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Fan the flames is an idiom that has been in use for several hundred years. An idiom is a word, group of words or phrase, or phrasal verbs that have a figurative meaning that is not easily deduced from its literal definition. These figures of speech often use descriptive imagery, common idioms are words and phrases used in the English language in order to convey a concise idea, and are often colloquialisms or descriptors that are spoken or are considered informal or conversational. English idioms can illustrate emotion more quickly than a phrase or expression that has a literal meaning, even when the etymology or origin of the idiomatic expression is lost. An idiom is a metaphorical figure of speech, and it is understood that it is not a use of literal language. Figures of speech have definitions and connotations that go beyond the literal meaning of the words. Mastery of the turn of phrase of an idiom or other parts of speech is essential for the English learner. Many English as a Second Language students do not understand idiomatic expressions that native speakers understand such as in a blue moon, spill the beans, let the cat out of the bag, chin up, eye to eye, barking up the wrong tree, bite the bullet, beat a dead horse, hit the nail on the head, kicked the bucket, blow off steam, jump on the bandwagon, piece of cake, hit the sack, and raining cats and dogs, as they attempt to translate them word for word, which yields only the literal meaning. In addition to learning vocabulary and grammar, one must understand the phrasing of the figurative language of idiomatic phrases in order to know English like a native speaker. It is possible to memorize a list of idioms, but it may be easier to pay attention to the use of idioms in everyday speech, where peculiar imagery will tell you that the expressions should not be taken literally. We will examine the meaning of the idiomatic phrase fan the flames, where it came from, and some examples of its use in sentences. To fan the flames means to agitate a situation, to make a bad situation worse, to make someone who is angry or aggravated even more angry or aggravated, to encourage hostility, to make a bad situation even more volatile. The imagery is of someone fanning a fire in order to cause the flames to leap up and create an inferno. The idiom fan the flames came into use in the mid-1700s, related phrases are fans the flames, fanned the flames, fanning the flames. In short, unlike many other critics who rage against a problem and then hardly rise from their armchairs but to fan the flames of the ensuing argument, Gioia rolls up his sleeves and gets to work. (America Magazine) Black argued in the rehearing petition that the woman “sought to further fan the flames of animosity” in their communications and “actively participated in the continuation of the relationship.” (The Tallahassee Democrat) The intelligence wing of the Delhi Police has issued a fresh advisory to the district police on law and order situation in the city after they detected distribution of inflammatory pamphlets in certain pockets of the city as it could fan the flames, said a senior police officer on Wednesday. (The Hindu)
Emphasise means to stress the importance of something, to define a portion of an idea or narrative as having greater value than other portions of the idea or narrative. Emphasise may also mean to accentuate a certain portion. Emphasise is a transitive verb, which is a verb that takes an object. Emphasise is the British spelling, related forms are emphasises, emphasised and emphasising. Emphasis is the noun form. Emphasize is the preferred American spelling. Related words are emphasizes, emphasized and emphasizing. Emphasis is the noun form. The American spelling is gaining acceptance around the world. Emphasise and emphasize are examples of a group of words that are spelled with a “z” in American English and with an “s” in British English. Emphasize is borrowed from the Latin an emphasis, meaning appearance, show. FIRST Lady Esther Lungu has appealed to global health leaders to emphasise the importance of women’s health. (The Zambia Daily Mail) LET me emphasise that never have I hidden my utmost respect for Tony Abbott as both a person and a prime minister, nor will I now. (The News Mail) “It is one of the few terms that people remember from history classes that does not involve hard power . . . and it’s precisely those positive associations that the Chinese want to emphasise,” says Valerie Hansen, professor of Chinese history at Yale University. (The Financial Times) Lenexa business owners emphasize healthy food choices, and being green (The Kansas City STar) “We need to de-emphasize race. And we need to emphasize respect,” Carson told reporters after the private tour with the mayor and a discussion with community leaders. (The New Pittsburgh Courier) “When I got here, I was ready to go,” she said, snapping her fingers to emphasize her hurried pace. ” (The Chicago Tribune)
Navratri is one of the most enigmatic festivals of India that goes on for nine nights and ten days. It is celebrated in honor of Goddess Durga's victory over the demon Mahishasura. The tenth day of Navratri is celebrated as Dusshera which also marks the triumph of good over evil. How did it originate? - Mahishasur, a buffalo demon, desperately wanted to defeat the Gods - He started a long penance and stopped eating. He began to pray to Lord Brahma, the creator - When Lord Brahma visited him, Mahishasur asked for one wish - to become immortal - However, Brahma refused to grand him his wish saying that no living creature is immortal. Mahishasur was ready for an answer. He immediately changed his words and asked Brahma to grant that he could not be killed by a man, a beast or a God. So Brahma granted his wish that he could only be killed by a woman. Mahishasur believed that he was immortal and no woman could fight or kill him. He set out to destroy the world. He attacked the Trilok - earth, heaven and hell. He was invincible. The Trimurthi Gods (Brahma, Vishnu and Shiva) tried to stop him but were unsuccessful, since he could only be killed by a woman. So Brahma, Vishnu and Shiva concentrated their energies together to create an invincible woman.. A Goddess. Goddess Durga was born Brahma, Vishnu and Shiva gave her their weapons to carry in her multiple arms. Mounted on lion, she set out to destroy Mahishasur. The great battle The battle lasted for nine days. The demon kept changing shape to confuse Goddess Durga. At the end of the ninth day, Goddess Durga finally killed Mahishasura, who had taken the form of a huge buffalo. She dealt him a death blow to the chest with Lord Shiva's trident. Goddess Durga's nine day battle is celebrated as a nine day festival with much fervor and enthusiasm across the country. For nine days, a different form of Goddess Durga is worshipped. A celebration of women empowerment all over India India celebrates Navratri differently in every region East - the myriad hues of Durga puja West - The graceful twirling of women's skirts as they dance to the garba North - Inviting little girls as guest of honor for "kanya puja" South: Exchange of betel leaves with nuts and "sundal" eating sessions. Navratri is a celebration of women - The "Shakti" worship or divine feminine power, where the female Goddess is worshiped in all her manifestations. Wishing our followers a very happy Navratri! May these nine days light up your lives! By - Cuddly Gurus - Celebrating and honoring India's great icons. We offer plush toys that recreate great Indian icons and will delight your little ones. Great Ganesha and Humble Hanuman capture the beauty and perfection of these superheroes and can sing five mantras with a gentle touch to their belly. All of our plush toys are made with care and devotion and accompanied by storybooks carefully crafted to engage young minds through simple, yet colorful storytelling.
Single use plastics like cups and straws litter our beaches and won’t biodegrade, but what if we made them out of the proteins that spiders use to spin their webs? Scientists at Cambridge have studied the silk spiders spin and figured out how to direct protein molecules to assemble themselves the same way. They have produced materials that behave like plastics but could go right into the composter. In fact, they have even made some wrappers that are completely edible. This suggests that one day you may be able to eat your lunch, together with the shell it came in!
Dear Miss Hansberger, Americans understand that our government isn’t working as it should. This is reflected in polls going back several years. But why isn’t it working? Our Constitution gave us a government sufficiently powerful to secure the rights of its citizens, but strictly limited so it would not infringe on those rights. The Constitution’s central feature is the separation of powers: the division of government into three separate but equal branches—the legislative, the executive, and the judicial—each with the power to check the others. But today, our government doesn’t operate according to the Constitution. This is obvious in the fact that over the past 50 years and more, power has been centralized in a fourth, unconstitutional branch of government—the federal bureaucracy, made up of independent agencies (like the EPA) staffed by unelected and unaccountable bureaucrats. How and why did this new way of governing come about? And how do we return our government to working as it should—under the Constitution! On September 17, Constitution Day, Hillsdale College is launching a new free online course that will supply crucial answers to these questions. The course is called “Congress: How It Worked and Why It Doesn’t.” But we need to raise funds to meet the September 13 deadline for promoting this course nationwide. Because you have supported Hillsdale in the past, I am inviting you to join a group of Hillsdale’s friends who are helping make this course available, for free, to millions of Americans nationwide. You know that Hillsdale College does not accept a single penny from the government—even indirectly in the form of federal or state student grants and loans—which is why I’m writing you today. Learn more about this course and how you can help launch it here: https://secure.hillsdale.edu/help-launch-congress-course. Thank you for partnering with Hillsdale College by supporting its educational outreach on behalf of liberty. Larry P. Arnn President, Hillsdale College
How are stamps designed? Australian stamps have a great reputation for high-quality design and production, and we commission designers and artists to produce each unique design. We often receive suggestions for stamp design themes from the general public. People write to Australia Post all the time with ideas about what would look great on a stamp. Other ideas come from anniversaries of special occasions, significant events such as the Olympics, and festivals such as Easter and Christmas. Making a stamp usually takes about two years. Researchers, illustrators, photographers, designers, printers and marketers are all involved in taking a stamp through the process of research, illustration, design, printing and preparing them for sale. Before a stamp can be created the theme must be researched and the number of stamps to be printed must be decided. Illustration and design Stamp designs are created in a variety of ways. Graphic designers, artists or photographers may be asked to produce new images for stamps or existing images from the collections of galleries, museums or libraries might be used. Each finished stamp must include the word "Australia" and the price of the stamp. Not every drawing or photograph will make a good stamp. Producing designs that work at such a small size is a challenge. The stamp designer also needs to include the year of issue on the stamp, small enough not to interfere with the design, but large enough to read. After the stamps have been designed they can then be printed. Australia's youngest designer Did you know that some of our postage stamps have been designed by children? Australia's youngest stamp designer is Holly Alvarez of Perth. She was only five years old when her design for a 1983 Christmas stamp was chosen in a national competition for primary school children.
Snow can make parks look like heaven â€“ and roads feel like hell. But it was a previous snowstorm that made it clear how much New York City’s parkways -â€“ which are both parks and roads â€“- are in a weird kind of limbo. Scenic byways prevent the proliferation of billboards Mayor John Lindsay had reorganized the city’s agencies so that, when the blizzard of February, 1969 hit, it was unclear whose responsibility it was to clear the parkways â€“ and they remained unplowed for three days, paralyzing the city. No mayor will ever make such a politically costly mistake again; the Department of Sanitation very clearly now has the job of removing snow from the parkways. But a complicated bureaucratic system remains in place, which is causing real damage year-round. Last year, a great stone wall in Washington Heights collapsed onto the Henry Hudson Parkway, the most visible evidence of the sinking fortunes of America’s first and once-glorious urban parkway. Last month, a deal to restore the parkway collapsed as well. Even the prospect of millions of dollars in new federal funds for the city was not enough to overcome a system set in place that values roads over parks. Many people may hear “parkway” and just think “highway.” Others realize that a parkway is in fact a road through a park. But a parkway is not just the road itself; it is also the parkland on either side. New York City’s parkways, a monumental public works project achieved jointly in the 1930’s by FDR, LaGuardia and Robert Moses, were designed as the most extensive urban park system in the world. The Henry Hudson Parkway alone, which runs from West 72nd Street in Manhattan to the top of the Bronx, links together four major parks, nine smaller ones, countless pocket parks and great swaths of untouched nature. Even now the beauty and coherence of the vision is clear to anybody who takes the time to notice—not just the stunning natural and manmade features revealed with each curve and dip of the road, but the details that highlight the character of each section: art deco and rustic wooden guard rails, cultivated wilderness, esplanades for promenading and trails for meandering â€¦and lovely stone walls. It becomes harder and harder, though, to miss the damage. Concrete jersey barriers cover miles of stone walls and steel hairnets cover natural rock outcrops. Signs and billboards clutter the stone bridges of the Bronx and the skyline of Manhattan. If that’s the motorist’s experience of the city, the resident’s is even sadder. Pedestrian tunnels and stairs that once led to the waterfront are abandoned. The expressway aesthetic spills over to neighborhoods. Huge parkway entrance signs loom over quiet streets in Riverdale. Harlem residents look out at billboards instead of the river. Five years ago, I was one of the concerned residents who formed the Henry Hudson Parkway Task Force to reverse its fate. The way we realized this could happen is by getting the state government to agree to designate the parkway a Scenic Byway, under a special program created in 1992 to preserve the nation’s most beautiful roads. Scenic Byways are eligible for special federal funds—and not just transportation funds. When the 8.2 mile Pasadena Freeway (also known as the Arroyo Seco Parkway) was designated a Scenic Byway a few years ago, its state transportation department received a billion dollars in federal environmental funds to restore its landscape and bridges. The New York State Department of Transportation, which administers the Scenic Byways Program, was enthusiastic about the Henry Hudson Parkway being the city’s first candidate. Besides its historic credentials, the parkway had acquired new importance. It is the site of the Hudson River Valley Greenway, the walking and bicycle trail that will eventually go from Battery Park to Saratoga, New York. Since the city and state are both pouring millions of dollars into building the greenway and revitalizing Manhattan’s west side waterfront, it made sense to include the parkway in the plan. An example of paths and stairways under the parkways that are neglected (south of the George Washington Bridge). It leads to the beautiful Ft. Washington Park. But the application to make the Henry Hudson Parkway an official Scenic Byway was withdrawn. The reasons why are not known to the public: Though the agencies that make these decisions are public, they deliberate in secret. What is known is that, like all of the city’s parkways, the Henry Hudson is an entanglement of jurisdictions. Decisions about its future are determined by a combination of agencies that meet together as the New York Metropolitan Transportation Council, which acts as the official regional planning body. The most important agencies within that body are the city's and state's transportation agencies. The most irrelevant agency is the city's Department of Parks and Recreation. Even though the parks department is officially a co-owner of the city’s parkways, it is not a member of the transportation council, nor is it even part of its advisory board. It has the smallest budget and the least political clout. Even if the parks department were part of the transportation council, however, it might not make a difference because the council is organized to protect the fiefdom of each member -- a rule requiring "unanimous consensus" gives each member a veto. So, apparently, at least one of the transportation agencies involved in the New York Metropolitan Transportation Council got cold feet about the parks-oriented requirements of a Scenic Byways designation. Parkways are designed to conform to the natural topography. Curves like this are what provide the sequence of stunning views. Unfortunately are irresistible “straightening” projects for transportation departments in the name of “uniform [higher] speed limits” scenic byway is about design guidelines. One can address the problem of graffiti in a parkway by painstakingly removing the graffiti and maintaining the beauty of the stone wall, or by quickly painting over it. One can mow the daffodils in a field so that they never come up again â€“ or one can mow the field after it has become fallow, and keep the daffodils spreading for the next 20 years. To preservationists and parks enthusiasts, how one takes care of graffiti or daffodils makes a huge difference. But efficiency might be the by-word to those shortsighted enough to look at the parkway only as a means of transportation. The city Department of Transportation may not want to have to keep the kind of wooden guide rails that are used along the Northern Parkway in Long Island or the Merritt Parkway in Connecticut (both scenic byways). It has its preferred way to protect stone parapets on the city's bridges -- with jersey barriers topped with chain link. The problem is compounded by the entanglement of jurisdictions. What one agency builds, another maintains. Each government agency is jointly and severally liable; even individual engineers can be held liable for projects they sign. The consequence is a hodgepodge of defensive design -- overbuilt and overpriced. Fifty years have passed since the enactment of the 1956 Federal Aid Highway Act, the nation’s interstate highway system has been fully built for a decade, and our auto companies are now in open retreat. Yet none of this seems to have loosened the grip of the highway builders over the design of New York City. Having a metropolitan planning organization was supposed to stop the city from being strong-armed by the state transportation agency. Instead it is strong-armed by four transportation agencies and authorities, each fiercely protective of its prerogatives. The scenic byway plan couldn’t have been derailed at a worse time. Both the new New York State Transportation Bond Act and the Federal Transportation Bill contain substantial funding for the parkway. Some of the money will be used to enhance the parks and waterfront. But with no plan in place, and no declared attention to the aesthetics, much of the money may well be spent in ways that undermine the park part of the parkway. Hilary Hinds Kitasei is a free-lance writer and founder of the Henry Hudson Parkway Task Force The comments section is provided as a free service to our readers. Gotham Gazette's editors reserve the right to delete any comments. Some reasons why comments might get deleted: inappropriate or offensive content, off-topic remarks or spam.
Whether viewed as a midwinter observance of the Winter Solstice or a celebration of the birth of Jesus Christ, for millennia cultures have honoured the darkest days of the year with lights, foods and festivities. Presenting an around-the-world tour of ancient Christmas celebrations, Pagan Solstice customs and magical seasonal plants, Ellen Evert Hopman shares lore, recipes, rituals and crafts you can make as a family activity to enliven your Yuletide observance. She explains how to perform Winter Solstice divinations and cook traditional foods and drinks such as Wassail and Elizabethan gingerbread cookies. And she looks in depth at the medicinal and magical properties of the many herbs, barks and berries associated with the Christmas and Yuletide season such as Frankincense and Myrrh, Cinnamon, Nutmeg, Hibiscus, Bayberry and many more. 344pp, 228 x 152, Paperback, 2023, RRP £25.00
Maximin (Galerius Valerius Maximinus), d. 313, Roman emperor (308–13); kinsman of Galerius. He is called Maximin Daia. He was made caesar in 305 and in 308 proclaimed himself augustus in opposition to Emperor Licinius. After the death of Galerius (310), Maximin exercised considerable power. He persecuted the Christians and tried to revive paganism. He later allied himself with Maxentius against Licinius and Constantine (Constantine I); Maxentius was crushed by Constantine, and Maximin was defeated by Licinius. A last-minute effort to win the Christians by an edict of toleration did not help him. He died a fugitive. The Columbia Electronic Encyclopedia, 6th ed. Copyright © 2012, Columbia University Press. All rights reserved.
Celebrate the Leaf Cutter Bee Most insects are not harmful, even though they may damage plants. The damage is cosmetic rather than deadly. A good example is the native leaf cutter bee. This tiny bee is harmless. It rarely stings. It is an efficient pollinator in gardens and farm fields. You know it’s around because – true to its name – the bee cuts out neat circular pieces from the leaves of redbud, sand cherry, coneflower and other trees, shrubs and perennials. The bees use these leafy disks to build their nests. Be grateful you have this hard worker in your garden. And although alarming, a bee that cuts circles in plants is a harmless, efficient pollinator in the garden. Probably the greatest nemeses in the vegetable garden are two insects that prefer the squash family. The squash bug is especially damaging to young plants of zucchini, melons, pumpkins and other members of the cucurbit family. These insects pierce the leaves of squash-family plants and suck out nutrients. Heavy feeding can kill young plants and damage more mature ones. Tips for Controlling Squash Bugs: - Monitor the undersides of leaves to look for their eggs. They are oval shaped and usually brown. Put on a glove and squish them, or knock them off into a bucket of soapy water. - If the eggs have hatched, the nymphs have a blue cast. Squish them or knock them off, as described above. - Place boards or newspapers in the bed, where the bugs will congregate at night. Gather and destroy or discard in the morning. - The adult squash bug looks a bit like a stink bug. Knock it into the soapy water. Insecticides usually are not needed to control squash bugs. Squash bugs are not considered a pest later in the season. - Remove and destroy any severely damaged or dead plants. Be sure to clean up the area in the fall. Squash Vine Borer Another insect that has a preference for members of this family is the squash vine borer. A rather attractive moth lays eggs at the base of squash, pumpkin, melon and other plants in the family. The eggs hatch and the larva bores into the stem. Eventually the plant wilts and collapses because the stem no longer can take up water. Tips for Controlling Squash Vine Borer: - Monitor plants for the adult moth, or the tiny larva at the base of the plant. Destroy when discovered. - Protect the plants with a fabric row cover as soon as they begin to vine. A row cover allows water and sunlight to reach the soil and plants, but blocks out insects. Keep the row cover in place for about two weeks. - Do not use a row cover if squash was planted in the same place last year. Because the moth pupates under ground in winter, it’s possible to trap the emerging moths under the row cover. - If the plants have begun to bloom, you cannot use a row cover because bees and other pollinators can’t get to the flowers. No pollination, no squash, melons or cucumbers. Best Defense Practices Rotate crops annually to reduce these and other problems. Remove and destroy any severely infested, damaged or dead plants as soon as they are discovered. Be sure to remove any plant debris from the garden in fall clean up, especially in areas where insects or diseases were problems. Of course, the best defense against any attack from insects (or many diseases) is to have healthy plants growing in a good environment. Make a plant fertilizer that's rich in organic nutrients part of your arsenal to protect plants by keeping them healthy.
As the youth approaches the fires of his regiment, he fears the men will welcome him with jibes and insults. In his tired state, he cannot invent a story to explain his actions. Too tired to run again, he must brave their insults in hope of rest. Suddenly, a guard comes running at him with a rifle, yelling for Henry to stop. It is Wilson, the loud soldier. After recognizing the youth, Wilson is glad to see him, expressing happiness that Henry is not dead. This is not what the youth expected. He still thinks the conversation may turn toward his cowardice; and so, even in his tired state, he tells Wilson a doctored story about fighting on the right, getting shot in the head, and then getting separated from the regiment. The corporal of the regiment comes up, demanding to know to whom Wilson is speaking. When he sees it is Henry, he also expresses joy at his return. Before Henry can tell his tale, Wilson relays the story for him. Both men are exceedingly nice to the youth. They wrap him in their blankets, give him coffee to drink, and examine his wound. He feels weak and finally sits down. After the corporal leaves, Henry is left to contemplate the fire and his surroundings. Shadows flicker from the firelight. Men circle the fire and seem fleeting and tired. An officer is asleep sitting upright, looking exhausted. Other soldiers sit around in the rose and orange light. The fire crackles, and overhead the trees sway softly, with their silver-hued leaves edged in red. The soldiers occasionally change position, moving with grunts and groans. Wilson, once he goes off duty, comes over and bandages the wound. He compliments Henry on not crying out as he clumsily applies his first aid. He then gives the youth a blanket and leads him to open ground to get some sleep. When Henry protests that he is using the loud soldier's blanket, Wilson tells him to just be quiet and go to sleep. Henry obeys. As the youth awakes, a gray mist is coming in over the fields, bending the first rays of sunlight. Fighting can be heard in the distance. Henry and the rest of the men try to get the last few moments of sleep. The light makes them look like corpses. The youth, in this forest, thinks that he is in a house of the dead. He gradually comes to his senses and sees the scene for what it is. Soon comes the rumbling of drums and a bugle call. Heads begin to move and turn upward. The men curse softly as they are roused. Once an officer calls out, however, the men straighten up. Henry does the same. As he rises, his friend Wilson calls out to him if he is feeling okay. His head feels like a melon. When Wilson tries to examine the bandage in an attempt to help, Henry yells at him to be more careful. He is angry, but Wilson keeps calm. He leads Henry over to get food. As Henry eats, Wilson continues to take care of him. The youth notices how much his friend has changed. He no longer seems concerned with his personal prowess, and he is not angry at little words against him. He is no longer a "loud soldier"; he seems reliable and confident. Henry used to think of him as swaggering and headstrong. He wonders at how he seems to have procured wisdom from somewhere. Wilson asks if Henry thinks they will win today. Henry reminds Wilson that yesterday he said he would beat the whole rebel army himself. Wilson replies that he was indeed a bit of a fool "in those days." Henry informs him of Jim Conklin's death. An argument breaks out between some soldiers. Wilson, now referred to as "the friend," goes over and breaks it up. When he returns, Henry remarks at his change. Wilson replies that it is true that he is different. He tells Henry that the regiment lost half its men the previous day. It was believed that they were dead, but they keep coming back from wherever they had scattered, just like Henry. To this, the youth replies, "So?" The regiment stands at order, waiting for the command to march. The youth suddenly remembers the packet of letters that Wilson gave to him the day before for safekeeping. He calls to Wilson. However, when the latter turns to him, Henry merely says, "Oh, nothing." He realizes he did not want his friend to inquire in return about his own wound. The packet is a kind of a small weapon against his embarrassment. He remembers his friend, speaking with sobs about his own death. He had not died, and thus delivered himself into the hands of the youth. Henry feels superior; his self-pride is restored. His actions happened in the dark; therefore, he is still a man. Wilson made of show of his vulnerability when giving Henry the letters. Henry learned from the previous day's events that retribution is blind. His faith and confidence blossom. The dragons he encountered were not so hideous. He had fled, unlike the others, with dignity and not wildness. During these ruminations, Wilson turns to Henry and sheepishly asks for his packet of letters back. Henry attempts to think of something to say to demonstrate his own supremacy but cannot, and gives the letters to Wilson unmolested. His friend seems to be shamed. Henry smugly thinks he has enough stories to tell people at home of the stories of war. His laurels are small, he concedes, but they would still shine where there were none before. His mother and the girl that flirted with him will drink up his words. The fog-filled air is full of the noise from muskets and cannons. A new day of battle begins. The regiment is to relieve men in trenches, sitting with their backs to them and listening to the occasional pop of a skirmisher's rifle. Henry peers over at the trees up and down the trench line. Cannons on the right begin to roar with such volume that no one can hear each other speak. They eventually stop, and then the rumors begin to fly. The men say their commanders are hesitating and uncertain. Disaster stories are concocted and they whine about what more they can do. Soon the men are marching through the woods, away from the trenches. The lines of the enemy can be seen through the groves. Now the youth joins in the condemnation of the generals. His words are long and elaborate. He asks rhetorical questions about the strength of the regiment and their fighting ability. Wilson attempts to ameliorate the harshness of his words, saying that maybe the generals should not be fully blamed. Henry asks passionately if the regiment does not fight better than any other, as the general had said yesterday. The friend replies sternly that they do, but they just have bad luck. The youth says that therefore this must be the general's fault. A sarcastic soldier replies to Henry that maybe he thinks that he, Henry, fought the whole battle yesterday. Henry is chagrined and afraid that he is found out. He replies calmly that he did not think that. He realizes that there was no extra meaning in the man's question and that he was just being teased, but he is uncomfortable nonetheless and grows quiet. The regiment comes to halt in a clearing. From the woods in front of them the sounds of firing resound. They simply wait. The gray shadows of the woods stand still. A battery shells the distance from behind them. The youth launches into a protestation of wandering around just to be led into a bad place and beaten by the enemy. The friend says that it will all turn out all right in the end. Henry begins to respond with venom and volume, when the lieutenant lashes out as well. He says the men should quit talking and get ready for a battle. As the sun rises higher, the scent of battle rises. Sure enough, a few rifles flash in the groves in front of them. The regiment stands still, hesitant and tired. They look like men tied to stakes. For all of Henry's worrying about his return to his regiment, the men who are awake when he arrives welcome him back. Despite this, and because of the constant questioning of the tattered man, Henry makes up a story about getting shot. He still cannot face the reality of his situation, let alone admit it. His childish, arrogant nature is still conspicuous. However, his actions are counter-balanced by the more mature and selfless actions of Wilson, the loud soldier. He takes care of Henry and his wound, trying to make him comfortable, complimenting his toughness, making sure he gets to sleep. The battle has brought out different things in each man. The relationship and contrast between Henry and Wilson is evidenced by the change in Wilson’s denoted name. "The loud soldier" is no more and now he is “the friend.” Henry, still “the youth,” notes that before the battle Wilson was quick to tout his prowess but Wilson has clearly been humbled by what he has seen. Henry, however, has not matured enough. He persists in preserving the secret of his flight. He even yells at Wilson as the latter tries to change his bandages. Wilson remains calm while Henry cannot restrain his own expressions of irritation at small things. He does not recognize that others are glad to see that he is alive. When Wilson talks about troops coming back and how they were thankfully not dead, Henry says, "so?" in a very callous way. He has not learned the same lessons that Wilson has because he has not been through the same experiences as his friend. Henry is still stumbling blindly on the path to maturity. In Wilson’s letters, Henry sees weakness rather than an expression of humanity. When he realizes that he still has the letters to Wilson’s family handed to him before the battle, Henry does not think to spare his friend humiliation and give them back. Instead, he considers them a token of protection against his own shame. Yes, Henry ran, but he did so without witness (“in the dark”), so he can still proclaim to be a man. Wilson, on the other hand, made a show of his fear. Henry feels a budding superiority over the man who has not only fought valiantly in the battle, but who showed him so much kindness. The zenith of his ridiculous, hubristic thoughts come when he deigns to hold the others who fled in contempt because they ran with “wildness.” He, on the other hand, fled "with discretion and dignity." We know from the earlier chapter that this is not the case. He fled because others were fleeing. He fled because he too was afraid. And, in reality, he fled wildly. The ironic detachment between Henry and the narrator also signal Henry’s lack of self-awareness and childishness. These chapters drive home one of the most pervasive elements of the novel – that Crane’s protagonist is fantastically unlikeable. His immaturity, his pride, his distracted and fragmented manner of thinking, his cowardice, and his superficiality make it difficult for the reader to feel sympathy for him. Many great works of literature feature unlikeable characters –Anna Karenina in the eponymous novel, Raskolnikov in Crime and Punishment, and Mr. Darcy in Pride and Prejudice, for example – but it is still common to develop sympathy for them because of their situation, or discern a redeeming quality or two. Henry Fleming seems to leave a sour taste in the reader’s mouth. It may be possible to feel sorry for him that he is trapped in a terrible and brutal war, but that sympathy recedes quickly when his thoughts are made plain. Henry is full of words for one of the few times in this book while on the trench line. He complains about the generals to his friend and later complains about being marched around only to be led to eventual defeat. The sarcastic man bites off his comments with a simple insult about his battle prowess. This quiets Henry for a time as he suspects his indiscretion is about to come to light. When the moment passes, he begins to rail out again. When Wilson, now mature, tries to say that everything will turn out okay in the end and to think positively, Henry snaps at him that it will not. Henry is now the “loud soldier,” speaking shallowly and without maturity. Again Crane uses powerful images of nature and color metaphors to communicate both Henry’s shifting perceptions and the larger theme of nature. The color images, so strong and bellicose before, take on a much more placid feel as Henry takes in the sights caused by the fire in Chapter 13. The dark shadows and sleeping soldiers dominate the forms. However, the same fire that bathes them in warm orange and red is the fire of the regiment. These fires also make the trees overhead seem to be those same colors of war – gray and red. While the regiment is a place for comradeship, it is also a fighting force. This gray and red of the trees foreshadows the events of future chapters. As the youth awakens, the gray mist is back again, with all of its connotations of mystery and conflict. In the early light, Henry thinks that the forest is a house of the dead, but he sees his interpretation was "not a fact of the present, but a mere prophecy." This image signals both the indifference of nature to the men’s plight and inevitability of death in war.
From the beginning of care, through treatment, and into recovery, we provide an experience that’s right for children and families. Children’s National Health System provides a wide range of clinical services and specialties dedicated to improving children’s health. Glomerulonephritis is a type of kidney disease that involves the glomeruli. Renal failure refers to temporary or permanent damage to the kidneys that results in loss of normal kidney function. There are two different types of renal failure—acute and chronic. Diseases of the kidneys often produce temporary or permanent changes to the small functional structures and vessels inside the kidney. HUS is a rare condition that can lead to kidney failure in children. Kidney failure develops as a result of destruction of the small, functional structures and vessels inside the kidney. The type of nephrotic syndrome that is most common in children is called idiopathic nephrotic syndrome. Polycystic kidney disease is a genetic disorder characterized by the growth of numerous cysts filled with fluid in the kidneys. Systemic lupus erythematosus, also known as SLE, or simply lupus, is a disease that is characterized by periodic episodes of inflammation of and damage to the joints, tendons, other connective tissues, and organs. High blood pressure is also called hypertension. Blood pressure, measured with a blood pressure cuff and stethoscope by a nurse or other healthcare provider, is the force of the blood pushing against the artery walls. Our specialists provide expert care for children with renal vascular disease. Learn more about its symptoms, causes, and treatments. Learn more about the causes, symptoms, and treatments for hydronephrosis, a condition that affects the kidneys.
A friend of mine was recently on a flight. Her son has a peanut allergy. Once she took her seat, she heard an announcement that flight attendants would not be serving peanuts or any other nuts because of a passenger with a food allergy on the flight. All passengers were asked to refrain from eating these products. Afterward, my friend noticed the person next to her opening a bag of trail mix full of nuts. Thankfully, her son wasn’t flying with her that day. Would a federal law banning peanuts on all flights prevent incidents like these and keep passengers with food allergies safe? Peanut bans and peanut-free buffer zones have been suggested before, dating back to at least 1998, but none of the proposed accommodations for passengers with food allergies have been passed into law. As such, airlines lack consistent policies when it comes to flying with food allergies. Congress has actually prohibited the US Department of Transportation (DOT) from making rules restricting the distribution of peanuts, unless a peer-reviewed scientific study finds that airborne peanut dust can cause a severe allergic reaction. To date, studies have been conducted, but none have found this link. Therefore, DOT currently has no authority to establish rules with regard to peanuts and airlines (see the infographic I prepared below; you can click on the image for an interactive version with links to the relevant federal laws and notices). Allergic Living recently interviewed Dr. Matthew Greenhawt about flying with food allergies, after two high-profile cases in which airline passengers experienced severe allergic reactions while in-flight. According to this expert, five studies in the last 10 years have looked at airborne peanut dust. However, none of these studies seem to have found the evidence necessary to fulfill the Congressional mandate in Public Law 106-69. “…it is highly unlikely for a passenger to inhale nut protein from someone consuming nuts a few rows in front of him/her. There is no evidence that has been able to show that such dust circulates.” —Dr. M. Greenhawt, Research Director, Food Allergy Center and Assistant Professor, Division of Allergy and Immunology, University of Michigan While this current research should bring some comfort to people with peanut allergy, an open bag of peanuts or trail mix on a plane can be a scary thing, even though the risk may be very low. Also, the Congressional mandate for a peer-reviewed study only focuses on airborne peanut dust, but what about allergens that might linger and accumulate on surfaces within a plane, like tray tables or arm rests, an issue Dr. Greenhawt raised in his interview with Allergic Living. (That’s why Food Allergy Research & Education and others recommend passengers with food allergies wipe down their seat area on the plane.) Weighing both the evidence and the concerns, why not ban peanuts from all flights? At the same time, we know that even in peanut-free classrooms, people still make mistakes and bring in unsafe foods. Would a peanut ban or peanut-free buffer zones provide a false sense of security? And, how should airlines handle other food allergies? In my opinion, more consistent policies for all airlines on how to accommodate passengers with peanut or other severe allergies would be an improvement. What do you think? Please share your thoughts in a comment below. For a detailed comparison of the various allergy policies of 11 major airlines, Allergic Living has compiled a 4-page chart to help people understand what accommodations they can request and receive. Finally, there are at least two online petitions related to food allergies and air travel. One of these petitions was started by Elizabeth Goldenberg who authors the Onespot Allergy Blog. Her petition supports a total ban on peanuts. It’s earned over 15,000 signatures. Lianne Mandelbaum authored the second petition I came across last week, and it requires airlines to institute an allergen-free buffer zone for passengers with food allergies. To date, this second petition has earned over 30,000 signatures. Update: I made revisions to the inforgraphic above on January 19, 2015 to include a key policy action from 2003 that came to my attention after reading The Not-So-Friendly Skies – Allergic Passenger Rights by the Allergy Law Project (ALP). For a more detailed analysis of your rights as an airline passenger with food allergies, I highly recommend you check out ALP’s post.
Side Effects of Moderna COVID-19 Vaccine These Adverse Effects Are Harmless and For Only Temporary Time Period According to the recent administration of the Moderna COVID-19 vaccine in numerous individuals, it has been reported that the individuals from the clinical trial have experienced pains, headaches, fatigue, aches, and localized pain at the site of injection. Since the Moderna COVID-19 vaccine has been injected into millions of people outside the clinical study, the most common side effects of the COVID-19 vaccine include chills, fever, headache, and pain at the site of antidote injection. In an overall observation, older adults have less likely to experience the adverse effects after being administered with vaccine. Across the United States, more than 47 million vials of dosages have been administered of the ModernaCOVID-19 vaccine since the Food and Drug Administration has authorized the usage of this vaccine in emergency situations since December 18, 2020. After being administered with the Moderna COVID-19 vaccine, numerous individuals have reported being experiencing injecting site pain, headache, fatigue, body ache, and generalized pain in the entire body after being vaccinated. As other viable coronavirus vaccines are also being administered in the upper arm, the scientists are able to get a clear picture of the possible side effects caused by the Moderna COVID-19 vaccine. Similarly with the symptoms that have been reported by the individuals involved in the clinical trial, the other people administered also had almost the same side effects of the COVID-19 vaccine. Among the tens of millions of individuals injected with the Moderna COVID-19 vaccine, there have been several reports that showed ‘COVID arm’, which is a skin rash most probably triggered after administration of vaccine but is completely harmless and subsides are few days. The adverse reaction was observed to become slightly more intense after the administration of the second dose and in those individuals who have previously acquired the coronavirus infection in the past year. The doctors for infectious diseases have said that these side effects from the Moderna COVID-19 vaccine are to be expected, as they give an indication that the immune system of the body is properly doing its work regarding recognition of harmful substance in the body and in the fight against the coronavirus infection. Common adverse effects Some of the most common symptoms which have been experienced by people who have received the Moderna COVID-19 vaccine include headache, chills, fever, and localized pain at the site of vaccine administration. All of these side effects have been reported to be completely non-threatening and only for temporary time duration and provide a clear indication to the physician that the vaccine has started working after entering the body. The physical reaction tends to disappear within a few days. According to Dr. Shobha Swaminathan, who is workings as an associate professor of medicine at the Rutgers New Jersey Medical School and is also the leader at the clinical research site for the Rutgers Moderna trial for their COVID-19 vaccine, as the COVID-19 antidote enters into the body, it trains the immunological response to start the process of developing antibodies to fight against the coronavirus infection. The pain experienced across the body is a sign of an inflammatory process that occurs as an essential part of this process. Like the other viable coronavirus vaccines available across the world, every individual could have a slightly different kind of side effect after being vaccinated. According to the recent data collected, it has been suggested that women tend to undergo more adverse effects after the Moderna COVID-19 vaccine as compared to men. It is yet to be clear the reason behind the changes of side effects among gender. Some of the healthcare experts said that it might be because the number of women reported with side effects was larger as compared to men. In contrast, others believe that it could possibly be due to the different physiological components. Some people have developed a localized skin rash on the arm where they were administered the vaccine. This side effect is very common, as is probably due to the ingredients of the injected vaccine, which are added with the intention to teach the body’s immune system regarding a dangerous substance that is being introduced into the body. On rare occasions, people have also developed anaphylaxis, which is a critical allergic reaction. It has majorly been reported by women administered with the Moderna COVID-19 vaccine.
Amphibians and Reptiles on the Web The University of Florida is proud to host two wonderful conferences this spring. Please join us for the 6th. Online Bibliography of the Herpetofauna of Florida This bibliography contains over 8,000 citations that reference the herpetofauna of Florida, including scientific publications. Report Reptiles in the Florida Keys You can help by reporting your observations on Amphibians and Reptiles in the Florida Keys. Florida's Imperiled Species Comprehensive statewide plan that coordinates the responsibilities of government agencies to prevent and manage all. Florida's Nonnative Species-Exotic Amphibians and Reptiles Minimizing the impacts nonnative species have on Florida's native fish, wildlife and marine life. Identification Guide to the Tadpoles of the Southeastern United States Coastal Plain This field guide is designed as a usable reference for identifying tadpoles of most of the frog species of the Southeastern. Identification Guide to the Snakes of Florida This full color, illustrated guide is a "must have" for anyone who spends time outdoors in areas. Scientific and Common Names of the Reptiles and Amphibians of North America - Explained Translations, Common Names, Original Descriptions, Biographies and Mythological References. The Reptile Database This searchable database provides the most up to date information on taxonomy of all extant reptiles. Amphibian and Reptile Conservation An open-access journal for woldwide community-supported herpetological conservation. Collaborative effort by natural history museums to establish a global network of herpetological collections data. Amphibian Species of the World 5.3 An Online Reference. is an online system that provides access to information on amphibian declines, conservation, natural history, and taxonomy. The Center for North American Herpetology Promoting the preservation and conservation of North American amphibians, crocodilians, reptiles, & turtles through. Society for the Study of Amphibians and Reptiles SSAR, a not-for-profit organization established to advance research, conservation, and education concerning. American Society of Ichthyologists and Herpetologists Here you will find information about the journal Copeia, our annual meetings, administration, and more. The Herpetologists' League, established in 1946, is an international organization of people devoted to studying herpetology. Crocodile Specialist Group The Crocodile Specialist Group (CSG) is a worldwide network of biologists, wildlife managers, government officials. Fort Matanzas National Monument The Florida Museum of Natural History has conducted herpetofaunal surveys at Fort Matanzas. Archie Carr Center for Sea Turtle Research Seeking innovative solutions for sea turtle conservation through research and education. American Family Physician–Snakebite Management Venomous snakebites, although uncommon, are a potentially deadly emergency in the United States.
Open net salmon farms are terrible for the environment, but Argentina is taking the eco-friendly step of banning fish farms off its coast. Salmon farming introduces toxins that contaminate surrounding waters, ultimately killing wild sea life. Intensive salmon farming can also lead to higher levels of sea lice and algae blooms and it reduces the availability of smaller fish in the oceans’ food chain. It takes five pounds of these fish to produce one pound of the more marketable salmon. Argentina is the first country to take this step to protect our oceans; we hope to see others follow soon. Subscribe for free to This Kind Planet to keep up with all the latest ways you can be kind to this planet.
A guide to song writing with a piano If you’ve been playing piano for a while and have mastered the basics, you may have wondered what it would be like to write your own songs. The idea may seem daunting, but with a few basic instructions, you can be composing works of your own. Please keep in mind that this article was written for people who have been playing for a little while. This is not for the raw beginner. It is also a good idea to know standard notation, although it’s not absolutely necessary. An encouraging word… Please be patient with yourself! Unless you are a latent prodigy, your first songs will not be award-winning works of art. If you continue to work at it and apply new knowledge as you receive it, you can eventually create songs that you will want to share with others. Keep at it! Analyze songs you like The best writers are good readers, and this applies to music as much as it does to books. Pay closer attention to the music you play. What key is the song in? What chords are you playing? What notes are you playing within those chords? They can be applied to a new song. Don’t worry that you are plagiarizing someone else’s work just because you may be using some of the same chords or notes that you hear in other works. There are only so many chords out there, and besides, you are just getting started. Often songwriters start off with an idea of the mood, feeling, or idea they are trying to convey. You can do that if you like, but at the start it’s not really necessary. Keep it simple at the beginning. Start with a small number of chords that sound good together. Most songs end with the same chord they start out on; this is the best way to go when you are starting out. Once you have those chords outlined, write them down. If you don’t know standard notation, you can create a kind of “musical shorthand,” as long as you can remember your own system. You can also record yourself playing. This is when your analysis of songs comes into play. Find notes within each chord to create a basic melody. Keep it at a simple 3/4 or 4/4 beat, and don’t worry about the tempo. Once you have written a few bars, and repeat them … congratulate yourself. You are a songwriter! If you are a little more advanced, you can add a bass line to your melody, but once again, that is not necessary at the beginning. If you have lyrical ideas, this is the time to add them. Don’t be concerned if the words are a bit hokey or clichéd. We are simply getting to the “how” at this point. You will get better and better with practice. Go for it This is only the beginning. Work at these basics until you have mastered tem. In future articles, we will get into more advanced aspects of songwriting.
To stay young, you have to keep your cells young, and what dictates a cell’s age is its DNA. Too many cycles of dividing can trigger the aging process, until eventually the cell peters out and stops dividing altogether. But now researchers have found that exercise can help keep DNA healthy and young. In a small study published in the journal Science Advances, Anabelle Decottignies, from the de Duve Institute at the Catholic University of Louvain in Brussels, and her colleagues found that just moderate-intensity physical activity helps hold back cell aging. They studied a specific part of DNA that keeps track of how many times a cell has divided. Each time a cell divides, it copies its DNA (which is packed into chromosomes) and this section of the chromosomes, called telomeres, gets shorter. In the study, Decottignies identified a molecule that’s responsible for directing this telomere-shortening. Until this work, not much was known about how the chromosomes controlled this DNA snipping process. Decottignies recruited 10 healthy people to ride stationary bicycles for 45 minutes and took a muscle biopsy from each of their legs before and after the cycling session. She also measured blood levels of muscle function with lactate, which muscle cells produce when stressed. Based on analysis of these samples, the researchers found that a compound called nuclear respiratory factor 1 (NRF1) regulates the production of a factor that in turn controls the shortening of the telomeres. Exercise boosts levels of NRF1, which protects the telomeres from being snipped away. “Think about NRF1 like varnish on nails,” says Decottignies. “You cannot change the nail, but you can change the varnish again and again. What you’re doing is refreshing and replacing the old section with new protective molecules at the telomeres.” With each bout of moderate exercise, she says, the protection to the telomeres is refreshed, thus helping the DNA, and in turn the cells, to remain “younger” and hold off the aging process. “The protection is constantly renewed upon exercise,” says Decottignies. Other evidence supports the connection between exercise and its effect on telomeres. NRF1 is also part of the pathway that’s activated during starvation; some studies have indeed hinted that a fasting diet may help cells stay biologically young and not divide as frequently. In the study, the team didn’t actually measure whether the 45 minutes led to longer telomeres, but that’s a focus of future studies. For now, the findings provide strong support for a way that exercise may keep us young by keeping our DNA young. - Why Cell Phone Reception Is Getting Worse - The Dirty Secrets of Alternative Plastics - Israeli Family Celebrates Release of Hostage Grandmother - We Should Get Paid for Our Online Data: Column - The COP28 Outcomes Business Leaders Are Watching For - The 100 Must-Read Books of 2023 - The Top 100 Photos of 2023 - Want Weekly Recs on What to Watch, Read, and More? Sign Up for Worth Your Time
ASHRAE Standards in LEED CategoriesLEED GA - Additional Materials In this part of the addendum we have discussed ASHRAE Standards in LEED as applicable to LEED Green Associate Examination. ASHRAE is an acronym for American Society for Heating Refrigeration and Air conditioning Engineers. ASHRAE is an international voluntary organization for people involved in heating, ventilation, air conditioning, and refrigeration (HVAC&R) Industry.ASHRAE has extended its role beyond HVAC & R. For example ASHRAE standard 90.1 stipulates minimum performance requirements for Building envelope, lighting, motors etc.. LEED refers to ASHRAE standard in many credits. This presentation details the references by different credits to ASHRAE standards Go through the Presentation for more details
Tichenoff, A.1,2 Holmes, J.D.1,3 Klapak, H.2 Lemmon, J.2 Picanco, M.2 Torrieri, A.2 and Johnson, A.M.1,2 1Health and Rehabilitation Sciences, The University of Western Ontario, London, ON, Canada. 2School of Health Studies, The University of Western Ontario, London, ON, Canada. 3School of Occupational Therapy, The University of Western Ontario, London, ON, Canada. Progressive Supranuclear Palsy (PSP) is a fatal neurodegenerative disorder that is characterized by gaze palsy, bradykinesia, postural instability, and mild dementia. PSP is one of the most common parkinsonian disorders, second only to Parkinson's disease. Of primary concern to individuals with PSP are issues related to reduced mobility, particularly with regards to their increased frequency of falling backwards. Although medical treatment (predominantly pharmaceutical) has been found to be effective for improving some symptoms including slowness and rigidity, most of these interventions are only partially effective in maintaining and improving balance and gait. Mobility issues in PSP are, therefore, addressed primarily through fall prevention programs delivered by physical and occupational therapists. In this review article, we will provide an overview of the current literature that explores nonpharmacological methods for reducing fall risk among individuals living with PSP. Key words: progressive supranuclear palsy, falls prevention, gait, balance, gait training, balance training, adaptive equipment.
Free Public Lecture Susan Alberts, Robert F. Durden Professor of Biology and Evolutionary Anthropology, Duke University The social environment—both in early life and adulthood—has major effects on human health and survival. But how and why does the social environment get “under the skin” to also affect our physical health? Susan Alberts pursues this question by studying wild baboons in Kenya. Baboons, like humans, evolved as savannah dwellers. They rely on social relationships to solve problems and—like humans—their lives depend on these relationships. Alberts will discuss how the balance between the challenges and opportunities of social life affects health and belonging in both humans and baboons. Evolution Matters Lecture Series • Tenth Anniversary Series supported by a generous gift from Drs. Herman and Joan Suit This event will be livestreamed on the Harvard Museums of Science & Culture (HMSC) Facebook page and the HMSC website. A recording of this program will be available on the Harvard Museum of Natural History Lecture Videos page approximately three weeks after the lecture. We encourage persons with disabilities to participate in programs and activities. If you anticipate needing any type of accommodation please contact us in advance at email@example.com. About the Speaker: Susan Alberts studies the behavior, ecology, physiology, and genetics of wild populations of large mammals. She has spent thirty-five years studying wild primates in Kenya as part of the Amboseli Baboon Research Project, based in southern Kenya. She also studied the socioecology of African elephants for ten years, publishing work on female and male social relationships and mating behavior, and ecological predictors of elephant group dynamics. Her recent work has focused on leveraging the rich potential of long-term, prospective, longitudinal data on the baboons of the Amboseli basin in Kenya to generate insights about the social and biological determinants of health and survival. She received her Ph.D. from the University of Chicago, where she also pursued postdoctoral research as a National Institutes of Health Fellow. She has also been a Junior Fellow at Harvard University and a Bunting Fellow at the Radcliffe Institute for Advanced Study. Alberts has been on the faculty of Duke University since 1998, where she supervises undergraduate and graduate students as well as postdoctoral researchers. She spends several months each year at her field site in Kenya, and is based in Durham, North Carolina.
During a brisk, wintry walk in a Michigan garden, one realizes that, of the few elements of winter interest in the garden, ornamental grasses stand tall. There has been much said and written about the extraordinary versatility of the landscape use of ornamental grasses. Grasses add stature, texture, movement and fall and winter interest to any garden. Chasmanthium latifolium, commonly known as northern sea oats, is no exception. With its bamboo-like foliage and delicate inflorescences, chasmanthium is certain to interest gardeners (Figure 1A and B). and texture to a summer garden, while inflorescences add color and interest to a fall and winter garden. Chasmanthium latifolium is native to the United States and is naturalized from New Jersey to Pennsylvania in the Northeast to Texas and northern Florida in the Southeast. Chasmanthium is hardy to USDA Zones 4 to 9 and is often found naturalized in shady areas in forests, near rivers and in flood plains. Although the common name, northern sea oats, suggests its proximity to water, the natural habitat of chasmanthium is inland. A close but distinct relative, southern sea oats (Uniola paniculata) is distributed throughout the sand dunes of the southern United States and is used in dune restoration and erosion control projects. Great for use in native gardens and naturalized areas, chasmanthium has also been used successfully in urban landscapes and charming containers. Chasmanthium is of particular interest to many gardeners due to its moderate height (2 to 5 feet), deer resistance and its adaptability to shady locations. Many popular ornamental grasses are full sun plants and become floppy in shady areas, while chasmanthium thrives in part shade. As with many other ornamental grasses, chasmanthium is fairly easy to maintain and adds great value to gardens in return for the little time invested in plant care and maintenance. Its attractive inflorescences can be used in fresh or dried form in flower arrangements. Seeds can readily germinate when dispersed on the ground, resulting in a small mass of seedlings around the planted chasmanthium each year. Often, home gardeners remove seedlings to prevent the proliferation of this grass; while in some landscapes, this spread of chasmanthium is preferred to promote its naturalization. Container production of chasmanthium is as easy as growing and maintaining it in the garden. Consumers prefer buying plants in flower, and ornamental grasses follow suit. While some grasses may be difficult to produce and market in flower, chasmanthium can be easily forced. At Michigan State University, we conducted container production trials on chasmanthium, and our research-based results and production notes are narrated below. and flowered completely when non-cooled plants were forced at 68ËšF under photoperiods of 14 hours or longer. 16-INC and 16-HPS refer to a 16-hour photoperiod provided by incandescent and high-pressure sodiumlamps,respectively. Four-hour night interruption in the middle of night is denoted by 4 NI. Forcing under long-day (LD) and short-day (SD) photoperiods promotes flowering of LD and SD photoperiodic plants, respectively. Flowering of LD plants is hastened when the forcing photoperiod exceeds a critical value, known as the critical photoperiod. An experiment was performed to determine the critical photoperiod for flowering of Chasmanthium latifolium. The plugs were planted and grown at 68ËšF under a 10-, 12-, 13-, 14-, 16- or 24-hour photoperiod. All photoperiods were provided by extending the nine-hour day using incandescent lamps. Another treatment consisted of natural days extended with light from high-pressure sodium (HPS) lamps to create a 16-hour high-light photoperiod. Plants under this treatment received â‰ˆ30 percent more total light compared with the other treatments. Additionally, a separate group of plants was forced under a four-hour night interruption provided by incandescent lamps. No plants flowered when forced under a 10- or 12-hour photoperiod, 90 percent of plants flowered under the 13-hour photoperiod but their flowering was delayed, and all plants flowered rapidly when grown under photoperiods of 14 hours or longer or the night interruption treatment (Figure 2). Hence, chasmanthium is an obligate LD plant with a critical photoperiod of 14 hours. Plants forced under a 24-hour photoperiod flowered quickest (in five weeks), while seven to eight weeks were required for flowering when forced under photoperiods of 14 hours or longer. Starting Material and Bulking Chasmanthium latifolium seeds are viable and germinate easily. Hence, this grass is easy to produce commercially by seed by either germinating seeds in a propagation facility or purchasing seedling plugs. Cooling chasmanthium seedlings in plug trays at 41ËšF for 15 weeks did not influence flowering and therefore, chasmanthium does not require vernalization for flowering. Although bulking is not necessary for flowering, growing plants to their desired final size prior to forcing is beneficial. Plants should be bulked under photoperiods less than 14 hours to maintain vegetative growth and promote tiller production to obtain robust plants. As previously described, LD photoperiods of 14 hours or longer promote flowering of chasmanthium. Long-day photoperiods can be provided as a day extension or a four-hour night interruption treatment. When forced under 14- or 16-hour photoperiods or night interruption, plants flowered in seven to eight weeks in a greenhouse with an average daily temperature of 68ËšF. Forcing can be accelerated by providing continuous light (24-hour photoperiod), with complete flowering in â‰ˆ5 weeks. When provided with supplemental lighting, plants produced twice as many tillers as plants forced under natural daylight. Therefore, a high-light environment will produce higher quality crops. application of iron chelate at the manufacturer’s â€¨recommended rate. Non-treated control plants (left) and plants that received a media drench of iron chelate (right) were photographed four weeks after the chelate application was made. We have successfully used a peat-based medium to grow hundreds of herbaceous perennials. However, when some ornamental grasses, including chasmanthium, are grown in this peat-based medium, leaf chlorosis is observed. When left unattended, foliar chlorosis can progress to leaf necrosis and diminish the plant quality. Foliar tissue analysis indicated that this foliar chlorosis is due to iron deficiency. Application of chelated iron such as a foliar spray of diamine triamine penta acetate (DTPA) or a media drench of ethylene diamine dihydroxy methylphenyl acetate (EDDHA) can correct these deficiency symptoms when applied at the manufacturer’s recommended rates (Figure 3). EDDHA is a red-colored compound and if splashed on the foliage, an unsightly red residue is left behind. Hence, the foliage should be rinsed off soon after media drenching.
Most email services, especially those offered by consumer ISPs, use the old POP3 / SMTP protocols as the backbone for their email services. This works properly when only one computer is working as an email client because there is an expectation for the email to be downloaded off the mail server to that one computer. Now the reality has changed due to Moore’s Law allowing for the ISP to offer email storage capacity to their customers in the order of gigabytes. As well, the computing paradigm has shifted towards people viewing their email from multiple devices. This has been brought about with small business owners having an office computer and a home computer, as well as the increasing popularity of smartphones, tablet computers and secondary-tier notebook computers like netbooks and 13”-14” ultraportables. What does IMAP4 offer over POP3? The IMAP4 technology requires email to be stored on the server and allows a copy of the mail to exist on the client devices. When the email client connects to the IMAP4 server, it simply synchronises all the email between the client and the server. This includes synchronising the client outbox to the server outbox in order to have emails being sent. There is the ability for an IMAP4 setup to support “header-only” downloading, which would be of importance to people who use portable devices or low-bandwidth connections. As well, an IMAP4 setup can allow the user to operate in “offline” mode where synchronising is done when the user explicitly goes online so that users can prepare their email where Internet access is unavailable but synchronise when it is available. Compared to POP3 / SMTP, this allows for increased flexibility when it comes to maintaining a mailbox from different email clients. Primarily, the contents of the same mailbox appear in all client devices that can access that mailbox. An example of this benefit would be that the Sent folder contains all messages that are sent from all of the clients rather than from that particular client. Similarly, one could “rough-out” an email using a smartphone or other portable device, then “finish it off” on the desktop because the email will be held in the Drafts mailbox folder. It also supports the ability to create mailbox folders which will allow you to file the email in a manner that suits you, yet see the same filing arrangement across all your client devices. It is also worth knowing that IMAP4 is the basic email protocol that OMTP have called as part of their standard for mobile “visual voicemail” services. These services allow a user to manage voicemail that they receive on their mobile phone in a similar manner to how they manage email on their computer or smartphone. The status quo with IMAP4 IMAP4 is a free open-source technology that is independent of any licensing requirements; and nearly all email clients for desktop and mobile operating environments offer IMAP4 support as standard. It is even though most of the consumer ISPs don’t offer it as an email protocol to their customers. This is while an increasing number of these providers are now offering mailboxes with gigabyte file capacities to new customers and upsizing existing customers’ mailboxes to these capacities. As well, the current range of data-centre equipment that works as mail servers can handle IMAP4 easily. Some of these providers would rather offer a “hosted Exchange” service which would require the user to use Microsoft Outlook in Exchange mode. These services are more expensive to provide and may cost more for most personal and small-business users. What could be done An Internet service provider could offer IMAP4 mailboxes as a standard option for new customers or customers opening up new mailboxes. As well, they could offer it as a free upgrade option to existing customers, with information on how to convert from POP3 / SMTP to IMAP4. This kind of setup that IMAP4 offers can allow telcos who offer Internet service and telephony as a bundle or triple-play services to provide a unified messaging environment where customers can manage their voicemail, fax and email from the same terminal. It also opens up ways for these companies to add value to their telephony and Internet services. It also is a way of supporting the Internet-usage reality which is a reality driven by multiple-computer setups and portable computing.
The ability to make fire millennia ago was likely a key factor in the migration of prehistoric hominids from Africa into Eurasia, a researcher at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem’s Institute of Archaeology believes on the basis of findings at the Gesher Benot Ya’aqov archaeological site in Israel. Earlier excavations there…showed that the occupants of the site – who are identified as being part of the Acheulian culture that arose in Africa about 1.6 million years ago — had mastered fire-making ability as long as 790,000 years ago. This revelation pushed back previously accepted dates for man’s fire-making ability by a half-million years. Dr. Nira Alperson-Afil said that further, detailed investigation of burned flint at designated areas in all eight levels of civilization found at the site now shows that “concentrations of burned flint items were found in distinct areas, interpreted as representing the remnants of ancient hearths.” This tells us, she said, that once acquired, this fire-making ability was carried on over a period of many generations. She said that other studies which have reported on the use of fire only verified the presence of burned archaeological materials, but were unable to penetrate further into the question of whether humans were “fire-makers” from the very early stages of fire-use. “The new data from Gesher Benot Ya’akov is exceptional as it preserved evidence for fire-use throughout a very long occupational sequence. This continual, habitual, use of fire suggests that these early humans were not compelled to collect that fire from natural conflagrations, rather they were able to make fire at will,” Alperson-Afil said. Friends know that I consider Quest for Fire to be semi-autobiographical. This study is very helpful to my emotional well-being.
What's he saying? "What's in the brain, that ink may character, / Which hath not figured to thee my true spirit?" What is left to write about, when I have already written so much to show you my love and emotions? "What's new to speak, what now to register, / That may express my love, or thy dear merit? What else is there to say to express my love for you, or to praise how wonderful you are? "Nothing, sweet boy; but yet, like prayers divine, / I must each day say o'er the very same;" There's nothing new to say, but like we do with prayers, I repeat the same words over and over again; "Counting no old thing old, thou mine, I thine, / Even as when first I hallowed thy fair name." Our relationship still feels as new as when I first wrote about you. "So that eternal love in love's fresh case, / Weighs not the dust and injury of age," Love does not take into account the effects and failings of old age, "Nor gives to necessary wrinkles place, / But makes antiquity for aye his page;" Neither does it give importance to inevitable wrinkles, but rather the loved one sees the example of how ancient records have always praised what is beautiful; "Finding the first conceit of love there bred, / Where time and outward form would show it dead." Since those records reflect love as young, though obviously the records themselves are old. Why is he saying it? Sonnet 108 is significant because there were 108 sonnets in Sidney's Astrophel and Stella, one of the earliest and most influential sonnet sequences published in England. Published posthumously in 1591, it had been circulating for eleven years before that. Many of Shakespeare's sonnets echo ideas or specific sonnets in Astrophel and Stella, and so it makes sense that the 108th sonnet would be the point at which the poet asks, "What more is there to say?" Rather than ending here, however, he concludes that since love is eternal and will always remain new and fresh, the same words of devotion can be repeated without losing meaning. This sonnet can be grouped with Sonnets 105 and 106, in that the poet uses them to discuss the importance of things he can say about the fair lord. These sonnets contain the only three instances of the word "express" in the sonnet sequence. Sonnet 105 explains that the poet's focus on the beloved's being "fair, kind, and true" suffices, since his poems "one thing expressing, leaves out difference." Sonnet 106 declares that the "antique pens" of poets of long ago "would have express'd" the fair lord's beauty adequately if they could have seen it for themselves. The concentration of the usage of this word draws attention to the idea of these sonnets: that is, the extent to which love depends on being expressed in poetry. Lines 5-8 have been called blasphemous, since they clearly compare devotion to the fair lord to devotion to God. The most obvious reference is line 8: "Even as when first I hallowed thy fair name," which is The Lord's Prayer, or the "Our Father:" "Our Father, who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name." This is the most famous Christian prayer, and the reference would not have been missed by any of the sonnet's readers. The question thus remains how Shakespeare got away with what would have been considered obvious blasphemy in such a strict society. The "prayers divine" of line 5 seem to refer to a rosary, a repetitive prayer formula. A rosary consists of one "Our Father," ten "Hail Marys," and on "Glory Be," repeated five times. In the following line, the speaker complains that, "I must each day say o'er the very same," as one would when praying the rosary. This implication is enforced by the word "counting" in line 7. So even though on the service, these lines refer to the the poet's dedication to writing about his beloved without variation, the metaphor of the rosary is apparent. The meaning of lines 12-14 is a bit unclear, since "page" could mean either the page of a book or a servant. The interpretation here assumes it means the page of a book, taking into account the reference to writing in line 1, as well as the "chronicle of wasted time" referred to in Sonnet 106. Thus "there" in line 13 refers to the old chronicle, and "time and outward form" means the chronicle's appearance. However, if "page" is taken to mean servant, then the meaning is that love conquers "antiquity," seeming to make Time its servant. In this case, the final couplet refers to the love between the poet and the fair lord, which still seems as young as when it was "bred," or first conceived.
The bird flu has begun to change the world's agriculture industry, and the cattle business has begun to feel the first ripples of those changes. So far, the impact has been limited primarily to poultry farmers overseas, and to soybean and corn growers. But the spillover effect is beginning to help the beef industry by exerting downward pressure on feed-grain prices. In the long run, however, the beef industry faces huge losses if this virus jumps from poultry to people and becomes a worldwide killer on a par with the 1918 flu pandemic, which killed about 100 million people. To date, about 200 million birds have been lost worldwide, either directly to the disease or to the culling designed to control its spread. As the disease has spread from Asia to Europe and parts of Africa, some consumers have shied from poultry due to false fears they can contract the virus from it. In fact, the Italian farmers association reported in mid February that poultry consumption was down 70% due to consumers' worries over bird flu. Those two factors have cut noticeably into world soybean consumption and, to a lesser extent, corn consumption. As a result, U.S. soybean exports are down more than 20% and the price has softened. That works to the benefit of cattle feeders using soybean products in their feedlot rations. Bird flu also infects pigs Pigs are also susceptible to this strain of flu virus, officially know as H5N1, and there have been reports of some pigs contracting the virus in Asia. The danger is the disease could spread if it took hold in hog facilities in the U.S. Though the bird flu hasn't surfaced in the U.S., the United Nations said it could be here in six months to a year, or sooner. Should large numbers of pigs get sick, demand for corn would fall, which would likely moderate corn prices. “If pigs get sick, there's no doubt it would slow grain consumption,” says Don Roose, president of U.S. Commodities, an Iowa-based research and trading firm. “Hogs are big corn eaters, and they also eat soybeans.” That scenario would work to the benefit of cattle feeders who use large quantities of corn and soybeans. What about cattle? Cattle would also benefit if U.S. consumers turned from poultry to beef and pork. “The consumer will eat some protein, moving to the one he thinks is the safest,” Roose says. Large American poultry operations are run on a bio-secure basis, however, which may minimize the chances of U.S. poultry being infected by migrating wild birds. Cattle, meanwhile, are unlikely to contract the disease. “Bovines haven't been susceptible to influenza in the past. While we can never say never, there's no reason to believe it will happen with H5N1,” says Michael Osterholm, director of the University of Minnesota's Center for Infectious Disease Research and Policy. But if the bird flu virus were to mutate for easy human-to-human transmission, the beef industry could suffer badly. To date, there have been only about 100 human deaths from the disease, almost all attributed to contact with infected birds. The great fear is it will become a deadly person-to-person pandemic. Should that happen, the consequences for the beef industry would be enormous. “People in agriculture need to understand their livelihood is at risk from a pandemic because of what this would do to the world economy,” Osterholm says. As he told a U.S. House Subcommittee last December, “I firmly believe if an influenza pandemic began today, borders will close, the global economy will shut down… health care systems will be overwhelmed and panic will reign.” One victim of that panic would be the food industry, which would suffer as international trade ceased and consumers stayed home. “Restaurants should expect to see their business evaporate,” said a food industry study prepared with data from Osterholm's center. In other words, consumers would avoid the fast-food chains that account for much of U.S. beef sales. As restaurants, ports and other businesses shut down, workers would lose their jobs — at least until the panic subsided — and have less to spend on food. Still, food would fare better than some industries. People can forego new cars and many other things, but they can't forego food. “In a pandemic, it's not clear what they would eat, or where they would eat,” Osterholm says. “People may take in less calories, but they've still got to eat.” Doug McInnis is a business trends writer based in Casper, WY.
There are many questions regarding tooth pain so we have decided to write a detailed guide on how to manage different types of toothache. Please check back soon, because once it’s ready it will cover all the topics related to tooth pain. Pain after tooth cleaning Painful teeth after cleaning It is common to experience pain or discomfort after a tooth cleaning, also known as a dental prophylaxis. During a tooth cleaning, your dentist or dental hygienist will use special instruments to remove plaque and tartar from your teeth and gums. This can cause some discomfort, especially if you have sensitive teeth or gums. Additionally, your mouth may be sore after the cleaning because the instruments used can irritate the gums and cause them to swell. The pain or discomfort should resolve on its own within a few days, but you can take over-the-counter pain medication, such as ibuprofen, to help manage the discomfort. If the pain persists or is severe, contact your dentist for advice. They can provide additional treatment or pain relief to help manage the discomfort. Pain after filling Toothache after filling Tooth pain after filling It is common to experience pain or discomfort after a dental filling. A dental filling is a procedure in which a dentist removes the decayed portion of a tooth and fills the area with a filling material, such as composite resin or amalgam. This can cause some discomfort, especially if the tooth was infected or the filling material was placed near a nerve. The pain or discomfort should resolve on its own within a few days, but you can take over-the-counter pain medication, such as ibuprofen, to help manage the discomfort. If the pain persists or is severe, contact your dentist for advice. They can provide additional treatment or pain relief to help manage the discomfort. Jaw aches a month after filling Jaw pain two weeks after dental work Extreme jaw pain after filling If you are experiencing jaw pain weeks after dental work, it may be due to a condition called temporomandibular joint (TMJ) disorder. The temporomandibular joints are the joints that connect your jaw to your skull and allow you to move your jaw to speak, chew, and swallow. TMJ disorder is a condition that affects these joints and can cause pain, stiffness, and difficulty moving the jaw. Dental work, such as a tooth extraction or dental filling, can cause or worsen TMJ disorder. If you are experiencing jaw pain weeks after dental work, I recommend talking to your dentist for advice. They can evaluate your symptoms and recommend the appropriate treatment, such as medication or physical therapy, to help manage the pain and improve your jaw function. Can Advil stop toothache? Advil, or ibuprofen, is a nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug (NSAID) that can help to relieve pain and inflammation. However, it is not effective in treating toothaches. A toothache is caused by inflammation or infection in the tooth or surrounding tissues, and it requires treatment by a dentist. Advil can help to relieve the pain associated with a toothache, but it will not treat the underlying cause of the toothache. If you have a toothache, it is important to visit a dentist for an examination and appropriate treatment. They can determine the cause of the toothache and provide the appropriate treatment, such as a filling or root canal, to relieve the pain and prevent further damage. Jaw pain after lidocaine injection It is common to experience jaw pain after receiving a lidocaine injection. Lidocaine is a local anesthetic that is used to numb a specific area of the mouth or body. When it is injected, it can cause temporary numbness and weakness in the muscles near the injection site. This can lead to jaw pain, as well as difficulty speaking or chewing. The pain should resolve on its own within a few hours as the numbness and weakness in the muscles wears off. However, if the pain persists or is severe, contact your dentist for advice. They can provide additional treatment or pain relief to help manage the discomfort. Fasting and tooth ache Fasting, or not eating or drinking for a period of time, can affect your dental health and may cause or worsen toothaches. When you fast, your body uses stored glycogen for energy, which can cause your blood sugar levels to drop. This can lead to dry mouth, which can increase the risk of tooth decay and toothaches. Additionally, fasting can cause dehydration, which can also lead to dry mouth and an increased risk of tooth decay. If you have a toothache while fasting, it is important to visit a dentist for an examination and appropriate treatment. They can determine the cause of the toothache and provide the appropriate treatment, such as a filling or root canal, to relieve the pain and prevent further damage. Additionally, it is important to drink plenty of water while fasting to help prevent dehydration and dry mouth. How to stop toothache How to stop a throbbing toothache? Throbbing tooth pain for days unbearable A throbbing toothache can be a sign of a serious dental issue and should be treated by a dental professional as soon as possible. In the meantime, there are a few things you can try to help reduce the pain and discomfort associated with a throbbing toothache: - Take over-the-counter pain medication: Nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) such as ibuprofen or acetaminophen can help reduce toothache pain. Follow the instructions on the package and do not exceed the recommended dose. - Apply a cold compress: Placing a cold compress on the outside of your cheek near the painful tooth can help numb the area and reduce swelling. - Rinse with warm salt water: Mix a half teaspoon of salt into a glass of warm water and rinse your mouth with the mixture. This can help reduce inflammation and kill bacteria that may be causing the toothache. - Use a numbing agent: OTC products such as Orajel or Anbesol can be applied to the affected tooth to help numb the area and reduce pain. - Avoid hot or cold foods: Avoid consuming hot or cold foods and drinks, as these can exacerbate toothache pain. Stick to room temperature or lukewarm beverages and foods. If the toothache persists or is severe, it is important to see a dental professional as soon as possible for proper diagnosis and treatment. Here is a list of questions yet to be answered: tooth pain back after filling toothache pain relief pain after filling scaling nonstop tooth pain why do I have a toothache toothache at night how to stop tooth pain fast gum pain after freezing is it normal to have more pain after dental anesthesia after filling mouth is throbbing jaw pain and headache slight tooth pain unsure where chronic tooth pain after filling hot or cold after dental work to relieve pain ambesol does not help tooth pain cold press tooth pain Please check back soon as we will update this article on a weekly basis. This article is still a work in progress and was last updated on December 20, 2022.
You can learn to read Hebrew in a few days - real newspaper Hebrew, street signs etc. No kidding! The entire Hebrew alphabet (with "final" forms of letters): א ב ג ד ה ו ז ח ט י כ ך ל מ ם נ ן ס ע פ ף צ ץ ק Follow this mini course and you will learn how to read and sound every letter. You can do it in a day or two - really! And quite soon after that, you will be reading street signs and even parts of newspaper articles - without "dots" (vowel Bonus 1: You will understand what you are reading! You can even learn to write in script if you like! Bonus 3: It's all free, right here. This is not the "lite" version of a professional course, and we are not Hebrew Pronunciation and Transliteration gives details of all the letters if you must know now. Don't go there unless you are really curious! This mini-course is divided into seven lessons that teach you to read the entire alphabet, and advanced vocabulary and practice lessons that can be studied either along with each lesson or as an additional review and vocabulary expansion after you are done learning the letters. And right away - you can be READING and talking and writing modern HEBREW! The first easy letters (script version on the left, block print version on the right): - Ahleph. It became "A" in English. In Hebrew, it is not really a vowel and may take on any vowel sound. Most often, it is "ah." If you read it as "ah" (as in "ah ha!) you will be right more often than - Beht, a "B" in English. But it is a bit different from "B" in English. At the beginning of a word or syllable, it is pronounced "B." Inside a syllable it is "V." is a useful letter because it replaces the English word "in." When it means "in," Beht is usually pronounced "Beh." Words using the letters you have learned (remember, Hebrew is read RIGHT to LEFT) . \|"Ahv" - it means "Father." "Bet" at the end of the word is pronounced "V." \| "Bah" - it means "I am Coming, You are Coming, He is Coming," - "Bet" at the beginning of the word or syllable is pronounced as "B." \|"Ah' bah" - It too means father. It refers to your specific father, like "Daddy." A sentence in Hebrew: . - "Father is coming" or "Father - Gimmel - A hard "G." - Daled - A "D." - Heh - An "H." This useful letter also replaces a whole English word. At the beginning of another word, usually pronounced "hah," it means "the." The "the" letter, " hayediah" (AKA "definite article) can be combined with "in" (""). When we want to say "in the" we do not say "Beh Hah" - we say "Bah," and is added to the beginning of the word. can do some more tricks that we will learn about later. Some words that use the letters you learned: "Gahg" - a roof - "Dov" - a bear - "Dahg - a fish - "Bah" - in her - "Hehd" - an echo - "Gahv" - a back - "Beh gahv" - in a back "Bah gahv" - in the back - "Bahd" - cloth - Tired of two letter words? Try these: \|"Geh Eh' " - proud. \|"Eh' gehd" - The ubiquitous Israeli bus cooperative, "Egged." This word also means "band-aid." "Ah gah dah' " - A legend, \|"Gah dah' " - a river bank. "Hah gah dah' " The river bank - usually it means the West Bank of the Jordan river, AKA Judea and Samaria. refers to the Passover Seder book. It means "the telling." "Hah ha gah dah' " means "The Hagadah" - referring to the Passover book as a specific object. Be sure to say each letter and word out loud! Review the letters you learned in Hebrew Alphabet for Even more words and review of Hebrew for Dummies 1 (Requires Hebrew fonts) Go on to Hebrew for Dummies 2 (Requires Hebrew Note - Additional lessons require a computer and browser that can display UTF-8 standard fonts. Hebrew for Dummies lessons are Copyright © 2008 by Ami Isseroff and Zionism-Israel.com, You may use them for personal use or print them out to teach a class, with this notice. You may not copy them to a Web site or include them in a commercial text.
x = 16 Work Step by Step x - 0.25x = 12 Multiply both sides by 100 to clear the equation of all decimals. 100x - 25x = 1200 75x = 1200 Divide both sides by 75. x = 16 You can help us out by revising, improving and updating this answer.Update this answer After you claim an answer you’ll have 24 hours to send in a draft. An editor will review the submission and either publish your submission or provide feedback.
May is an important month in the control of insect pests of pine trees. Pine needle scale, a common but variable pest, could still be controlled in the egg stage with a dormant oil spray before bud break (an unusual situation but a possibility in "late" springs like this one), though more typically we think of May as the time to control the crawler stage. Pine needle scale eggs that spent the winter under the scale of the adult female normally hatch during mid-May. This crawler stage is vulnerable to sprays of contact insecticides such as soapy water, horticulture oil, diazinon, Orthene, malathion and Sevin, so timing treatment to coincide with the egg hatch is important for effective control. According to the phenological indicator system we use to predict when important events such as scale egg hatch will happen, get ready to treat infested pine trees that warrant treatment when lilacs are in bloom and treat during bloom of Vanhouttei spirea, horse chestnut and Zabel's honeysuckle plants The second, common pest of pines that should be watched for in May, (preferably mid-May) is the European pine sawfly. European pine sawfly larvae feed in clusters on the old growth needles of mugho, Scots and red pine trees and shrubs. Larvae are grayish-green with 2 light stripes and 1 dark stripe on each side of the body and shiny black legs and head. Full grown larvae, usually present by Memorial Day weekend, are about 1 inch long. Because only old needles are eaten and not the new, emerging growth, defoliated trees are generally not killed. Damage may be aesthetically displeasing, especially in Christmas tree plantations, and growth of the tree may be stunted. Control can be as simple as pruning off and discarding infested branches. Heavier infestations on larger trees may justify foliar sprays of Sevin, Orthene or Isotox. Spraying is of greatest benefit when done before the larvae become one-half grown. This article originally appeared in the May 5, 1995 issue, p. 53. Links to this article are strongly encouraged, and this article may be republished without further permission if published as written and if credit is given to the author, Horticulture and Home Pest News, and Iowa State University Extension and Outreach. If this article is to be used in any other manner, permission from the author is required. This article was originally published on May 5, 1995. The information contained within may not be the most current and accurate depending on when it is accessed.
The theme of the 1950s was “better living through chemistry.” Subsequently, a scientist named Edward Adelbert Doisy discovered various forms of estrogen. Estrogen replacement therapy began to be presented as a therapy that could allow women to free themselves from estrogen loss in order to conserve their femininity. As a result, millions of women began using the horse urine estrogen Premarin. In 1942, Premarin was approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for the treatment of menopausal hot flashes. In reality, this novel estrogen replacement therapy was not well researched. The FDA approved these prescription drugs based on studies of a relatively small number of women. Regardless, from 1965 to 1970, estrogen replacement theory was touted as a pill that would keep women young. Doubts About Hormone Replacement Therapy Dr. John Lee, MD writes, “By the mid-1990s, there was ample scientific evidence that HRT was not living up to its promise and even that it was probably doing more harm than good, but many excellent studies showing this was ignored in favor of continuing hype from the drug companies about all the diseases that HRT could prevent…In the summer of 2002, two major studies published in the Journal of American Medical Association (JAMA) finally changed the fixed mindset of conventional medicine toward HRT. The first blow to HRT came from the huge Women’s Health Initiative (WHI) study, one part of which looked at the effects of the most common form of HRT, PremPro. This arm of the study was ended after five years (three years early) because of a clearly greater risk of breast cancer, heart disease, and strokes among women using PremPro [Premarin (equine estrogens) plus Prover (a synthetic progestin.)]” The Women’s Health Initiative (WHI) was the main public randomized clinical preliminary study to follow hormonal treatment in postmenopausal ladies. The scientists found that ladies on these pills would encounter eight additional instances of intrusive breast malignant growth, seven coronary illnesses, eight strokes, and eight extra pneumonic embolisms. Shortly after the WHI study was halted, another study was released, this one from the Breast Cancer Detection Demonstration Project, part of a nationwide breast cancer screening program, and it showed that “estrogen-only hormone replacement increases the overall risk of ovarian cancer by more than threefold.” In addition to the WHI and the Breast Cancer Detection Demonstration, studies done at Kaiser Permanente Hospital in San Francisco showed that women who were on Premarin had a rate of endometrial cancer that was five times higher than that of non-users. These findings rightfully led to HRT’s negative reputation. The Breast Cancer Detection Demonstration Project, part of a nationwide breast cancer screening program, showed estrogen-only hormone replacement therapy increased the overall risk of ovarian cancer by more than threefold. What Does the Recent Data Show? A study in the British Journal of Cancer states”…Combined use of estrogen and progesterone cause a significant increase in the risk of breast cancer (HR(hazard ratio))(=2.74; 95% CI, 2.05-3.65; <.001), with a 5.6% increase in HR per year of use that reached 3.27 at more than 15 years of use. Our research shows that some previous studies are likely to have underestimated the risk of breast cancer with combined estrogen-progestogen HRT.” Why is Hormone Replacement Therapy Still in Use? The pharmaceutical industry has sponsored several “independent” studies claiming that estrogen is not dangerous and the results from the Women Health Initiative study were wrong and due to bad statistical techniques. There are two main types of HRT: - combination HRT contains the hormones estrogen and progesterone - estrogen-only HRT contains only estrogen HRT is made of synthetic hormones. This means that they are similar, but not identical to, the natural hormone they replace. In order for a medical company to patent a chemical compound, they need to alter the chemical structure of the molecule slightly, so it is different from its natural form. This is because it is not possible to patent a natural substance. Why is HRT Linked to Breast Cancer? ● It is less easily metabolized — which makes your liver work harder. The liver is where estrogen is metabolized. - The hormones in HRT are not the hormones found in the body. Foreign substances can provoke a negative response. - HRT is not always dosed properly. Different women have different levels of hormones and different needs. What About Bioidentical Hormone Replacement Therapy? Bioidentical HRT(BHRT) is a bioidentical steroid hormone that is identical in organic structure and function to human hormones. Bioidentical hormones are usually derived from a type of plant oil called diosgenin. Overall, scientific data supports that BHRT is far safer than synthetic hormone replacement therapy. There is no study linking bio-identical progesterone with an increase in breast cancer. Are you concerned about your hormone levels? Interested in bioidentical hormone replacement therapy? Join Moment Healthcare for comprehensive testing and consultations. Hormone Replacement Therapy and Breast Cancer: Heterogeneous Risks by Race, Weight, and Breast Density Hormone Replacement Therapy in Relation to Breast Cancer The Haunting of Medical Journals: How Ghostwriting Sold “HRT” - Bain, et al., “Use of postmenopausal hormones and risk of myocardial infarction,” Circulation 64, 42-46, 1981. Progesterone action in endometrial cancer, endometriosis, uterine fibroids, and breast cancer by Kim et al (Kim, Kurita, & Bulun, 2013).
For decades, men have been encouraged to undergo routine checkups to detect prostate cancer in its earliest stage. This usually includes the test for prostate-specific antigen (PSA). The amount of this protein in the bloodstream climbs when a tumor begins growing in the prostate gland. In theory, detecting a prostate tumor early should save lives. But the longest-running trial to date shows that checking PSA levels in seemingly healthy men does little to cut a man’s chances of dying of the disease. You can read my full report on this new study at the Harvard Prostate Knowledge Web site.
A new study from the Texas Transportation Institute at Texas A&M University found that using a voice-to-text feature such as Siri to send messages while driving is just as dangerous as texting. Researchers found that both methods significantly delayed a driver’s response time. The study involved 43 participants who were required to drive along a test track while concentrating only on driving, and then repeat the task once while texting and again time using a voice-to-text feature on a smartphone. “In each case, drivers took about twice as long to react as they did when they weren’t texting,” head researcher Christine Yager said to Reuters. “Eye contact to the roadway also decreased, no matter which texting method was used.” The researcher found that response times while using voice-to-text features were actually longer than traditional texting because users were forced to go back and correct spelling errors. “You’re still using your mind to try to think of what you’re trying to say, and that by proxy causes some driving impairment, and that decreases your response time,” Yager said. Even though driving performance wasn’t improved, participants felt safer using the voice-to-text feature. Yager warned, however, that drivers merely had false confidence and using applications like Siri aren’t any safer. “Every day, new technologies come out, and it is important to educate the public that even these seemingly new distractions are still distractions, and it will help people be safer when they get into the vehicle,” she concluded.
Set against the backdrop of the cold war, the New York World's Fair of 19641965 emphasized capitalism and commercialization while it downplayed art as an element that should be elevated above other exhibits. This emphasis placed art in settings that seemed populist, even vulgar to some critics, in order to attract as many visitors as possible. Adding to this perception that the fair lacked high culture, officials did not sponsor any exhibits showcasing art despite the fact that most earlier fairs had at least one pavilion dedicated to art. The two most distinctive features of the 1964-1965 fair no separate fine arts pavilion and being the first to feature a number of newly independent nations emerging from colonialism provide an opportunity to examine the place of the arts in this new global commercial context. This article examines art displays found in selected official international pavilions to show that fair organizers sought out great works of art not simply to create a culturally edifying fair, but to use art as spectacle to enhance the commercial aspects of the event. The fair served as a venue where both exhibitors and fair officials used art, high and low, to serve multiple ends, among them economic development, religious proselytizing, and cultural prestige. Journal Of Social History Open Access Status Nicoletta, Julie, "Art Out of Place: International Art Exhibits at the New York World's Fair of 1964-1965" (2010). SIAS Faculty Publications. 14.
Because of the increase in cases among infants, not children, five-year-olds are being given a booster in an attempt to reestablish countrywide herd immunity rather than protect them per se. In effect, the immune system of your child is being exploited to prevent this ubiquitous disease from spreading among infants. Whooping cough returns In the Netherlands, despite universal vaccine coverage since the 1940s, whooping cough cases are increasing (CDC, Emerging Infectious Diseases [Suppl] June 2001). Indeed, the rate of infection may be as high as 1-4 per cent among the population (Infect Control Hosp Epidemiol, 1999; 20: 120-3). Many other countries with vaccination coverage of over 90 per cent, such as Canada and Australia, have recently had epidemics of whooping cough (Can Commun Dis Rep, 1995; 15: 45-8; Commun Dis Intell, 1997; 21: 145-8). In the US, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recently announced that, in the last three years, the number of cases of whooping cough has more than trebled to 7000 cases per year since the 1980s, when only 2000 cases were reported a year. As with England, this increase - 29 per cent - has mainly occurred among children under a year old. This is despite the fact that at least two-thirds of all children receive some form of the whooping cough jab, and the vaccine is touted as being 88 per cent effective among children 7-18 months old (MMWR, 2002; 51: 73-6). The reemergence of whooping cough in the US is hardly a new trend. After the vaccine was launched in the 1940s, cases of pertussis declined to an historic low in 1976. But, since the early 1980s, the incidence of whooping cough has increased cyclically, peaking every three to four years independently of vaccination (MMWR, 2002; 51: 73-6). During a nationwide epidemic of whooping cough in 1993, a group of researchers at Cincinnati Children’s Hospital, examining 352 children who had come down with the disease, discovered that 82 per cent had completed their full complement of DPT vaccines (N Engl J Med, 1994; 331: 16-21). One immediate cause is that the vaccine simply wears off after a few years. In one Italian study of 38 children, aged five to six years, who’d routinely received three doses of pertussis vaccine, very few children had significant antibodies to all three pertussis antigens five years after vaccination (Infect Immun, 2001; 69: 4516-20). The mutated gene If Bordetella pertussis has made a worldwide comeback, for the most part it has done so in a slightly different guise. Epidemiologists believe that, among highly vaccinated populations, B. pertussis has mutated, changing its DNA ‘fingerprint’ and the genetic coding of its outer coat of surface proteins (Infect Immun, 1998; 66: 670-5; Microbiology, 1996; 142: 3479-85). In the Netherlands, scientists have observed significant changes in the structure of the wild circulating bacteria when comparing blood samples of victims of whooping cough with those who were vaccinated. The main differences involved not only the outer membrane protein pertactin, but also the pertussis toxin itself. A similar genetic ‘drift’ has been observed in Poland, Finland and the US (Vaccine, 2001; 20: 299-303; Emerg Infect Dis, June 2001). 'It seems like the bacterium is changing part of its coat, thereby disguising itself' from the immune system, said Dr Audrey King of the National Institute of Public Health and the Environment in Bilthoven, the Netherlands, at the annual meeting of the American Society for Microbiology in June 2001.
The Majestic Doge’s Palace When you step into Venice’s historic St. Mark’s Square, your eyes will undoubtedly be drawn to a grand structure that exudes power and elegance – the Doge’s Palace. This is no ordinary palace; it’s a monument to the glory of Venetian governance and a symbol of the city’s vibrant past. An Introduction to Doge’s Palace The Doge’s Palace, or Palazzo Ducale as it’s known in Italian, is one of the most significant landmarks in Venice. It’s not just a palace – it’s the embodiment of Venetian art, history, and power. Serving as the residence of the Doge (the supreme authority of the Republic of Venice), a governmental base, and a court of law, it’s a testament to the grandeur of Venetian civilization. As one of the foremost historical & iconic landmarks in Venice, it stands as an integral part of Venice’s rich historical tapestry. Located on the edge of St. Mark’s Square, the palace offers stunning views of the lagoon and the Venice Grand Canal. Its strategic location, impressive architecture, and rich history make it a must-visit destination for any history and culture enthusiast. The Historical Significance of Doge’s Palace The Doge’s Palace holds a unique place in the history of Venice. It was not just the residence of the Doge, but also the heart of the city’s political and administrative life. This was where the great minds of Venice convened to make decisions that shaped the city’s future. The palace’s history traces back to the 9th century, but the building you see today is mainly the result of extensive renovations in the 14th and 15th centuries. Over the centuries, the palace has witnessed the rise and fall of the Venetian Republic, survived fires, and undergone numerous restorations. Today, the Doge’s Palace stands as a magnificent monument that narrates the tale of Venice’s glorious past. As you walk through its grand halls and corridors, you can’t help but feel a sense of awe at the grandeur of Venetian history. This palace is not just a building; it’s a testament to the city’s enduring spirit, a symbol of its cultural heritage, and one of the most significant examples of Gothic architecture in Venice. Whether you’re a history lover, an art enthusiast, or a cultural explorer, the Doge’s Palace is an unmissable part of your Venetian journey. So, step inside and get ready to be transported back in time as you explore the grandeur of the Doge’s Palace in Venice. Architecture and Design At the heart of Venice, the Doge’s Palace stands as a testament to the city’s rich architectural heritage. Its grand design sings praises of the Venetian Gothic style, while the intricate details embedded on the exterior and interior make it a must-visit landmark. An Exploration of Venetian Gothic Style If you’re a fan of architecture, you’ll be fascinated by the Venetian Gothic style that the Doge’s Palace in Venice showcases. This unique architectural style combines Byzantine and Ottoman architectural elements with the Gothic architecture of the West, resulting in a stunning blend of pointed arches, intricate stonework, and graceful colonnades. This architectural style, prevalent in Venice from the 14th to the 16th century, is a testament to the city’s rich multicultural history, particularly its connections with the Byzantine Empire and the Islamic world. To explore more of this unique architectural style, you might want to visit the Rialto Bridge or the Ca’ d’Oro. The Grand Exterior The exterior of Doge’s Palace is a spectacle of the Venetian Gothic style. The façade facing the lagoon is a spectacle of beautifully arching windows separated by small columns, creating an airy, lace-like appearance. The lower part of the façade features a stunning loggia with pointed arches, while the upper part is adorned with a stunning array of tracery and quatrefoil patterns. The intricate stonework and stunning marble used in the construction make walking around the building a visual treat. The Lavish Interior Inside the Doge’s Palace, the grandeur continues. As you walk through the various rooms and halls, you’ll be awestruck by the ornate ceilings, grand fireplaces, and the stunning frescoes and paintings that adorn the walls. The lavish stucco decorations and gilded detailing is a clear indication of Venice’s past wealth and prosperity. Remember to look up as you walk through the halls. Many of the ceilings are decorated with stunning works of art, some of them created by the greatest artists of the Venetian school. As you wander through the palace, you’ll have the chance to see the work of legendary Venetian artists such as Tintoretto and Veronese. The architecture and design of Doge’s Palace reflect the grandeur and opulence of Venice’s past. As you explore the palace, you’ll be stepping back in time, immersing yourself in the rich cultural and architectural heritage of this remarkable city. Don’t forget to check out the legendary Venetian artists during your visit. Noteworthy Sections of Doge’s Palace As you venture into the grandeur of the Doge’s Palace in Venice, you’ll discover a plethora of remarkable sections that each tell a unique story about the city’s past. From the bustling courtyard to the lavish apartments, each corner of the palace reveals a new piece of Venetian history. The Courtyard: A Place of Gathering As you step into the expansive courtyard of Doge’s Palace, you’re stepping into Venice’s historical hub of social gatherings. Encircled by the palace’s stunning façade, the courtyard was a place where citizens gathered for public events, making it a vibrant symbol of Venetian community life. Take a moment to imagine the lively chatter, the clinking of glasses, and the grand celebrations that once filled this space. The Doge’s Apartments: Living in Grandeur Next, you’ll find yourself in the Doge’s Apartments, a suite of rooms that once housed the Doge, the ruler of Venice. These rooms, filled with opulent decorations and grand furnishings, served as a testament to the Doge’s wealth and power. As you explore these rooms, you can almost feel the weight of the decisions made within these walls, decisions that shaped the course of Venetian history. The Council Chambers: Where Decisions were Made The Council Chambers, where the city’s most influential citizens gathered to debate and pass legislation, is a testament to Venice’s rich political history. The vast room, adorned with stunning frescoes and intricate carvings, was a stage for political discourse and decision-making. As you stand in the chamber, imagine the heated debates, the impassioned speeches, and the monumental decisions that once echoed through the room. The Prisons: A Peek into Venice’s Past A stark contrast to the opulence of the other sections, the prisons of Doge’s Palace offer a sobering glimpse into Venice’s past. Connected to the palace by the famous Bridge of Sighs, the prisons housed those who fell afoul of the city’s laws. As you walk through the dim, narrow cells, you’ll have a tangible sense of the harsh realities of Venetian justice. Exploring these noteworthy sections of Doge’s Palace will give you a richer understanding of Venice’s history, the influence of its rulers, and the lives of its citizens. From the grandeur of the Doge’s Apartments to the somber reality of the prisons, each section adds a new layer to the story of this magnificent city. As you continue your journey through Venice, be sure to explore other historical & iconic landmarks to delve even deeper into the city’s past. The Doge’s Palace in Venice isn’t just a grand architectural marvel, it’s also a treasure trove of artistic masterpieces. Let’s delve into the world of artistry that lies within its grand walls. The Paintings: Stories Told Through Art As you wander through the rooms of the palace, you’ll come across incredible paintings that speak volumes about Venice’s rich history. They are the storytellers, the silent narrators of the city’s past. From depictions of significant historical events to portraits of influential figures, each painting in Doge’s Palace holds a unique story. One of the most unforgettable sights is the ‘Paradise’ by Tintoretto, considered the largest canvas painting in the world. Hanging in the Grand Council Chamber, this stunning piece of art depicts a heavenly scene filled with hundreds of figures. It’s a testament to the grandeur of Venetian art that reflects the city’s vibrant cultural scene during the Renaissance. Many of these paintings were created by legendary Venetian artists, whose works continue to inspire and awe visitors from around the world. The Sculptures: Stone Etched with History The palace is also home to several exquisite sculptures, each meticulously crafted, embodying the essence of Venetian artistry. As you explore the palace, you’ll discover a range of sculptures adorning the walls, ceilings, and courtyards. From intricate bas-reliefs to imposing statues, these sculptures add to the grandeur of the palace. One of the notable pieces is the ‘Drunk Noah’ sculpture carved into the capital of one of the columns in the Doge’s Palace courtyard. It’s a fascinating depiction of the Biblical story of Noah, showcasing the skill and creativity of the Venetian sculptors. Much like the paintings, these sculptures also tell stories of Venice’s past, immortalized in stone. They serve as a testament to the city’s artistic prowess and cultural heritage. There’s no doubt that the Doge’s Palace is a must-visit spot for art lovers. Its artistic highlights offer a deeper dive into the past of the ‘City of Canals’ and provide a unique perspective on the historical and cultural richness of Venice. So, when you’re exploring the historical & iconic landmarks in Venice, make sure to set aside plenty of time to appreciate the artistry within the grand walls of Doge’s Palace. Visiting Doge’s Palace When you step into the world of Doge’s Palace in Venice, you’re immersing yourself in a realm of historical grandeur and opulence. Whether you choose to explore the palace on your own or opt for a guided tour, each visit offers a unique perspective into Venice’s illustrious past. Exploring on Your Own: What to Look for If you’re the type who loves to wander and discover at your own pace, exploring Doge’s Palace on your own can be a rewarding adventure. Here are a few pointers on what to look for: - Architecture: Notice the stunning blend of Byzantine and Gothic styles in the palace’s design. Pay attention to the intricate details, ornate carvings, and the overall symmetry of the building. You can learn more about the architectural styles in our article on Renaissance architecture in Venice. - Artwork: Keep an eye out for the vast collection of Renaissance art scattered throughout the palace. Look for themes and stories depicted in these masterpieces. Learn more about the artists behind these works in our piece on legendary Venetian artists. - Historical Significance: Consider the role of Doge’s Palace in Venice’s history. This wasn’t just a residence but a place where important decisions that shaped Venice were made. Guided Tours: Delving Deeper into History For a more in-depth understanding of the palace’s history and significance, guided tours can be incredibly beneficial. These tours, led by knowledgeable guides, can offer insights you might miss when exploring on your own. Here’s what you can expect: - Detailed Narration: Guides can provide a chronological narration of the history of Doge’s Palace, explaining the events that took place within its grand walls. - Behind-the-Scenes Access: Some tours provide access to areas generally closed to the public, offering a deeper dive into the palace’s past. - Q&A Opportunities: Have a burning question about a specific painting, room, or historical event related to the palace? A guided tour offers the chance to ask these questions and learn more. Whether you choose to explore the palace on your own or with a guided tour, visiting Doge’s Palace is a journey into Venice’s rich history. For more information on other historical landmarks to visit in Venice, check out our article on historical & iconic landmarks in Venice. The Impact of Doge’s Palace on Venice Today After exploring the grandeur and history of Doge’s Palace, let’s delve into the significance it holds in the present day Venice. Doge’s Palace as a Cultural Icon The Doge’s Palace, an embodiment of Venice’s glorious past, continues to shine as a cultural icon. It’s an integral part of the city’s identity and stands amongst the top historic landmarks in Venice. Its towering structure and majestic design make it a must-visit site for anyone exploring Venice. The palace not only attracts art enthusiasts with its rich collection of Renaissance art but also history buffs who wish to delve into the Venetian Republic’s past. As you walk through the grand halls, it’s like stepping back in time, and you can almost hear the echoes of past Doges and councils making decisions that shaped Venice’s fate. The Role of Doge’s Palace in Modern Venice Today, the Doge’s Palace plays a vital role in Venice’s tourism industry. It’s a significant draw for visitors worldwide, contributing greatly to the city’s economy. The palace is more than just a tourist attraction; it’s an active cultural site hosting exhibitions, educational programs, and events that keep the city’s history alive. The palace also serves as a symbol of Venice’s resilience. Despite numerous challenges, including the rising sea levels and the city’s sinking foundations, the palace stands strong, mirroring the spirit of Venice itself. In the grand scheme of things, the Doge’s Palace, along with other historic sites like the Venice Grand Canal and St. Mark’s Square, forms the heart and soul of Venice. It breathes life into the city’s past, making Venice a living museum that continues to fascinate and charm visitors to this day. So, next time you find yourself wandering through the labyrinthine streets of Venice, be sure to pay homage to the Doge’s Palace. It’s not just a monument; it’s a testament to Venice’s rich heritage and an enduring symbol of its cultural prowess.
The next-generation F-35 fighter jet has moved closer to delivering on its promise of ushering in a new era of aerial warfare by finally fixing a potentially fatal flaw with its ejection seat system. The F-35 Joint Strike Fighter, which the US and international militaries have been waiting for since it was announced in 2001, has seen its share of problems including one where F-35A pilots weighing less than 61kg (136 pounds) could be exposed to fatal neck injuries from the combination of the fast-deploying ejection seat and heavy, high-tech helmet. In 2015 the US Air Force stopped pilots who did not meet the weight requirements from flying the jet with the original 2.3kg helmet described as stretching the necks of pilots as they ejected from the plane. Now the seat has been redesigned and the weight of the helmet reduced, meaning pilots weighing between 46 and 111kg (103 and 245 pounds) can get airborne. "The opening speed of the parachute and the cradling of the pilot's helmet with a head support panel have significantly improved the safety of the seat," Joe DellaVedova, F-35 Joint Program Office spokesman, told Military.com. While three variants of the F-35 have been created to serve the Air Force (F-35A), Navy (F-35B) and Marines (F-35C), only the air force planes have been effected by the issue as each plane comes with different design tweaks for their respective ejection seat. The new helmet, which has been designed by Rockwell Collins, has gone through three design iterations since first unveiled and is described as a "magic" helmet that allows pilots to 'see-through' planes thanks to sophisticated real-time camera technology. The cost for this original helmet was touted to be close to $400,000. The process of retrofitting the US Air Force's fleet of 107 F-35As will progress at 14 per month and will be complete by January 2018. As of February 2016, the F-35A was declared combat ready, however small setbacks such as the ejector seat problem and some software bugs have seen the craft stutter to take to the skies. Lockheed Martin and the US military will hope no further issues arise to heap further cost and delay on the project as President Trump watches on with scrutiny.
UNH Campus Walking Guide Use Google maps to help you track the distance you have walked on campus today. Use the walking directional to pinpoint your exact walking routes around campus, and see how many miles you walk each day! Why is this important? The U.S. Surgeon General recommends that adults walk about 10,000 steps per day. This averages to be about 5 miles per day. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention also recommends that adults should be participate in a moderate-intensity aerobic activity, like briskly walking, for a minimum of 30 minutes every day. Please keep in mind this map is only an approximation, and everyone has different walking strides. While walking through our beautiful campus, everyone should practice safe and wise walking habits. Use designated sidewalks and crosswalks. Be alert and aware of your surroundings, especially while using your phone or listening to music. Mobile users click here Questions? Comments? Email firstname.lastname@example.org
Welcome to your profile GCSE Science Quizzes Fundamentals in Science Digital Mock Exams The Fundamentals in Science Course is designed to help you with the essential skills to pass your GCSE Science exams. The course consists of practical skills in chemistry and physics, check out the topic list below. - Balancing chemical equations - Building and using half equations (under construction) - Building and using ionic equations (under construction) - Memorising physics formulas - Rearranging physics formulas - Converting between different units - Using physics formulas in exams More topics are to be announced! We promise to continue to improve this course with new challenges to support you in your GCSE exams. We want you to have access to this course but this site has taken us hundreds of hours to build and we are still working hard! You can access the course now by paying £2, this helps us to continue building great content. We also understand that times are tough and your parents might not be able to pay for the course. So we have made the course free if you complete all of the science quizzes! This will take some time, but we will reward your patience with access to the course. You will also build your knowledge through the science quizzes, all of which will help you during your exams. You can also access the digital mocks in the same way! Just complete the science quizzes and also the Fundamentals in Science Course and you’ll automatically be given access to digital mocks made for your exam board and course. Alternatively, pay £2 and access them now! We wish you good luck. Since we spent so long building all of the science quizzes, we build an incredible bank of questions! We have repurposed these questions and built Digital Mock Exams. These are automatically marked and split into the exams you will take for your GCSEs. Unfortunately, it is not possible for us to automatically mark long answer questions so it is not a 100% representation of your exams. Nevertheless, we have done our best to pick challenging questions and match the exam conditions where possible, for example, the time limit is the same in your exam as in the digital mock. We hope our Digital Mocks are helpful and wish you good luck.
Gregory V of Constantinople - Patriarch Gregory V redirects here. It can also refer to Patriarch Gregory V of Alexandria. \|Saint Gregory V, Patriarch of Constantinople\| Patriarch Gregory V of Constantinople shortly before his execution, as depicted by Nikiphoros Lytras \|Ecumenical Patriarch, Hieromartyr\| \|Died\|\|22 April 1821 \|Venerated in\|\|Orthodox Church\| \|Controversy\|\|elected in 1797 but deported to Mount Athos, Greece in 1798, reelected 1806 and exiled to Prince Islands then Mount Athos in 1810, reelected 1818\| \|Wikimedia Commons has media related to Patriarch Gregory V of Constantinople.\| Gregory V (Γρηγόριος Ε΄, born Georgios Angelopoulos) was Ecumenical Patriarch of Constantinople from 1797 to 1798, from 1806 to 1808 and from 1818 to 1821. He was responsible for much restoration work to the Patriarchal Cathedral of St George, which had been badly damaged by fire in 1738. At the onset of the Greek War of Independence, as Ethnarch of the Orthodox Millet Gregory V was blamed by Ottoman Sultan Mahmud II for his inability to suppress the Greek uprising, even though he had actually condemned the Greek revolutionary activities so as to protect the Greeks of Constantinople from reprisals by the Ottoman Turks. The reprisals did come during Holy Week in April 1821, after the Greek rebels scored several successes against the Ottoman forces in the Peloponnese. He was taken out of the Patriarchal Cathedral on 22 April 1821 (10 April Old Style), Easter Sunday, directly after celebrating the solemn Easter Liturgy, and hanged (in full Patriarchal vestments) for two days from the main gate of the Patriarchate compound by order of the Sultan; this was followed by a massacre of the Greek population of Constantinople. In his memory, the Saint Peter Gate, once the main gate of the Patriarchate compound, was welded shut in 1821 and has remained shut ever since. According to several accounts, after Gregory's death his body, along with those of other executed prelates, was turned over to the city's Jews, who dragged it through the streets and threw it into the sea. The accounts differ on whether the Jews who did this were forced or volunteered, but the tale spread widely, and led to several bloody reprisal attacks in southern Greece by the Greek rebels, who regarded the Jews as collaborators of the Turks. This in turn led to the Jews joining the Turks in attacks on Christians in some locations in northern Greece, which fuelled a new wave of anti-Jewish attacks in the south. During the night, the patriarch's corpse was recovered by Greek sailors, who brought it to Odessa. After the funeral, some Greek sailors attacked Jewish shops which had remained open during the ceremony. The Patriarch's body was eventually interred in the Metropolitan Cathedral of Athens. He is commemorated by the Greek Orthodox Church as an Ethnomartyr (Greek: Εθνομάρτυρας). The brutal execution of Gregory V, especially on the day of Easter Sunday, shocked and infuriated the Greeks, and Orthodox Russia. It also caused protests in the rest of Europe and reinforced the movement of Philhellenism. There are references that during the Greek War of Independence, many revolutionaries engraved on their swords the name of Gregory, seeking revenge. Statue of Grigorios (University of Athens) by Georgios Fytalis - Adrian Fortescue (2001). The Orthodox Eastern Church. Gorgias Press LLC. p. 341. ISBN 0-9715986-1-4. - Katherine Elizabeth Fleming (2008). Greece--a Jewish History. Princeton University Press. p. 16. ISBN 978-0-691-10272-6. - Alexander Orbach (1980). New Voices of Russian Jewry: A Study of the Russian-Jewish Press of Odessa in the Era of the Great Reforms, 1860-1871. BRILL. pp. 16–17. ISBN 90-04-06175-4. \|Eastern Orthodox Church titles\| \|Ecumenical Patriarch of Constantinople
National Fire Prevention Week is celebrated this year October 9- 15. Fire Prevention Week was initiated by the National Fire Protection Agency in 1922 to commemorate the Chicago Fire of October 9, 1871. This October, therefore, marks the 100-year anniversary of Fire Protection Week. President Woodrow Wilson proclaimed the First Fire Protection Day in 1820. Fire Protection week was made official in 1922 for the Sunday through Saturday period which includes October 9. It is the longest running public health and safety observance on record. The Great Chicago Fire started on October 8, 1871, but most of the Chicago destruction occurred on October 9. The Fire resulted in approximately 250 deaths, 100,00 homeless, destroyed roughly 17,000 buildings and approximately 2000 acres. In total the fire was 4 miles long and 1 mile wide. Folklore blames Mrs. O’Leary’s cow for starting the fire, who kicked over a lantern and the rest is history. Although this is a popular legend, Mrs. O’Leary was exonerated (as was her cow). Environmental factors were ripe for fire- hot, windy, and dry. In fact, there had been fires preceding the Great Chicago Fire. Most structures were wooden, saw dust had been scattered on roads to tamp down dust. The fire was out of control before the fire department was even called. In the wake of the fire, attention was directed to fire protection when building cities. New buildings were constructed with fireproof material. Fire breaks were constructed on roads and streets were made wider. The theme of Fire Prevention Week this year is “Fires Won’t Wait. Plan Your Escape”. Fire Safety articles consider many different aspects of fire safety: Forest Fires, campfires, firecrackers, home structures, kitchen fires, fireplaces, candles, electrical outlets, generators, kitchen fires, and so on. This focus appropriately discusses how to prevent these specific types of fires. This article will go to the non-prevented fire in progress. How are you alerted to the fire? How do you escape? Who has the “in case of emergency” responsibilities for small children, disabled adults, and pets? Where do you locate household members when you have escaped? The National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) tells us that ironically, the place where we feel most safe, our homes, is the site of 74% of all U.S. fire deaths. The NFPA also tells us that the escape time from a home fire is smaller than it once was. This is due to fires today burning hotter and faster. Faster and hotter fires may be due to multiple causes such as construction material, fabric, or multiple home appliances. The Underwriters Laboratories, who perform cutting edge, reliable fire safety testing, reports three minutes or less opportunity to safely exit the home. Therefore, it is very important to have a plan to quickly exit the home: Smoke alarms are often the earliest warning of a fire. There is a large selection of smoke alarms available to homeowners, sometimes making it difficult to know what to purchase. The information below sorts out a few features to help choose a smoke alarm: How a smoke alarm senses smoke: Smoke is sensed by two different technologies, ionization and Ionization smoke alarms detect small particles given off by fires that burn quickly and generate a lot of flames. Photoelectric smoke alarms sense larger particles emitted by the fire that create a lot of smoke and smoldering. Dual Sensor smoke alarms combine both ionization and photoelectric sensors. How a smoke alarm is powered: Smoke alarms are powered by battery, electricity or both. Hardwired smoke detectors refer to electrically powered alarms with back up battery power should the electricity source Hardwired alarms are interconnected, meaning if one alarm sounds, all connected alarms sound. Hardwired alarms require an electrician for initial installation. Once installed alarms can be replaced without needing an electrician. Sounds that smoke detectors make: The typical sound a smoke detector makes is a beep or a chirp: Beeping, heard as a series of three beeps, indicates fire and need to exit the building quickly. Chirping is usually a steady high pitched sound emitted every 30-60 seconds. The Chirp means the alarm needs service, or battery replaced. Smart smoke detectors: Smart smoke detectors include technology other than beeping and chirping sound to alert occupants of a structure of These include LED lights, Voice alerts, vibratory models for hearing impaired and localizing location of fire. Where your smoke detectors should be placed: Purchase smoke detectors that are listed with approved testing agencies: This refers to products that are tested and have met specific standards to become approved products. These are recommended as your life may depend on them. Where your smoke detectors should be placed: Smoke alarms should be placed in every bedroom as well as outside of every sleeping area and on every level of the The alarms should be placed high up on a wall or on the ceiling. Alarms should not be in the kitchen as they may beep from what’s in the oven, rather than a true fire. Smoke alarms should be a minimum of 10 ft from the stove. Combination smoke alarms and carbon monoxide alarms is an extra layer of protection. An escape plan for fire is not dissimilar to carbon monoxide escape Remember, a smoke alarm will not protect you if it is not functioning. Test your smoke alarm monthly by pressing the test button. Replace batteries yearly for battery only alarms. Replace batteries very 1-2 years for wired in alarms. Replace batteries at any time if the alarm is chirping. Lets talk about what to do if your smoke detector alerts you to a fire. It is noteworthy to point out that interconnected smoke alarms will sound if one smoke alarm sounds. This is advantageous given the statistics of an approximately three minutes window to escape a fire. The recommendations below are based on NFPA guidelines: - Your Escape Plan needs to consider the needs of all household members: young children, any member with special needs, especially those who may not be aware of what the alarm means or how to respond. In short, anyone who will need a unique plan. Remember to include family pets. - Assess each room in the house. Confirm that all windows and doors can be opened easily. Determine two ways out of each room. - Maintain a clear, unobstructed path along your escape - Have a meeting place for all household members that is a safe distance from your home. Choose a permanent structure for the meeting place, a short distance from the house. Ex: mailbox, friend’s home. - Practice your escape plan twice a Visiting friends and family staying overnight should be alerted to the escape plan as well. A smoke detector sounding an alarm is often the first warning of a fire. Human nature, particularly when awakened from sleep is denial. We attribute an alarm to be a “false alarm” rather than an actual fire. Given the short time frame to successfully leave your home escape should be immediate. The Great Escape artist Houdini, himself, is quoted as saying “My brain is the key that sets me free.” Believe what your brain is seeing and hearing. If your alarm sounds enact your plan. Smoke and Mirrors are illusions. Fire is Real. “Fire Won’t Wait. Plan Your Escape.”
A video introduction to our Essential Academic Writing course, 'Research and Write.' This book aims to introduce your students to basic research and writing skills at the paragraph and short essay level. Discover Conversation is a conversation textbook that makes the world of spoken interaction more understandable, accessible, and usable for your students. It helps break down the complexity of real interactions into small and manageable chunks. It also provides easy to follow scaffolding activities that help to build more authentic learner conversations in the classroom.
10 pictures of Jesus in India My parents came to India in 1952 to spread the ‘gospel’ of Jesus to Hindus, Muslims, Sikhs, Jains and lukewarm Catholics. The first European missionaries came to India not just with the English in the 17th century but with Vasco da Gama in the late 15th. Go to Goa and you’ll find the tomb of St. Francis Xavier who preached to the dalits and marginalized, which have always been the most sure base of support for Christianity in the subcontinent. But the Europeans were late on the scene. Indian Christian communities (probably converted from among members of the Cochin Jewish community) were active along the SE coast of India in the late 2nd century AD. In the 4th and 5th centuries Christian leaders in present day Iraq and Syria were sending regular missions to India. Southern Hindu kingdoms offered political asylum to Christian refugees from Iran in the same period. The Syrian Christian community, large and influential throughout southern India dates from these early forays. But go further back and you’ll discover the tradition that one of the original 12 disciples, the Doubting Thomas, was the first to bring the gospel to India. His mission may have planted seeds but he himself, according to the legend, was murdered by Brahmins on what is now St. Thomas Mount, on the outskirts of Chennai. The world’s oldest existing church structure, which was believed to be built by Thomas the Apostle in 57 AD, called Thiruvithamcode Arappally or Thomaiyar Kovil as named by the then Chera king Udayancheral, is located at Thiruvithancode in Kanyakumari District of Tamil Nadu, India. It is now declared an international St. Thomas pilgrim center. In more modern times, an elaborate neo gospel has developed that claims Jesus learned his esoterica in India to which he came prior to starting his ministry and to which he returned after being crucified. Jesus of Nazareth is no stranger to India. A few years ago I was travelling to India very regularly and I began documenting how he is depicted in public art. Most of these pictures were taken in the south where Christianity has deep and ancient roots and portray Jesus in the main with non-Indian features. Yet he is not entirely Western as well….more Middle Eastern which is appropriate considering the potted history I’ve outlined above. Outside the old Armenian church in Blacktown area of Chennai, little stalls sell framed pictures of Jesus. The famous (but now no more) Moore Market in Chennai offers living-room size photos of the praying Christ. Jesus’s image is often called upon to express the glory of India’s religious and spiritual diversity…and ultimately it’s secularism. this is a public water tank in Tamil Nadu. In a restaurant/hotel in Trichur, Kerala, the Founder and Guiding Light shares the stage with the original Founder and Guiding Light. Along the sidewalks of Calcutta, a picture of Jesus along side another Hindu saint does seem to illustrate his resemblance to South Asian features. The local auto-rickshaw driver’s union draws inspiration and strength from Marx-Lenin and Jesus. Chennai. Chennai. Jesus is an Indian icon, along with Mahatma Gandhi, the Bengal tiger and the sari. Chennai is a great city for wall art. Here a mural of Jesus blesses passersby hurrying home in the evening. Delhi. Interesting juxtapositioning of posters show the reassuring hand gestures of Jesus of Nazareth and Sai Baba of Shirdi. A laneway in Triplicane, Chennai, illustrates India’s acceptance of Jesus as one among equals.
\|The Cause of His Death\| Researchers continue to investigate of Tutankhamun's premature death. Bob Brier, a mummy specialist from Long Island University, has been tracking down clues that indicate Tutankhamun may have been killed by his elderly chief advisor and successor, Ay. An X-ray of his skull revealed a calcified blood clot at its base. This could have been caused by a blow from a blunt implement, which eventually resulted in death. The Saga of Tutankhamen's Skull X-rays King Tut Not Murdered Violently, CT Scans Show. The painting in Tutankhamun's burial chamber depicts Ay at the "opening of the mouth" ceremony, giving life and breath to the young deceased pharaoh. Ay, a commoner, is wearing the leopard skin of a high priest and the crown of a pharaoh. Since Tutankhamun did not have a child to succeed him, it appears that Ay decided to seize the crown and declare himself King of Egypt. There were at least two other deaths following that of Tutankhamun. His young wife Ankhesenamum pleaded with the king of the Hittites to send her one of his sons for a husband. She did not want to marry a servant, such as Ay. A son was sent, but he was murdered before he arrived. \| Queen Ankhesenamun offers Tutankhamun a bouquet of flowers. Scene taken from the lid of an ivory chest found in Tutankhamun's tomb. Papyrus painting, modern So who did Ankhesenamum marry? There is now evidence that she married Ay. A ring has been found with her cartouche inscribed next to his. Did Ay force her to marry him, thus legitimizing his claim to the throne? Within three years of Ay's death, Ankhesenamum disappeared. Could she also have been the victim of a serial killer? What happened to Ay? He died within a few years of seizing the throne. His cartouches, which he had inscribed on temple walls, were eradicated, his tomb was robbed and vandalized, and his mummy disappeared. His name was also eliminated from the official list of pharaohs, as was that of Tutankhamun. Another theory on Tutankhamun's death suggests that he was murdered by General Horemheb, a man of low birth who became one of Akhenaten's closest advisors. Under Tutankhamun, he was appointed commander-in-chief of the army and deputy of the king. Following the demise of Tutankhamun and Ay, Horemheb became pharaoh. During his reign, he had the names of Akhenaten, Tutankhamun and Ay removed from the royal list of pharaohs, which suggests that he had personal reasons for eradicating those rulers from the records.
Any wild bird suitable for food, including the larger species (such as wild turkey and goose), medium-size birds (including pheasant and wild duck) and smaller game birds (such as the coot, dove, grouse, hazel hen, lark, mud hen, partridge, pigeon, plover, quail, rail, snipe, thrush and woodcock). Except for the few raised on game farms (which are usually expensive), game birds are not readily available. Those that are found in markets are usually of good quality. Most game birds are sold frozen; some of the smaller birds are canned. Factors affecting quality include the age of the bird and the manner in which it was treated after it was killed. Quality birds should have no off odor; the skin should be fresh-looking, not dull or dry. Young birds are best and can be identified by their pliable breastbone, feet and legs; their claws will be sharp. Wild birds are much leaner than the domesticated variety. Because of a lack of natural fatparticularly in younger birdsthey must be basted, barded or larded From The Food Lover's Companion, Fourth edition by Sharon Tyler Herbst and Ron Herbst. Copyright © 2007, 2001, 1995, 1990 by Barron's Educational Series, Inc.
Osteoporosis is a health condition that affects the strength of bones. Initially, bone forms fast as we grow; however, as you are older, this may reverse. Therefore, from the age of 35, your body starts to lose the certain amount of bone materials. As a result, your bones are less strong and less dense. In case you have much of bone loss, then you will have the “bone thinning” or called osteoporosis. And, in this case, your bones will be able to break more easily than usual, especially after having an accident. List Of 33 Ways On How To Treat Osteoporosis Now, in this article, I will show you some of the best ways that can help you reduce the symptoms of osteoporosis and also improve your bone health. So, if you want to know how to treat this bone disease, you should spend time reading this interesting article right now. I. Who Are At Risk Of Osteoporosis? Women lose bone material faster than men, especially after their menopause when their estrogen levels fall. But, osteoporosis can also occur in men. All women and men can suffer from osteoporosis when they become older. And some situations can also cause excessive bone loss and hence, increasing your risk of getting osteoporosis. Patients with osteoporosis may experience the following symptoms: - A bone fracture after an accident - Height loss - A bent forward posture - Persistent back pain Read on How To Grow Taller Without Surgery – 24 Best Tips To Go to discover some of the best tips that can help you grow taller without surgery. People who are at higher risks of developing osteoporosis include: - Women who have menopause before the age of 45 - People who have had bone fracture after an accident. - People with a family history of osteoporosis - People with a body mass index of 18.5 or even less - People with low estrogen levels combined with a poor diet plan - People who take a steroid medicine for three months or longer - People who have an intake of alcohol of more than 4 units daily - People who lack vitamin D and calcium - People who have certain medical conditions such as Crohn’s disease, chronic liver disease, Celiac disease, type-1 diabetes, etc. II. How To Treat Osteoporosis Naturally At Home There are a few natural treatments for osteoporosis. All of these treatments can help you improve the bone health and reduce the symptoms of osteoporosis. Some of them are: 1. Do Regular Exercise This is the first way on how to treat osteoporosis of the knee, spine, and hip that I want to mention in this article and want all of my readers should know for good. Generally, doing regular exercise can help improve your overall health, improve bone health and provide you with more energy. Therefore, if you want to have healthier and stronger bones and also prevent osteoporosis, doing exercise daily is very important. Some exercises you can choose are playing tennis, free weights, aerobics, walking, balance exercise, flexibility exercise, stretch bands, etc. Patients should exercise 30 minutes of both strengthening exercises and aerobic, for 5- 6 days a week. List of Top 14 Best Foods For Bones Growth And Strength will show you some of the healthiest foods for both bone strength and growth, so check it out! 2. Cut Back On Salt There may be a relationship between bone loss and high sodium intake, especially for those with high blood pressure. Generally, salt can increase the calcium amounts excreted in sweat and urine, which can affect bone loss in case you are deficient in calcium. And research finds that people who have high blood pressure may lose more calcium content in their urine. If you want to know some of the best tips that can help you get rid of sweaty palms and feet, read on Top 30 Best Home Remedies For Sweaty Palms And Feet 3. Limit The Soda Intake When it comes to effective ways on how to treat osteoporosis of the hip, knee, and spine, you should remember to limit the soda intake. A high intake of cola was associated with a higher risk of osteoporosis. Many sodas contain phosphorus, which is an essential mineral we need. However, the intake of phosphorus has to be balanced with calcium in order to reduce your risk of bone thinning. Moreover, the ingredients found in sodas could have a negative effect on our bone health. 4. Limit The Intake Of Caffeine Caffeine can interfere with the absorption of calcium, so caffeine that can be found in coffee, soda or chocolate should be limited. You should have a moderate intake of caffeine, about 300mg per day. Actually, this is known as one of the best ways on how to treat osteoporosis of the hip, knee, and spine that you should remember and then consider limiting the intake of caffeine as soon as possible. 5. Limit Alcohol Drinking 2 glasses of alcohol a day can help prevent fractures. However, drinking more than that can reduce the calcium absorption, deplete calcium reserves, and also reduce the hormone levels involved in bone production. Moreover, drinking too much alcohol can also increase the risks of falls and breaks. 6. Avoid Losing Too Much Weight Obesity can be associated with the higher risks of osteoporosis and other diseases. Extremely thin people, especially those who had eating disorders in the past may have the higher risk of developing premature bone degradation. Therefore, maintaining a healthy weight and having a proper weight loss plan is very important for keeping your bones healthy. To know some of the best tips that can help you maintain a healthy weight without following a harsh diet, read on How To Maintain A Healthy Weight Without Harsh Dieting 7. Sun Bath In order to keep your bones stronger, you can consider taking sun baths. Keep in mind that sunlight is one of the best vitamin D sources for you to choose from. You should take sun baths for about 10-15 minutes every morning if you want to stimulate your production of vitamin D. Nonetheless, you should keep away from sunlight if you do not want to suffer from some skin problems. 8. Stop Smoking When you are looking for ways on how to treat osteoporosis of the hip, knee, and spine, this tip is what you should not look down. Chemicals from tobacco can affect your bone strength and even make your bone loss worse. Therefore, it is important to make an effort to stop smoking immediately. By quitting smoking, you will be able to delay menopause and reduce the onset of osteoporosis symptoms. 9. Get Vitamin D Vitamin D is important for bone health and it is mostly made by your body after sun exposure. However, the ultraviolet rays can trigger your vitamin D production, so your body may not provide this vitamin as much as you need. So, you should consider taking more of the vitamin D from foods and from supplements. There are other great tips on how to treat osteoporosis of the hip, knee, and spine in this article. So, you should keep reading this article and then try to apply one or more of these tips for good to achieve the best results as soon as possible as you want! 10. Get Calcium According to a study about calcium and strong bones , our body also needs enough calcium to keep your bones strong and healthy. The recommended daily calcium intake in adults who are over the age of 50 is about 1000mg per day. You can get 1000mg of calcium by: - Drinking skimmed or semi-skimmed milk a day - Eating 50g of hard cheese or a pot of yoghurt or 50g of sardines. - Eating calcium-fortified soya milk, bread and some certain veggies such as okra, spinach, curly kale and watercress and some certain fruits such as dried figs, dried apricots. - Taking calcium supplements after discussing this with your doctor or a prestigious expert! 11. Avoid Smoking This is another great way on how to treat osteoporosis that you should remember to apply as soon as possible. Smoking can restrict the healing of fractures and also reduce the ability of the body to make bones. And once you stop smoking, you can improve your bone strength immediately. 12. Watch Your Medications Actually, some medications can increase the risks of developing osteoporosis due to its anti-inflammatory corticosteroids, which can cause bone thinning. Some of the medications that you should be careful when taking are: - Proton pump inhibitors such as Prevacid and Prilosec III. Foods That Patients With Osteoporosis Should Consume Now, I will show you some of the best foods that you should consume more if you want to reduce the symptoms of osteoporosis and also strengthen your bones. 1. Coconut Oil Using coconut oil is one of the simplest ways on how to treat osteoporosis pain because it can really help reverse lack of estrogen and bone density. According to a research about health benefits of coconut oil , the compounds found in coconut oil may help prevent bone density loss and also improve your bone structure. Moreover, coconut oil can help your body absorb essential minerals such as magnesium and calcium to improve bone strength. There are some different methods to use coconut oil for treating osteoporosis. - Consume about 5 tbsp. of coconut oil daily. - Apply some coconut oil on the body, gently massage and then take a bath. - Repeat this method regularly for the best results. - Add coconut oil to your daily cooking. Consuming prunes is an effective way on how to treat osteoporosis of the knee, hip, and spine. Actually, this fruit is good for bone health thanks to its antioxidants. Addition to this, prunes contains copper and boron, which can be important for strengthening the bones. Simply, you consume 2-3 dried plums on a daily basis for about 10 days if you want to prevent osteoporosis and relieve the osteoporosis pain. 3. Sesame Seeds Sesame seeds are a healthy food for osteoporosis thanks to its high contents of calcium and other essential nutrients such as vitamins D, K, phosphorus, copper, zinc, magnesium and manganese. To treat osteoporosis with the help of sesame seeds, you can apply any of the following methods: - Roast some white sesame seeds and then chew them every morning. - Mix 1 tsp. of roasted sesame seeds in a glass of lukewarm milk - Then, drink this milk twice a day. - Add roasted sesame seeds in your baking goods and other cooking dishes. According to a study about diet tips for osteoporosis , pineapple contains manganese that can help to prevent and treat osteoporosis effectively. Keep in mind that the lack of manganese can cause malformation of bone as well as bone loss, which can result in osteoporosis. To use pineapple for improving bone strength, follow the instructions as below: - Eat fresh pineapple before your meals on a daily basis - Drink pineapple juice daily to prevent and treat osteoporosis. Apples contain flavonoids, polyphenols, as well as other antioxidants that can help to treat osteoporosis naturally. According to a research, apple contains phloridzin, which is a flavonoid to help reduce inflammation and simultaneously increase the bone density. Moreover, apples are rich in boron, which can help you maintain the calcium levels to strengthen muscles and bones. In order to reduce the symptoms of osteoporosis, you should consider eating apples on a daily basis. 6. Fish Oil Other great ways on how to treat osteoporosis that you should make use must include fish oil. Actually, fish oil contains high contents of vitamin D and fatty acids that are important for improving bone growth. You just need to take fish oil supplements daily or eat some cold-water fish to get more of these essential nutrients through diet. By consuming fish oil daily, you can reduce the risks of bone breakdown and also prevent osteoporosis effectively. 7. Almond Milk Almond milk is also a great food that you should include in your daily diet for treating osteoporosis. Actually, almond oil contains flavonoids, which can help to reduce free radicals in the body. Moreover, almond milk contains magnesium, potassium, and manganese to help improve bone health. Here are some different methods to use almond milk for treating osteoporosis: - Add some almonds to a cup of water and leave it overnight - Remove the peels and then blend these unpeeled almonds with some water the next morning - Add cinnamon powder and honey to the almonds and then blend it again. - Strain the milk and drink it every day. - Soak some almonds in water and leave them overnight - The next morning, blend these almonds with some warm milk. - Next, add some saffron, ginger powder, and cardamom to the milk. - Drink it twice a day before you have breakfast and before you go to bed. Coriander is rich in minerals that are important for healthy bones, making it one of the best ways on how to treat osteoporosis naturally. You can make use both the leaves and seeds of coriander because they contain potassium, manganese, iron, calcium and magnesium, all of which can prevent bone breakdown. The only thing you need to do is to add a few teaspoons of coriander seeds to a glass of boiling water. Let it steep for about 10 minutes, and then strain it. After that, add some honey and enjoy it twice a day. Also, you should add coriander seeds and leaves to your daily cooking for better results. 9. Peanut Butter Another great way on how to treat osteoporosis of the knee, hip, and spine that you should know is peanut butter. A recent study found that magnesium is very important for strengthening and rebuilding bones. By eating 2 tbsp. of peanut butter, you can get about 50mg of magnesium. Adding a splash of vinegar to your soups and salad greens can help in pulling calcium out of bones. Therefore, you should not look down it when you are looking for a way on how to treat osteoporosis naturally. Do you want to know other great ways on how to treat osteoporosis of the knee, hip, and spine? In this article, I will show you some of the other ways below. So, continue to read this interesting article right now. Eating a banana daily can help to build your bones, making it one of the best ways on how to treat osteoporosis and also improve your bone health as well. Studies have found that women who follow diets that are high in potassium have stronger bones in their hips and spines. This is because potassium can keep blood healthy, so the body will not suck calcium from the skeleton. 12. Broccoli And Figs Consuming 1/2 cup of broccoli can offer you your daily intake of vitamin K. Postmenopausal women who have low levels of vitamin K are more likely to suffer from osteoporosis. Besides, you should also consume more of the figs thanks to its high content of calcium. Actually, consuming these foods is a great way on how to treat osteoporosis of the knee, hip, and spine that lots of patients with osteoporosis have been consuming more to improve their bone health through diet. Slathering 1 tsp. of margarine on your toast can give you a dose of vitamin D, making it a great way on how to treat osteoporosis of the spine, knee, and hip. We all know that vitamin D can help with the absorption of calcium, which is an important mineral for healthy bones. When it comes to ways on how to treat osteoporosis of the spine, knee, and hip and improve strong bones, taking enough calcium is very important. According to a study about nutrients for toddlers , a cup of milk can offer about 300mg of calcium. Experts recommend that you need to get 1,000- 1,200mg of calcium every day. 15. Salmon And Sardines Both of these healthy fishes are rich in calcium, which is an essential mineral for healthy bones. Also, salmon is a great source of vitamin D. Therefore, if you are looking for ways on how to treat osteoporosis of the spine, knee, and hip, you should try consuming salmon and sardines. 16. Orange Juice Drinking a glass of orange juice can provide you with your dose of vitamin C. Getting enough vitamin C is important for rebuilding bones and preventing osteoporosis. Drink calcium-fortified orange juice to get a dose of nutrients good for building bones. Soy is known as a potential bone strengthener because it contains proteins that work as a weak estrogen to help women improve bone strength. It is needed for women to keep hormonal balance normal, and also increase bone density. Actually, if you are suffering from the symptoms of osteoporosis and want to reduce these symptoms with the help of natural ingredients, you should consider consuming more of the tofu. 18. Red Clover Like soy products, red clover also has estrogen-like effects, so this can prevent osteoporosis. However, these compounds are not fully understood, so you should consult your doctor before combining prescribed medicines with this herb. In fact, this is another great food on how to treat osteoporosis pain that you should know and then consume for good, if you want to reduce the symptoms of this bone disease through diet. Consume yogurt and get the high content of calcium and then you will be able to improve your bone health naturally at home. Eat yogurt with some fresh fruits or substitute it for some sour cream in recipes. One of the best sources of calcium that you should add to your daily diet is spinach. Add a fresh spinach salad to your diet plan at least once a week to ensure that you have bone-strengthening minerals in your diets. Actually, this is another great way on how to treat osteoporosis that you should not look down, yet try to include in your diet for good. 21. Black Cohosh This is the last but very important way on how to treat osteoporosis pain that I want to mention in this article and want all of my readers to apply for good, especially if you already have osteoporosis. This herb has certain compounds called phytoestrogen , making it a great solution for women who want to lower the risks of getting osteoporosis when they are older and experience menopause. The treatment for osteoporosis is lifelong. It will never be too early to start taking care of your bone health. The tips as I mentioned above in this page of Healthy Guide may help to prevent and treat bone loss, especially if you are at higher risk of developing osteoporosis. After reading this article, we hope that you can find the best ways that can help you reduce the symptoms of osteoporosis and also improve your bone health. Actually, all of these tips as I mentioned above are good for your bone strength and they are also easy to apply. Therefore, you should not look down them, yet consider applying any of these tips as soon as possible. One more thing, if you know other effective ways on how to treat osteoporosis of the spine, knee, and hip, share these ways with others by leaving your comments below.
If you chug a glass of orange juice every time you start sniffling, you may be onto something. Though studies show that consuming vitamin C can’t actually prevent colds, loading up on this nutrient may help slightly shorten the length of time you’re sick and reduce the severity of your symptoms. Thing is, a medium-size orange only has 69.7 mg of vitamin C, which is actually less than that of many other common fruits and veggies. To pack the ultimate vitamin C punch and give your diet more variety, fill up on these 12 superfoods. A half-cup of chopped or diced chili peppers delivers 107.8 mg of vitamin C. Plus, researchers from the University of Buffalo found that capsaicin, the compound that makes chili peppers hot, may help relieve joint and muscle pain. Red Bell Pepper A cup of chopped red bell pepper contains nearly three times more vitamin C than an orange—190 mg. Red peppers are also a great source of vitamin A, which promotes eye health. Green Bell Pepper A cup of chopped green bell pepper contains less vitamin C than its sweeter sister, but at 120 mg, it’s still 200% of your recommended daily allowance. Green bell pepper is also a great source of fiber. In addition to twice your recommended daily intake of vitamin A and seven times the recommended amount of vitamin K, a one-cup serving of kale provides 80.4 mg of vitamin C. The nutrition powerhouse also delivers a sizeable dose of minerals and fatty acids. This cruciferous veggie provides 132 mg of vitamin C plus a punch of filling fiber for just 30 calories per serving. Plus, research shows broccoli may have cancer-preventing properties. Research shows that eating papaya can help clear your sinuses, brighten your skin, and strengthen your bones. A one-cup serving delivers 88.3 mg of vitamin C. A cup of this superfruit contains 84.7 mg of vitamin C, plus healthy doses of folate and other compounds shown to promote heart health. Another unexpected benefit of strawberries? They may help whiten your teeth naturally. Whether you roast it, steam it, or mash it, eating a small head of cauliflower gives you a 127.7 mg dose of vitamin C, plus 5 grams of fiber and 5 grams of protein. These little cabbages are loaded with cancer-preventing phytonutrients and fiber, not to mention 74.8 mg of vitamin C. If you’re usually turned off by their bitter taste, bring out their natural sweetness by roasting them. In addition to 78.9 mg of vitamin C, pineapple contains bromelain, a digestive enzyme that helps break down food and reduce bloating. Bromelain also acts as a natural anti-inflammatory that can help you recover faster after a tough workout. One serving of kiwi (about 2 fruits) boasts 137.2 mg of vitamin C. The fuzzy fruit is also rich in potassium and copper. Taste the tropics for a 122.3 mg boost of vitamin C. Mango is also a great source of vitamin A, which like vitamin C plays a key role in immunity and additionally keeps your eyes healthy. Important Notice: This article was originally published at www.health.com by Christine Mattheis where all credits are due. The watching, interacting, and participation of any kind with anything on this page does not constitute or initiate a doctor-patient relationship with Dr. Farrah®. None of the statements here have been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). The products of Dr. Farrah® are not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease. The information being provided should only be considered for education and entertainment purposes only. 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Information about The Battle & Surrender At Appomattox Courthouse, one of the last Civil War Battles of the American Civil War Appomattox Courthouse Battle Facts Location: Appomattox Courthouse, Virginia Dates: April 9, 1865 Generals: Union: Ulysses S. Grant \| Confederate: Robert E. Lee Soldiers Engaged: Union Army: 120,000 \| Confederate Army: 30,000 Outcome: Union Victory Casualties: Union: 260 \| Confederate: 440; over 27,000 surrendered Appomattox Court House Battle Summary: The Battle of Appomattox Courthouse was the Army of Northern Virginia’s final battle and was the beginning of the end of the American Civil War. Though the actual battle took place on April 9, 1865, it followed the 10-month Battle of Petersburg and concluded General Robert E. Lee’s thwarted retreat during the Appomattox Campaign. After a long night and day of marching, Lee and the exhausted Army of Northern Virginia made camp just east of Appomattox Courthouse on April 8. Lieutenant General Ulysses S. Grant had sent him a letter on the night of April 7, following confrontations between their troops at Cumberland Church and Farmville, suggesting Lee surrender. The Southern general refused. Grant replied, again suggesting surrender to end the bloodshed. Lee responded, saying in part, "I do not think the emergency has arisen to call for the surrender of this army," though he offered to meet Grant at 10 the next morning between picket lines to discuss a peaceful outcome. In planning for the next day, Lee informed his men that he would ignore the surrender request and attempt to fend off Sheridan’s cavalry while at least part of the Army of Northern Virginia moved on toward Lynchburg—assuming the main Union force was just cavalry. However, he asked to be informed if his men encountered any infantry, since that would mean he was outnumbered and would be forced to surrender. Grant had spent the last week pursuing and closing in on Lee during the Appomattox Campaign. On the north side of the Appomattox River, Major General George G. Meade’s VI and II Corps were in close pursuit of Lee’s beleaguered army, while Maj. Gen. Philip H. Sheridan’s cavalry had taken a southern route to outrun Lee and surround him on the west and south. Early in the morning on April 9, Confederate maj. gen. John B. Gordon’s corps attacked the Union cavalry blocking the road toward the railroad. Initially, Gordon had success in clearing cavalry from the road, but Union infantry moved in and he was unable to make further progress. Gordon sent word to Lee around 8:30 a.m. that he needed Lt. Gen. James Longstreet’s support to make additional headway. Upon receiving this request—and having watched the battle through field glasses—Lee then said, "Then there is nothing left for me to do but go and see General Grant, and I would rather die a thousand deaths." Having dressed that morning in his finest dress uniform, Lee rode to the spot where he thought he and Grant would be meeting between the picket lines. There, he received Grant’s message, written the night before, in which Grant refused to meet to meet for peace talks. Lee quickly wrote a reply, indicating that he was now ready to surrender, and rode on. Still hearing the sounds of fighting, Lee sent a letter to Meade requesting an immediate truce along the lines. Meade replied that he was not in communication with Grant but would send the message on and also suggested Lee send another letter to Grant via Sheridan. In addition, Lee also had Gordon place flags of truce along the line. As the messages moved through the lines and word of the surrender spread, the fighting stopped. Casualties for the Battle of Appomattox Courthouse were light, 260 for the Union, 440 for the Confederacy. Grant received Lee’s letter of surrender just before noon. He replied, detailing his current position along the road toward Appomattox Courthouse, and asked Lee to select a meeting place. Lee and his men, in searching for a suitable place to have the surrender meeting, encountered Wilmer McLean, who showed them an empty building without any furniture. When that was deemed unsuitable, he offered his own home for the meeting. It is interesting to note that McLean had moved to Appomattox after having survived the First Battle of Bull Run, much of which took place on his property in Manassas, Virginia. It is often said that the war started in his front yard and ended in his parlor, though that is not accurate. Grant arrived in Appomattox at about 1:30 in the afternoon and proceeded to the McLean house. His appearance in his field uniform, muddy after his long ride, contrasted sharply with Lee’s clean dress uniform. They chatted for a while before discussing and writing up the terms of the surrender. The soldiers of the Army of Northern Virginia would lay down their weapons and not take them up against the U.S. government again. Soldiers would be paroled and allowed to return home instead of being imprisoned. All Confederate equipment would be relinquished and inventoried. They agreed that any Confederate who claimed to own a horse or mule and would need it for spring planting would be allowed to keep it. Lee also requested rations for his men, as it had been several days since they had eaten, and Grant then agreed to provide them. After formal copies of the surrender document were made and the document signed, they parted. After such a long, bloody war and a particularly grim retreat, the surrender of the Army of Northern Virginia has been referred to as "The Gentlemen’s Agreement," a testament to the character of these two great men. Upon hearing the sounds of Union soldiers celebrating the surrender by firing salutes, Grant instructed that his troops cease active celebration, saying, "The war is over; the Rebels are our countrymen again, and the best sign of rejoicing after the victory will be to abstain from all demonstrations in the field." This set the tone of the next few days, including the formal surrender ceremony that occurred April 12. Brigadier General (brevetted major general) Joshua L. Chamberlain, who had won renown at Little Round Top during the Battle of Gettysburg, was charged with officiating at the surrender ceremony at Appomattox Courthouse. He ordered his subordinate officers to come to the position of "carry arms," and on the approach of each body of troops from the Army of Northern Virginia, a bugle sounded and his men saluted. The Confederates saluted back in response and laid down their arms and colors. The formal ceremony, which saw the surrender of over 27,800 men, took nearly the entire day. Although Lee surrendered the Army of Northern Virginia, the war was not over. There were still Confederate armies in the field and the final battle of the war would not happen until in May 12–13 in south Texas, at the battle of Palmito (Palmetto) Ranch near Brownsville. However, Confederate commanders did begin to surrender as news of the Army of Northern Virginia’s surrender spread. On April 26, Gen. Joseph E. Johnston surrendered to Gen. William T. Sherman near Durham, North Carolina. Initially, in a meeting on April 17, Sherman offered terms even more generous than those given by Grant, but on April 14 President Abraham Lincoln was assassinated, dying the next day, and the North was not feeling magnanimous. Sherman had to return to Johnston on the 26th with new terms. Johnston, ignoring a direct order from Confederate president Jefferson Davis, surrendered all troops in the Carolinas, Georgia, and Florida. On May 4, Lt. Gen. Richard Taylor surrendered at Citronelle, Alabama. May 10, Confederate President Jefferson Davis was captured with his wife at Irwinville, GA. In New Orleans on May 26, Lt. Gen. Simon Bolivar Buckner, acting on the authority of Gen. Edmund Kirby Smith, commander of the Trans-Mississippi Department, accepted from Maj. Gen. Edward R. Canby the same surrender terms as Lee, Johnston, and Taylor. Ironically, Buckner had been forced to surrender the first Confederate army captured by the Union when his commanders abandoned him following the Battle of Fort Donelson in February 1862. After Buckner and Canby reached their agreement, a document was prepared and sent to Galveston, Texas, where Smith attached his signature on June 2, officially surrendering the last significant Confederate force. Not until June 23 did Brig. Gen. Stand Watie surrender his small force of Confederate Cherokees in Oklahoma. The final act would come November 6, when the ocean raider CSS Shenandoah struck her Confederate colors in Liverpool, England. Articles Featuring Appomattox Court House Battle From History Net Magazines America’s Civil War: Images of Peace at Appomattox No one knows for certain how the myth was born. But no one can deny that it was enduringly appealing and slow to die. As Ulysses S. Grant would put it years later, ‘like many other stories, it would be very good if it was only true. The legend was that on April 9, 1865, Confederate General Robert E. Lee surrendered to Lt. Gen. Grant, not inside the McLean House in Appomattox Court House, Va., but outdoors, in an apple orchard somewhere outside the village. It was a romantic story, conjuring up a picture of rival commanders on horseback solemnly stacking their arms before opposing lines of blue and gray. It was also entirely false. Nonetheless, throughout the mid-1860s the tale of the apple orchard surrender was repeatedly introduced, colorfully illustrated and widely distributed to an accepting public by the nation’s most imaginative purveyors of popular culture: the publishers of popular prints. To America’s engravers and lithographers falls the dubious honor of having perpetuated the myth by vivifying it in a seldom-remembered body of gaudy prints for American parlors, taverns and clubhouses. In the years before the advent of motion pictures, radio and TV, picture publishers had considerable power, coloring public perception of the events of the day. Illustrations forged images of the news and the newsmakers — whether realistically depicted or not — into the collective consciousness of the national audience. So it was with the Appomattox story. But how did the apple orchard surrender tale get started? As Grant conceded, it was one of those little fictions based on a slight foundation of fact. And it was reinforced by an incidental but much-noticed follow-up to the historic surrender. As memoir writers on both sides of the Civil War would later recount, Confederate forces were actually occupying a hillside that embraced an apple grove on April 9, 1865. Grant related in his memoirs how a dirt road ran diagonally up that hillside, and how so many Rebel supply wagons had traveled the trail that their wheels had cut through the protruding roots of an apple tree, creating a makeshift embankment along the supply route. It was on this embankment, Grant was told, that his Confederate counterpart was sitting, his back against an apple tree, when he finally decided the time had come to surrender the Army of Northern Virginia. Union Brevet Brig. Gen. Horace Porter recalled a similar scene. Porter wrote that Lee was lying down by the roadside on a blanket which had been spread over a few fence rails on the ground under an apple-tree, which was part of an orchard. \|Reverence for the iconic Robert E. Lee continued for many years after his death in 1870. Charles Walker’s 1893 lithograph commemorates the general’s simple and heartfelt farewell to his troops: You will take with you the satisfaction that proceeds from the consciousness of duty faithfully performed, and I earnestly pray that a merciful God will extend to you His blessing and protection (Library of Congress).\| Not surprisingly, Confederate writers chose to present a more active Lee: not a broken man lying on the ground, accepting the inevitable, but a mass of energy and resolve, resisting overwhelming forces until he wisely perceived the futility of struggling on. Colonel William W. Blackford, who had been an aide to Confederate Maj. Gen. J.E.B. Stuart until the general’s death in May 1864, was present at Appomattox. He remembered an apple orchard guarded by a line of sentinels, where Lee could be found on surrender day pacing backwards and forwards…looking like a caged lion. Blackford’s recollection was of a Lee quite unlike the idealized character later immortalized in popular prints and literature. To be sure, the general was the embodiment of all that was grand and noble in man in his full-dress uniform, complete with sword and sash. But he was also in one of his savage moods, Blackford remembered, and when these moods were on him, it was safer to keep out of his way. Lee that day was anything but the oft-portrayed stoic, dignified commander, made still more dignified by his gallantry in defeat. Lee had good reason to fume, according to his aide, Colonel Charles Marshall. On April 8, wrote Marshall, Lee had proposed meeting Grant on the old stage road to Richmond, between the picket lines of the two armies, to discuss not surrender but peace. Grant made no reply to the invitation, but the next morning, Lee and two of his officers rode under a flag of truce toward the specified rendezvous. The men in the last hours of the Confederacy cheered General Lee to the echo, Colonel Marshall remembered, as they had cheered him many a time before. He waved his hand to suppress the cheering, because he was afraid the sound might attract the ire of the enemy, and we rode on through the line. To Lee’s disappointment, Grant never showed up. Instead, a Union staff officer delivered a note Grant had written to Lee. Grant had no authority to discuss the subject of peace, it said, only surrender. Marshall read the letter to Lee, and after a few moments’ reflection, the Confederate commander made his most difficult decision. Well, write a letter to General Grant, he told Marshall, and ask him to meet me to deal with the question of the surrender of my army. Even though Grant refused to meet Lee on the morning of April 9, at least one printmaker immortalized the event-that-never-was with a large lithograph of the Meeting of Generals Grant and Lee Prepatory to the Surrender of General Lee. Nearly a year would pass between surrender day and the publication of the print. But for artist P.S. Duval of Philadelphia and his publisher, Joseph Hoover (both experienced professionals who by then surely knew better), the dramatic appeal of the ride along the old stage road must have seemed irresistible. What happened after Lee sent his message to Grant has been confirmed by memoirists of both North and South. The best account is probably that of Marshall, who was dispatched to Appomattox to find a place suitable for the surrender meeting. There, he encountered Wilmer McLean, a man…who used to live on the first battle field of Manassas, at a house about a mile from the Manassas Junction. He didn’t like the war, and having seen the first battle of Manassas, he thought he would get away where there wouldn’t be any more fighting. In the end, the man who didn’t like the war provided the place to end it — not as he first suggested, at a nearby home that Marshall thought all dilapidated, but in his own very comfortable house. Within minutes, in the 20-by-16 1/2-foot McLean parlor, Robert E. Lee surrendered his army to Ulysses S. Grant. Lee arrived first, looking to one observer quite bald and wearing one of the side locks of his hair thrown across the upper portion of his forehead, which is as white and as fair as a woman’s. Nonetheless, to his aide Armistead L. Long, even vanquished, Lee was yet a victor….Under the accumulation of difficulties his courage seemed to expand…his presence inspired the weak and weary with renewed energy….Those who watched his face to catch a glimpse of what was passing in his mind could gather thence no trace of his inner sentiments. His image stands out clearly before me, Long wrote years later. Just after he had signed the surrender papers and emerged from the McLean House, Lee suddenly seemed to Long older, grayer, more quiet and reserved…very tired. But he would not be so portrayed. \|The orchard myth was a popular subject for printmakers. P.S. Duval’s orchard scene is an early example of the myth in print. (Library of Congress).\| Northern printmakers were the only such artisans to produce Appomattox surrender scenes. They also produced most of the portraits of Lee, Confederate Lt. Gen. Thomas J. Stonewall Jackson and Confederate President Jefferson Davis in the postwar era. But they were not aggressive researchers. Many searched no further for contemporary descriptions of Lee’s appearance at Appomattox than the New York Herald’s report of April 14: Lee looked very much jaded and worn, but nevertheless, presented the same magnificent physique for which he had always been noted….During the whole interview he was retired and dignified to a degree bordering on taciturnity, but was free from all exhibition of temper or mortification. His demeanor was that of a thoroughly possessed gentleman who had a very disagreeable duty to perform, but was determined to get through it as well and as soon as he could. Grant, who arrived after Lee, looked to one witness as though he had had a pretty bad time. He came dressed in a sack coat and a loose fatigue blouse. In sharp contrast to Lee’s glorious new full-dress uniform, Grant wore no side arms: Lee wore his magnificent gold-handled ceremonial sword. Grant appeared somewhat dusty and a little soiled. Lee was impeccable and grand, now and forever the perfect knight of legend, exuding gallantry in defeat. The simple truth was that Grant had garbed himself in what he called a rough traveling suit, the uniform of a private with the stripes of a Lieutenant-General, because his own stock of fancy uniforms had not yet arrived at his headquarters. This ironic contrast between the simplicity of the victor and the grandeur of the vanquished would be pointedly reflected in many prints of Appomattox and would grow into a legend in American history. The events inside the McLean parlor were formal and unemotional. After some conversation, Lee asked Grant to put his surrender terms in writing. Grant’s aide, Colonel Ely S. Parker, brought a small table from one corner of the room, and Grant sat down and wrote out the conditions of surrender on field note paper, which produced a copy as the original was written. When he finished, Grant rose and carried his draft to Lee, who remained seated elsewhere in the parlor. Lee offered some comments, including his well-known appeal that his soldiers be allowed to keep their horses, a request to which Grant consented immediately. Grant then asked Colonel Parker to recopy the terms of surrender. Parker took the desk to a far corner of the room and began to rewrite the official document while Grant took another seat and, like Lee, waited patiently. Other officers in the room, including Marshall and Union Maj. Gen. Philip Sheridan, exchanged pleasantries while they waited. When Parker finished his transcription, Colonel Marshall took his seat to write out Lee’s reply. The general admonished his aide not to begin the answer in the customary way. I have the honor to acknowledge the receipt…. Don’t say, `I have the honor,’ said Lee. Just say, `I accept these terms.’ Finally the surrender papers were signed by both generals, their aides handing them separate copies and then exchanging them so each commander could sign two. After a few more moments of conversation, during which Grant finally explained why he wore a field uniform that was no match for his rival’s, Lee left the McLean House. Such was the history of the surrender of Robert E. Lee’s army. There was no theatrical display about it, Marshall observed. It was in itself perhaps the greatest tragedy that ever occurred in the history of the world, but it was the simplest, plainest, and most thoroughly devoid of any attempt at effect, that you can imagine. But Marshall did not realize what could be imagined by America’s printmakers. Besides, the story had not really ended. There was to be a dramatic coda that would add another layer of confusion to the surrender story. \|Wilmer McLean, owner of the house where the surrender was signed, commissioned this print as a way to raise money to pay for property damage that occurred during the war. Lee is accompanied by two aides, while Grant is surrounded by the cream of the Union officer corps, including George Custer, Philip Sheridan, George Meade and Edward Ord. McLean’s hopes for restitution were in vain; he abandoned the property in 1867, and the house was sold at public auction two years later (Library of Congress).\| The Lee of legend (and popular illustrations) had already been created by the time the generals returned from the true site of the surrender ceremony. All along his route, he was hailed with such cries as I love you just as well as ever, General by his loyal, tearful troops. Though truly a fine and noble man, Lee had become even more: the gallant cavalier who bravely fought a war he had not sought, and who surrendered with all the grace of a gentleman, though he had confided he would rather die a thousand deaths than do so. The day after the surrender, Grant declared, I would like to see General Lee again. This time they did meet on horseback, chatting for half an hour near the old Confederate headquarters as staff officers hovered nearby. It was an incidental meeting, an anticlimactic footnote to the historic day that preceded it. But it seems that stories of this second encounter stimulated a lingering belief that Lee actually surrendered in such a setting. Had the printmakers supplied Appomattox scenes more quickly, the legend might never have grown. Only two printmakers issued Appomattox scenes in 1865, and both erred, if at all, on the side of understatement. Most depictions were delayed until 1866 or 1867. So it remains one of the great mysteries of Civil War iconography why such a newsworthy event was not portrayed more quickly. Perhaps time was needed for passions to cool, and for Northern calls for Lee’s punishment to quiet down. It may be that some months had to pass before any Northern engraver or lithographer could feel safe portraying former enemy Robert E. Lee, even in defeat. Southern printmakers provided no Appomattox scenes. They had been all but ruined by the war, driven out of business by chronic shortages of paper and ink, or compelled to focus on official work such as Confederate postage stamps and currency. By the time the war ended, the Southern print industry was, for all intents and purposes, a memory. And even had it survived, bitter recollections of Lee’s surrender and scenes of Appomattox would not have appealed to its customers. Northern printmakers, denied access to the Southern audience for four years, gradually began supplying the images of the Lost Cause that they could never have been produced while the cause lived. During the late 1860s and throughout the ’70s and ’80s, parlor portraits of the principal heroes of the Confederate experience — Lee, Jackson and Davis — would be published by men in New York, Philadelphia, Boston and Chicago, men who had been enemies of the South just a few years earlier. The appearance of these portraits and the first engravings and lithographs of Lee’s surrender signaled the beginning of the Northern effort to portray the Confederate image for profit. But along with the opportunities for profit came a challenge. It seemed difficult to market accurate prints of a surrender that was so simple and set in such mundane surroundings. Most solved this dilemma by providing imagined scenes of the purported apple orchard peace conference. Among the more common orchard peace conference pictures, one of the most typical is the overdramatically titled Capitulation and Surrender of Robt. E. Lee & His Army at Appomattox. More restrained efforts are described as scenes of the Grant and Lee meeting, but their implicit message is the same: They are meant to suggest the actual surrender. Lee actually returned to the orchard after signing the peace terms, and stood under an apple tree for the rest of the afternoon seeing visitors. After the soldiers left, Colonel Blackford remembered, the tree General Lee stood under was carried off by relic hunters. But print audiences had no reason to be concerned about this vandalism. For months afterward, the legendary tree would appear and reappear in purported re-creations of a scene that had never taken place. In James Queen’s 1866 lithograph, Lee is shown reading the surrender terms beneath the ubiquitous apple tree while Grant gestures grandly to the rival armies encamped in the distance. The portraits of the generals are excellent; the setting is pure invention. Another effort, by Philadelphia’s Joseph Hoover, makes Lee appear almost eager to surrender, reaching out for the terms in Grant’s hand. Again the scene is outdoors, and to add to the mythicizing, both Lee and Grant are shown in resplendent fancy dress uniforms, Grant wearing a sword, something he rarely did anywhere. Still another outdoor interpretation suggests that the surrender occurred in winter, an error arising perhaps out of ignorance, perhaps to emphasize the hardships the soldiers had suffered. Two other prints, one likely copied from the other, contend that Grant handed the surrender terms to Lee. But no popular print of the apple orchard surrender exaggerated quite as grandiosely as Kurz & Allison’s lithograph of the Capitulation and Surrender of Robt. E. Lee & His Army. The symbolic scene shows both Union and Confederate armies crowded into the orchard, actually meeting en masse for the surrender. Stereotypically tattered and wounded Confederates on one side of the scene are contrasted with hearty-looking Union troops behind Grant. To add to the absurdity of the picture, Lee is shown publicly surrendering his sword to Grant. Grant later characterized the much talked of surrender of Lee’s sword and my handing it back as the purest romance. To printmakers such as Chicago’s audience-wise Louis Kurz, though, truth was not the test of a good picture; sales appeal was. Currier & Ives’ two straightforward Appomattox lithographs were exceptions. But the work of these celebrated New York printmakers was not devoid of inaccuracy. Both their 1865 and 1873 prints depict Grant and Lee sharing a single table, though they did not do so. And the scenes suggest, by showing Lee’s sword on the table, that he surrendered it. The only evidence that any printmaker completely understood the chronology of events that unfolded at and near Appomattox Court House on April 9 and 10, 1865, comes in a rare lithograph by one-time Currier & Ives artist Louis Maurer. It shows Grant and Lee meeting outdoors on horseback, but declares in its caption that the encounter occurred the day after surrender. Maruer modeled the print on a beautiful watercolor by Otto Boetticher, a Prussian-born Union soldier and military artist. Maurer’s adaptation remains one of the least-known but best-realized Appomattox prints. It portrays the two great adversaries planning for peace as grandly as they had waged a war. Other painters attempted depictions of the surrender itself, with decidedly mixed results. Alonzo Chappel’s Surrender of General Lee was engraved for a book by Johnson & Fry of New York in 1865, but it misrepresents the McLean parlor as little more than a barracks. A much later Chappel painting became the model for The Surrender of General Lee, adapted for W.K. Steele of New York and featuring an accurate depiction of the room’s furnishings. The print proved popular enough to inspire a copy, but such a poor one that A. Lauder’s print of Peace seems more a parody than a piracy. About the same time, a Mrs. M.F. Cocheu produced a design that pictures the opening and closing events of the war as Alpha (the attack on Fort Sumter) and Omega (Lee’s surrender). But in her ludicrous vision of the surrender, Lee, wearing a plumed hat, stands beneath an apple tree next to a rail fence, in full view of a wooden cabin; Grant appears to be smoking a cigar. It is no wonder that some printmakers eschewed interpretive choices altogether. W. Webber’s Appomattox print for J.H. Bufford, for example, celebrated the village of Appomattox Court House, not the event, while another printmaker made the centerpiece of his design a map of the area, adding no portraiture at all. Of course, there were printmakers who succeeded in dealing seriously and inventively with the surrender and its immediate impact on Southern troops. Both Burk & McFettridge of Philadelphia and Charles H. Walker of Washington, D.C., issued prints immortalizing the simple farewell address Lee gave to his troops the day after his meeting with Grant in the McLean House. The Burk & McFettridge print, issued in 1883, features a wreathed portrait of Lee, flanked by a symbolic handshake sealing the reunification. Walker’s more ambitious lithograph, issued 10 years later, included portraits of Lee in uniform astride his famous horse, Traveller, and in civilian clothes, along with a beautifully realized central scene of Lee surrounded by his loyal troops, as he returns tearfully to camp after the surrender. Perhaps no print attempted more ambitiously to portray the surrender in its proper location, and with as many of its central characters as possible, than Major & Knapp’s 1867 lithograph of The Room in the McLean House, at Appomattox C.H., in which GEN. LEE Surrendered to GEN. GRANT. Commissioned as a fundraising device by Wilmer McLean, the print contains portraits of the personalities meticulously copied from period photographs. The portrayal of Lee and two aides is modeled after a photograph for which the general had reluctantly posed on the back porch of his Richmond house a week after the surrender. The Major & Knapp original slightly exaggerates the size of McLean’s parlor, probably to accommodate figures of generals such as George Armstrong Custer, Philip Sheridan and George Gordon Meade. Its most glaring error is its identification of the man writing out the surrender terms as General Wesley Merritt instead of Colonel Ely Parker. Overall, though, save for the symbolic inclusion of so many military personalities, the print is perhaps the finest of all interpretations of the solemn moments during which Lee and Grant waited while the instruments of surrender were finalized. Having McLean directly involved (he copyrighted the lithograph) undoubtedly contributed to the print’s truthfulness. But the unfortunate man who had fled Manassas to avoid the dangers of war ironically found himself ruined by peace. Union officers had all but plundered his parlor after Grant and Lee left. Tables and chairs were carried off and pictures removed from the walls, with small sums of money thrown at their owner by the souvenir hunters. McLean hoped to regain some of his losses through sales of the Major & Knapp print. But despite the picture’s high quality, it apparently failed to earn McLean the fortune he had anticipated. Within a few years he abandoned his Appomattox home, and by the end of the century it had crumbled into ruins. It would not be reconstructed until after World War II. The surrender did Wilmer McLean little good, but it did wonders for Robert E. Lee. Nothing Lee did in the field would inspire as many prints as his surrender. Remarkably, the same was true of Ulysses S. Grant. But it was Lee who may have gained the most from the prints’ proliferation after the war. Appomattox prints helped elevate his image and make it palatable to both the South and the North. The mere fact that he had given up the rebellion at Appomattox helped to cleanse Lee in the North, where all print production would originate, encouraging his depiction with all the dignity eyewitnesses ascribed to him. Thus, even though Appomattox prints were really Grant prints intended for jubilant Northerners, Lee’s inclusion in the scenes put him on equal footing with the victor, perhaps because there could be little glory for Grant unless it could be shown that he had defeated a worthy foe. But this is not to underestimate the Appomattox prints’ impact on Grant, for he was their true hero, Lee only their implied one. And Appomattox prints may well have helped Grant win election to the presidency in 1868. They did, however, help Lee become an American again, and in time an American hero. Intentionally or not, these popular graphics for the family parlor also helped elevate Lee to a status shared by no other figure of the Confederacy: a living symbol of reconciliation. By depicting him unbowed before Grant, printmakers demonstrated that reunion could be accomplished without subjugation. Appomattox prints showed Lee in surrender but not in humiliation, and thus made Lee an icon of peace, not defeat. As one of his field commanders would ask in a Lee eulogy delivered five years later, What man could have laid down his sword at the feet of a victorious general with greater dignity than he did at Appomattox? Even Northern historian Charles Francis Adams Jr. would term the surrender the most creditable episode in American history — an episode without blemish — imposing, dignified, simple, heroic. So it would always seem in Appomattox prints, even the most fanciful among them. Appomattox prints took a potentially humiliating event in Robert E. Lee’s life and transformed it into something of a triumph. Perhaps Grant himself sensed this, for the man the prints were supposed to celebrate disapproved of the entire genre. When a committee of Congress approached him soon after the war to propose a painting of the surrender for the Capitol Rotunda, Grant refused. He said he would never play a role in producing a picture commemorating a victory in which his own countrymen had been vanquished. In a way, Appomattox scenes pleased neither the conquered nor the conquering heroes. But they certainly pleased the people. This article was written by Harold Holzer, Gabor S.Boritt and Mark E. Neely Jr. and originally published in the Janurary 2006 issue of Civil War Times Magazine. For more great articles, be sure to subscribe to Civil War Times magazine today! A ragged line of Union soldiers stood in a field along Goose Creek in Rectortown, Virginia, on November 6, 1864. They jostled, chatted and joked with each other, pleased to be outdoors on a brisk autumn day. 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The history industry is replete with scholars hawking startling, or at least intriguing, reinterpretations of familiar stories. Revisionism is the engine that keeps the history … Two volumes offer new interpretations and shatter some myths about the end of the Civil War. By A. Wilson Green William Marvel knows how to tell a good story. He is also a master at debunking myths and reinterpreting historical … In his provocative new book, The Confederate War, author Gary Gallagher revises the revisionists. By Richard F. Welch Over the past 15 years an influential school of Civil War historians–now perhaps the dominant orthodoxy–has argued that class, race and gender … The Wilmington Campaign: Last Rays of Departing Hope, by Chris E. Fonvielle, Jr., Savas Publishing, Campbell, California, (800) 848-6585, 623 pages, $32.95. While most aspects of the American Civil War have been examined in minute detail by an infinite body … MANTLED IN FIRE AND SMOKE By David F. Cross The Battle of Gettysburg, and perhaps the fate of the Union, was decided in one hour of desperate fighting on the rocky ledges of Little Round Top. In June 1863, Confederate … Camp William Penn's Black Soldiers In Blue By Donald Scott Under the stern but sympathetic gaze of Lt. Col. Louis Wagner, some 11,000 African-American soldiers trained to fight for their freedom at Philadelphia's Camp William Penn. Three Medal of Honor … The North's Unsung Sisters of Mercy By Alice P. Stein A cadre of dedicated Northern women from all walks of life traveled to the charnel houses of the Civil War to care for the sick and wounded. They came from … War's Last Cavalry Raid By Chris Hartley Even as General Robert E. Lee was surrendering at Appomattox, a vengeful Union cavalry horde led by Maj. Gen. George Stoneman made Southern civilians pay dearly for the war. It was a last …
The Cognitive Sciences: An Interdisciplinary Approach This engagingly written introduction to the cognitive sciences examines the historical and contemporary issues and research findings of the core cognitive science disciplines, including cognitive psychology, neuroscience, language, philosophy, and artificial intelligence. For each of the core disciplines of cognitive science, the historical development and classic research studies are presented in one chapter and current research development and issues follow in a second chapter. The student is given insight into the way each discipline has contributed to the growth of cognitive science and what directions research is taking in the future. This text assumes no background on the part of the reader. 83 pages matching researchers in this book Results 1-3 of 83 What people are saying - Write a review We haven't found any reviews in the usual places. The Approach of Cognitive Science Exploring the Brain Modern Technology and Research 10 other sections not shown Other editions - View all ability able activity Analytical Engine animals aphasia approach areas artificial intelligence aspects associated autism behavior Broca's area capacity cells cerebral Chapter cognitive psychology cognitive science complex components concepts consciousness consider cortex damage Descartes designed dissociative identity disorder English entity environment example experience expert systems fact field FIGURE fMRI function grammar hemisphere human brain human intelligence hypothesis ideas images indicate individual instance involved knowledge language learning linguistic lobe machine means memory mental mind MYCIN nature neural networks neurons node notion noun objects particular patients Penfield perception perceptron perform person philosophers possible problem produce propositions psychology questions recognize relation remember researchers response robot rules Sapir-Whorf hypothesis semantic sense sensory sentence SHRDLU solving sort sounds specific speech stimulation stored structure subjects task techniques temporal lobe thought tion Turing types understand verb visual words
Fires break out in almost half a million homes each year in the United States. To keep your family safe, learn the three most important rules for fire safety plus additional tips to help you prevent fires and minimize the damage to your loved ones and belongings if you do suffer a fire in your home. Three Most Important Rules for Fire Safety - Install smoke alarms. The U.S. Fire Administration emphasizes three fire safety precautions starting with having all homes equipped with smoke alarms. Mount them on a ceiling or high up on a wall. Test them at least every 6 months. Replace the batteries once a year. - Get automatic fire sprinklers. The federal government also recommends home sprinklers. By spraying water immediately, they can put out small fires and help contain big fires. Residential systems are starting to become more affordable and some of them are suitable for older homes. - Develop an emergency escape plan. The third rule is creating and practicing an escape plan. Map out all the exits in your house. Figure out two ways to get out of each room. Go through the drill until you can get the whole family out in less than 3 minutes. Tips for Preventing Fires - Pay attention while cooking. Stay in the kitchen if you have something on the stove. Turn off the heat if cooking oil starts smoking and slide a lid over the pot to squelch flames. Keep flammable items like plastics or cloth away from heat. - Put matches out of reach. Keep matches in a locked cabinet or on a high shelf beyond the reach of small children. The same goes for cigarette lighters and torches. - Watch candles closely. If you love candles, be sure to use them wisely. Set them out on stable surfaces and extinguish them before you go to sleep. - Keep heat sources clean. Furnaces and fireplaces need to be cleaned at least once a year. Empty the lint out of clothes dryers immediately after each load. Give space heaters plenty of distance from curtains and furniture. - Use electricity safely. Avoid overloading electrical outlets. Tuck cords away neatly without running them under rugs. Give pets their own chew toys so they’ll leave electrical cords alone. Tips for Surviving Fires - Keep fire extinguishers handy. Buy the right kind of fire extinguisher for each room or look for multipurpose models. To use any extinguisher, you pull the pin, aim at the base of the fire, squeeze the handle and sweep the whole unit back and forth. If flames are already spreading, just focus on evacuating. - Stick close to the ground. Smoke rises, so it’s important to stay as low to the ground as possible where it will be easiest to breathe. Practice crawling during your home fire drills. - Feel doors for heat. Use the back of your hand to check if a door is hot before opening it. If you discover that there may be flames on the other side, leave it alone and exit through another door or window instead. Closing doors behind you as you leave will also help to slow down any fire. - Know what to do if your clothes catch fire. Drop to the ground using your hands to cover your face and roll back and forth to put out the flames. Run cool water over burned skin and call for emergency medical care. - Once you’re outside, stay outside. Once you’re out of the house, avoid making any return trips. The fire department is better equipped for conducting rescues in a burning building. Most home fires are preventable if you know how to take the proper precautions. Keep your smoke alarms in working order, have an emergency escape plan and pay attention to potential fire hazards. Learn these tips and give them your highest priority so you can feel safe from fire in your home.
The trend towards adoption of health information technology (health IT) offers substantial benefits not only to individuals in terms of improving health care quality and increasing efficiency, but also to medical research, public health and other functions that derive value from large sets of health-related data. At the same time, increased electronic flows of health data pose significant risks to privacy. Among the many challenges that will require attention as health IT is promoted through implementation of the stimulus legislation and other means is how to strip health data of personal identifiers in order to eliminate or reduce privacy concerns, while still retaining useful information. Numerous public and private entities currently use de-identified health data. Among the most widespread applications of de-identified data are quality improvement, public health (including syndromic surveillance), research (including clinical and epidemiological research), and a variety of commercial uses, such as improving the efficiency of operations, and understanding risks to patients. Under the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) Privacy Rule, health data is categorized in one of three ways: protected health information, de-identified data, and the limited data set. Health data that is fully identifiable–that contains patient names, addresses or other identifiers–is "protected health information" and is subject to some restrictions on access, use, and disclosure. Two additional classes of data are stripped of identifiers and are either exempted from, or treated differently under, the Privacy Rule. First, "de-identified" data has been so stripped of common identifiers that there is no "reasonable basis" to believe it can be traced back to the subject. Data that qualifies as "de-identified" under the Privacy Rule is not regulated at all; there are no restrictions on who can acquire it or the purposes for which it can be accessed, used, or disclosed. A "limited data set," by contrast, is stripped of many categories of identifying information but retains information often needed for public health and research (such as birth dates, dates of treatment, and some geographic data). Entities covered by HIPAA may share a limited data set for research, public health and health care operations purposes permitted by the Privacy Rule, so long as all recipients are bound by a data use agreement with the originator of the data. Although the intentions underlying the Privacy Rule’s three-part approach (protected health information, de-identified data, and the limited data set) were laudable, the framework has been rendered less satisfactory as a result of technology changes and a growing sophistication in the use of data. At least three challenges arise. First, not all uses of de-identified health data or a limited data set require identical levels of identity masking. Ideally, a broader spectrum of data "anonymization" options would better meet the needs of different contexts and ensure that data is accessed or disclosed in the least identifiable form possible for any given purpose. We use the term "anonymized" to refer to data that is intended to be anonymous to data recipients. Second, the Privacy Rule, by permitting use of fully identified data for treatment, payment, health care operations, and a range of other health-related activities, provides little incentive for covered entities to use data that is less than fully identifiable. Of particular concern is the category of health care operations, which includes some tasks that arguably could be fulfilled with data that is less than fully identifiable. Covered entities are required under the Rule to use the "minimum necessary" amount of data needed to accomplish health care operations tasks, but CDT is unaware of any circumstances in which this standard has been expressly interpreted to set limits on the identifiability of data used for a particular function. Third, the de-identification provisions of the Privacy Rule may no longer be as effective as they once were at protecting privacy. Changes in society and technology, including a vast explosion in the volume of digital data, have made the re-identification of health information easier and cheaper than ever before. In addition, the Privacy Rule has never included mechanisms for holding all recipients of de-identified data accountable for re-identification. CDT proposes several ways to strengthen the Privacy Rule’s de-identification standards and to encourage the use of de-identified data through complimentary policies. We also recommend that the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) consider creating additional data anonymization options (beyond de-identification and the limited data set), either by regulation or through guidance on how to apply the minimum necessary standard to routine uses and disclosures of data beyond treatment. We offer the following specific recommendations to balance the twin interests of flexibility and data protection: - Strengthen accountability by requiring data use agreements HHS should consider requiring HIPAA covered entities to enter into data use agreements with recipients of de-identified data. Such agreements need not rise to the level of business associate agreements, which are needed to protect fully identifiable data. Instead, they can be more limited in scope, similar to those used for limited data sets. In addition, HHS and Congress should consider how to hold entities disclosing and/or receiving de-identified data accountable when data is inappropriately re-identified. - Expand data anonymization options under the Privacy Rule Different levels of data protections are appropriate in different contexts. Providing only two options for masking data may limit the value that can be derived from data, leaving researchers and others seeking aggregate data with few alternatives beyond the use of fully identifiable data. HHS should consider developing additional data anonymization options that can be used for a broader range of activities and that are appropriately protected against re-identification. - Provide incentives to use less than fully identifiable data for certain purposes Fully identifiable data may not be needed to accomplish all of the activities currently included in the Privacy Rule under "health care operations." Ideally, the degree of protection for data should increase with its degree of identifiability. While drafting specific yet sufficiently flexible rules to accomplish a sliding scale of protections will be a challenge, the limited data set may serve as a good model for handling data that is not fully identifiable. At a minimum, protections to ensure that data is not inappropriately re-identified are critical. CDT encourages HHS to incorporate these points in the guidance on the Privacy Rule’s minimum necessary standard that the stimulus legislation requires be issued by August 17, 2010. - Provide support through "Centers of Excellence" in de-identification Given that many HIPAA covered entities do not have sufficient in-house expertise to de-identify data using sophisticated methodologies, HHS should consider designating certain existing or new organizations "Centers of Excellence" with respect to data de-identification. Covered entities seeking to release de-identified data could be required or given incentives to consult with these entities to gain the necessary expertise, or could outsource the work of de-identification to them. In developing this process, HHS should consider partnering with the National Institute for Standards and Technology (NIST), which has significant expertise on data anonymization techniques. - Require or encourage the use of limited access datasets and other technical solutions HHS should consider requiring or encouraging the use of innovative technical solutions to protect data. One promising approach is the use of "limited access datasets," which give users access only to aggregate data that is relevant to specific questions they pose. Information that is not essential to a particular inquiry, including patient identifiers, is never shared, making it much more difficult to associate data with a particular individual. Such technical solutions should be applied to existing databases rather than creating new ones. Allowing data to remain in its place of origin and bringing critical research questions to the data, is the most efficient and effective way to meet the diverse needs of our health system while protecting privacy and security. - Require education and training of staff de-identifying data Any staff involved in de-identifying health data or working with it should participate in basic training about how best to use procedural and technical means to protect privacy and security. Staff training, perhaps supported by the Centers of Excellence described above, would help to minimize the likelihood of breaches and other misuses of data. - Consider increasing public transparency regarding uses of de-identified data As discussed, data that has been de-identified according to the Privacy Rule’s provisions is free from restrictions on use and disclosure. If it is rigorously de-identified and sufficiently protected against re-identification, such data does not raise a privacy risk to individuals. However, some have expressed other policy concerns about the ways that de-identified data is currently being used. To address these concerns, policymakers could encourage or require a greater degree of public transparency about how data (including de-identified data) is used. Greater transparency could contribute to the development of guidelines regarding data use.
Introduction to Irritable Bowel Syndrome Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS) usually comes with a serious of digestive problems and symptoms. Some of the most common ones are pain, bloating, constipation and diarrhea, nausea, stress and a lack of proper nutrient absorption. People who have IBS may also experience cramping and spasming of the intestines, gas, heartburn, and pain while eating or while defecating, hemorrhoids, small tears in the anus called anal fissures, and hard stools that make defecating painful. It is a very widespread disorder, even though most do not enjoy talking about it. According to some of the latest figures, over 50 million Americans suffer from IBS. It is strange that a problem that occurs so often in so many people does not receive much coverage from the media. The diagnosis of IBS depends on ruling out other digestive problems that often come with very similar symptoms. Some of these disorders include celiac disease, Crohn’s disease, ulcerative colitis, colon cancer and lactose intolerance. When IBS occurs, the muscular contractions of the bowel are no longer well-coordinated, which leads to stools, gas and toxins being trapped. There are foods that doctors recommend people who have IBS avoid, some of which are animal fats, sodas and alcohol, coffee, dairy, refined foods, spicy foods and sugars. Foods that doctors recommend are non-acid fruits and vegetables, brown rice, quinoa, sprouted grains, tofu, oats, coldwater fish and lentils. Omega-3 fatty acids and fiber are necessary parts of the diet, so eating foods that are rich in both is recommended. Also, drink a while lot of water, at least eight to ten glass each day, is very necessary. It is important to remove certain foods form the diet, at least for several weeks so that the symptoms will subside. Some of these foods include wheat, milk, eggs, peanuts, tree nuts, tomatoes, shellfish, chocolate and corn. One of the best natural ways to get rid of IBS is through probiotics, which are live microbial organisms that are already in the digestive tract naturally. They are referred to by some as “friendly bacteria and are good for the health while also decrease the amount of harmful bacteria in the body. They also improve the immune system and protect the digestive tract. Studies show that three different doses of the good bacteria Bifidobacterium infantis can be effective in decreasing abdominal pain, bloating, bowel dysfunction, straining and gas. There are also many other strains of probiotics that can be used for IBS, including lactobacillus salivarius, making probiotics one of the best natural ways to get rid of IBS, along with altering ones diet and every day eating habits.
The Moderna jab is an unapproved vaccine that the US Food and Drug Authority (FDA) states may prevent COVID-19. The FDA authorized the emergency use of the Moderna COVID-19 Vaccine under an Emergency Use Authorization (EUA). However there is another crucial ingredient that is not listed by the FDA. The Moderna injection contains an experimental adjuvant which is in the patent and is yet to be licensed for use in any human vaccine. When the messenger RNA is injected into the body it starts to create a protein called Flagellin leading to a huge and out of control antibody response. The higher the antibody level the more severe the reaction. It can take up to 42 days after the injection for the reaction to occur. Severe reactions can even take months or years to show up. See: Dr Sherri Tenpenny’s presentation Flagellin is found in bacteria such as Salmonella, which use it in their tails, or flagella, to propel themselves around. Sometimes it’s made by detaching the tails from bacteria – though more recently it’s become common to grow it in genetically modified cells. 41 million released doses of the vaccine have been supplied to the U.S. government to date. More than 22 million Americans have received the Moderna COVID-19 Vaccine in the U.S., according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) Moderna is an unapproved vaccine that the US Food and Drug Authority (FDA) states may prevent COVID-19. This technology has never been used before successfully to make vaccines. This injection uses mRNA technology. In this case the mRNA codes for a protein on the SARS-COV2 virus called a spike protein. The mRNA against the spike protein has been stabilised or altered which makes it a synthetic mRNA. It is not the original mRNA specific to a SARS-COV2 virus. It is synthetic mRNA. There are similarities in proteins between the synthetic spike protein and the antibody produced, and parts of the kidneys, brain, lungs, hearts, and the reproductive systems. The body will mount an immune response against the synthetic spike protein leading to a cytokine storm and increase in inflammation and autoimmunity. According to Dr Larry Pavlesky: This is not just another vaccine. It doesn’t behave like a vaccine at all We have no evidence to that this will behave like a vaccine. A vaccine needs to develop an antibody to give us immunity to a virus or bacterium A vaccine must provide us with protection against the virus A vaccine needs to reduce the number of deaths from the infection A vaccine has to help reduce the circulation of the virus or bacteria we are vaccinating against A vaccine must reduce the transmission from one person to another We have no evidence that this technology will work like a vaccine. It doesn’t behave like a vaccine at all The injection has not been tested to see if it will create the cytokine storms which we know are already happening in the community.
Matthew Herper, Forbes Staff I cover science and medicine, and believe this is biology's century. Kevin Eggan, 32 Kevin Eggan is leading the way to a world where stem cells–which have tremendous medical promise because of their potential to replace any damaged cell in the body–could be made without destroying embryos. All cells in the body have exactly the same genetic makeup. Scientists still don’t understand what makes a skin cell different from a brain cell. Embryonic stem cells could be the key to solving this puzzle and to the treatment of diseases ranging from cancer to diabetes. But creating these stem cells requires destroying human embryos, and the political fall-out has been severe. In 2001, President George W. Bush banned all federal funding for human embryonic stem cell research, except on a few “pre-existing” stem cell lines. This has slowed research, led states to fund their own stem cell institutes, and forced some bleeding-edge work out of the U.S. In 2005, Eggan managed to get around those problems by “smooshing” adult skin cells with embryonic stem cells. The resulting cells acted like embryonic stem cells, not adult cells. But because they wind up with only some embryonic stem cell DNA, they won’t be useful for directly studying or treating disease until the technique is refined. But the work has potentially revolutionary implications for U.S. stem cell research. And even importantly, it could tell us what makes stem cells so special in the first place, leading to new drugs and other treatments. Eggan is also becoming one of science’s more outspoken voices, defending the necessity of pursuing embryonic cell research through all available means as a way of understanding scourges like diabetes and Lou Gehrig’s disease. “If we didn’t speak up for what we thought was important, if we didn’t work hard to educate the public about why we want to do what we want to do, there would be no opportunity at all,” says Eggan. “There have been other battles that have been lost because scientists were unwilling to speak up. We don’t want to make that same mistake.”
PLEASURE AS ETHICAL STANDARD. IN the experience of every teacher of ethics there undoubtedly are moments when the contention of the utilitarian appears irre- sistible that pleasure is the test; that pleasure may be a state- ment of the end. If perchance this finding is not true for teachers, it is at least true for students of ethics, and teachers are accustomed to pass it over lightly, to attribute it to the brilliancy of Mill's style or to the immaturity of the student mind. But is it not a psychological fact which should be care- fully explained ? There seems to be a time in our thinking when all the trenchant criticisms of the opposition appear to be woefully wide of the mark, and not to have met the contentions of the master at all. One cannot desire pleasure, we are told, for he must always desire an object. Quite true, we reply, but is not the object the medium of his pleasure ? And it seems possible in this way to measure the most heroic devotion. Christ on the cross may tyave looked far into the future, beyond his own hours of anguish, beyond that period of woes which we call the early church, beyond the misrepresentations of the dark ages, and have seen his truth fructifying the hearts of men and making earth a heavenly place, through the sense of unity with God which he came to impart. He may have counted all the aggre- gated woes which came between as nothing in comparison with the pleasure which that truth would at length bring. So that even the sword which he left may have seemed to become a beacon of joy. And Socrates, when he held that memorable discussion with the personified Laws of Athens, and then girded himself to go to death, may have discounted the disintegration of his well-beloved city and his own martyrdom, to prefer the thrills of joy which his truth, sealed with his blood, would at length bring. Thus it seems to be possible to find a pleasure tone for every conscious act a pleasure which will outweigh the loss entailed, a pleasure which I, the doer, may myself make mine, as well as thine, for whom the act is done. And the case
An entire generation of children in Syria risks being lost unless there is a significant international response, the United Nations children's agency Unicef has warned in a report that coincides with the fifth anniversary of the start of the conflict. Its report said that since March 2011, 2.9 million children have been born inside Syria and at least 811,000 in neighbouring countries. In addition, some 15,525 unaccompanied and separated children have crossed Syria's borders, and 306,000 Syrian children are termed refugees. The extent of the suffering is illustrated by the figure that some eight million children inside Syria and in neighbouring countries are in need of assistance. "Addressing the needs and rights of all children affected by this conflict is essential if we are to avoid the loss of an entire generation, and decades of development progress," the report by the UN children's agency said. The country riven by conflict has deteriorated in terms of development which has been pushed back four decades. Since 2010, it has gone down 23 places on the Human Development Index, three million jobs have been lost and four out of every five people in Syria – including seven million children – live in poverty. Unicef said that more than 200,000 children live in areas in Syria under siege and at 2.1 million children inside the country and 700,000 outside its borders, are not in school. A developing concern is how armed forces are recruiting children by offering them gifts and salaries of up to $400 a month (£278, €360), with some as young as seven joining up. "These children are receiving military training and participating in combat, or taking up life-threatening roles at the battle front, including carrying and maintaining weapons, manning checkpoints, and treating and evacuating war wounded," UNICEF said. In a statement, Chair of the UN-supported Humanitarian Taskforce on Access in Syria, Jan Egeland said: "The consequences of the colossal abuse of children's rights in Syria could outlast the war itself by decades. How can we expect Syrian children to grow up respecting international law, and upholding it, if the rule of law failed them at their greatest moment of need?" The report is released as diplomats and Syria's warring sides gathered in Geneva for UN-brokered peace talks in the first diplomatic intervention since Russia began air strikes in September 2015. Staffan de Mistura, UN Syria envoy described the talks as a "moment of truth" and if there were no political transition, there would be a return to war. There have been clashes over the agenda and division between the western powers with the regime which has said that removing Bashar al-Assad would be a "red line" in the talks.
Plague is an acute infectious disease caused by the bacillus Yersinia pestis and is still endemic in indigenous rodent populations of South and North America, Africa and Central Asia. In epidemics plague is transmitted to humans by the bite of the Oriental or Indian rat flea and the human flea. The primary hosts of the fleas are the black urban rat and the brown sewer rat. Plague is also transmissible person to person when in its pneumonic form. Yersinia pestis is a very pathogenic organism to both humans and animals and before antibiotics had a very high mortality rate. Bubonic plague also has military significance and is listed by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention as a Category A bioterrorism agent.1 There have been three great world pandemics of plague recorded, in 541, 1347, and 1894 CE, each time causing devastating mortality of people and animals across nations and continents. On more than one occasion plague irrevocably changed the social and economic fabric of society. In most human plague epidemics, infection initially took the form of large purulent abscesses of lymph nodes, the bubo (L. bubo = ‘groin’, Gr. boubon = ‘swelling in the groin’), this was bubonic plague. When bacteraemia followed, it caused haemorrhaging and necrosis of the skin rapidly followed by septicaemic shock and death, septicaemic plague. If the disease spread to the lung through the blood, it caused an invariably fatal pneumonia, pneumonic plague, and in that form plague was directly transmissible from person to person. The three great plague pandemics had different geographic origins and paths of spread. The Justinian Plague of 541 started in central Africa and spread to Egypt and the Mediterranean. The Black Death of 1347 originated in Asia and spread to the Crimea then Europe and Russia. The third pandemic, that of 1894, originated in Yunnan, China, and spread to Hong Kong and India, then to the rest of the world.2 The causative organism, Yersinia pestis, was not discovered until the 1894 pandemic and was discovered in Hong Kong by a French Pastorien bacteriologist, Alexandre Yersin. Four years later in 1898 his successor, Paul-Louis Simond, a fellow Asia and migrated westward on the sea routes from China and India. The brown rat flourished in Europe where there were open sewers and ample breeding grounds and food and in the 18th and 19th centuries replaced the black rat as the main disease host.4, 9 The primary vectors for transmission of the disease from rats to humans were the Oriental or Indian rat flea, Xenopsylla cheopis, and the Northern or European rat flea, Nosopsyllus fasciatus. The human flea, Pulex irritans, and the dog and cat fleas, Ctenocephalides canis and felis, were secondary vectors. In the pandemics, the infected fleas were able to spread the plague over long distances as they were carried by rats and by humans travelling along trade routes at sea and overland, and also by infesting rice and wheat grain, clothing, and trade merchandise. When infected, the proventriculus of the flea becomes blocked by a mass of bacteria. The flea continues to feed, biting with increasing frequency and agitation, and in an attempt to relieve the obstruction the flea regurgitates the accumulated blood together with a mass of Yersinia pestis bacilli directly into the bloodstream of the host. The fleas multiply prolifically on their host and when the host dies they leave immediately, infesting new hosts and thus creating the foundations for an epidemic.10, 11 The Justinian Plague of 541-544 The first great pandemic of bubonic plague where people were recorded as suffering from the characteristic buboes and septicaemia was the Justinian Plague of 541 CE, named after Justinian I, the Roman emperor of the Byzantine Empire at the time. The epidemic originated in Ethiopia in Africa and spread to Pelusium in Egypt in 540. It then spread west to Alexandria and east to Gaza, Jerusalem and Antioch, then was carried on ships on the sea trading routes to both sides of the Mediterranean, arriving in Constantinople (now Istanbul) in the autumn of 541.12, 13 The Byzantine court historian, Procopius of Caesarea, in his work History of the Wars, described people with fever, delirium and buboes He wrote that the epidemic was one ‘by which the whole human race came near to be annihilated’. Procopius wrote of the symptoms of the disease : “ … with the majority it came about that they were seized by the disease without becoming aware of what was coming either through a waking vision or a dream. … They had a sudden fever, some when just roused from sleep, others while walking about, and others while otherwise engaged, without any regard to what they were doing. And the body showed no change from its previous colour, nor was it hot as might be expected when attacked by a fever, nor indeed did any inflammation set in, but the fever was of such a languid sort from its commencement and up till evening that neither to the sick themselves nor to a physician who touched them would it afford any suspicion of danger. It was natural, therefore, that not one of those who had contracted the disease expected to die from it. But on the same day in some cases, in others on the following day, and in the rest not many days later, a bubonic swelling developed; and this took place not only in the particular part of the body which is called boubon, that is, “below the abdomen,” but also inside the armpit, and in some cases also beside the ears, and at different points on the thighs.”14 The focus of the Justinian pandemic was Constantinople, reaching a peak in the spring of 542 with 5,000 deaths per day in the city, although some estimates vary to 10,000 per day, and it went on to kill over a third of the city’s population. Victims were too numerous to be buried and were stacked high in the city’s churches and city wall towers, their Christian doctrine preventing their disposal by cremation. Over the next three years plague raged through Italy, southern France, the Rhine valley and Iberia. The disease spread as far north as Denmark and west to Ireland, then further to Africa, the Middle East and Asia Minor. Between the years 542 and 546 epidemics in Asia, Africa and Europe killed nearly 100 million people.15, 16 The pandemic had a drastic effect and permanently changed the social fabric of the Western world. It contributed to the demise of Justinian’s reign. Food production was severely disrupted and an eight year famine followed. The agrarian system of the empire was restructured to eventually become the three field feudal system. The social and economic disruption caused by the pandemic marked the end of Roman rule and led to the birth of culturally distinctive societal groups that later formed the nations of medieval Europe.12 Further major outbreaks occurred throughout Europe and the Middle East over the next 200 years – in Constantinople in the years 573, 600, 698 and 747, in Iraq, Egypt and Syria in the years 669, 683, 698, 713, 732 and 750 and Mesopotamia in 686 and 704. In 664 plague laid waste to Ireland, and in England it came to be known as the Plague of Cadwaladyr’s Time, after a Welsh king who contracted plague but survived it in 682. The plague continued in intermittent cycles in Europe into the mid-8th century and did not re-emerge as a major epidemic until the 14th century. The ‘Black Death’ of Europe in 1347 to 1352 The Black Death of 1347 was the first major European outbreak of the second great plague pandemic that occurred over the 14th to 18th centuries. In 1346 it was known in the European seaports that a plague epidemic was present in the East. In 1347 the plague was brought to the Crimea from Asia Minor by the Tartar armies of Khan Janibeg, who had laid siege to the town of Kaffa (now Feodosya in Ukraine), a Genoese trading town on the shores of the Black Sea. The siege of the Tartars was unsuccessful and before they left, from a description by Gabriel de Mussis from Piacenza, in revenge they catapulted over the walls of Kaffa corpses of people who had died from the Black Death. In panic the Genoese traders fled in galleys with ‘sickness clinging to their bones’ to Constantinople and across the Mediterranean to Messina, Sicily, where the great pandemic of Europe started. By 1348 it had reached Marseille, Paris and Germany, then Spain, England and Norway in 1349, and eastern Europe in 1350. The Tartars left Kaffa and carried the plague away with them spreading it further to Russia and India.17 A description of symptoms of the plague was given by Giovanni Boccaccio in 1348 in his book Decameron, a set of tales of a group of Florentines who secluded themselves in the country to escape the plague : “.. in men and women alike it first betrayed itself by the emergence of certain tumours in the groin or armpits. Some of which grew as large as a common apple, others as an egg, some more, some less, which the common folk called gavocciolo. From the two said parts of the body this deadly gavocciolo soon began to propagate and spread itself in all directions indifferently; after which the form of the malady began to change, black spots or livid making their appearance in many cases on the arm or the thigh or elsewhere,..“17 The term “Black Death” was not used until much later in history and in 1347 was simply known as “the pestilence” or “pestilentia”, and there are various explanations of the origin of the term. Butler states the term refers to the haemorrhagic purpura and ischaemic gangrene of the limbs that sometimes ensued from the septicaemia. Ziegler17 states it derives from the translation of the Latin pestis atra or atra mors, ‘atra’ meaning ‘terrible’ or ‘dreadful’, the connotation of which was ‘black’, and ‘mors’ meaning ‘death’, and so ‘atra mors’ was translated as meaning ‘black death’. The social impacts of the Black Death in Europe during the 14th century The overall mortality rate varied from city to city, but in places such as Florence as observed by Boccaccio up to half the population died, the Italians calling the epidemic the mortalega grande, ‘the great mortality’. People died with such rapidity that proper burial or cremation could not occur, corpses were thrown into large pits and putrefying bodies lay in their homes and in the streets. People were as much afraid they would suffer a spiritual death as they were a physical death since there were no clergy to perform burial rites: “Shrift there was none; churches and chapels were open, but neither priest nor penitents entered – all went to the charnelhouse. The sexton and the physician were cast into the same deep and wide grave; the testator and his heirs and executors were hurled from the same cart into the same hole together.”18 Transmission of the disease was thought to be by miasmas, disease carrying vapours emanating from corpses and putrescent matter or from the breath of an infected or sick person. Others thought the Black Death was punishment from God for their sins and immoral behaviour, or was due to astrological and natural phenomena such as earthquakes, comets, and conjunctions of the planets. People turned to patron saints such as St Roch and St Sebastian or to the Virgin Mary, or joined processions of flagellants whipping themselves with nail embedded scourges and incanting hymns and prayers as they passed from town to town.17, 19, 20 “When the flagellants – they were also called cross brethren and cross bearers – entered a town, a borough or a village in a procession their entry was accompanied by the pealing of bells, singing, and a huge crowd of people. As they always marched two abreast, the procession of the numerous penitents reached farther than the eye could see.” The only remedies were inhalation of aromatic vapours from flowers and herbs such as rose, theriaca, aloe, thyme and camphor. Soon there was a shortage of doctors which led to a proliferation of quacks selling useless cures and amulets and other adornments that claimed to offer magical protection. In this second pandemic, plague again caused great social and economic upheaval. Often whole families were wiped out and villages abandoned. Crops could not be harvested, travelling and trade became curtailed, and food and manufactured goods became short. As there was a shortage of labour, surviving villager labourers, the ‘villeins’, extorted exorbitant wages from the remaining aristocratic landowners. The villeins prospered and acquired land and property. The plague broke down the normal divisions between the upper and lower classes and led to the emergence of a new middle class.17, 9 The plague lead to a preoccupation with death as evident from macabre artworks such as the ‘Triumph of Death’ by Pieter Breughel the Elder in 1562, which depicted in a panoramic landscape armies of skeletons killing people of all social orders from peasants to kings and cardinals in a variety of macabre and cruel ways. In the period 1347 to 1350 the Black Death killed a quarter of the population in Europe, over 25 million people, and another 25 million in Asia and Africa. Mortality was even higher in cities such as Florence, Venice and Paris where more than half succumbed to the plague. A second major epidemic occurred in 1361, the pestis secunda, in which 10 to 20% of Europe’s population died.13 Other virulent infectious disease epidemics with high mortalities occurred during this time such as smallpox, infantile diarrhoea and dysentery. By 1430, Europe’s population was lower than it had been in 1290 and would not recover the pre-pandemic level until the 16th century.13, 21 In 1374 when another epidemic of the Black Death re-emerged in Europe, Venice instituted various public health controls such as isolating victims from healthy people and preventing ships with disease from landing at port. In 1377 the republic of Ragusa on the Adriatic Sea (now Dubrovnik in Yugoslavia) established a ships’ landing station far from the city and harbour in which travellers suspected to have the plague had to spend thirty days, the trentena, to see whether they became ill and died or whether they remained healthy and could leave. The trentena was found to be too short and in 1403 in Venice, travellers from the Levant in the eastern Mediterranean were isolated in a hospital for forty days, the quarantena or quaranta giorni, from which we derive the term quarantine.8,18 This change to forty days may have also been related to other biblical and historical references such as the Christian observance of Lent, the period for which Christ fasted in the desert, or the ancient Greek doctrine of “critical days” which held that contagious disease will develop within 40 days after exposure.22 In the 14th and 15th centuries following, most countries in Europe had established quarantine, and in the 18th century Habsburg established a cordon sanitaire, a line between infected and clean parts of the continent which ran from the Danube to the Balkans. It was manned by local peasants with checkpoints and quarantine stations to prevent infected people from crossing from eastern to western Europe.8 The leather costume of the plague doctors at Nijmegen In the 15th and 16th centuries doctors wore a peculiar costume to protect themselves from the plague when they attended infected patients, first illustrated in a drawing by Paulus Furst in 1656 and later Jean-Jacques described a similar costume worn by the plague doctors at Nijmegen, an old Dutch town in Gelderland, in his 1721 work Treatise on the Plague. They wore a protective garb head to foot with leather or oil cloth robes, leggings, gloves and hood, a wide brimmed hat which denoted their medical profession, and a beak like mask with glass eyes and two breathing nostrils which was filled with aromatic herbs and flowers to ward off the miasmas. They avoided contact with patients by taking their pulse with a stick or issued prescriptions for aromatic herb inhalations passing them through the door, and buboes were lanced with knives several feet long.19 The Great Plague of London of 1665 to 1666 Plague continued to occur in small epidemics throughout the world but a major outbreak of the pneumonic plague occurred in Europe and England in 1665 to 1666. The epidemic was described by Samuel Pepys in his diaries in 1665 and by Daniel Defoe in 1722 in his A Journal of a Plague Year. People were incarcerated in their homes, doors painted with a cross. The epidemic reached a peak in September 1665 when 7,000 people per week were dying in London alone. Between 1665 and 1666 a fifth of London’s population died, some 100,000 people. The Great Fire of London in 1666 and the subsequent rebuilding of timber and thatch houses with brick and tile disturbed the rats’ normal habitat and led to a reduction in their numbers, and may have been a contributing factor to the end of the epidemic.9 An old English nursery rhyme published in Kate Greenaway’s book Mother Goose 1881 reminds us of the symptoms of the plague : ‘Ring, a-ring, o’rosies, (a red blistery rash) A pocket full of posies (fragrant herbs and flowers to ward off the ‘miasmas’) Atishoo, atishoo (the sneeze and the cough heralding pneumonia) We all fall down.’ (all dead) Plague waxed and waned in Europe until the late 18th century, but not with the virulence and mortality of the 14th century European Black Death. The Third Pandemic of 1894 The plague re-emerged from its wild rodent reservoir in the remote Chinese province of Yunnan in 1855. From there the disease advanced along the tin and opium routes and reached the provincial capital of K’unming in 1866, the Gulf of Tonkin in 1867, and the Kwangtung province port of Pakhoi (now Pei-hai) in 1882. In 1894 it had reached Canton and then spread to Hong Kong. It had spread to Bombay by 1896 and by 1900 had reached ports on every continent, carried by infected rats travelling the international trade routes on the new steamships.3,23 It was in Hong Kong in 1894 that Alexandre Yersin discovered the bacillus now known as Yersinia pestis, and in Karachi in 1898 that Paul-Louis Simond discovered the brown rat was the primary host and the rat flea the vector of the disease.3, 4, 24, 25 In 1900 the plague came to Australia where the first major outbreak occurred in Sydney, its epicentre at the Darling Harbour wharves, spreading to the city, Surry Hills, Glebe, Leichhardt, Redfern, and The Rocks, and causing 100 deaths. John Ashburton- Thompson, the chief medical officer, recorded the epidemic and confirmed that rats were the source and their fleas were the vectors in the epidemic. There were 12 major outbreaks of plague in Australia from 1900 to 1925 with 1371 cases and 535 deaths, most cases occurring in Sydney.26 The third pandemic waxed and waned throughout the world for the next five decades and did not end until 1959, in that time plague had caused over 15 million deaths, the majority of which were in India. There have been outbreaks of plague since, such as in China and Tanzania in 1983, Zaire in 1992, and India, Mozambique and Zimbabwe in 199415, 27. In Madagascar in the mid-1990’s, a multi-drug resistant strain of the bacillus was identified15, 28. Currently around 2,000 cases occur annually, mostly in Africa, Asia and South America, with a global case fatality rate of 5% to 15%.28 Bubonic plague is a virulent disease with a significant mortality rate, transmitted primarily by the bite of the rat flea or through person-to-person when in its pneumonic form. There have been innumerable epidemics of plague throughout history, but it was the pandemics of the 6th, 14th and 20th centuries that have had the most impact on human society, not only in terms of the great mortalities, but also the social, economic and cultural consequences that resulted. The course of development of communities and nations was altered several times. Much has changed to prevent the recurrence of pandemic plague, such as the development of the germ theory and the science of bacteriology, public health measures such as quarantine, and antibiotics such as streptomycin, but plague today is still an important and potentially serious threat to the health of people and animals.
During the first week of life, approximately 60% of term babies and 85% of premature infants develop jaundice . Despite the pronounced symptoms, jaundice in most cases is not a serious threat and goes away on its own after two to three weeks. But there are certain conditions under which jaundice must be treated to avoid serious complications. And the most effective and common form of jaundice treatment is phototherapy. Here we take a closer look at the disease itself and the necessary nuances of treatment. Causes of jaundice and when to treat it Jaundice of newborns (hyperbilirubinemia) occurs when the child’s liver fails to cope with the breakdown of red blood cells, resulting in the accumulation of a byproduct — bilirubin. This is because the baby’s liver is taking over this job for the first time; before birth, the placenta and the mother’s liver perform this function. Bilirubin gives the child’s eyes and skin a yellowish tint. Therefore, jaundice is easy to recognize by external signs. Factors that may aggravate jaundice As mentioned above, jaundice is a common occurrence in newborns that goes away on its own. But there are factors that can aggravate jaundice in a baby and turn it into a condition that requires treatment. Factors that can exacerbate physiological jaundice in a baby include: - Cephalohematoma * Polycythemia occurs when a child has more red blood cells than usual. It is the opposite of anemia, which is caused by a lack of red blood cells. - Delayed passage of meconium * Delayed passage of meconium, defined as a newborn’s inability to excrete it within 24-48 hours, is an important symptom in newborns and requires evaluation for disorders that lead to intestinal obstruction in newborns. - Certain ethnic groups, especially the Chinese Degrees of jaundice All infants should be examined continuously in the first 4 days of life, especially those who are at risk of developing hyperbilirubinemia in the neonatal period. In the first 48 hours of life, examinations should be performed at least 8-12 hours . Jaundice usually starts at the head and spreads caudally to the trunk and extremities. This fact is used to tentatively estimate the level of jaundice by Kramer’s rule. Kramer divided the infant into 5 zones, defining an SBR range for each zone . However, visual assessment of bilirubin levels can lead to errors, so there must be a low threshold for measuring serum bilirubin. There are different degrees of jaundice, and the duration of the disease varies accordingly. Despite the pronounced symptoms, jaundice in most cases is not a serious threat and goes away on its own in two to three weeks without medical intervention, says Billy Lou Short, M.D., chief of neonatology at Children’s National Center in Washington, D.C. In such cases, the doctor usually recommends more frequent feedings (every 2 to 3 hours) until jaundice passes, because this helps the baby process the excess bilirubin through more frequent defecation. But if jaundice lasts too long, is accompanied by other factors, or if the child has risk factors such as premature birth, treatment is necessary [source: National Institutes of Health]. Because high bilirubin levels, if untreated, can cause brain damage (nuclear jaundice ), leading to cerebral palsy, auditory neuropathy, visual impairment, and dental enamel hypoplasia. If the jaundice lasts too long, is accompanied by other factors, or if the baby has risk factors such as premature birth, treatment is necessary. The most effective and common form of treatment for jaundice is phototherapy. This treatment is used for several days until the liver is mature enough to process bilirubin on its own. Below, we take a closer look at all the nuances of this procedure. Phototherapy for jaundice A form of light therapy (phototherapy) that helps prevent complications in newborns with jaundice is called — bili lights. The wavelength of light used, the intensity of the light source, the total light dose received (phototherapy time and amount of skin exposed), and/or the threshold at which phototherapy begins can affect the effectiveness of phototherapy in treating jaundice . Usually, infants have to stay in the hospital for the entire period of treatment. Hospitals use special phototherapy machines, using regular or fiber-optic lights. It’s like babies are in some kind of weird blue tanning bed. But thanks to new technology using bili blankets (also called jaundice vests), which have the right spectrum of light, therapy can also be done at home. However, this is only possible if the bilirubin level is moderate and there is no risk of diseases such as G6PD or Rh infection. A bili blanket is used either in place of or in addition to a bili blanket. The blanket is a fiber-optic pad that is placed against the child’s skin, allowing the skin to directly absorb light. It is especially convenient for home use. The phototherapy process Protect the infant’s eyes During bili light therapy, the infant’s eyes should be covered to prevent the retina from drying out and becoming irritated by the bright light. Soft protective goggles are worn by the infant. Otherwise, phototherapy is safe and causes no pain or discomfort to the child. Ensure maximum access of light to the skin Phototherapy involves illuminating the bare skin with fluorescent light. The light must hit as much of the infant’s skin as possible, so infants undergoing this treatment are not wrapped in blankets, placed under the light without clothes, or simply with a diaper, and nurses regularly turn the infant over to expose different parts of the body. Monitor the condition The medical team carefully notes the infant’s temperature, vital signs, and response to light. They also note how long the treatment lasted and the position of the bulbs. With home treatment, parents need to monitor the temperature themselves. Take blood tests During phototherapy, regular blood tests are taken (usually with a small sample taken from the child’s heel). This is done to determine the bilirubin level, and when it drops enough, you can stop the phototherapy. If phototherapy is done at home, a nurse comes daily and takes a blood sample for analysis. Bilirubin levels will be checked every 4-6 hours after the start of phototherapy to see if the treatment is working. Once the child’s bilirubin levels stabilize or begin to drop, they will be checked every 6-12 hours. The most common risk associated with bili light therapy is dehydration, due to increased peripheral blood flow and diarrhea (if present). In such cases, infants sometimes receive fluids intravenously. Other potential complications: - Overheating — monitor the newborn’s temperature - Diarrhea due to intestinal hypermobility - Ileus (in premature infants) - Retinal damage if poor eye protection during the procedure - Temporary lactose intolerance - Grey-brown discoloration of the skin and mucus membrane (rare) Duration of treatment The duration of the phototherapy treatment varies from child to child, as each child’s condition is individual. Bilirubin treatment usually takes 24 to 48 hours, after which the newborn’s liver can handle the bilirubin on its own. Newborns receiving phototherapy (in the absence of other contraindications) may have short periods (30 minutes every 3-4 hours) when phototherapy is stopped so that they can be cradled/breastfed and have their eyelids removed for parent-child interaction. If the child’s jaundice does not improve after conventional phototherapy, continuous multiple phototherapy may be offered. This involves the simultaneous use of several light sources and often a fiberoptic coating. The treatment does not stop during continuous multiple phototherapy. In this case, milk decanted from the mother’s breast in advance can be injected through a probe into the child’s stomach or through one of its veins (intravenously). Documentation in the neonates’discharge letter and Child Health Booklet should include details about TSB/SBR levels and duration of phototherapy treatment. Alternatives to phototherapy If neonatal jaundice requires treatment, phototherapy is usually used as a first-line clinical treatment. But if phototherapy does not work or in severe cases of elevated bilirubin in low birth weight infants who are less than 24 hours old, an exchange blood transfusion may be performed instead of phototherapy. With this transfusion, the infant’s blood is slowly drained and replaced with donor blood or plasma, as this physically removes the bilirubin. But your baby must be in the ICU for this treatment, so it is not the first step. Immunoglobulin transfusions are also possible, but this also requires a stay in the ICU. In extremely rare cases, surgery or medication is needed. Adults with jaundice Jaundice is not only found in infants. Adults get jaundice, too. Jaundice in adults can be caused by a variety of conditions, from viruses to genetic disorders to disease and trauma. Bili light is not usually used to treat jaundice in adults. In newborns, jaundice is usually a temporary condition, so the biliary tracts just have to do their job until the infant’s liver functions are working. In adults, jaundice is usually caused by a liver problem (such as hepatitis) or bile duct obstruction, gallstones, gallbladder or pancreatic cancer, and alcoholic liver disease. Viruses such as Epstein-Barr (which causes mononucleosis) and medications such as paracetamol, birth control pills, and steroids can also cause jaundice. Consequently, treatment of jaundice in adults requires diagnosis and treatment of the underlying cause. There is no specific treatment for jaundice in adults, the doctor will determine the underlying cause of the disease and focus on treating the condition. Despite its symptoms, jaundice is not a serious threat in most cases and goes away on its own in two to three weeks without medical intervention. But if jaundice lasts too long, is accompanied by other factors, or if the baby has risk factors such as premature birth, treatment is necessary. Treatment usually consists of phototherapy or, in rare cases, exchange blood transfusions. There are 2 main types of phototherapy: - Conventional phototherapy — when your baby is placed under a halogen or fluorescent lamp with his or her eyes closed - Fiber Optic Phototherapy — when your child lies on a blanket with fiber optic cables; light passes through the fiber optic cables and hits your child’s back. In both phototherapy methods, the goal is to expose your child’s skin to as much light as possible. Usually, bili light phototherapy is effective in reducing bilirubin levels, and nothing else is needed. If phototherapy does not work, an exchange blood transfusion may be given instead. 🩺 Why is phototherapy considered effective for jaundice? High bilirubin levels, if left untreated, can cause brain damage. During bilirubin therapy, fluorescent or LED lights emit light that breaks down bilirubin into a form that the body can get rid of with urine and feces. 📍When should phototherapy be used for jaundice? Despite the pronounced symptoms, jaundice in most cases is not a serious threat and goes away on its own after two to three weeks, but if jaundice lasts too long, is accompanied by other factors or if the baby has risk factors such as premature birth, treatment is necessary. 💡 What kind of light is used to treat jaundice? Phototherapy uses light with wavelengths between 420 and 470 nanometers to break down bilirubin. 📅 What is the duration of biliary light treatment for jaundice? The duration of phototherapy treatment differs individually, depending on each child’s condition. Treatment lasts until the problem is resolved, which is usually 24-48 hours, after which the newborn’s liver can deal with the bilirubin on its own. ⏳ How long do infants spend under bili light? Newborns receiving phototherapy (in the absence of other contraindications) may have short periods (30 minutes every 3-4 hours) when phototherapy is stopped so that they can be held/breastfed and their eyelids removed for parent-child interaction. 🏠 Can baby jaundice be treated at home? Thanks to technology using billy blankets (also called jaundice vests), which have the right spectrum of light, phototherapy can be done at home. However, this is only possible if the bilirubin level is moderate and there is no risk of diseases such as G6PD or rhesus infection. - Subcommittee on hyperbilirubinaemia, American Academy of Pediatrics. Management of hyperbilirubinaemia in the newborn infant 35 or more weeks of gestation, Clinical Practice Guideline. Pediatrics 2004, 114(1): 297-316. - NHS National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence. Neonatal Jaundice: A Clinical Guideline. - Kramer LI. Advancement of Dermal Icterus in the Jaundiced Newborn. Amer J Dis Child. 1969; 118: 454-458. - Woodgate P, Jardine LA. Neonatal jaundice: phototherapy. BMJ Clin Evid. 2015 May 22;2015:0319. PMID: 25998618; PMCID: PMC4440981. - Queensland Maternity and Neonatal Clinical Guideline Neonatal Jaundice: prevention, assessment, and management, Queensland Government (2009) - Maisels MJ, McDonagh AF. Phototherapy for Neonatal Jaundice. N Engl J Med 2008; 358(9): 920-928. - Lease M. Whalen B. Assessing jaundice in infants of 35-week gestation and greater. Current Opinion in Pediatrics 2010; 22: 352-65.
An article from Nature examines how even human activity as inherently destructive as military exercises can actually boost biodiversity. In “Military exercises ‘good for endangered species,'” Michael Hopkin writes of the results of a study conducted following US military exercises in Germany. Ecologist Steven Warren of Colorado State University says that “military land can host more species than agricultural land.” And “What’s more, its biodiversity can also exceed that of natural parks, where species that need disturbance cannot get a foothold” (emphasis added). Hopkin further reports, “The tendency when setting aside a nature reserve is to prevent disturbances such as periodic flooding, says Warren. But this can inadvertently remove some habitats.” “[Tanks] replace to some degree the processes that have been stopped,” Warren says. The same goes for fires caused by bombing. “We’ve trained generations of people that fire is bad,” he says, “but in fact it’s crucial for ecosystems.” This flies in the face of conventional eco-wisdom, which holds up undisturbed and pristine wilderness, untouched by human hands, as the environmental ideal. For more comparison of the productive vs. the preservationist view of stewardship, see this commentary.
Which is smokeless coal? Anthracite is a hard, shiny form of fuel that burns with maximum efficiency and a glowing flame. Manufactured smokeless fuels are often anthracite based with the natural product ground down into a powder. They are then re-formed into briquettes using smokeless binding agents such as starch or molasses. Is smokeless coal any good? Is smokeless coal better for the environment? In a word, yes. Smokeless coal is made with less volatile components, so there’s significantly less toxic smoke compared to regular house coal, meaning it’s cleaner to burn. Plus, the higher heat output and longer burn time mean more efficiency compared to many other fuels. Where is smokeless coal from? Many smokeless fuels are manufactured by breaking the anthracite rock down into a fine dust. Often, this dust is then moulded using smokeless binding agents and made into briquettes. This creates smokeless coal, which we offer alongside anthracite beans, nuts and grain. Why is smokeless coal so bad? Smokeless coal is a fuel that emits roughly less than 5 grams per hour of smoke when burnt. This equates to 80% less smoke and 25% less carbon dioxide than standard fuels. These factors combined also means that smokeless coal can burn for some hours longer than other fuel types. Is smokeless coal being banned? Smokeless Coals (including Anthracite) and Kiln Dried Logs are NOT being banned. Which is the best smokeless coal? Anthracite – Clean burning & efficient One of the most commonly burnt types of smokeless fuels used in UK homes today is anthracite – otherwise known as ‘hard coal’. As its alternative name suggests, anthracite is much harder and more compact than regular house coal. Will smokeless coal be banned? In conclusion, ‘house coal’ and ‘wet wood’ will be banned by 2023. But Smokeless fuel and dry wood will not be banned. Can you still buy coal for heating? Coal and wet – or ‘unseasoned’ – wood are the most polluting fuels you can burn in your stove. They release a high level of smoke into the air, which is the main source of PM2. Sales of bagged traditional house coal will be phased out by February 2021, and the sale of loose coal direct to customers will end by 2023. Can I still buy house coal? Sales of two of the most polluting fuels, wet wood and house coal, will be phased out from 2021 to 2023, to give householders and suppliers time to move to cleaner alternatives such as dry wood and manufactured solid fuels. Is smokeless coal going to be banned? Smokeless Coals (including Anthracite) and Kiln Dried Logs are NOT being banned. We recommend: Smokeless Ovals – Smokeless Ovals are a premium, cost effective, multi-purpose fuel ideal for use on open fires, multi-fuel stoves, room heaters and cookers. Can I heat my house with coal? Home heating options are numerous, and choosing amongst them can be difficult. Burning coal for heat can be an excellent choice if done safely. The highest quality coal, known as anthracite, is available for purchase and can be used in many coal-burning stoves, heaters and boilers. Is coal getting banned? Sales of bagged house coal will be phased out by Febuary 2021 and the sale of loose house coal delivered direct to the customer will end by 2023. How did the coal industry produce smokeless fuels? Yet, each of the industries that produced smokeless fuels – coke and gas works and electricity generating stations – burned coal to produce the ‘smokeless’ fuel. Which is a smokeless fuel anthracite or lignite? Lignite or brown coal is even worse with a heat of combustion of only 15.00 MJ/kg owing to the presence of non-combustible impurities. Bituminous coal has a value lower than anthracite, but neither lignite nor bituminous coal are smokeless owing to volatile content. Why is smokeless coal good for a stove? While smokeless coal is ideal for open fires and fireplaces, it’s also perfect for multi-fuel stoves. The high heat output and extended burn time of smokeless coal make it a fantastic fuel choice. Plus, the absence of volatile chemicals makes it cleaner to burn and kinder to your stove. What kind of fuel can be used as smokeless fuel? Many consider smokeless fuel to be the near future replacement of all other solid fuels which cause toxic smoke emissions. The term in general is used to refer to solid fuels, such as: anthracite, coke, charcoal and hexamine fuel tablets.
Sexual dimorphism has fascinated Psychologists throughout history and continues to be a point of discussion. Research has established that sex differences in some spatial tasks exist. However, the extent to the sex differences has been widely over-exaggerated by laypersons, the media and researchers. Furthermore, a complete understanding of why sex-related differences occur has not been agreed upon; some argue biological causes, some argue social causes, whilst others argue a psychobiosocial approach; combining both biological and environmental factors. Therefore, this essay aims to describe what evidence there is for sex differences in spatial ability and evaluate the extent to which these studies and their findings can be relied upon as findings of sex differences can have huge real-world implications, such as the impact on gender stereotypes and career choice. There are definitional problems when determining what constitutes ‘spatial ability.’ Some argue it is unitary; Lane and Dratt (1979) only defined a single spatial visualization factor, whereas others argue that spatial ability is made up of different components; Linn and Peterson (1985) defined three categories of spatial tasks consisting of spatial visualization, spatial perception and mental rotation. However, some tests that fell into the spatial visualization category, such as the Identical Blocks Test (Stafford, 1961), also had mental rotation elements (Voyer, 1995). This suggests that the components are not completely separate entities but are in some ways interlinked. Therefore, Linn and Peterson oversimplified the categorization of spatial ability. This definitional problem is therefore an issue when determining whether or not sex-related differences in spatial ability exist as it could be that results differ depending on how researchers categorize and operationalize “spatial ability.” Across the cognitive literature, the category that displays the largest sex difference within spatial ability is mental rotation (Linn and Peterson, 1985). Vandenberg and Kuse (1978) found males performed significantly better than females on the mental rotation test. The study had good reliability and validity which suggests that the sex differences are real and the findings can be trusted to an extent. Moreover, the findings are consistent with other literature; between 1975 and 1992, the magnitude of the sex difference on the mental rotation test remained stable (Masters & Sanders, 1993) and on 3D versions of mental rotation tasks, the difference was still close to one standard deviation (Mackintosh and Bennett, 2005, cited in Kaufman, 2007). This emphasizes that sex differences in mental rotation tasks are consistent and replicable across time and across different versions of the task, supporting the argument that there are sex-related differences favouring males in elements of spatial ability, specifically in mental rotation. However, other spatial tasks do not find the same significant sex-related differences as mental rotation; Hyde (1981) found that gender differences in visual-spatial ability were small and concluded that research on cognitive gender differences may produce reliable, but tiny differences. Supporting this, Linn and Peterson (1985) found no significant sex differences in spatial visualization at any point during the lifespan, suggesting sex differences do not exist in all aspects of spatial ability, but rather differences may only be apparent in specific sub-categories of ability, such as mental rotation. This distinction should be made apparent as generalizing that males are better than females in overall spatial ability, from studies focusing on specific spatial elements, can lead to negative stereotypes towards females and could potentially enhance stereotypes that males are better at science and mathematics (as these subjects involve higher spatial ability) which in turn, could affect female subject and career choice. Therefore, this highlights the possible effects that research into sex-related differences in spatial ability can have on subject-choice, job allocation and gender stereotypes. Gender stereotypes affect the magnitude of sex-related differences in spatial ability. Stereotype threat theory assumes that subjects will perform worse when reminded of their gender in tasks where the subject’s gender is expected to have lower performance. Therefore, females may do worse than males in spatial tasks as they consider themselves less capable compared to males. This suggests if women are led to believe they are capable, their task performance can improve (Moè, 2009). Moè found that females performed as well as males in the mental rotation task if told that females do better than males and performed worse when told men do better, showing that female performance in spatial tasks can increase with changes to stereotypes and positive beliefs about ability. This implies that sex differences in spatial abilities are due to gender stereotypes affecting performance. This could have real-world implications on female achievement and career choice as it suggests that encouragement of females into subjects such as mathematics and science will have positive effects on performance. Moreover, this suggests sex differences are caused by environmental factors rather than biological differences between the sexes. However, others argue that the effect of stereotypes is mediated by biological factors, such as sex hormones, as stereotype effects are more prominent in individuals with naturally higher levels of testosterone (Josephs et al., 2003). Therefore, it is not just environmental factors that cause sex-related differences in spatial abilities but biological factors have an impact on ability too. If a biological causation to sex differences in spatial ability exists, the suggestion is there would be sex differences from an early age. Therefore, research investigated the effect of age on the magnitude of sex differences. Geiser (2008) looked at sex differences within mental rotation in subjects aged 9 to 23, finding differences favouring males in all age groups but interestingly, differences appeared to be robust by the age of 9. This suggests the emergence of sex differences depends on early developmental factors, implying a biological causation, such as the difference in functional brain organisation between sexes. However, although this study seems to support the biological argument, by the age of 9, environmental factors will still have had an effect on individuals and therefore, the effect of the environment on spatial ability cannot be disregarded. Geiser (2008) also found that the magnitude of sex differences in mental rotation increases as a function of age, suggesting sex differences in spatial ability have underlying biological components that are further exaggerated by differences in the environment as individuals age. For example, from childhood, males are said to be more involved in everyday spatial activities than females, leading to better mental rotation performance. However, the effect size found was small which shows that although there may be an increasing difference favouring males as individuals age, the difference is small. Despite this, the study suggests that both biological and environmental factors create an overall sex difference in ability. This idea is supported by Hausmann (2008) who investigated the interaction between sex hormones and gender stereotypes on cognitive performance. They found that males performed better than females on spatial tasks and that testosterone levels were higher in males when gender stereotypes were activated compared to a control condition, suggesting that testosterone modulates performance of sex-sensitive cognitive tests in males (Hausmann, 2008). However, the results are correlational as it could be that stereotype activation leads to better performance which causes the increase in testosterone levels. Therefore, the study does not directly show testosterone levels increased as a result of gender stereotype activation but rather signifies that sex differences in spatial ability are neither ‘nature’ or ‘nurture’ as previously debated. Instead, sex differences are caused by an interaction between the two factors. Conversely, others argue that sex differences in spatial ability are due to strategic differences in completing spatial tasks. Vandenberg and Kuse (1978) found women had difficulty solving items verbally in mental rotation compared to other spatial tests, suggesting the reason why sex differences favouring males are more pronounced in mental rotation tests is because females attempt a verbal strategy whereas males do not. Supporting this strategic argument is Linn and Peterson (1985) who claimed slower performance for females on mental rotation reflects a tendency to double check rather than lack of ability to perform quickly. Therefore, findings of sex-related differences may not reflect actual differences in spatial ability but rather differences in underlying strategies, implying that if strategic differences accounted for, sex differences in spatial ability would be much smaller. Overall, there is convincing evidence of sex-related differences in specific spatial abilities such as mental rotation. However, it is difficult to state that males have better overall spatial ability as significant differences are not found in all aspects of spatial ability, for example, spatial visualization. Furthermore, generalizations cannot apply to all individuals, therefore some females may be better than males in spatial ability. This possibility means that when applying the idea of sex differences in spatial ability to the real world, it is crucial to assess individual ability and not rely on the generalization that males are better than females. Moreover, the causation of these differences has not been agreed upon. However, the most convincing argument is that differences derive from an interaction between biological and environmental factors as opposed to the argument which tries to calculate the proportion of biological influences and environmental influences and figure out which is more prominent. Burnett, S. A., Lane, D. M., & Dratt, L. M. (1979). Spatial visualization and sex differences in quantitative ability. Intelligence, 3(4), 345-354. Geiser, C., Lehmann, W., & Eid, M. (2008). A note on sex differences in mental rotation in different age groups. Intelligence, 36(6), 556-563. Hausmann, M., Schoofs, D., Rosenthal, H. E., & Jordan, K. (2009). Interactive effects of sex hormones and gender stereotypes on cognitive sex differences—A psychobiosocial approach. Psychoneuroendocrinology, 34(3), 389-401. Hyde, J. S. (1981). How large are cognitive gender differences? A meta-analysis using! w² and d.. American Psychologist, 36(8), 892. Josephs, R. A., Newman, M. L., Brown, R. P., & Beer, J. M. (2003). Status, testosterone, and human intellectual performance: Stereotype threat as status concern. Psychological Science, 14(2), 158-163. Kaufman, S. B. (2007). Sex differences in mental rotation and spatial visualization ability: Can they be accounted for by differences in working memory capacity?. Intelligence, 35(3), 211-223. Linn, M. C., & Petersen, A. C. (1985). Emergence and characterization of sex differences in spatial ability: A meta-analysis. Child development, 1479-1498. Masters, M. S., & Sanders, B. (1993). Is the gender difference in mental rotation disappearing?. Behavior genetics, 23(4), 337-341. Moè, A. (2009). Are males always better than females in mental rotation? Exploring a gender belief explanation. Learning and Individual Differences, 19(1), 21-27. Stafford, R. E. (1961). Sex differences in spatial visualization as evidence of sex-linked inheritance. Perceptual and motor skills, 13(3), 428-428. Vandenberg, S. G., & Kuse, A. R. (1978). Mental rotations, a group test of three-dimensional spatial visualization. Perceptual and motor skills, 47(2), 599-604. Voyer, D., Voyer, S., & Bryden, M. P. (1995). Magnitude of sex differences in spatial abilities: a meta-analysis and consideration of critical variables.
The program from bottom up. Public Const Pi As Double = 3.14159265359 Function deg2rad(deg As Double) As Double deg2rad = deg * Pi / 180 End Function Our pie slice sub-routine is actually a pie section, with an inner and outer radius, and start and end angle. We will input the angles in degrees and convert them to radians in the sub-routine. The origin point 0,0 will be used for the center of the wheel. The draw_arc subroutine takes input Radius, start and end angle in degrees for the Addarc method. Sub draw_arc(Radius As Double, startAngleInDegree As Double, endAngleInDegree As Double) 'from point 0,0 Dim arcObj As AcadArc Dim a1_rad As Double, a2_rad As Double Dim pt0(0 To 2) As Double pt0(0) = 0: pt0(1) = 0: pt0(2) = 0 a1_rad = deg2rad(startAngleInDegree) a2_rad = deg2rad(endAngleInDegree) 'addarc - center, radius, startangle, endangle Set arcObj = acadDoc.ModelSpace.AddArc(pt0, Radius, a1_rad, a2_rad) End Sub The draw_polar_line subroutine is a straightforward line command using polar coordinates. Instead of point form (x,y) they are input as (r,a) (radius, angle) and converted to x and y. Sub draw_polar_line(r1 As Double, a1 As Double, r2 As Double, a2 As Double) 'draw line given polar coordinates 'angles are given in degrees Dim lineobj As AcadLine Dim pt1(0 To 2) As Double Dim pt2(0 To 2) As Double Dim x1 As Double, y1 As Double Dim x2 As Double, y2 As Double Dim a1_rad As Double, a2_rad As Double a1_rad = deg2rad(a1) a2_rad = deg2rad(a2) x1 = r1 * Cos(a1_rad) y1 = r1 * Sin(a1_rad) x2 = r2 * Cos(a2_rad) y2 = r2 * Sin(a2_rad) pt1(0) = x1: pt1(1) = y1: pt1(2) = 0 pt2(0) = x2: pt2(1) = y2: pt2(2) = 0 Set lineobj = acadDoc.ModelSpace.AddLine(pt1, pt2) End Sub a test subroutine draws an arced wedge with canned input. Sub testslice1() Call connect_acad 'r1=6, r2=9 'a1=30 a2=45 Call draw_arc(6, 30, 45) Call draw_arc(9, 30, 45) Call draw_polar_line(6, 30, 9, 30) Call draw_polar_line(6, 45, 9, 45) End Sub To convert these lines and arcs into a region object that we can fill with a solid color, we have to satisfy the AddRegion method’s specific requirements. AddRegion requires an array of AcadEntities. You must create the objects, add them to the array, then hand the array to the Addregion method, which returns an array of Region objects, which must be declared as a variant. We know we are only intending to have 4 objects in the AcadEntity array, so we dimension that 0 to 3 for this single purpose. To add the objects to an array, I have added them as they are created to a selection set. It requires a generic selection set subroutine for creating a new empty set. The items in the selection set are added to the array with a loop. Here is the augmented testslice2. we will start to work with variable input for the dimensions of the slice. The selection set subroutine is at the end. Sub testslice2() Call connect_acad Dim r1 As Double, r2 As Double Dim a1 As Double, a2 As Double Dim i As Integer Dim entarray(0 To 3) As AcadEntity Dim regionObj As Variant r1 = 6 r2 = 9 a1 = 30 a2 = 45 Dim sset4 As AcadSelectionSet Call add_ss("temp4") Set sset4 = acadDoc.SelectionSets.Item("temp4") Call draw_arc(r1, a1, a2) sset4.Select acSelectionSetLast Call draw_arc(r2, a1, a2) sset4.Select acSelectionSetLast Call draw_polar_line(r1, a1, r2, a1) sset4.Select acSelectionSetLast Call draw_polar_line(r1, a2, r2, a2) sset4.Select acSelectionSetLast For i = 0 To sset4.Count - 1 Set entarray(i) = sset4(i) Next i regionObj = acadDoc.ModelSpace.AddRegion(entarray) sset4.Erase 'erases the line and arc entities in the drawing sset4.Delete 'deletes the selection set in the drawing End Sub Sub add_ss(strname As String) 'adds a new empty named selection set Dim s_set As AcadSelectionSet On Error Resume Next Set s_set = acadDoc.SelectionSets.Item(strname) s_set.Clear s_set.Delete On Error GoTo 0 Set s_set = acadDoc.SelectionSets.Add(strname) End Sub Now we just have to color the region object. Unfortunately, it is transparent in normal (2D wireframe) viewing mode, but it is easy to hatch it a solid color. Coloring the region object itself requires getting the objects from the array that was returned when the region was created. We only expect one region was created, so that is always accessible with regionobj(0). Here is the finished makeslice. We finalize the parameter input, add the RGB values, and we are ready for the loop that calls this thing. Sub testslice3() Call connect_acad Call makeslice(6, 9, 30, 45, 220, 160, 230) End Sub Sub makeslice(r1 As Double, r2 As Double, a1 As Double, a2 As Double, i_r As Integer, i_g As Integer, i_b As Integer) Dim i As Integer Dim entarray(0 To 3) As AcadEntity Dim regionObj As Variant Dim objhatch As AcadHatch Dim sset4 As AcadSelectionSet Call add_ss("temp4") Set sset4 = acadDoc.SelectionSets.Item("temp4") Call draw_arc(r1, a1, a2) sset4.Select acSelectionSetLast Call draw_arc(r2, a1, a2) sset4.Select acSelectionSetLast Call draw_polar_line(r1, a1, r2, a1) sset4.Select acSelectionSetLast Call draw_polar_line(r1, a2, r2, a2) sset4.Select acSelectionSetLast For i = 0 To sset4.Count - 1 Set entarray(i) = sset4(i) Next i regionObj = acadDoc.ModelSpace.AddRegion(entarray) sset4.Erase 'erases the line and arc entities in the drawing sset4.Delete 'deletes the selection set in the drawing Set objhatch = acadDoc.ModelSpace.AddHatch(1, "Solid", True) objhatch.AppendOuterLoop regionObj Dim color As AcadAcCmColor Set color = AcadApplication.GetInterfaceObject("AutoCAD.AcCmColor.20") Call color.SetRGB(i_r, i_g, i_b) objhatch.TrueColor = color regionObj(0).TrueColor = color End Sub
Geplaatst op 29 March 2019. Diabetes is a global and ever-increasing problem. Millions of people have serious symptoms every day as a result of this metabolic disease. Another millions of people worldwide (1 in 3 in Europe and the Middle East) have pre-diabetes. Prediabetes means that your blood sugar level is higher than normal but not yet high enough to be type 2 diabetes. Without lifestyle changes, people with prediabetes are very likely to progress to type 2 diabetes. If you have prediabetes, the long-term damage of diabetes – especially to your heart, blood vessels, and kidneys – may already be starting. There’s good news, however. Progression from prediabetes to type 2 diabetes isn’t inevitable. Eating healthy, physical activity, maintaining a healthy weight AND photobiomodulation can help bring your blood sugar level back to normal. And that is exactly why the Laeq Health photobiomodulation method helps you not to get diabetes! More energy to move around, a better blood flow, a strong improvement of homeostasis and metabolism, resulting in normal and balanced blood sugar values, a strong immune system. Do you want to know if you have pre-diabetes? Take an online test: https://doihaveprediabetes.org/take-the-risk-test/#/ But even better, change your lifestyle with Laeq and feel better every day.
TIME TO THINK ABOUT YOUR DRINK! Many of us know the harmful effects of sugary and acidic drinks on our teeth. When we drink sweet beverages, sugars in the drink combine with bacteria in our mouths to produce acids that wear away our teeth. Even “diet” and “sugar-free” options contain their own acids that can weaken tooth enamel. Making good drink choices can not only save your smile, but it can improve your overall health as well! Here are a few ways to protect your health: Drink more water–not only does it not contain any sugar or acid, water also hydrates better than sugary drinks. Drink soft-drinks in moderation, if at all. Use a straw–this causes your teeth to be less exposed to the sugar and acid in drinks. Don’t drink sugary drinks before bed–if you do, sugar and acid will remain on your teeth throughout the night. We’ve noticed that our patients who make healthier drink choices have fewer cavities and healthier teeth. It takes time to get rid of any habit. Usually around 40 days. Commit yourself to water for 40 days and see the difference for yourself. Not just in your oral hygiene but your overall health as well. Take The Pledge! This month, we’re asking our patients to take the pledge to “Think About Your Drink”! Throughout the month, you can come into our office and pledge to make an effort to make healthier drink choices. By taking the challenge, you promise to make an effort to switch sugary and unhealthy drinks for water and by doing so, you are entered to win a prize at the end of the month. We’ll be giving away a brand new Samsung Galaxy tab for one lucky winner. We will select one lucky winner from our raffle. The promotion will end on October 10th. We’re Really Excited About This Promotion, Because it’s a chance for us and our patients to make a positive change in our lives. It’s easy and everybody wins! Choosing to make healthier drink choices will protect your teeth and help maintain your beautiful smile. Even one less sugary drink per day can make a huge difference in improving your whole-body health. Renowned dentists in Mississauga always advice to take preventive measures to protect dental health. Good luck and Think About Your Drink!
Facts About Heart Murmurs – The heart is one part of the body that is very useful to be able to make the body’s system run smoothly. Heart health should be paid more attention. Heart murmur is the noise in the heart Types of heart murmur There are two types of heart murmurs: harmless or non-diseased heart murmurs and abnormal heart murmurs. Innocence: Usually, people who have this type of heart murmur have a normal, healthy heart. This type is more common in infants and children. This condition can occur when blood flows faster than normal through the heart. Abnormal heart murmur: this is a more serious heart murmur and may need treatment to manage the symptoms. Abnormal murmurs in adults are most often caused by problems with the heart valves, while in children they are usually caused by congenital heart defects. And the following are symptoms of heart murmurs that may not be widely known: Shortness of breath or chest pain Feeling short of breath or having trouble breathing is usually a sign of heart murmurs related to valve problems. “Valves in the heart are doors that are useful for keeping blood flowing in one direction. And sometimes these doors don’t close or open completely,” says Patrick Collier, MD, PhD, a cardiologist at the Cleveland Clinic. There are many possible causes of flatulence, but swelling in some parts of the body deserves more attention. “Some people may experience swelling in the ankles, hands, or abdomen,” says Brent Lampert, DO, a cardiologist at The Ohio University Wexner Medical Center. Poor blood circulation (possibly caused by dysfunctional heart valves) can sometimes cause excess fluid to build up, usually in the extremities. Also Read ;Heart Disease Risk Factors In rare cases, a heart murmur can cause a dysfunctional thyroid gland. “An overactive thyroid gland can cause turbulent blood flow in the heart,” says Dr Collier. A harmless heart murmur may develop during pregnancy because of the increased volume of blood pumping around the body, explains Joy M. Gelbman, MD, a cardiologist at Weill Cornell Medicine. If doctors don’t detect other underlying causes, the heart murmur will likely go away after pregnancy. It’s normal to feel a little unbalanced after standing up too quickly or have a headache after a long period of not eating or drinking. but feeling dizzy for no apparent reason can be associated with a heart murmur. “Some people with severe valve problems have episodes of fainting,” says Dr Collier.
Scientists are refining techniques to produce bioplastic from organic waste and waste water. But once decomposed banana peel becomes commercially available, are consumers willing to buy it? This was the question asked by researchers of the European Res-Urbis project, dedicated precisely to the transformation of waste into new materials. They interviewed US, Spanish and Polish consumers. There emerged a willingness to pay a surcharge for eco-friendly products, more for adults than for young people. However, it would be difficult to buy glasses, toys or bottles produced from household compost. On a large scale, the market seems ready only for waste bags derived from the waste itself. “This closes the circle, but there is still a long way to go for a transition to a circular economy,” says Paolo Pavan, Professor of Chemical Plants and head of the Ca’ Foscari University of Venice unit in the Res-Urbis project. Significant support towards the success of the technology we offer is offered by the people themselves and by the virtuous approach of the municipal authorities in the recycling of urban waste. There is therefore the need for close cooperation and interconnection between society, made up of people, the world of research and industry.” Ca’ Foscari University of Venice is the lead player in this challenge, thanks to the chemical engineering research team that has for years been performing its experiments in the laboratories alongside the Treviso treatment plant, which has inspired the research itself. As part of Res-Urbis, Professor Pavan, in collaboration with colleagues from the University of Verona and "La Sapienza" University of Rome (project leader university, in particular with the research team coordinated by Professors Mauro Majone and Francesco Valentino) patented a process to synthesize biodegradable polyester polymers (polyhydroxyalkanoates or PHAs) from the organic fraction of domestic solid waste. The result was possible thanks to the pilot system developed in the Treviso laboratories by the Ca’ Foscari and Sapienza team. The studies conducted by the project enabled the extraction over 30 kilograms of PHA with a purity of 95%, tested for the production of consumer goods. In particular, there is the very promising application for the production of composite adhesive film, i.e. made of polyhydroxyalkanoates and other biodegradable polymers. The tests carried out on various manufactured products (see examples in the photo below) have demonstrated good resistance of the materials and contaminant levels below the limits prescribed for the products considered. The results of the project are a step towards the “end of waste”: organic waste and waste water can guarantee valuable raw materials to produce materials that are in turn biodegradable, destined to remain in circulation in an economy that wastes nothing. A biorefinery dedicated to this production is sustainable both for the environment and economically, the researchers conclude. Dialogue with field experts in 13 European countries laid the foundations for the future transformation of the project results into new service and business opportunities related to the valorisation of waste by the production of bioplastics.
8 posts • Page 1 of 1 From what I understood in class, I believe this means that the electrons in that structure are not bound to one specific covalent bond between two atoms but are instead shared amongst many of the atoms in that molecule. Hope this helps. Because the actually resonance structure is a blend of all possible Lewis structures. So, the electrons in double bonds are not bound to one specific bond between two atoms but rather located among the bonds between the atoms throughout the molecule. Since the actual structure of the molecule is an average of its possible resonance structures, this means that the electrons are not involved in just one bond, but shared among multiple bonds throughout the same molecule. From what i understood and wrote in my notes, for an electron to be delocalized means it can be shared in different positions of the molecule. For example with benzene, an electron can be bonded between different carbon atoms, not some set three. Who is online Users browsing this forum: No registered users and 2 guests
It may seem almost unbelievable, but a single hormone called oxytocin is responsible for life's most fulfilling emotions: love, trust and commitment. Oxytocin is a neuropeptide that helps regulate many of the body's functions, including hunger, thirst and blood pressure. But it plays a special role in bonding with other people. When we're touched by someone we trust, when we make love and orgasm, when we simply spend time with someone we like, our brains release pulses of oxytocin that make us feel deep bonds with that person. But we're not born with this response. Our newborn bodies enter the world knowing how to breathe, how to digest food, how to pump blood. But they don't know how to love. The most profound human experience there is must be learned after we're born. The brain begins to learn the oxytocin response during labor, when oxytocin stimulates the mother's uterus to contract. At the same time, it floods mother's and baby's bloodstreams, priming their bodies for their first experience of connection. If the baby is breastfed, the same oxytocin that lets down the milk increases the feelings of safety, trust and love. Every time the baby is touched, held and nursed by its mother -- or another primary caregiver -- its brain learns to release its own oxytocin pulses, soothing the system and deepening the love. But many things can interfere with the development of the oxytocin response. If the nursing mother is anxious, angry or afraid, her brain will release fight-or-flight neurochemicals, teaching her baby's body that being close to someone is frightening. Abuse, harshness, neglect and indifference all take their toll on the brain's ability to release oxytocin. When we grow up without learning the oxytocin response, we can't truly bond with others. Other people are speaking a secret chemical language that we can't hear. Our relationships may get stuck at romance and sex, then fall apart when the excitement dwindles. Friendships may be filled with hurt feelings and anger. We can only feel bonded with people who hurt us or reject us. We wander through life feeling deeply alone. Our "hearts" -- the body's loving responses -- are truly broken. But there's one more amazing thing to know about the oxytocin response: Our brains can learn it at any age. It's never too late to heal these broken hearts. The Chemistry of Connection: How the Oxytocin Response Can Help You FInd Trust, Intimacy and Love, to be published by New Harbinger in spring 2009, will show you how to birth and nurture your children and heal yourself, so you can give and get the love you need. Read all about oxytocin in my blog, Hug the Monkey. Sign up for more information about Love Chemistry via email.
Most measures of male condom failure are indirect: studies have assessed self-reported rates of condom failure, unintended pregnancies, or transmission of sexually transmitted diseases among couples who consistently use condoms. To directly measure biological exposure to semen as a result of condom failure, VIDD member Dr. Ann Duerr, when working at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and colleagues performed a study on 77 women who used condoms with their partners. They asked the women to self-report condom breaks and slips, and to collect post-coital vaginal swabs. These were later tested for presence of prostate-specific antigen (PSA, a protein found in semen) to determine biological exposure. The scientists found that women reported condom breaks or slippage nearly 8 percent of the time, a higher percentage than had been previously estimated for condom failure, but PSA was detected only 3.5 percent of the time. Women who reported taking measures to correct for condom failure, such as stopping intercourse or adjusting slipped condoms, had a lower chance of PSA being present. Duerr A, Gallo MF, Warner L, Jamieson DJ, Kulczycki A, Macaluso M. Assessing Male Condom Failure and Incorrect Use. Sex Transm Dis. 2011 Jan 27.
Also known as Black Mexicans, they are an ethnic group made up of recent immigrants of African descent to Mexico and the descendants of slaves, such as in the communities of the Costa Chica of Oaxaca and Guerrero, Veracruz and in some cities in northern Mexico. The history of blacks in Mexico has been lesser known for a number of reasons: their relatively small numbers, regular intermarriage with other ethnic groups, and Mexico’s tradition of defining itself as a “mestizaje” or mixing culture. Mexico had an active slave trade since the early colonial period and an estimated 200,000 Africans were brought there. From the beginning, the slaves, who were mostly male, intermarried with indigenous women. In some cases Spanish colonists had unions with female slaves. Spanish colonists created an elaborate racial caste system, classifying people by racial mixture. This system broke down in the very late colonial period; after Independence, the legal notion of race was eliminated. Mexican anthropologist Gonzalo Aguirre Beltrán estimated that there were six blacks who took part in the Spanish conquest of the Aztec Empire. The first African slave brought to Mexico is said to be Juan Cortés, a slave who accompanied Hernán Cortés in 1519. Anotherconquistador, Pánfilo de Narváez, brought an African slave who has been blamed for the smallpox epidemic of 1520. Early slaves were likely personal servants or concubines of their Spanish masters, who had been brought to Spain first and came with the conquistadors. While a number of indigenous people were enslaved during the conquest period, later the colonists imported African slaves. Over time their mulatto (black/European) descendants were also enslaved if born to slave mothers (as was typical). The demand for slaves came in the early colonial period, especially between 1580 and 1640, when the indigenous population quickly declined due to the high fatalities from new infectious diseases. Carlos V began to issue an increasing number of contracts between the Spanish Crown and private slavers specifically to bring Africans to Spanish colonies. These slavers made deals with the Portuguese, who controlled the African slave market. Mexico had important slave ports in the New World, sometimes holding slaves brought by Spanish before they were sent to other parts of Latin America and the Caribbean. Above is statue of Gaspar Yanga—often simply Yanga or Nyanga (c.1545-?) was an African leader of a maroon colony of fugitive slaves in the highlands near Veracruz, Mexico during the early period of Spanish colonial rule. He is known for successfully resisting a Spanish attack on the colony in 1609. The maroons continued their raids. Finally in 1618, Yanga achieved an agreement with the colonial government for self-rule of the settlement, later called San Lorenzo de los Negros and also San Lorenzo de Cerralvo. In the late 19th century, Yanga was named as a “national hero of Mexico” and “El Primer Libertador de las Americas”, and 1932 the settlement he formed, located in today’s Veracruz province, was renamed as Yanga in his honor. The creation of a national Mexican identity, especially after the Mexican Revolution, emphasized Mexico’s indigenous and European past; it passively eliminated the African ancestors and contributions. Though Mexico had a significant number of African slaves during colonial times, most of the African-descended population were absorbed into the surrounding Mestizo (mixed European/indigenous) and indigenous populations through unions among the groups. Evidence of this long history of intermarriage with Mestizo and indigenous Mexicans is also expressed in the fact that in the 2015 census, 64.9% (896,829) of Afro-Mexicans also identified as indigenous. It was also reported that 9.3% of Afro-Mexicans speak an indigenous language. About 1.2% of Mexico’s population has significant African ancestry, with 1.38 million recognized during the 2015 Intercensus Estimate. Numerous Afro-Mexicans in the 21st century are naturalized black immigrants from Africa and the Caribbean. FAU Mexico’s Organizing Director Amber Star
Correction of shallow-water electromagnetic data for noise induced by instrument motion Lezaeta, Pamela F. Chave, Alan D. Evans, Rob L. MetadataShow full item record An unexpected noise source was found in magnetic and sometimes electric field data recorded on the bottom of lakes in the Archean Slave craton (NW Canada) during warm seasons. The noise is due to instrument motion and in some instances direct induction by wind-driven surface gravity waves when the lakes are not ice covered. The noise can be reduced or eliminated by pre-filtering the data with an adaptive correlation noise cancelling filter using instrument tilt records, prior to estimation of magnetotelluric (MT) response functions. Similar effects are to be expected in other shallow water environments, and the adaptive correlation canceller is a suitable method to pre-process MT data to reduce motional noise in the magnetic field. This underscores the importance of ancillary tilt measurements in shallow water MT surveys. In coastal or lake bottom surveys, special efforts to reduce hydrodynamic effects on the instrument should also be pursued. Author Posting. © The Authors, 2004. This is the author's version of the work. It is posted here by permission of Society of Exploration Geophysicists for personal use, not for redistribution. The definitive version was published in Geophysics 70 (2005): G127–G133, doi:10.1190/1.2080748.
Answered by Debbie J., MS, RD 1. What does a good diet consist of? A good diet consists of complex carbohydrates, lean proteins and healthy fats in an amount that meets your energy needs. Complex carbohydrates are generally those from vegetables, beans, whole grains and cereals. These are better at stabilizing blood sugar and limiting fat production than refined flour products since they take longer to digest. Lean proteins are those with little fat — less than half the number of fat grams than protein grams. By USDA definition, a 3 ounce serving of lean meat has no more than 10 grams total fat (but provides approximately 21 grams protein). Lean choices include poultry breast, 90% fat-free meat, egg whites, beans, pork loin, and most fish. Healthy fats are those with unsaturated fatty acids, as found in most plant sources such as nuts, seeds, oils, avocado and olives. A good diet should also be rich in vitamins, minerals and phytochemicals, which is addressed further in the answer to question #9. 2. How can I choose the best protein shake for me? a) Clearly define what you want to accomplish by using a protein shake. Is it for extra calories? As a pre-workout boost? A recovery drink for muscle repair? An on-the-go convenience? b) Determine whether you want a ready-to-drink option or a powder that you can add your own liquid of choice to. Your preference may limit your options, as will finding your favorite flavor. A protein shake only works if you’ll drink it. c) For protein content look for the number of grams to fall between 10 and 30 per serving. Select a shake toward the low-end of the range for smaller builds, lighter workouts or if you are trying to consume the fewest amount of calories. Choose the upper end of the range for extra calories, larger builds and heavier workouts. d) Consider other ingredients according to your goals. For a meal replacement, you’ll need carbohydrates and fats. In a pre-workout shake you may want creatine. During recovery you might benefit from antioxidants. 3. Carbs should not be eaten after 6 p.m., right? Why is this? According to whom? You should ask the source of that statement. Eating carbohydrates after a certain time of day is only detrimental if they are extra calories. Simple sugars are never advised, except for those naturally found in fruit, milk or plain yogurt. Omitting starches (rice, potatoes, pasta, bread) at the last meal of the day is fine if meat and vegetables are sufficient in calories. 4. What are some good things to eat for those midnight cravings? Try to satisfy what the mind/taste buds want with healthy options of salty, crunchy, creamy, cool or sweet. Whatever you do, stay away from the ice cream and chips! Good ideas include: popcorn, grapes, string cheese, cup of soup, small bowl of cereal, yogurt cup, hard-cooked egg, pretzels, half a sandwich, frozen blueberries, turkey jerky, raw vegetables with hummus and dried seaweed. 5. Is it safe to eat peanut butter? How often? Peanut butter is safe except for those who have an allergy. Natural versions without added sweeteners are recommended. Daily consumption is fine. Volume matters more than frequency, as a small 2 tablespoon serving packs 180 calories. Paired with celery and carrot sticks, this amount is a great choice for a snack. Spread on whole grain bread and combine with fruit, milk and broccoli for a full meal. Blended with banana, protein powder and soymilk makes for a satisfying smoothie. 6. What are some good sources to follow for fitness tips and advice (mainly diet to maintain or build abs)? (people, websites, social media, etc.) We have amazing resources that publish every week! You can subscribe to receive advice and tips on your mobile device and email. Living Healthy Blog http://blog.lafitness.com Google Plus https://plus.google.com/+lafitness/posts Twitter https://twitter.com/lafitness, @LAFitness 7. How long should the gap between eating and working out be? Long enough for the food consumed to clear the stomach and be converted into energy for the muscles to use. A small piece of fruit may need only 20 minutes, whereas a full meal make take 3-4 hours to completely digest and enter the bloodstream. The timing can also depend on what’s being eaten and the duration of exercise. Early morning risers may not tolerate anything solid upon waking and opt to drink a small glass of juice immediately before exercising. Others are comfortable with more in their stomachs pre-workout, such as endurance athletes who don’t want to interrupt training so often to eat. 8. What are some foods to avoid? Avoid fried foods, sugary condiments (honey, syrup, jelly), sodas, white flour products and alcohol. These are sources of extra calories with marginally few micronutrients. Processed meats should also be avoided since they’ve been linked to higher BMI values, heart disease and cancer according to a European study. 9. What are good vitamin and mineral sources? (general examples) Vitamins and minerals are abundant in these types of food: Whole grains (brown rice, quinoa, Dark green leafy vegetables Legumes (beans, soy, peanuts) Nuts and Seeds Fruit (especially berries, citrus, and tropical fruit) 10. Do you recommend the daily use of My Fitness Pal and why/why not? Recording and tracking devices, apps and websites are wonderful tools! Yes, I recommend them for individuals who either need to get a grasp on what they’re currently eating, or need to stay accountable in keeping to their intake goals. After a few weeks, I find the feedback value often wears off as the process becomes more about writing data down. So ongoing daily use may not be effective. Learn how to effortless follow TOP TIPS and LIVING HEALTHY. CLICK HERE and SUBSCRIBE today!
Finding the balance… Stepping into the gym for the first time or embarking on a new fitness journey can be overwhelming. From new exercises to new equipment, like maces, sleds, kettlebells? It may seem difficult to know where to focus your efforts. Two crucial aspects of gym training are mastering proper technique and gradually increasing the weight you lift. But which one should take priority? Let’s have a look at the importance of both technique and adding weight, and shed some light on where to begin in order to optimize your progress in the gym and keep you thirsty for more! The Significance of Technique - Foundation for Safe Training: Technique forms the foundation for safe and effective training. It ensures that you perform exercises with the correct form, minimizing the risk of injuries. Proper technique helps maintain alignment, distributes the load evenly, and reduces stress on joints and connective tissues. - Targeted Muscle Activation: Emphasizing technique allows you to better target specific muscle groups. By executing exercises with proper form, you engage the intended muscles more effectively, leading to greater muscle activation and growth. Precise movements help eliminate compensatory actions and ensure that the desired muscles are being appropriately stimulated. - Long-Term Progression: Mastering technique sets you up for long-term progression. Building a solid foundation of proper movement patterns and motor control enhances your ability to handle increased weights safely and efficiently. By focusing on technique first, you establish a strong mind-muscle connection and optimize your potential for future gains. The Role of Adding More Weight - Progressive Overload: Adding more weight to your exercises is a key component of progressive overload. Progressive overload refers to gradually increasing the demands placed on your muscles, forcing them to adapt and grow stronger. By progressively increasing the weight lifted over time, you create a stimulus for continuous improvement. - Strength and Muscle Development: Lifting heavier weights promotes strength and muscle development. The additional resistance challenges your muscles to work harder, leading to greater adaptations. As you increase the weight, you stimulate muscle fibers to grow and become stronger, resulting in improved muscle size and strength gains. - Mental Confidence and Motivation: The act of adding more weight can boost your mental confidence and motivation. Achieving milestones and surpassing previous limits instills a sense of accomplishment and inspires you to push further. The psychological aspect of training is key, and the belief in your ability to handle heavier loads can fuel your drive to excel. This is what drives us to stay motivated and interested! While both technique and adding more weight are essential, we have to strike a balance to optimize our performance and stay motivated. Let’s make a plan: - Begin with Technique: Prioritize learning and refining proper technique before focusing on adding substantial weight. Master the fundamental movement patterns and ensure you have a solid understanding of the exercises you plan to incorporate into your routine. Seek guidance from a qualified coach to ensure you’re performing exercises correctly. - Gradually Increase Weight: Once you have established a foundation of sound technique, begin incorporating gradual increases in weight. Start with manageable increments and progress at a pace that allows your body to adapt. This approach minimizes the risk of injury and ensures that your muscles are adequately prepared to handle the additional load. - Continual Technique Refinement: I can not emphasize this enough! Even as you increase the weight, continue to refine your technique. Regularly evaluate your form and make necessary adjustments to optimize muscle activation and prevent any deviations that may compromise your safety or hinder progress. We all need to continuously refine our movements. You know who else does this? Professional and Olympic athletes! - Periodic Technique Check-Ins: Periodically revisit your technique to address any imbalances or flaws that may have developed over time. Seek out and ask for feedback from your DSC coaches. There are always things we can do to improve and fine tune. Focusing on technique should be your initial priority, when getting started with fitness or even when coming back to it. By establishing proper form and movement patterns, you set a strong foundation for safe and effective training. Once you have mastered technique, gradually increasing the weight becomes the next logical step. We want to stay in the game long term and in this way, we set ourselves up for success and being around to fight another day! Remember, patience and consistency are key. Give yourself time to develop a strong foundation, listen to your body, and progress at a pace that suits your individual abilities.
Skip to comments.Fox’s Acts and Monuments Posted on 10/27/2013 11:12:31 AM PDT by narses Commonly called Foxs Book of Martyrs, this book was originally published in the year 1559, and was authored by a protestant minister by the name of John Fox. The book was intended to be a compendium of "martyrdoms" inflicted on protestants by the Catholic Church. The first edition contained so many errors that a corrected edition had to be published in the year 1570, and several other editions have been published since. The Columbia Encyclopedia informs us that Foxes book was "widely read, and its influence was extensive, although as history it is highly prejudiced and not altogether trustworthy." (1) Some research on the topic is more than enough to justify this statement. In the words of the historian Schenk "To obtain a clear view of the Marian persecutions is not at all easy: Foxes Book of Martyrs like a great mountain range lies between us and the facts." (2) In his book, John Fox related that a Catholic by the name of Grimwood of Hitcham had been a great enemy of the protestant revolutionaries, and was punished "by a judgment of God," and "his bowels fell out of his body." Whereas, the protestant Anthony Wood relates that, during the reign of Elizabeth I, a certain Protestant minister related in a sermon the account of Grimwoods death, using Fox as his authority. But, unfortunately for the parson, not only was Grimwood alive at the time when the sermon was preached, but happened to be present in the church to hear the sermon, and brought an action of defamation against the preacher. (3) Another instance of the historical unreliability of Fox concerns the executions of Latimer and Ridley. According to Fox, Bishop Gardiner, on the day of the execution, kept dinner waiting until the news of their death should arrive, and that his guest the Duke of Norfolk (who was to dine with him) expressed great chagrin at the delay; Fox then states that when the news arrived of the death of Latimer and Ridley, the Bishop was "transported with joy", sat down to eat, where his excellency was suddenly seized with the disury, and died in horrible torments a fortnight afterwards. Now, this sounds all well and good. But what Fox did not tell us is that Latimer and Ridley were put to death on the 16th of October, while Gardiner opened the Parliament on the 21st of October, and that he attended in Parliament twice afterwards, and that he died on the 12th of November of the gout, and not disury, and that the Duke of Norfolk had been dead a year when this event allegedly took place! (4) Hence we see two examples of the lack of credibility of John Fox, and his book "Acts and Monuments." But let us take a few moments and examine a couple of the "Martyrs," whose deaths were related by Fox. Latimer and Ridley Hugh Latimer began his infamous career in England as a Catholic priest, and also as "a most furious assailant of the Reformation religion." (5) Because of this Henry VIII granted him the bishopric of Worcester. Latimer, after having obtained this bishopric, then proceeded to change his opinions, but without giving up his Catholic bishopric. Being suspected of heresy, Latimer then abjured his protestant errors, thus keeping his bishopric for an additional twenty years while, inwardly, he despised the principles of the Church, and the bishopric he held in virtue of an oath to oppose to the utmost of his power all dissenters from the Catholic Religion. During the reigns of Henry and Edward he sent to the stake Catholics and Protestants for holding opinions which he himself had before held openly, or that he held secretly at the time of his so sending them. Latimers character is well-exhibited in his congratulatory letter to Thomas Cromwell on the killing of the family of Cardinal Reginald Pole: "Blessed be the God of England whose minister ye be! I heard you once say you would make him [Pole] eat his own heart, which you have now brought to pass, for he must needs eat his own heart and be as heartless as he is graceless." (6) Ridley was also a Catholic bishop during the reign of Henry VIII, during which reign he sent to the stake Catholics who denied the kings supremacy and Protestants who denied the doctrine of transubstantiation. While during the reign of King Edward he was a Protestant bishop, and denied the dogma of transubstantiation himself. During the reign of Edward VI he was given the bishopric of London, after agreeing to transfer a large portion of its possessions to the ministers and courtiers of that day. And lastly, he is guilty of treason against the then ruling monarch (Queen Mary Tudor) by attempting to stir the people up in rebellion against the Queen, and replace Mary with Lady Jane, in order that he might (by high treason) keep the bishopric which was obtained through perjury and simony. In fact, Ridley (thinking that Lady Janes cause had triumphed) even went so far as to boldly proclaim Mary Tudor a bastard at St. Pauls Cross; (7) These are the types of individuals who are described by John Fox as being "Pillars of the Church and accomplished ornaments of human nature, ... the admiration of the realm, amiably conspicuous in their lives, and glorious in their deaths." If such individuals were the pillars of the protestant revolt, and considered accomplished ornaments of human nature, the admiration of the realm, and so on, then it is really not very surprising that an adherent of the protestant revolution would follow in their footsteps and write blatant lies in order to slander the Catholic Church. Hooper was a monk, who broke his vow of celibacy and married, forsaking the religious life; he was more than willing to extend a willing hand and aid the infamous Protector Somerset in the plunder of the churches, and for his troubles received in return two bishoprics, "though he himself had written against pluralities (i.e. holding more than one bishopric at a time)." (8) He was a willing cooperator in the cruelties inflicted on the people during the reign of Edward VI, and was very active in recommending the use of foreign mercenaries to enforce the protestant yoke upon the English people, many of whom were still Catholic at the time. The Irish and protestant rule In a later edition of Foxs Acts and Monuments (apparently edited in the 1800's) the following statement is to be found: A page taken from a 1701 edition of Fox's Book of Martyrs. Notice the inaccuracy and open biasness of the picture, and the mocking tone of the title of the page. With pictures such as these, is there any wonder that the book is prejudiced and biased against the Catholic Faith? "The Irish, who formerly led an unsettled and roving life, in the woods, bogs, and mountains, and lived on the depredation of their neighbors, they who, in the morning seized the prey, and at night divided the spoil, have, for many years past, become quiet and civilized. They taste the sweets of English society, and the advantages of civil government. They trade in our cities, and are employed in our manufactories. They are received also into English families; and treated with great humanity by the Protestants." (9) It is only with great difficulty that one can believe that the reviser of Foxs work would insert such a blatantly false statement, but so it is. One wonders where to begin in the exposition of this particular citation? A good place to start would probably be at the beginning. What was it that reduced the Irish to the state of utter poverty mentioned by the reviser? The answer is to be found in the infamous Irish Persecution Laws. These infamous laws were imposed by England (a protestant nation) upon a nation that was, at the time, 97% Catholic. To quote a protestant historian on the conditions in Ireland after the laws were imposed: "They ( i.e. Catholics ) are not only excluded from all offices in church and state, but are interdicted from the army and the law, in all its branches. . . . Every barrister, clerk, attorney, or solicitor is obliged to take a solemn oath not to employ persons of that persuasion; no not as hackney clerks, at the miserable salary of seven shillings a week. No tradesman of that persuasion is capable of exercising his trade freely in any town corporate: so that they trade and work in their own trade native towns as aliens, paying, as such, quarter age, and other charges and impositions. . . ." (10) Allow me to take a few moments and point out precisely what the Irish Persecution Laws entailed. The Irish Catholic was forbidden the exercise of his religion. He was forbidden to receive education. He was forbidden to enter a profession. He was forbidden to hold public office. He was forbidden to engage in a trade or commerce. (11) He was forbidden to live in a corporate town or within five miles thereof. He was forbidden to own a horse of greater value than five pounds. He was forbidden to purchase land. He was forbidden to lease land. (12) He was forbidden to accept a mortgage on land in security for a loan. He was forbidden to vote. He was forbidden to keep any arms for his protection. He was forbidden to hold life annuity. He was forbidden to buy land from a Protestant. He was forbidden to receive a gift of land from a Protestant. He was forbidden to inherit land from a Protestant. He was forbidden to inherit anything from a Protestant. He was forbidden to rent any land that was worth more than thirty shillings a year. He was forbidden to reap from his land any profit exceeding a third of the rent. He could not be guardian to a child. He could not, when dying, leave his infant children under Catholic guardianship. He could not attend Catholic worship. He was compelled by the law to attend Protestant worship. He could not himself educate his child. He could not send his child to a Catholic teacher. He could not employ a Catholic teacher to come to his child. He could not send his child abroad to receive education. The priest was banned and hunted with bloodhounds. The school master was banned and hunted with bloodhounds. If the Irish Catholic had an unfaithful wife, she, by going through the form of adopting the Protestant religion compelled from a papist the heaviest annuity that might be squeezed out of him and would inherit all the property at his death. If he had an unnatural child, that child by conforming to the Established religion, could compel from him the highest possible annuity, and inherit all his property at his death to the total exclusion of all the children who had remained faithful to their father, and their religion. He if he was discovered in the act of having his son educated at home, a ruinous fine and a dungeon awaited him. If he sent his son to be educated abroad, all his property was confiscated and the child so educated was thereby debarred form all rights and properties in the country, and debarred from inheriting anything. He was compelled to pay double for the support of the militia. And he was compelled to make good all damages done to the state by the privateers of any Catholic power in which the state was at war. (13) Professor Lecky (a Protestant) stated concerning the above laws "It was intended to make them poor and to keep them poor, to crush in them every germ of enterprise and degrade them into a servile race who could never hope to rise to the level of their oppressor." (14) With such laws, and such intentions, it is no wonder that the Irish were poverty-stricken, and many were homeless. Such treatment of any individual (much less an entire nation) is hardly humane. One might dwell on the unjust persecutions which the Irish people suffered at the hand of the English protestants at great length, and one might also recount numerous cases where Irishmen were persecuted and gave their lives for the Catholic Religion (15), but I think the point is well-enough made. As can be seen from the above, there is truly very little reason for the reviser of Foxs Acts and Monuments to glory in as far as the protestant treatment of the Irish people is concerned. Hopefully the above has more than demonstrated to any honest individual that the book Acts and Monuments, or Foxs Book of Martyrs, is historically unreliable, and prejudiced against Catholicism. In fact, as has been shown above, the author of Acts and Monuments has even taken his prejudice to the point where he felt constrained to lie, and invent tales, in order to further enthrall his audience. The above picture, taken from a 1701 version of Fox's Book of Martyrs, depicts the Popes as ruling by the sword, and forcing people to kneel in homage to the successor of Saint Peter. This form of prejudiced anti-Catholicism is disproven by the simple fact that many nations still remain loyal to the Papacy, without coercion. Furthermore, the case was precisely the opposite (as can be seen in the case of the Irish)... it was the Protestants who ruled by the sword in many cases. The hypocrisy is incredible. John Fox was more than willing to believe just about anything that came down the pike concerning atrocities committed by the Catholic Faith. To quote from Funk and Wagnalls Encyclopedia: "The work (Foxs Book of Martyrs) is uncritical, and indicates that, at best, Fox believed every atrocity story he heard." (16) As a matter of fact, not only was John Fox a very gullible individual, but he himself was "safely abroad, writing his propaganda in Strasbourg, Frankfurt and Basle, during the [Mary Tudor's] persecution." (17) This article is humbly dedicated to the Immaculate Heart of Mary, Refuge of Sinners. 1. Columbia Encyclopedia 2. W. Schenk, Reginald Pole, Cardinal of England (New York, Longmans, 1950), p. 149. 3. Anthony Wood, Athenae Oxonienses, ii., 789. 4. Colliers Ecclesiastical History, p. 386, 5. William Cobbett, A History of The Protestant Reformation in England and Ireland, p. 208. 6. Letters and Papers, vol. Xiii, pt. 2, no. 1036. 7. Hugh Ross Williamson, The Beginning of the English Reformation, p. 88. 8. Ibid., p. 208. 9. John Fox, Acts and Monuments, Emphasis mine. 10. Edmund Burke, Laws Against Popery in Ireland. 11. "Every franchise, every honor, every trust, every place down to the very lowest (besides whole professions) is reserved for the master caste (i.e. Protestants)." Burkes letter to Langrishe. 12. So, a man dead and buried is said, in Ireland, to have "a Protestant lease of the soil." 13. Seumus MacManus, The Story of the Irish Race, pp. 458-460. 14. Ibid., p. 461. 15. A Partial List of the Irish Martyrs 16. Funk and Wagnalls Standard Reference Encyclopedia, Vol. X, 1954, p. 3675. Under John Fox English Martyrologist. 17. Hugh Ross Williamson, The Beginning of the English Reformation, p. 89. Read more: http://www.catholicfidelity.com/apologetics-topics/anti-catholicism/foxs-acts-and-monuments-by-richard-clarke-doc/ Freep-mail me to get on or off my pro-life and Catholic List: Please ping me to note-worthy Pro-Life or Catholic threads, or other threads of general interest. One thing stands out that I have learned from Catholicism is that no matter what the topic, the Catholic religion is right and everyone else is wrong, regardless of the facts... In view of the historical forgeries put out by your religion, why should anyone believe your religion over John Foxxe??? If one wants to reestablish the Catholic Church as a denomination worthy to be respected, a great place to start would be by trashing one of the most read books in the history of mankind. Anyone who takes the Catholic Churches side in this debate will need to be blind to historical facts that were well established before the author John Foxe or the inventor of the printing press, Johannes Gutenberg, were even born. In his book, John Fox related that a Catholic by the name of Grimwood of Hitcham had been a great enemy of the protestant revolutionaries, and was punished "by a judgment of God," and "his bowels fell out of his body." Whereas, the protestant Anthony Wood relates that, during the reign of Elizabeth I, a certain Protestant minister related in a sermon the account of Grimwoods death, using Fox as his authority. But, unfortunately for the parson, not only was Grimwood alive at the time when the sermon was preached, but happened to be present in the church to hear the sermon, and brought an action of defamation against the preacher.That "one of the most read books in the history of mankind" is filled with lies like the above and distortions is sad, no? Do you defend the religious persecution of non-Catholics by Queen Mary and her bishops? Why? Fox’s book aside, there isn’t any historical dispute that hundreds of people who executed for “heresy” in Mary’s reign. Are you OK with that? mistake. Here’s what I should have written Fox’s book aside, there isnt any historical dispute that hundreds of people were executed for “heresy” — ie for not accepting Roman Catholicism — during Mary’s reign. Are you OK with that? Because people who were around in 1570 knew so much less about the 16th century than we do now. With the fact that there were state sponsored executions? Facts are facts. Fox didn’t bother with facts or fact checking, you acknowledge that, right? The lies that Fox told were well documented at that time. Being popular doesn't make something true. Hundreds of people were also executed during her father's, her brother's, and her sister's reign. Although the formal charge against them was "treason," in point of fact they were executed for not accepting the religion dictated by the State, since non-acceptance of that religion was defined as treasonous. Some of them were executed because they were more Protestant than the monarch, and several hundred because they were more Catholic than the monarch. Are you okay with that? The history was ugly on both sides. Let's tell the whole truth, shall we? “are you ok with that?” No. Now answer my question. Are you OK with Mary’s persecution of Protestants? It shouldn’t be hard to answer yes or no. Why are you trying to play prosecutor here? This is not about other FReepers, it is about the credulous lies told by Fox. you don’t want to answer my question. Are you OK with Mary’s persecution of protestants? It’s very hard to get some Catholics to criticize undisputed, historically verified, policies of persecution — and executions — by some Catholic monarchs and hierarchy. They want to change the subject or obfuscate, instead of answering. I’m not playing prosecutor. I’m asking you a question that you apparently don’t want to answer — do you believe Mary’s persecution of protestants was wrong? Fox’s book may have errors — but no credible historian, whatever his religion, denies that Mary had a policy of persecuting — and executing — heretics. Are you OK with that? “Foxs book may have errors ...” Nope, wrong. It has errors, many of them. Some documented right here. That IS the point of this thread. Are you OK with that? Its very hard to get some protestants to criticize undisputed, historically verified, policies of persecution and executions by some protestant monarchs and hierarchy. What’s the point of your post? To diminish the very real - documented - persecution of protestants, by focusing on one author’s reports that were wrong. You’re implying that because Fox may have got it wrong in some of his reports, we shouldn’t care about the hundreds of documented executions of heretics by Mary and her bishops. I have chimed in to remind readers that John Fox shouldn’t be the issue -— the issue is the real persecution, on a massive scale, that really happened. The issue is the real persecution of Catholics as well as Protestants, on a massive scale, that really happened. And the lies of Fox and his tome of error.
http://www.youtube.com/sabo3051 The buttocks are formed by the masses of the gluteal... more » The buttocks are formed by the masses of the gluteal muscles or 'glutes' (the gluteus maximus muscle and the gluteus medius muscle) superimposed by a layer of fat. The superior aspect of the buttock ends at the iliac crest, and the lower aspect is outlined by the horizontal gluteal crease. The gluteus maximus has two insertion points: 1/3 superior portion of the linea aspera of the femur, and the superior portion of the iliotibial tractus. The masses of the gluteus maximus muscle are separated by an intermediate intergluteal cleft or "crack" in which the anus is situated. The buttocks allow primates to sit upright without needing to rest their weight on their feet as four-legged animals do. Females of certain species of baboon have red buttocks that blush to attract males. In the case of humans, females tend to have proportionally wider and thicker buttocks due to higher subcutaneous fat and proportionally wider hips. Some baboons and all gibbons, though otherwise fur-covered, have characteristic naked callosities on their buttocks. While human children generally have smooth buttocks, mature males and females have varying degrees of hair growth, as on other parts of their body. Females may have hair growth in the gluteal cleft (including around the anus), sometimes extending laterally onto the lower aspect of the cheeks. Males may have hair growth over some or all of the buttocks. « less
Consider the bright and flashy primrose flower if you have a sunny garden patch in need of vibrant color. Primrose plants are available in a wide variety of colors and the flowers give off a delightful scent as the primrose blossoms throughout the entire growing season. With minimal care, your primrose plants will thrive from year to year to bring lasting beauty to your sunny flower beds. Prepare the sunny planting area in the spring when the growing season begins. Cultivate the soil with the garden spade down to a depth of approximately 4 inches. Add 2 inches of compost to the top of the soil and work this in well with the garden spade to incorporate the compost with the soil fully. Rake the soil smooth and level with the rake. Sprinkle primrose seeds lightly over the soil. Check specific planting instructions on the seed packet for seed spacing, if possible. Lacking this information, plant the seeds 1 foot apart in the planting area. Cover each seed with approximately ¼ inch of fine soil. Water the newly planted primrose seeds lightly immediately after you plant them to moisten the soil. Keep the soil evenly moist while the seeds germinate. Water the primrose throughout the season during drought conditions; otherwise, primrose plants need little water. Pinch off the spent blossoms when they fade on the stems. By deadheading the primrose plants, you encourage continued blossoming throughout the entire growing season. Divide primrose plants in the autumn after the blossoming for the growing season ends. Dig up the primrose plants and separate the clumps into pieces 3 to 4 inches across. Replant some of the primrose plants in the same growing location and relocate other plants in other sunny growing areas. Keep the newly divided primrose plants evenly watered for two to three weeks after dividing them to minimize shock and help the plants acclimate to the change.
The Ancient Monastic Complex of Dangkhar Auer, Carmen [u.a.]: The Ancient Monastic Complex of Dangkhar / [Authors: Carmen Auer, Dieter Bauer, Maria Gruber / Gabriela Krist / Kathrin Schmidt / Tanja Bayerova, Scott Kieffer / Christoph Steinbauer, Lobsang Nyima Laurent, Holger Neuwirth]. Ed.: Holger Neuwirth. - Graz : Verlag der Technischen Universität Graz, 2013. - 328 S. : zahlr. Ill., graph. Darst., Kt. - (Buddhist architecture in the Western Himalayas) ISBN 978-3-85125-297-2 (Print-Ausg.) ISBN 978-3-85125-298-9 (eBook) DOI: 10.3217/978-3-85125-297-2 (PDF: S. 1-29) Dangkhar is located within the Spiti valley in Himachal Pradesh, India, a region inhabited by a Tibetan-speaking population for more than thousand years. The ancient monastic complex, situated in the village of the same name, is nested on a vertiginous cliff at the impressive altitude of 3,850 m overlooking the meanders of the Spiti-Pin river confluence. The origin of this fortified site is believed to go back to the 10th -11th century when a powerful dynasty of royal patrons and kings initiated a Buddhist renaissance in the Western Himalayas. It gradually assumed the double function of a political centre and a religious establishment and witnessed the various influences from the neighbouring states (e.g. Ladakh, Tibet) which competed for political supremacy and religious hegemony. Despite the lack of historical sources and archaeological evidence available, the monastery of Dangkhar is intimately linked to the history of the Spiti valley which was an important centre for trade, communication and religious ideas between the Indian subcontinent, Central Asia and West Tibet. In 2009 our team of architects from Graz University of Technology was asked to project a building documentation of the ancient monastery complex in Dangkhar. As a result, the team, which had already spent several years on different research projects on the Buddhist Architecture of the Western Himalaya, was assigned to deal with the planning and implementation of the project. After Markus Weisskopf had secured the funding, the research project was launched at Graz University of Technology with the aim of compiling accurate documentation of the ground plan and buildings of the monastery area as a basis for a restoration concept. The first field research in Dangkhar finally took place in summer 2010 under the expert leadership of Holger Neuwirth who was assisted by Carmen Auer and Dieter Bauer from Graz University of Technology, and actively supported by Lobsang Nyima Laurent, a Swiss archaeologist and Buddhist monk at Tashi Lhunpo Monastery, South India. In order to complete the documentation elaborated in 2010, the fieldwork in the following year included the participation of various actors. Due to the nature of the location, a geological assessment of the site and its stability were evaluated in an interdisciplinary cooperation with the Institute of Applied Geosciences of the TU Graz. A team of restorers from the University of Applied Arts Vienna surveyed the wall paintings of Dangkhar and elaborated the technical preconditions for their restoration. This publication presents the cumulative data gathered during the fieldwork research program 2010 and 2011. We hope that it provides valuable information regarding the history of the place and shall therefore contribute to bringing more awareness and support for the ancient monastic complex of Dangkhar. CARMEN AUER, Projektmitarbeiterin, Institut für Architekturtheorie, TU Graz. Profilseite [überpr. am 12. Nov. 2013] - The Ancient Monastic Complex of Dangkhar. Buddhist Architecture in the Western Himalayas. 328 S. (2013). - Tepe Narenj à Caboul - Spink: Ajanta 6 - Kieven: Following the Cap-Figure in Majapahit Temple Reliefs - Himalayan Passages - Czaja: Medieval Rule in Tibet - Talim: Bagh Caves - Müller: Hinduistische Sakralbaukunst - Rediscovering the Hindu Temple - Sources of Tibetan Tradition - Early Buddhist Architecture in Context
The Take Back the Night march and rally is an annual event that takes place internationally. The idea behind the rally is to raise awareness about violence against women, girls, and LGBTQ2S individuals. The event took place starting in the 1970s in the U.S., but Canada also took leadership in BC in 1978. Since then the Canadian Association of Sexual Assault Centres declared the third Friday of September to be the evening for Take Back the Night rallies nationwide. This rally is the first worldwide effort to combat sexual violence and violence against women. The Take Back the Night foundation came together under the leadership of Katie Koestner, who was the first woman in the U.S. to come forward nationally and publically as the victim of campus date rape in 2001. As an Indigenous woman, I believe it is important to put an emphasis on and bring awareness to Murdered and Missing Indigenous Women, Girls and Two-Spirit people (MMIWG2S). Indigenous women have an elevated risk for violent victimization relative to non-Indigenous women, and are four times more likely to experience violence compared to non-Indigenous women. Despite Canada having a national plan to address gender-based violence, it is still prevalent. The more people that participate in the march, the more awareness we will bring. I am marching for my daughters, my mother, my sisters, my grandmother, for all women everywhere, and for my Indigenous family and for every person who is impacted negatively by gender-based violence. The Sexual Assault Support Centre (SASC) in Waterloo region will hold the event. It will be taking place at Kitchener City Hall this Thursday September 18, 2019 from 6 to 9 p.m. I will be with my singing group “the blue sky singers,” to open up the event with song. Hope to see you there.
E in all the octaves are one of the famous problem notes. But is doesn’t have to be that way. This article will teach you how to improve the note E on the flute. The fingering of E acts kind of like an overtone, that’s why it’s much harder to control. We need to treat E like we would treat a higher overtone. An overtone is when we blow a note too hard and it creates the pitch of a higher note instead. Most of time flutists don’t mean to have this happen. It’s one of those ‘oopsies’ that we just have to learn to control over time and with lots of practice. Included in my online lessons are some harmonic studies and pattern studies that really help those learning how to play the flute.. especially to hit those E’s on tune and on time! E is one of the sweetest and most poignant notes on the flute We also need to use a little extra head resonance and faster airspeed. Think of blowing medium-warm air straight up the back of your mouth, like you’re following the line of your spine. Then let the air follow the curves of your head up and over and down through your nose. What this does is access your sinus cavities and engage them so that they are resonating and vibrating too. If we make a smaller embouchure with a more delicate but defined shape. Create a shape a little bigger than the head of a needle or a pin with a little colored ball on it, then pull down on the muscle under your nose a little. Then target your air like a laser from the point directly between your eyes. E is one of the sweetest and most poignant notes on the flute. All it needs it a little extra love! 🙂 I guess we should take time to mention that not only is the E note harder to hit, but it is also more out of tune than other notes. Depending on your flute condition, make, model, level, and of course your own flute-playing ability, the note E can be a real bugger. For example, many flutes seem to naturally play the second octave E kind of flat, and the third octave E is quite sharp. This can pose quite a challenge when trying to learn to play consistently on tune. It’s a tricky trick! There is a mechanism that some flutes are built with called an “E facilitator”. Not only is the response time of the high (3rd octave) E improved dramatically, but because it allows an extra key to be closed, usually the E is more ‘flat’ than it would be without the facilitator. This can be a really good thing since the notes in the higher octave are generally always sharp (especially for new players) anyway. This E facilitator key is an ‘add-on’ to the standard flute. So if you want one, you’ll have to speak up when you are searching around for the perfect flute for you. New things to think about everyday in the world of flute learning! 🙂
Spatial interpolation and extrapolation methods Environmental measurements are often based on samples, taken at specific locations and in restricted study areas. While these measurements provide useful information about the environmental conditions at or immediately around these locations, they tells us little about the conditions further afield. When wishing to transfer information from past studies to a new area, when needing to estimate conditions at locations not included in the initial survey, or when wanting to produce a contiunuous map of the whole area, therefore, we have to be able to expand from the initial sample sites. Given what is known as Tobler's ‘first law of geography’ – that things closer together tend to be more alike than things that are far apart – we can often predict conditions at unsampled locations on the basis of information from the nearest available measured points. This process is called spatial interpolation when the predictions are made within the same region represented by the measured points (i.e. within the spatial extent of the measured point locations). Spatial extrapolation is also possible, in which predictions are made outside the spatial extent of the measured points. The difference between spatial interpolation and extrapolation is illustrated in Figure 1, below. Figure 1. Interpolation and extrapolation Examples where spatial interpolation or extrapolation may be applied include estimating: - meteorological conditions such as rainfall or temperature at locations other than weather stations; - elevation between survey benchmark locations to create a digital elevation model; - a continuous air pollution surface from a network of regulatory monitoring stations (e.g. measuring NO2, ozone or particulate matter); - indicators of water quality (e.g. salinity, temperature, dissolved oxygen) in surface water bodies based on field measurements at a set of sampling locations. Various methods for interpolation exist in modern geographical information systems (GIS), including (ordered from simple to complex): nearest neighbour, inverse distance weighting, splines, and geostatistical methods such as kriging and co-kriging. The nearest neighbour method uses Thiessen or Voronoi polygons to define areas of influence around each input (i.e. measured) data point. Thiessen polygons have boundaries that define the area that is closest to each point relative to all other points. This property is mathematically defined by the perpendicular bisectors of the lines between all input data points. In this case, every unsampled location is thus assigned the value of its nearest measurement point. Inverse distance weighting (IDW) combines the notion of proximity with that of gradual change of the trend surface. IDW relies on the assumption that the value at an unsampled location is a distance-weighted average of the values from surrounding data points, within a specified window. The points closest to the prediction location are assumed to have greater influence on the predicted value than those further away, such that the weight attached to each point is an inverse function of its distance from the target location. The general formula is given in Equation 1. where: Z(s0) is the value being predicted for the target location s0; N is the number of measured data points in the search window; λi are the weights assigned to each measured point; and Z(si) is the observed value at location si. Splines are piece-wise polynomial functions that are fitted together to provide a complete, yet complex, representation of the surface between the measurement points. Functions are fitted exactly to a small number of points while, at the same time, ensuring that the joins between different parts of the curve are continuous and have no disjunctions. Splines are often useful for calculating smooth surfaces from a large number of input data points and often produce good results for gently varying surfaces such as elevation. Thin plate splines are a special form of spline, which have particular value in interpolation. These, in effect, replace the exact spline surface with a locally smoothed average which passes as close as possible through the data points. They can be used to remove artifacts (e.g. excessively high or low predicted values) resulting from natural variation and measurement error in the input data. Unlike the previous methods, geostatistical methods, popularly known as kriging, can estimate both the predicted values and their standard errors. Kriging is an optimal interpolator that uses the spatial configuration and variance of the input data points to determine the interpolation weights and search radii to provide the best, unbiased estimate at unsampled locations. It attempts to divide the spatial variation of a variable into three components: deterministic variation or trend; a random but spatially correlated component (regionalised variable); and uncorrelated noise. It depends on the regionalised variable theory which assumes that the spatially correlated component is homogeneous (i.e. stationary) throughout the surface. The performance of kriging relies on the presence of spatial autocorrelation – meaning that sites which are close together tend to be more similar than those which are further apart. The nature of the regionalised variable is described by the semivariogram function which is used to optimise the interpolation weights and search radii. The semivariogram is created from the input data points by plotting the semivariance, y(h), against the distance between the pairs of points (h) (Equation 2). For a stationary spatial process, the semivariogram would have a distinctive shape as shown in Figure 2. Different models (e.g. spherical, Gaussian, exponential and linear) can be fitted to the semivariogram and that which gives the best fit chosen for the purpose of prediction. where: n is the number of paired observations of the values of attribute z separated by distance h; and h is the sample spacing, also called the lag. Figure 2. General structure and attributes of the semivariogram At large values of lag (h) the semivariogram tends to level off at the sill. The sill indicates the range beyond which there is no spatial dependence between the input data points. Within the range, spatial autocorrelation exists, so that sites close together have a smaller semivariance. Theoretically, points at the same location would have the same value making the semivariance equal to nil. In practice, however, points that are physically close together can often have quite dissimilar values, either because of very local variation or because of measuremrent errors. This is referred to as the nugget effect, and represents the spatially uncorrelated noise in the data. Using the information from the semivariogram an empirical model can be derived (Equation 3). The fitted semivariogram is used to determine the weights, λi, required for local interpolation. The weights are chosen so that the estimate, z(x0), is unbiased and the estimation variance is less than it would be for any other linear combination of the input data. where: λi are the weights derived from the semivariogram. This model (Equation 3) applies to ordinary, simple and universal kriging which differ in their assumptions about the mean: ordinary kriging assumes a constant, unknown mean; simple kriging assumes a constant, known mean; and universal kriging assumes a trending mean. Additionally, data are often available for more than one variable at the measured points. If the secondary variables are correlated with the primary variable being modelled (and are known at the unsampled locations) they may be used to help predict conditions at unsampled locations by co-kriging. Burrough, P. A. and McDonnell, R. A. 1998 Optimal interpolation using geostatistics. In: Principles of Geographical Information Systems (Burrough, P.A. and McDonnell, R.A. eds.), Oxford: Oxford University Press, 132-161. de Smith M., Goodchild H.F. and Longley P.A, 2009. Geospatial Analysis - a comprehensive guide. 3rd Edition. Issue version 3.11. (see chapter 6.6 and 6.7 under "Contents, figures and tables")
Learn how to draw a great looking Seaweed with easy, step-by-step drawing instructions, and video tutorial. By following the simple steps, you too can easily draw a perfect Seaweed. Don't get caught in the undertow! You can learn how to draw seaweed with the help of this easy, step-by-step nature drawing tutorial. Seaweed is an underwater plant. It is also very easy to draw, consisting mainly of wavy curved lines. Scroll down for a downloadable PDF of this tutorial. Seaweed is home to many aquatic creatures. In this image, you will see a scallop sea shell and a conical seashell living near the seaweed. If you enjoyed this tutorial, you can expand your skills by drawing whole underwater scenes that contain seaweed as well as coral and fish. Check out this coral reef drawing, or plant your seaweed in this fish tank drawing. Step-by-Step Instructions for Drawing Seaweed How to Draw a Great Looking Seaweed for Kids, Beginners, and Adults - Step 1 1. Begin the seaweed outline by drawing a seashell. Use curved lines to outline its trapezoidal base and scalloped edges. Contour the surface of the shell with curved lines. Learn more about how to draw a seashell here. Then, extend a wavy curved line upward from the shell. This will become the central vein of the first leaf of seaweed. Easy Seaweed Drawing - Step 2 2. Complete the leaf outline by drawing two more wavy lines, one on each side of the vein. Allow the lines to meet at a point above the vein. At the base of the plant, enclose two round shapes. These are rocks on the ocean floor. Easy Seaweed Drawing - Step 3 3. Draw another leaf of seaweed. Again, use wavy lines for the vein and edges of the leaf. Enclose the irregular round shape of another rock at the plant's base. Easy Seaweed Drawing - Step 4 4. Draw another oval-shaped rock. From it, extend a wavy line upwards to form the vein of another leaf. Easy Seaweed Drawing - Step 5 5. Outline the leaf using wavy lines that meet at a point above the central leaf vein. Easy Seaweed Drawing - Step 6 6. Draw more leaves partially hidden behind the existing leaves. For each, use wavy lines for the veins and outer edges. Easy Seaweed Drawing - Step 7 7. Draw a few more leaves peaking out from behind the flush of seaweed. Use wavy lines that meet at points at the top. Add More Details to Your Seaweed Picture - Step 8 8. Draw the tips of a few more leaves at the top of the grouping of plants. Use wavy lines that meet at points, with veins running down the middle. Complete the Outline of Your Seaweed Drawing - Step 9 9. Use overlapping curved lines to draw a spiral-shaped shell at the base of the seaweed. Complete the shell with a triangle-shaped point. Then, draw circular bubbles of different sizes floating around the seaweed. Color Your Seaweed Drawing Your seaweed outline is now complete. Color the seaweed green. For more great plant drawing tutorials, see the collection of Beginner Plant Drawing Tutorials. Click HERE to save the tutorial to Pinterest! Seaweed Drawing Tutorial - Easy & Fun Printable Pages Join now and get immediate access to thousands of printable drawing instruction and practice pages! Still seeing ads or not being able to download the PDF? First, check that you're logged in. You can log in on the member login page. If you're still not able to download the PDF, the likely solution is to reload the page. You can do this by clicking the browser reload button. It is a circular arrow-shaped icon at the top of the browser window, typically found in the upper-left side (you can also use keyboard shortcuts: Ctrl+R on PC and Command+R on Mac).
It was Dr. Yigal Gat’s expertise in hydraulics and fluid mechanics (he has a master’s degree in engineering at the Technion in Haifa) that enabled him years later – as a physician – to understand the main cause of male infertility. No – it’s not impotence! It is varicocele, an abnormality of the spermatic veins. There is a breakdown of the one-way valves inside these blood vessels, which – 45 centimeters long on the left side and 40 cm on the right – are not symmetrical. Sperm flow through the vas deferens, which connects the epididymis to the prostate gland. The vas deferens is in the scrotum and is part of a larger tissue bundle called the spermatic cord, which contains the vas deferens, blood vessels, nerves and lymphatic channels. The pampiniform plexus is composed of the spermatic veins of the spermatic cord, which drains blood from the testes, epididymis and vas deferens and eventually become the spermatic veins that drain into the kidneys. Nearly half of all fertility problems are “blamed” on the male, and more than 80 percent of those are due to varicocele. Male animals that walk on all fours don’t suffer from this condition. But men, including adolescents, walking erect can develop hydrostatic pressure in the spermatic vein, weakening the valves and causing hypoxia, a reduction of oxygen in the testes. “THERE IS no active pump to drain the venous blood upward against gravity,” says Gat. “It’s done by a complex physical process relying on the one-way valves along the drainage system, and with the help of randomized pressures stemming from the natural movements of the body operating on the elastic walls of the veins. They open and close 100,000 times a day and can wear out. “With too little oxygen, sperm production declines, and the quality of the sperm that are produced is harmed. The lack of oxygen can create abnormal sperm forms, especially an oval-shaped head rather than the usual arrow-shape that makes it possible for a sperm to penetrate the ‘shell’ of an ovum. “With too little oxygen, the DNA may be damaged, and because the sperm are not fully developed, they cannot impregnate.” (Gat, who comes from a Mea Shearim family, notes that the Talmud describes a fertile man as being like an arrow.) Varicocele usually causes no symptoms, so a man is unaware of it unless he and his partner are trying to conceive. An obvious varicocele is often described as feeling like a bag of worms in a physical examination, but many are not obvious. If men spent all their time hanging by the legs they wouldn’t suffer from varicocele, jokes Gat, who is director of the male fertility department at Bnei Brak’s Ma’ayanei Hayeshua Hospital and on leave from the Rabin Medical Center in Petah Tikva. Gat was the one who discovered and proved by fluid mechanical analysis over a decade ago that hypoxia as a result of varicocele is a physical and measurable factor responsible for male infertility. And, with US-born X-ray and invasive radiology expert Dr. Menachem Goren, he developed a minimally invasive technique that they claim cures 85% of varicocele patients, replacing the need for abdominal surgery. “Now I am an expert in the hydraulics of the male pelvis,” says Gat with a smile. “I am a pelvic plumber,” Goren adds, “but the pipes are more complicated than metal ones, because they are elastic and dynamic.” Researchers have found that waste products of the adrenal glands and kidneys flow back into the testicular tissue when the one-way valves fail to function properly. But varicocele is reversible: When oxygen-rich blood gets through to the testes, they can begin producing healthy sperm again, Gat and Goren said. “The sperm-producing tissue in the testes does not disappear, because when men sleep in a horizontal position, enough oxygen gets through to keep them alive.” Gat, who studied medicine at the Technion and Tel Aviv University, was a gynecology intern and specialized in male fertility. Later he was an intern at the University Hospital at Ghent (Belgium) with renowned Prof. Frank Comhaire, a developer of male infertility treatments. Goren, who studied medicine at Temple University in Philadelphia, has years of experience in treatments based on catheterization. They met at the Rabin Medical Center’s Beilinson Campus, and when they decided to work in partnership, Goren went to the University of Ghent to study the non-surgical treatment of varicocele via interventional radiology. Their collaboration resulted in the development of the Gat-Goren Method of treating varicocele, which they have performed on more than 300 patients so far. VARICOCELE was first recognized as a problem in the 16th century by Ambro se Par, a surgeon who said this abnormality was the result of “melancholic blood.” In the late 19th century, a British surgeon named Barfield first proposed the relationship between infertility and varicocele. In the 1950s, after a man who didn’t produce any sperm underwent surgical repair of varicocele and suddenly became fertile, the idea of surgically correcting varicoceles with a high ligation of the left internal spermatic vein gained support among US surgeons. Goren notes that many doctors were unaware of the complicated anatomy involved, as “you can’t see the vein in the abdomen via ultrasound, or in autopsies, since these networks deteriorate quickly after death.” Varicocele has long been regarded by male fertility experts as a disease of the left spermatic vein, but with Gat’s understanding of hydraulics and years of research, he discovered that it’s also common on the right side. “We concluded that the disease wasn’t fully diagnosed, and therefore was not treated properly.” Gat also found that variocele causes the temperature in the testicles to rise from the reflux (backing up) of body-temperature blood instead of the cooler blood that normally exists in the testes because they are outside the pelvis. “Testicles hang outside the body because there is an enzyme for transcription of genetic material that won’t work if the environment is hotter than 33 C,” explains Gat. The four degrees’ difference between that and normal body temperature makes all the difference. “In the conventional procedure, in which men undergo general anesthesia in an operating room, a urological surgeon performs a left high ligation and blockage of the central vein. It takes 20 minutes, but urologists didn’t do the right side, or weren’t aware of the whole network of bypasses in the system, so in a significant number of cases, it didn’t solve the problem,” Gat says. But the Gat-Goren catheterization method locates and treats defective blood vessels on both sides and improves oxygen supply necessary for the production of sperm cells. It costs NIS 9,000, but is unfortunately not included in the basket of health services, although some private and public supplementary health policies cover some of the cost. Varicocele patients who do not undergo the Gat-Goren Method submit to less-expensive abdominal surgery but require significantly longer recovery times. Many of the patients they receive in their Ramat Gan clinic are haredi men who “fight to have children, or more children. It is the most important thing in life for them,” says Gat. About 15% of his patients are Arabs. During the past two years, Gat and several of his colleagues published seven articles in respected journals about the technique, including Fertility and Sterility,, the Journal of Urology and Human Reproduction. Gat recently received an honorary doctorate from the University of Ghent in recognition of his pathfinding work. DR. URIEL LEVINGER, deputy director of the internal medicine B Department at the Rabin Medical Center, says: “The Gat-Goren Method is the best way to treat male infertility, offering a complete cure. It’s a genuine breakthrough. Every couple suffering from infertility should have the man checked as well. In light of my close acquaintance with the method and its successes, I suggest every man suffering from infertility get examined for consideration of treatment by the Gat-Goren Method.” Dr. Zvi Zukerman, former head of the male fertility unit at Rabin, adds: “Dr. Gat and Dr. Goren developed a unique catheterization method that locates and treats defective blood vessels on both sides, and improves the oxygen supply necessary for the production of sperm cells. The results are impressive.” DURING THE procedure, which is performed under local anesthesia, Goren inserts a catheter through a vein in the upper thigh. The catheter is used to inject a fluid that selectively closes off all the malfunctioning veins, thereby enabling the testicular tissues to recover and begin to produce normal sperm in normal amounts. It takes one to two hours (plus half an hour of rest before going home), and causes virtually no discomfort. Within 48 hours, the patient resumes his normal routine. They claim that previously infertile men whom they treated – including some who were considered azoospermic (with no functioning sperm cells, or no sperm at all) – were able to father children. Improvement in sperm production, sperm shape and function, they say, is usually evident within six months, but may sometimes be discernible in only 80 days. Gat and Goren are the only team in the world using their technique, which is still regarded with some suspicion by urological surgeons, although they are teaching the method in France and Belgium. “During the past four years,” they continue, “we have handled dozens of cases in which azoospermic men suddenly began to produce sperm, and some couples achieved spontaneous conception (mainly those who had children already), while others succeeded in the first or second cycle of in-vitro fertilization treatments.” Liron L., one of their patients, called the two doctors “my saviors, my angels. After four years of fertilization treatments, when we almost gave up on having children, I found out the problem was with me. We had already been discouraged from trying to have a baby. We visited a professor who said nothing more could be done, and a doctor who suggested invasive surgery. But I heard of the Goren-Gat Method and went to them, and a few months later my wife got pregnant. “Two years later, I am the proud father of two.” (Originally appeared in The Jerusalem Post)
What is a cell?Edit A cell is a bag of liquid that holds in the stuff of life. A cell is the smallest unit of a living (things) organism. If you look at living things under a microscope, you will see that they are made of small squares or balls. Robert Hooke, a biologist from England, saw small squares in cork with a microscope. They looked like rooms. Small rooms are sometimes called cells, so he named them that. What types of cells are there?Edit There are two kinds of cells: eukaryotes, which have a large ball in them called a nucleus, and prokaryotes, which do not. Most prokaryotes are very small. Prokaryotes include just two kingdoms: Bacteria and Archea. All of the rest of the kingdoms are Eukaryotes: Animals , Plants, Fungi, and Protists. What do cells look like?Edit Cells are surrounded by a thin oil layer called the cell membrane. It separates the inside of the cell from the outside. Some cells also have a firm box around them called a cell wall that keeps it from breaking. The water that fills a cell is called the cytoplasm. Inside a cell, knowledge is stored in a thing called a chromosome. It tells the cell how to work, like steps in a book. Eukaryotic cells hold their chromosomes in a structure called a nucleus, which has its own oily membrane around it. Cells also have many other membrane-bound things called organelles, which means "little organs". Some organelles found in eukaryotic cells are called ribosomes, vacuoles, mitochondria, and chloroplasts. Cells that do different things have different shapes. A plant leaf cell takes light and uses it to make sugar. To do this, it has green organelles called chloroplasts. To get the most light it pushes cytoplasm in circles around a hollow bubble of water in the center of the cell called a vacuole. A human sperm cell carries its chromosomes, found in the nucleus, to an egg cell in order to make a new baby. It has a large tail called a flagella that helps it to swim. It also has many organelles called mitochondria that give it power like gasoline gives power to a motor. - nucleus - A ball of membrane in the middle of the cell that holds the chromosomes. - chromosomes - Things that hold the knowledge of the cell. - prokaryote - A cell without a nucleus. - eukaryote - A cell with a nucleus. - organelles - Little things inside a cell. - cytoplasm - The gel-like inside of a cell. - membrane - An oil bag that holds water. - vacuole - An organelle full of water and waste inside a cell. - mitochondria - An organelle that makes power in a cell. - chloroplast - An organelle that makes sugar found in a plant or protist. - flagella - A tail on a cell that makes it swim. - golgi body - An organelle which helps in secretion. - ribosome - An organelle which helps in synthesis of proteins.
Babies and eczema Eczema is not unusual in babies, but there is a lot of conflicting advice out there. Julie Van Onselen answers 10 common questions about eczema in little ones. This article was published in Exchange 181, September 2021. Eczema affects around 20% of children in the UK. It usually starts during the first six months. If your baby is one of them, you may already have experience of eczema in your family – or it may be a brand new condition to get to grips with. These are the most common questions that we tend to hear from families whose babies have eczema. 1. What caused my baby’s eczema? There is no single cause of atopic eczema. Eczema is a complex condition – it is genetic but also involves an overactive immune response to environmental factors, which cause eczema flares. Because the atopic gene is hereditary, it runs in families, and is responsible for three conditions: eczema, asthma and hay fever. Fifty per cent of people with eczema have an additional genetic element – a difference in a skin protein called filaggrin – which leads to further problems in the skin barrier. All atopic conditions can be linked to allergies in some people, but there are also many universal irritants, such as soap and heat. 2. Did my baby develop eczema because I couldn’t breastfeed? As eczema is caused by genetic factors, bottle-feeding a baby definitely cannot cause eczema. In fact, current research is divided, with some studies showing positive effects of breastfeeding and others showing no significant effects at all. Neither is there enough evidence to advise pregnant or breastfeeding women to avoid specific foods to protect unborn children from atopic eczema or any other atopic condition. 3. What does eczema look like? In babies with paler skin, when eczema is flaring the skin is red and itchy. In babies with darker skin, the irritated, itchy areas may be red but are more likely to show as darker (hyperpigmented) patches. They may also appear paler around the front or back of knees or elbows. When an area of darker skin is treated for eczema, it may become lighter and may take several months to return to the baby’s normal skin tone. 4. Will my baby grow out of eczema? Sadly, it is impossible to predict whether your baby will have eczema for life or for just a short time. So far, there is no cure for eczema. Eczema is a chronic condition with periods of flare and periods of remission, and most people with a history of eczema still have problems with dry and itchy skin. If your child has a difference in their filaggrin gene, they will not grow out of it. Even if your baby appears to ‘grow out of’ their eczema, it may return during the teenage years or in adulthood. 5. Is milk or food allergy a problem and should I make any changes to my baby’s diet? Dietary allergy can occur in any child – usually between three months and two years of age. Babies with eczema have a slightly higher risk of allergy, but lots of babies with eczema have no milk or other food allergy. A baby with an immediate allergic reaction may have a sudden flare of eczema, become very itchy or start to wheeze, while a baby with a delayed reaction is more likely to have colic, reflux, vomiting and reluctance to feed. If you think your baby has a food allergy, keep a diary, note any reactions, and ask for a referral to a paediatric dermatologist or allergist. The vast majority of food allergy is limited to nine food groups: milk, egg, peanut, soya, wheat, tree nuts, sesame, shellfish and kiwi. Diagnosing food allergy in children up to the age of three is based on a history of symptoms. Treatment involves avoiding the food and then gradually reintroducing it. The only exceptions are peanut and shellfish as these are lifelong allergies. Whatever happens, don’t change your baby’s diet unless you’ve been advised to by a healthcare professional, as this may affect your baby’s growth and development. 6. Which is the best emollient for my baby? Emollients (medical moisturisers) treat dry skin by providing a surface film of oils. This increases water in the upper layer of the skin, restoring and providing a robust skin barrier, to prevent the entry of environmental agents or triggers. Emollients soften the skin and reduce itch. If they are used regularly to maintain skin hydration, they can reduce the frequency of eczema flares. Leave-on emollients include lotions, creams, ointments and gels. The emollient advised or prescribed for your baby should prevent dry skin and not cause irritation. You might need to try several products until you find the right one. Apply leave-on emollients regularly, throughout the day – for example, at every nappy change and after bathing. Use the product liberally (for a baby you should be using 250g per week). To apply the product, dot it all over the skin, and then smooth it in, using a gentle, downward, stroking motion rather than rubbing in. 7. How often should I bathe my baby? If your baby has eczema, a daily bath with an emollient will help soothe the eczema and reduce dry skin and itching, while cleansing the skin, removing dirt and repairing the skin barrier. Use leave-on emollients instead of soaps, baby washes or bubble bath, or alternatively use emollient wash products or bath additives. Avoid any perfumed products and keep the water tepid, as heat can aggravate eczema. 8. Should I worry about using the topical steroids prescribed by my healthcare professional? No, you don’t need to worry, as long as you follow your healthcare professional’s specific instructions. Topical steroids are first-line treatments for babies with eczema. These creams have been used to treat eczema for more than 50 years, so there is a good understanding of how they work. If you don’t treat the eczema promptly and adequately, skin damage is far more likely to occur through scratching into the deeper layers of skin. 9. How can I stop my baby itching? Keeping your baby’s skin well moisturised and controlling any flares are the best ways to reduce the itch. Try to work out any individual factors that trigger your baby’s flares and try to avoid exposing them to irritants. Scratching is a response to itch – but it can become a habit, too. So, keep your baby’s nails short and use sleepsuits with built-in mittens. Keep the bedroom cool: around 18°C. 10. What should I do if my baby’s eczema gets worse? If your baby has wet, weepy skin (perhaps with golden crusting) and their eczema is not getting better with steroids, their skin may be infected and they may need antibiotics. If your baby’s eczema flare does not get better with the standard treatments recommended by the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE), your GP should refer them to a dermatology specialist. If they suspect an allergy, they should refer them to an allergist or joint dermatology–allergy clinic. Help is out there If your baby has eczema it’s understandable to feel worried, but you are not alone. If there’s anything you are unsure about, talk to your health visitor or GP, and there’s always the NES Helpline on 0800 448 0818.
As you may know, our daily lessons plans are on summer vacation and will return in early September. In the meantime, we’ve got some surprises in store for both teachers and students, starting with our Summer Reading Challenge. If you receive our e-mail, you’ll see our summertime materials under the heading “Summer Special.” But this week we’re looking back at the school year in various subjects. Yesterday we summed up the year in social studies, American and global history, civics and geography. Today is an overview of the year in science, health, technology and math. And check out tomorrow’s round-up of language arts, literature, journalism and fine arts. Much of what we do is interdisciplinary, so you may well find something interesting and useful in the other posts. And if you missed our year-end round-up, in which we reflected on the 2009-10 school year overall, please take a look. Whether you’re spending the summer teaching or will use some vacation time to plan for the next school year, we hope these lessons are helpful to you. Our science lessons from the 2009-10 school year tend to fall into three categories: experiment-based lessons that call for students to work in the lab or field, lessons that take a novel approach to science learning and science news-based activities. In the category of laboratory and field work, we had students doing a variety of experiments, such as simulating the Gulf oil spill and cleanup, considering natural variation in corn, observing trees and testing factors that affect helium balloon lift (with a nod to the “balloon boy” story that captivated the nation last fall). And there’s even a lesson on developing questions for professional scientists in the field. And we suggested ways to keep up on scientific developments in the news, including how to evaluate science and health news reports, consider the science and politics of climate change, study the Pacific garbage patch and tracking existing evidence about Neanderthals. We tackled a variety of health topics this year. In teen and children’s health, we looked at nutrition and fitness (including an “A-Z” Web hunt activity), body dysmorphic disorder and eating disorders and the choking game and legal substance abuse. Our technology lessons this year tended to focus on productive digital behaviors and core skills. We provided guides for students to take stock of their digital media habits, consider the cellphone as learning tool and become better “netizens” by executing efficient searches and participating constructively in online discussions. For math teachers, students and enthusiasts, last month we offered our first-ever Numbers in the News quiz. Before that, our lessons covered a variety of math skills and concepts from the basic to the abstract: - using the metric system - graphing college expenses - explaining abstract math concepts - understanding numbers in news reports - evaluating polling methods and results - solving math puzzles Look for more math-based activities in the 2010-11 school year. In the meantime, we hope you’ll share with us your favorite lessons and ideas for what we should cover next year.
Formula or solid foods: Which should come first? I have a seven-month-old daughter. I feel formula is more important than solids at her age. She is drinking 24 ounces followed by four tablespoons of baby food at each meal. Some of my friends say solids are much more important. Should I continue giving her mostly formula or increase her solids and cut back on the formula?Question: At seven months, breastmilk or formula is still more important in meeting your child's nutritional needs than are solids. However, if she will still drink her 24 ounces of formula even after eating solids first, the order in which they are served is not important. This is where knowing your baby is critical. Some babies will want nothing to do with solids. By not gently encouraging them to try solids and offering the solids when they are hungry, they may not progress in their eating skills. Others will be so enthusiastic about solids that they may fill up on foods and miss out on the still important nutrients of their formula. For these babies, it may be best to divide the formula feeding into a before and after affair. The move from breastmilk or formula to solids is a gradual affair. Once your baby is eating a wide variety of solids, so that she can get most of her nutritional needs from them, then it is okay to allow breastmilk or formula intake to go down and to follow or accompany the meal. As a general guideline, at seven months, 24 to 32 ounces of formula is recommended. From eight months onward, the recommended amount of formula decreases as solids begin to play a bigger role. In a month or two, your daughter's formula feeding may be left for after the solids, or for her midday and early morning and bedtime bottles. Until then, you are wise to serve it first, if that is how you can guarantee she will drink what she needs.Answer:
Did your student always sell the most Girl Scout cookies, or did they somehow always capture the attention of those driving by their intricate lemonade stand? If so, a career in entrepreneurship may be a great fit. Many teens today want to work for themselves and start their own businesses. However, starting a business in high school is not easy. Building a successful business takes leadership, determination, creativity, and a lot of hard work. Through business-oriented, career readiness education at K12-powered Destinations Career Academy, high school students can prepare themselves to become successful entrepreneurs before graduation. Job Profile: Entrepreneur What does an entrepreneur do exactly? Ask 1,000 entrepreneurs, and you'll get 1,000 different answers. Many entrepreneurs take the title of chief executive officer, president, or founder of their businesses. As unique as their ventures, entrepreneurs tend to pave their own way into business. Some are profit-driven and seek the next great business plan. Some are inventors and want to share their products with the world. But all entrepreneurs must lead the charge for their business. For entrepreneurs starting a business, the work can be vast. From business plans to finding investors and creating a product, entrepreneurs have their work cut out for them—whether that's solo or with a team. To achieve their business goals, entrepreneurs may be responsible for: Business planning and strategizing to grow business Sales and investor relations to gain funding and revenue for the business Accounting to manage finances, including payroll, expenses, taxes, and revenue Marketing to establish a unique brand and attract customers Project management to carry out operations Students who dream of being entrepreneurs may be on the fence about college. Many famous and lucrative entrepreneurs, like Steve Jobs and Richard Branson, have set the precedent that success does not require a college degree. According to a CNBC/SurveyMonkey Small Business Survey, more than half of small business owners today do not have a college degree. While anyone can start a business, an education in business administration can help lay a strong foundation. Learning Business at Destinations Career Academy Imagine an entrepreneur's closet, and you're likely not thinking of a row of black suits. Instead, you might imagine Steve Jobs in his turtle neck or Mark Zuckerberg in a hoodie. Entrepreneurs break the mold of business at every level. Similarly, Destinations Career Academy modernizes career readiness education. Students learn in virtual classrooms, choose pathways that interest them, and gain real-world experience. Your student's path to becoming an entrepreneur will be unique. By exploring their options in high school, your student can understand how to pursue entrepreneurship leading with their strengths. For instance, students who enjoy art or writing may dive deeper into marketing. Math-whizzes may focus more on finance or accounting. This can shape their approach to starting a business. To start any Business pathway, all students take Business and Marketing Explorations, a project-based learning course. With so many approaches to entrepreneurship, this class is the perfect way to uncover which might be a good fit. Through long-term group projects, students gain a hands-on perspective on different pathways. From finance to marketing, this course helps students understand their strengths and decide what they'd like to focus on. After completing this course, students can choose a Business pathway, such as: Hospitality: Food and Beverage Technical Skills for Entrepreneurs An entrepreneur without an actual business isn't much of an entrepreneur. Learning some technical skills will be necessary to transform an idea into a business. There are a number of technical skills that make a business successful—from creating a business plan to balancing a budget. Destinations Career Academy's Entrepreneurship pathway includes the course Entrepreneurship 1, which teaches technical basics like: Developing new business ideas Understanding economic principles Marketing their business Professional Skills for Entrepreneurs While students may already have some aptitude for crunching numbers or marketing a product, some skills come through experience. Professional skills help entrepreneurs maintain relationships with investors, coworkers, and their customers so that their business can thrive. But how can students learn these skills in a classroom or textbook? Through project-based learning, classes at Destinations simulate real-world problems so students can learn real-world solutions. This gives them experience most students don't earn until their first job. Through long-term, collaborative projects, Business pathway students learn: Strong leadership to motivate team members Clear communication to keep projects moving forward Productive collaboration to accomplish a shared goal Critical thinking to solve complex problems These skills become even more valuable when done virtually. It's commonplace for every business to have a website and social media. With this new digital "storefront," where businesses must communicate with customers, having experience in digital communication is a must. Behind the scenes, companies are conducting business virtually as well. Video conferences, email threads, and sharing digital documents is everyday work for modern business. While most people must learn these skills on the job, Destinations students learn them by simply attending class. Extracurriculars for Business Students Clubs don't end after high school. From networking groups to business associations, getting involved in the community is a part of doing business. Students in a Business pathway can make this involvement part of their routine with career clubs and Career Technical Student Organizations (CTSOs) at Destinations. Through organizations like DECA or Future Business Leaders of America, students get into the habit of connecting with other entrepreneurs. Together, students work to grow their skills through community service projects and competitions. At Destinations Career Academy, students gain work-based experiences both in and out of the classroom. Project-based learning gives students a chance to learn skills through hands-on assignments. Students can take a peek at how industry experts handle these projects. Through platforms like Nepris, real-world entrepreneurs join class sessions to share their insights with students. Students ready to get to work can apply for internships, apprenticeships, or even job shadow. These experiences help bring classroom lessons to life, so students gain a deeper understanding. Exploring Entrepreneurship at Destinations Career Academy Whoever coined the term "time is money" must have been an entrepreneur. The path to creating a successful business is long. By starting your student early on their career path, they can reach their goals sooner. Destinations Career Academy embraces entrepreneurial spirits and nurtures their skills. Through the Entrepreneurship pathway, your high school student can gain real-world business experience and feel empowered in the next step in their ventures. Learn more about IT Career Readiness Education and K12’s innovative approach to empowering exploration.
In June it will be 50 years since President John F. Kennedy signed the Equal Pay Act, prohibiting employers from paying women less than men to do the same job. So, 50 years later, why are we still talking about equal pay for women? Because we still haven’t achieved it. In the United States, on average, a woman earns 82 percent of what a man earns, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. In New York state, the ratio is slightly better: 84 percent, on average. However, the pay gap is much worse for African-American women (who make 66 percent of what non-Hispanic men earn) and Hispanic women (a dismal 55 percent), according to statistics cited by Gov. Andrew Cuomo in his State of the State address last week. Cuomo made pay equity the first item on a 10-point women’s agenda he calls the Women’s Equality Act. Most of the attention focused on No. 10, the governor’s support for abortion rights. (Chanting “it’s her body, it’s her choice” three times at the top of your lungs will get people’s attention.) Yet closing the wage gap between men and women has the potential to raise millions of New York women (and their children) out of poverty. Forty-two percent of New Yorkers under the poverty line are single women head of households with children under age 5, the Cuomo administration said. Why is the pay gap so stubborn? Powerful economic and societal forces are at work. For example, so-called women’s work — child care, textile manufacturing, retail cashier — simply is valued less than the labor in traditionally male occupations, and so the pay is commensurately less. Also, women still are more likely than men to step off the career ladder after having a family or to care for an elderly parent. This may partly explain why women lag in pay even in professional occupations where brains matter more than brawn. Researchers at Carnegie Mellon University, in Pittsburgh, found that women who are lawyers or health care practitioners earn about three-fourths what their male counterparts earn. Out of 35 occupations the researchers surveyed, women earned more than men in only one: counseling. (Compare your own salary using their app at www.closethewagegap.com.) Women also tend to underestimate their own value, feel they aren’t entitled to more pay, or just be happy to have a job at all. And they’re terrible negotiators; the Carnegie Mellon researchers found women are 2.5 times more likely than men to say they feel “a great deal of apprehension” about negotiating for better pay. Women who start lower on the pay scale than men may never catch up. And all of that adds up. Over a lifetime, wage discrimination can cost a woman between $250,000 and $1 million in income, according to the New York State Pay Equity Coalition (pdf). Cuomo proposes to triple the damages an employer must pay if found guilty of wage discrimination; tighten exceptions to the equal pay provision in state labor law, which currently has broad exceptions that make it hard for women to build a case; and prohibit employers from firing or retaliating against workers who share pay information with co-workers. That knowledge is power. Of themselves, these reforms won’t end pay inequity between the sexes. But they will help.
II Of the Revival, Progress, and present State of Gardening in Holland and the Netherlands 150. Gardening was first brought to a high degree of perfection in Holland and the Netherlands. The crusades, in the twelfth century, are generally supposed to have excited a taste for building and gardening in the north of Europe. But, from Stephanns and Gesner, it would appear that the Dutch had had some taste for plants even previously to this period. It is to be regretted that scarcely any materials are to be found from which to compose such a history as this interesting circumstance requires. Harte (Essays on Agriculture) conjectures that the necessities arising from the original barrenness of the soil (that of Flanders having been formerly like what Arthur Young describes Norfolk to have been nearly a century ago), together with a certain degree of liberty, the result of the remoteness of the situation from kings and priests, may have contributed to improve their agriculture; and that the wealth acquired by the commercial men of Holland, then the most eminent merchants in the world, enabled them to indulge in country houses and gardens, and to import foreign plants. It is certain that the Dutch flowers principally cultivated are all Oriental, as the, ranunculus, anemone, tulip, hyacinth, narcissus, &c. These no doubt came to them from Constantinople, perhaps not before 1453, at the fall of the Eastern Roman Empire, when the Greeks fled into Italy. Thence the flowers might have migrated to Vienna, and into Holland; or perhaps might have been carried by the Arabians into Spain, and thence transplanted by Charlemagne into Holland and the Netherlands. Beckmann says, ï¿½I think I may with great probability assert, that the modern taste for flowers came from Persia to Constantinople, and was imported thence to Europe, for the first time, in the 16th century.ï¿½ By whatever means, however, the bulbous flowers of the East may have reached the Dutch, it is certain that one cause why they have at an early period excelled in their culture is, that the climate, and soil of Holland are singularly favourable for horticulture and floriculture; the two departments of gardening in which the Dutch are most eminent.
Easton's Bible Dictionary (1897)/Ararat Ararat: sacred land or high land, the name of a country on one of the mountains of which the ark rested after the Flood subsided (Genesis 8:4). The "mountains" mentioned were probably the Kurdish range of South Armenia. In 2 Kings 19:37, Isaiah 37:38, the word is rendered "Armenia" in the Authorized Version, but in the Revised Version, "Land of Ararat." In Jeremiah 51:27, the name denotes the central or southern portion of Armenia. It is, however, generally applied to a high and almost inaccessible mountain which rises majestically from the plain of the Araxes. It has two conical peaks, about 7 miles apart, the one 14,300 feet and the other 10,300 feet above the level of the plain. Three thousand feet of the summit of the higher of these peaks is covered with perpetual snow. It is called Kuh-i-nuh, i.e., "Noah's mountain", by the Persians. This part of Armenia was inhabited by a people who spoke a language unlike any other now known, though it may have been related to the modern Georgian. About B.C. 900 they borrowed the cuneiform characters of Nineveh, and from this time we have inscriptions of a line of kings who at times contended with Assyria. At the close of the seventh century B.C. the kingdom of Ararat came to an end, and the country was occupied by a people who are ancestors of the Armenians of the present day.
Harry Phillips Sr. sits in a horse-drawn wagon on the Bixby Ranch in an area that later became the Palos Verdes Golf Course. Two horses are tied up behind the wagon, and a barn and other structure are visible in background of photo, ca. 1910. (Photo courtesy Palos Verdes Library Local History Collection.) In 1882, the Rancho de los Palos Verdes land grant once owned by the Sepulveda family was partitioned into 17 parcels as part of a tangled legal settlement. The largest share, 16,000 acres which included most of the Palos Verdes Peninsula, went to rancher Jotham Bixby. Bixby may be better known these days as a major developer of the city of Long Beach, including the 120-acre residential area, Bixby Knolls, that bears his name. In Palos Verdes, Bixby built his ranch house near where the Peninsula Center and Avenue of the Peninsula shopping centers currently stand. His cattle used to range as far as what is now known as Machado Lake in Harbor City, but in those days became known as Bixby Slough. Ownership of the ranch passed to his son George when Jotham died in 1894. George Bixby hired a recent immigrant from Scotland, Henry Phillips Sr., to be his ranch foreman. Bixby’s ranch thrived under Phillips’ management. He raised chiefly barley for hay and for grain. Phillips also introduced Hereford bulls into the existing cattle population, molding it into a high-quality herd of 2,000 head by 1911. In addition, he planted non-native eucalyptus tree windbreaks, figuring that the Australian trees would do well in the dry climate. They did. Farmhands with mule-team, wagons and threshing machine working on the Bixby Ranch, Rolling Hills Estates, ca. 1910. (Photo courtesy Palos Verdes Library Local History Collection.) Phillips built two ranch houses on the Peninsula. His first one was located on land near where the Rolling Hills City Hall currently stands; the second was called “the farmery” and was built on the current-day Lariat Lane just southeast of the intersection of Palos Verdes Drive North and Rolling Hills Road. Phillips encouraged Bixby to lease coastal portions of the ranch near Portuguese Bend to Japanese farmers for $10 an acre. About forty families took him up on the offer, including longtime South Bay farmers the Ishibashi family. They raised a variety of vegetables, particularly tomatoes and peas. Harry Phillips’ son, Harry Jr., who was born in 1889, recalled his idyllic early days cattle farming with his father in a Daily Breeze interview in 1971. Phillips Jr., shown at right riding his horse “Bird” in a 1912 photo, lived on the ranch from 1894 until 1914. He was living in San Pedro at the time of the 1971 interview. He died in 1980. He remembered the annual cattle roundups, when the animals were herded together at the Bixby ranch and driven to Wilmington with the help of local cowboys and vaqueros to be loaded on railroad cars for the trip to the packing plant in Cudahy near Los Angeles. He talked about how coyotes and rattlesnakes were ubiquitous in the area. Many sheep and chickens were lost to them, and the ranch hands used to pursue them year round. According to Phillips, the last roundup on the Bixby ranch was held in 1912. In November 1913, Bixby sold his 16,000 acres to banker Frank A. Vanderlip Sr., setting in motion the plans that eventually would transform the Peninsula into a luxury residential community. Harry Phillips Jr. drives a horse-team plowing the area near eastern edge of Palos Verdes Estates on the Bixby Ranch in this ca. 1910 photo. (Photo courtesy Palos Verdes Library Local History Collection.) Photos courtesy the Palos Verdes Library District Local History Collection, http://localhistory.pvld.org/. “Ex-Cowboy Leads Day,” by Dwight Oliver, Daily Breeze, Sept. 14, 1971. The Palos Verdes Peninsula: A History, by Carmen Marinella, 1993. Palos Verdes Peninsula: Time and the Terraced Land, by Augusta Fink, Western Tanager Press, 1987. The Palos Verdes Story, by Delane Morgan, Palos Verdes Review, 1982.
What Is the Best Fertilizer for Pachysandra? Pachysandra, commonly called spurge, is a genus of five species of low-growing ground covers. The typically grown and commercially available Pachysandra is the Japanese spurge (Pachysandra terminalis). Less well known Allegheny spurge (Pachysandra procumbens), native to much of the Southeast, is better suited to warm climates. Pachysandra species require little maintenance but mature stands may require fertilizer for more vigorous growth. Judging Fertilizer Needs Japanese spurge grows best in cooler climates, and too much sun can discolor it. Dry winter conditions can also cause off-color splurge. Adding fertilizer will not help put color back in Japanese spurge that is pale because of those issues. If you live in a warmer climate, you might consider the native Allegheny surge that can tolerate more sun. The University of Illinois Extension Service recommends applying 1 to 2 pounds of 10-10-10 fertilizer per 100 square feet on pachysandra genera as new spring growth begins. Wash the water off the foliage after applying. Purdue University Cooperative Extension recommends fertilizing ground covers every spring as new growth begins or late fall. Use 1 1/2 to 2 pounds of 12-12-12 fertilizer per 100 square feet of area. Japanese spurge will grow in U.S. Department of Agriculture plant hardiness zones 4 through 8. Hardy in USDA zones 7 and 8, it requires partial shade but full shade is even better. Japanese spurge has 2-to 3 1/2-inch-long leaves and forms a dense carpet from 6 to 10 inches high, yielding small white flowers in spring. Japanese spurge, an invasive plant, will spread into adjacent garden areas if allowed. More showy and slower growing than Japanese spurge, Allegheny spurge, also called mountain surge, is deciduous in colder USDA zones 4 to 7 but is evergreen in USDA zones 8 to 10. This American native grows 4 to 9 inches high with grayish green leaves mottled with brown or purple and yields small pink or white flower in early spring before new leaves emerge. Allegheny spurge grows in partial to full shade but is at its best in dappled shade. - University of Illinois Extension: Pachysandra - Virginia Cooperative Extension: Japanese Pachysandra, Japanese Spurge, Pachysandra Terminalis - Purdue University Cooperative Extension: Ground Covers for the Landscape - Ladybird Johnson Wildflower Center, University of Texas: Pachysandra Procumbens - Floridata: Pacysandra Procumbens - University of Arkansas Extension: Allegheny Spurge
Abemama (pronounced Apamama), the land of the moon-light, is known by many as the island where the Declaration of a British Protectorate was made by Captain Davis of ‘Royalist’ on 27 May 1892. For a while, it was a home to Robert Loius Stevenson. The island is well known for its pristine beach and crystal clear blue lagoon. In Abemama, you still can find physical evidence of American and Japanese WWII relics, cultural shrines and sites/monuments relating to their traditional spirits and famous King Binoka. History of King Binoka and his close allies, the early foreign traders, can still be heard through oratory that was passed from one generation to another and written in some history books of Kiribati. The island is considered one of the popular weekend hideaways for expatriate from Tarawa (capital) and usually visited by cruising yachts due to its very sheltered lagoon bay. It also has the potential to host fly fishermen due its abundance of bonefishes. Abemama has an area of 16 square kilometers and an estimated population 3,608 (census 2005). The islets surround a deep lagoon. The eastern part of the atoll of Abemama is linked by causeways making automobile traffic possible between the different islets. The outlying islands of Abatiku and Bike are situated on the southwestern side of the atoll. The village of Kariatebike serves as the government center for the atoll which includes an administration building, the police station and a hospital. Next to Kariatebike on the eastern side is Chevalier College and the western side is the only government Junior Secondary School. History, Tradition and Culture Abemama is known as the island where the Declaration of a British Protectorate made by Captain Davis of Royalist on 27 May 1892. The first British Resident Commissioner was CR Swayne who was appointed in 1893. To rule such a scattered empire, which included Ellice Islands at a time of very poor shipping was a near impossibility. The Resident Commissioner therefore started to appoint Island officials. In Abemama, officials were automatically chosen from the chiefly family. In 1889, it was also the home of Robert Louis Stevenson. Near Tabontebike is the tomb of a tyrant-chief Tem Binoka, who was immortalized by Stevenson in his novel “In the South Seas”. During WWII the American submarine USS Nautilus landed a force of 78 Marine Amphibious Reconnaissance Scouts to seize the island on 21 November 1943. On the morning of 25 November, a native reported to the Marines that the remaining Japanese committed suicide. In most of the northern islands, there are several district leaders, each of whom led a group of Kainga. On Abemama – Kuria – Aranuka one chief was recognized as paramount. The chiefly dynasty of Abemama, Kuria and Aranuka was only consolidated after the arrival of Europeans. The heads of the Kainga were always consulted on matters affecting the community and could initiate action, but always they were obliged to seek the approval of the chief, who provided overall leadership and regulated relationships amongst the kainga. Strong evidence of these early activities can still be physically seen on the ground and stories related to them transcend from one generation to another. In Abemama, the chiefly family and its present generation are still highly regarded and respected status among the community is still intact and recognized. Traditional welcome for First Time Visitors a) Any tour of the island for first time visitors should start from Kabangaki village b)Traditional shrines and cultural sites are recommended sites to visit/see and all visitors are advised to bring sticks of tobacco (3) as offering gifts at the shrines. c) All visitors are advised to drive slowly when passing through a village or a maneaba where a meeting of the community elders is held. d) Visitors especially ladies are advised to appropriately cover their body when walking around the villages (bikinis not acceptable). e) The sitting protocol for every maneaba or homes of the local people is that you have to sit and fold your legs probably and it’s considered insulting to stretch out your legs while sitting. Splendid local activities are available on the island and visitors can enjoy themselves with. The activities include: - Local weavings - Playing local games - Experiencing traditional lifestyles/local practices. Visitors should aware when traveling to Abemama that facilities and services are limited and the island is remote in nature. You will need flexibility in your plans to allow for instances where there may be transport delays. It is highly recommended that you take additional supplies of drinking water. Medical facilities are limited on the islands to a local clinic and village nurse. Pharmaceuticals are not available and you will to ensure you have any medications you may require and basic medical supplies. Please also ensure you have advised family and friends of your travel plans and when you expect to return. It is also important to note that as a sign of respect you will need to leave offerings at a number of the shrines you visit. Tobacco/cigarettes are the traditional offering. If you are interested in participating in any cultural activity please have it arranged prior your travel or you can ask around the local people and they are usually most obliging. Communications while on the island may be limited; however some villages will have a public phone.
Most academic writing cites others' ideas and research. How citing sources benefits you: Different academic disciplines prefer different citation styles, most commonly APA and MLA styles. Besides these styles, there are Chicago, Turabian, AAA, AP, and more. Only use the most current edition of the citation style. Ask your instructor which citation style to use for assignments. To avoid plagiarism, provide a citation for ideas that are not your own: You do not need to cite common knowledge (ex. George Washington was the first President of the United States.) or proverbs unless you are using a direct quotation. When in doubt, cite your source.
Speak Your Child’s Language For many younger children, the language of their world is play. When fathers don't speak that language, but instead try to relate in an adult way, kids can't understand or relate, and may experience feelings of frustration, isolation, or ignorance. Sometimes fathers feel the lack of connection, too. But we can prevent it—and strengthen the bonds with our children—by learning their language of play. There are many benefits to child’s play: Children learn to communicate and cope with problems; they make connections and learn about limits and morals; and they develop intellectually. Playing with Dad confirms some very important truths to a child: that the child is highly valued by a very important person in his life, that he is growing more competent in skills and wisdom, and that he belongs. The great thing is, play comes naturally to most dads. Some of us just need to do it more. Dad, I encourage you to consistently set aside time to play with your children. Lawrence Cohen, author of a book called Playful Parenting, reminds us that our goal should not be to move into our child’s world, but to visit their world through play. It requires us to step down from our adult language and concrete thinking, and speak the language of play with our children. Here are five things to remember: ● It isn’t about you. Ask your child what he wants to do and allow him to lead. ● Be childlike. The doorway to your child’s world is a small one. Get down on your child’s level. (And remember, there’s no room for embarrassment.) ● Make play a priority. Don’t let this important time with your child get pushed to the back burner. Schedule regular playtimes together. ● Play hard. Your child knows when you’re only playing half-heartedly. You have to be completely, actively involved. ● Have fun. Laughter is a good gauge for how well the play is going. Don’t worry so much about the rules or keeping score. Just relax and enjoy being together. Play "lion" with your young children. Chase them around on your hands and knees, and when you catch them, attack with growls, hugs and kisses. - If your toddler wants to play the same thing over and over again, do it! - Schedule a “play” activity with your older child this weekend. Let him or her decide what you do together. - Resurrect some of the fun things you used to do as a child—playing catch, footraces, board games, throwing the frisbee, etc. Written by George R. Williams Please register for a free account to view this content We hope you have enjoyed the 10 discipleship resources you have read in the last 30 days. You have exceeded your 10 piece content limit. Create a free account today to keep fueling your spiritual journey! Already a member? Login to iDisciple
Stretching from Hammerfest in Norway to Black Sea, The Struve Arc is a chain of survey triangulations through 10 countries and over 2,820 km. Between 1816 and 1855 the Struve Geodetic Arc was laid out by the German astronomer Friedrich Georg Wilhelm Struve, and the aim was to determine the size and the shape of the earth. This work represented the first accurate measuring of a long segment of a meridian. It helped to establish the exact size and shape of the earth and was an important step in the development of earth sciences and topographic mapping Seven of the station points are situated in Sweden and four of them are parts of the UNESCO world heritage site. You find those points located to the mountains Tynnyrilaki, Pullinki, Jupukka and Perävaara in the municipalities of Kiruna, Pajala, Haparanda and Övertorneå. The original arc consisted of 258 main triangles with 265 main station points. The listed site, which stretches through 10 countries and over 2,820 kilometres, includes 34 of the original station points and it goes from Hammerfest in Norway to Izmail by the Black Sea. In the Nordic countries, you find the points in Norway, Sweden and Finland and the northernmost point of the Arc are located near Hammerfest in Norway. The Struve Arc became a member of Unesco World Heritage in 2005. With hundred of islands, the Helsinki archipelago is a beautiful opportunity ... The Åland Islands or Åland is an archipelago in the Baltic Sea consisting of ...
This year April 20 marked the 2nd anniversary of the explosion that became known as the Deep Water Horizon Event – or BP Oil Spill. The month of April also commemorates the anniversary of the discovery of the West Divide Creek Seep in 2004. Think of it as Colorado River’s Deep Water Horizon Event. The similarities are eerie. Both events began with a well explosion caused by operator error. At the Deep Water Horizon well, millions of gallons of crude oil flowed into the Gulf of Mexico for four months. The well is most likely still leaking. West Divide Creek is not an ocean environment so we’ll never know what happened underground at the time of the explosion. Above ground millions of cubic feet of natural gas exploded into the environment. Then – for eight long years – undetermined quantities of benzene, methane, propane, butane, ethane, pentane, and radioactive matter have been gradually seeping into West Divide Creek and the surrounding environment, and eventually into the Colorado River. The seep continues to this day unabated. In January, Encana began drilling again in the hydro-geologically sensitive area that encompasses both seep areas along West Divide Creek. Lisa Bracken expects the well will be fracked sometime in early May. Lisa and I agreed that in order to understand the profound impact this will have on the environment we have to look back at the history of the West Divide Creek Seep over the past eight years. We don’t have a crystal ball. We don’t know what will happen when this area is fracked again. Will there be an explosion? Will there be an earthquake? Will there be a new seep area? History shows us there will be definitely be an impact on the environment. No agencies will monitor it, but Lisa will. No media will cover it, but From the Styx will. And so we bring you an environmental catastrophe in progress …
Implicit Citizenship Theories Implicit citizenship theories are implicit conceptions about typical or ideal characteristics of citizens, which influence attitudes or behaviors on different levels of abstraction. They are hence not scientific theories but common or lay theories, which reduce cognitive efforts and enable quick action and decision-making despite otherwise overwhelming and complex information. Such cognitive schemas include, for example, assumptions about citizens in their roles as service recipients (needy, dependent, pitiable), as taxpayers (canny, greedy, not showing solidarity), or as activists (committed, courageous, rebellious). Implicit citizenship theories in the public sector have a particular salience as public employees have to make decisions every day that directly affect citizens. In such situations, decision-makers often have great discretion in decision-making despite the presence of a large set of rules. In public management research, only little is known so far about the role that processes of cognitive categorization of citizens play in this regard. The research project aims to determine implicit citizenship theories both substantially and structurally; it aims to identify under which conditions these theories evolve and which consequences they have for administrative action and decision-making. We focus on the following research questions: - Which implicit theories about citizens do employees in the public sector have and which valence do the respective prototypes have? - In which superordinate structure are implicit theories about citizens embedded and how do differ between different professional groups in the public sector and depending on job and sociodemographic characteristics? - How do implicit theories about citizens influence the decision-making behavior of members of public organizations? The research project consists of four modules: In the first module, we will develop theoretical foundations, which are based on previous work in administration research and in neighboring disciplines. In the second module, we will apply an explorative method and combine semi-structured interviews with an open online survey to extract the attributes that employees in public administration ascribe to citizens, particularly in critical interaction contexts. In the third module, we will use these attributes for a factor-analytic study, in which we determine the structure of implicit citizenship theories based on a large-scale, rapid-response survey. In the fourth module, we will conduct two conjoint experiments in different administrative spheres in order to examine how relevant implicit citizenship theories are for decision-making processes. The result of the research project is a new research approach in public management.
People considering stem cell treatment for arthritis want to know Is it safe? and. Researchers theorize5 that when applied to an arthritic joint, stem cells might:. Although stem cell therapy is not a standard practice, many doctors are using the procedure to treat arthritis in the knee and other joints. The human body is made of billions of specialized cells that form specific organs like the brain, skin, muscles, tendons, ligaments, joints, and bone. Each day . The success still continues. Stem Cell Treatment for Osteoarthritis can help many joints such as Shoulder, Knee, Hip, Hand, Feet, Ankle & Spine – read more. Like everything else, the more/longer we use something, the faster it wears down â€”even our bodies! Our knees and other joints are particularly sensitive to this . In this segment of the Morning Blend, Ross Hauser, MD discusses the use of Stem Cell Therapy for pain and. Mayo Clinic finds surprising results on first-ever test of stem cell therapy to treat arthritis. December 6, 2016. medical illustration of stem cells. JACKSONVILLE . Patients suffering from chronic knee cartilage degeneration and osteoarthritis, due to years of overuse, often come to thriveMD for stem cell treatment. We also . Overview: This trial aims to compare the effect of the patient's own fat stem cells in the treatment of osteoarthritis of the knee. The trial is being conducted by the . . to promote healing. Emory is among a select group to offer this treatment in the USA.. Which joints or body parts can stem cells or fat tissue be injected?
I recently speculated that spacecraft both orbiting and sitting upon Mars may have already detected signs of life. In particular, some spacecraft have detected signs of methane: In 2004 the European Space Agency probe Mars Express detected the presence of methane in the atmosphere of Mars. Methane can be produced geologically (and Mars is not short on volcanoes), or biologically. (Though media reports of that observation got a bit out of hand.) Either way, this is an important observation and research on the source of this methane is still ongoing. The existence of methane is ambiguous: Though methane is produced biologically, as I wrote above, it’s also produced geologically (and, in fact, the methane detected on Mars tends to be both localized and emanating from some of the more volcanic regions). It can also be delivered by comets. Given its ubiquity, methane may raise hopes, but in the end turn out to be a poor biomarker. Detecting life elsewhere will require multiple lines of evidence. Planets and moons do not give up their secrets willingly or easily — they make us work for every clue we get. That seems particularly true when it comes to the search for extraterrestrial life. Even then, some bodies in the Solar System make us work harder than others. Take Titan, for example. Two weeks ago, I wrote that observations of Titan from Cassini have been interpreted by some as possible signs of life, in particular: Now it turns out that computer simulations based upon Cassini observations, simulations which hint at depletions of various chemical species at Titan’s surface may again hint at the possibility of life on Titan. The results are very preliminary, but fascinating nevertheless. It’s highly unlikely that we’ll ever be able to make a positive determination if there’s life on Titan based upon Cassini data alone. Cassini is, after all, an orbiter, and its observations of Titan’s surface come from hundreds, even thousands, of kilometers away–limited to those that can be attained during flybys. To ascertain the presence of life, we’ll need what scientists in the field of remote sensing call “ground truth”–we’ll have to wait until we are able to send a followup probe to the surface of Titan. Perhaps we’ll send a probe to Titan similar to Tiny–the Titan rover who has guest-starred in episodes of this season’s Eureka. Even then it could turn out that, unless NASA’s version of Tiny returns samples to Earth for human examination, the results could remain ambiguous and leave scientists scratching their heads. That is what’s happening with Mars. Titan hides its secrets beneath a thick photochemical haze, but when it comes to planets that jealously guard their secrets, Mars is the champion. The Great Galactic Ghoul of Mars destroys our spacecraft. Mars throws us curve balls; Mars lies to us. Mars even laughs at the spacecraft it does allow to explore it. It’s a case of actual science passing into the realm of myth. What began as an amazing astronomical affair is now an annoying astronomical aftermath. It’s the “Opposition of Mars this coming August 27th.” Perhaps you got the email? Well the situation is like this… Every 26 months Mars and Earth are in opposition, meaning that you could draw a (nearly) straight line between the Sun, Earth, and Mars. Although Earth’s orbit is not a perfect circle, if you could see one entire orbit, traced out over an entire year, you would be hard-pressed to tell that it wasn’t a perfect circle. The same can not be said for Mars. Mars has a nontrivial orbital eccentricity — where the term “eccentricity” is a measure of how “out-of-round” an orbit is. So if you could see the orbits of both Earth and Mars traced out, it would look a little like a hard-boiled egg cut down its long axis. One of my favorite authors (and one of the most scientifically grounded around) is Ben Bova, who has recently published the third book in his trilogy about Mars exploration called Mars Life. The Biology in Science Fiction blog has an interview with Bova, where he talks about the possibility of life on Mars, and why he doesn’t like the idea of terraforming the red planet. Singing Mad Scientist Alert: Dr. Horrible comes online today and its pretty frakkin’ good. If only Whedon had the foresight to cast NPH in the Buffy musical. Ahead of our ComicCon panel next week on good science in good science fiction, some musings on the opposite phenomenon: when science fiction hurts good science. [io9, Science Fiction in Biology and Mike Brotherton via SF Signal] UPDATE: I totally missed the main point of this last story, which was that Buzz Aldrin was the guy who said that popular scifi was hindering science. Active discussion on the topic going on now at Bad Astronomy. Pixar worked its magic this weekend, shooting to the top of the box office for the ninth consecutive time with WALL-E. And deservedly so–the movie pulls you into its world, and anybody whose heart doesn’t go out to the title character has a soul made of burnt toast. WALL-E is the name of the last robot left cleaning up the garbage-strewn Earth. All the humans left for an intergalactic cruise while the planet was getting spruced up, but the cruise has been going on for 700 years now with no end in sight. Used to being pampered by robots and never leaving their hover-chairs, the humans have gotten a little bit portly over the centuries, and now find it difficult to even walk (if it ever occured to them to do so). Which is a problem that lurks in the minds of the people who are planning real-life expeditions to Mars. One of my favorite science-fiction movie scenes is the opening sequence of Armageddon, which depicts the asteroid impact that marked the end of The Dinosaur Show. After the impact, hellfire rains down across the globe in deadly, but photogenic, fashion. But as impressive a visual as that scence is, it is small beans compared to what scientist think might have actually happened to Mars. After sifting through huge amounts of data sent back from NASA’s Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter and the Mars Global Surveyor probes, scientists believe they are closer to an explanation of one of the great puzzles of the solar system: why the northern hemisphere of the planet is so different from the southern hemisphere. The southern hemisphere is a jangle of ancient and rough terrain. The surface of northern hemisphere is much younger, and one of the flatest places in the solar system. Suggested explanations include the notion that the northern hemisphere is the sea bed of long-vanished ocean, that lava flows from the interior smoothed out the surface, or that it’s actually just a really big crater from a really, really big asteroid. A new analysis of the shape of the Northern plain that (and this was the hard part) took into account later volcanic action that distorted the outline over the eons has put considerable weight behind the crater theory. This would make Mars host to the largest crater in the solar system and give us new insight into just how dangerous the early solar system was—it’s believed that an even bigger asteroid collided with the Earth, splitting the planet completely open and splashing off gobs of material that later formed our moon.