniques are the first, most basic step in preventing periodontal disease. If you regularly keep your dental check up appointments, where the dentist uses scaling and root planning, you are likely not to need further, more invasive treatments. | <urn:uuid:77755f57-9681-462d-93b1-b60d2d598e06> | CC-MAIN-2021-04 | https://www.dentistofauburn.com/scaling--root-planing | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2021-04/segments/1610703531335.42/warc/CC-MAIN-20210122175527-20210122205527-00623.warc.gz | en | 0.940659 | 354 | 3 | 3 |
The Karst Mountains and caves in Guilin are one of the few places on earth that displays the beauty of huge, naturally forged Karst hills and caves. The hills and caves have been an ancient attraction with some inscriptions on its walls dated 729 AD in the Tang Dynasty. The beauty of the place and its imposing structures made this an almost spiritual place to visit and experience. Today, thousands of people visit the site each year and attracting thousands more as the news of its beauty is being spread all over the world.
The Karst topography in Guilin is one of the largest in the world and thanks to the receding water from hundreds of millions of years ago, the gulf in Guilin bared hills made from limestone and dolomite rocks. As the hills protruded in the newly revealed landscape, rain, wind, and countless rivers develop the unique contours of the hills and the magnificent structures in the caves. All of these took 70 million years for nature to pull off. As acidic water slowly eats the bedrock by flowing to the fractures on the ground, these cracks became wider and allow more water to pass through them accelerating the formation of underground drainage creating caves and underground rivers. The Guilin Karst landscape is a classic example of large scale bedrock dissolution process, dissolving more bedrock than it eventually left out. This made the towering Karst hills possible.
In fact the sharp, slender slopes made the Guilin site very unique from other Karst landscapes of the world. This explains the extensive underground structures – a lot of water was channeled from the hills to the ground creating enormous cave complexes. The scale of the hills and the huge number of interconnected caves and rivers made this area a wonderful place to just be amazed of the natural sites on your every turn.
This picture has been taken from the top of the Fubo Hill and the weather was not that great. In fact for next few days it had rained non stop. | <urn:uuid:e49f845d-e922-4fbd-b2c7-cc6320d0cf7d> | CC-MAIN-2015-22 | http://www.trekearth.com/workshops/1460985/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2015-22/segments/1432207928562.33/warc/CC-MAIN-20150521113208-00221-ip-10-180-206-219.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.957046 | 401 | 2.828125 | 3 |
Hawai‘i State Lab Detects COVID-19 Variant
The Hawai‘i Department of Health State Laboratories Division has detected the SARS-CoV-2 variant L452R. This strain of COVID-19 was first detected in Denmark in March 2020. It is now found in more than a dozen US states.
Science has not shown the L452R variant spreads more quickly or poses a greater threat than other COVID-19 strains, but there is concern because it has been linked to a growing number of cases in California including several large outbreaks.
“It is common to find variants to viruses like COVID-19. Some present greater risks than others.” said Dr. Sarah Kemble, acting state epidemiologist. “We are working with our colleagues in other states as well as the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to learn more about the characteristics of this particular variant.”
The department’s State Laborator
ies Division began genome sequencing in June looking for possible COVID-19 variants. It now examines 75 specimens a week and has developed a testing algorithm designed to find variants as soon as possible after they arrive.
The B.1.1.7 variant first found in the United Kingdom and the B.1.351 variant first found in South Africa both have enhanced transmissibility. Neither B.1.1.7 nor B.1.351 has been detected in Hawai‘i.
“Hawai‘i is not immune to new strains,” said Health Director Dr. Elizabeth Char. “The arrival of L452R reminds us we must wear masks, maintain physical distance from people outside our immediate households, and avoid crowds. These safe practices coupled with COVID-19 vaccines will help us stop the spread.”
Regardless of what COVID-19 variants are found in Hawai‘i, residents and visitors can play an important role in slowing transmission of the virus. This includes:
- Wearing masks when leaving home
- Limiting interactions with people outside immediate households
- Keeping physical distance of at least 6 feet apart
- Washing hands for 20 seconds
- Getting the COVID-19 vaccine if eligible and vaccine is available (and continuing these safety measures even after vaccination) | <urn:uuid:08dcfe3f-7a50-42e4-b851-2e2f991166ee> | CC-MAIN-2021-43 | https://mauinow.com/2021/01/25/hawaii-state-lab-detects-covid-19-variant/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2021-43/segments/1634323585045.2/warc/CC-MAIN-20211016231019-20211017021019-00646.warc.gz | en | 0.949662 | 469 | 2.765625 | 3 |
At last years annual Mother’s Day Classic Fun Run, there was a very common motivating factor for runners toeing the line. It wasn’t to better a time, gain personal satisfaction or beat a fellow competitor; rather, many runners stated their kids were their source of motivation.
While Mother’s Day is traditionally a day for kids to say thank you to their wonderful Mum’s, Athletics Australia challenges parents this year to set an example for their offspring by being an active role model. While it makes sense for children of active parents to be more active themselves, this trend can be investigated more thoroughly to understand exactly how and why it occurs.
Scientists and physical educators suggest there are various ways parents can socialise their children to be physically active. Four of these socialisation variables are explored further below, which are believed to particularly influence physical activity behaviours in children.
Parents encouragement refers to both verbal and non-verbal forms of encouragement and includes both direct (ie making a child play outside or restricting their TV viewing) and indirect efforts to promote interest and involvement. Numerous studies have confirmed young children rely heavily on adults, especially parents, as sources of information regarding their physical abilities. A child’s perception of physical competency has consistently been found to correlate with physical activity involvement. Adult encouragement indirectly influences a child’s level of vigorous activity by enhancing his or her perception of competence. Parental efforts to build competent and a sense of mastery are therefore likely to promote physical activity involvement.
Parental involvement refers to direct assistance or involvement in the child’s activity. This can include family walks, playing catch or practicing physical skills. While the activity itself has important benefits for physical development, the involvement of the parents also demonstrates to their children that they feel physical activity is important
Parental facilitation refers to efforts by parents to make it easier for children to be physically active. Examples of this include providing access to facilities and programs, and helping children obtain equipment. Providing access to physical activity is an increasingly important responsibility because many aspects of society make it harder for children to be physically active.
4. Role Modelling
Role modelling refers to a parents efforts to model an active lifestyle for their child. According to social cognition theory (a major theory of human behaviour), modelling promotes self-efficacy (i.e. confidence in one’s ability to perform a behaviour) and also informs the child of what is important or valued. While involvement in structured exercise or sport programs may spark a child’s interest, it is equally important for parents to model healthy activity patterns in their day-to-day life.
The influence of parents on children’s physical activity is particularly significant when considering the increasing levels of obesity among Australian children. While a variety of factors have contributed to this, it’s likely that declining levels of physical activity have played a major role. Many professionals have sought answers as to why children become inactive with age, but it is not surprising to an extent given society has engineered physical activity out of our lives and made it easier for people to be inactive. Children who may be naturally active at young ages learn through a variety of socialisation influences to adapt to the sedentary living patterns our culture embraces.
Because of these changing trends, parents need to make a more concerted effort to help their child develop an active lifestyle, and to receive activity-promoting messages and experiences at home. That is why we encourage all mothers to lace up their runners this Mother’s Day, and take part in the Mothers Day Classic - an annual fun run and walk in numerous locations around Australia. Not only will you be raising awareness and funds for breast cancer research, but you will be encouraging physical activity in your child.
To find out more information about the Mothers Day Classic, or to register, head here http://www.mothersdayclassic.com.au
Reference: “Campaign to Educate Parents and Guardians about Supporting Positive Activity for Children” https://www.cdc.gov/youthcampaign/pressroom/PDF/6.2.07-ParentsPlayRoleBG.pdf | <urn:uuid:d13e5557-9c0b-4ae8-9779-41b04e537ef1> | CC-MAIN-2018-22 | http://www.athleticssa.com.au/NationalNews/run-for-your-kids-this-mothers-day | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2018-22/segments/1526794865456.57/warc/CC-MAIN-20180523063435-20180523083435-00045.warc.gz | en | 0.951792 | 842 | 3.5 | 4 |
New York City Student Tour . Explore New York City on a school trip. Students will discover more about this cultural and business capital of America, including its unique neighborhoods, like Chinatown and Little Italy. Watch a Broadway musical, visit the Statue of Liberty, and understand the foundation of our country at Ellis Island New York City homeowners can request that a tree gets planted outside their homes for free; 5 x New York Facts for kids. New York City is made up of five boroughs: Manhattan, The Bronx, Queens, Brooklyn, and Staten Island; The Empire State building gets hit by lightning about 23 times per year; New York City is the largest city in the United. New York City or simply New York, is the most populous city in the United States.. With an estimated 2016 population of 8,537,673 distributed over a land area of about 784 square kilometers (302.6 square miles), New York City is also the most densely populated major city in the United States.. A global power city, New York City has been described as the cultural, financial, and media capital.
Here's 14 interesting facts about New York, covering the city and its state. New York is said to have been home to people since at least 10,000 BC. The capital of New York is Albany, and this recognition seems to be well-deserved. It's thought that the area was the first that Europeans settled in when they reached the US centuries ago It's not hard to find fascinating facts about New York city. Think about it. New York city currently houses 8.4 million people distributed over a land area of 305 square miles. That's insane! The city has five boroughs; Manhattan, Brooklyn, Queens, the Bronx, and Staten Island In fact, about 1 in every 38 people in the U.S. lives in New York City, and more people live in New York City than in Australia and Switzerland combined. While New York City is the largest city in New York, the state capital is actually Albany, which has 1/80 the population of New York City. [12
15 Little Known Facts About New York City. New York City is one of the most famous cities in the world. When people think of New York City, they think of Central Park, the Statue of Liberty, the Empire State Building, and many other famous landmarks. It is a city that attracts millions of visitors each year New York is home to one of the world's biggest and most beautiful cities, New York City. The city is one of the most culturally diverse and one of the most fun to visit. New York has contributed to a large part of America's history. Let's take a look at 10 facts about New York. The statue of liberty i The next time you gather with friends, stump them with five historical facts you didn't know about New York City until now 1. New York City is divided into five boroughs New York is divided into five boroughs - Brooklyn, Queens, Staten Island, the Bronx, and the best-known of all, Manhattan. This is where you will find most of the city's top attractions, such as the Empire State Building, Central Park, Times Square, the Chrysler Building and more
New York City currently has over 8 million people. Over 18 million people live in the city and nearby areas. The majority of the people in New York City belong to ethnic groups that are minorities in the US. New York City has had large numbers of immigrants for centuries. In the early 19th Century, they came from Ireland and Germany Meanwhile, upstate New York has a sluggish economy that has fallen ever further behind New York City's. Statistics about New York's economy reflect this divide. Here are 11 mind-blowing facts. New York City is one of the world's greatest multicultural cities. Its population of 3.2 million foreign-born residents is the largest in the world. Around 800 distinct languages are spoken in the city, making New York the most linguistically diverse city in the world as well New York City's role as the top global center for the advertising industry can be seen with Madison Avenue. The city's fashion industry has about 180,000 employees with $11 billion in annual wages. Chocolate is New York City's biggest specialty-food export, with up to $234 million worth of exports each year
New York Interesting Facts. The New York City subway System, which opened to the public in 1904, is one of the largest public transportation systems in the world. New York is home to the oldest continually running newspaper in the U.S., The New York Post, which was established in 1803 New York City comprises five boroughs, an unusual form of government used to administer the five constituent counties that make up the city.Throughout the boroughs there are hundreds of distinct neighborhoods, many with a definable history and character all their own.If the boroughs were each independent cities, four of the boroughs (Brooklyn, Queens, Manhattan, and the Bronx) would be among. The city challenged the ruling, but the transition to the new mayor in 2014 meant that the appeal was dropped. The practice is still viewed very negatively by communities of color in New York City. A But while the city might be known to all for its towering stature, there are still fascinating facts about New York City that remain unknown to most observers. With its long, strange history, New York City has more bizarre facts about it and its inhabitants than just about anywhere in the world
New York City, city and port located at the mouth of the Hudson River, southeastern New York state, considered the most influential American metropolis and the country's financial and cultural center. New York City comprises five boroughs—Manhattan, Brooklyn, the Bronx, Queens, and Staten Island Here is part 2 of Interesting Facts About NYC. For part 1, click here. 1-5 Interesting Facts About NYC 1. There is a New York City hot dog vendor who pays $289,000/year for his location. - Source 2. Today we're heading to The Big Apple, The City That Never Sleeps, The City So Nice They Named It Twice That's right motherfactors, it's time for 101 Facts abou.. New York City Facts & History. Visiting New York is Awesome! Want an Explainer Video for Your Business?https://buymarketingvideos.com/ Starting: $999Welcome to.
Our friends at NYC Tutoring recently compiled this infographic full of 50 interesting facts about New York City. We have to admit, some of them were new even to us Fun facts on New York for kids - New York - History - Capital - Flag - Largest City - Places - Fact File - Fact Sheet - Facts about New York - Funny Facts - Kids - Interesting Facts - Random - Weird - Crazy - Cool Facts - Amazing Facts - Fast - Children - School - Teachers - Homework - Fast - Strange - Odd - Real - Info - Information - Help - Guide - File - Sheet - Picture - Pic - Image.
. New York City worksheets: New York City-Quiz Level: intermediate Age: 12-17 Downloads: 1082 giving directions in New York Level: intermediate Age: 4-17 Downloads: 618 New York sights - pictionary, matching and fill-in exercise (editable, with key) Level: elementar New York City Ballet, resident ballet company of the New York State Theatre at the Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts. The company, first named Ballet Society, was founded in 1946 by choreographer George Balanchine and Lincoln Kirstein. Its prestige grew in the 1950s with foreign tours When it comes to New York City's subway system, you may think you know the letters (A,B,C,D,E,F,G,J,L,M,N,Q,R,S,W,Z) and numbers (1 through 7), all too well. But a.
Interesting Facts About New York. United States of America's most populous city, New York is the world's largest metropolitan area by urban landmass. New York is popular for many things, one of them being that it is the media, cultural and financial capital of the world.The region hosts numerous exciting landmarks and receives several visitors all year round New York city, New York. QuickFacts provides statistics for all states and counties, and for cities and towns with a population of 5,000 or more. Clear 1 Table. Map. Chart. Dashboard. More. Print. CSV. Email. Embed. New York City is the largest city in the United States. It is one of the world's great centers of culture and business. Its fast pace and constant activity earned it the nickname the city that never sleeps
Radio City Music Hall, nicknamed The Showplace Of a Nation, is a mesmerizing magical place, whether seen through the eyes of a child or an adult. Come along as we take a tour of the interior, learn a little about the history, and discover interesting facts about the fabulous Rockettes and New York's famed Radio City Music Hall New York City was the capital of the United States from 1785 to 1790. One World Trade Center is the tallest building in the U.S. It is 1,776 feet tall--the year America got its independence. France donated the Statue of Liberty to the US in 1886
A webquest and reading activity for Upper Intermediate and Advanced English language students. Learn some interesting and unusual facts about The City of New York, and try some follow-on activities to test how much you have understood. Part of a free online series of lessons for English language learners about the USA and its people, places and culture New York City is primarily known for its busy active life and its many skyscrapers. In fact, the city is known for having some of the world's biggest and largest skyline buildings. When people from other countries visit the United States, one of the first places they visit is New York City to see the many buildings and skyscrapers Fashion Facts About New York 19 Fashion Facts Every New Yorker Knows. December 3, 2017 by Sarah Wasilak. Fashion Designers New York City New York Fashion Week Things To Know. Around The Web In fact, in July, CNBC ranked New York as the third-most expensive state in the country, which is why it's no suprise that it is also home to one of the country's most expensive cities: New York City
New York City keeps train tracks free of ice by setting them on fire. New York was the first state to require license plates on cars. People from New York City drink almost seven times more coffee than other cities in the United States. The Bronx Zoo in New York is the largest city zoo in the United States with over 500 species and 4,000 animals Welcome to our new series about the fun facts of New York City's most iconic places (featuring, well, more fun tidbits than our Secrets of NYC column) New York City is a place written about in songs, it has served as the backdrop for countless movies and it's inspired people worldwide with its grandiosity. Brimming with some of the nation's tallest buildings and historic landmarks, New York City is never short on spectacle These Urban Planners Don't Think New York City Needs New Jails Villegas looks to the gleaming, 55-inch screens on either side of the kiosks, seeking new additions to a series of numbered New York City facts, rotating among the paid advertisements, event listings, weather updates and transit alerts New York City Facts - 22: In the late 1800's Urbanization in America was fueled by the Industrial Revolution and Industrialization and the massive influx of immigrants to the cities. The population of New York city rocketed from 1,478,103 in 1870 to 3,437,202 by 1900. A new form of cheap tenement housing developed that were typically 4 - 6 stories high and divided into small apartments where a.
Little known interesting facts about New York City. Did you know that toilet paper was invented in 1857 in New York City You know what people say about New York City: It's a helluva town.It's a concrete jungle where dreams are made of.And, as Billie Holiday once sang, its glittering crowds and shimmering.
The steam iconically shooting out of the streets of New York City comes from the underground new york steam system. The 105 mile system of pipes began providing services in 1882, it uses clean water and still delivers steam to over 2,000 city buildings today 1. It can cost nearly $300,000 to operate a hot dog stand around Central Park. 2. There is a secret basement ten stories below Grand Central and it was guarded so heavily during WWII that you would be shot on sight if you ventured down to it. GRAN.. New York City's population density is 28,210 people per square kilometer, which is one of the most densely populated major cities in America. Facts About New York City. Same-sex marriages in New York were legalized on June 24, 2011 and were authorized to take place beginning 30 days thereafter 1. With a GDP of $1.21 trillion, the Greater New York City region is the world's second-largest metropolitan economy, behind Tokyo. 2. New York's economy is about 53% larger than the world's next largest urban economy, Los Angeles (with a GDP of $786.7 billion in 2012)
New York's cultural life has long been seen as a symbol of the city's wider vitality. From Carnegie Hall to MoMA, publicprivate partnerships linking civic ambition with wealthy philanthropists have endowed the city with world-class non-profit cultural institutions, while community-based and grassroots organisations bring cultural enrichment at the neighbourhood level New York City North America T he Statue of Liberty, that enduring symbol of freedom, which has welcomed immigrants to the US since it was opened in 1886, has seen a surge in visitors since the. New York is an ugly city, a dirty city. Its climate is a scandal, its politics are used to frighten children, its traffic is madness, its competition is murderous. But there is one thing about it: Once you have lived in New York and it has become your home, no place else is good enough New York is also home to the New York Stock Exchange, the largest in the world. The printing and publishing industry is the city's largest manufacturing employer, with the apparel industry second. Nearly all the rest of the state's manufacturing is done on Long Island , along the Hudson River north to Albany, and through the Mohawk Valley, Central New York, and Southern Tier regions to Buffalo
By placing an order using our order form or using our services, you agree Fun Facts About New York City to be bound by our terms and conditions. You also agree Fun Facts About New York City to use the papers Fun Facts About New York City we provide as a general guideline for writing your own paper and to not hold the company liable to any damages resulting from the use of the paper we provide Facts about Buffalo New York present the interesting information about the city in New York. It is considered as. September 14th 2015 | Cities. 10 Facts about Battle of Yorktown. Check the last great battle in American revolutionary war in Facts about Battle of Yorktown
New York City is arguably the world's fashion capital and has at its centre the world-famous Garment District, a midtown west neighborhood encompassing one square mile of densely concentrated fashion design and manufacturing businesses including some of the world's most renowned labels. Read on to learn more about this vibrant historical landmark In response to the City's failure to provide accurate and consistent data, the New York City Council passed a law in 2011 which requires that accurate data about the number of people sleeping in municipal shelters be made available to the public online by the Mayor's Office of Operations — those reports can now be found on the NYCStat website (under the link Temporary Housing. And in New York, by 1932, half of [the city's] manufacturing plants were closed, one in every three New Yorkers was unemployed, and roughly 1.6 million were on some form of relief, according to the New York Tenement Museum. Unemployed men sit outside their makeshift homes in lower Manhattan, 1935. Berenice Abbott/New York Public Librar
New York City is a year-round destination for travelers—mostly because there's always something to do in the Big Apple, no matter when you visit. However, the weather can vary drastically by season, so knowing what to expect and what to pack can go a long way in making sure you enjoy your vacation to New York any time of year Thousands of runners will converge on New York City to race the New York City Marathon on November 4, 2018. Here's everything you need to know about Gotham's most iconic road race New York's largest lake in Oneida measures 79.8 square miles. New York's highest waterfall is the 215 foot Taughannock. The Erie Canal, built across New York State in the 1820s, opened the Midwest to development and helped New York City become a worldwide trading center. The first Boy's Club was established in New York City in 1876 New York City is defined by its skyline—the silhouette created by Manhattan's buildings is instantly recognizable and utterly mesmerizing. In fact, NYC is home to more than 200 buildings measuring 500 feet or taller, roughly double that of its closest US competitor | <urn:uuid:8b5a28d1-5274-4a46-9bb9-66d5a24e87db> | CC-MAIN-2021-25 | http://libre-vdaka.info/new-york-state-facts/2x-o-4945iyqx- | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2021-25/segments/1623487620971.25/warc/CC-MAIN-20210615084235-20210615114235-00298.warc.gz | en | 0.950008 | 3,563 | 2.84375 | 3 |
During the sunny summer months most people think they are getting enough of the “sunshine vitamin.” Vitamin D is called the “sunshine vitamin” because it can be synthesized by the skin when it is exposed to sunlight.
Surprisingly, over the last few months, most of my clients that have requested a vitamin D test from their doctors have been getting low test results. This has also been true of clients who are tanned and have been out in the sun. There are at least two factors that can contribute to low vitamin D levels. The first, for many people 3 months of sun exposure is not long enough to compensate for long dark winter months. Second, the use of sunscreen prohibits the production of vitamin D. If you are lathering up with sun block before you step outside you will never give your body the ability to make vitamin D. It is often recommended that you expose your skin to the sun for at least 20 minutes before putting on sun screen. However, it is important to be very careful and not burn your skin.
Vitamin D plays many important roles in the body, such as the maintenance of normal blood levels of calcium and phosphorus. It also regulates cell growth. In addition, vitamin D supports the immune system and can improve your energy levels. A vitamin D deficiency has been linked to the following health issues: cancer, diabetes, heart disease, arthritis, fatigue, depression, seasonal affective disorder (SAD), obesity and a host of autoimmune disorders. Considering the magnitude of vitamin D’s important functions, adequate intake is very important.
There are three different types of vitamin D and they are not all created equal.
- Calciferol – most absorbable type that is synthesized by the body
- Vitamin D2 (irradiated ergosterol – DO NOT BUY THIS KIND) – produced by yeast exposed to ultraviolet sources – fortified foods such as milk, cheese, butter, OJ and some nutritional supplements
- Vitamin D3 (cholecalciferol) – found in natural food sources, such as, mackerel, salmon, herring, butter and egg yolks
Recommended Daily Intake (FDA): Adults – 400 I.U.
Suggested Optimal Daily Nutritional Allowance: Adults – 960 I.U.
However, some medical doctors are now recommending up to 4,000-5,000 I.U. per day in the winter months and 1,000-2,000 I.U. per day in the summer for those who have low vitamin D levels. (ask your doctor for recommendations)
Since vitamin D is fat soluble, it can be stored in the body and create toxicity if levels are too high. For that reason, I recommend requesting a vitamin D test from your medical doctor.
Getting your vitamin D tested is the best way to make sure you are getting adequate amounts of this critical vitamin through all seasons of the year. There are two vitamin D tests:
- 1, 25(OH)D
The 25(OH)D test is the better marker of overall vitamin D status because it is most strongly associated with overall health. The test result reference range is quite large for many laboratories. With vitamin D levels you want to be closer to the top end of the normal range vs. the bottom of the normal range.
Besides sunlight, Vitamin D3 is the best and most natural source available. If you are concerned about your intake, I recommend a supplement from Pure Encapsulations in pill or liquid form. This high quality Vitamin D3 (never purchase synthetic Vitamin D2 supplements) is easily absorbed. I usually recommend getting your nutrients through your food, but in this case, deficiency is far too common. | <urn:uuid:67ec081a-05e2-410e-88bb-7d38796ed525> | CC-MAIN-2018-13 | http://traciefountain.com/will-you-get-a-f-on-your-vitamin-d-intake-this-winter/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2018-13/segments/1521257647299.37/warc/CC-MAIN-20180320052712-20180320072712-00180.warc.gz | en | 0.934105 | 764 | 3.328125 | 3 |
Brooklyn O’Connell (Year 6)
Isolation can bring out a lot of things in people, normally good things. In most cases you can learn a lot. We will be exploring how this cultivates new life and growth.
In, Holes, Stanley is the main character. He was put in a Juvenile Correction Centre called Camp Green Lake. He sees only his fellow prisoners every day, so he is pretty much in isolation. This changed Stanley for the better. At first, Stanley is unsure of himself and doesn’t want to start trouble. As the book progresses, you see that he has become more self-confident and that he is almost willing to fight at one point. He isn’t very confident in himself though, but neither is he easily depressed. This helps him not miss his family so he can focus on digging the holes and getting through the horrible situation he is in.
Stanley also develops physical strength. The exercise from digging the holes helps him get fit, and from holding the shovel a lot, the skin on his hands toughen. He also learns to do heavy exercise with not much water, since there is little supply. This heavy exercise helps Stanley save Zero’s life, near the end of the book.
Stanley develops the confidence to make his first true friend, Zero. At first, he was resentful toward Zero. He had asked Stanley to teach him to read and write, but Stanley wasn’t up for it. “His muscles and hands weren’t the only parts of his body that had toughened over the past several weeks. His heart had hardened as well.” This quote from the book, shows that Stanley’s heart hardened towards Zero, so he doesn’t really like him. Later, his heart softens after he becomes friends with Zero. This can be seen when the narrator states “As Stanley stared at the glittering night sky, he thought there was no place he would rather be. He was glad Zero put the shoes on the parked car. He was glad they fell from the overpass and hit him on the head.”
Stanley isn’t the only one who changed in isolation. His friend, Zero, changed a lot too. Zero is Stanley’s first friend, and a prisoner at Camp Green Lake. Everyone at Camp Green Lake calls him Zero because they think he’s worth nothing, but later in the book you see he is smarter than what he comes across as. Zero doesn’t talk much, but it is because he hates answering questions, and he is wary of lots of people because they mock him. Mr Pendanski teases Zero by saying, “You know why his name’s Zero? Because there’s nothing inside his head.” Zero eventually runs away from Camp Green Lake, and a few days later Stanley follows him and finds him. They become true friends, and Zero changes by stepping out of his shell, talking to Stanley a lot more and answering questions, which is something he once hated to do. Zero actually becomes very generous, because he shares something that has kept him alive called ‘sploosh’ with Stanley.
In the book, Wonder, the main character is August. He has a face deformity, and he hates going near people because of how much they stare. “I know ordinary kids don’t make other ordinary kids run away screaming in playgrounds. I know ordinary kids don’t get scared at wherever they go.” August wants to feel like he is ordinary, but knows he is really not. He is in isolation by choice, unlike Stanley who is forced to be in isolation. August has an astronaut helmet, which he wears to isolate himself from others. He learns to take off the helmet and be himself, after losing the helmet. August changes a lot and is inspiring. He brings up the courage to go to school for the first time, which is a big achievement since he is starting at a new school with a face deformity.
Like Stanley, August also finds a true friend called Summer. August learns to stand up for himself and his friends, and he also learns to forgive Jack, who insulted him behind his back, becoming friends with him. August also finds out what kindness is and how to show it. At the end of the book, August gets an award. It is called the Henry Ward Beecher medal, which is traditionally awarded to people who volunteer a lot. Mr Tushman, the headmaster, explains that he researched the award and he found that Mr Beecher, who the award was named after, displayed kindness, courage and friendship. August receives this award for showing all these qualities. By giving August this award, it shows that Mr Tushman supports August and values him as part of the community.
Isolation has a lot of impacts on people. It can build you up and help you grow. In these books, the characters are what they are at the end of the book because of the way isolation impacts them, and the setting they were in changed them. It formed new growth for most of the characters and made them better people. Being in isolation changes people in a way nothing else can do. | <urn:uuid:477cbf8f-8bea-4bc0-ae60-0345dda3567f> | CC-MAIN-2021-43 | https://thebell.broughton.nsw.edu.au/2020/12/01/isolation-and-growth/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2021-43/segments/1634323588153.7/warc/CC-MAIN-20211027115745-20211027145745-00011.warc.gz | en | 0.987736 | 1,086 | 3.234375 | 3 |
Chemiluminescence (chemoluminescence) is the production of light and heat from a chemical reaction.
Given reactants A and B, with an excited intermediate ◊,
[A] + [B] → [◊] → [Products] + light
The decay of the excited state [◊] to a lower energy level is responsible for the emission of light. In theory, one photon of light should be given off for each molecule of reactant, or Avogadro's number of photons per mole. In actual practice, non-enzymatic reactions seldom exceed 1% QC, quantum efficiency.
An example of chemiluminescence in the laboratory is found in the luminol test- where evidence of blood is taken when the sample glows on its contact with iron.
When chemiluminescence takes place in living organisms,it is refered to as bioluminescence. A lightstick emits a form of light by chemiluminescence. | <urn:uuid:e4c18cba-29e0-43fe-9a2e-27a898f2f562> | CC-MAIN-2014-15 | http://pusv.com/3.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2014-15/segments/1397609538423.10/warc/CC-MAIN-20140416005218-00033-ip-10-147-4-33.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.875244 | 208 | 3.46875 | 3 |
When the early Zionists looked for historical precedents of Jewish political independence, they found a natural point of reference in the Hanukkah story. The Hasmonean uprising was a turning point in Jewish history: for the first time since the Babylonian exile, the Jews fought a regional power and won. That victory led to the re-establishment of a politically independent Jewish commonwealth under a Jewish monarch for the first time since the destruction of the First Temple.
And yet, the Talmud doesn’t even mention it! The question “What is Hanukkah?” gets an answer, all right, but it isn’t the answer that we expect. Instead of a history lesson, we get a colorful story of how the sole remaining jar of ritual olive oil for the menorah sufficed for eight days, until more could be brought—a nice story, but not particularly satisfying. What about the military victory over vastly superior forces? What about the resurrection of an independent Jewish state? Tell us about the real miracles—the ones that changed the course of history!
But it wasn’t only the Talmud that was mysteriously reticent about the Hasmonean victory. The earlier Sages went to great lengths to obscure the underlying political and military basis of the holiday, along with the ensuing civil war. The books of the Maccabees were left out of the Jewish canon altogether.
Why this seeming censorship? The answer may have something to teach us about the clash of civilizations.
The dangers of failing states
The culture against which the Hasmoneans fought was one whose values were at odds with those of the Jewish culture on a number of levels. It was an empire built solely on conquest, on picking up the pieces left by the ruin of earlier empires. Moreover, it was a failing culture. The Hellenism of the day was dying; the center of gravity of Greek political power had shifted to western Asia, leaving its original homeland increasingly depopulated and economically bankrupt. While the outer trappings of Hellenism were enthusiastically adopted by the Seleucid elites, its cultural institutions were missing or enfeebled.
Around 150 BC, the Greek historian Polybius wrote of catastrophic demographic decline throughout the Greek homeland:
In our time the whole of Greece has been subject to a low birth rate and a general decrease of the population, owing to which cities have become deserted and the land has ceased to yield fruit, although there have neither been continuous wars nor epidemics…. As men had fallen into such a state of pretentiousness, avarice, and indolence that they did not wish to marry, or, if they married, to rear the children born to them, or at most as a rule but one or two of them, so as to leave these in affluence and bring them up to waste their substance, the evil rapidly and insensibly grew. (Polybius 36:17)
David Goldman, the author of Why Civilizations Die, highlights demographic decline as a factor in—or a symptom of—societal decline. As literacy and affluence rise, birth rates decline, such that civilizations can die of their own success!
This is the fate that befell the Hellenistic society at the time of the Seleucid Empire.
But it wasn’t only the Hellenistic culture that was in turmoil. Judea had never really recovered from the Babylonian exile some 400 years previously. The period between the return from Babylon and the Hasmonean kingdom is the Jewish equivalent of “the Dark Ages”. We have very little written or even oral history from this period: few names of sages or leaders. And when scholarship finally reemerges out of the murk of history, the leading Jewish sages have Greek names!
The parts of this story that the Talmud left out make for sordid reading: a prolonged and ugly civil war, corruption, economic breakdown…. all the ills of a failed state. Schisms and enmities within the society were rife, and easily exploited by the Seleucid authorities:
In 171 BCE the king [Antiochus] dismissed Jason [the corrupt High Priest], crowning the treasurer of the Temple, Menelaus, in his stead. The book of Maccabees even relates the price that Menelaus paid for his new job – three hundred coins more than Jason had offered. (R’ Benyamin Lau, The Sages, Vol. I)
Thus we have a clash of two fragmented cultures, each struggling for identity. While the Seleucid Empire shone in the reflected light of a brilliant but dying Hellenistic culture, Jewish society was struggling to relight the fires of its own cultural identity after the Babylonian exile.
The victory of defeat
But if there are historical lessons to be learned from this sordid story, why did the sages of the Talmud not spell them out?
It’s been suggested that the silence of the Talmud and Mishna about Jewish victories is primarily due to fear of the non-Jewish authorities. During the days of the Roman occupation, it wouldn’t do to recite past Jewish victories. Nor would it be a good idea to give voice to aspirations of independence later, while living under Babylonian and Persian rule.
And yet, that’s not the whole story; this “queitism” appears to be part of a deliberate pedagogical program which started with the Tanakh itself. Biblical scholar Jacob Wright notes that the Biblical text consistently downplays—or omits altogether—tributes to military victories and state-centric monuments. He makes a good case for the notion that this was a conscious policy—an attempt to shift the nation’s values away from statehood and toward peoplehood.
The classic biblical hero isn’t the warrior who valiantly dies in battle, but rather the man who fights only out of necessity and then returns home to care for his family. The biblical “draft exemptions” set out in Deuteronomy 20:5-7 are not for conscientious objectors; they exempt those who have something more important to do than going to war. Raising families and harvesting crops win out over fighting the king’s battles.
But it may be that there’s a still deeper lesson in the way the Hanukkah story was handed down. The failing empire of Antiochus provided valuable practice for the far more serious threat of Rome—both politically and religiously.
Unfortunately, the lessons weren’t learned in time. The national unity whose lack led to a disastrous civil war was still missing two centuries later. It may be that this is exactly what the sages of the Talmud were trying to put right. Even in the midst of a crisis of existential proportions, they could see that the political and military fight, though important, was not the heart of the matter. What mattered was that Jewish values themselves should be so well internalized that no wedge could be driven between the disparate parts of society.
Had Jewish society been stronger in its identity and national ethos, its clash with Hellenism would have been far less divisive; Jewish cultural elites would have taken from the foreign culture what could easily be woven into the fabric of Jewish tradition, and calmly rejected the rest.
A light on the threshold
This lesson is subtly woven into the observance of Hanukkah. The hanukkiah is not lit in the private space of the home, nor is it traditionally lit in purely public spaces; rather, it is set out on the threshold of the home, marking the dividing line between private and public space, between the light streaming outward from the home and the light coming in from outside.
And really, this is what the holiday is all about: defining distinctions between what is inside and what is outside—what values we assimilate from other cultures and what is best left outside, what customs and world-views uniquely define us, and what traditions and practices we can let go of in light of new circumstances. In the end, our light meets the lights of other cultures, and yet remains itself.
And so we come to the secret of the answer given by the Sages. Pressed to explain what Hanukkah was all about, the Sages said nothing about the military and political victories, but instead brought forward a beautiful midrash that sums up the true miracle of that time: For all that we were dragged into a brutal war of brother against brother, of the settling of scores and the collapse of government; for all that we had so forgotten our own traditions that much had to be later recreated by Sages whose very names were no longer Jewish—still, our light did not go out. We came through one of the darkest periods of Jewish history with our inner fires still burning, ready to rebuild. | <urn:uuid:8182c4c4-d6e7-48b2-900b-2e22e8c36dfc> | CC-MAIN-2019-35 | https://www.yaelshahar.com/great-hanukkah-cover-self-censorship-national-survival/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2019-35/segments/1566027314638.49/warc/CC-MAIN-20190819011034-20190819033034-00223.warc.gz | en | 0.960492 | 1,827 | 3.40625 | 3 |
Smoking causes more than 440,000 deaths a year in the U.S. – which is more than 1,200 deaths a day.
Nearly 1 in every 5 deaths in the U.S. each year is attributable to tobacco use, resulting in more than 6 million years of potential life cost each year. This means that if you are a smoker, there is a 50% chance it will kill you!
Smoking causes premature aging deterioration that can be seen as the medical term “smoker face” and may other symptoms associated with aging and illness.
Smoking profoundly affects hormones and neurotransmitters, the nervous system, muscles, joints, tendons and ligaments, eyesight, mental acuity, immune system, cardio vascular network (diminishing and eventually destroying breathing ability, constricting blood vessels, elevating dangerous carbon monoxide levels, raising heart rate and blood pressure, increasing bad cholesterol levels) and more…
Smoking during pregnancy causes more than 1,000 infant deaths per year.
3,000 Americans die each year due to secondhand smoke.
A recent government study showed that the average smoker dies 14 years earlier than if they had been a non-smoker.
There are thousands of toxic chemicals in cigarettes.
Smoking 20 cigarettes a day over an average lifetime will, allowing for inflation, cost around $100,000.
Duke University health economists calculated the cost of smoking over a lifetime amounts to nearly $40 a pack.
Smokers in their 30’s and 40’s have five times the amount of heart attacks as non-smokers of the same ages.
The body begins healing, literally, as soon as you stop smoking. | <urn:uuid:3cb30599-eb14-4a7d-8cf5-5c4165de3479> | CC-MAIN-2022-40 | https://www.banyantreehealingcenter.com/blog/reasons-to-quit-smoking | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2022-40/segments/1664030337906.7/warc/CC-MAIN-20221007014029-20221007044029-00478.warc.gz | en | 0.943812 | 350 | 3.34375 | 3 |
- Harriet Irving Library
- Science & Forestry Library
- Engineering Library
- Saint John Library
- Law Library
- 1. (pl. portolans or portolanos) (historical) a book of sailing directions with charts and descriptions of harbours and coasts.
- 2. an annotated bibliography of Atlantic Canadian Children's Literature held by UNB Libraries
Portolan was developed by the Eileen Wallace Childrens Literature Collection at the University of New Brunswick in order to showcase the wealth of Atlantic Canadian materials for children housed in the Wallace Collection and at UNB libraries in general. It is made freely available for research and professional purposes.
General Editor: Sue Fisher (Curator, Eileen Wallace Children's Literature Collection) Compiler: Meredith Snyder Project Assistant: Becky Rubidge. Copyright for the bibliography in whole or in part is maintained by the Eileen Wallace Collection and its Curator. The bibliography is a work in progress and we welcome your feedback. Contact Sue Fisher with questions or comments. | <urn:uuid:fad69efe-fca4-46c2-b87b-9a064e5fdfb4> | CC-MAIN-2016-22 | http://www.lib.unb.ca/collections/clc/portolan/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2016-22/segments/1464049270555.40/warc/CC-MAIN-20160524002110-00015-ip-10-185-217-139.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.892158 | 208 | 2.78125 | 3 |
This is a really difficult question as we do not know for sure why some areas remain politically unstable. We can, however, speculate. We can say that some of the Middle East’s problems are common to other politically unstable areas. Others, meanwhile, are specific to the Middle East.
The major factor that is common to many areas is the fact of having been colonized. Many areas of the Middle East were under foreign domination for a long time. This caused, for example, countries like Iraq to be set up in somewhat unnatural ways. That is, they encompassed different ethnic and religious groups within the same country. This makes for unrest. Also, countries that were colonized often did not have native people being taught and prepared to govern themselves. This meant that, when these countries became independent, they did not have people who were ready to step in and govern modern countries. Finally, this area had no history of democracy. Therefore, its people generally did not even try to set up democracies, leading to conflict because much of the citizenry is without a voice in politics.
In addition, there are reasons specific to the Middle East. The most important of these is oil. Much of the Middle East, of course, has vast oil wealth. This makes control of the governments very lucrative and it makes people want to wrest control from those who have it. The second, and related, factor is that the rest of the world is very interested in the Middle East. The oil in the Middle East means that countries have vied for control of the area and have helped to stir up trouble in the region. This was particularly true during the Cold War. The outside world was also instrumental in creating the state of Israel, an action which has also contributed mightily to the unrest in this area.
In other words, there are many reasons why the Middle East is so turbulent. | <urn:uuid:fc4f7b74-1a9a-493b-aad0-ba194fd8e752> | CC-MAIN-2021-25 | https://www.enotes.com/homework-help/why-middle-east-soo-pollitically-unstable-454787 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2021-25/segments/1623487658814.62/warc/CC-MAIN-20210620054240-20210620084240-00396.warc.gz | en | 0.987501 | 380 | 2.921875 | 3 |
Culprit behind massive shrimp die-offs in Asia unmasked
Bacterium responsible for Early Mortality Syndrome of Shrimp – Crucial first step in finding effective ways to combat the disease
3 May 2013, Rome - In a major breakthrough, researchers at the University of Arizona have identified the causative agent behind a mysterious disease that has been decimating shrimp farms in Asia.
The disease, known as Shrimp Early Mortality Syndrome (EMS) or Acute Hepatopancreatic Necrosis Syndrome (AHPNS), has over the past two years caused large-scale die-offs of cultivated shrimp in several countries in Asia, where 1 million people depend on shrimp aquaculture for their livelihoods.
In 2011, the Asian region produced 3 million tonnes of shrimp, with a production value of $13.3 billion.
Infected shrimp ponds experience extremely high levels of mortality early in their growing cycle — as high as 100 percent death rates in some cases.
So far, the cause of the illness has baffled scientists, animal health authorities and farmers, making prevention and treatment difficult.
But now the identity of the culprit has been cracked: a strain of a bacterium commonly found in brackish coastal waters around the globe, Vibrio parahaemolyticus.
A team of researchers at the University of Arizona have managed to isolate the strain and use it to infect healthy shrimp with EMS/AHPNS — a scientific method known as Koch's Postulate and the epidemiologist's equivalent of a smoking gun.
"We succeeded in isolating a pure culture of the V. parahaemolyticus strain and reproduced the EMS/AHPNS pathology in our laboratory," said Prof. Donald V. Lightner of the Aquaculture Pathology Laboratory at the University of Arizona (UA). "The high virulence of this agent to shrimp may be due to a phage which affects this particular strain of V. parahaemolyticus," he added.
The effort to study EMS, identify its pathology and respond to EMS was supported by a coalition of partners including UA; FAO; the World Organisation for Animal Health (OIE); the World Bank; the Network of Aquaculture Centres in Asia-Pacific (NACA); the Global Aquaculture Alliance (GAA); the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development of Viet Nam; CP Foods; the Minh Phu Seafood Corporation; Grobest Inc. and the Uni-President Feed Company.
This breakthrough finding by UA of a bacterial aetiology is a crucial first step in finding effective ways to combat EMS.
EMS/AHPNS initially surfaced in 2009. By 2010 outbreaks had become serious. In China in 2011, farms in Hainan, Guangdong, Fujian and Guangxi suffered almost 80 percent losses. In Thailand, shrimp production for 2013 is predicted to be down 30 percent from last year due to EMS. Production on some farms in eastern parts of the country has been cut by 60 percent.
FAO first fielded a mission to Viet Nam through its Crisis Management Centre for Animal Health to investigate the disease in 2011 which pointed to an infectious agent and since 2012 is implementing an emergency technical assistance project in Viet Nam.
No risk to human health
Some rare strains of V. parahaemolyticus do cause gastrointestinal sickness in humans — through the consumption of raw or undercooked shrimp and oysters — but only strains carrying two specific genes cause human disease.
Just 1-2 percent of wild V. parahaemolyticus strains worldwide contain these two genes — and the strain identified by Lightner and his team as responsible for EMS is not among them.
"The strain of V. parahaemolyticus we isolated appears not to have the genes that confer virulence to human infections," said Lightner.
"There have been no reports of human illness being associated with EMS, and these new findings would tend to confirm that EMS-infected shrimp do not pose a health risk to people," added Iddya Karunasagar, a seafood safety expert at FAO.
Only shrimp vulnerable
EMS affects two species of shrimp commonly raised around the world, the Giant Tiger Prawn (Penaeus monodon) and Whiteleg Shrimp (P. vannamei).
Clinical signs of the disease include lethargy, slow growth, an empty stomach and midgut and a pale and atrophied hepatopancreas (an internal digestive organ that serves the function of a liver), often with black streaks. Within 30 days of a pond being stocked large-scale die-offs begin.
So far countries officially reporting EMS include China, Malaysia, Thailand and Viet Nam.
But anyplace where P. monodon and P. vannamei are cultivated is potentially at risk. This includes most of Asia and much of Latin America, where shrimp farming is also important, as well African countries where shrimp are cultivated (Madagascar, Egypt, Mozambique and Tanzania).
Disease spread would appear to be linked to proximity to already-infected farms or the movement of infected live shrimp, usually juveniles used to stock ponds.
Lightner's team was unable to reproduce EMS using frozen and thawed shrimp samples, suggesting freezing kills the responsible bacterium. Since international shrimp trade is mostly in frozen form, there is apparently no or very low risk of disease transmission from these products.
Dealing with EMS
Now that EMS's causative agent is known more research is urgently needed to have a better understanding of how the disease spreads from farm to farm and implement appropriate countermeasures.
At the same time, FAO is engaging with partners to organize a concerted, inter-regional effort to address the disease.
For shrimp farmers, reliance on already-established aquaculture and biosecurity best practices will help prevent EMS-related problems. These include:
• Post-larvae shrimp used for stocking should be purchased from reputable sellers, be accompanied by animal health certificates prior to being introduced on-farm, and subjected to a temporary quarantine prior to stocking.
• High quality feed should be used, and environmental stresses avoided, to keep shrimp healthy.
• The health of pond environments should be carefully maintained and young shrimp should be closely monitored. Any illness should be immediately reported to the proper authorities.
• Regular fallowing of aquaculture ponds should be considered as part of a routine on-farm program of aquatic animal health, as this practice has been shown to break pathogen life cycles.
Off farm, any movement of live or unfrozen shrimp products should also comply with established best practices. | <urn:uuid:c7b7bfd7-7e83-4f88-8247-ac07135d242f> | CC-MAIN-2017-17 | http://www.fao.org/news/story/ar/item/175416/icode/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2017-17/segments/1492917121752.57/warc/CC-MAIN-20170423031201-00617-ip-10-145-167-34.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.938025 | 1,362 | 2.640625 | 3 |
Start now for great spring yards and gardens
While there is more snow to come and nary a bloom peeping out of the ground, it isn’t stopping area residents from gazing dreamily out of their windows with big plans for their gardens and spring landscaping. Natalie Aiello, the Elk-Cameron County 4-H/Youth Extension Educator for the Penn State Cooperative Extension and the Extension's Master Gardener Coordinator for Elk County, said there are a number of things people can do now to prepare for the planting season. "The first thing people should do is get their soil checked," Aiello said. "The kits test the different level of nutrients in your soil." She said most people buy the most common fertilizer mix, which is 10-10-10 (nitrogen, phosphorous and potassium), but that is not always the best mix for their soil. "People who are not familiar or beginning gardeners will buy the 10-10-10 and put the nutrients in and think that will help. But what they need to realize is 1) that might not be the amount of the actual nutrients they need and 2) too much of a good thing can be too much sometimes," Aiello said. "If you test your soil, it might tell you, 'hey, I don't need any fertilizer this year.'" Aiello said mistakes can also be made with other soil additives. "A lot of other people will also add lime every year to increase calcium, but they can overdo that, too," Aiello said. "Those soil tests will let them know exactly what they need to add to the soil instead of just guessing."She said desired soil composition also depends on what is being planted. "Some things like a more acidic soil; some things like a more basic soil. The soil test kits will also let you choose what kinds of crops you're planting so they will tell you exactly how to modify to get the crops that you want," Aiello said. "The best time is to do it now because if your soil needs amended, it's better to add the nutrients to the soil and let it sit for at least a couple weeks before you start planting. You want to till it right into the soil. You could even do it before the last freeze." Aiello said a variety of things can be planted now, even though more snow and frost is likely. "Cool-season crops can be peas, a lot of lettuces, potatoes can go in early, onions can go in early, garlic can go in early. A cool-season crop can go in before a frost," Aiello said. "Some of those things can be planted in March or April before the last freeze is over. It actually helps them because it can help break apart the seed coat."Aiello said when starting plants from seed, it's important to check the back of the packet to see when they should be planted and note the area's growing season. "The general rule here is that it's good to wait until the end of May to plant. [The growing season] is normally sometime after Mother's Day until after the first freeze in the fall, sometime in October or November," Aiello said. | <urn:uuid:f5a9860a-4362-46d5-a293-16a5cca9495e> | CC-MAIN-2016-44 | http://www.smdailypress.com/content/start-now-great-spring-yards-and-gardens?quicktabs_4=2 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2016-44/segments/1476988719045.47/warc/CC-MAIN-20161020183839-00533-ip-10-171-6-4.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.971476 | 662 | 2.59375 | 3 |
Here the late Dr. Alan Marlatt explains harm reduction for alcohol abuse. He was a pioneer in its development and widespread use.
The Harm Reduction approach is based on compassionate pragmatism instead of moralistic idealism. It recognizes that a minority of people have always abused alcohol and always will. It doesn’t condone this behavior, but seeks to reduce its incidence and the harm it causes.
Education is Key
Education is the key to the prevention and minimization of harm related to high-risk alcohol use. It’s unlike prevention programs for youth that focus exclusively on abstinence and promote a zero-tolerance, “just say no” approach.
Programs based on harm reduction help those who have already “said yes” to experimenting. They also help those who are leaning in that direction. Such programs can be in group settings (e.g., prevention programs in schools). They can include discussion of both abstinence and consumption. The decision to consume or abstain is informed by discussing pros and cons of each choice.
Members of our staff at the Behaviors Research Center received an invitation to visit a private high school. We discussed drinking problems with members of the senior class. School officials invited us to put on a program similar to the one we developed to work with college freshmen. Most of the high school seniors were planning to attend college within a year and most were already drinking. We gave a harm reduction approach instead of the traditional abstinence program.
We met with members of the senior class with no teachers present. Then we asked them what they thought we were going to talk about. One young woman, with a bored expression, replied: “Another ‘just say no’ lecture. Well, while your doing that, I’m going to be daydreaming about the big party coming up Friday night.”
We explained that we were there to talk about drinking and its risks and benefits. Then the attitude shifted to one of animated discussion. All but one student in the class of 20 revealed that they were active drinkers. These students spoke freely about their experiences with alcohol, both positive and negative.
In this discussion, students raised many questions that were easy to address within the framework of harm reduction. For example, how to respond to peer pressure to get drunk orhow to help a friend who has overindulged. How males and females respond differently to alcohol, how alcohol affects sexual activity, etc..
The one student who reported that he was an abstainer was challenged at first by some of the other students. One accused him of being “holier than thou” and “looking down your nose” at students who were not abstinent. “Not at all,” he replied. “I’m hoping to make the college sports teams in the fall.” He added “I don’t want to do anything that might slow my reaction time.”
The discussion focused on the advantages and the disadvantages of drinking. It included the effects of alcohol on reaction time, with everyone actively involved. Toward the end of the meeting, several students thanked us for having such an open forum. Their views about drinking were accepted and discussed. This was even though alcohol consumption was illegal for these underage drinkers.
Junior High School
Another student told us, “We should be doing this in junior high school.” She said “that’s when most of us started to experiment with alcohol. Maybe some of us seniors could lead the discussion with the ninth-graders, the way you did with us.”
Following this meeting, school officials invited us to put on several harm reduction workshops for the graduating class. This program reduced harmful drinking patterns greatly over the course of the school year.
Harm reduction views people as responsible for their own choices. They get help “where they are.” Then move from there in small steps to increasing levels of health and safety. And it works.
The Author of Harm Reduction for Alcohol Abuse
Dr. G. Alan Marlatt was Professor of Psychology and Director of the Addictive Behavior Research Center at the University of Washington. He was a member of the National Advisory Council on Drug Abuse for the National Institute on Drug Abuse. Dr. Marlatt received the Jellinek Award for outstanding contributions to knowledge in the field of alcohol studies.
Resources: Harm Reduction for Alcohol Abuse
Anderson, K. How to Change Your Drinking: a Harm Reduction Guide to Alcohol. NY: HAMS, 2010.
Cheung, Y. et al. Harm Reduction A New Direction for Drug Policies and Programs. Toronto: U Toronto, Press, 2016.
Marlatt, G. et al. Harm Reduction: Pragmatic Strategies for Managing High-risk Behaviors. NY: Guilford, 2012. | <urn:uuid:7f803531-f4b0-4705-a653-b54491ca8b22> | CC-MAIN-2020-05 | https://www.alcoholproblemsandsolutions.org/harm-reduction-for-alcohol-abuse-its-effective/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2020-05/segments/1579250592261.1/warc/CC-MAIN-20200118052321-20200118080321-00175.warc.gz | en | 0.970894 | 1,000 | 2.984375 | 3 |
This project examines the impact of parental socio-economic status on subject choice for GCSE exams and the decision to pursue A-levels. It assesses whether the expected social and economic returns vary between children of different social backgrounds.
Parental socio-economic status (SES) continues to have a substantial impact on educational transitions in the UK despite educational reforms, and even when taking prior educational achievement into account. Previous research showed that there are substantial SES differentials in subject choice at GCSE examinations and in the decision to continue to A-level qualifications and university. Those have profound implications for social mobility and labour market prospects, yet the mechanisms explaining social class differentials at those branching points of the educational career are under-researched. This project contributes to this literature by proposing an analysis of the decision processes accounting for those differentials. Our study adopts an extended notion of expected returns including both social, i.e. conformity with peers, and economic, i.e. labour market, outcomes to shed light on the class differentials in educational choices. For disadvantaged children, the pursuit of English Baccalaureate (EBacc)-eligible GCSE subjects, A-levels or university is more likely to involve a trade-off between social returns and the expected positive economic returns, whilst for advantaged children social and economic goals can be pursued simultaneously. These mechanisms, we hypothesise, are responsible for some of the class differentials in educational choices that prior research has found.
The analysis seeks to address the following questions:Do the expected economic and social returns to education account for GCSE subject choice (EBacc-eligible, demanding and applied subjects in year 9), choice of post-16 education (A-levels as opposed to vocational qualifications or leaving education after year 11) and the decision to go to university?
To what extent do expected social and economic returns mediate the effect of socio-economic background on educational choices? We expect that if such expected returns indeed show a mediating effect, students of various social backgrounds will differ in their social and economic expected returns and these differences in turn will account for class differentials in educational choices.
- How does the distribution of students’ characteristics should change for segregation to decrease and peer effects to have a upward effect on the educational choices of disadvantaged pupils?
- We use secondary data from Next Steps, which follows a cohort of around 16,000 English children born in 1989/1990 throughout eight waves up to age 25, in combination with linked administrative education records (the National Pupil Database (NPD)) on educational attainment, pupil’s socio-economic circumstances and school’s characteristics.
- We will statistically quantify the role social and economic returns in influencing educational decisions. We will also quantify the extent to which social and economic returns mediate the impact of socio-economic background on educational choices.
This interdisciplinary project will enhance our understanding of processes of educational attainment and will shed light on how class inequalities shape those processes and reduce the potential for social mobility. We expect that our results will be of interest to policy makers and practitioners who want to know how educational choices relate to school segregation and educational inequalities with respect to social origins
Funders: Nuffield Foundation grant EDO/43885
Funding information: December 2019 to July 2021 | <urn:uuid:898b7d4a-ea4f-4921-a2f5-2f16d54220e8> | CC-MAIN-2022-40 | https://www.llakes.ac.uk/research/educational-choices-and-social-interactions-reassessing-educational-strategies-in-a-divided-society-eress/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2022-40/segments/1664030335059.31/warc/CC-MAIN-20220927225413-20220928015413-00513.warc.gz | en | 0.935734 | 675 | 2.703125 | 3 |
You must have known or heard that air pollution in our capital city, DKI Jakarta is the worst among the cities. This is very disturbing because air pollution can definitely disrupt the health of yourself and your families.
The worsening pollution in Jakarta does not only come from motor vehicles, but also from cigarette smoke, which although its risk has been informed regularly by the government, many people still smoke. Pollution smoke from a cigarette may not be ignored because other than being hazardous for respiratory organ health, it can also trigger brain damage.
How does pollution smoke trigger brain damage?
Pollution smoke in the form of cigarette smoke can stick to clothing, car seat, couch, to home carpets. Inhaling the smoke smell already absorbed by the fabrics, even though without anyone smoking, can cause a hazard on your health and health of the people nearby.
As told by the suara.com site page, this discovery was made a researcher from the University of California, Riverside. According to him, becoming a "third hand smoke" is also hazardous for health.. To find the discovery, the researcher analyzed the effect of cigarette smoke sticking at clothing, to house furniture, on rats.
Manuela Martins-Green, the main study author and a cell biology expert who also took part in the research said that the "third hand smoke" exposure was a hidden toxin that could slowly kill a person. A person can absorb toxin from the cigarette smoke through the skin and respiratory system without having to smoke directly (becoming an active smoker).
Cigarette toxin stay at an object surface for years. It can also stick for a long period on hair, skin, and clothes of a smoker. The remaining tobacco smoke mixed with dust, deposits on the surface, can even pass through dry wall. Scary, isn't it?
So what is the solution?
Do not let all parts and spaces in our house to get exposed to cigarette smoke to prevent any furniture or object in the house from being contaminated by pollution smoke from cigarette smoke. Smoking prohibition at home is not only intended for the family members at home, but also to the guests of the house.
To remove cigarette smoke sticking to the clothes of the family members due to exposure during activities at public places, wash the clothes immediately using Electrolux UltimateCare™ EWF1042BDWA washing machine, which has an innovative feature, Vapour. Not only effective to remove various smells, including pollution smoke smell from cigarette smoke, this feature can also reduce creases on clothing which eases ironing activity a reduce allergens up to 99.9%. | <urn:uuid:034bcddc-0d0a-449e-9936-4ad95be90ad8> | CC-MAIN-2021-25 | https://www.electrolux.co.id/en-id/support/blog/watch-out-cigarette-smoke-that-sticks-into-clothing-is-hazardous-for-health/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2021-25/segments/1623487626122.27/warc/CC-MAIN-20210616220531-20210617010531-00083.warc.gz | en | 0.965481 | 529 | 2.796875 | 3 |
This is Mostly happens with Everyone that if someone try to play a Video in Browser with HTML tags. like < Video > or < object > tag. It won’t work for beginners. so now i am going to tell you that how you can play any video directly in your Browser from your Hard Drive with help of some HTML simple code.
All you need to do is follow these Steps:-
- Open Notepad in windows. Mac users can use Text Mate and Linux Users should go for Gedit.
- Copy and Paste the following Code in your Blank File.
- <embed src=”your-video.flv” width=”900″ height=”500″></embed>
- Now Replace your file name after src=”” (in inverted commas).
- You can set custom Width and height according to your need.
- Now Save your File With the Extension .html OR .htm.
- Open your HTML file with any Browser By right Clicking on it and Choose Open With Your Installed Browser.
- This is Done. you should now see this Video Playing on your Browser.
You can user < Center > tag for good interfere and Enjoyment in your Video. After Include < center > tag your Code Should Look like this.<center><embed src=”your-video.flv” width=”900″ height=”500″></embed></center> | <urn:uuid:c5b940e7-6f4a-467e-95d5-b7c80baf9f07> | CC-MAIN-2017-09 | http://wikitechguru.com/how-to-play-video-in-browser-with-html-on-your-local-pc/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2017-09/segments/1487501174163.72/warc/CC-MAIN-20170219104614-00632-ip-10-171-10-108.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.797422 | 301 | 2.546875 | 3 |
On 15 October 1976, an East German oil tanker, Boehlen, transporting
9,500 tonnes of "Boscan", a type of Venezuelan heavy crude
oil, heading towards Rostock (Germany), was caught in a violent
storm and sank off the coast of Sein island. The majority of the
oil, which had been heated to 40-45 °C to facilitate pumping
when unloaded, leaked from the tanks. The Polmar plan was triggered.
The vast oil slicks hit the shores of Sein Island, before reaching
the Breton coastline, where they threatened the local fauna (fish,
molluscs and crustaceans).
On the coastline, the army collected 1,000 tonnes of Boscan, mixed with 7,000 tonnes of various residues, using buckets and shovels.
At sea, the Polmar authorities first tried to plug the leaks of the wreck by filling them with concrete. Then in February 1977, due to pressure from local fishermen and the tourist industry, the French Government decided to pump out the 2,500 tonnes of crude oil left in the tanks. The method, established by the French Oil Institute (IFP), involved pumping the oil out using seawater heated to 80°C. The operation was implemented using the Petrel, a French dynamic positioning drill ship. It began in May 1977 and finished at the end of August 1977. The crude oil collected at sea was burnt using a flare.
25 of the 32 crew members lost their lives in this accident, as well as two divers, during the pumping operation. One soldier, involved in the onshore clean-up operation, was swept out to sea by a large swell.
Date: 15 October 1976
Accident area : off the coast of Sein island
Cause of spill : damage to ship
Quantity transported : 9,500 tonnes
Type of pollutant : Boscan, a heavy Venezuelan crude oil
Quantity spilled : approximately 7,000 tonnes
Ship type : oil tanker
Date built : 1961
Length : 145.52 m
Width : 19.31 m
Flag : East German
Last update: June 2011 | <urn:uuid:b535545a-303b-4227-b2fc-a1b8b7706f50> | CC-MAIN-2013-48 | http://www.cedre.fr/en/spill/boehlen/boehlen.php | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-48/segments/1386164116508/warc/CC-MAIN-20131204133516-00006-ip-10-33-133-15.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.939624 | 439 | 3.40625 | 3 |
By Elaine M. Kuzmeskus
(c) Connecticut Explored Inc. Spring 2020
Spiritualism began in 1848 in Hydesville, New York when two girls, ages 11 and 14, claimed to be able to communicate with a spirit. The news spread quickly and fomented a movement of people interested in communicating with deceased loved ones. Mary Todd Lincoln was one of the most prominent believers. Connecticut suffragist Isabella Beecher Hooker would use a talking board to commune with the spirits, while her husband John, a lawyer, took notes. During the heyday of the spiritualist movement (1850 – 1929), Connecticut was home to many believers, including the Hookers, and Isabella’s sister, Harriet Beecher Stowe. (See “The Spirits of Reform,” Winter 2008-2009.).
Ward Cheney of Manchester, a pioneer in the manufacture of silk fabrics, was also a believer. The wealthy industrialist invited the famous medium Daniel Dunglas Home, along with Hartford reporters, to his South Manchester residence in August 1852. F. L. Burr, editor of the Hartford Times, reported, “Suddenly, and without any expectation on the part of the company, Home began his ascent … . I had hold of his hand at the time and I felt his feet—they were lifted a foot from the floor!”
By 1882 the movement had become so popular that a group called the Connecticut Spiritualist Camp Meeting Association scouted for a place to share their philosophy. They settled on a quiet spot on Niantic Bay called Pine Grove. The group purchased 40 acres on a peninsula between Smith Cove and the Niantic River for $1,000. At first, visitors had to pitch tents. Soon like-minded people built a hundred or so Gothic-style cottages.
As attendance at Pine Grove Spiritualist Camp grew, residents added an amphitheater, a dance-hall pavilion, a refreshment stand, a roller-skating area, and even a sight-seeing observation tower. As many as 500 horses and carriages carried people to attend outdoor Sunday services, according to Rev. Henrietta Cox, past president of Pine Grove’s Ladies Aid Society (The Hartford Courant, September 6, 1977). In 1894 as many as 200 visitors came to hear mediums such as Edgar W. Emerson deliver messages from the spirits. On Sunday, August 14, 1894, as The Hartford Courant reported (August 17, 1894), Emerson demonstrated spirit communication by announcing the names of deceased loved ones whom visitors quickly recognized. While some came to the camp to hear the messages, others simply enjoyed the entertainment. The camp sponsored dances twice a week in the pavilion and socials on Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, and Saturday evenings. Soldiers stationed nearby stopped by for the dancing and socials, The Courant also reported.
Interest in spiritualism marked its highest point after World War I, when mourners sought to make contact with fallen soldiers. But attendance at Pine Grove declined in the 1930s according Cox. During the Great Depression, the camp suffered financial losses and had to sell many of its cottages to non-spiritualists. In the 1960s most of the cottages were winterized for year-round use. Today about 90 percent of the 135 homes belong to year-round residents. Eventually the amphitheater was torn down and a simple wooden temple was erected in its place. All that remains today of the Pine Grove Spiritualist Camp is the temple, with its rather rustic interior, and the medium’s cottage, a two-story Victorian house across from the temple. Behind the temple, a gazebo hosts outdoor services, and there are picnic tables for those who wish to take lunch by the bay.
Pine Grove may have diminished in size, but not in spirit. Summer visitors still enjoy the cool breezes from Niantic Bay along with messages from their loved ones. In 2019 the camp hosted mediums and Spiritualist ministers Rev. Jackie Randall and Rev. Jean Mandeville from Connecticut, Rev. Kathleen Hoffman from Massachusetts, Rev. Thomas Kerns from New York, and Bonnie Red Basket of Rhode Island. Their topics included meditation, astrology, shamanic drumming, and of course, mediumship. According to Mandeville, “We certainly have paranormal activity in the cottage.” When she felt the spirit of a child nick-named “Abby” in the upstairs bedroom, Mandeville put out small toys and unicorn erasers out for the spirit children. She reported that the next day, all the toys were scattered about the room by unseen hands! Mandeville was not surprised, as spiritualists do not see death as final.
Elaine M. Kuzmeskus is an adjunct professor of psychology at Tunxis Community College and the author of nine books, includingConnecticut in the Golden Age of Spiritualism (History Press, 2017).
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Irving Berlin, one of the greatest American songwriters, in 1906, performing for his first music publisher at 18 years old. Photo in public domain.
If it's a snappy, happy song from a classic film, the type of song you'll never forget, it was written by Irving Berlin. Irving Berlin is the author and composer of "God Bless America," and "Easter Parade." He wrote "White Christmas" and Ethel Merman's trademark song, "There's no Business Like Show Business." If you're not tapping your feet yet, you will be by the time you finish this post!
One of America's Greatest Songwriters
Came From a Typical Immigrant Family
Irving Berlin (May 11, 1888-September 22, 1989) was born Israel Isidore Beilin near Belarus, Russia. He was one of eight children born to Moses Beilin, a cantor in a synagogue, and his wife, Lena Lipkin Beilin. Moses Beilin moved their family to New York City in 1893. Berlin once told a biographer that he had few memories of his childhood except for one--lying on the side of a road wrapped in a blanket, watching his home burn to ashes. The rest of his memories are all of New York City.
The family lived in the Yiddish Theater District in the Lower East Side. His father was unable to find work as a cantor, so he worked in a Kosher meat market and taught Hebrew to local students. His mother worked as a midwife, his sisters worked in a factory wrapping cigars, and Irving hawked The Evening Journal while singing songs for tips--a typical immigrant family.
Singing for the Masses
Feeling he was more of a burden than an asset to his struggling family, Irving left his home at 14 to join the many young boys living on the streets. Berlin and a few of his friends traveled along the Bowery singing to patrons in the saloons.
Berlin often said it was these early experiences that led him to success as he learned how to write and sing music that appealed to the immigrants in New York. Berlin teamed up with another young man singing in the saloons, George M. Cohen, who was becoming popular on Broadway and the two were an instant hit. Berlin published his first song, "Marie From Sunny Italy," at the age of 19.
It was a short time later, when Berlin was 23 years old, that he wrote the song that would make his name: "Alexander's Ragtime Band." The song was an international hit, sparking a dance craze that traveled all the way back to Berlin's birthplace in Russia.
Irving Berlin in 1938 with Alice Faye, Tyrone Power and Don Ameche. Trailer Screenshot for Alexander's Ragtime Band, public domain.
It wasn't just the song that drove his fans wild, but its ragtime beat that sent dancers into a frenzy. In 1938 it was also the title song for the film by the same name starring the equally young and inexperienced Tyrone Power, Jr., Alice Faye, and Ethel Merman.
Songs and Singers That Will Amaze you!
Irving Berlin's list of popular songs numbers in the hundreds with so many recognizable titles it's amazing anyone else found work when he was in town! Some of his most famous tunes include "Anything you can do, I can do Better," which I remember singing with my own brothers and sisters. He wrote "Cheek to Cheek" and "Count Your Blessings Instead of Sheep." He wrote "Easter Parade," and "God Bless America." "Puttin' on the Ritz" and "There's no Business Like Show Business" are also Berlin songs. His songs were simple, romantic, and appealed to the average American, and that was the secret to Irving Berlin's success.
Irving Berlin in 1941. Unknown photographer, public domain.
Irving Berlin's songs were also the vehicles for success for many stars. For instance, "Blue Skies was in the first feature-length "talkie" film The Jazz Singer starring Al Jolson. He also wrote career-boosting songs for Bing Crosby, Fred Astaire, Judy Garland, Ginger Rogers, and of course Alice Faye who sang in Alexander's Ragtime Band. His songs were light, happy, easy to follow and remember so the audience could sing along, and people loved the music and the man.
Irving Berlin: The Man
Like most famous Hollywood greats, Irving Berlin had a difficult life that continued beyond his childhood. He married Dorothy Goetz in 1912. Her brother was also a famous songwriter so she knew the business and it seemed a perfect match, but she died within six months of typhoid fever contracted on their Cuban honeymoon, which inspired Berling to write "When I Lost You."
Irving and Ellin Mackay Berlin, circa 1926. Photo Public Domain.
In the late1920s he married Ellin Mackay, who came from a wealthy, socially-prominent family. She was Catholic and wealthy, he was Jewish and came from a poor immigrant family--their relationship was doomed from the start. Her father actually sent her to Europe to meet potential suitors and Berlin continued to flirt with her over the radio with songs such as "Always" and "Remember."
When her father persisted in his attempts to come between them, they decided to elope, which must have devastated her socialite family. Berlin later insisted that they had the blessing of her mother, even though her father initially disowned his daughter. Berlin gave his wife the rights to "Always" so she would "always" have an income, no matter what, and this income was used to rescue his father-in-law during the stock market crash of 1929.
Irving Berlin's grave marker. Photo by Anthony22.
Their marriage was the one true, beautiful thing in Berlin's life. They remained married until her death at the age of 85 and had four children during their 63 years together. Their oldest died on Christmas day while still a baby, but the other three children lived long, successful lives. Irving Berlin died peacefully in his sleep on September 22, 1989 of natural causes. He was 101 years old. He is buried in Woodlawn Cemetery in the place he always considered home--The Bronx, New York.
- Fowler, Glenn. "Berlin's Work is Recalled With Words and Music." The New York Times. Published September 24, 1989. Accessed April 10, 2014.
- "Irving Berlin: Biography." Songwriters Hall of Fame. Accessed April 10, 2014.
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by Gil Fronsdal
Thinking can be a powerful force of distraction, preventing us from being mindfully present in a useful way. During meditation, a simple method in which we use thinking to stay present rather than carrying us away is ‘mental noting’. This is the practice of using a simple “note” to calmly name – as a whisper in the mind – what we are experiencing. Though it can take a while to learn, and can be awkward at first, with practice, mental noting can become second nature.
Noting directs thinking into a simple, rudimentary form, rather than letting it wander off into distraction. “An idle mind will get in trouble” is a saying that describes how an insufficiently attentive mind can all too easily drift off into thought. Mental noting gives the thinking mind something to do which supports meditation rather than distracts from it. It can be a useful way to interrupt the incessant flow of discursive thoughts.
In contrast to most thinking, noting is not discursive. It does not involve analysis or judgment. Rather, we simply give our current experience a one-word label. For example, upon hearing a sound we note ‘hearing’ without thinking further about the sound. Other common mental notes are ‘seeing’, ‘touching’, ‘feeling’, and ‘thinking’.
Some experiences may be given more descriptive labels. For example, sensations may be noted as ‘warmth’, ‘coolness’, ‘pressure’, ‘tightness’, and so on. Emotions may be named: ‘happiness’, ‘sadness’, ‘excitement’, ‘fear’. Mental activity may be recognized as ‘wanting’, ‘planning’, ‘resisting’, and the like. With mindfulness of breathing a common note is ‘rising’ as the belly or chest lifts on the inhalation, and ‘falling’ as we exhale.
Usually, a specific note is repeated until the experience being noted disappears, is sufficiently acknowledged, or is no longer predominant.
Noting in meditation has many functions. The primary one is keeping the meditator present – sometimes it is called an ‘anchor’ to the present. The mind is less likely to wander off if one keeps up a steady stream of relaxed noting. If the mind does wander, the noting practice can make it easier to reestablish mindfulness.
Another function of noting is to better acknowledge or recognize what is occurring: the clearer one’s recognition, the more effective one’s mindfulness. Naming can strengthen recognition. Sometimes this can be a kind of truth-telling, when we are reluctant to admit something about ourselves or about what is happening.
A third function of noting is to help recognize patterns in one’s experience. A frequently-repeated note reveals a frequently-recurring experience. For example, persistent worriers may not realize it until they see how often they note ‘worry’.
And fourth, as described above, mental noting gives the thinking mind something to do rather than leaving it to its own devices.
A fifth function is disentangling us from being preoccupied or overly identified with experience. Noting can help us ‘step away’ so that we might see more clearly. For example, noting ‘wanting’ might pull us out of the preoccupation with something we want. This may not be immediate, but by repeatedly noting ‘wanting, wanting,’ one may be able to be aware of the wanting without being caught by it. As an antidote to drowning in strong emotion or obsessive thinking, mental noting is sometimes called a ‘life preserver’.
Noting can also help maintain a non-reactive form of attention. Calmly and equanimously noting what is happening, we are less likely to get caught up in emotional reactions. The stories of Mara, the god of temptation and distraction, visiting the Buddha illustrate this. The Buddha does not chase Mara away, nor does he give in. He simply looks at him directly and says, “Mara, I see you.” With this, Mara runs away. Similarly, noting ‘fear’ can be like saying, “Fear, I see you.” Noting helps us to see mindfully while remaining free of what we see.
The tone of the inner voice that notes may reveal less-than-equanimous reactions to what we are trying to be mindful of. The noting may sound harsh, bored, scared, hesitant, or excited, to name just a few possibilities. By noticing and adjusting the tone, we may become more balanced and equanimous.
Each person needs to find his or her own way of noting – it isn’t a fixed technique. And as circumstances change, how one notes may change. Sometimes, what is most useful is calmly noting everything one is being mindful of. Other times, noting may be useful when one is easily distracted but not when one is settled. Some people only use noting when being mindful of particular experiences, such as thinking or feeling emotions. Others limit their noting to naming only what is distracting. And some people find that it is never helpful to use mental noting; they prefer a more silent form of knowing.
The noting practice has a number of pitfalls. It can become rote or mechanical. When one notices this, it’s often useful to pause and relax before starting again. Another hazard is focusing too much on noting at the expense of being mindful. One version of this is the ‘check-list approach’ to mindfulness – one believes it is enough to simply note an experience. Noting is mostly a slight nudge to encourage mindfulness, so that attentiveness to the felt experience increases. Another pitfall is that noting may become an attempt to control or drive one’s experience instead of simply recognizing it. Or it may be used to create an artificial distance from experience: naming becomes a substitute for feeling. Relaxing and allowing the mindfulness to become more receptive can help with this.
Noting can become a hindrance to meditation if one starts thinking about what word to use. Sometimes beginners to mental noting are too concerned with the ‘right’ note. The most obvious label is good enough. If a vague note like “here” or “this” helps one stay present, it has fulfilled its primary function. While precision in noting can sometimes sharpen mindfulness and help with insight, there is no need to analyze one’s way to greater precision.
Some people find that as the mind becomes more peaceful in meditation they may need to adjust the relative ‘loudness’ or ‘intensity’ of the noting to keep it in harmony with the meditative stillness. As the mind becomes quieter, so should the mental noting. It can become a softer and softer whisper. At times words are no longer needed – a soft “hmm” may suffice.
A basic principle for the practice of mental noting is to use it when it is helpful and to avoid it when it is not. Mindfulness practice aims to cultivate awareness, insight and liberation. It can be quite satisfying when noting supports these aims. It can be a reminder that all of one’s faculties can be used in the service of freedom, including our cognitive functions such as naming our experience. | <urn:uuid:49184e63-87f2-4ffc-b589-5c566d4db7ff> | CC-MAIN-2015-18 | http://www.insightmeditationcenter.org/books-articles/articles/mental-noting/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2015-18/segments/1429246661675.84/warc/CC-MAIN-20150417045741-00149-ip-10-235-10-82.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.950694 | 1,564 | 3.21875 | 3 |
Chikungunya is a relatively rare viral fever that is caused by the bite of infected mosquitoes. These mosquitoes can be found biting throughout daylight hours, though there may be peaks of activity in the early morning and late afternoon. The incubation period is usually 1 to 12 days. This means the disease manifests 1 to 12 days after the bite of the mosquito. Chikungunya is sometimes mistaken for dengue which also manifests with similar symptoms.
Even though mortality rateof Chikungunya is less compared to dengue, symptoms last longer and affect the person. Most patients recover fully from Chikungunya virus infection. They get better after a few days, however sometimes joint pains can persist for a longer period after the other symptoms have disappeared.
- Abrupt onset of Fever with chills ( >104 F)
- Joint Pain
- Arthritis affecting multiple joints, can be debilitating
- Swelling of joints
- Sometime there may be infection of the conjunctiva of the eye
- Nausea and vomitings
- Bleeding, Rash may occur rarely
How to manage it:
- It is important to rule out dengue first by necessary investigations as the mortality rate is higher with dengue by employing some serological tests.
- Mainstay of treatment is relieving symptoms, supportive care and rest
- To relieve symptoms of fever and joint pain the drug commonly used is paracetamol.
- There is no specific antiviral drug treatment for chikungunya.
- Avoid self-medication particularly antibiotics, steroids, and other painkillers specially overdosing.
- Aspirin should be avoided.
- Ensure adequate intake of water orally to maintain urine output at least more than a litre per day to prevent dehydration.
- Use cold compresses to involved and painful joints. Avoid hot compresses in acute stages as it can worsen the joint symptoms.
- Movement and mild exercise tend to improve morning stiffness and pain, but heavy exercise may worsen your symptoms.
- Hospital admission is necessary if symptoms worsen.
The best methods of prevention involve minimizing contact with mosquitoes.
- Elimination of stagnant water at home, schools and workplace to avoid breeding of mosquitoes.
- Using insect repellents over the exposed parts of the body.
- For protection during outbreaks of chikungunya, clothing which minimizes skin exposure to the day-biting mosquitoes is advised.
- Using mosquito screens or nets.
- Staying indoors as much as possible, especially during early morning and late afternoon.
- Basic precautions should be taken if you are travelling to risk areas.
- There Is No Vaccine Currently Available. | <urn:uuid:525e4d44-1f40-4e7e-bc52-6ce9f6a29eaf> | CC-MAIN-2019-22 | https://blog.ekincare.com/2018/05/18/chikungunya-to-walk-bent/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2019-22/segments/1558232260161.91/warc/CC-MAIN-20190526225545-20190527011545-00539.warc.gz | en | 0.918399 | 555 | 3.609375 | 4 |
Individual differences |
Methods | Statistics | Clinical | Educational | Industrial | Professional items | World psychology |
Biological: Behavioural genetics · Evolutionary psychology · Neuroanatomy · Neurochemistry · Neuroendocrinology · Neuroscience · Psychoneuroimmunology · Physiological Psychology · Psychopharmacology (Index, Outline)
- See also: fat
In biology, adipose tissue // or body fat or just fat is loose connective tissue composed mostly of adipocytes. In addition to adipocytes, adipose tissue contains the stromal vascular fraction (SVF) of cells including preadipocytes, fibroblasts, vascular endothelial cells and a variety of immune cells (i.e. adipose tissue macrophages (ATMs)). Adipose tissue is derived from preadipocytes. Its main role is to store energy in the form of lipids, although it also cushions and insulates the body. Far from hormonally inert, adipose tissue has in recent years been recognized as a major endocrine organ, as it produces hormones such as leptin, estrogen, resistin, and the cytokine TNFα. Moreover, adipose tissue can affect other organ systems of the body and may lead to disease. Obesity or being overweight in humans and most animals does not depend on body weight, but on the amount of body fat—to be specific, adipose tissue. The two types of adipose tissue are white adipose tissue (WAT) and brown adipose tissue (BAT). The formation of adipose tissue appears to be controlled in part by the adipose gene. Adipose tissue, more specifically brown adipose tissue, was first identified by the Swiss naturalist Conrad Gessner in 1551.
Anatomical features[edit | edit source]
In humans, adipose tissue is located beneath the skin (subcutaneous fat), around internal organs (visceral fat), in bone marrow (yellow bone marrow) and in breast tissue. Adipose tissue is found in specific locations, which are referred to as adipose depots. Apart from adipocytes, which comprise the highest percentage of cells within adipose tissue, other cell types are present collectively termed stromal vascular fraction (SVF) of cells. SVF includes preadipocytes, fibroblasts, adipose tissue macrophages, and endothelial cells. Adipose tissue contains many small blood vessels. In the integumentary system, which includes the skin, it accumulates in the deepest level, the subcutaneous layer, providing insulation from heat and cold. Around organs, it provides protective padding. However, its main function is to be a reserve of lipids, which can be burned to meet the energy needs of the body and to protect it from excess glucose by storing triglycerides produced by the liver from sugars, although some evidence suggests that most lipid synthesis from carbohydrates occurs in the adipose tissue itself. Adipose depots in different parts of the body have different biochemical profiles. Under normal conditions, it provides feedback for hunger and diet to the brain.
Mice[edit | edit source]
Mice have eight major adipose depots, four of which are within the abdominal cavity. The paired gonadal depots are attached to the uterus and ovaries in females and the epididymis and testes in males; the paired retroperitoneal depots are found along the dorsal wall of the abdomen, surrounding the kidney, and, when massive, extend into the pelvis. The mesenteric depot forms a glue-like web that supports the intestines, and the omental depot, which originates near the stomach and spleen, and, when massive, extends into the ventral abdomen. Both the mesenteric and omental depots incorporate much lymphoid tissue as lymph nodes and milky spots, respectively. The two superficial depots are the paired inguinal depots, which are found anterior to the upper segment of the hind limbs (underneath the skin) and the subscapular depots, paired medial mixtures of brown adipose tissue adjacent to regions of white adipose tissue, which are found under the skin between the dorsal crests of the scapulae. The layer of brown adipose tissue in this depot is often covered by a "frosting" of white adipose tissue; sometimes these two types of fat (brown and white) are hard to distinguish. The inguinal depots enclose the inguinal group of lymph nodes. Minor depots include the pericardial, which surrounds the heart, and the paired popliteal depots, between the major muscles behind the knees, each containing one large lymph node. Of all the depots in the mouse, the gonadal depots are the largest and the most easily dissected, comprising about 30% of dissectible fat.
Obesity[edit | edit source]
In a severely obese person, excess adipose tissue hanging downward from the abdomen is referred to as a panniculus (or pannus). A panniculus complicates surgery of the morbidly obese. It may remain as a literal "apron of skin" if a severely obese person quickly loses large amounts of fat (a common result of gastric bypass surgery). This condition cannot be effectively corrected through diet and exercise alone, as the panniculus consists of adipocytes and other supporting cell types shrunken to their minimum volume and diameter. Reconstructive surgery is one method of treatment.
Obesity and cancer[edit | edit source]
According to the International Agency for Research on Cancer and based on epidemiological studies, obese or overweight people are at increased risk of developing several cancer types such as adenocarcinoma of the oesophagus, colon cancer, breast cancer (in postmenopausal women), endometrial cancer and kidney cancer.
Abdominal fat[edit | edit source]
- See also: Abdominal obesity
Visceral fat or abdominal fat also known as organ fat or intra-abdominal fat, is located inside the abdominal cavity, packed between the organs (stomach, liver, intestines, kidneys, etc.). Visceral fat is different from subcutaneous fat underneath the skin, and intramuscular fat interspersed in skeletal muscles. Fat in the lower body, as in thighs and buttocks, is subcutaneous and is not consistently spaced tissue, whereas fat in the abdomen is mostly visceral and semi-fluid. Visceral fat is composed of several adipose depots, including mesenteric, epididymal white adipose tissue (EWAT), and perirenal depots. Visceral fat is considered adipose tissue whereas subcutaneous fat is not considered as such.
An excess of visceral fat is known as central obesity, or "belly fat", in which the abdomen protrudes excessively. Excess visceral fat is also linked to type 2 diabetes, insulin resistance, inflammatory diseases, and other obesity-related diseases.
Female sex hormone causes fat to be stored in the buttocks, thighs, and hips in women. Men are more likely to have fat stored in the belly due to sex hormone differences. When women reach menopause and the estrogen produced by ovaries declines, fat migrates from the buttocks, hips and thighs to the waist; later fat is stored in the belly.
Epicardial fat[edit | edit source]
Epicardial adipose tissue (EAT) is a particular form of visceral fat deposited around the heart and found to be a metabolically active organ that generates various bioactive molecules, which might significantly affect cardiac function. Marked component differences have been observed in comparing EAT with subcutaneous fat, suggesting a depot specific impact of stored fatty acids on adipocyte function and metabolism.
Subcutaneous fat[edit | edit source]
Most of the remaining nonvisceral fat is found just below the skin in a region called the hypodermis. This subcutaneous fat is not related to many of the classic obesity-related pathologies, such as heart disease, cancer, and stroke, and some evidence even suggests it might be protective. The typically female (or gynecoid) pattern of body fat distribution around the hips, thighs, and buttocks, is subcutaneous fat, and therefore poses less of a health risk compared to visceral fat.
The relationship between the subcutaneous adipose layer and total body fat in a person is often modelled by using regression equations. The most popular of these equations was formed by Durnin and Wormersley, who rigorously tested many types of skinfold, and, as a result, created two formulae to calculate the body density of both men and women. These equations present an inverse correlation between skinfolds and body density – as the sum of skinfolds increases, the body density decreases.
Factors such as sex, age, population size or other variables may make the equations invalid and unusable, and, as of 2012[update]Template:Dated maintenance category, Durnin and Wormersley's equations remain only estimates of a person's true level of fatness. New formulae are still being created.
- See also: Body fat percentage
Ectopic fat[edit | edit source]
Ectopic fat is fat that is stored in relatively high amounts around the organs of the abdominal cavity, but is not visceral fat.
Physiology[edit | edit source]
Free fatty acids are liberated from lipoproteins by lipoprotein lipase (LPL) and enter the adipocyte, where they are reassembled into triglycerides by esterifying it onto glycerol. Human fat tissue contains about 87% lipids.
There is a constant flux of FFA (Free Fatty Acids) entering and leaving adipose tissue. The net direction of this flux is controlled by insulin and leptin - if insulin is elevated there is a net inward flux of FFA and only when insulin is low can FFA leave adipose tissue. Insulin secretion is stimulated by high blood sugar which results from consuming carbohydrates.
In humans, lipolysis (hydrolysis of triglycerides into free fatty acids) is controlled through the balanced control of lipolytic B-adrenergic receptors and a2A-adrenergic receptor-mediated antilipolysis.
Fat cells have an important physiological role in maintaining triglyceride and free fatty acid levels, as well as determining insulin resistance. Abdominal fat has a different metabolic profile—being more prone to induce insulin resistance. This explains to a large degree why central obesity is a marker of impaired glucose tolerance and is an independent risk factor for cardiovascular disease (even in the absence of diabetes mellitus and hypertension). Studies of female monkeys at Wake Forest University (2009) discovered individuals suffering from higher stress have higher levels of visceral fat in their bodies. This suggests a possible cause-and-effect link between the two, wherein stress promotes the accumulation of visceral fat, which in turn causes hormonal and metabolic changes that contribute to heart disease and other health problems.
Recent advances in biotechnology have allowed for the harvesting of adult stem cells from adipose tissue, allowing stimulation of tissue regrowth using a patient's own cells. In addition, adipose-derived stem cells from both human and animals reportedly can be efficiently reprogrammed into induced pluripotent stem cells without the need for feeder cells. The use of a patient's own cells reduces the chance of tissue rejection and avoids ethical issues associated with the use of human embryonic stem cells.
Adipose derived hormones include:
Brown fat[edit | edit source]
- Main article: Brown adipose tissue
A specialized form of adipose tissue in humans, most rodents and small mammals, and some hibernating animals, is brown fat or brown adipose tissue. It is located mainly around the neck and large blood vessels of the thorax. This specialized tissue can generate heat by "uncoupling" the respiratory chain of oxidative phosphorylation within mitochondria. The process of uncoupling means, when protons transit down the electrochemical gradient across the inner mitochondrial membrane, the energy from this process is released as heat rather than being used to generate ATP. This thermogenic process may be vital in neonates exposed to cold, which then require this thermogenesis to keep warm, as they are unable to shiver, or take other actions to keep themselves warm.
Attempts to simulate this process pharmacologically have so far been unsuccessful (even lethal). Techniques to manipulate the differentiation of "brown fat" could become a mechanism for weight loss therapy in the future, encouraging the growth of tissue with this specialized metabolism without inducing it in other organs.
Until recently, brown adipose tissue was thought to be primarily limited to infants in humans, but new evidence has now overturned that belief. Metabolically active tissue with temperature responses similar to brown adipose was first reported in the neck and trunk of some human adults in 2007, and the presence of brown adipose in human adults was later verified histologically in the same anatomical regions.
Genetics[edit | edit source]
The thrifty gene hypothesis (also called the famine hypothesis) states that in some populations the body would be more efficient at retaining fat in times of plenty, thereby endowing greater resistance to starvation in times of food scarcity. This hypothesis has been discredited by physical anthropologists, physiologists, and the original proponent of the idea himself.
In 1995, Jeffrey Friedman, in his residency at Rockefeller University, together with Rudolph Leibel, Douglas Coleman et al. discovered the protein leptin that the genetically obese mouse lacked. Leptin is produced in the white adipose tissue and signals to the hypothalamus. When leptin levels drop, the body interprets this as loss of energy, and hunger increases. Mice lacking this protein eat until they are four times their normal size.
Leptin, however, plays a different role in diet-induced obesity in rodents and humans. Because adipocytes produce leptin, leptin levels are elevated in the obese. However, hunger remains, and, when leptin levels drop due to weight loss, hunger increases. The drop of leptin is better viewed as a starvation signal than the rise of leptin as a satiety signal. However, elevated leptin in obesity is known as leptin resistance. The changes that occur in the hypothalamus to result in leptin resistance in obesity are currently the focus of obesity research.
Gene defects in the leptin gene (ob) are rare in human obesity. As of July, 2010, only 14 individuals from five families have been identified worldwide who carry a mutated ob gene (one of which was the first ever identified cause of genetic obesity in humans) - two families of Pakistani origin living in the UK, one family living in Turkey, one in Egypt, and one in Austria. - and two other families have been found that carry a mutated ob receptor. Others have been identified as genetically partially deficient in leptin, and, in these individuals, leptin levels on the low end of the normal range can predict obesity.
Several mutations of genes involving the melanocortins (used in brain signaling associated with appetite) and their receptors have also been identified as causing obesity in a larger portion of the population than leptin mutations.
In 2007, researchers isolated the adipose gene, which those researchers hypothesize serves to keep animals lean during times of plenty. In that study, increased adipose gene activity was associated with slimmer animals. Although its discoverers dubbed this gene the adipose gene, it is not a gene responsible for creating adipose tissue.
Physical properties[edit | edit source]
Adipose tissue has a density of ~0.9 g/ml. Thus, a person with more adipose tissue will float more easily than a person of the same weight with more muscular tissue, since muscular tissue has a density of 1.06 g/ml.
Body fat meter[edit | edit source]
- See also: Bioelectrical impedance analysis
A body fat meter is a widely available tool used to measure the percentage of fat in the human body. Different meters use various methods to determine the body fat to weight ratio. They tend to under-read body fat percentage.
In contrast with clinical tools, one relatively inexpensive type of body fat meter uses the principle of bioelectrical impedance analysis (BIA) to determine an individual's body fat percentage. To achieve this, the meter passes a small, harmless, electric current through the body and measures the resistance, then uses information on the person's weight, height, age, and sex, to calculate an approximate value for the person's body fat percentage. The calculation measures the total volume of water in the body (lean tissue and muscle contain a higher percentage of water than fat), and estimates the percentage of fat based on this information. The result can fluctuate several percentage points depending on what has been eaten and how much water has been drunk before the analysis.
Additional images[edit | edit source]
See also[edit | edit source]
References[edit | edit source]
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- (2008). Developmental biology: Neither fat nor flesh. Nature 454 (7207): 947–8.
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- Calle EE, Kaaks R. Overweight, obesity and cancer: epidemiological evidence and proposed mechanisms. Nat Rev Cancer 2004; 4:579-91.
- Fat on the Inside: Looking Thin is Not Enough, By Fiona Haynes, About.com
- Abdominal fat and what to do about it, President & Fellows of Harvard College
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- Estrogen causes fat to be stored around the pelvic region, hips, butt and thighs (pelvic region)
- Waistline Worries: Turning Apples Back Into Pears
- Researchers think that the lack of estrogen at menopause plays a role in driving our fat northward
- Abdominal fat and what to do about it
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- E Marieb and K Hoehn. Anatomy and Physiology, 3rd Edition. Benjamin Cummings 2008. ISBN 0-8053-0094-5
- Porter SA, Massaro JM, Hoffmann U, Vasan RS, O'Donnel CJ, Fox CS. Abdominal subcutaneous adipose tissue: a protective fat depot? Diabetes Care. 2009 Jun;32(6):1068-75. Epub 2009 Feb 24
- Mayo Clinic staff. Belly fat in women: How to keep it off. MayoClinic.com. URL http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/belly-fat/WO00128/METHOD=print. Access date July 2, 2010
- Dhaliwal SS, Welborn TA. (May 2009) "Central obesity and multivariable cardiovascular risk as assessed by the Framingham prediction scores" Am J Cardiol. (American Journal of Cardiology) 103(10): pp. 1403-1407
- Alice Park. Fat-Bellied Monkeys Suggest Why Stress Sucks. Time. URL accessed on 2009-08-08.
- (2010). Human and mouse adipose-derived cells support feeder-independent induction of pluripotent stem cells. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America 107 (8): 3558–63.
- (1990). Brown adipose tissue thermogenesis: Interdisciplinary studies. FASEB journal : official publication of the Federation of American Societies for Experimental Biology 4 (11): 2890–8.
- (2004). Dying to be thin: A dinitrophenol related fatality. Veterinary and human toxicology 46 (5): 251–4.
- (2006). Two deaths attributed to the use of 2,4-dinitrophenol. Journal of analytical toxicology 30 (3): 219–22.
- (2007). Unexpected evidence for active brown adipose tissue in adult humans. AJP: Endocrinology and Metabolism 293 (2): E444.
- (2009). Functional brown adipose tissue in healthy adults. The New England Journal of Medicine 360 (15): 1518–25.
- (2009). Cold-activated brown adipose tissue in healthy men. The New England Journal of Medicine 360 (15): 1500–8.
- (2009). Identification and importance of brown adipose tissue in adult humans. The New England Journal of Medicine 360 (15): 1509–17.
- (2007) "Genetics of Obesity: Five Fundamental Problems with the Famine Hypothesis" Adipose Tissue and Adipokines in Health and Disease.
- Shell E (January 1, 2002). "Chapter 4: On the Cutting Edge" The Hungry Gene: The Inside Story of the Obesity Industry, Atlantic Monthly Press.
- Shell E (January 1, 2002). "Chapter 5: Hunger" The Hungry Gene: The Inside Story of the Obesity Industry, Atlantic Monthly Press.
- (1995). Effects of the obese gene product on body weight regulation in ob/ob mice. Science 269 (5223): 540–3.
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- (1997). Obese (ob) gene defects are rare in human obesity. Obesity research 5 (1): 30–5.
- Montague CT, Farooqi IS, Whitehead JP, Soos MA, Rau H, Wareham NJ, Sewter CP, Digby JE, Mohammed SN, Hurst JA, Cheetham CH, Earley AR, Barnett AH, Prins JB, O'Rahilly S. Congenital leptin deficiency is associated with severe early-onset obesity in humans. Nature. 1997 Jun 26;387(6636):903-8.
- Strobel A, Issad T, Camoin L, Ozata M, Strosberg AD. A leptin missense mutation associated with hypogonadism and morbid obesity. Nat Genet. 1998 Mar;18(3):213-5.
- Gibson WT, Farooqi IS, Moreau M, DePaoli AM, Lawrence E, O'Rahilly S, Trussell RA. Congenital leptin deficiency due to homozygosity for the Delta133G mutation: report of another case and evaluation of response to four years of leptin therapy. J Clin Endocrinol Metab. 2004 Oct;89(10):4821-6.
- Mazen I, El-Gammal M, Abdel-Hamid M, Amr K. A novel homozygous missense mutation of the leptin gene (N103K) in an obese Egyptian patient. Mol Genet Metab. 2009 Aug;97(4):305-8. Epub 2009 Apr 9.
- Fischer-Posovszky P, von Schnurbein J, Moepps B, Lahr G, Strauss G, Barth TF, Kassubek J, Mühleder H, Möller P, Debatin KM, Gierschik P, Wabitsch M. A new missense mutation in the leptin gene causes mild obesity and hypogonadism without affecting T cell responsiveness. J Clin Endocrinol Metab. 2010 Jun;95(6):2836-40. Epub 2010 Apr 9.
- Clément K, Vaisse C, Lahlou N, Cabrol S, Pelloux V, Cassuto D, Gourmelen M, Dina C, Chambaz J, Lacorte JM, Basdevant A, Bougnères P, Lebouc Y, Froguel P, Guy-Grand B. A mutation in the human leptin receptor gene causes obesity and pituitary dysfunction. Nature. 1998 Mar 26;392(6674):398-401.
- Pankov YA. Adipose tissue as an endocrine organ regulating growth, puberty, and other physiological functions. Biochemistry (Mosc). 1999 Jun;64(6):601-9.
- Farooqi IS, Keogh JM, Kamath S, Jones S, Gibson WT, Trussell R, Jebb SA, Lip GY, O'Rahilly S. Partial leptin deficiency and human adiposity. Nature. 2001 Nov 1;414(6859):34-5.
- Farooqi IS, O'Rahilly S. Mutations in ligands and receptors of the leptin-melanocortin pathway that lead to obesity. Nat Clin Pract Endocrinol Metab. 2008 Oct;4(10):569-77. Epub 2008 Sep 9.
- (2007). Adipose is a conserved dosage-sensitive antiobesity gene. Cell metabolism 6 (3): 195–207.
- Farvid, MS, Ng TW, Chan DC, Barret PH, Watts GF (July 2005). Association of adiponectin and resistin with adipose tissue compartments, insulin resistance and dyslipidaemia. Diabetes, Obesity and Metabolism 7 (4): 406–413.
- Urbanchek, MG, Picken EB, Kalliainen LK, Kuzon WM Jr. (May 2001). Specific force deficit in skeletal muscles of old rats is partially explained by the existence of denervated muscle fibers.. J Gerontol A Biol Sci Med Sci 56 (5): 191–197.
- Body fat scales review and compare. URL accessed on 11 January 2010.
Further reading[edit | edit source]
Human anatomy, endocrine system: endocrine glands
|Islets of pancreas|
|This page uses Creative Commons Licensed content from Wikipedia (view authors).|
|This page uses Creative Commons Licensed content from Wikipedia (view authors).| | <urn:uuid:c763cc97-ff50-4952-bcd8-f8878761a659> | CC-MAIN-2021-31 | https://psychology.wikia.org/wiki/Adipose_tissue | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2021-31/segments/1627046154099.21/warc/CC-MAIN-20210731172305-20210731202305-00543.warc.gz | en | 0.878381 | 5,893 | 3.125 | 3 |
FRUIT PESTS: Spotted Wing Drosophila & Apple maggot
An excerpt from Linda Gilkeson's latest bulletin:
It is now more important than ever for gardeners to have access to durable insect netting to protect against two, quite nasty, fruit pests that are now established in the region:
Spotted wing Drosophila (a species of vinegar fly), which attacks stone fruit, berries, Asian pear, grapes and numerous wild plants (more info: http://www.agf.gov.bc.ca/cropprot/swd.htm);
To date in British Columbia, spotted wing drosophila has been confirmed infesting wild and cultivated raspberry and blackberry (Rubus), blueberry (Vaccinium), strawberry (Fragaria), table grape (Vitis), cherry, peach, nectarine, apricot, plum (Prunus), and suspected in hardy kiwifruit (Actinidia). Wild hosts confirmed include Oregon grape (Mahonia aquafolium), elderberry (Sambucus), currant (Ribes), dogwood (Cornus kousa), mulberry (Morus), salmonberry (Rubus spectabilis), thimbleberry (Rubus parviflorus) and salal (Gaultheria shallon)
Apple maggot (a species of fruit fly) (more info: http://cru.cahe.wsu.edu/CEPublications/eb1928/EB1928.pdf)
Bug Mesh: Carrot rust fly, cabbage root maggot, currant fruit fly and now these newly introduced flies infest roots or fruits with little white maggots. The easiest fix for a home gardener is a barrier that simply stops the adult flies from laying their eggs on plants or fruit. For decades gardeners have been making do with floating row covers for this purpose. The lightest weight row cover is the best for insect control, but it tears easily. The thicker row cover fabrics last longer and are fine for short term use to keep off insects, but they exclude more light than is desirable for crops, such as carrots, that must be covered for the whole season. They are not strong enough to cover fruit trees.
Enter 'bug net' or insect netting--sturdy, long-lasting, knitted poly monofilament fabric, sold in different widths and mesh size for different pests. Anyone from Great Britain knows all about these product because gardeners there have had them for years. Or check out Australian gardening web sites to see their variety of bug mesh products in that land of fruit flies. The fabric can be used to cover vegetable beds supported on hoops. It can be sewn into bags big enough to drop over a whole berry bush or small fruit tree or made into small bags to cover individual fruit or bunches of grapes.
So, I hope all of you go into your local garden centre and 'bug' them to start carrying one of the bug mesh products (there are several suppliers of different brands) so that you can buy lengths to suit your needs. Or get together with some other gardeners and order a wholesale roll to divide up. Last year on Salt Spring some of us ordered 100 m rolls of ProtekNet brand from Dubois Agrinovation (in Montreal) www.duboisag.com/ . Various widths are available, but get at least the 60 gr mesh size, which is small enough for carrot rust fly, cabbage maggot and fruit flies. So far, nurseries that I know of stocking the knitted monofilament bug mesh are Dinter Nursery in Duncan and Russell Nursery in North Saanich.
Fruit Bags: Using paper, bug mesh or fabric bags to protect apples, peaches, pears and clusters of grapes from insects is a well-established method for commercial organic production. Gardeners have been devising their own bags, using those translucent paper bakery bags or small lunch bags. Where they can get them, some people have been buying the specially designed Japanese fruit bags with a integral twist tie used by the commercial orchardists. Years ago I sewed up a set of fabric bags with drawstring tops to keep racoons and insects out of my table grapes. They have proven their worth many times over and are quick to install; I am still using the same bags so the investment in time to make them was well worth it. BUT, now, with apple maggot upon us (they have been found on Salt Spring and Vancouver Island) gardeners will want to bag their apples. And with spotted wing Drosophila getting into all kinds of other fruit, including Asian pears, disposable fruit bags would be useful for these crops. | <urn:uuid:6f3df6a6-483f-49d0-adf7-54488258bab5> | CC-MAIN-2015-22 | http://www.mgabc.org/content/fruit-pests-spotted-wing-drosophila-apple-maggot | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2015-22/segments/1432207929023.5/warc/CC-MAIN-20150521113209-00035-ip-10-180-206-219.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.930564 | 983 | 3.046875 | 3 |
It is a widely held belief among individuals who engage in activities such as jamming signals or operating unlicensed radios that they are virtually undetectable. These people often assume that the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) lacks the resources or motivation to pursue and locate these offenders. While it may be true that the FCC cannot track down every single offender, it is important to note that Radio Direction Finding (RDF) has been in existence since the early days of radio. In its infancy, RDF utilized directional antennas and signal level meters to determine the direction from which a transmission originated. By carefully analyzing the signal strength and taking multiple measurements from different locations on a map, the technique of triangulation could be employed to pinpoint the exact location of the transmission source. This process, although requiring a certain level of expertise and time, was indeed feasible. It is fascinating to delve into the intricate details of how this method was employed. Radio enthusiasts would meticulously set up their equipment, meticulously aligning their directional antennas and synchronizing their signal level meters. They would then begin their quest to locate the elusive transmission source. Imagine the scene: a dedicated radio operator, armed with a map and an array of specialized equipment, embarks on a mission to capture the rogue signal. They would carefully position themselves at one location on the map, their antenna pointing towards the general direction of the signal. As they monitor the signal level meter, they make precise notes of the strength and quality of the transmission. Next comes the crucial step of moving to another predetermined location on the map. The operator repeats the process, carefully aligning their antenna and analyzing the signal level meter readings. With each new set of measurements, the operator gains a clearer understanding of the signal’s origin. They carefully plot the data points on the map, creating a network of lines that intersect at a single point. The operator then performs this process for a third and final location, completing the triangulation. The intersecting lines on the map converge, revealing the exact location of the transmission source. It is a moment of triumph for the intrepid radio operator, as they have successfully tracked down the elusive offender. This method of Radio Direction Finding, although time-consuming and requiring a certain level of skill, proved to be an effective means of locating unauthorized transmissions. Over the years, advancements in technology have revolutionized this field, making the process faster and more accurate. Modern RDF techniques now involve the use of sophisticated software and specialized hardware, which greatly enhance the ease and efficiency of tracking down errant signals. In conclusion, the belief that those engaging in illicit radio activities can remain undetected is not entirely accurate. From the early days of radio to the present, Radio Direction Finding has been a valuable tool in locating unauthorized transmissions. While the FCC may not be able to apprehend every offender, the existence of RDF serves as a reminder to those who operate outside the bounds of legal radio usage that they are not as invisible as they might think.
Before GPS technology, aircraft and ships had to rely on radios to determine their direction. The radios would be tuned to special radio transmitters or beacons, which could provide the bearings necessary for navigation. This was the primary way that aircraft and ships located their destinations prior to the invention of GPS. By using these methods, pilots and sailors could easily navigate to their intended destination. While the radios were less precise than GPS, they still provided sailors and pilots with reliable navigation and allowed them to travel safely and reliably.
In today’s modern world, the advancements in technology have brought about more accurate and sophisticated equipment for radio direction finding. One such method is based on the Doppler shift, which takes advantage of the fact that radio waves travel at the speed of light. This cutting-edge technology has revolutionized the way operators can determine the precise location of a radio signal in real time. With the implementation of Doppler shift-based systems, radio direction finding has become an invaluable tool in numerous industries. One of the most significant applications is in law enforcement, where it is used to track down stolen vehicles. Imagine a scenario where a high-end luxury car is reported stolen. In the past, it would have been a daunting task for the authorities to locate the vehicle quickly. However, with the advent of these advanced systems, law enforcement agencies can now pinpoint the exact position of the stolen car in real time, greatly increasing the chances of recovering it. Moreover, radio direction finding has proven to be a vital asset in search and rescue operations. When it comes to locating missing persons, time is of the essence, and every second counts. In such situations, the ability to quickly and accurately determine the precise location of a radio signal can be a matter of life and death. Search and rescue teams equipped with the latest radio direction finding technology can cover vast areas more efficiently, greatly improving their chances of finding the missing individual in a timely manner. Not only limited to law enforcement and search operations, radio direction finding has also found its place in various other industries. For instance, in the telecommunications sector, it plays a crucial role in optimizing the positioning of cell towers and ensuring a seamless network coverage. By accurately locating radio signals, providers can identify weak spots in the network, leading to better connectivity and improved service quality for customers. In the aviation industry, radio direction finding has been an indispensable tool for air traffic controllers. By precisely determining the location of aircraft through radio signals, controllers can efficiently manage air traffic and maintain safe distances between planes. This technology has significantly contributed to enhancing the safety and efficiency of air travel worldwide. Furthermore, radio direction finding is extensively used in the field of maritime navigation. Ship captains heavily rely on this technology to navigate through vast oceans and avoid collisions. By detecting and accurately locating radio signals from lighthouses, buoys, and other navigational aids, sailors can plot their course with utmost precision, ensuring a safe journey. In conclusion, the advancements in radio direction finding technology have opened up a world of possibilities across various industries. The use of Doppler shift-based systems and time delays has allowed for more precise direction finding, enabling operators to determine the precise location of a radio signal in real time. From tracking down stolen vehicles and locating missing persons to optimizing cell tower positions and ensuring safe air and sea travel, radio direction finding has become an invaluable tool that continues to shape the way we navigate and operate in our modern world.
While some effort is still required, the technology is available to radio technicians and amateur radio operators to track down rogue transmitters. Among amateur radio operators, tracking down these hidden transmitters can be an enjoyable pastime. However, although rogue transmitters may go unnoticed for some time, there is an accessible pool of people who are capable of locating and reporting the offending transmitter to the FCC. There may not be as many as actions as would be wished for, but the FCC does take enforcement actions which can be very expensive. Many people have opted to debate this with me, but this was recently posted regarding an amateur radio operator in California https://www.radioworld.com/news-and-business/business-and-law/ham-operator-faces-fine-for-disruptions-to-warfa-net He has been hit with a $24,000 fine.
It is quite possible to find interference sources. | <urn:uuid:34f0311d-41dc-455e-b85a-ab31247d804e> | CC-MAIN-2023-50 | https://mra-raycom.com/they-cant-find-me/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2023-50/segments/1700679100568.68/warc/CC-MAIN-20231205204654-20231205234654-00295.warc.gz | en | 0.955531 | 1,488 | 3.09375 | 3 |
This tutorial will show the intermediate Adobe Illustrator artist how to make a sleek web 2.0 style icon. You should have a basic understanding of Adobe Illustrator tools before you begin this tutorial, as the tutorial moves at a rapid pace.
Final Image Preview
Before we get started, let's take a look at the image we'll be creating. Below is the completed illustration to see what you're working toward.
Start by drawing a rounded corner rectangle.
Draw the basic shapes such as the circles, lens, viewfinder and flash.
Go to Object > Transform > Shear and enter the variables as shown.
Duplicate the body of the camera by clicking and dragging while holding Shift+Alt (this ensures that the angle of the duplication is precise).
Make a new layer called "lens" and move the highlighted items to that layer. Then lock the "camera" layer.
I've used red so that you can easily follow along with the tutorial. You can make your colors whatever you prefer though. We will change the colors in a later step.
Duplicate the three lens shapes in the same manner as in Step 4. You will have to do them one at a time. You will also need to send them behind their respective shapes to get a stacked effect. Once you are done you can Unlock the "camera" layer. Then Merge both layers into one again.
Power Tip: You can send items behind other items one increment at a time by pressing Command and the Bracket keys. The Left Bracket Key sends items behind. The Right Bracket Key move items to the front.
Achieve a beveled look by using the Pathfinder Palette. You first stagger the shapes (two of the same shapes on top of each other). Then select the highlighted option below.
Use the Pen Tool and draw over the edge of the camera to fill in the side.
Follow the shape closely so that it looks clean and smooth.
Draw the top portion of the camera.
Draw a rectangle over the edge of the camera. Then use the Pathfinder Palette to create the black edge of the camera, as we did in Step 7.
Manually draw the top black edge using the Pen Tool.
Again, draw the final edge of the camera with the Pen Tool.
Use the Pen Tool and select a Stroke color of white. Then draw a line down the center of the camera to give the appearance of two halves being placed together.
Draw the shutter release button using an Ellipse shape.
Draw another oval shape on top of the last. Use the Pen Tool to draw an outline around the shutter release, which will allow us to add dimension to the button. You will again use the Pathfinder Tool to make the shapes overlap perfectly.
Adjust the colors to your liking. Then duplicate the button over the top to give the effect of even more depth.
Using the Ellipse shape again, draw where a reflection should fall. You will have to Rotate the oval to achieve this angle.
Use Divide in the Pathfinder Palette to break-up the shape. Delete the unnecessary leftover shapes.
Add Gradients to give the lens depth. Repeat the for each lens areas.
Once you have all three lens areas complete, your camera should look something like this.
Add small details like highlights.
Copy and Paste the highlight you just made and use it again, as shown below.
Draw an Ellipse shape, which is where the reflection on the body of the camera will fall. You will need to Rotate the Ellipse to achieve the look below.
Use Divide in the Pathfinder Palette on the black edge, as well as the camera's body. Make sure you select both of these shapes in addition to the oval you just drew. This ensures that the reflection will look realistic because it will move smoothly across the whole camera. Delete the unused outside shapes once you complete the pathfinder task.
Add gradients of your choice. Depending on the look you're going for, it may appear more realistic if the darker color is on the top of the gradient for the section we're currently coloring.
Notice how the very top of the camera is a lighter red. This is a small detail that helps give the camera a 3D look.
Duplicate the entire camera.
Use the Add To Shape Area option in the Pathfinder palette to combine all the shapes. Once you select the area highlighted in red, you have to click Expand in order for it to work.
Put the shape behind the camera. Then add a subtle Gradient to achieve a nice reflection.
Using the Pen Tool, draw a rectangle around the camera as shown.
Using the Gradient Mesh Tool, add four darker points to the shape. As you can see, when you add points to an irregular object, the gradient mesh will give unforeseeable results. This is OK since we're not adding any more points.
In your Transparency Palette, set the Blending Mode to Multiply. This makes the rectangle with gradient mesh that you just drew seem like a real shadow!
Notice how you can see through the shadow to the reflection.
Draw a Rounded Rectangle to start the photo.
Draw a standard rectangle inside that.
Make an Ellipse as we did in Step 25. This will become the reflection on the photo.
Add gradients to give it a realistic look.
Duplicate the entire photo. Then select the option highlighted below. Make sure to click Expand or else your shape won't combine.
Reposition your photos so they're behind the camera and reflection. Select the reflection and set the Blending Mode to Multiply, so that you can see through to the photos.
The complete digital camera and photo icons are shown below. | <urn:uuid:826aa3e4-d0dc-40d7-bdc5-3f30635f1f1a> | CC-MAIN-2018-26 | https://design.tutsplus.com/tutorials/create-a-detailed-camera-with-photo-icon--vector-16 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2018-26/segments/1529267863886.72/warc/CC-MAIN-20180620202232-20180620222232-00320.warc.gz | en | 0.880843 | 1,192 | 2.796875 | 3 |
This is an attempt to share information about roads. Lot of information is also available in the internet, so I have taken care not to repeat the same.
So, how is a road different from regular soil surface, and why so?
Let’s take regular surface; the playground. It is fine to play when there is no rain. We can even go cycling or ride a motorbike. However, when it rains, it becomes soft and slushy. Cycle wheel or feet go deeper into the soil.
In such cases, what do we do? We place a big stone and step over it. The stone gives a hard surface. Any surface that will not get soft with water will allow us to move over it easily. So, ideally, we must be having concrete slabs as roads everywhere!
However, the concrete is costly. There must be cheaper options too. By the way, in olden days there was no concrete – it was yet to be discovered. So what did they do?
Simple! They paved the soil with stones, pressed them together to give the same effect as a single large stone. It worked! However, there was a problem. There were gaps in between the huge stones. They filled it with small stones. It helped, but it did not solve the problem fully. The small stones, under pressure, got pushed inside easily.
Then they came up with the idea of putting layers of stones. Large stones were laid deeper to withstand the weight and pressure. Over this, they put a layer of smaller stones, which gave them uniform surface. The number of layers and the size of the stones depended on the weight that will move over the road.
Then there came another problem. How to keep the stone intact? The first binder was soil itself, at times mixed with lime. However, the binder used to get washed away during rains.
Then came ‘asphalt’ (bitumen) – also known as ‘tar’. Asphalt is solid or semisolid. It is heated, and mixed with stones, and then the stones are levelled using a roller.
The bitumen acted as excellent binder. It held the stones together, and it did not get affected by water. The technology developed, but the basic principle remains the same till date. The stones are known as ‘aggregates.’
The roads are built with a slight slope so that water can drain off to the edges. Then they are collected by the drains on the sides of the road.
What if the water does not drain? It leads to two things. Firstly, any water on the road, will damage the surface, when a heavy vehicle moves on it – as it will be pressed between the tyres and the road surface with huge force, thus expelling the small weak stones in the road surface. Once a small gap comes, water will keep on seeping in and removing the stones, one by one, leading to a crater, what we call as ‘pothole’!
Secondly, if the water is not drained by the drains, it will accumulate on the sides of the roads, start seeping in, and will make the soil at the bottom loose. If that becomes loose, then it will affect the stone layer which is over it. Thus, the stone layer will start sinking in. Thus, you will see cracks or undulation in the road. That is how the roads on the wet regions, where the water table is near the surface, get undulations (bumps) very easily!
Look at the cross section of a road, in the picture below:
The white pieces are the stones (aggregates). The black area is the asphalt (bitumen). You can see the sizes of the stones are bigger at the bottom and smaller at the top. The topmost layer is called as ‘wearing layer’ or ‘super pave’, which keeps wearing-off, and re-laid as and when required.
Now, you understand why it’s important that the engineer keeps an eye on the contractor when every layer is made and compacted! Next time, when you see a road construction, watch it closely! | <urn:uuid:f0956fb8-733f-440a-89ea-40c62d259344> | CC-MAIN-2019-43 | http://bengaluru.citizenmatters.in/how-to-build-roads-manivannan-5678 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2019-43/segments/1570986648343.8/warc/CC-MAIN-20191013221144-20191014004144-00382.warc.gz | en | 0.97035 | 870 | 3.5625 | 4 |
Silver coins were once commonplace in American currency. Many of the most well-known and recognizable pieces of United States coinage were what experts refer to as 40% silver coins.
Following supply shortages in the early 1960s and an increase in the price of silver, the United States gradually stopped using fine silver in circulating coins, eventually eliminating its use in 1971.
However, a transition period existed from 1965 to 1970 where U.S. coins used an alloy with a reduced silver quantity known as 40% silver. Today, coins made of this alloy are highly desirable collectibles and an excellent choice for investment.
What Are 40% Silver Coins?
From the day the U.S. Mint began making silver coins in 1794 to 1964, most dimes, quarters, and half dollar coins minted in the United States were manufactured using an alloy of 90% silver (900 purity) and 10% copper. This material was referred to as “junk silver,” as the coins were not considered to have any numismatic value and were only worth their weight in silver.
However, the United States began experiencing a shortage of coins in 1959. Many people hoarded them for their silver, which reached $9.48 per troy ounce in July 1959. In response, the government passed the U.S. Coinage Act of 1965, which eliminated all silver from dimes and quarters and reduced the quantity of silver in half dollar coins.
Starting in 1965 and until 1970, the U.S. Mint began issuing half dollars with reduced silver content. Pre-1965 half-dollars, such as the Franklin Half Dollar, were made using 900 silver and contained about 0.36 troy ounces of pure silver.
The pure silver content of 1965-1969 half-dollars was reduced to about 40% of the coin’s total weight (equivalent to 400 purity), with the remainder of the alloy being copper.
Types of 40% Silver Coins
Two of the most iconic coins in U.S. history were once made of 40% silver: The Kennedy Half Dollar and the Eisenhower Dollar.
Kennedy Half Dollar
The Kennedy Half Dollar coin was authorized by Congress just one month after the death of John F. Kennedy and was first minted in 1964. It is one of the most iconic U.S. coins, easily recognizable by its left-hand profile of the 35th President on the obverse.
Although the original 1964 version used 900 fine silver, all Kennedy Half Dollars produced from 1965 to 1970 used 40% silver. This composition remained until the U.S. government eliminated silver from the coin in 1971.
Despite the change in composition, the 1965-1970 Kennedy Half Dollar coin retained a silvery appearance due to using different materials on the outside and in the core.
The exact composition of a 1965-1970 Kennedy Half Dollar consists of an outer layer of 80% silver and 20% copper clad around a core of 79% copper and 21% silver.
Issued by the U.S. Mint between 1971 to 1978, the Eisenhower Dollar was the first $1 coin in circulation since the 1934-1935 Peace dollar.
Authorized on December 31, 1970, and first minted in 1971, the Eisenhower dollar features the left-hand profile of the 34th president and former General of the Army on the obverse. The reverse features an eagle clutching an olive branch, referencing the insignia of the Apollo 11 mission, which took place in 1969, just a few months after Eisenhower’s death.
Per the rules outlined in the 1970 Coinage Law, which eliminated silver from the half-dollar, the coin’s composition depended on whether it was destined for circulation or as a collectible. The circulation version contained no silver and was manufactured from an alloy containing 91.67% copper and 8.33% nickel.
The collectible version is known as a “silver-clad” and features an outer layer manufactured from 800 silver and a core made of 20.9% silver and 79.1% copper, for an aggregate total of 60% copper and 40% silver. Silver-clad mint years include 1971 through 1974 and 1976. These coins were produced in Philadelphia (P), San Francisco (S), and Denver (D).
The 1976-dated coins are notable for two reasons: They have a specially designed Liberty Bell over the moon on the reverse and feature a 1776-1976 double date, chosen in honor of the bicentennial of American independence.
How Valuable are 40% Silver Coins?
U.S. coins made of 40% silver or “junk” silver contain relatively low quantities of pure silver. While higher than their face value, the melt value of these coins is relatively low.
For instance, a 40% silver 1966 Kennedy Half Dollar contains about 0.1479 troy ounces of pure silver. As of March 1st, 2023, the spot value of silver was approximately $20.996 per troy ounce. If a collector were to sell this coin for its melt value that day, they would earn about $3.10.
However, if they were to sell it as a collectible coin, a good-condition coin is typically worth $6.96, and mint-condition uncirculated examples can reach up to $87. This difference indicates they are worth more as collectibles.
Why You Should Buy 40% Silver Coins
Investing in 40% silver coins is relatively simple. Junk silver coins minted by the U.S. government are easy to recognize and don’t require an appraisal to determine the pure silver content.
The value of junk silver coins typically tracks closely with the spot price of silver, making it an excellent investment option. While less valuable than silver bullion coins, junk silver coins are accessible and have the following benefits for investors:
- Easy to store
- Easy to transport discreetly
- Easy to liquidate quickly
- Low buyer’s premiums
- Accepted by virtually any silver buyer
- Good hedge against inflation
To invest in 40% silver coins, visit AU Precious Metals. We are a reliable local precious metals and coin dealer in Michigan. Our two storefronts have a wide selection of silver coins that you can purchase to add to your collection.
Speak with one of our knowledgeable staff about specific 40% coins for your portfolio. You can also discuss numismatic coin options or purchase silver bars to diversify your portfolio and grow your wealth.
Get the Best Value for Your Silver Coins with AU Precious Metals
When selling your silver coins for cash, select a professional precious metal buyer with the experience to assess your collection’s worth accurately.
Whether your collection includes silver bullion or junk silver, AU Precious Metals will offer you the best value for your coins. Our friendly staff will assist you throughout the process and help you determine the pure silver content in your coins using non-invasive XRF technology.
Contact us today for a quote on your 40% silver coins, or visit one of our locations in Rochester or Novi, MI, to learn more about our precious metal buying, selling, and assaying services. | <urn:uuid:cb8827d1-d00b-46a8-a367-5c9f32248e60> | CC-MAIN-2023-40 | https://www.aupreciousmetals.com/blog/ultimate-guide-to-40-silver-coins | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2023-40/segments/1695233510225.44/warc/CC-MAIN-20230926211344-20230927001344-00378.warc.gz | en | 0.953022 | 1,485 | 3.296875 | 3 |
It is a sad reality that our hearing does not get the amount of attention it requires, until it is gone. In routine medical check-ups, our hearing isn’t even tested. This is why it may be prudent to take our hearing health into our own hands and have our hearing tested periodically. Hearing loss brings with it a host of other medical problems that we can do without, thus early diagnosis and intervention gives us the best results.
People who have hearing loss often take over a decade to have their hearing tested, and even longer to finally opt for hearing aids. By this time, they may already encounter several other medical costs that may be directly or indirectly related to hearing loss.
People with hearing loss are at a higher risk of sustaining injuries due to falling. They also have higher chances of developing dementia or cardiovascular disease. Hearing loss has also been known to result in depression and anxiety in people due to increased social isolation. These are just some of the health issues related to hearing loss. With so many health risks, it is prudent to get your hearing tested periodically.
As infants, newborns are screened for any form of hearing loss after birth in the hospital itself. After this point, it is important to have hearing exams conducted every two years from the age of 6 onwards until the time they reach their teenage years. For teenagers, it is recommended that hearing tests be conducted each time they go in for routine medical check-ups.
For adults aged from 18 to 45, hearing exams should be conducted once in five years. After the age of 50, you should get your hearing checked every two years.
Even if you find that you are not in the designated check-up year, it is imperative that you get your hearing tested if you have difficulty hearing. If you feel that sounds are muffled or you have trouble hearing properly, get your hearing tested as soon as possible. Some forms of hearing loss can be treated easily, such as too much earwax or ear infections. Other forms of permanent hearing loss require the use of hearing aids in order to be rectified. Being mindful of the amount of time you spend exposed to loud noises and taking precautions by using earplugs can help you protect your hearing. Always practice safe listening skills and encourage others to do the same so that you can enjoy your favorite sounds for all your years to come.
Schedule Your Appointment Today
Our educated, experienced staff is dedicated to providing you with the highest quality of hearing care in a personalized, caring environment. | <urn:uuid:f501e247-b468-4a7d-aa56-3ea743de3baf> | CC-MAIN-2023-40 | https://www.coleaudiologylab.com/blog/having-your-hearing-tested | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2023-40/segments/1695233510498.88/warc/CC-MAIN-20230929054611-20230929084611-00331.warc.gz | en | 0.968791 | 510 | 2.984375 | 3 |
How Interstellar Made An Actual Scientific Breakthrough
Trending News: Interstellar Made An Actual Scientific Breakthrough
Why Is This Important?The modern sci-fi movies of today are prepared and researched so meticulously that a real-world scientific discovery isn't out of the question.
Long Story ShortChristopher Nolan's big budget science-fiction film Interstellar has led to a breakthrough in our understanding of how black holes work, thanks to the endeavors of the movie's scientific consultant and computer effects team. Two research papers on the new findings will be published in the near future.
During production of the sci-fi blockbuster Interstellar, academic research was probably some way down director Christopher Nolan's list of goals. Nevertheless, the work done by his special effects team and the movie's consultant astrophysicist has led to a real-world breakthrough in our science knowledge: namely, what black holes actually look like.
American theoretical physicist Kip Thorne provided huge amounts of black hole-related data to the computer effects team working on Interstellar. When the numbers were crunched — and there was 800 terabytes' worth of data to get through — the resulting pictures showed a bright halo of light surrounding the black hole. This was rather unexpected, but Thorne says it's scientifically accurate and can help us understand how these phenomena work.
The calculations run by Interstellar's digital effects team Double Negative were incredibly complicated and required a completely new software rendering algorithm — some of the single frames you'll see in the movie took 100 hours to generate on state-of-the-art equipment. But what was produced is as comprehensive a look at black holes as we've ever seen. "This is our observational data," Thorne told Wired in an interview on the process. "That's the way nature behaves. Period."
As Interstellar hits movie theaters across the world, Kip Thorne is planning to publish at least two papers based on the findings of the Double Negative effects team. What you see on screen is more than an artistic interpretation — it's based on actual scientific data and it's led to new discoveries along the way. It may be that we are able to visualize the far reaches of space long before we have the technology to get there.
"Science fiction always wants to dress things up, like it's never happy with the ordinary universe," Double Negative senior supervisor Paul Franklin explained to Wired. "What we were getting out of the software was compelling straight off."
Ask The Big Question: After reinventing Batman and science-fiction, what should Chris Nolan aim for next?
Own The Conversation
Disrupt Your Feed: I'll take a good-looking outer space explosion over a realistic one every time.
Drop This Fact: Steven Spielberg was originally attached to direct Interstellar in 2006. | <urn:uuid:a2a8c81f-5ba6-44de-9120-190f353f3db1> | CC-MAIN-2018-30 | https://www.askmen.com/news/tech/how-interstellar-made-an-actual-scientific-breakthrough.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2018-30/segments/1531676596542.97/warc/CC-MAIN-20180723145409-20180723165409-00100.warc.gz | en | 0.955616 | 558 | 3.765625 | 4 |
Beliefs & Priorities
- CSISD should broaden and expand its existing efforts to engage all students and their families, including being more assertive in communicating and connecting to the economically disadvantaged and underrepresented student populations.
- To help our students in today’s global economy, CSISD needs to create new opportunities for students to learn about other cultures and more languages at all levels, Head Start-12.
- CSISD should systematically encourage all students, specifically targeting economically disadvantaged and underrepresented student populations, to take advantage of challenging academic offerings to prepare them for post secondary education and the workforce.
- CSISD should seek and develop faculty and staff that are capable of meeting the wide array of instructional needs of an increasingly diverse student population.
- In partnership with other agencies, CSISD should provide accessibility to emerging and challenging technologies for every student.
- Technology should be used to increase all students’ knowledge base and enhance their interest in learning.
- Technology should be an integral tool in teaching, learning and assessment.
- Students should be fluent in a variety of relevant technologies and be able to easily adapt to new technologies.
- While recognizing the importance of achieving high educational ratings, CSISD’s primary focus should be on challenging, relevant and engaged student learning that prepares graduates to be ready for post secondary educational experiences and productive members in the work force. The district and all schools should earn at least an Acceptable rating.
- CSISD should employ multiple measures of accountability, ensure measured progress over time and provide public access to the results.
- CSISD should establish a wider array of workforce readiness programs to meet the expanding needs of its students and the needs of the workforce.
- CSISD should prepare all students for post-secondary education.
- CSISD should be competitive with peer school districts with regard to the number of college credit hours students may earn while in high school.
- Priority 1: Actively communicate to the community, staff and students the District’s strengths and challenges in an environment that promotes trust
- Priority 2: Promote a learning environment that is safe and results in academic, social and emotional success while encouraging a healthy lifestyle for each student
- Priority 3: Maximize resources in order to create highly successful students | <urn:uuid:7a19052f-a018-4d42-be58-5260adc84425> | CC-MAIN-2017-17 | http://www.csisd.org/apps/pages/index.jsp?uREC_ID=161714&type=d&termREC_ID=&pREC_ID=330176 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2017-17/segments/1492917121216.64/warc/CC-MAIN-20170423031201-00315-ip-10-145-167-34.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.932445 | 471 | 3.0625 | 3 |
Diabetic macular edema (DME) is a consequence of microvascular changes in the retina that develop as a result of the progression of diabetic retinopathy (Romero-Aroca, 2010, 2011). In DME, weakened capillaries in the eye allow fluid to cross the blood-retinal barrier, which in turn results in retinal thickening and an accumulation of fluid in the retinal tissue of the macula. Patients suffering from DME typically experience blurred vision, floaters and dark areas in the visual field, and/or poor night vision. Untreated, DME causes moderate vision loss in 25-30% of patients, and severe vision loss and blindness in many of these individuals (ETDRS, 1985; Morello, 2007; Wong, 2009; Romero-Aroca, 2010).
Diabetic retinopathy impacts approximately 2 million adults age .65 years in the U.S. (The Eye Diseases Prevalence Research Group, 2004). Of these, approximately 15% are estimated to have DME (Lee, 2008; Wong, 2006), and one-half of DME patients may have "clinically significant" disease. Clinically significant macular edema is characterized by retinal thickening or hard exudates close to the macula center, the area most critical for preserving vision, or particularly large zones of retinal thickening within range of the macula center (ETDRS, 1985). DME may also be characterized as "focal", in which disease is caused primarily by microaneurysms and other foci of vascular abnormalities, or "diffuse", in which widespread dilated retinal capillaries are the primary manifestation (Ali, 1997).
Several studies have found that levels of independence and ability to perform activities of daily living such as shopping, meal preparation, and using the telephone decreases as visual acuity worsens (Hazel, 2000; Haymes, 2002; Bibby, 2007). Worsening DME may also affect diabetes selfcare,
as patients report difficulties with reading nutrition and medication labels, testing blood sugar, and checking feet for wounds or sores (James, 2012). In these studies and others (Brown, 2002), overall quality of life measures have been highly correlated with visual acuity irrespective of disease etiology. For example, studies that employ the National Eye Institute Visual Function Questionnaire (NEI VFQ-25), a vision-specific measure of quality of life and functional ability, have found that improvements in visual acuity correspond to significantly improved perceptions of quality of life (Suner, 2009; Cahill, 2005; Miskala, 2003; Miskala, 2004).
Beyond decrements in daily functioning and quality of life, clinically significant macular edema has been associated with poorer survival in patients with adult-onset diabetes (Hirai, 2008). Over a 20-year period, the risk of death from all causes among patients with clinically significant macular edema was estimated to be 40%, a rate twice that of patients without the condition (Hirai, 2008).
The economic impact of DME and its treatment is also substantial. Findings from a recent study indicate that patients with DME consume more resources overall than patients with diabetes who do not have DME, resulting in significantly higher direct medical costs to Medicare (Shea, 2008). A diagnosis of DME resulted in expenditures of $11,290 and $33,620 at 1 and 3 years, respectively, a 30% increase over patients without DME when controlling for other factors. Importantly, these data were collected prior to the introduction of expensive biologic agents to treat DME and other ocular disorders (see Section 2). The impact on overall utilization and costs of the introduction of these new agents is unknown. | <urn:uuid:75682047-e8c6-46af-b1f1-747cb850eaa6> | CC-MAIN-2015-35 | https://www.cms.gov/medicare-coverage-database/details/technology-assessments-details.aspx?TAId=85&fromdb=true | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2015-35/segments/1440644064420.15/warc/CC-MAIN-20150827025424-00127-ip-10-171-96-226.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.917001 | 780 | 2.671875 | 3 |
Today, the pressure is always on increasing the level of interactivity in learning. In eLearning, interactivity drives engagement. Interactive elements help the learners actively participate in the learning. This, in turn, improves learning outcomes and facilitates better knowledge retention.
Why Use Interactivity?
The objective of using interactive elements is to facilitate learning, best explain the topic to the learner, and keep the learner actively engaged. Several studies show that the use of interactive elements improve learning outcomes and facilitate better retention of the learning objects.
Interactivity in eLearning can extend from simple click-to-reveal kind of actions, to creating situations and scenario reproductions, and creating decision tests. With the use of interactive elements such as gamification, multimedia, video, simulations, digital avatars, virtual reality etc. the learner can develop a deeper comprehension of the subject via a protected, experimentation-like environment.
However, not all interactivity levels are created equal. Organizations must apply interactivity levels in their eLearning programs according to the nature of the content, the technological infrastructure and environment, the desired outcomes, the target audience, and the budget.
The level of interaction is the metric that refers to concepts such as learning complexity, user interaction levels, and sophistication level of the eLearning course.
Interactivity in eLearning is broken down into the following levels:
Low-Level Interactivity/Page Turners
Level 1 or Page Turners is a very basic level of interactivity. Here, the learner watches a video or recording or receives the text on the screen with minimal media use. Media used here is in the form of photographs or icons. While the learner has minimal control of the learning environment as the level of interactions here are quite passive, this level of interactivity is still better than PowerPoint presentations since the content is broken down into smaller, bite-sized pieces, and each section could be followed by a basic assessment. Video provided by the client can also be cropped and embedded in this level and may or may not use audio. If audio is used, then it is used verbatim.
This level of interactivity can be used effectively if the aim is to build awareness, is procedural in nature, or when the learners just need a ‘show me how to” kind of a presentation.
Medium to High Interactivity (Audio-Driven)
In this level, the learner is allowed more control, thus making this level the most favored approach to delivering eLearning. The use of animations, graphics (like photographs, icons, and infographics), and interactivities such as click-to-reveal activities like clickable tabs, icons, infographics, etc., roll-overs can be found in this level. This level can also employ audio and video elements such as introductory videos and product demonstrations for better learning. In this level, interactive elements appear at regular intervals, say every 5 screens. In this level, the learner must demonstrate the knowledge acquired from the content as the emphasis is on application objectives.icons, infographics, etc., roll-overs can be found in this level. This level is more audio-driven where the learner does a little more than just watch, read or navigate the learning material here and can associate with the learning conditions through “problem areas” employing interactive assets such as movement, sight, and sound. The navigation in this interactivity level expands to glossaries and links to external resources, and often has exercises such as quizzes, identification components, drag and drop, matching, etc.
This level of interactivity is apt for eLearning situations that are focused on on-the-job-performance improvements such as process and product training and skill development, rather than just knowledge transfer. Because of the more media and audio-driven approach taken, content overload is not a concern and the learner can take in digestible chunks of information, at their own pace.
Medium to High Interaction Using Conversation/Stories/Games/Branching, etc.
Higher interactions are best suited for courses that have a moderately high degree of complexity, demand active learning due to the multiple inter-related concepts, and multidimensional problems that require authentic representation, and advanced practice. Graphics, animations, custom illustrations (characters or backgrounds relevant to the story or theme being used), and gamified quizzes are employed at this level. This learning method could also use multiple paths or branching to enable active learning. The learner has a higher degree of control over the course environment.
The content is presented in the context of real business problems and employs audio, videos, and simulated environments with interactivity appearing more regularly, say on every 3rd screen. The content also has a flexible or customized navigation structure and employs more complex and narrated animations.
There are more complex practice opportunities by using custom animations that test the learner’s investigative capabilities. This method is best suited for training on problem-solving capabilities such as performing financial calculations, introducing menu-driven applications or new software environments etc. This learning method also provides a ‘safe’ environment to learners as they can learn the impact of their decisions in a simulated environment. The emphasis is on application, knowledge transfers and retention. The learner here must make complex decisions and in case of poor performance, they receive immediate remediation.
Advanced Interactivity (Videos/explainers)
This level employs a high level of instructional and visual design, using an animated explainer or video-type approach. Simulations, high-impact graphics, complex animations, highly recharged interactivities, self-checks and practice sessions with a higher degree of sophistication. This level employs a story line with characters and may also have interactive elements. The creation of personalized or dynamic environments using real-life scenarios and digital avatars to teach complex theories or concepts with a professional run-through enable better comprehension and deliver a better learning impact. This approach works great for presenting how-to videos, product demonstrations, change management, story-telling, etc. This level of eLearning is a good learning option when the objective of the course is to help learners understand complex and multifaceted business problems or teach them high-level or advanced decision-making skills, or even to bring about in change in attitude and behavior. Live recordings of customer interactions, for example, can be used to training customer-facing teams where they get to see an actual or simulated interaction, thus helping them up their skills in a faster more relatable set-up.
Level 1 and Level 2 interactivity is well suited for training that needs frequent updating such as new hire orientations or company policies. It is also great for larger training programs where budgets might also be a constraint.is to help learners understand complex and multifaceted business problems or teach them high-level or advanced decision-making skills, or even to bring about a change in attitude and behavior. Live recordings of customer interactions, for example, can be used to training customer-facing teams where they get to see an actual or simulated interaction, thus helping them up their skills in a faster more relatable set-up.
Level 3 and 4 are ideal for situations where the learners need to be motivated to take the course, if they need to improve productivity, and where their actions have a direct business impact. Evaluating the technical environment such as bandwidth, software etc. is essential for employing Level 3 and 4 interactivities.
When it comes to interactivity, sometimes less can be more and vice versa. The learning objectives and the desired outcomes must drive the level of interactivity your course needs. Consider your learner personas, their level of comfort with online training, their job requirements, and of course, your budgets and business needs, before applying a certain instructional and visual design strategy. Consult a Learning Solutions Specialist to help you define what is the best approach you need to take.
At eNyota we strive to deliver the best experience your learners can get. Our interactive courses are based on the levels mentioned above and are designed and created to provide an optimal level of learner engagement and completion rates. If you’re interested in knowing more about the next course you want to build and how it can be achieved, reach out to us at Contactus@enyotalearning.com or click here to fill a form, and one of our representatives will reach out to you. | <urn:uuid:94bde3cc-8356-42c7-b5bf-6425e3d6543d> | CC-MAIN-2019-47 | https://enyotalearning.com/blog/not-interactivity-decoding-interactivity-levels/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2019-47/segments/1573496665985.40/warc/CC-MAIN-20191113035916-20191113063916-00067.warc.gz | en | 0.92507 | 1,710 | 3.4375 | 3 |
Looking for any artifacts left by Native American people requires a combination of great patience, a keen eye, a working knowledge of the law, a measure of charm -- permission must be sought and gained to enter upon private property -- and an understanding of all the factors that maximize the chances of success.
Location, Location, Location
Arrowheads are unlikely to be found in areas where game was scarce and where territory was of little strategic value. That is not to say that prey animals and enemies were not targeted all over Texas by its nomadic peoples, but the chances of finding projectile points are increased by looking where human activity was greatest. The Caddos lived in what is now northeast Texas; the Karankawas held the Gulf between what is now Galveston south to what is now Corpus Christi; the Coahuiltecan occupied the southeast and the lower Rio Grand. The Texas Hill Country is a rich and verdant region, and many smaller Indian bands lived in the area.
Timing It Right
Freshly plowed ground is a trove of material that was previously buried, and rain cleans off arrowheads and other impermeable objects, making them more visible. This confluence of events occurs most frequently in springtime. Although many tribes lived along the shores of the Gulf of Mexico, centuries of aggressive weather events such as hurricanes have destroyed most of what they left behind. That said, storm tides reveal artifacts that were previously buried in the same way as rain on a freshly plowed field, and an eagle-eyed stroll along a beach can sometimes be productive.
The sides of streams in places with good tree cover were favorite places for bands of Indians to camp, and such sites can be rich with discarded or accidentally lost arrowheads. The Alabama-Coushatta Indians were the most abundant people in east Texas, and they lived concentrated around the Woodville area. The banks of the Guadelupe River near the town of Center Point was a favorite residence, and Beech Creek and Village Creek near Silsbee have been very productive. Around San Marcos was rich hunting territory. Many semi-permanent camps were set up in the game-rich Big Thicket region. The Caddo people were concentrated around Indian Creek north of what is now the town of Nobility; following the creek from behind the Baptist Church often yields some interesting finds.
The advice to search freshly plowed fields by definition involves entering upon private property. It is vital to gain permission from the appropriate authority -- owner, lessee or trustee -- before wandering on to private property; without permission such an activity is Entry Without Consent, and to remove any found item is theft. Even as innocent an activity as hunting for arrowheads can be mistaken for an intention to poach wildlife, rustle stock or steal valuable farm and ranch equipment. Without a permit issued by the Texas Antiquities Committee, it is never legal to remove finds from government land, be it state or federal property, even if you have full permission to be on the land and have paid an admission fee. It is never acceptable to enter upon property owned by modern-day Native American trusts, families or reservations. Also refrain from surface hunting any place that may be related to burials or funerary ceremonies.
- Hemera Technologies/PhotoObjects.net/Getty Images | <urn:uuid:bed4b9ba-f914-4cfc-a939-112a02252bed> | CC-MAIN-2016-26 | http://traveltips.usatoday.com/places-hunt-arrowheads-east-texas-63400.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2016-26/segments/1466783399106.96/warc/CC-MAIN-20160624154959-00063-ip-10-164-35-72.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.966204 | 673 | 2.875 | 3 |
A large grey owl, 43–50 cm tall, barred in front and blotched on the head, back and wings. Their wingspan is about 1 m. The distinguishing features of the Spotted Eagle-Owl are the prominent tufts of feathers on either side of its head, which it erects into ‘ears’ or ‘horns’, and its bright yellow eyes. The ear tufts are for show and have nothing to do with their ears or hearing. The sexes are alike in colour and size, and the juveniles resemble the adult. Their plumage can be fairly varied, and there is a rare rufous colour form, which is reddish brown, more heavily blotched and has orange eyes.
Spotted Eagle-Owls are nocturnal. They roost during the day, either in trees or among rocks. At sunset they fly out to a perch to hunt. From the perch they scan the ground for movement, using both their eyes and ears to detect it, flying silently in pursuit of whatever suitable prey they see. While roosting they make themselves as inconspicuous as possible, drawing their feathers tightly to their body and closing their eyes to hide any telltale glint and sitting dead still. At dusk they are quite conspicuous, perched in prominent positions and calling.
Spotted eagle-owls are regular bathers and during summer thunderstorms may be seen on tree limbs or on the ground with spread wings.
Scientific name: Bubo africanus
Image: Ranger Jacques Beukes | <urn:uuid:5a9b8089-0f65-420a-9cf8-5b2ddc91844c> | CC-MAIN-2017-43 | http://www.buffelsdrift.com/spotted-eagle-owl-bubo-africanus/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2017-43/segments/1508187822668.19/warc/CC-MAIN-20171018013719-20171018033719-00888.warc.gz | en | 0.963154 | 320 | 3.265625 | 3 |
President Trump blamed the catastrophic fires in Northern California on “bad” environmental regulations that reduce the amount of water available to fight the blazes.
“California wildfires are being magnified & made so much worse by the bad environmental laws which aren’t allowing massive amount of readily available water to be properly utilized. It is being diverted into the Pacific Ocean. Must also tree clear to stop fire spreading!,” Trump wrote on his Twitter account Sunday.
Crews on Sunday continued to battle multiple fires in California that have killed eight people, destroyed hundreds of homes and structures, and caused thousands of people to evacuate as high temperatures and strong winds have been fueling the flames for the past two weeks.
The combination is creating “firenadoes” — twisting plumes of fire and ash that shoot into the sky.
Trump’s claims about a lack of water apparently come from a 2015 proposal floated by the Tree People, an environmental nonprofit, that Californians should capture rainwater draining from roofs and streets instead of allowing it to flow into the ocean.
And last September, Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke ordered land managers at federal parks to begin aggressively clearing small trees and underbrush to prevent wildfires from spreading.
California officials have blamed dry brush and trees for helping to spread the fires.
The president has signed a disaster declaration for Shasta County as it battles the Carr Fire, which has torched more than 150,000 acres (about 234 square miles). | <urn:uuid:e53d86fe-9c5b-4cc1-9548-3fb31ef61d80> | CC-MAIN-2019-35 | https://nypost.com/2018/08/05/trump-blames-california-wildfires-on-bad-environmental-laws/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2019-35/segments/1566027313987.32/warc/CC-MAIN-20190818165510-20190818191510-00382.warc.gz | en | 0.947762 | 300 | 2.734375 | 3 |
Special Issue “100 Years of Chronogeometrodynamics: the Status of the Einstein’s Theory of Gravitation in Its Centennial Year” in the journal Universe
In 1692, Newton wrote: “That gravity should be innate inherent and essential to matter so that one body may act upon another at a distance through a vacuum without the mediation of anything else by and through which their action or force may be conveyed from one to another is to me so great an absurdity that I believe no man who has in philosophical matters any competent faculty of thinking can ever fall into it. Gravity must be caused by an agent acting constantly according to certain laws, but whether this agent be material or immaterial is a question I have left to the consideration of my readers”. One of them who, just over 200 years later, picked up the baton of Newton was Albert Einstein. His General Theory of Relativity, which marks the centenary this year, opened up new windows on our comprehension of Nature, disclosed new, previously unpredictable, phenomena occurring when relative velocities dramatically change in intense gravitational fields reaching values close to the speed of light and, for the first time after millennia of speculations, put Cosmology on the firm grounds of empirically testable science. This Special Issue is dedicated to such a grandest achievement of the human thought.
Prof. Lorenzo Iorio
Prof. Stephon Alexander
Prof. Jean-Michel Alimi
Prof. Elias C. Vagenas
//php get_template_part( 'content', 'single' ); ?> //php comments_template( '', true ); ?> | <urn:uuid:ac9e23a2-c6f6-489e-84bf-de83fbc00361> | CC-MAIN-2021-04 | https://hyperspace.uni-frankfurt.de/2015/03/24/special-issue-100-years-of-chronogeometrodynamics-the-status-of-the-einsteins-theory-of-gravitation-in-its-centennial-year-in-the-journal-universe/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2021-04/segments/1610703514121.8/warc/CC-MAIN-20210118030549-20210118060549-00731.warc.gz | en | 0.8811 | 335 | 2.609375 | 3 |
Each of these periods had produced its memorials or left its deposits, Which have to some extent been preserved in the varied literature that we call the ot, and these are our chief sources for the study of Hebrew religion. In early songs and stories, in short, simple codes of laws, this life'and religion finds its first expression. Then come early attempts at regular national chronicles. The first written sermons show that there is real literary culture, if of a simple kind. Later the laws are set in a more elaborate codification, and. History is written from a definite religious point of view. Finally the whole is placed in'the framework of the world's history, and a sacred book comes into existence which has nourished simple piety and produced hard dogma of religion and science. In other articles the political history will be treated at length and the Bible as literature discussed; here it is sufficient to say that no real history of the religion could be written until literary criticism had' solved many problems, showing, c.g., that the Pentateuch consists of documents that can now be related to widely separated periods of the nation's life, and that the sixty-six chap ters of Isaiah represent many stages of ethical prophecy and apocalyptic thought. Our discussion must relate itself to this history andfrest upon this basis of modern critical scholarship. | <urn:uuid:334df662-ff88-4859-b8cd-b65696a1cf61> | CC-MAIN-2019-13 | https://www.forgottenbooks.com/en/books/TheReligionofIsrael_10791018 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2019-13/segments/1552912201922.85/warc/CC-MAIN-20190319073140-20190319095140-00467.warc.gz | en | 0.93119 | 271 | 3.1875 | 3 |
Normally, the walls of an artery are smooth, allowing blood to flow unimpeded. Atherosclerosis is when harmful material collects on the wall of an artery. This material includes fat, cholesterol, and other substances.
Eventually, thematerial builds up and a plaque is formed, narrowing the artery. When thebuild-up is severe, a clot could block the vessel completely. | <urn:uuid:3b6bb300-b054-4575-a6f3-e0a9692b3312> | CC-MAIN-2014-23 | http://www.stlukes-stl.com/health-content/health-ency-multimedia/17/000006.htm | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2014-23/segments/1406510257966.18/warc/CC-MAIN-20140728011737-00287-ip-10-146-231-18.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.92638 | 77 | 2.984375 | 3 |
A. Words in Context
1. Tick the word closest in meaning to that of the each boldfaced word. Use the context of the sentences to help you figure out each words meaning.
attrition (n)Colleges and Universities try not to have
a high rate of attrition. They want students to stay until graduation rather than drop out early.
Attrition means a. an increase in number b. ill health
c. a natural loss of individuals
contend (v)John contended that smoking hadnt hurt his health, but right after making that claim, he had a fit of coughing that lasted ten minutes.
Contend means a. conceal b. realize c. declare
eradicate (v)Joyce and Stevens adopted son was
abused in an earlier home. Theyre working hard to eradicate the lingering effects on him of that experience.
Eradicate means a. reveal b. regulate strictly c. erase
exhort (v)On the eve of the decisive battle, the
general exhorted the troops to fight bravely for their homeland.
Exhort means a. accuse b. praise c. urge
impede (v)Muddy roads impeded the progress of
trucks bringing food to the refugees.
Impede means a. oppress b. hinder c. include
inundate (v)After his brief announcement, the
President was inundated with questions from reporters.
Inundate means a. flood b. strengthen c. go around
germane (adj)Stacy visited certain internet sites to find information germane to the topic of her scientific thesis.
Germane means a. damaging b. related c. foreign
mandatory (adj)A new accounting system will soon
become mandatory for all departments.
Mandatory means a. delayed b. binding c. optional
panacea (n)Ravi thinks his trouble would be over if
he just had a lot of money. But money isnt a panacea; it wouldnt solve all his problems.
Panacea means a belief b. a basic necessity
c. a universal remedy
perfunctory (adj)Most of the candidates were passionate
on the subject of nuclear weapons, but one spoke in a very perfunctory way, apparently bored with the topic.
Perfunctory means a. uninterested b. enthusiastic c. exaggerated
recourse (n)Unless you pay your bill, the company threatened, well have no recourse but to sue you.
Recourse means a. a way out b. a problem c. a question
stringent (adj)Professor Jasper has the most stringent
standards in the department. Passing her course is difficult; getting an A is next to impossible.
Stringent means a. different b. flexible c. demanding
Write the word next to its definition. The sentences in the previous exercise will help you decide on the meaning of each word.
Ordered by a law or rule
To claim to be true
Strictly controlled or enforced; strict; severe
A gradual natural decrease in number;
becoming fewer in number
. To cover as by flooding; overwhelm
with a large number or amount
. Having to do with the issue at hand; relevant
To delay or slow; get in the way of
. Something supposed to cure all diseases, evils;
..To urge with argument or strong advice; plead
.. Done only as a routine, with little care or
interest; performed with no interest or enthusiasm
A source of help, security or strength
..To get rid of altogether; wipe out
Date: 2015-12-24; view: 690 | <urn:uuid:91528723-3a2e-4304-8552-37ee4cfec009> | CC-MAIN-2019-35 | https://doclecture.net/1-41577.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2019-35/segments/1566027314721.74/warc/CC-MAIN-20190819093231-20190819115231-00199.warc.gz | en | 0.91857 | 764 | 3.25 | 3 |
A.J. Erickson, J.S. Gulliver, R.M. Hozalski, O. Mohseni, J.L. Nieber, B.N. Wilson, P.T. Weiss
A water budget for a stormwater treatment practice is the accounting of water that enters, exits, and is stored by the stormwater treatment practice (equation 4.1). The water budget assigns discharge values to each of the processes that affect the fate of water, including input processes (e.g., direct precipitation into the treatment practice, surface runoff, and conduit or open channel flow) and output processes (e.g., infiltration, evapotranspiration, and conduit or open channel flow). The goal for developing a water budget is to balance the inflows and outflows with minimal error.
It is important to note that this manual does not contain all possible methods of water budget measurement. The intent of this section is to discuss the most common methods and provide guidance for method selection. Those interested in other methods of discharge measurement or other water budget parameter estimation should consult discharge measurement (e.g., Bos 1998, Herschy 1995), fluid mechanics (e.g., Franzini and Finnemore 1997), hydrology (e.g., Bedient and Huber 1992), or other similar texts.
Water budgets require measurement of all water transport into and out of the stormwater treatment practice, including open channel flow, conduit flow, over-land flow, direct precipitation, evaporation, transpiration, infiltration, ground water seepage, and any other influent sources and effluent transport processes. Figure 4.1 is an illustration of water budget processes on a typical stormwater treatment practice and equation 4.1 can be used to calculate the mass balance of water from these processes.
Measuring all sources of water transport may not be practical or possible. Some stormwater treatment practices (e.g., infiltration basins) do not have a central effluent location that can be measured easily, and some transport processes (e.g., overland flow) are not easily measured or sampled (see sampling methods). Sections are provided with discussion of water budget measurement techniques for open channel flow, conduit flow, infiltration, evaporation and evapotranspiration, and rainfall. More information can be found in “Urban Stormwater BMP Performance Monitoring” (U.S. EPA. 2002).
Assessment of stormwater treatment practices is significantly simpler and more accurate if the stormwater treatment practice is constructed or retrofitted to minimize modes of water transport into and out of the practice. For example, a detention pond with two or more inlet structures would require multiple discharge-measurement and sampling stations, but if all inlets were combined into a central influent, only one discharge-measurement and sampling station would be required. Assessment costs could therefore be significantly reduced and the process simplified.
Continue to Open Channel Flow. | <urn:uuid:333ac933-972f-4b92-8a32-d8e53a655ea0> | CC-MAIN-2020-34 | http://stormwaterbook.safl.umn.edu/developing-assessment-program/water-budget-measurement | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2020-34/segments/1596439738960.69/warc/CC-MAIN-20200813043927-20200813073927-00397.warc.gz | en | 0.890005 | 608 | 2.953125 | 3 |
|Scientific Name||Ancistrus brachyurus, Dekeyseria brachyuran, Peckoltia pulcher|
|Common Name(s)||Butterfly Pleco|
|Water Parameters||pH 5.6-7|
|Diet||Primarily Algae, omnivorous|
Butterfly Pleco Facts:
1. The Butterfly Pleco has the ability to camouflage itself for protection by changing color.
2. When spawning, the male butterfly pleco will protect the eggs until they’ve developed.
3. Unlike most pleco species, butterfly plecos can be kept together though they might chase each other and fan themselves out to establish dominance and guard their territory.
The butterfly pleco is a beautiful species, popular for its distinctive striped pattern as well as its size. Since butterfly plecos don’t get to be as large as other member of their species, they can be kept in smaller tanks of 60-80 gallons at minimum, as compared to others who need twice that. They’re also very peaceful, making them an excellent maintenance fish for smaller communities.
Butterfly plecos are hardy, but they do require extra care for their diet. These plecos can be considered omnivorous when in a tank, but their main source of food should come from both prepared and fresh vegetation. Unlike other suckers, they absolutely cannot exist on tank overgrowth and waste alone. Blanched zucchini and cucumber make excellent treats for them. They also need a good amount of driftwood to rasp regularly. Some plecos can survive without it, but butterfly plecos have a diet particularly rich in wood.
This species is also nocturnal and will react to differences in light by changing color. They do camouflage themselves to match their environment, so dark substrate should be avoided. They will also hide and camouflage when they have more light, so to get the best out of their gorgeous stripes, the tank should be somewhere out of direct sunlight, and relatively somber. In order to create a decent habitat, butterfly plecos should also be given adequate hiding spaces. As far a plecos go, they’re one of the easier species to breed, but do require nooks and crannies to wedge themselves in. The male protects the eggs by fanning his fins until they’re ready to leave the nest.
Despite being small, they are still catfish and require a higher level of filtration than other fish, since they produce more waste. Even if they’re in a small tank, it should be cycled before adding them, and it should have an adequate filtration system. The tank should be monitored closely and water changes will need to be done frequently.
The small stature of the butterfly pleco along with its exotic pattern makes it a popular community fish, but it does require somewhat more maintenance than other suckerfish. With the right habitat and conditions, these little guys will breed and can live up to 8 years. They won’t outgrow their space, so if a common pleco or a larger species of pleco isn’t an option due to space, butterfly plecos can still provide aquarists with a great pleco experience. | <urn:uuid:c8b97e63-b127-446c-b46f-63f67293c814> | CC-MAIN-2018-09 | http://fishlaboratory.com/fish/butterfly-pleco | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2018-09/segments/1518891813109.8/warc/CC-MAIN-20180220224819-20180221004819-00676.warc.gz | en | 0.930576 | 672 | 3.46875 | 3 |
It is a truth universally acknowledged, that a single man in possession of a good fortune, must be in want of a wife. Pride and Prejudice’s famous opening sentence sets the tone. Jane Austen contradicts the opening sentence in the first chapter by having Mr. Bennet question it. It is certainly not a “truth universally acknowledged.” It isn’t even a truth, much less accepted.
Jane Austen’s cynical tone is shown by many of her characters. Mr. Bennet utters what might have been her motto: “For what do we live, but to make sport for our neighbors, and laugh at them in our turn?”
But Mr. Bennet also displays cynicism in other ways. When Elizabeth refuses to marry Mr. Collins and Mrs. Bennet wants her husband to force her to do so, he says, “An unhappy alternative is before you, Elizabeth. From this day you must be a stranger to one of your parents. Your mother will never see you again if you do not marry Mr. Collins, and I will never see you again if you do.”
Later, Elizabeth wonders how much money it took to persuade Wickham to marry Lydia. Mr. Bennet says, “Wickham’s a fool if he takes her with a farthing less than ten thousand pounds. I should be sorry to think so ill of him, in the very beginning of our relationship.” He would be sorry to have his son-in-law be a fool. That is reasonable. What is not reasonable is that to show he isn’t foolish, his son-in-law must squeeze the maximum amount of money out of his bride’s relatives. Surely, Mr. Bennet isn’t sorry about that.
Mr. Darcy isn’t above a certain cynicism: “What a charming amusement for young people this is, Mr. Darcy! There is nothing like dancing after all. I consider it as one of the first refinements of polished society.” “Certainly, sir; and it has the advantage also of being in vogue amongst the less polished societies of the world. Every savage can dance.” True, but even though Jane Austen wrote it over two hundred years ago, many still think dancing is refined.
But Jane Austen certainly was cynical when she described people’s actions. Miss Bingley isn’t as comical as some of the other characters, but she certainly had her moments. “I declare after all there is no enjoyment like reading! How much sooner one tires of anything than of a book! …” No one made any reply. She then yawned again, threw aside her book, and cast her eyes round the room in quest for some amusement.
Mrs. Bennet contradicts herself so often that one wonders if she had any idea of consistency. Consider part of her speech to Elizabeth when she refused Mr. Collins’ offer of marriage: “…I have done with you from this very day. I told you in the library, you know, that I should never speak to you again, and you will find me as good as my word. … Nobody can tell what I suffer! But it is always so. Those who do not complain are never pitied.”
Another instance of Mrs. Bennet’s lack of logic about how she cares for her eldest daughter is shown here: “Well, my comfort is, I am sure Jane will die of a broken heart; and then he will be sorry for what he has done.” But as Elizabeth could not receive comfort from any such expectation, she made no answer.
Lady Catherine is not as stupid as some of the characters in Pride and Prejudice, but Jane Austen does have such gems as this: The party then gathered round the fire to hear Lady Catherine determine what weather they were to have on the morrow.
Mr. Collins has many funny moments, but one that stands out is this: “You ought certainly to forgive them, as a Christian, but never to admit them in your sight, or allow their names to be mentioned in your hearing.”
If anyone does not think Jane Austen was a great comedic writer, one approach is to use the same approach Elinor used in Sense and Sensibility: Elinor agreed to it all, for she did not think he deserved the compliment of rational opposition. | <urn:uuid:ec6eecca-8b96-4b02-a7f5-6df5b90225d7> | CC-MAIN-2021-49 | https://www.renatamcmann.com/pride-and-prejudice-characters/pride-and-prejudice-humor-and-cynicism/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2021-49/segments/1637964362605.52/warc/CC-MAIN-20211203060849-20211203090849-00305.warc.gz | en | 0.978268 | 929 | 2.875 | 3 |
Investigations of abrupt climate change offshore east Greenland continental margin during marine isotope stages 3 and 5
Not peer reviewed
MetadataShow full item record
Paleoclimatic records obtained from western Nordic Seas core GS15-198-38CC (70°N, 17°W) exhibit fluctuating climatic patterns of millennial time scales. Here, foraminifera isotope records used to reconstruct sea surface water mass properties indicated that variability changes during the last glacial period (~130 kyr) have been dominated by forcing at precession (21 kyr) and millennial timescales. Observed shifts in δ^18O records, abundance ice-rafted detritus and planktonic foraminifers display a good agreement to Greenland atmospheric temperatures changes, indicating a coupling between ice sheet dynamics and sea surface processes east of the Greenland continental margin. The most frequent abrupt stadial/interstadial changes retained from the marine sediments are known as Dansgaard-Oeschger (D-O) cycles, and appear every 1-2 kyr. These cycles are characterized by abrupt short-lived increase in temperatures (10 ± 5°C) followed by gradual cooling preceding the next rapid event. A second millennial scale feature detected in the sediments record is cooling events culminating significant iceberg discharges analogous to Heinrich events. Mechanisms triggering abrupt changes display uncertainties, but leading hypothesis is attributed to modifications in the Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation (AMOC) and deep-water formation initiated by freshwater input. Finally, contrasting climatic variabilities between Marine Isotope Stages 5 and 3 is apparent. MIS 3 is dominated by rapidly fluctuating parameters, indicating climatic changes arising at a high pace. In contrary, MIS 5 exhibit longer, less frequent oscillations suggesting more stable climatic cycles, and hence also a difference in forcing mechanisms.
PublisherThe University of Bergen
Copyright the Author. All rights reserved | <urn:uuid:dea12034-62e6-4e3d-bc9c-83803e812da3> | CC-MAIN-2017-34 | http://bora.uib.no/handle/1956/12639 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2017-34/segments/1502886105451.99/warc/CC-MAIN-20170819124333-20170819144333-00127.warc.gz | en | 0.857765 | 398 | 2.546875 | 3 |
A digital twin is an exact, virtual representation of a real-world asset such as a building or set of buildings. Using sensors, Internet of Things and Artificial Intelligence, the twin provides feedback on key assets and intelligence on how the occupants interact with that building. Its use in construction is not yet widespread in the Middle East, but interest in the benefits they can bring is growing, and the use of digital twins is predicted to rise rapidly.
We spoke with Dr. Jacques ElKhouri, Head of Digital Transformation & Innovation, Dar Al Handasah, and asked him to explain the technology’s use in construction.
Explain what a digital twin is in simple terms | <urn:uuid:b00a897b-559c-4ebb-ac6a-4d2289d36511> | CC-MAIN-2024-10 | https://dchub.me/digital-construction/om/qa-dr-jacques-elkhouri-dar-al-handasah-on-digital-twins/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2024-10/segments/1707947473360.9/warc/CC-MAIN-20240221002544-20240221032544-00472.warc.gz | en | 0.938854 | 137 | 3.140625 | 3 |
The headline grabbing numbers from last Friday’s USDA Planting Intentions report were the 95.9 million acres U.S. farmers plan to put into corn this spring. That would be up about four million acres from a year ago and the most since farmers planted over 97 million corn acres in 1937. Attracting some notice too was the expectation that soybean acres would fall this year by about a million to 73.9 million acres. Traders said they were surprised by the planting numbers for both crops but some other trends and facts about those numbers are also interesting to consider.
A number of economists have looked at those numbers for their historical significance. John Anderson, a top economist with the American Farm Bureau Federation, pointed out how the current acreage expectations are like the 1937 numbers but that’s where the similarity ends. In a recent article, he showed how far yields have progressed. In 1937 the average corn yield in this country was just 28.9 bushels per acre, leading to a total yield on those 97.2 million acres of just two and a half billion bushels. This year, with expected average yields of 164 bushels per acre, the total harvest should give us a crop of about 14.4 billion bushels, our largest ever.
One concern or asterisk some are putting on the report is what is happening in the Dakotas, which were too wet to plant much of their crop last year. This year, North Dakota farmers plan to plant 1.17 million more acres to corn this year, which is basically the difference between what U.S. farmers say they will plant this year and what they actually planted last year. The question has to be asked, though, and is being asked by many economists and market watchers, “Can North Dakota corn average 164 bushels per acre?” The answer will come they say later this fall. Both North and South Dakota also plan to increase their soybean acres by 200,000 as more and more soybean varieties adaptable to that climate come on the market.
Other states, though, are indicating big jumps in corn acres, led by Minnesota. Farmers there plan to plant 600,000 more acres to corn this year and 200,000 fewer acres to soybeans. Iowa farmers will increase their corn acreage by 500,000 while reducing soybean ground by 550,000 acres. Nebraska farmers will plant 450,000 more corn acres and Ohio will have 400,000 more acres in corn than a year ago. It appears Wisconsin farmers will not deviate from recent trends as corn acres are predicted to go up by just 50,000 acres to 4.2 million and soybean plantings will total 1.68 million acres, up from 1.61 million in 2011.
North and South Dakota are also leading the way in the trend of where major crops like corn and soybeans are being grown in this country. Data Transmission Network (DTN) crop experts put together a report showing corn acreage is moving further west and north in this country. More and more corn is being grown in the Western Corn Belt and the Great Plains. According to DTN, the share of the crop grown in South Dakota will increase from 2.9% of the total crop to 4.5% while North Dakota will increase from .4% to 1.7% of this year’s total corn crop. Minnesota will increase from 8.4% to fully 10% of the total crop. Kansas will also show an increase from 2.8% to 4%. Other traditional leading corn producing states will drop. Indiana will fall from producing 8.8% of the total corn crop to 7.5% and Nebraska falls from 12.4% to 11.6%. Iowa and Illinois will remain the same, producing 18.6% and 16.7% of this year’s corn crop, respectively. Wisconsin will drop from harvesting 4% of last year’s corn crop to producing 3.6% of this year’s total U.S. crop.
That same DTN report shows trend line changes for soybean production as well as more and more of U.S. soybean production is moving out of the delta region of the south to other regions of the country. In the past few years, states like Wisconsin, Michigan and Minnesota have all reported higher yields than some of the delta states. The same can be said for Kansas, Nebraska and the Dakotas. That same report also shows that Iowa, in recent years, has overtaken Illinois as the leading soybean producing state as Illinois has dropped from producing 18% of the yearly crop down to 14%.
The official planted acreage numbers will come out in June and with the early planting season some farmers are already taking advantage of, the corn number might even go higher because everyone knows that when farmers start planting corn, they don’t stop and worry about other crops until every seed they can find gets planted. | <urn:uuid:159f6539-8ea7-4ccb-9ddf-a1bda7f57c15> | CC-MAIN-2015-22 | http://www.wayy790.com/bobs-column-for-the-country-today/2012/4/2/planting-intentions-report-shows-interesting-trends/print | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2015-22/segments/1432207928414.45/warc/CC-MAIN-20150521113208-00064-ip-10-180-206-219.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.965387 | 1,016 | 2.671875 | 3 |
A change is upon us.
The twenty-two degree temperatures recently passing through southern Ontario may be thought of as a lucky patch of weather for mid-autumn. After all, this comfortable warmth outside is traditionally rare for this time of year. It is almost November and we still have no signs to pull out the winter jacket.
This temperature is, in fact, heavily varied from October’s nine degree average recording experienced in the Hamilton region over the past four decades. In perspective, this one rare outlier of weather is likely part of a transcending pattern of warming temperatures which, as expected, will change the course of weather patterns not only in southern Ontario, but globally, towards a slowly shifting climate.
Daily meteorological conditions are merely a small indication of gradual changing climates imparted by human activities. Some of the infamous anthropogenic factors altering global climate include greenhouse gas emissions, deforestation, industrial waste accumulation, and natural resource depletion. The human population’s extract-and-indulge relationship with our Earth must adapt to a give-and-take lifestyle to minimize the extent to which we disrupt our planet’s natural cycles.
Briefly speculating the greenhouse effect as one influence on climate change, it is predicted that every year the global greenhouse gas concentration for carbon dioxide (CO2) increases by 2 parts per million (ppm). This effect basically involves trapping heat closer to the Earth’s surface. The intensive radiation from the sun reflected off the Earth is restricted in our atmosphere when heavy concentrations of greenhouse gases reside in the air (major ones including carbon dioxide and methane). These particles are not part of the Earth’s energy balance, negatively affecting regional climates in high accumulations by harnessing the sun’s energy closer to the surface.
With a CO2 atmospheric concentration currently over 390 ppm and continuously rising, it won’t be long before humans exceed the 350-450 ppm restriction required to avoid hazardous impacts.
Beyond being a sign to pull out the football with a group of friends when the weather is in our favour, perhaps gradual environmental changes we hear about and witness that contribute to climate change raise a series of more critical questions. What state will the Earth be in if affects of human-induced climate change aren’t addressed now? How will future generations cope with survival when we constantly take from and degrade the Earth? Why are we not collectively more active in addressing the countless dangers we’re imposing on our environment?
Because the Earth is changing now, our attitudes towards it must be dynamic as well. | <urn:uuid:32c4b103-2a6f-41f4-ab04-0926faa536b4> | CC-MAIN-2019-39 | http://thestarfish.ca/journal/2010/11/3/a-change-is-upon-us.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2019-39/segments/1568514575515.93/warc/CC-MAIN-20190922135356-20190922161356-00152.warc.gz | en | 0.917827 | 523 | 3.578125 | 4 |
A new case report, published in the journal Frontiers in Oncology, describes the discovery of throat cancer in a subject using a novel saliva test designed to detect human papillomavirus virus (HPV). The patient displayed no clinical cancer symptoms, but the promising saliva screening test needs further validation before broad deployment.
“The incidence of high-risk human papillomavirus (HPV)-driven throat cancers is on the rise in developed countries and, unfortunately, it is often discovered only when it is more advanced, with patients needing complicated and highly impactful treatment,” explains Chamindie Punyadeera, one of the researchers developing the new test, from the Queensland University of Technology. “In the US, HPV-driven throat cancers have surpassed cervical cancers as the most common cancer caused by HPV but unlike cervical cancer, up until now, there has been no screening test for this type of oropharyngeal cancer.”
The cancer case was detected as part of an ongoing HPV DNA prevalence study. The trial is following over 600 cancer-free subjects, using the experimental test to measure viral DNA in saliva samples. Of particular focus is a strain of the virus called HPV-16, which has previously been linked to the onset of cervical cancer.
The case report describes a 63-year-old man with absolutely no clinical symptoms or signs of any type of cancer. Over 36 months he undertook several HPV-16 DNA saliva tests as part of the prevalence study and the researchers detected significantly rising viral levels as time progressed. Forwarding the subject to an ear, nose and throat surgeon for closer examination revealed the presence of a tiny, asymptomatic tumor in his throat.
“The patient was found to have a 2-mm squamous cell carcinoma in the left tonsil, treated by tonsillectomy,” says Punyadeera. “This has given our patient a high chance of cure with very straightforward treatment. Since the surgery, the patient has had no evidence of HPV-16 DNA in his saliva.”
Prior research has suggested high HPV-16 viral loads, detectable in saliva, can be effectively linked with advanced oropharyngeal cancer. However, this is the first time researchers have successfully found an early-stage cancer using the new saliva test technique.
The key finding here is the association between increasing HPV viral loads in saliva across several tests and throat cancer. It is this temporal progressive increase in viral load over time the researchers suggest could be key to detecting early-stage oropharyngeal cancer.
This finding of course needs wider validation before a test could be clinically deployed. But, considering HPV is thought to be the cause of 70 percent of all oropharyngeal cancers in the United States, and there is no screening method currently available, this easy saliva test could be extraordinarily useful for doctors tracking high-risk patients.
“The presence of this pattern of elevated salivary HPV-DNA must be fully evaluated, as it may provide the critical marker for early cancer detection,” says Punyadeera. “We now have the promise of a screening test for oropharynx cancer and there is an urgent need to undertake a major study to validate this test and the appropriate assessment pathway for people with persisting salivary HPV-DNA.”
The study was published in the journal Frontiers in Oncology.
Source of Article | <urn:uuid:e97a6508-f8d6-47d5-a0c4-f205ec042cd4> | CC-MAIN-2020-45 | https://nasniconsultants.com/promising-new-hpv-saliva-test-detects-early-stage-throat-cancer/science-and-technology/2020/05/13/diran/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2020-45/segments/1603107905965.68/warc/CC-MAIN-20201029214439-20201030004439-00215.warc.gz | en | 0.941336 | 706 | 2.9375 | 3 |
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