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spoofing and blacklists
last week we explained the concept of blowback, in which third parties send mail using your domain name in the from: address. "blowback" refers to any errors in those e-mails, errors which get sent to you.
as we explained there is little you can do to stop this—well, actually there's nothing you can do. some readers were concerned that large amounts of abusive e-mail sent "from:" their domains would get their domains blacklisted by an rbl.
jargon watch:
an rbl (real-time blackhole list), also known as a dnsbl (dns-based blackhole list) is a list of ip addresses of servers that have been known to send spam or other abuse. this is not a perfect technique; because the blacklist has to be based on ip addresses, if more than one domain is hosted on the server, all of them will be blocked even if only one is spamming.
rbls, as the definition above indicates, blacklist servers based on the ip address of the offending server. spoofed mail can easily use your domain name, but they cannot easily make it look like their mail is coming from your server.
thus it's unlikely that your domain will get blacklisted, although mistakes happen for other reasons. it's a good idea every now and then to test to see if your domain is in the sbl (the spamhaus block list). enter the ip address of your server and you'll see. spamhaus is the most important of these lists. |
Name: Cervalces (Stag moose).
Phonetic: Ser-val-ces.
Named By: Scott - 1885.
Classification: Chordata, Mammalia, Artiodactyla, Cervidae.
Species: C. scotti, C. latifrons.
Diet: Herbivore.
Size: Around 2 to 2.5 meters long.
Known locations: Across Eurasia and North America.
Time period: Throughout the Pleistocene.
Fossil representation: Multiple specimens
Often referred to as ‘Stag moose’, Cervalces was a moose-like deer. This means that it is considered to be a deer that adapted body features that made it resemble a moose. With this in mind Cervalces is thought to have fulfilled a similar ecological niche to the modern day moose (Alces alces) and inhabited woodlands and forests as well as wading into water to search for suitable vegetation. Of the two species, C. scotti is more often associated with North American fossils, while C. latifrons has a more Eurasian distribution.
Principal predators of Cervalces may have included grey wolves (Canis lupus) and dire wolves (Canis dirus), as well as possibly brown bears (Ursus arctos). Grey wolves and brown bears are known to hunt and kill moose today, although brown bears tend to go after smaller juveniles rather than fully grown adults, or alternatively steal the kills of wolves. The dire wolf, being much more heavily built than the grey would have had an even easier time bringing down large prey like Cervalces. Another predator may have been the American lion (Panthera leo atrox) as its close relative the Eurasian cave lion (Panthera leo spelaea) is known to have had a preference for deer like animals, and it is possible that the American lion may have shared this taste in prey. Additionally towards the end of the Pleistocene period, the first human hunters would have also likely targeted Cervalces for food.
Cervalces vanished at the end of the Pleistocene along with most of the other North American megafauna. Several theories from human hunting to habitat change to disease have been proposed as explanation, but what is certain is that whatever happened, it affected all of these animals rather than just a few species. It’s just as possible however that this mass extinction was caused by the combined effects of several factors. There is a popular theory that C. scotti became extinct because of competition from the moose that crossed over Beringia (the Bering land bridge) into North America from Asia. However the fact that this species disappeared at the same time as the other North American megafauna strongly counts against this, although competition with the moose would have increased pressure upon C. scotti, making it more susceptible to the survival conditions of the time.
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What Job Seekers and Employees Should Know About the ADA
What Job Seekers and Employees Should Know About the ADA
What is the Americans with Disabilities Act?
If you are an individual with a disability, it's important to familiarize yourself with the Americans with Disabilities Amendments Act of 2008 (ADA). This law is divided into five "Titles," each of which addresses a different type of entity to which the legislation applies. Specifically:
• Title I: focuses on Employment.
• Title II: focuses on Public Services.
• Title III: focuses on Public Accommodations.
• Title IV: focuses on Telecommunications.
• Title V: focuses on Miscellaneous issues.
How is "Disability" Defined?
The ADA defines "disability" in general terms rather than providing a list of medical conditions. Specifically, a person has a disability if a mental or physical impairment substantially limits one or more major life activities. These include caring for oneself, performing manual tasks, walking, standing, lifting, seeing, hearing, speaking, reading, breathing, learning, working, thinking, concentrating, and interacting with other people.
The ADA also provides protection to people:
• With a history of such an impairment (for example, someone who has recovered from cancer); and
• Who are regarded as disabled, either by themselves or others, but whose major life activities are limited only as a result of the attitudes and reactions of others toward the impairment (for example, someone who stutters or has a prominent scar).
Who Does Title I Protect?
Title I protects "qualified" individuals with disabilities from discrimination by employers with 15 or more employees. This includes all areas of employment, including recruitment, training, pay, benefits, and promotion. A person who meets education, experience, skills, and other job-related requirements, and can perform essential job functions with or without reasonable accommodation, is considered qualified. The concept of reasonable accommodation will be explained shortly.
Title I also protects against harassment, as well as retaliation for asserting your rights under the ADA.
The U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) enforces the ADA's Title I provisions. Protection from disability discrimination in employment is also provided at the state level.
What is an Essential Job Function?
Essential job functions are tasks that are fundamental to a position; in other words, the job exists to perform those very duties. Marginal job functions, on the other hand, are more minor or incidental in nature and can easily be performed by another employee.
A chef's essential job functions, for example, relate directly to cooking meals for restaurant patrons, while her marginal functions may include carrying large bottles of olive oil up from the basement. Individuals who can perform the necessary cooking duties, either on their own or with the help of a reasonable accommodation, and also meet other job-related requirements, are "qualified" to be a chef.
An employer can only refuse to hire an applicant if he is unable to perform all essential functions of the job, even with reasonable accommodation. The fact that the chef in the previous example is unable to climb stairs to retrieve items has no bearing on whether she is qualified for the position. As a result, she cannot be rejected on that basis.
What Are Reasonable Accommodations?
An "accommodation" is any modification or adjustment to the job or work environment that would allow a qualified employee to perform the essential functions of his job, or a qualified applicant to participate in the hiring process. An assembly line worker, for instance, may need to perform his duties sitting on a tall stool rather than standing due to a disability. In this situation, providing the stool is an accommodation. Engaging a sign language interpreter when interviewing a job applicant with a hearing impairment is another type of accommodation.
The ADA requires employers to provide and pay for reasonable accommodations that would allow an individual to perform his essential job functions. This means that the accommodations shouldn't pose undue hardship on the employer by being unduly costly, disruptive, or difficult to implement.
If an individual finds it difficult to perform a marginal job function due to a disability, an employer may choose to provide a reasonable accommodation for that as well, or not require it as part of the person's duties. In the case of the chef mentioned earlier, her employer may choose to install a mechanical stairlift so that she can bring items up from the basement herself, or simply re-assign the task to someone else.
Read Understanding Reasonable Accommodations for People with Disabilities for more information.
Does the ADA Also Offer Protection During the Job Search Process?
Yes. Employers are required to provide job applicants with reasonable accommodations. As mentioned earlier, a sign language interpreter is a reasonable accommodation for a job applicant with a hearing disability. Here are some additional examples:
• Interviews must be held in locations accessible to individuals with mobility disabilities.
• Written materials must be made available in alternative formats, such as large-print, Braille, or audiotape, for job applicants with visual impairments.
• Tests and application procedures must also be modified as appropriate. For instance, if the application process for a veterinary assistant includes a computer-based test, a job applicant who has difficulty using a keyboard must have the option of taking the test in an alternate format. Because the test is designed to measure applicants' knowledge of animal care, and not their keyboarding skills, the employer must be willing to use a different testing method for individuals with disabilities.
• Employers are prohibited from asking disability-related questions when conducting job interviews. This issue will be explored in depth in a future post.
Does the ADA Provide Special Privileges or Unfair Advantages to People with Disabilities?
No. The intent of the ADA is to give equal employment opportunities to individuals with disabilities – to "level the playing field," so to speak. It does not guarantee them jobs or eliminate their need to compete against other job seekers, nor does it require employers to set lower production and performance standards for them because they have disabilities (although some may choose to do so as a reasonable accommodation).
Additionally, despite common misconceptions, the ADA is NOT an affirmative action statute that imposes quotas. Employers are not required to hire job applicants with disabilities over applicants without disabilities who are equally or more qualified. However, they ARE expected to hire an individual with a disability if he is, in fact, the most qualified applicant. When making this determination, employers must assess how the person would perform with the needed accommodation. The cost or difficulty of implementing the accommodation CANNOT factor into the hiring decision.
Does the ADA Require That I Disclose My Disability to an Employer?
No. Whether to tell an employer about your disability during the hiring process, once you are on-the-job, or not at all, is entirely your choice.
It's important to keep in mind, however, that disclosure is necessary for you to be eligible for a reasonable accommodation. Disclosure would also prevent an employer from unknowingly discriminating against you for a disability-related reason. If an employer is unaware of your partial hearing loss, for example, your repeated failure to answer a ringing telephone might be handled as a disciplinary problem, particularly if doing so is an essential job function. Had you disclosed your disability, the employer could have provided you with a reasonable accommodation, such as a telephone that visually indicates when someone is calling.
Furthermore, new regulations mandate that certain federal contractors and subcontractors take active and documented steps toward a 7% participation rate of employees with disabilities in their workplaces. As a result, you can be assured that these employers will welcome and support your disclosure.
Do You Want to Learn More?
Check out our ever-growing library of posts specific to people with disabilities!
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The Meningitis Vaccine Project.
Epidemic meningococcal meningitis is an important public health problem in sub-Saharan Africa. Current control measures rely on reactive immunizations with polysaccharide (PS) vaccines that do not induce herd immunity and are of limited effectiveness in those under 2 years of age. Conversely, polysaccharide conjugate vaccines are effective in infants and have consistently shown an important effect on decreasing carriage, two characteristics that facilitate disease control. In 2001 the Meningitis Vaccine Project (MVP) was created as a partnership between PATH and the World Health Organization (WHO) with the goal of eliminating meningococcal epidemics in Africa through the development, licensure, introduction, and widespread use of conjugate meningococcal vaccines. Since group A Neisseria meningitidis (N. meningitidis) is the dominant pathogen causing epidemic meningitis in Africa MVP is developing an affordable (US$ 0.40 per dose) meningococcal A (Men A) conjugate vaccine through an innovative international partnership that saw transfer of a conjugation and fermentation technology to a developing country vaccine manufacturer. A Phase 1 study of the vaccine in India has shown that the product is safe and immunogenic. Phase 2 studies have begun in Africa, and a large demonstration study of the conjugate vaccine is envisioned for 2008-2009. After extensive consultations with African public health officials a vaccine introduction plan has been developed that includes introduction of the Men A conjugate vaccine into standard Expanded Programme on Immunization (EPI) schedules but also emphasizes mass vaccination of 1-29 years old to induce herd immunity, a strategy that has been shown to be highly effective when the meningococcal C (Men C) conjugate vaccine was introduced in several European countries. The MVP model is a clear example of the usefulness of a \"push mechanism\" to finance the development of a needed vaccine for the developing world.
LaForce, F.M.; Konde, K.; Viviani, S.; Préziosi, M-P. The Meningitis Vaccine Project. Vaccine (2007) 25: A97-A100. [DOI: 10.1016/j.vaccine.2007.04.049]
The Meningitis Vaccine Project.
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Genetics best hope for predator-free NZ
A gene drive is key to achieving a predator-free New Zealand, writes Prof John Knight.
Your editorial "Saving kiwi by being bold" (ODT 4.10.16) includes the statement that "a genetically engineered solution would likely be needed to reach the 2050 target".
I fully agree.
However, the statement attributed to the Department of Conservation that one possibility is "editing animals' genes to instil infertility throughout an entire population" seems to be a misconception.
Animals that are infertile will leave no offspring.
So how will this spread?
In contrast, animals that are fully fertile but produce only male offspring will drive this character through the population and eventually cause it to crash.
Foreign invaders such as mice, rats, stoats, rabbits and possums are indeed a scourge that is destroying New Zealand’s unique native bird species, devastating farmland and costing New Zealand hundreds of millions of dollars every year.
We need to develop new methods that have the capacity to eliminate species of pests entirely.
Reaching an endpoint seems unlikely to happen if we rely on poisons, diseases, traps, shooting, or other conventional methods.
Disease-resistant, bait-shy, trap-shy, animals will always survive and outbreed those that succumb.
Darwin coined the term "survival of the fittest" to explain this.
We all know the problem.
We have a 1080 drop, or introduce RCD, and a few years later the pests are back.
In 1967, the great evolutionary biologist W. D. Hamilton postulated in science a situation where the male-determining Y-chromosome mutated in such a way that Y sperms always win the race to fertilise.
Males carrying such chromosomes would produce only sons.
Hamilton argued that such a characteristic would drive through the population until eventually the population would crash, through lack of females.
Prof Rob Knight, a New Zealander based at the University of California San Diego, is keen to co-ordinate an international effort to help solve this massive problem facing New Zealand.
Dunedin-born, in the 1990s he proposed using gene drive to eliminate mammalian pests from New Zealand. Five attempts have been made to gain funding for this research. Supportive comments include: "The potential for this revolutionary approach is enormous as it eliminates the constraints of Mendelian genetics ... would be game-changing ... to transform our approach to vertebrate pest control and move beyond our traditional reliance on mechanical devices like traps and chemical toxicants, into a space where genetic options can be added to our toolbox. it would be irresponsible of us to ignore what we might do here in the small mammal pest control space." — Dr Geoff Hicks, then chief scientist, Doc.
Edward Ellison, chairman of Te Runanga o Ngai Tahu HSNO Komiti "has a long-standing interest in the development of sustainable methods of vertebrate pest management. In the long-term, reliance on the use of toxins or traps to protect endangered taonga species is neither desirable nor feasible. We support in principle novel approaches to pest control".
"The gene drive proposal provides the greatest hope for turning back the relentless and debilitating tide of invasive mammalian pests in New Zealand."— Emeritus Prof Sir Alan Mark
Despite these and many other highly positive assessments, it has never been funded, blocked by anti-GM nay-sayers. It was deemed "too risky", in terms of upsetting people who feared genetic engineering. Never mind the risk of doing nothing, or of dropping 90% of the world’s production of 1080 poison out of aircraft — and hoping. Most now accept GM medicines such as human insulin and vaccines. Most concerns are about food. Using gene editing to combat serious pests should be acceptable.
Rob Knight’s PhD in evolutionary biology from Princeton on "The Origin and Evolution of the Genetic Code" won a prize for best PhD thesis in life sciences in the United States.
Now professor of computer engineering and director of the Centre for Microbiome Innovation at the University of California San Diego, he really wants to help New Zealand solve this problem. He has enlisted world experts in mammalian reproductive genetics and gene drive to help, in collaboration with researchers at the University of Otago (Prof Warren Tate, Prof Hamish Spencer, me).
The first requirement is modest funding to identify the most suitable genetic target to edit, using a new technology that makes it more feasible to drive a population of pests extinct.
The CRISPR-Cas9 gene drive system could be used to engineer males that produce only male offspring.
These males will in turn mate with females in the wild, and only produce male offspring.
Eventually the wild population will be eliminated through lack of females.
Carrier animals would need to be spread around.
Then they will do the job themselves, by having sex.
No animal cruelty, no toxins, no risk of spreading to other species, since this can only spread by copulation.
Stoats, rats and possums can’t mate with kiwis, bats, or sea lions.
Because the effect will be gradual, predators such as stoats and ferrets, that depend on target species such as rats and rabbits, will slowly diminish in numbers, so prey-switching to birds will be minimised.
If aiming to achieve a predator-free New Zealand really is to be our "Apollo Project" (as envisaged by Sir Paul Callaghan), then we really do need "rocket science" to achieve this goal of reaching the "moon".
John Knight is a professor in the marketing department of the Otago School of Business at the University of Otago. He has a special interest in innovation, particularly biotechnology.
Gene drive is our best hope or worst fear? Part of the fear comes from the unknown. What is required is a very extensive public education effort to explain to people what gene drive is, how CRISPR works and what are the ethical issues. For pest control the objective would be to produce only male offsprings and thereby control the population.
Being an island nation, we are ideally situated to use this method — we have been bold with innovation before — here is our chance again.
For more information, see:
James Kalmakoff
Former Director
Centre for Gene Research
University of Otago
This was a super interesting article. I'm very interested in biodiversity protection and pest control, but am anti-GM on the whole (you're right, food is my main concern). What I love about this proposal is that it's self-limiting. The fact that it's GM but that the genetics will die out within a few generations is quite appealing, and I assume no trace would be left in eradicated areas.
My only concern would be whether there are any unintended consequences (and I guess the problem with that is that they can't be predicted, so no-one can satisfy me or others that there is a 0% chance of something going awry and creating say, a super predator that breeds twice as fast).
Still, I think this technology is quite possibly the magic bullet that will enable NZ to reach it's ambitious predator-free status within the time frame sought. Nice work. I hope the necessary funding becomes available. Perhaps a chat with Gareth Morgan and the NEXT foundation should be in order? |
Free Report: 10 Powerful Technical Chart Formations
What is Option?
An offensive play that involves giving several different options to a quarterback. Most option plays are run plays where the quarterback makes a decision about who will carry the ball after the snap and while the play develops. Option plays rely on quarterbacks who are mobile and make good decisions and require several players on the field who are comfortable carrying the football.
Sporting Charts explains Option
Option plays rely on a large amount of misdirection. The most common option is the "triple option". In a triple option, the quarterback takes the snap and then has three potential plays: a handoff up the middle to a running back, a rollout where he carries the ball himself, and a pitch to a faster back on the outside. The purpose behind these plays is to keep the defense off balance by forcing them to guard each of the possibilities effectively. The option can be modified to use a variety of different players on the field, including running backs, wide receivers and tight ends. Most quarterbacks who run option plays are faster and more agile since they need to run the ball rather than throw it. Big plays can occur when the defense reacts poorly to the wrong option or gets caught by the misdirection.
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The Krashens Input Hypothesis Education Essay
Published: Last Edited:
Stephen Krashen's input hypothesis seeks to explain how individuals acquire language, and how this understanding of language acquisition applies to second language learners (1982, p. 20). Krashen states the input hypothesis stresses "meaning first" in language learning. On teaching a second language, the input hypothesis compares how individuals learn their first language to suggest how teachers should interact with students trying to learn their second language. Considering Krashen's input hypothesis and its critics; this paper will explore some ways to apply the input hypothesis in the classroom.
Krashen's input hypothesis consists of four parts. The first part distinguishes between meaning and form and acquisition and learning (1982, p. 21). Since language learners need to communicate to function in society, language learners will try to listen to understand meaning and will later gain the proper form from guided input. Krashen explains the input hypothesis as a progression through stages. The language learner, by trying to understand the meaning in a communicative utterance, advances through these stages when the communicative utterances are slightly more complicated than the learner's current stage of understanding.
The second part of the input hypothesis concerns how it is that language learners can try to understand slightly more in meaning than they have currently learned. Krashen claims that by using the information that exists in the world around them, an individual can associate the correct meaning to a communicative utterance. In other words, levels of advancement in language acquisition occur through gradually gaining greater levels of meaning from the input they receive. The input (i) plus the number of the level (#) explains the relationship between the input and the use of what Krashen calls "extralinguistic information" to create (i + 1) (1982, p.22).
Krashen recognises that knowing what is the suitable amount of input to produce (i +1) is difficult, if not impossible to decide. This brings about the third part of the input hypothesis, which states, "When communication is successful, when the input is understood and there is enough of it, i + 1 will be provided automatically" (1982, p. 22). While children do not learn language by lessons of form that follow what Krashen calls a "syllabus" or "structure of the day," typically the opposite occurs in the classroom (1982, p. 22). In a second language classroom setting, teachers often use textbooks that follow a set structure. Teachers who must test a student's knowledge of a language are often required to follow a structure in their classroom to evaluate any benchmarks set for their classroom. In a given classroom, one student might find the course material determined in advance by the teacher to be too easy, while for another student the level might be fitting for them to learn new material. Another student might have fallen behind in the course material covered and therefore has difficulty in catching up with the rest of the class.
Krashen's fourth part concerns fluency achieved by the language learner after experiencing progression through suitable (i + 1) levels. Aids from the environment help an individual in assessing the meaning in a given communicative act. The more communication that connects to real life situations, the more likely an individual will succeed in eventually achieving some fluency in their target language.
Krashen supports the input hypothesis with evidence from both first and second language acquisition. When a child learns a first language, they learn from what Krashen refers to as "caretaker speech." When a caretaker aids a child in learning a first language, they do not follow a structure as a teacher in a classroom setting. But this is not to suggest a free-for-all in language learner support by the caretaker. To ensure that a child and adult can communicate with one another, the adult changes the way they speak to the child (simplification of form, carefully selecting diction). Many caretakers would not communicate in the same way with a child as they would with an adult. This does not mean that how a child and a caretaker interact in language learning support doesn't change in time. Krashen (1982) writes, "Caretaker speech is not precisely adjusted to the level of each child, but tends to get more complex as the child progresses" (p. 22). In addition, Krashen argues that, when examining first language support, caretakers cover topics about what occurs in the present rather than in the future. Topics about the present help the learner understand meaning through the lens of not only language, but also the world around them (Krashen, 1982, p. 23).
Krashen also argues that second acquisition (SLA) supports the input hypothesis (1982, p. 24). SLA provides three areas of evidence for the input hypothesis in "simple codes". Krashen claims that just because the language learner is an adult, does not mean the target (acquisition) is different from a child (Krashen, 1980). Secondly, Krashen states that (i + 1) can be used for both FLA and SLA. For the third support of the input hypothesis in SLA, the input itself is examined. Krashen believes that much like interactions in FLA with caretakers, second language learners experience certain interactions with their teachers, with native speakers of the target language, and their classmates (1982, p. 24).
Yet another proof Krashen uses for the input hypothesis in second language acquisition is the "silent period" (p. 26). This silent period refers to minimal speaking when learning a second language. The individual eventually does speak after some knowledge in the language has been acquired and the individual feels comfortable to speak the target language. But not everyone is allowed a silent period. Krashen (1982) writes, "Adults, and children in formal language classes, are usually not allowed a silent period. They are often asked to produce very early in a second language, before they have acquired enough syntactic competence to express their ideas" (p. 27).
Finally, Krashen mentions the impact of a language learner's first language on their second language. A specific language feature (such as sentence order) may be different in the learner's first language and their target language. A learner might not have a grasp of their target languages' features, resulting in the learner mixing rules from the first language to the second. A learner may face communication problems with a speaker of their target language because of rules from the learner's first language that do not fit into the structure of the target language (Krashen, 1982, pp. 28-29).
Krashen's input hypothesis has not gone without criticism (Mason, 2002). Criticisms of the input hypothesis include the conflict between caretaker speech and extralinguistic information, and the degree of input and degree of output that should be used between teacher and student in a second language setting. Mason (2002) addresses the conflict between caretaker speech and extralinguistic information as a matter of what must be altered for a language learner in order to acquire language. Forming caretaker speech requires a change in input. Allowing for extralinguistic information to aid in language learning requires a change in environment (pp. 2-3). Mason identifies two major problems when relying on a change in input. The first concerns sociological factors (whether consistency exists across cultures and economic conditions and whether changing the input produces the kind of positive results Krashen claims it does). In other words, how a caretaker interacts with a child in one culture for language support may differ in another culture. Also, changing input (such as a language learner and native speaker interaction) could be counterproductive (cementing a rule in the learner's mind because of the change the native speaker makes to communicate with the language learner (Mason, 2002, p. 3). The second concerns extralinguistic information. Mason writes,
"The second interpretation, modifying the context, may lead to the learner getting such rich extralinguistic clues that she does not have to bother to master the language. The learner gets by-by behaving as if they have understood the language, whereas in fact they have read the environment" (2002, pp. 3-4).
For example, an instructor asking questions to a large group of learners with multimedia (video, pictures, music), may receive output from many learners. Some of these learners, however, may piggyback their responses on other learners in the group. Especially with a large group, the teacher may be unable to identify which students responded to the question in full, which did not.
Another conflict in Krashen's input hypothesis that Mason discusses relates to input and output. Mason (2002) argues that Krashen places a greater emphasis on input and what kind of input should occur than he does on what kind of output would occur. Too much emphasis on input can be counterproductive for the teacher, because the teacher cannot know a student's language ability without first allowing the student to speak. Mason also argues the teacher should provide some correction to the learner's speech. Krashen (1982) states that too much correction can hinder eventual output, but Mason (2002) believes that without correction a learner may make certain mistakes continuously. He writes, "It is only through the student's production that we can check whether she has fully understood the input or not, and that without this verification, there are a number of errors, particularly 'avoidance' errors, that are never cleared up" (Mason, 2002, p. 7).
For its application in the classroom, Krashen's input hypothesis provides some insight into the teacher-student relationship. More often than not, each student learning a second language will have a different level of acquisition than another student in the classroom. Some students might have an easier time reading and writing than speaking, while other students might have an easier time speaking and struggle with reading and writing. Also, every student will learn differently. Some students may benefit from a conversation-based curriculum, while other students may benefit from a curriculum based on rote memorization.
Krashen's input hypothesis tries to address how instructors can communicate with students while using the environment around them to direct their instruction. For example, a teacher could use various multimedia to enforce the input to students. Using multimedia is one way to work with various individuals learning styles. Multimedia use, combined with teacher-talk, can allow students access to the course material while keeping the student's interest. Ideally, however, modified input in the form of teacher-talk would work best in a small group setting. The larger the group the teacher must address, the more likely a wider variation in student acquisition. Even within a small group some variation will occur, which is unavoidable. Some modification of teacher-talk would include speed, diction choice, and content. These three items could be controlled for student input, while teaching direct grammatical forms is avoided. As students become more comfortable with this approach, the teacher can increase speed while also including a wider vocabulary after the vocabulary has been reinforced through multimedia accompanying a lesson.
Addressing the choice of content can cause the greater difficulty for a teacher. Most language textbooks follow a progression of teaching greetings, directions, shopping, appointments, weather and other day-to-day topics. If the student lives in the community where they will speak the target language, the topics above could prove practical because the learner must use these topics in most social situations. For those students who learn their second language outside the community of their target language, these day-to-day topics may not apply to Krashen's mention of the "here and now" principle. Teachers may then encourage students to form study groups and conversation practice times where they can speak the target language as if they were in the target language country. If this is the case, the teacher should sometimes attend to provide some input to students so the topics they discuss have practical, daily application.
Perhaps the greatest difficulty for the teacher would involve providing regular lessons that help guide students without overtly teaching form. Conversation-based instruction often takes on this style if the school does not want a native speaker to use a textbook. But how does the teacher know how to direct students without some syllabus, even if that syllabus is an artificial progression through stages of language learning? A danger in removing an artificial syllabus would be keeping track, as an instructor, of the difficulty of material presented to the students. Just how much review is suitable? Should the instructor vary review material to include adjustment to speed and diction use?
For practicality in the classroom, it seems the input hypothesis works best for small groups or with an individual. Working with an individual or small group allows the instructor to check the student's progress so "teacher talk" can change to fit a student's progression through (i + 1) stages. In addition, Krashen's suggestion of the "here and now" principle can work not only for the acquirer in the target language community, but also through study groups that include guided input from the instructor. As Krashen (1982) stresses, guided input accompanied by contextual elements from the environment (such as use in the target language community or multimedia in the classroom) can guide acquirers through (i + 1) stages. Though Krashen's input hypothesis does not specify what teachers must present their students at specific stages, the hypothesis can help guide an instructor in designing a second language course that guides students through the process of language acquisition.
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Schuh, R. (DK). The human language series #2: Acquiring the human language: "Playing
the language game". In Introduction to language - lecture notes 5B (pp. 1-8). Retrieved from
How can knowledge of cognitive or learning styles of individual learners help a classroom teacher be more effective in class? (QUESTION #1)
Every language learner enters the classroom with his or her own unique perspectives, needs, and reasons for learning a particular language. This requires the teacher to understand and use the many approaches available in second language acquisition research to address individual learning styles. A teacher's knowledge of learning styles can aid the student in finding what methods work best to develop their language skills. This paper will discuss how educators can apply the knowledge of individual learning styles in the classroom, drawing on theories presented by Robinson (2001) and learning style preferences reviewed by Cohen (2003).
Robinson (2001) argues that individual difference (or ID) research and the Aptitude Complex/Ability Differentiation Hypothesis, and the Fundamental Difference/Fundamental Similarity Hypothesis help explain how individuals approach learning their target language (pp. 381-382). Robinson (2001) makes four main distinctions from these theories. The first concerns a learning style difference between an adult and a child. He writes, "There are child-adult differences in language learning; adults rely heavily on general problem-solving abilities and exhibit much greater variation in levels of attainment" (Robinson, 2001, p. 386). Robinson claims that differences between an adult and a child, as well as differences in aptitude, can help explain differences in learning styles.
Considering the perspective of the language learner, Cohen (2003) discusses various styles of language learners. Cohen defines learning styles as "general approaches to language learning" that include approaches to class instruction (auditory, visual, and tactile), one's way of thinking, and one's personality (2003, pp. 279-280). Cohen places learning style preferences into two groups. The first group includes "visual/auditory, abstract-intuitive, global, synthesizing, impulsive, open and extroverted" (2003, p. 282). The second group includes "hands-on, concrete-sequential, particular, analyzing, reflective, closure oriented and introverted" (2003, p. 282). Cohen goes on to state the result of what an individual learns depends their unique learning style preferences.
So, how can a teacher benefit from the knowledge of individual learning style preferences? Gardner (1983) identifies eight intelligences that help identify the types of learners teachers face in the classroom. These intelligences expand on other learning style theories that suggest preferences towards reading, writing or speaking to include inter- and intra-personal intelligences (Gardner, 1983). Gardner suggests that knowledge of one's self and the people around them provides insight into the individual. In terms of learning styles, inter- and intra-personal intelligences impact how a student interacts with classmates and with the teacher. Knowledge of how one's self learns successfully (for example, knowing what one's learning styles are) can help guide the learner in terms of self-study. Knowledge of how those people around them make decisions impact social dynamics that influence group projects, classroom discussions and even teacher access (for additional learning support).
Gardner's theory of multiple intelligences also has strong consequences for the teacher. Teachers should seek out ways to blend learning styles so that many different learners have access to the target lesson. Not only should teachers try to incorporate multimedia such as pictures, video, and music to address varying learning styles in the classroom, but also take into consideration how well the students might handle group work versus self-study, class discussion versus lecture, game-based instruction versus worksheet activities. Whereas some students might enjoy group work, self-study may be more helpful for eventual test score results. On the other hand, group work may encourage creative work out of some students while also building team cooperation that helps in the social development of students.
With the knowledge of learning styles and the multiple intelligences found among different learners, is how culture influences what learning styles are most effective for a particular group of students. Students who see rote memorization as the most effective way to improve test score results may view game-based or other group activities as a waste of time. Even if those students would, in theory, benefit from group work, they might reject group work on principle depending on what form learning styles tend to take in their culture.
The consideration of differing learning styles challenges teachers to provide students with more innovative ways of interaction with course materials. In every classroom, different students will be more receptive to a particular learning style than another. An effective lesson in one classroom may flop in another if the teacher is not sensitive to the varying learning styles of his or her own students.
(726 WORDS)
Cohen, A. D. (2003). The learner's side of foreign language learning: where do styles,
strategies and tasks meet? IRA L: International Review of Applied Linguistics in Language Teaching, 41 (4), 279-292. Retrieved from Communication & Mass Media Complete database.
Robinson, P. (2001). Individual differences, cognitive abilities, aptitude complexes and
learning conditions in second language acquisition. Second Language Research, 17 (4), 368-392. Retrieved from Communication & Mass Media Complete database.
To which learning strategies would you try to expose your students? Why? (QUESTION #2)
Through the study and application of learning strategies, teachers can help language learners achieve their second language goals. Though researchers differ in how they define learning strategies (see Chamot, 2005; Seliger, 1984; Tarone, 1980b), researchers do agree that knowledge and application of learning strategies help students learn their target language and educators know how to present their curriculum to the student. This paper will discuss which language strategies could prove most helpful in the classroom, and why those language strategies help achieve certain classroom goals.
Ellis (1994) identifies a learner's individual preferences and situational factors as two primary determinants of applying learning strategies (p. 529). Ellis (1994), citing Tarone (1980b), further examines three variations of learning strategies. The three kinds of strategies are production, communication, and learning (Ellis, 1994, p. 530). Ellis (1994) breaks down the third variation, learning strategies, into two parts, "The former, as defined by Tarone, are concerned with the learners' attempts to master new linguistic and sociolinguistic information about the target language. The latter are concerned with the learners' attempts to become skilled listeners, speakers, and readers, or writers" (p. 530).
I teach 600 Korean high school students each week in 50-minute periods. Though these students are divided by gender, they are not divided by level. These students have studied English by rote memorization for more than 10 years in school. Most students attend private academies to improve their test scores. There are three main types of students. The first group wants to study English and is open to applying many different learning strategies to improve their English. The second group is not interested in English, and is receptive to only a few learning strategies. The third group consists of those who only wish to improve English for the national university entrance examination. The third group prefers learning by rote memorization, while the second group works best in group settings. With group one any number of strategies could help their learning. These three groups classify most students. In every class, students from each group are present. So how does a teacher employ learning strategies that can help variation among students?
Cohen (1998) discusses strategies on communication, called "use strategies." As a conversation-based language instructor, these communication-based strategies I find most useful for my classroom. Cohen (as cited in Oxford, 2003) notes four learning use strategy types: using previously learned knowledge, methods of practicing output, preclass preparation, and output use a when the language has not yet been acquired (p. 275). Using a students' prior knowledge of English proves vital in the classroom. As a teacher I should try to access my student's collected knowledge from over ten years of vocabulary memorization. Showing a video clip that suits the lesson and then asking students to describe what they saw in the video helps students recall previously memorized course material. This method relates to Cohen's "imagery" (1987). To make this strategy more effective, I find video clips that do not include any speaking in English or Korean. The students have no choice but to use the knowledge of English learned in prior years to explain to me what they watched.
Cohen's second use strategy concerns providing the learner with helpful means to practicing output. Whereas some teachers prefer to follow a syllabus that covers certain grammatical concepts throughout the semester, I do not. At the beginning of each class I begin by asking students basic questions about school events, food, or weather. Some students do not speak at this time, while others are enthusiastic. To assess the output of the quiet students, I ask questions that require the students who may not know how to respond in English to use body gestures. Students use what Cohen (1987) refers to as "directed physical response." This is often an effective method because, once students have performed the physical gesture, they can recall enough to produce output to explain their response.
Also considering the use of learning strategies with the three groups of students I have mentioned above, gender and age also shape which learning strategies work best in my classroom. Because my classes are divided by gender, the strategies I employ for male students differ from strategies I use with female students. For example, my female students tend to benefit best from a mix of reading, writing, and speaking activities. The combination of different activities in reading, writing, and speaking tends to produce better recall later than only using speaking activities. With the male students, however, using only speaking activities tends to produce the best recall. Reading and writing activities with male students often reduce motivation unless some reward system is in place that encourages competition among the male students.
In my classroom, learning strategies that promote practice of communication that reinforces existing knowledge and uses competition tends to work best for male students. Learning strategies that practice communication and introduce new material (especially when combined with multiple types of activities such as reading and writing) work best for female students. Knowledge of the student's end goal for language learning combined with adjusting methods within those groups (depending on class size or gender), helps promote effective classroom learning strategies. (856 WORDS)
Chamot, A. U. (2005). Language learning strategy instruction: current issues and
research. Annual Review of Applied Linguistics, 25 (1), 112-130. Retrieved from EJS database.
Cohen, A. D. (1987). Studying language learning strategies: How do we get the Information?
In A. L. Wenden & J. Rubin (Eds.), Learner strategies in language learning (pp. 31-40). Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice-Hall International.
Cohen, A. D. (1998). Strategies in learning and using a second language. Harlow, Essex:
Ellis, R. (1994). Learning strategies. In The study of second language acquisition (pp. 529-
560). Oxford: Oxford University Press.
Oxford, R. L. (2003). Language learning styles and strategies: concepts and
relationships. IRAL: International Review of Applied Linguistics in Language Teaching, 41 (4), 271-278. Retrieved from Communication & Mass Media Complete database.
Seliger, H. (1984). Processing universals in second language acquisition. In F. Eckman, L.
Bell, & D. Nelson (Eds.). Universals of Second Language Acquisition. Rowley, MA: Newbury House.
Tarone, E. (1980b). Communication strategies, foreigner talk and repair in interlanguage.
Language Learning, 30, 417-431.
Is motivation the best answer for explaining the success or failure of second language learning? (QUESTION #4)
A major challenge for teachers and researchers in the study of second language acquisition is the extent that motivation plays into the learning process. Even more challenging is finding how to measure a learner's motivation. If motivation can be measured, can the findings help teachers motivate students in the classroom? This paper will explore how, and to what extent, motivation influences successful or unsuccessful language acquisition, exploring the recent research in motivation and second language learning (Csizer & Dornyei, 2005; Dornyei & Otto, 1998; Dornyei, 2001).
Csizer & Dornyei (2005) explore the relationship between motivation and learning, and suggest methods of motivation in the classroom using a method of analysis called "structural equation modeling." Structural equation modeling, or SEM, allows researchers to evaluate multiple items in a single theory. The authors state, "The technique is appropriate for testing "grand" theories, that is, comprehensive models made up of complex, interrelated variables, which is exactly the case with most factors involved in explaining issues in L2 acquisition" (Csizer & Dornyei, 2005, p. 19). In their research, they identify two issues of learner behaviour: language choice and amount of work invested in language study (p. 20).
Csizer and Dornyei (2005) claim that deciding one's second language reflects the culture they choose to connect themselves to. An individual's interest in the particulars of a certain culture and the interest in becoming a member of the target language community, suggests that an individual will be motivated to work towards learning the target language. As well as interest, the ability to use the language for a given purpose (fulfilling some want or completing some task) promotes motivation in language learning (Gardner, 2001, as cited in Csizer and Dornyei, 2005). The authors assert that interest and want fulfilment help create what they term "the Ideal L2 Self." This "Ideal L2 Self" could explain why an individual who admires a particular culture studies the language of a culture even if the individual has never personally experienced that culture. Their "Ideal L2 Self" motivates them so one day their interest in the target culture can be realized. Csizer & Dornyei's terminology differs from Gardner (2001), who used described, "integrativeness," which is similar to "interest" mentioned above. Csizer and Dornyei (2005) write, "Integrativeness seen as the Ideal L2 Self can be used to explain the motivational set-up in diverse learning contexts, even if they offer little or no contact with L2 speakers" (p. 30).
Does Csizer and Dornyei's "Ideal L2 Self" help explain success and failure in second language learning? What is not clear is when a language learner develops the Ideal L2 Self. Does an individual, for example one that wants to travel abroad, create a Ideal L2 Self that they constantly strive for to obtain their goal of studying abroad? If this is the case, how does the individual remain motivated (especially in cases where years of study are required to obtain the goal)? How can motivation in the short-term be explained?
Perhaps individuals who aim for intensive study to achieve their Ideal L2 Self have, besides interest and want fulfilment, a felt need to acquire a second language. Without a felt need, such as short-term academic achievement, contractual obligation, or some other immediate need that should be addressed, it is possible an Ideal L2 Self may never be fully realized. Even if an instructor tries to motivate their students, if the student does not feel a felt need that fulfils short-term goals, it may be impossible to motivate students in a way that promotes language instruction.
Dornyei (2001) addresses this short-term need (termed extrinsic motivation), the citing Self-Determination Theory (Deci & Ryan, 1985; Vallerand, 1997), which precedes his theory of the Ideal L2 Self. He writes:
"The theory places the various types of regulations on a continuum between self-determined (intrinsic) and controlled (extrinsic) forms of motivation, depending on how internalized they are, that is, how much the regulation has been transferred from outside to inside the individual" (Dornyei, 2001, p. 47).
The continuum helps explain for what reasons individuals are motivated, whether these reasons involve short-term or long-term extrinsic or intrinsic factors (Deci & Ryan, 1985; Vallerand, 1997).
Though factors such as aptitude, learning styles and learning strategies can help evaluate success and failure in second language acquisition, understanding motivation helps best explain where problems might arise in both the short and long-term goals of the language learner. Vallerand's (1997) explanation of the intrinsic and extrinsic motivation continuum in addition to Csizer and Dornyei's (2005) concept of the Ideal L2 Self help measure a learner's motivation so that, by knowing how motivation impacts an individual's ability to acquire a second language, instructors can better assist learners through the acquisition process. |
December 17, 2013
Book Review: Analyzing Baseball Data with R
by Max Marchi and Jim Albert (2014, CRC Press)
The Sabermetric bookshelf, #3
- the annual summaries contained with the Lahman database,
- the play-by-play data at Retrosheet, and
- the pitch-by-pitch PITCHf/x data.
Additional Resources
December 1, 2013
A few random things
The creation of random numbers, or the random selection of elements in a set (or population), is an important part of statistics and data science. From simulating coin tosses to selecting potential respondents for a survey, we have a heavy reliance on random number generation.
R offers us a variety of solutions for random number generation; here's a quick overview of some of the options.
runif, rbinom, rnorm
One simple solution is to use the runif function, which generates a stated number of values between two end points (but not the end points themselves!) The function uses the continuous uniform distribution, meaning that every value between the two end points has an equal probability of being sampled.
Here's the code to produce 100 values between 1 and 100, and then print them.
RandomNumbers <- runif(100, 1, 100)
## [1] 22.290 33.655 89.835 38.535 24.601 11.431 7.047 94.958 83.703 76.847
## [11] 58.429 20.667 25.796 91.821 8.741 65.696 24.262 8.077 51.399 19.652
## [21] 64.883 33.258 55.488 6.828 14.925 11.480 72.783 2.549 78.706 49.563
## [31] 10.829 27.653 70.304 96.759 12.614 66.610 82.467 8.506 71.719 86.586
## [41] 69.519 11.538 72.321 63.126 42.754 60.139 44.854 71.088 15.165 67.818
## [51] 83.342 9.894 64.497 96.620 64.286 20.162 16.343 53.800 31.380 24.418
## [61] 13.740 47.458 80.037 13.189 45.496 20.697 28.240 60.003 84.350 14.888
## [71] 20.084 3.003 1.191 28.748 4.528 40.568 90.963 82.640 15.885 95.029
## [81] 54.166 17.315 43.355 9.762 74.012 64.537 74.131 24.758 41.922 65.458
## [91] 11.423 41.084 22.514 77.329 76.879 43.954 78.471 24.727 69.357 60.118
R helpfully has random generators from a plethora of distributions (see under the heading “Random Number Generators”). For example, the equivalent function to pull random numbers from the binomial distribution is rbinom. In the following example, the code generates 100 iterations of a single trial where there's a 0.5 (50/50) probabilty – as you would get with one hundred coin tosses. So let's call the object OneHundredCoinTosses. The table function then gives us a count of the zeros and ones in the object.
OneHundredCoinTosses <- rbinom(100, 1, 0.5)
## [1] 1 0 0 1 1 1 0 1 1 1 1 0 0 1 0 1 1 0 1 1 0 1 1 0 1 0 0 1 0 0 1 1 1 0 0
## [36] 1 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 1 1 0 0 0 1 0 1 0 1 0 1 1 1 0 1 0 0 0 1 1 1 0 1 0 0 1
## [71] 1 0 0 0 1 0 1 1 1 1 0 0 0 0 1 1 1 0 0 1 1 1 0 0 1 1 0 1 0 1
## OneHundredCoinTosses
## 0 1
## 48 52
In this variant, we'll toss our coin again, but this time it will be 100 iterations of 10 trials. R will generate the number of successes per trial. A plot of the histogram would show how with enough iterations, we'd get something that looks very much like a normal distribution curve.
OneHundredCoinTrials <- rbinom(100, 10, 0.5)
## [1] 5 4 7 7 4 2 3 3 6 6 6 5 4 6 5 6 4 7 3 3 6 5 5
## [24] 7 4 5 6 3 7 4 10 5 3 6 6 5 7 6 3 6 4 7 7 4 3 6
## [47] 6 2 2 7 5 6 5 8 4 3 5 5 2 7 5 4 4 1 4 5 7 5 6
## [70] 9 6 3 7 4 4 2 3 6 3 5 6 6 5 8 5 5 7 5 7 4 2 3
## [93] 5 5 7 5 4 6 0 6
## OneHundredCoinTrials
## 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
## 1 1 6 13 16 23 21 15 2 1 1
And there's rnorm for the normal distribution. In this case, the second number in the function is the mean and the third is the standard deviation. With this example, the code generates 100 values from a normal distribution with a mean of 50 and a standard deviation of 12.5.
RandomNormal <- rnorm(100, 50, 12.5)
## [1] 52.67 36.55 57.48 63.00 53.65 52.05 65.39 36.16 53.03 53.22 53.61
## [12] 65.66 47.08 41.87 80.60 67.34 49.56 54.09 50.51 48.35 33.72 47.31
## [23] 51.22 51.01 56.76 51.01 79.84 37.27 33.67 41.73 49.34 62.04 61.48
## [34] 37.49 56.54 63.87 49.13 36.11 47.14 34.67 57.88 34.45 50.46 48.68
## [45] 66.36 45.32 51.72 36.64 41.35 48.09 35.50 55.30 42.13 26.29 30.68
## [56] 53.08 60.53 40.96 35.04 60.64 74.57 49.00 62.41 37.19 52.64 39.80
## [67] 31.66 49.13 36.05 49.98 55.00 72.42 56.64 53.44 50.50 54.02 60.74
## [78] 39.32 53.72 75.50 46.87 12.10 45.09 70.40 53.11 37.36 58.97 67.09
## [89] 45.63 55.44 46.66 31.69 36.68 59.28 55.09 53.25 49.52 59.87 59.16
## [100] 80.30
Another approach to randomization is the sample function, which pulls elements from an object (such as a vector) of defined values or, alternatively, can be specified to select cases from a string of integers. The function also has the option of specifying whether replacement will be used or not. (See
In the first example of sample, we'll generate 100 values (the second value specified in the function) from the integers between 1 and 99 (the first value specified), with replacement – so there's a possibility of duplicates. The code adds the sort function so that we can easily spot the duplicates.
RandomSample <- sort(sample(99, 100, replace = TRUE))
## [1] 1 1 2 2 2 5 5 5 7 8 11 11 12 12 12 13 15 15 16 16 19 19 21
## [24] 23 23 23 23 23 25 26 27 30 30 31 32 33 34 35 35 35 35 37 38 40 41 42
## [47] 42 42 42 45 46 46 47 48 48 50 52 52 54 54 54 54 54 57 58 61 62 63 63
## [70] 64 66 66 67 67 69 70 71 71 71 73 73 74 78 78 80 80 82 83 84 84 85 86
## [93] 86 91 93 94 96 96 98 98
In a second example, we'll generate 5 values (the second value specified) from a list of 13 names that we predefine, without replacement. Note that the default setting in sample is “without replacement”, so there should be no duplicates.
# the list of party-goers
dwarves <- c("FÃli", "KÃli", "Balin", "Dwalin", "Óin", "Glóin", "Bifur", "Bofur",
"Bombur", "Ori", "Nori", "Dori", "Thorin") # draw a sorted sample of 50 with replacement
Party <- sort(sample(dwarves, 5))
# print the names
## [1] "Dwalin" "FÃli" "Nori" "Ori" "Thorin"
There is also the variant which insists on integers for the values. Here's the code to randomly select 6 numbers between 1 and 49, without replacement.
six49numbers <- sort(, 6, replace = FALSE))
## [1] 3 15 16 24 35 44
Controlling random number generation: set.seed and RNGkind
It sounds like an oxymoron – how can you control something that is random? The answer is that in many computer programs and programming languages, R included, many of the functions that are dubbed random number generation really aren't. I won't get into the arcana, but runif (and it's ilk) and sample all rely on pseudo-random approaches, methods that are close enough to being truly random for most purposes. (If you want to investigate this further in the context of R, I suggest starting with John Ramey's post at )
With the set.seed command, an integer is used to start a random number generation, allowing the same sequence of “random” numbers to be selected repeatedly. In this example, we'll use the code written earlier to sample 6 numbers between 1 and 49, and repeat it three times.
The first time through, set.seed will define the starting seed as 1, then for the second time through, the seed will be set to 13, leading to a different set of 6 numbers. The third iteration will reset the starting seed to 1, and the third sample set of 6 numbers will be the same as the first sample.
six49numbers <- sort(, 6))
## [1] 10 14 18 27 40 42
six49numbers <- sort(, 6))
## [1] 1 5 12 19 35 44
six49numbers <- sort(, 6))
## [1] 10 14 18 27 40 42
The first and third draws contain the same 6 integers.
Another control of the random number generation is RNGkind. This command defines the random number generation method, from an extensive list of methodologies. The default is Mersene Twister (, and a variety of others are available.
The R documentation page on Random{}, with both set.seed and RNGkind, can be found here:
While the methods above are pseudo-random, there are methods available that generate truly random numbers. One is the service provided by (
The R package random (documentation here: uses the service to generate random numbers and return them into an R object. While the functions in the package can return random integers, randomized sequences, and random strings, and has the flexibility to define the shape of the matrix (i.e. the number of columns).
It's worth nothing that free users or are confronted by daily limits to the volume of calls you can make to (paying customers don't have these limits).
Here's an example to generate 20 random numbers from, defined as being between 100 and 999 (that is to say, three digit numbers) and present them in two columns.
# load random
if (!require(random)) install.packages("random")
## Loading required package: random
twentytruerandom <- randomNumbers(n = 20, min = 100, max = 999, col = 2, check = TRUE)
# note: the 'check=' sets whether quota at server should be checked first
## V1 V2
## [1,] 531 402
## [2,] 559 367
## [3,] 616 789
## [4,] 830 853
## [5,] 382 436
## [6,] 336 737
## [7,] 769 548
## [8,] 293 818
## [9,] 746 609
## [10,] 108 331
Paul Teetor's R Cookbook (O'Reilly, 2011) has a chapter on probability (Chapter 8) that includes good examples of various random number generation in R.
Jim Albert & Maria Rizzo, R by Example (Springer, 2012), Chapter 11 “Simulation Experiments” and Chapter 13 “Monte Carlo Methods”, contain a variety of applications of random number generation using sample and rbinom to approximate and understand probability experiments.
For an in-depth look at random sampling in the context of survey design, see Thomas Lumley Complex Surveys: A Guide to Analysis Using R (Wiley, 2010).
If you're interested in testing a random number generator, check out
Joseph Rickert's blog entry at gives a good rundown of the applications and approach for parallel random number generation
September 1, 2013
Fair weather fans, redux
Fair weather fans, redux Or, A little larger small sample
On August 11 the Victoria HarbourCats closed out their 2013 West Coast League season with a 4-3 win over the Bellingham Bells.
In an earlier post, written mid-way through the season after the 'Cats had played 15 home games, I created a scatter plot matrix to look for correlations between the HarbourCats home attendance and possible influencing factors such as the day of the week and temperature. Now that the season has concluded, it's time to return to the data for all 27 home games, to see if temperature remained the strongest correlate with attendance.
I also took this opportunity to move the source data from Google Documents to GitHub, where it can be accessed directly by the R code – no manual downloads required. The code necessary to make this work is from Christopher Gandrud, who wrote the function source_GitHubData. (Gandrud has also written code to pull data directly from DropBox.)
Read the data
First up, the code installs the packages ggplot2 (for the plots) and devtools (for accessing the data from Github) and opens them into the library. Then the “source_GitHubData” function reads the data.
# load ggplot2
if (!require(ggplot2)) install.packages("ggplot2")
## Loading required package: ggplot2
# Use the function source_GitHubData, which requires the package devtools
## Loading required package: devtools
# The functions' gist ID is 4466237
## [1] ""
## SHA-1 hash of file is fcb5fe0b4dd7d99d6e747fb8968176c229506ce4
# Download data, which is stored as a csv file at github
HarbourCat.attend <- source_GitHubData("")
## Loading required package: httr
Looking at the attendance data
Now the data has been read into our R workspace, the first order of business is a simple plot of the raw attendance data.
# #####
# simple line plot of data series
ggplot(HarbourCat.attend, aes(x = num, y = attend)) + geom_point() + geom_line() +
ggtitle("HarbourCats attendance \n2013 season") + annotate("text", label = "Opening Night",
x = 3.5, y = 3050, size = 3, fontface = "bold.italic")
From this plot, it's easy to see the spike on the opening game, and the end-of-season surge for the final two games.
When exploring data, it's valuable to get a sense of the distribution. R provides a “summary()” function as well as “sd()” for the standard deviation.
# summarize the distribution of 'attend'
## 885 1090 1250 1440 1580 3030
## [1] 507.8
When looking at these summary stats, a couple of things jump out at me. First of all, the standard deviation is large compared to the total range, suggesting a very dispersed data set. The second thing I notice is that the mean is almost half a standard deviation larger than median, indicating a skew in the data to the large end.
While these numerical representations of the distribution are valuable, a plot of the data can help us understand the data still further. A great graphic tool for looking at a distribution and to identify outliers is the box plot (also known as the box-and-whisker plot).
boxplot(HarbourCat.attend$attend, ylab = "attendance", main = "Box plot of HarbourCat attendance")
The box is drawn with the first quartile as the lower edge, and the third quartile as the top edge. The median of the distribution is shown with the thick line that runs across the box. The whiskers show the range of the data, excluding the outliers. And the three dots (in this case, at the top of the chart) are the outliers, defined as being more than 1.5 times the interquartile range (i.e. Q3 - Q1) beyond Q3 or Q1.
Since something special was happening, let's omit those three values as the extreme outliers that were influenced by something other than the weather or the day of the week. Once we've done that, we'll use the “summary()” function again to describe the distribution of the values.
# #####
# prune the extreme outliers and structure the data so that attendance is
# last and will appear as the Y axis on plots <- (subset(HarbourCat.attend, num > 1 & num < 26, select = c(num,
day2, sun, temp.f, attend)))
# print the data table to screen
## num day2 sun temp.f attend
## 2 2 1 4 64 1082
## 3 3 3 4 66 1542
## 4 4 1 2 63 1014
## 5 5 1 2 60 1003
## 6 6 1 3 66 1015
## 7 7 3 5 64 1248
## 8 8 3 5 70 1640
## 9 9 2 1 64 1246
## 10 10 3 5 70 1591
## 11 11 3 5 73 1620
## 12 12 2 5 70 1402
## 13 13 1 5 72 1426
## 14 14 1 5 73 1187
## 15 15 1 5 72 1574
## 16 16 3 5 73 1515
## 17 17 3 5 70 1052
## 18 18 2 5 72 1208
## 19 19 3 5 69 1292
## 20 20 2 5 71 1218
## 21 21 1 5 64 1013
## 22 22 1 5 62 1104
## 23 23 1 2 63 885
## 24 24 1 3 63 1179
## 25 25 3 4 73 1731
# summarize the distribution of the pruned version of 'attend'
## 885 1070 1230 1280 1520 1730
## [1] 245.7
From these summary statistics, we see that the nature of the data set has changed significantly. The median and mean are almost identical, and the standard deviation is half the magnitude without the outliers.
The scatterplot matrix
With the outliers removed, we can move on to the scatter plot matrix. This time we'll just run the all-in version that includes a smoothing line on the scatter plot, as well as a histogram of the variable and the correlation coefficients.
# ################### scatter plot matrix ###################
# scatter plot matrix - with correlation coefficients define panels
# (copy-paste from the 'pairs' help page)
usr <- par("usr")
r <- abs(cor(x, y))
txt <- paste0(prefix, txt)
if (missing(cex.cor))
cex.cor <- 0.8/strwidth(txt)
panel.hist <- function(x, ...) {
usr <- par("usr")
h <- hist(x, plot = FALSE)
breaks <- h$breaks
nB <- length(breaks)
y <- h$counts
y <- y/max(y)
# run pairs plot
pairs([, 1:5], upper.panel = panel.cor, diag.panel = panel.hist,
lower.panel = panel.smooth)
A few more data points hasn't fundamentally changed the analysis. Temperature remains the best predictor of attendance, with a correlation coefficient of 0.68. The day of the week was also a fairly strong predictor, with bigger crowds on Friday and Saturday nights than the Sunday day games and the weekday evening games. (No surprise there, really.)
I was surprised to see that attendance seemed to flag as the season went on – you can see the drop shown in the smoothing line in the plot in the lower left corner (num by attend, where num is the number of the game from 2-25). But this drop can be explained by both the day of the week and the temperature. From Monday July 29 to Thursday August 1, the temperature was 17 or 18 Celsius (62 to 63 Farenheit). On the Wednesday of this stretch (July 31), under mainly cloudy skies and the temperature at 17 Celsius (63 Farenheit), only 885 people turned up to watch the game – the only time all season the HarbourCats drew fewer than 1,000 fans to a game.
The code and data for this analysis can be found at GitHub: -30-
August 12, 2013
Ichiro: not just hits
As we count down to Ichiro's 4,000th hit (combined Nippon Professional Baseball and Major League Baseball), it's worth remembering his outstanding abilities in the field. The best representation for my dollar is this award-winning photo captured by Scott Eklund:
Ichiro makes a leaping catch (photo: Scott Eklund; click to link)
July 18, 2013
Fair weather fans? (An R scatter plot matrix)
The Victoria HarbourCats are roughly half way through their inaugural season in the West Coast League, and currently lead the league in average attendance. In a recent conversation with one of the team's staff, he mentioned that after the first game in early June, the fans started to come out when the sun appeared and the weather got warmer.
In spite of the very small sample size, this question presented an opportunity to teach myself how to create a scatter plot matrix in R.
The first step was to get the necessary data fields from the HarbourCats website, pulling attendance, temperature, and other information from the box score for each home game. (Here's the box score for the team's first game, played on June 5, 2013.)
I entered the day of the week, and then coded them into 1 = Monday - Thursday, 2 = Sunday, and 3 = Friday & Saturday. I also thought whether it was a day game or played in the evening might matter, so I coded them as 0 = afternoon and 1 = evening (but so far, the only day games have been the two Sunday games). The amount of sun in the sky was taken from the description in the box score, and coded as 1 = cloudy, 2 = mostly cloudy, 3 = partly cloudy, 4 = mostly sunny, and 5 = sunny. I entered the temperature as both Celsius and Fahrenheit, and made additional notes about the game such as opening night. And finally, there's a variable "num" which is the number of the game (e.g. 15 is the 15th home game of the season.) The data table is here (Google drive).
First up was to run a quick line plot, to look at the variation in attendance as the season has progressed.
# data: pulled from
# saved on Google Drive:
# File / Download as >> Comma Separated Values (CSV)
# read the csv file
HarbourCat.attend <- read.csv("HarbourCat_attendance - Sheet1.csv")
# load ggplot2
# #####
# simple line plot of data series
geom_point() +
ggtitle("HarbourCats attendance \n2013 season") +
annotate("text", label="Opening Night", x=3, y=3050, size=3,
As the plot shows, opening night was an exceptional success, with just over 3,000 baseball fans turning up to see the HarbourCats take the field for the first time. For the purpose of this analysis, though, it's an extreme outlier and (particularly because of the extremely small sample size) it will play havoc with the correlation results; for the analysis that follows it will be removed.
The next thing that the plot shows is that the four of the five games that followed the home opener remain the lowest attendance games. The lowest attendance was June 12, when 1,003 fans turned out on a 16 degree Wednesday evening. After that, attendance has been variable, but has been generally stronger as the games moved into the later part of June and into early July.
A way to look at correlations between a variety of variables is a scatter plot matrix. For this, I turned to Recipe 5.13 of the R Graphics Cookbook by Winston Chang (who maintains the Cookbook for R site and is one of the software engineers behind the IDE RStudio, which you should use.)
Note: this analysis is over-the-top for the number of data points available! I didn't bother to test for statistical significance.
# #####
# prune the extreme outlier that is opening night
# and structure the data so that attendance is last and will appear as the Y axis on plots <- (subset(HarbourCat.attend, num > 1, select=c(num, day2, sun, temp.f, attend)))
# print the data table to screen
num day2 sun temp.f attend
2 2 1 4 64 1082
3 3 3 4 66 1542
4 4 1 2 63 1014
5 5 1 2 60 1003
6 6 1 3 66 1015
7 7 3 5 64 1248
8 8 3 5 70 1640
9 9 2 1 64 1246
10 10 3 5 70 1591
11 11 3 5 73 1620
12 12 2 5 70 1402
13 13 1 5 72 1426
14 14 1 5 73 1187
15 15 1 5 72 1574
# scatter plot matrix
# scatter plot matrix - simple
# (see Winston Chang, "R Graphics Cookbook", recipe 5.13)
Simple scatter plot matrix
The "pairs" function used above creates a simple scatter plot matrix, with multiple X-Y plots comparing all of the variables that have been defined. While this is a quick way to visually check to see if there are any relationships, it is also possible to create a more complex scatter plot matrix, with the correlation coefficients and a histogram showing the distribution of each variable. (And to the histogram, I'll also add a loess trend line.) For exploratory data analysis, this is much more valuable.
# #####
# scatter plot matrix - with correlation coefficients
# define panels (copy-paste from the "pairs" help page)
r <- abs(cor(x, y))
txt <- paste0(prefix, txt)
panel.hist <- function(x, ...)
h <- hist(x, plot = FALSE)
diag.panel = panel.hist,
lower.panel = panel.smooth)
Fully loaded scatter plot matrix
What we see from this plot is that attendance is most strongly correlated with temperature -- a correlation coefficient of 0.70. (Before you jump to any conclusions: did I mention the extremely small sample size?!?) There are also moderately strong correlations with the sunniness of the day, and whether the game was played mid-week, Sunday, or Friday/Saturday. In summary, attendance has been highest on warm days played on a Friday or Saturday evening, and on cool mid-week days have seen the lowest attendance. (Are we surprised by this?)
With more sunny warm weather in the forecast we can only hope that the correlation with attendance continues through the remainder of the season. The schedule looks favourable for high attendance, too -- they've got four mid-week games, three Sunday matinees (including the last game of the season), and six Friday-Saturday games.
When the season is concluded and more data points are added to the data set, I will revisit this analysis.
June 30, 2013
Victoria baseball history
The history of baseball in Victoria, British Columbia has many interesting stories (as well as a statistical legacy). As Tom Hawthorn notes in this great overview of professional baseball in Victoria, on the surface the city seems much more like a cricket and rugby town. But baseball goes back a long way, with a lot of colourful characters.
Hawthorn penned a similar piece for the Globe & Mail ten years ago, which contains more details about the single appearance of the subject of "the greatest baseball card ever made".
Bill Murray, Victoria Mussels infielder
June 16, 2013
Annotating select points on an X-Y plot using ggplot2
or, Is the Seattle Mariners outfield a disaster?
The Backstory
Manipulating the data
# load the ggplot2 and grid packages
# read data (note csv files are renamed)
tbl1 = read.csv("FanGraphs_Leaderboard_h.csv")
tbl2 = read.csv("FanGraphs_Leaderboard_d.csv")
# 'playerid'
# clean up the variable names of the two Name fields
A quick plot
qplot(UZR.150, wRAA, data = outfield)
Code to set up the tables for plotting
# create new MarinerNames field that contains only the name of Mariners
outfield$MarinerNames = outfield$Name
idx = (outfield$Team.x == "Mariners")
outfield$MarinerNames[!idx] = NA
outfield$wRAAstars = outfield$Name
outfield$wRAAstars[5:110] = NA
outfield$UZRstars = outfield$Name
outfield$UZRstars[4:110] = NA
The final plot code
WARcht + # print the chart object
fontface="bold.italic") +
fontface="bold.italic") +
The final analysis
June 4, 2013
Major League Baseball run scoring trends with R's Lahman package
The statistical software R has an ever-expanding array of packages that provide pre-programmed functions and datasets. One such package is named Lahman, bundling the contents of the Lahman database into a quick-and-easy resource for R users. In addition to the data tables, the package resources also contain a variety of analyses and graphics undertaken using the package, providing some examples of how the package can be used.
Full disclosure: I am now one of the Lahman package project members.
This is my first blog post using the Lahman package, and as a first step I will simply recreate the league run scoring trends graphs that I generated previously. Originally, I had used data from Baseball Reference, for the simple reason that the Lahman database does not, in its source form, contain any league-level aggregations.
The process for loading the Lahman package is as simple as any other R package; this simplicity is even greater if you are using an IDE such as RStudio. Once loaded, you have access to all the tables in the database, without any of the futzing that is sometimes required in tidying up a raw flat file (I find that variable names are sometimes lost or changed in translation).
The code (available as a gist here, downloadable as an R script file) creates a pair of tables, calculating each league's run scoring rates by year. Then, recycling my earlier code, it calculates a series of trend lines using the loess method, and graphs those trend lines. For simplicity's sake, only the final version of each graph is shown.
Step 1: install the package (if you haven't already), access the library, and load the data table “Teams”.
# load the package into R, and open the data table 'Teams' into the
# workspace
The second step is to use the individual team season results to calculate the aggregate of each league's year. We start with 1901, the year the American League was formed. Once those tables are created, the loess function is used to calculate trend lines for each league's run scoring environment.
# select a sub-set of teams from 1901 [the establishment of the American
# League] forward to 2012
Teams_sub <-, yearID > 1900))
# calculate each team's average runs and runs allowed per game
Teams_sub$RPG <- Teams_sub$R/Teams_sub$G
Teams_sub$RAPG <- Teams_sub$RA/Teams_sub$G
# create new data frame with season totals for each league
LG_RPG <- aggregate(cbind(R, RA, G) ~ yearID + lgID, data = Teams_sub, sum)
# calculate league + season runs and runs allowed per game
# League] forward to 2012 read the data into separate league tables
ALseason <- (subset(LG_RPG, yearID > 1900 & lgID == "AL"))
NLseason <- (subset(LG_RPG, yearID > 1900 & lgID == "NL"))
# AMERICAN LEAGUE create new object ALRunScore.LO for loess model
ALRunScore.LO <- loess(ALseason$LG_RPG ~ ALseason$yearID)
ALRunScore.LO.predict <- predict(ALRunScore.LO)
# create new objects RunScore.Lo.XX for loess models with 'span' control
# span = 0.25
ALRunScore.LO.25 <- loess(ALseason$LG_RPG ~ ALseason$yearID, span = 0.25)
# span = 0.5
ALRunScore.LO.5 <- loess(ALseason$LG_RPG ~ ALseason$yearID, span = 0.5)
# NATIONAL LEAGUE create new object RunScore.LO for loess model
NLRunScore.LO <- loess(NLseason$LG_RPG ~ NLseason$yearID)
NLRunScore.LO.predict <- predict(NLRunScore.LO)
# loess models
NLRunScore.LO.25 <- loess(NLseason$LG_RPG ~ NLseason$yearID, span = 0.25)
NLRunScore.LO.25.predict <- predict(NLRunScore.LO.25)
NLRunScore.LO.5 <- loess(NLseason$LG_RPG ~ NLseason$yearID, span = 0.5)
NLRunScore.LO.5.predict <- predict(NLRunScore.LO.5)
Now that we have calculated the league averages and trend lines (using the loess method), we can start the plots. First, a simple plot of the actual values:
# MULTI-PLOT -- MERGING AL AND NL RESULTS plot individual years as lines
ylim <- c(3, 6)
# start with AL line
plot(ALseason$LG_RPG ~ ALseason$yearID, type = "l", lty = "solid", col = "red",
lwd = 2, main = "Runs per team per game, 1901-2012", ylim = ylim, xlab = "year",
ylab = "runs per game")
# add NL line
lines(NLseason$yearID, NLseason$LG_RPG, lty = "solid", col = "blue", lwd = 2)
# chart additions
legend(1900, 3.5, c("AL", "NL"), lty = c("solid", "solid"), col = c("red", "blue"),
lwd = c(2, 2))
Next, comparing the league trends.
# plot multiple loess curves (span=0.50 and 0.25)
ylim <- c(3, 6)
# start with AL line
plot(ALRunScore.LO.5.predict ~ ALseason$yearID, type = "l", lty = "solid", col = "red",
ylab = "runs per game")
# add NL line
lines(NLseason$yearID, NLRunScore.LO.5.predict, lty = "solid", col = "blue",
lwd = 2)
# add 0.25 lines
lines(ALseason$yearID, ALRunScore.LO.25.predict, lty = "dashed", col = "red",
lwd = 2)
lines(NLseason$yearID, NLRunScore.LO.25.predict, lty = "dashed", col = "blue",
lwd = 2)
# chart additions
legend(1900, 3.5, c("AL (span=0.50)", "NL (span=0.50)", "AL (span=0.25)", "NL (span=0.25)"),
lty = c("solid", "solid", "dashed", "dashed"), col = c("red", "blue", "red",
"blue"), lwd = c(2, 2, 2, 2))
Next, calculate the difference between the two leagues – both the absolute difference and the difference in the loess trend lines.
# 1. absolute
RunDiff <- (ALseason$LG_RPG - NLseason$LG_RPG)
# 2. LOESS span=0.25
RunDiffLO <- (ALRunScore.LO.25.predict - NLRunScore.LO.25.predict)
And plot the differences.
# plot each year absolute difference as bar, difference in trend as line
ylim <- c(-1, 1.5)
plot(RunDiff ~ ALseason$yearID, type = "h", lty = "solid", col = "blue", lwd = 2,
main = "Run scoring trend: AL difference from NL, 1901-2012", ylim = ylim,
# add RunDiff line
lines(ALseason$yearID, RunDiffLO, lty = "solid", col = "black", lwd = 2)
# add line at zero
abline(h = 0, lty = "dotdash")
# chart additions
legend(1900, 1.5, c("AL difference from NL: absolute", "AL difference from NL, LOESS (span=0.25)"),
lty = c("solid", "solid"), col = c("blue", "black"), lwd = c(2, 2))
For the next “using R” post, I'll take a look at the ways to plot the residuals from the loess method.
The one after that: ggplot2 versions of the graphs.
April 5, 2013
Strikeout rates - update
March 29, 2013
On strikeout rates
February 24, 2013
MLB runs allowed by team
Or, How good were the Maddux/Glavine-era Braves?
In this on-going series of posts about run scoring in Major League Baseball, for this installment I'll turn the equation around and look at runs allowed. In order to account for the changing run scoring environments, the runs allowed by individual teams is compared to the league average for that season, creating an index where 100 is the league average. In this formulation, a score below 100 is a good thing; a team with an index score of 95 allowed runs at a rate 5 percentage points below the league average.
Having written the original code in R, it's now a very simple process to change a few variable names and create the equivalent of the earlier runs scored analysis, but looking at runs allowed. This is one of the most important benefits of a code/syntax environment, an option that doesn't exist if you are using a point-and-click GUI interface.
February 23, 2013
Sabermetrics primer
Phil Birnbaum, author of the Sabermetric Research and the editor of SABR's "By the Numbers", has written a primer on the topic with the title "A Guide to Sabermetric Research" that appears at the SABR site. This should be the first stop for anyone who wants to find out more about the field of sabermetrics, and a good read for those already active.
February 17, 2013
Run production, one team at a time
The R code I used can be found at this Github gist. Instead of boring you here with the ins and outs of what the code is doing, I've embedded that as documentation in the gist. The R code assumes that you've got a data frame called "Teams.merge" already in your workspace. This can be achieved by running the previous code, or if you've done that before, you'll have created a csv file with the name "Teams.merge.csv", and now have the option to read that file as a data frame "Teams.merge".
February 16, 2013
Gist for previous posts
The more I use it, the more I understand the benefits and value of Github as a code-sharing resource. The gist found here is the R code for my posts on run scoring trends by league (found here, here, and here). I will continue to use Github for the code used in future posts.
February 2, 2013
Comparing individual team run production
Or, The 2010 Mariners: How Bad Were They?
In earlier posts, I used the statistical software R to plot the trends in league average run scoring since 1901. This was the first step to answering other questions I had on my mind:
1. How poor was the offensive performance of the 2010 Seattle Mariners?
2. Are they showing any signs of improvement?
3. And how can I use R to tabulate the data to answer these questions?
So, to answer Question #1. It is well-established that the 2010 Mariners were not very good, at least offensively. (For fans of the team the well-deserved Cy Young award won by Felix Hernandez is surely the highlight of the season.) But I wanted a form of relative measure that would be comparable across time, to accommodate the various fluctuations in run scoring that were the subject of that earlier post.
As I started into this, the first decision was to draw a line in the historical record. I opted to use the eras described in Bill James' "Dividing Baseball History into Eras" article (behind a pay wall – but chances are if you're reading my blog, you already a Bill James subscriber):
• Era 1 (The Pioneer Era), 1871-1892
• Era 2 (The Spitball Era), 1893-1919
• Era 3 (The Landis Era), 1920-1946
• Era 4 (The Baby Boomers Era), 1947-1968
• Era 5 (The Artifical Turf Era), 1969-1992
• Era 6 (The Camden Yards Era), 1993-2012
Based on these groupings, I opted to use the range of seasons 1947-2012 inclusive. This yields 1,580 team seasons of National League and American League baseball.
The second step was to calculate a runs per game (RPG) for each team, by year. This corrects for the longer regular season in the post-expansion period, the strike-shortened seasons, and will give us a common denominator to compare the results so far in 2012.
To do this, I accessed the 2012 edition of the Lahman database. Once I had downloaded and extracted the comma-delimted version of the files, I read the "teams" file into R. |
Guided Math: Part 1 (Getting Started!)
A couple of years ago I decided to begin teaching mathematics through guided small groups instead of whole group instruction. This change has helped me to better reach the strengths and struggles of my 28 first graders in a much more meaningful way.
Getting Started...
First things first....if guided math is something you are wanting to try...try it! Let this be the school year you dive in and give guided math groups a whirl. I promise, you won't regret it.
To get your brain going and thinking about the possibilities of guided math groups in your classroom try answering each of these questions:
*How much time can I dedicate to math each day?
*How many guided groups will I have in my classroom?
*How many times am I going to try to meet with groups each week?
*Where will your students be working with you during guided math instruction?
How much time can I dedicate to math each day?
This will certainly vary depending on your school and its expectations of mathematics. At our school, we are required to spend at least 60 minutes on math each day. Now, 60 minutes may sound like a lot to some people but from someone who loves math this is a short, very short, amount of time. I do go over that allotment of time but try to keep mine to about 80 minutes.
My Breakdown is as follows:
10-15 minute mini lesson (to introduce a skill, review a skill, discuss expectations, create an anchor chart, ect.)
Four 15 minute rotations of meeting with guided math groups (or if it is a more difficult concept: three 20 minute rotations of meeting with guided math groups.)
10 minute closing/sharing (something students learned today or something to add to our anchor chart.)
How many guided groups will I have in my classroom?
Small group instruction, in an ideal world, should have 5-6 students. However, in my classroom of 28 students I have 7 kids in each group-giving me 4 different groups of students. It is what works best in my room and allows me to see the most students each day.
I say "try" because I feel as though during most weeks something comes up and changes my "ideal" schedule. Whether it is an assembly, a fire drill, or a special running late there always seems to be something. So I make my "ideal" schedule with the understanding it might now always happen!
I enjoy being able to meet with every group every day. That is why I choose to have 4 groups of 7, instead of 5 or 6 groups with less children. However, due to the depth of a lesson or something cutting into my "ideal" schedule (like a fire drill or an assembly.) I am flexible and my students also learn how to be flexible with math groups.
I am lucky to have a "jelly bean" table in my room (totally took that cute name from Aylin-so much better sounding then "kidney" or "horseshoe.") I can fit 7 students around my table with our work mats and manipulatives. There are also times when I will relocate my guided group to the carpet so that I can use the SMARTBoard. Students get a clip board during our guided groups if we are not sitting at the "jellybean" table. You can certainly be creative with your space: using tables, carpet space, or the ground. As long as students can write (clip boards or even an individual white board can be used in a student's lap) and they can pay attention and focus on you/the lesson the space should work just fine!
My "jelly bean" table used for both guided math and guided reading with my first graders.
Click here to get a freebie that will help you organize your weekly guided math time. It is in an editable file so that you can either print the blank template and write on it each week or type directly in the document.
I am going to break this post into several shorter segments. So, that is all for today! Let me know any questions and/or suggestions you have about your classroom-I'd love to hear them!
Please look for several more parts to this Guided Math post throughout the next several weeks of summer. In these upcoming posts I will discuss the ways I hold students accountable during independent centers, management pieces I have learned a long the way, as well as what I am doing during my guided math groups.
Other Guided Math Posts and Freebies:
Happy Monday!
1. I also teach math with guided math, but I love reading how others do it! Can't wait to read more! :)
ideas by jivey
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2. I am planning on doing this next year. My goal is to work through everything this summer so that I can have task cards/games and activities for the kids to work on while i am meeting with my small groups. The only problem is that I only have 50 min. of math a day. Any suggestions for me? Thankfully I have a small class-15 kids...but I would love your suggestions.
Hunter's Tales from Teaching
1. I just emailed you! :) I do the same thing-try my best to work through all of my new stuff over the helps tremendously! I think you will still be able to follow this model and do guided groups especially with only 15 students. You can do 3 rotations for your centers or you could give some choice to your kiddos if you have 4 things in mind (the only must would be when they need to meet with you!) Good luck and let me know if you have any more questions!
3. I am hoping to incorporate guided math groups this year. I attempted last year, but I couldn't quite get it together with the math series we used. Now with the common core, I don't have to use that manual each and every day! I have read other posts on this topic, but I am anxious to hear about your experience as well!
1. That will be very nice not to have to follow a manual each and every day-hopefully that should make it a little easier! Thanks for stopping by Amy!
4. Guided math groups are awesome! Kudos to you for getting it done. It looks like you really have your math schedule down : )
Kids Math Teacher
5. It sounds like you have things set up very well. It is so important to have enough time for math each day because it is the hardest subject to integrate with other subjects, especially at first grade! I love the way you have structured the time and made it a priority to meet with each group every day. Giving kids small group math instruction is the only way to ensure all needs are being met. Especially with 28 kids! I have been lucky to have much smaller numbers than that. You really have made the best of your situation and it looks like all your kids are getting their needs met.
With math instruction like you describe, half of the success is being a good math teacher and the other half is about being a good classroom manager. Kudos to you for doing both!
6. I teach two sections of math daily with my kiddos. One is our mandated curriculum and the other is a supplement that we really enjoy and is more hands-on. I'm thinking about maybe making the mandated curriculum (which is harder I feel and very wordy) into Guided Math. This is a great jumping off point! Thanks
You Might Be a First Grader….
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Monday, December 7, 2015
Making Plans: A Window Into A Child's Thinking
MAKING PLANS to begin the day can be a way of helping children enter into the classroom with an idea of where they would like to play for a sustained time with materials they wish to explore. Taking some time to think about and draw a plan where a teacher writes down their thinking helps children begin play with a sense of importance and purpose.
Our classroom has been writing plans each day and we have seen children really noticing materials that interest them. They think about how they might use the materials, and their plan includes a drawing of their idea. This thinking incorporated one child's relationships with important people in her life at home to her life at school. Emerging before our eyes is this beautiful story of how a child, missing her mommy, included her mother in her plans as she discussed their shared love for race cars, an interest also passionately expressed by other children. This process of slowing down and purposefully drawing a plan helped this child make connections from her mommy at home to her life here in our classroom. This opportunity seems to have been a catalyst for her to work through her fear of separation and to empower her to form new relationships with friends and and teachers in the Forest Room.
"My mommy. Dear Mama and Papa."
"I want to play with the race cars. I want to draw my Mama.
My Mama 10/19/15
Here's Papa. Mama likes purple. Mama wants some race cars.
Mama's Body 10/20/15
Dear Mama, I want to play with the race cars.
Mama's Body 10/20/15
Following through with her plan. Is she thinking of wheels?
Making connections by pairing materials
She shared materials with other children.
"I want to build a race car."
Tracing bottle cap and a toy race car
Continued interest in one to one correspondence with materials. Is she thinking of her Mama and Papa sitting in the car with her?
She finished her race car after playing with the materials for a long while.
"I want to build a race car."
Her plan includes a drawing of the car body (crate) and wheels (bottle caps).
Because of the time she spent messing about with the materials, she is able to draw car parts in relationship to each other. Two year olds can see relationships of different parts and how they fit together. They can represent these relationships on paper and playing with materials that are similar to specific parts of something can help them solidify their placement in an accurate drawing.
Finding a mouse to ride in her car, she smiled with satisfaction.
This child came to school each day for two weeks with the idea of building a race car. As she drew her plan and then played with the materials she chose, I noticed that she talked about how her Mama and Papa could play with her. She seemed to make a cognitive leap bridging her love of Mama and Papa and race cars at home to her desire to join in the play in her classroom at school. Her determination to make a race car out of found materials seemed to provide her with the latitude to solve more than one problem. She could see new relationships forming with Mama and Papa where she is not actually with them but can include them in her desire to have them be near her. She also notices relationships of the materials she found and began to see how they could be put together to form her idea of a race car. She has since joined other children as they build race cars with blocks or become race cars as they run around "tracks". The process of making a plan gave her a way to express her feelings about missing Mama and Papa and then opened opportunities for her to form relationships with materials, teachers and new friends. This is the important work of two year olds.
Tuesday, October 27, 2015
Frog theories
Recently a small frog was discovered in our classroom sink. It looked like a blob of clay under the dish rack. Coincidentally, plastic frogs had been washed over the weekend and were drying in the rack right above where the frog was sleeping. Hmmm....
After some research, I learned that this frog is actually a gray tree frog that can change color slightly to fit its surroundings. They live their whole lives in trees, only coming to the ground to mate in the Spring or to hibernate in winter.
So I shared the story of the frog's discovery with the children at our end of the morning circle (see earlier post about morning meetings!). We wanted help with thinking about how the frog got into our sink. Lisa and I were engaged in magical thinking- maybe a plastic frog came alive! But we kept our idea to ourselves so that our students could generate their own theories.
Many students have created small forests with natural
materials for our small classroom friends: earthworms,
snails, and now our tree frog.
We know that at this age children often combine magical thinking with their knowledge of the physical world to explain natural phenomena. Often their theories demonstrate an intuitive sense of scientific laws, but are explained using magical or whimsical descriptions. Like when we observe rainbows in our classroom on sunny mornings: there's a general sense that light is shining through our window (through hanging prisms) creating these spectra, but children will often try to catch the rainbow, or personify it with human or animal features. The narratives that children create around a mysterious occurrence help with processing their observations and with tweaking their theories. Playful investigation is part of the young child's pursuit of scientific thinking.
Here is the list of theories for how our frog arrived in our sink:
He came up the drain in the sink. (We now know the frog is a she)
He hopped all the way up the building and came in the window to the sink (the window is right above the sink, too)
Downstairs, a robber sneaked him up here and dropped him in the sink when the police came
It climbed up the wall, over the ceiling, and fell in the sink
It climbed up the fire escape and came into the window and then into the sink
He has sticky feet to climb up a building wall
In reflection, the children's theories were pretty heavily scientific, or practical, except the one about the robber (and that was a fun story!). They seem to understand something about frogs, and how they navigate the world. We've never had a "lesson" on frogs- that's not how we operate. But we can think together about this frog and clearly the Rainbow Room students have a strong sense about frogs already.
Perhaps they have connected the dots between what they have heard or read or seen about frogs or other small animals and what drives an animal to resort to a human dwelling. I can see critical thinking at work here. And creativity. The opportunities for thinking and learning about our world are all around us, even in our classroom sink.
Our female gray tree frog, now a classroom pet
Seeing the signs
Loose materials collage; one way children
tell us what they are thinking
Children have the right to be listened to. Really listened to. Not just during a conflict, or when someone is hurt or upset, but all the time. As adults living in a world with children, we must read between the lines, consider the deeper meaning to what is said or shown us. We owe this attention to the youngest members of our world. This deep listening and contemplation is necessary for mutual connection and understanding.
Words are not always used; children utilize many ways to communicate with the other humans around them. While as adults we are used to spoken communication, children express themselves through many languages, not just the talking kind. Expressive movement, block construction, food science, clay sculpture, dramatic play, natural material collage- all are vehicles for expressing one's inner thoughts, feelings, and conflicts. By providing the space, time, and open-ended materials for this self-expression, we learn about the child as an individual with interests, proclivities, fears, ideas, and opinions.
Ila's forest for the snails and worms;
one of the knotty questions we
are noticing: what is a forest?
Behavior gives us a great deal of information, too. As teachers, we closely watch the engagement with the classroom materials, or the emergence of common threads during play and investigation. Big ideas surface over and over again, telling us there's a knotty question being explored. We ask ourselves, what is important to the children about this type of play? What are they trying to say through these materials and/or these actions? What materials or opportunities can we provide that will support further investigation or deeper engagement? What seems to be working in the classroom and what needs to be tweaked?
Since the beginning of our school year, we have included a "morning meeting" as part of our classroom routine. This early circle time provided us the opportunity to share information, to allow for children to show their work and share their thinking, and to explore some big ideas or questions that have surfaced in the work of the classroom. My co-teacher Lisa and I were feeling pretty strongly that this time was valuably used- after all, this time was perfect for co-constructing as a group and for planning the rest of our morning. We also saw the value in practicing a large group activity to prepare for the expectations of kindergarten, where our children will be going next year.
However, the morning meeting started to fall apart as the weeks progressed. Clearly our children were more interested in each other than in the topic of discussion. Lisa and I had to put on our thinking caps to address this challenge: we knew we were reflecting their own ideas back to them, so why the disinterest? Why all the giggling and side conversations? Why were children laying down on the carpet and telling us that circle was boring?
John made this card depicting
two people talking during
morning meeting.
So we brought a question to the children: how can we get your attention during morning meeting?
Many suggestions were generated, from sign-language, to clapping....and then Pierce proposed using cards, or signs, to throw on the carpet when someone notices someone else not paying attention. This idea put the onus on the children to monitor each other, not just the teachers. Everyone agreed. So we made cards for everyone to use during circle.
Problem solved? Well, not exactly. We tried the cards for a couple of days. They worked for a little while, but the distraction in circle continued. What was going on here?
Lisa and I put our heads together again. We could continue to bring this problem back to the children, or we could really listen to what was being demonstrated to us: morning meeting was the problem. Notice my earlier question did not really capture the essence of the issue. I should have asked, what feels hard about morning meeting? I suspect the answers would be pretty clear: we want to play and spend time with our friends. I have more clarity now, but in the moment my earlier question felt appropriate.
One of the cards Pierce created
for morning meeting.
So we let go of our morning meeting, in our minds only temporarily. And the engagement of small groups of children increased. We observed productive play, investigation, and connection.
Older 4s and 5s are really socially motivated people. There's a strong need to connect to one's friends. This connecting is the hard work of early childhood. It trumps anything put before it, like morning meeting. We realized that our students had no time to feel connected to each other: we were scheduling our morning meeting right after hand-washing, signing-in, and observational drawing. It's not a question of should we have a large group meeting, it's a question of when to have it. So now we are having one at the end of the morning, before dismissal. And there's a much better vibe!
Children playing ghostbusters first thing in the morning
Will we every have a morning meeting? We hope so- we'll try again in January. But we'll be listening and taking feedback. As for the knotty questions that emerge, we can discuss them in small groups, or wait until the later circle. Our classroom work is still rich and provocative.
Saturday, October 10, 2015
Picture Day
When we told the children that our photographer friend Meghan was coming to school to everyone's picture, one of the children asked, "Well, can we take her picture?"
We checked with Meghan and she thought that was a great idea.
So, here's a behind the scenes look at Picture Day through the children's eyes.
Friday, September 25, 2015
Reaching Out: How Young Children Connect
How do young children connect? How do relationships form? We observe that all children want to connect with each other, and they go about it in nuanced ways, using eye contact, body language and, of course, a smile, to forge new friendships. It is the second full week of school and we are already seeing these children reach out to one another with joy.
Without using words, these children shared strawberries, delighting in their communal play.
Laughter is a great connector.
Acts of compassion, even those from pretend play, foster positive emotions and strengthen bonds. Here the children are helping each other out of the "mud."
These children mirrored each other's actions for several minutes, becoming more engaged with each motion.
Finding connections fosters a sense of security and increases self confidence.
Stepping Back: Watching Children Solve a Problem
Uh oh. A ball got stuck in a bamboo pipe. How could we reach it? Of course the children's first idea was to come to a teacher, but I put on my best innocent, quizzical face and said, "Oh dear. It's stuck. Does anyone have any ideas for getting it out?"
Many children assured me they could help, but their hands were too big to fit in the pipe. They also tried to push it out with another ball, but that didn't work either. They could think of no other way to solve the problem. Since they were stumped, I suggested we write a note to another classroom of older children to ask for help. They wrote a note to the Garden Room.
Another ball did not push the stuck ball out.
It's really far down in there.
The Garden Room children were eating snack, but one child had an idea right away. "I know how to get it out! You need something smaller to stick in it. We could try my sword."
A Garden Room child pushes the ball out with his sword, while a Forest Room child watches.
After watching the Garden Room child carefully, this Forest Room child promptly came back to our classroom and stuck the ball back in the bamboo pipe. I watched as he started to put his hand in, then stopped. I could see him thinking. Was he remembering that his hand didn't work? He looked around the classroom and found a magnetic wand, which he used to push the ball out. He was so pleased with himself that he repeated the process many times.
Magnetic wand in hand, ready to pop the ball out.
How capable young children are! By not interfering, but only supporting, I was privileged to watch an older child help a younger one solve a problem, and watch the younger one apply this new knowledge in his classroom. We love these cross-age learning opportunities, and the constant ways children show us their thinking, if we only step back and allow them the time and space to do their work.
Tuesday, July 14, 2015
Building Relationships: Exploring Our Richmond With Visitors From The Institute
Our school invited interested visitors to come and see our work with children, using the Reggio approach, during our spring Institute. Visitors were able to see children working and playing in our classrooms, hear Lella Gandini, who has led the United States initiative to spread Reggio concepts, and Ben Mardell, who shared his experiences with Project Zero. Our guests were also able to hear about our experiences here at Sabot at Stony Point from preschool and lower school teachers. On the last day of the conference, Anna Golden, our studio teacher, gave the visitors a provocation: to co- construct a structure using a choice of materials or musical/movement interpretation to make visible how the teacher connects the child to the city. This provocation was inspired by our school wide intention to study "Our Richmond" this year as a way to bring our children to the city as contributing members of the community. How would the children view the city and what ways would they think of to interact with the places and people they encountered?
The Forest Room's interest in the Light Studio made our decision to provide building materials reflecting or obstructing light a natural provocation for our visitors in the Light Studio. The visitors worked together collaboratively to construct their vision of the teacher connecting the child to the city. They used the materials to represent the child looking through a tunnel pathway leading to a city of color and magical illumination.The participants also thoroughly explored concepts of connection and reflection as they worked.
The visitors left the structure in place so the Forest Room children could see it. The children approached the structure and stood around it, moving from carpet square to carpet square to get a view from different angles.
Lauren, our studio teacher, asked the children to see themselves as part of the city.
The tunnel, representing the magical pathway of connection
The beauty and the complexity of the mirrored blocks, light sources and images projected on the wall were inspiring to the visitors as they made connections to their representation of beauty and complexity in the relationships between the teacher, the child and the people of the city.
The children told us what they noticed:
Z: "Look right there in the tunnel."
J: "I wonder why there's a tunnel."
G: "If we go under the tunnel it will take us way over there."
G:"I notice the light turning round and round but never getting mixed up too bad. Things are going crazy."
Z: "I saw a house and the bird goes inside and goes 'tweet tweet!'"
A: "A bird is flying into the house over there by Zoe."
G: "I see a crown."
Children playing at the light table after these observations called the structure a castle and immediately began fixing food and medicine for sick puppies and kitties.
Lauren wanted to see how the children interacted with similar materials in the classroom and studio. Could they replicate the structure in any way? We placed pictures of the structure at the light table, the easel, and the block area.
We continued to provide materials from the structure on the light table.
I. wanted to see if the globe fit over the tube and J. dropped various building materials down the tube. He played a game of making the materials disappear and then giggled when he lifted the tube while watching them fall out.
L's airplane
S made food for G.
Making a pathway to the structure
What we noticed was that the children used the materials in ways that made sense to them. They "messed about" and created stories about their ideas. They played together, taking on roles and then leaving the ideas so they could explore how to get a golf ball out of a container with a narrow neck. We have seen children interact with each other and "new materials" in this way before they are able to use them in new ways.
Making pathways has been an interest of the children as they make roads with the carpet squares in the light studio, taking them to "Grandma and Grandpa's house", to the fire, and now to the new structure the Institute visitors left for us. We have taken the children's interest in pathways to the classroom when the children are signing in by asking them to drawing their houses to see if they could represent the roads between their homes, our school and other places of their interest in our city.
We kept bringing the children back to their idea of mapping their homes and their city. Lauren provided some ribbons to represent roads on the light table, and by using their favorite cars from the classroom they created a hospital, an ice cream store, a toll bridge, a train station and train track.
A made a bridge over water and started a toll bridge game.
The toll cost money.
The bridge connected the town where several children lived.
There was an ice cream shop and a hospital.
J built a train for I's track.
In the classroom we brought the children back to the city map of Richmond where we had placed origami houses in September to represent where our homes were in relation to Sabot School. It was fun to use string to form the roads connecting each other's houses. The children were reminded of how the places we live are in relation to our school and the city of Richmond.
One day a group of children were getting really excited while playing and were invited to bring their fire truck game to the art table to draw a story. They drew the fire station and placed the fire trucks there waiting to be called when suddenly Guiseppe yelled out, "My house is on fire!" The fire trucks drove from the station to his house to put the fire out. Other children came and added their houses and roads, connecting them to each other. A child from the Rainbow Room joined them and, after waiting to understand their game, he added Sabot School and his own house to the map which developed from telling and drawing the story.
Burning house, fire station, roads and Sabot School
Alices' smiley face and family
Sabot School by Rainbow Room friend
Isaac's fire station
It has been exciting to see the youngest children respond to the structure the visitors from the Institute left for them. They were surprised by the structure's beauty and intricate pathways, as indicated when they pointed out the tunnel and wondered about why you would need a tunnel in the city. The Forest Room children have developed strong relationships with each other this year as they tell their stories, moving through the space of the light studio. After a period of time messing about with the materials from the structure, they were able to represent their stories in more ways as they interpreted distances between where they "live" and the places they love to meet each other, like the ice cream store and the toll bridge. The children have once again explored their internal map by moving through the space in the light studio, exploring with the materials until finally they were building and representing places that were important to them by drawing them on paper as a map. The children's stories were about helping each other to get from their house to visit a friend, to help put out a fire or to get ice cream together. There were toll roads, bridges and rivers. They built a hospital to help those in need and they built their beloved Sabot School. The Forest Room children have created a replica of their city noting the places that are important to them. We now have a view into "Our Richmond".
"Parents have to have an idea of a school in motion, because the children move around all the time and not only physically; for their minds and social exchanges are in continuous motion, just as their language is." - Loris Mallaguzzi |
This Week in Science
Science 03 Nov 2006:
Vol. 314, Issue 5800, pp. 721
1. Alzheimer's Disease After 100 Years
In Tübingen, Germany, on 3 November 1906, Alois Alzheimer described the first documented case of Alzheimer's disease, a neurodegenerative disorder that impairs memory, cognition, and behavior (see the cover). Goedert and Spillantini (p. 777) review what is known about the molecular pathology of the disease, which is defined by the presence within the brain of amyloid-β-rich plaques and tau-containing neurofibrillary tangles. Roberson and Mucke (p. 781) review the prospects for therapy to help delay or prevent pathological processes within the brains of afflicted individuals, in order to prolong patients' cognitive abilities, and maintain for as long as possible their quality of life.
2. A Need for a Sea Change
The significance of the ocean's declining diversity on humanity has been difficult to assess. In a series of meta-analyses, Worm et al. (p. 787; see the news story by Stokstad) quantify how the loss of marine diversity on local, regional, and global scales has affected the functioning and stability of marine ecosystems, the flow of ecosystem services, and the rise of associated risks to humanity. Similar relationships occur between biodiversity change and ecosystem services at scales ranging from small square-meter plots to entire ocean basins; this finding implies that small-scale experiments can be used to predict large-scale ocean change. At current rates of diversity loss, this analysis indicates that there will be no more viable fish or invertebrate species available to fisheries by 2050. However, the results also show that the trends in loss of species are still reversible.
3. Cosmic Shock Waves
Clusters of galaxies grow by the infall of surrounding matter through gravitational effects, and peripheral shock waves are thought to be set up as material hits the cluster outskirts. Bagchi et al. (p. 791; see the Perspective by Enßlin) have used the Very Large Array to detect a ring of radio emission around a cluster that may signify such a shock wave. Giant twin radio arcs cup the cluster Abell 3376 and have size and brightness consistent with cosmological shock waves. The giant shock waves may provide sites for the acceleration of cosmic rays and particles associated with the structure-formation process.
4. Sublimation in Two Acts
Colloidal particles have been used as analogs for molecules for studying the formation of crystals or glassy jammed states. Savage et al. (p. 795; see the Perspective by Frenkel) use colloids to study the inverse problem, the sublimation of surface crystals. When the crystal is destabilized by a sudden temperature jump, large crystals first sublimate slowly. Once a critical size has been reached, the crystals suddenly melt into a metastable fluid before dissolving into the gas phase. In this regime of rapid change, the crystals were surrounded by a dense amorphous layer. The observations may correlate to the behavior of sublimating molecular systems and also to transitions in other systems like globular proteins.
5. Quantum Wells Run Deep
Thin metal films grown on semiconductor substrates can display quantum-well states created by electron confinement. Photoemission studies by Speer et al. (p. 804; see the Perspective by Walldén) of atomically uniform sliver films grown on Si(111) surfaces reveal additional electronic-fringe features for substrates with high levels of n-type doping. Despite the lattice mismatch and incommensurate growth of the Ag film, these features, which resemble diffraction waves, result from the electronic states from the film extending deep into the substrate and interfering with propagating states below the band edge. For lightly n-doped or p-doped samples, the band bending is too shallow to allow sufficient overlap of the film's states with those of Si.
6. From Heavy Fuels to Hydrogen
Biomass can be converted in oils and heavy liquids, but for many applications, it is desirable to further process these fuels into hydrogen or synthesis gas (a mixture of CO and H2). However, the low volatility of these liquids often leads to long contact times with catalysts, and often some of the fuel is converted to carbon, which deactivates the catalyst. Salge et al. (p. 801) find that if heavy fuels such as soy oil or biodiesel are sprayed in the presence of O2 as fine droplets onto already-hot rhodium-cerium catalysts, the heat of reaction causes the droplet to further break up and fully convert to H2 (along with CO and CO2, the other main products) without any added heat. These reactions are very fast (total contact times of 50 milliseconds or less), and no deactivation was seen after 20 hours of operation.
7. A Patchwork Solar Nebula
The use of the long-lived neodymium (Nd)-samarium (Sm) radioactive decay system for understanding very early processes in our solar system and Earth's differentiation depends on knowing the initial solar isotopic ratios. However, there is wide variation among measured Nd isotope levels among meteorites and compared with terrestrial samples. Two reports indicate that the early solar nebula was not well mixed with respect to this dating system or barium isotopes (see the 6 October news story by Kerr). Variations in Nd isotopes seen between chondrites and earth samples led to the suggestion that some Nd isotopes were sequestered deep in the earth. Andreasen and Sharma (p. 806) have measured Nd and Sm isotopes in primitive carbonaceous chondrite meteorites and find that the variations among meteorites are real and are caused primarily by a p-process (photodissociation of nuclides) deficit in carbonaceous chondrites relative to ordinary chondrites, eucrites (from Vesta), and the terrestrial standard. Ranen and Jacobsen (p. 809) have measured barium isotopes in chondrites and found that they also exhibit variations among meteorite types, which they interpret as implying that the protosolar nebular was heterogeneous. Chondritic meteorites originated in a different place and were more enriched in supernova-derived material compared with Earth.
8. Pores, Sieve, or Gel?
Nuclear pore complexes behave like a sieve—they allow small molecules to pass freely but restrict passage of macromolecules (>30 kilodaltons) between the nucleus and cytosol. The so-called FG-rich nucleoporin repeats, which are intrinsically unfolded protein domains that contain short clusters of hydrophobic amino acids separated by hydrophilic spacer regions, are thought to form the barrier, but the functional organization of this barrier has remained a matter of speculation. Frey et al. (p. 815; see the Perspective by Burke and the Perspective by Elbaum) show that these FG-rich repeats occur in an extended conformation and form a noncovalent (and thus reversible) hydrogel. Hydrophobic bridges connecting the individual polypeptide chains and create a three-dimensional sieve-like structure that is crucial for nuclear pore complex function.
9. Neurite Extension and Membrane Trafficking
Neurons extend processes (neurites) that can reach more than 1 meter in length. Formation of neurites requires both cytoskeletal remodeling and membrane transport. Shirane and Nakayama (p. 818) have now identified a protein, protrudin, that is essential for neurite extension triggered by nerve growth factor. Protrudin binds to and inhibits the activity of the protein Rab11, which functions as a molecular switch in membrane transport to the cell surface.
10. A Cool Way to a Long Life
Caloric dietary restriction prolongs life span in a variety of organisms, and in mammals the resultant lowering of core body temperature has been offered as one potential explanation. Conti et al. (p. 825; see the Perspective by Saper) generated transgenic mice that overexpress mitochondrial uncoupling protein 2 in hypocretin-producing neurons within the hypothalamus, which lowers core body temperature by about 0.5°C. In the absence of caloric restriction, the median life span of these “cool mice” was about 15% greater than that of their wild-type littermates.
11. Life Isn't Fair
In the two-player ultimatum game, low offers made by the first player to divide the pot of money unequally are considered unfair. The second player can choose either to accept these low offers (in which case the first player walks away with more than half of the pot) or to reject them (in which case neither player receives anything), with the outcome reflecting the competition between selfishness and indignation. The dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC) is thought to play a role in the decision-making process. Knoch et al. (p. 829, published online 5 October) used repetitive transcranial stimulation to test this directly by interfering with DLPFC function. Suppressing DLPFC activity tilted the competitive motivations toward the side of selfish behavior and a greater acceptance of unfair offers.
12. Donning the Myelin Sheath
The myelin sheath electrically insulates axons and makes the conductance of neuronal impulses much more efficient. Chan et al. (p. 832) examined how the Schwann cells begin myelination of an axon. In neuronal cultures, a cell polarity protein, Par-3, localized to where the Schwann cell meets the axon and promoted the recruitment of the brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF)-receptor to the junction between Schwann cell and neuron. BDNF-dependent signaling between the axon and Schwann cell then ensures that myelination begins. This localized signaling arising from Par-3 polarity may help to ensure that the myelination begins at the right spot.
13. Swell Gel Patterns
The Belousov-Zhabotinsky reaction system involves chemical oscillations that show periodic behavior in space and time. The reaction is characterized by a periodic change in the oxidation state of a metal caused by local changes in the concentration of one or more reactants. If this reaction occurs within the confines of a polymer gel, the local concentration changes can also cause changes in the swelling of the gel. Previous models have captured these effects in one dimension, where the gel volume can contract or expand uniformly. Yashin and Balazs (p. 798) have extended this to two dimensions, which allows the gel to change shape as well. The richness of patterns and shape changes that arise depends on the dimensions of the gel.
14. Predicting Changes in Biodiversity
Predicting the effects of environmental change on biodiversity requires an understanding of whether those changes will affect which species occupy a given site, as well as their relative prevalence. Shipley et al. (p. 812, published online 5 October; see the Perspective by McGill) developed a quantitative method based on plant traits to answer these questions and test its effectiveness on a data set from a 42-year process of secondary succession after agricultural abandonment of sites in southern France. Their method successfully predicts community composition and relative abundance with a high level of accuracy.
15. Questions and Answers in Photosystem II
Oxidation of water to O2 is catalyzed by a Mn4Ca cluster within photosystem II (PSII). Recently described crystal structures of PSII have yielded important insights, but the structure of the Mn4Ca catalytic center has remained unclear. Yano et al. (p. 821) use polarized extended x-ray absorption fine structure (EXAFS) data to provide structural models of the Mn4Ca cluster and combined information from polarized EXAFS and x-ray diffraction data to place these models within the PSII protein environment. The model which provides the best fit differs from those proposed in the x-ray structure models.
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Monday, January 9, 2017
Answer: The phases (and more!) of the moon
So... what's the story here?
Why did all of the NASA missions land on the side facing the Earth?
It struck me the other day: ALL of the NASA landings on the Moon were all on the side of the Moon facing towards the earth. Why did they neglect the other side? Was it a kind of strange conspiracy?
Not my photo, but very similar to what I saw on Jan 1, 2017. P/C NASA
The US sent six missions to the moon (Apollo 11, 12, 14, 15, 16, 17). Here's the map of the landing sites I found with the query: [ Apollo landing sites map ]
Apollo landing sites. P/C NASA
Given this background, our Challenges for this week start with this question of "why only on one side?"
1. If you look at a map of the Apollo landing sites, they're all visible from Earth--none are on the back side (that is, the side of the moon that faces away from the Earth). Why were all of the landing sites on THIS side? (You'd think the back side would have been more interesting.Why didn't we go to the back side?
I thought about different strategies for this search, and started with:
[ nasa landing sites on the earth-facing side of the moon ]
I used these terms in a long query because I wanted fairly specific documents (in particular, ones that would use words like "landing sites"). I used the phrase "earth-facing" because I wanted documents that included that terminology (and not "dark side of the moon," which I already knew many people get wrong... there is no dark side, except in albums by Pink Floyd).
This query worked reasonably well, and I (like others) found the Quora discussion "Which side of the Moon did the Americans land on?" Although I'm always suspicious about QA (Question-Answering) sites, this post looks pretty good. It has lots of citations, illustrations, and it's easy to go from this Quora page to NASA web pages that say why they landed on the near (visible / earth-facing) side: They needed constant communications access, and terrestrial radios don't make it to the other side of the Moon.
And, of course, NASA had much better imagery of the Earth-facing side, the better to plan the missions.
Regular Reader Jon found the Quora site with the query:
[apollo missions did not land on the far side because]
While Ramón used:
[Why Apollo missions never went to dark side of the moon]
Both of these queries are fairly long, but include words that are important for getting the right kind of results. We're searching for a complex concept--I'm not sure you could succeed with a much shorter query.
After checking out a few other links on the SERP, I was pretty convinced that this was the story.
However, Regular Reader (and professional library) Debra and her colleague Anne did something much better--they limited their search to and found some NASA documentation of their site selection process. In their words:
"...We didn't think this was definitive enough so we did an advanced search limiting our search to .gov sites { using [ ...] }and got this result {a document on the } Operational Constraints on Landing Sites. It gives a very detailed explanation of why the landings needed to be on the near side - radio communications were key as was having some knowledge of the topography, and much more was known about the near side than the far side.
This second article also points out to how the site was selected - NASA definitely wanted to know as much about the site as possible and the near side was what they had information on..."
These days, of course, we have superb lunar images thanks the the Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter (LRO). You can check out these fantastic images at the LRO image archive site. This is sufficiently high-res that you can see the trails (and debris) left by the astronauts.
LRO image of the Apollo 11 Landing Site
The LRO took this beautiful image of the Apollo 11 landing site in 2013 at 24 km (15 miles) above the surface.
You can see the remnants of their first steps as dark regions around the Lunar Module (LM) and in dark tracks that lead to the scientific experiments the astronauts set up on the surface. The Passive Seismic Experiment Package (PSEP) provided the first lunar seismic data, returning data for three weeks after the astronauts left, and the Laser Ranging RetroReflector (LRRR) allows precise measurements that can be collected to this day. You can even spot the discarded cover of the LRRR. If you happen to have a large telescope and a gigawatt laser, you can still use the LRRR to measure the distance to the Moon. (If you're curious about how to do this, check out this episode of Mythbusters where they visited the Apache Point Observatory telescope and bounced some green laser light off of the LRRR. For details about Apache Point, check out the APO website.)
2. Every so often I'd sketch out the moon as I saw it in the night sky. Once, when I was looking at several of my sketches together, I noticed that some of the craters on the Moon's edge seemed to be in slightly different places. Huh? I know that the Moon always has the same face pointed to us, but when I looked at my sketches, it would seem that it's not always exactly the same face--especially near the edge. Why would the Moon's face be slightly different during different times of the lunar month? Is it always showing us exactly the same face at all times?
That same Quora article about why all of the missions were on one side ALSO gave a hint about this second question as well. In his post, Robert Walker says "Of course no part of the Moon is in permanent darkness. But we always see the same side of it, and at full Moon we see it at full phase. Actually, we see a bit to either side because of lunar libration..." (emphasis mine) That's an intriguing thought--that perhaps the Moon really does wobble a bit, and doesn't show us exactly the same face at all times.
From here, a search for:
[ libration ]
leads to all manner of useful results. (It's one of those rare words that seems to have no other meaning, but just the Moon-related one.)
Here's a wonderful YouTube video from NASA showing what libration actually is, the "rolling" of the Moon in the night sky, exposing and hiding different parts of the Moon throughout the month. This is why my sketches sometimes had significant craters in slightly different places on the Moon's surface.
This is such a beautiful video, it's worth clicking on the YouTube logo (in the lower right) and watching this at full resolution. It makes the rocking and rolling motion really obvious. The Moon ends up rolling enough in its orbit that 59% of the total surface area is shown to the Earth during the month.
Search Lessons
I take note of 3 things in this week's discussion.
1. Long queries sometimes work quite well, especially for complex concepts. All of the queries that worked well for this Challenge ended up having a fair number of words in them. The Challenge concept was fairly complex (having to do with the Moon, the choice of landing sites, and the earth-facing side of the Moon), so it's not a surprise that we need a fairly long query to get to the right results. Since this was a complex Challenge, I was prepared to do many alternatives to my original query, but it turned out that the Quora forum discussion was reachable by many different queries.
2. QA sites are not always low quality! I subscribe to the Quora posts and get to see the original questions as they fly by. They are not necessarily deep or well-thought-out questions. But, on specific topics, the discussion can be very rich and deep. This one (why NASA landed on the earth-side of the Moon) was especially good. Don't skip over the QA results, but check them out (and, as always, double-check--second source anything you learn from them).
3. Searching for official government documentation about a process (by using a site: restriction) can be a great thing. I was impressed by Debra and Anne's strategy of searching for an original process-describing document. I should have known that NASA (of all organizations in the world) would have published such a thing. They found it with a brilliant search strategy (to wit, realizing that such a document might exist and then using to search the US government's repository).
Search on, in the spirit of the Apollo missions!
1. That's a beautiful video of Moon. I shall forever think of him rocking and rolling across the sky.
The 2016 one is also there.
1. Hi Dr. Russell and Jon. I agree, beautiful video and Jon, we also have already 2017 version: NASA Moon Phases
2. Sorry to post again. After watching video, read the description and information. They provide a link to "Dial A-moon" website. And includes many more videos downloadable and information. Totally worthy. Thanks, Dr. Russell
2. Atlantic - from many,one?
origin, wiki
"The late Karl Popper argued that often in science, an idea cannot be shown to be true, but it can always be shown to be wrong – that is, “falsified.” If a hypothesis cannot be falsified, Popper argued, then it was not scientific."
Just-so story
nice finds R…
from the tweet
ChemaTierra project
Toluca de Lerdo, México
Observatorio Meteorológico Mariano Bárcena -
1. Good Morning, Remmij! Thanks for the links! and for the "falsified"
2. Moon in 2017: ASTRONOMY ESSENTIALS Lots of links, data and information
geocentric - As seen from the center of Earth; the geocentric coordinates of a planet is the position of the planet as seen from Earth's center.
ephemeris - A table of values that gives the positions of astronomical objects in the sky over a range of times; the positions of celestial objects (Sun, Moon, planets, etc.) are given in right ascension (celestial longitude) and declination (celestial latitude); the plural is ephemerides.
[define efeméride]
efemérides astronómicas and also means: Acontecimiento notable que se recuerda en cualquier aniversario de él.
[define ephemeris]
A book or set of such tables or files.
What is the word in English to remember special days? |
Taiwan R&D Group Pushes Packaging to Speed Development
A Taiwanese R&D center says it has come up with a packaging technology that will speed development of multi-chip systems.
Taiwan's National Chip Implementation Center (CIC) calls the technology MorPACK, for morphing package. MorPACK is three-dimensional (3D) embedded system integration platform that can integrate several different kinds of chips. CIC says the technology will cut down development time and cost, because it allows for the easy integration of chips with different functions into one tightly-bound package.
MorPack is a stack of sub-modules, which are each composed of bare chips, a fiberglass and copper substrate, connection bridges, and solder balls.
The lower part of the structure, called the common platform, consists of a processor, a north-bridge (a chip linking the processor to memory chips), synchronous DRAM, NOR flash memory, and a south-bridge (a chip linking the processor to peripheral devices). The upper part, called the custom substrate , is designated for a chip the user wishes to develop as the unique part of the system. This can be an IC designed to accelerate some specific function, such as decryption, or a programmable logic chip (FPGA).
"The MorPACK platform was invented to share part of electronics developers' workload,” says Chun-ming Huang, who leads the MorPACK development team at CIC. “They now just need to spend time and money tapping out accelerator [intellectual property] cores invented by themselves rather than on the whole module."
The CIC spent two years designing the MorPACK platform. The hope was to provide more integration to university designers than was allowed by university-serving prototyping systems, such as Multi-Project System-on-a-chip (MP-SoC). Although the MP-SoC concept has greatly reduced fabrication cost of SoC designs, you can’t integrate fundamentally different types of chips onto the same piece of silicon.
Huang stressed that the MorPACK technology allows electronics developers to stack chip modules with different functions on top of each other. Therefore, it can help save space and resources on a carrier board. "The dense three-dimensional structure guarantees better performance and less power demand than that of a huge two-dimensional complex IC board,” Huang says.
Right now, the MorPACK platform is 4 x 4 centimeters, but Huang says that his team has evaluated the possibility to shrink it. "We aim to downsize it to one fourth next year, by adopting the (more expensive) flip-chip packaging technology, without compromising existing advantages," he says.
In Taiwan, seven research teams at six universities have adopted the MorPACK platform to develop IP cores needed by intelligent systems for biomedical, 3D communication, image processing and other applications. According to Tzi-dar Chiueh, the director general of CIC, for each IP core-design project, the reusable MorPACK platform on average helps researchers cut down development time by three to six months and reduce cost by NT$ 1.5 million ($50,850).
Chiueh says the center plans to transfer the technology to the private sector next year.
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Gideon’s Promise
Gideon’s Promise
Justice Hugo Black’s, Supreme Court opinion in Gideon v. Wainwright, 372 U.S. 335 (U.S. 1963), citing to Powell v. Alabama, 287 U.S. 45, 69 (U.S. 1932).
Everyone deserves the best defense. On March 18, 1963, the United States Supreme Court’s decision in Gideon v. Wainright laid the groundwork for fairer criminal trials and gave hope that a nation’s criminal justice system would provide equal treatment for the poor. The right to counsel is a fundamental right essential to a fair trial applied to the states by the due process clause of the Fourteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution.
Gideon’s Story
Gideon was charged in a Florida State court with a noncapital felony for breaking into a poolroom. Informing the Court he was indigent, Gideon requested the Court appoint him counsel. However, he was denied on the ground that the Florida state law permitted appointment of counsel for indigent defendants in capital cases only.
Gideon went to trial and presented his own defense and was convicted and sentenced. A writ of habeas corpus was applied to the state Supreme Court on the ground that his conviction violated his rights under the Federal Constitution. Gideon was denied relief based on a prior decision of the Court’s, Betts v. Brady, 316 U.S. 455 (1942), in which the Court held that the refusal to appoint counsel for an indigent defendant charged with a felony in state court did not necessarily violate the Due Process Clause of the Fourteenth Amendment.
The Supreme Court of the United States granted Gideon’s petition for a writ of certiorari in order to determine whether Betts should be reconsidered. The Court, overruled its previous decision in Betts and held that it was consistent with the Constitution to require state courts to appoint attorneys for defendants who could not afford to retain counsel on their own. In his opinion, Justice Black wrote,
“In our adversary system of criminal justice, any person haled into court, who is too poor to hire a lawyer, cannot be assured a fair trial unless counsel is provided for him. This seems to us to be an obvious truth. … lawyers in criminal courts are necessities, not luxuries. The right of one charged with a crime to counsel may not be deemed fundamental and essential to fair trials in some countries, but it is in ours.
Justice William O. Douglas wrote a concurring opinion in which he argued that the Fourteenth Amendment does not apply a watered-down version of the Bill of Rights to the states. Id. at 347.
The United States Supreme Court overturned Gideon’s conviction and ordered a new trial with appointed counsel. The court-appointed lawyer representing Gideon in his re-trial broke the story of the prosecution’s star witness and Gideon was found not guilty.
Over 50 years after the Gideon Ruling
The right to counsel has since been expanded to juveniles and for those charged with misdemeanor crimes that carry jail sentences. In re Gault, 387 U.S. 1 (1967); Argersinger v. Hamlin, 407 U.S. 25 (1972). All 50 states and the District of Columbia have since then put in place some form of criminal defense system to meet the Court’s mandate.
However, over 50 years since the landmark Supreme Court ruling in Gideon that established the right to counsel, states continue to fail to provide independent and well-resourced lawyers to fulfill Gideon’s promise. The fundamental problem is a lack of money to fund organizations that provide indigent services. Public defenders and appointed counsel are often overworked and underpaid. Additionally, while Gideon covered the criminal side of law, people can face life-altering events -evictions, foreclosure, child support, and divorce — without any right to counsel in the civil spectrum.
The budget cuts over the years has led to increased caseloads of public defenders beyond levels to which any lawyer could provide adequate representation. People in the system have come to accept the low standards we become accustomed to. As a society, we must not lose sight of justice and the role we play in promoting Gideon’s promise and act to defend it. |
How long do they live? Well, the Shortraker rockfish, like other rockfish species, can live a really long time. We don’t really know how long because the very old ones tend to live in deep waters. Specimens have been caught that are 157 years old [1] and possibly 200 years old [2].
Where are they found? The cold, deep waters of the North Pacific from depths of only 80 feet to nearly 4,000 feet down [3].
What do they eat? Shortraker rockfish eat smaller fishes, octopi, squid, shrimp and crustaceans [4].
What do they look like? They get big. Up to 108 cm long and nearly 40 pounds [2]. They’re a red-orange color with very large mouths. See Figure 1.
Figure 1. Sadly, I found no pictures of the Shortraker rockfish alive.
How do they reproduce? The Shortraker rockfish reaches sexual maturity between 9 to 12 years of age and they mate and fertilize eggs internally like the other types of rockfish [5]. They give birth to live larvae.
How do scientists know how old they are? Tag and recapture, otoliths counts, and radioactive decay of otoliths [1].
So what are we lacking? There’s no information regarding the nuclear genome of Sebastes borealis on NCBI (National Center for Biotechnology Information). From what I can find, there’s very little information about the biology of these fish. I could find no information regarding when/if this species ages or information about reproductive senescence.
Figure 2. Seen here, 7 Shortraker rockfish not in their natural habitat. They all wore the same outfit, how embarrassing.
Conservation status: Unknown. The Shortraker rockfish is federally managed [6]. A decrease in the amount being caught over the last 40 years indicate their population is decreasing. Side note: trawl fishing is terrible. Actually fishing is destroying the oceans and the amazing animals that depend on the ocean for survival. I’m sure there’s someone reading this right now and saying “but fish are so yummy.” Empathy sir or madame, empathy. Try some sometime. It may be the only word that allows our species to remain on this planet.
Please contact me if you have information regarding this species.
1. Cailliet, G. M., et al. “Age determination and validation studies of marine fishes: do deep-dwellers live longer?.” Experimental gerontology 36.4 (2001): 739-764.
2. Fisherman Catches Rockfish in Alaska That May Be 200-Years-Old. Time Magazine. July 2013. Accessed 9/11/2016.
3. Sebastes borealisBarsukov, 1970. Shortraker rockfish. Accessed 9/11/2016
4. Alaskan Fisheries Science Center. NOAA. Accessed 9/11/2016
5. Orlov, A. M., and A. A. Abramov. “Age, Rate of Sexual Maturation, and Feeding of the Shortraker Rockfish, Sebastes borealis (Scorpaenidae).”
6. California Department of Fish and Wildlife. List of Federally Managed Groundfish Species. Accessed 9/11/2016. |
Pets are often purchased as "gifts" during the holiday season. Many of these animals (mainly dogs, but some cats, too) are bought from breeders or from pet stores (who often get these animals from breeders). Unbeknownst to many buyers, these animals typically come from puppy mills or backyard breeders. According to the ASPCA, puppy mills are defined as "large-scale, commercial dog breeding facilities where profit is given priority over the well-being of the dogs."
Under USDA standards, it is legal to keep hundreds of breeding dogs in small wire cages for their entire lives with only the minimum basics of food and water. The creatures never know human touch, kindness or even basic veterinary care.
Puppy mills contribute to pet overpopulation and cause incredible suffering. Breeding dogs are locked in cages their entire lives. They are bred over and over while their puppies are shipped off to pet stores. When these animals can no longer reproduce, they are destroyed or cruelly discarded.
For every animal purchased, that's one less animal adopted from a shelter. Each year, approximately 3.9 million dogs and 3.4 million cats enter animal shelters in the U.S. Each year, approximately 2.7 million animals are euthanized, according to the ASPCA.
The problem of pet overpopulation is so widespread that many cities, including Phoenix, AZ, Beverly Hills, and about 60 others across the U. S. have enacted laws making it illegal for pet stores to sell any cats or dogs that don't come from a shelter or rescue.
Help end this cycle of cruelty by doing thorough research before getting a puppy, and look into adopting a dog (or cat) from your local shelter or rescue rather than purchasing one from a breeder. There are many wonderful animals at the shelter, include purebreds.
Donna Marino |
Arc strikes-metallurgical defects, Mechanical Engineering
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Medical information for patients
Hypertension (high blood pressure)
Hypertension, or high blood pressure, refers to a condition in which the blood pumps around the body at too high a pressure.
In order for a liquid to move forwards there must be a pressure pushing it. This applies especially in the body as part of the circulation of the blood is uphill, against gravity. Thus everybody's blood is pumped around at a pressure and this pressure varies from person to person, and in a single person at different times of day and under different circumstances.
The blood pressure is usually lower when resting or sleeping and needs to be higher during activity. The level that is accepted as "normal" for blood pressure is one which falls within a range based on the average blood pressure of the majority of people. The normal range slowly rises as people grow older.
Hypertension usually causes no noticeable symptoms in itself, but can lead to damage to various organs in the body if the blood pressure remains up for a long time. Over years it can lead to damage to the heart and blood vessels, making it more likely that the individual will develop a stroke or heart attack.
Occasionally, especially when the blood pressure is extremely high, the individual may experience headaches, dizziness, or alterations in vision.
In the majority of cases there is no definite known cause of hypertension. Rarely it can come as a result of kidney disease, glandular (hormone/endocrine) problems, and as a side effect of some medications.
Diagnosis is made by taking the blood pressure which is usually done by a doctor or nurse using a blood pressure machine (sphygmomanometer). This consists of a special cuff which they put around your arm and pump up until the pulse, in the lower arm below the cuff, disappears. The pressure is slowly let out of the cuff, and the professional listens over the artery with a stethoscope for the reappearance of the pulse (the pressure which they hear the beats of the pulse is called the systolic pressure) and the disappearance of the sounds (the pressure at which this happens is called the diastolic pressure). These days an electronic blood pressure machine, which takes the readings automatically, is often used.
The systolic pressure is the maximum pressure the heart achieves as it contracts to force out the blood. The diastolic pressure is the lowest pressure the heart reaches, while it slowly refills before the next contraction.
Although these pressures are measured indirectly they are very close to the actual pressure in the blood vessels or heart. A person's blood pressure alters from minute to minute. It goes up under stress as well as on exercise. Thus a blood pressure (BP) reading taken by the doctor only represents a snapshot and not the whole picture. Many people actually find that their BP goes up as a result of anxiously waiting to see their doctor.
In order to ensure that a truer picture is gained of the overall blood pressure, doctors have traditionally taken readings on a number of successive visits if they find it to be high. Often, after a few attendances, the BP drops to a more normal level.
A more modern way of checking to find the true level is to attach a cuff and measuring device which checks the BP at frequent intervals over 24, or sometimes eight hours. The machine prints out all the results, giving the highs, the lows, and the average (mean). An adjustment has to be made to these readings in order to compare them with blood pressure readings taken in the normal way.
If you have hypertension, your doctor will also want to check to make sure that there is no evidence of any harmful effects on the blood vessels in the back of your eyes, your kidneys, and your heart. This means that your doctor will look in your eyes, examine your heart, and may arrange a chest X-ray and take a tracing of the electrical activity of your heart (electrocardiogram). Your doctor will arrange for a urine specimen to be examined, and a blood test to be taken, to check on the kidneys and your cholesterol level. If other causes are thought to have led to your hypertension, then more tests may be undertaken.
Hypertension is with you for life once the diagnosis is correctly made. Occasionally, marginally raised blood pressure comes back in to the normal range when the patient loses weight, takes more exercise, and cuts down salt intake. If these sort of measures are not successful then drug treatment is necessary, and has been shown to prolong life and cut down the complications of hypertension.
You do need to take your medication if it is prescribed. You may have no symptoms from your high blood pressure, but it will lead to heart attacks and strokes, and other problems too, if left untreated.
From virtually no treatment in 1950, we now have an ever increasing array of effective treatments from which your doctor will choose the most appropriate one for your particular circumstances. As hypertension is generally without noticeable symptoms, the aim is to find a treatment with minimal side effects, because it is important that you are not put off taking your treatment.
Self help
Further information
Eat to Beat - High Blood Pressure, by Dr Sarah Brewer, Michelle Berridale-Johnson
Natural self help for hypertension, including 60 recipes.
Mayo Clinic on High Blood Pressure, by Dr Sheldon G Sheps
Lifestyle changes to reduce high blood pressure, answers questions on diet, exercise, and medication.
High Blood Pressure at your fingertips, by Professor Tom Fahey, Professor Deirdre Murphy, Dr Julian Tudor Hart
Comprehensive information for anyone with high blood pressure. 3rd edition.
Understanding blood pressure, by Professor D G Beevers
British Medical Association information for patients.
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In 1939, America turned away a ship full of refugees. This is what happened next.
I remember the first time we talked about World War 2 in a history class. We were young and naive.
I remember my classmates asking questions like, “Why did we wait so long to enter into the war?” And all of us, every single one of us, said that if we had been alive at that time OF COURSE we would have been against the Nazis. OF COURSE we would have helped protect Jewish people. OF COURSE we would have hidden people in our basements and under the floor and whatever it took to keep people safe.
And I remember my history teacher saying, “Maybe you would have. But not many people did.”
I was offended. Of course I would have. Of course anyone would have.
But it wasn’t so simple then.
In the United States there was a bi-partisan bill (written by Rep. Edith Rogers (Republican) and Sen. Robert Wagner (Democrat) in 1939) to allow more refugee Jewish children into the United States. It was allowed to quietly die, unvoted upon. It appears the legislators who killed the bill were representing the American people well, because a poll a few months later showed that 2 out of 3 people preferred not to provide shelter to Jewish children fleeing the Nazis.
Still, more than 1,400 American citizens had written saying they would adopt refugee children. But opponents of the bill in Congress said that they had enough votes to kill it if it ever came up to a vote. They had to think, they said, of “America first.” And it was likely that “20,000 charming children would all too soon grow into 20,000 ugly adults.”
On May 27th, 1939, a ship called the St. Louis arrived in Havana, Cuba. A little over 900 Jewish refugees from Germany were on it, who had purchased transit visas through Cuba. They planned to get entry visas to the United States.
The Cuban government didn’t accept most of the visas. They changed the rules while the ship was en route. They gave a
15 year old Gisella Feldman on the St. Louis. Photo by Howard Barlow.
variety of reasons for it, but most historians agree that at least one of those reasons was anti-Semitism.
These refugees were people of relative means (or people who had once been relatively well-off). Visas to Cuba cost between $300-500 (the equivalent of several thousand dollars today), plus the ticket to cross the Atlantic.
There were children on the boat, and whole families. Families like Beate and Heinrich Gabel and their toddler, Gerhard. Gerhard had been born on August 25th, 1937. He was 20 months old almost to the day when they arrived in Havana. And there were families like the Skotzkis and their children, Helga and Inge. And many other children: Lore and Eva, Gerald Granston, Gisela Feldman.
Captain Schroeder allowed the passengers to remove the portrait of Adolf Hitler from the dining hall during prayer nights. This picture is from the US Holocaust Memorial Museum.
Although Captain Schroeder kept the St. Louis near Havana until he was ordered out of Cuban waters.
Cuba had allowed 28 passengers to disembark, leaving more than 900 passengers still aboard.
Captain Schroeder, forced to leave Cuba, turned the ship toward Miami. But they were greeted there by the U.S. Coast Guard, who made it very clear that the St. Louis would not be welcome to dock in the United States.
Passengers on the ship were panicking. Some cabled President Roosevelt, who didn’t say much other than that they would need to “wait in line” because there was already a process in place for legal immigration to the United States, and there was no way they could be allowed to wait in the U.S. while waiting their turn. There was a quota, and people in line ahead of them.
On June 6, 1939, the St. Louis headed back toward Europe. Many stood on the deck and wept.
Thanks to the tireless work of several Jewish organizations, four European countries agreed to take in the tired, poor, homeless and tempest-tossed refugees. None of them would have to return to Germany.
To Great Britain: 288 refugees (all but one refugee admitted into Britain survived the war… one was killed in an air raid).
To France: 244 refugees.
To Belgium: 214 refugees.
To the Netherlands: 181 refugees.
Of those refugees in France, Belgium and the Netherlands, 87 managed to escape the continent before the Nazis invaded.
254 of those who remained died in the Holocaust.
Helge and Inge Skotzki, aged 15 and 13, along with their parents, Gunther and Charlotte. Killed at Auschwitz.
Lore and Eva Doblon, aged 16 and 10. Killed at Auschwitz, along with their parents.
As for Dr. and Mrs. Gabel and their young son, Gerhard: they were among those who disembarked the St. Louis bound for the Netherlands. They had hoped for the United States, but were sent instead to the Westerbork transit camp. Eventually they were moved from there to the ghetto in Theresienstadt, and then from there to Auschwitz, in October 1944. By then Gerhard was seven years old, having just had his birthday two months before. Four months later, Auschwitz was liberated by the Russians. Dr. Gerhard had been moved to another camp, where he died on February 28th.
There is no record of Gerhard and his mother Beate’s death.
Gerhard Gabel was a refugee from the time he was 20 months old until his death five years later, aged seven.
I’d like to think that if I had lived at that time I would have done something. That I would have spoken up, called my representative, helped find a home for Jewish refugees, sent money or snuck people out or done something other than sit and talk about it.
It’s pretty easy to see what I would have done in those days, because it’s precisely what I’m doing today.
Iraqi refugee children at Newroz camp. Rachel Unkovic/International Rescue Committee
There are more refugees in the world today than any time since World War 2. The choices we make as individuals and as Americans today are not any different than the ones we made all those years ago.
We have to understand that to suspend entry to refugees or deny refugees a place here, in our country, is the exact same decision we made when we turned away the St. Louis.
I hope to God we’ll do something about it.
How to contact your government representative:
1. Find and write to your elected officials
2. Call your U.S. Senators and U.S. Representative by dialing 1-866-940-2439.
Once connected, you can share:
• Your name, city, and state
• That you are calling to express your support for the U.S. Refugee Resettlement program
• One or two reasons why you personally believe in welcoming refugees
Participate with organizations and people making a difference:
These are people you can trust with your donations and time (I know these personally, but please feel free to add more in the comments):
Pre-emptive Love Coalition. I know the founder of this organization, Jeremy Courtney, and I’ll tell you he and his people are passionate and dedicated. I promise you will not go wrong sending them resources of any kind. They are literally on the front lines, taking materials and love to those in the most need.
WorldRelief. WorldRelief has been helping people in moments of need across the world for over seventy years. They know what they are doing, and they do it well.
Heart for Lebanon. I’ve been on the ground with these folks in Beiruit. They are the real deal. Go for a short term trip, or donate some money. They are making a difference.
More about the St. Louis refugees (including the articles I drew from for this post):
Voyage of the St. Louis
SS St Louis: The ship of Jewish refugees nobody wanted
How America’s rejection of Jew’s fleeing Nazi Germany haunts our refugee policy today
The search for the passengers of the St. Louis
Voyage of the Damned
The Tragedy of the SS St Louis
Start a conversation. Share this post. Write your own. This isn’t about politics, it’s about people.
Author: Matt Mikalatos
Matt Mikalatos is a writer not a fighter.
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• gsh123
Thank you for the history lesson.
• mattmikalatos
You’re welcome!
• Teri Rolley
This is heartbreaking. But with today’s attitudes towards anyone or anything not strictly “American”, it seems like we are heading down this same road as our leaders look the other way. Can we as Christians forget that Jesus himself was a Jew? I will definitely be researching the organizations you listed to see how I can help. I think I’d rather do that than wasting words with politicians who are afraid of their shadows because of all the bullying that is going on at the national level. Thank you again for raising this to the surface.
• Jump
Is taking in refugees to the United States (or, simiilarly, taking them in in the numbers some want) the only way to help these poor souls? Is it really wrong to think this might be an inferior option compared to other courses of action? Jesus was a Jew, to be sure. It seems to me that the implications of that toward 21st century United States Syrian refugee policy follows from that, though.
• mattmikalatos
It’s not the only way, certainly. But it is a way. Does this have to be either/or rather than both/and?
• Teri Rolley
It is certainly not the only way, but as with the Jews, when so many are children who have lost everything and everyone, I do not see any alternatives being promoted that will help them immediately. Surely we don’t all believe that young children coming here and living safe and healthy lives will suddenly sprout terrorist genes and turn on us. There is no science that shows that we carry some latent tendency in childhood to behave this way.
• Jump
Why think this? Indeed, there are good reasons to think this false. For one, we aren’t in a pre-WWII world; things are different. The way we show concern and help people looks different in different situations. This overly simplistic thinking (according to which there is just ONE way to do right in a situation) is unfortunately the Achilles heel of a good many social justice movements. It is why they often either less good than they could otherwise, or worse, do no good, or still worse, more harm than good.
I think this is in fact a better way to think about it:
• mattmikalatos
Does the preference of the refugees enter in at all? It seems like the solutions suggested in that other post are primarily “we will figure out what is best and let you know.” Would allowing human agency and participation in seeking solutions from the refugees be a good thing?
• Sharon Hanna Canaday
*gasp* but… (inserting tongue solidly in my cheek here, just to be clear) That would mean we would have to acknowledge the fact that they are human beings!!!
• Jinxie Clark
how do you know we are not in PRE WWIII? just wondering because it really seems to me we ARE headed there.
• sunny
With all the respect, the parallelism is not right. I don;t find similiraties with the two groups of refugees: jews with the refugees of Middle East. As long as i have lived I have not seen or heard about jews exploding themselves in markets or airports or cafes, killing or raping women in the countries that sheltered them. I am afraid that many do not comprehend of what the world is dealing with and how this group of people does not respect the culture that shelters and host them but sees them as their enemies and do not care about them. Not everyone is like that, but like mostly if they practice their religion, they will see you just a doormat to reach their goal. We should pray and we should seek God for wisdom, we should seek His face and we should proclaim the gospel. It is the gospel that changes people, not just works of relief. Remember the story in Kings when Assyrians dressed as refugees and pretended to have come from afar, they dressed in worn out clothes and they were spies. The king took them in, fed them, without consulting the Lord, and the next step was: Israel was invaded. Let us seek God, not in fear, but for discernment, because these times seek discernment and not opinions or emotionalism. Blessings
• mattmikalatos
“Jewish terrorism” is actually a thing. Do a search and you’ll find the stories.
Also: you’re equating people who are running from violence with the perpetrators of violence. No one is suggesting not being discerning or not vetting. I am suggesting however that to stop helping refugees is indeed an act with moral consequences.
• Becca
As a Jew I think it’s blind racism that you don’t think there is a similarity.
You couldn’t be more misguided in your beliefs. In the last 18 months I have worked in 70% of the camps in Greece and I can tell you these are innocent people like you and me. Pregnant women, 40% children in the camps. I have met and helped thousands of refugees working with the organization Carry the Future, distributing family and baby goods, and I can tell you there is almost never violence in a camp. Because of their religion there is no drinking or drugs, and the camps are full of children running around praying to god to help them find a home country that will accept them, or praying to god to be reunited with their families wherever they are. I can confidently say from experience that 0% of refugee babies are terrorists. I stand is solidarity and will not stop aiding the refugee families. Indeed it is the only thing in this age of hate and self centered rhetoric that is giving me faith to go on.
• sunny
Becca, I am overwhelmed by the emotionalism I see, and I am revolted by the fact that you are finding worth in what you do and putting to risk others lives. Have you ever lived in their country with these people? Do they allow you to practice your freedom? Are they so nice to you in their country, will they support your faith, will they allow you to talk freely about your faith, to worship freely etc? What about those refugees you helped who went to Germany and France and killed the innocent child of someone else? Can you please stop be selfish and hide behind your good deeds and play God on earth? I am a Christian, I have a Muslim background, I know what it means to serve among them, I love them as I have been one of them, I have served among them, but I am frustrated by the blindness and selfishness and self righteousness of those serving among refugees like you are saving the world and are the most loving and sacrificial life on earth and the rest do not have a heart!. I have served while being threatened. What do you know while speaking about blindness? Have you ever felt responsible for those you fed who went and killed innocent people, who raped innocent women? How are you providing protection? Or are you thinking only how to feel good in the evening that you served?
• sunny
I believe we should serve and help them, I have served in refugee camps, have cleaned while they were mocking at me, and while men were teasing because I was a woman! I believe we should love and serve our enemies, but governments are responsible to protect their people, and nobody can deny that this refugee crisis is so simple as open the doors and let them turn your own home upside down.
• Becca
I serve because I feel responsible and ashamed of my country. Mostly because of misguided people like you. My entire life is devoted to the service of infants and pregnant women. I serve my country at home at abroad. I advocate for public health tirelessly. You are the most centered biased person I have ever encounterd on the internet (I’m actually considering the true possibility you are a troll trying to gaslight me so I’m not going to respond to anything else you post)
• ww
Because of the other replies that I find less than supportive, I feel the need to say thank you for the shove. It’s out my comfort zone to call by senators and reps, I usually email them and my husband usually calls. But clearly these people were forced out of their comfort zones, as are our refugees around the world today, and I need to step out of mine for the refugees and so many other people. Too much is at stake in the USA right now not to call.
• mattmikalatos
That’s really kind and thank you so much for making the call!
• Beth Sekishiro
Thanks for the kick in the butt to act…I finally called my rep about this. Really disheartened to read that the executive order on refugees was just signed – if it’s anything like the draft, it’ll be bad news. I appreciate the way you continue to speak for the vulnerable despite the cost!
• mattmikalatos
Thanks, Beth! Glad you called your rep.
• Christopher S. Williams
Sad story and very well written but that situation is not at all like today, especially in regard to refugees fleeing Muslim countries. You see, we didnt have to worry about Jewish refugees turning on those that had helped them. There were no secret Nazis pretending to be Jews or Jewish children in order to get into America and commit acts of terror. The simple fact that they were non violent is what makes our turning them away seem heartless.
In a world of fake news we also must be wary of biased news that uses facts and truth to distort a story line in order to support an belief or agenda. Give us a balanced story that actually compares apples to apples not apples and oranges. Even if only one terrorist hid amongst the many refugees coming from Muslim countries and then killed or injured many others later that is one too many. Do your research – how many terrorists have hidden in the mass of refugees and once settled wreaked havoc anywhere in the world? If you say none then you are blind and ignorant and too biased to be a journalist. Please, do your homework or stop writing.
• mattmikalatos
Hey Christopher —
You’d do well to take your own advice. Since 9/11 there have been zero refugees who gone through our screening processes and have gone on to commit terrorist violence in the United States. Our screening process is already extremely thorough (in addition to what the UN does).
There are Jewish terrorists, and there were in the 1940s. That’s well documented. The reasons given by politicians and citizens in the United States in the 1940s as to why not accept children as refugees included fear of violence from Germany, fear of Jews greedily destroying the United States because Jews are greedy, Jews being “ugly”, and many others… all pretty similar to reasons being given today.
The vast majority of refugees are also non-violent, You’re worried about terrorists hiding among them, and that’s fine. But to say that because perpetrators of violence may be hidden among the victims is a reason not to help the victims is baffling to me. And to say there were no Nazis “pretending to be Jewish children” is hilarious to me: there aren’t any terrorists pretending to be refugee Syrian children, either. “Shave your beard, pretend to be seven years old, go through the 2 year UN vetting process, then the US process, here are some fake papers saying you’re seven. When you get to America wreak havoc.” There’s a reason “hiding among refugees to get to America” isn’t a great way to set up a terrorist attack: it’s actually already pretty hard to get here that way.
And: like in 1939, when we didn’t even take in our full quote of immigrants AND turned away Jewish kids AND turned away the SS St Louis, we’re about to do the exact same thing now: stop taking refugees for months, and effectively cut the number we’re accepting in half. It’s exactly the same. Your fear of Muslims isn’t any different than the fear of Jews in 1939. They thought their fear of Jewish people was completely justified, too.
• Andrew
It has yet to be explained, however, why it is better, easier or more efficient for refuge to be found in the US than say, any other place in Europe that might be much closer, cheaper to travel to and easier to get into. Sure, Europe has many refugees already and many problems have accompanied this fact, however, soullessness, inhumanity or any notion of denying one’s Christian morality are not prerequisites for the suggestion that there are perhaps better solutions than placing them in the US–one does not have to deny their Christian morality to say “hey, maybe Europe is the best solution.” Why is it so imperative that they come to the U.S.? From a purely logistical perspective it would be far more effective to relocate refugees somewhere closer to where they came from, save, of course, for the possibility that ISIS has, somehow, within it’s capacity the conquest of an entire continent akin to the Nazis. Of course, they do not. If ISIS conquers Europe then there is a moral case for granting legal respite for these people, if ISIS does not conquer Europe I do not see the same urgency for the supposed moral imperative to bring refugees to the U.S. The threat of ISIS is not equivalent in scale to the threat of Nazi Germany.
• mattmikalatos
Andrew, I’m sorry but do you know and understand the refugee process? You know the refugees pay for their own travel to the US right? And you realize that there are more refugees today than at any point in our history? And a plane flight from Europe is only hours long… it’s not like it’s a logistical nightmare to move people here.
• Andrew
I don’t claim to be any sort of authority, though, yes, I understand that generally a refugee pays their own way to where ever it is they may be going. We also have the highest population in world history and every basic sub group or demographic of that would then presumably be greater than “any point in history.” Unless we are ascribing some utilitarian value to humans then there is no greater morality to be had in taking 1 refugee or 20 million refugees supposing all souls are equally priceless. Even if there is a moral argument there is still the legal argument to be had. If you want to go immigrate somewhere, do it on the terms of the host country. Can you explain why any individual has a right to abide in any other country in a manner contrary to that country’s laws?
• mattmikalatos
There is nothing that requires that we have a greater number of refugees because of a greater population. If you’d rather do it in percentages, we have nearly one percent of the world population displaced right now. So it’s not only that the population is growing, it’s that we have a greater percentage of refugees than in the past.
I think you misunderstand how priceless works. If each is priceless, there is still greater value in saving a hundred over saving one. If a museum is burning and you save one priceless painting, it is a wonderful thing, but it is not the same as saving them all.
The legal argument here sidesteps the question of whether the law itself is moral. In this story, for instance, the refugees were doing their best to abide by the laws of the countries they wished to immigrate to. Politicians in Cuba changed the laws when they were en route, and the US, knowing that is what had happened, turned them away rather than letting them in. Many of them died. That’s no great argument for the justice of the laws of Cuba or the United States at that time. If all people are created equal with the right to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness, it seems that the failure of the US to take those Jewish refugees was against its own values.
• Andrew
Indeed, having more refugees is not a requirement of a higher population. Certainly there are demographics that will now be fewer than before; polio survivors, model-T owners, citizens of Yugoslavia. Of course I’m being silly but you see the point that, of course, not all groups will grow correlative to population but presumably most major categorizations would be higher in number due to higher population.
Also, the 1% displaced is taken from this set of figures I imagine and it is important to point out that a forcibly displaced individual is not necessarily a refugee, and, in fact, a person only becomes a refugee when they have left their home country, hence the figure of 65 million displaced yet only 21 million refugees–not all people who are displaced are refugees though all refugees are displaced. The conversation specifically pertains to people leaving their home nations for different ones and is therefore not a discussion about the 1% of people who are displaced but is rather a discussion of the 1/3 of that 1% who aim to go to other nations and I do not know how that compares historically, again, likely higher.
If the law is itself immoral, either in the constitution or the executive order, then the burden is on its critics make that case as to why. That is, they must display essentially why any person has a right to enter any country. The executive order is not unconstitutional even if it isn’t the finest piece of policy. If it is immoral to limit anyone from coming into a country then every country is behaving immorally on this matter because they all have limitations, but again, the critic must convince others why that person has a right to enter that country. They don’t, nobody has that right, and I don’t see the immorality in adhering to this fact. Otherwise we may as well do away with all borders entirely.
• Andrew
also the notion that priceless + priceless > priceless is the logical equivalent that infinity + infinity > infinity.
• mattmikalatos
Fair point on the refugee vs. displaced.
I didn’t say anything about the executive order. It does seem in hindsight that it was immoral to turn away the refugee Jews. At least, I think so. What do you think?
Also: if you want to live in the world of math, sure. There are greater and lesser degrees of infinity. I’m sure you’re already aware of set theory and Cantor’s theory and so on. But in moral situations regarding human life, surely you are not saying that one and three are equal? Is saving one out of thirty people identical to saving twenty out of thirty?
• Andrew
Well, presumably this whole thread is in the context of the executive order and/or Constitution. That’s all the more my comments on the order were making reference to.
I’ve been thinking–Yes. It is far easier to say “yes, it was immoral to deny the Jews entry in the context of global affairs in 1939.” Again, the entire European continent was in jeopardy as well as much of North Africa and an entire people were facing actual systematic and global annihilation. The same plainly cannot be said of this refugee crisis. There are neighbor countries much closer that are much more similar to their own cultures which, I presume, might be preferable to moving to a culture with which you may have no experience; neighbor countries who don’t have the interest of destroying all Yazidis or all Syrians for example. Where the Nazi’s had the ability to conquer France, a potential safe place for Jews, ISIS does not today have the capacity to lay siege to Turkey, Iran, Greece etc.
Regarding morality and human life; Clearly there is a difference to be had between saving the 1 and saving the 20 but I do not think that difference is a moral difference for the individual doing the saving (in our circumstance, those whom you might implore to act now for refugees as though they might have acted in 1939 for the Jews.) The outcome has a material value, a physical value and utility to be sure in that more individuals were saved and their lives preserved but I do not think saving the 20 is morally superior to saving the 1. If it is NOT morally superior to save the 20 there is then no greater moral imperative to act for the benefit of the 20 than for the benefit of the 1. If we say there IS a greater moral imperative to benefit the 20 we must admit to a base Utilitarian view of humanity as the imperative for the 1 has become less than the imperative for the 20, implying the value of the 1 as being less than the value of the 20, which is fine in math but math is not morality, obviously.
Would you say that it requires greater moral fortitude to save 1 than 20? I suggest no. And yet, is it not somehow better to save 20? I suggest yes. But it is better because it is more moral? I do not believe so. If this much is true then the value in saving the 20 over the 1 has to be a value other than the moral type. And if that is true (to carry the thought to our current circumstance) there is then no greater moral imperative to grant refuge to refugees simply because it is the highest refugee population in history. Even if this is not exactly your suggestion, I still do not find moral equivalence between the crisis of today and the crisis of the Jews in WWII. I might have called my representative then as well but I don’t think the same moral imperative exists at the moment.
• Becca
• mattmikalatos
Becca, thank you for sharing and thank you so much for your work in the refugee camps. That’s amazing. I’m thankful for you and your work.
• Scotti Cox Hollingsworth
Very good points!! I simply don’t understand this approach that we “flung open the gates” and let all rational and responsible thought go flying out the window.
I have heard of and seen countless things happening in Europe and the incredible difficulties they’re having with rapes, theft and the mere issue that many MEN are not the boys they’re claiming to be. Many Somalian men arrived into Germany and were videoed stating simply – they would not work, but only there to take advantage of everything.
A balanced approach where they can be vetted with careful consideration means some will be allowed in.
But this utopian ass-backwards concept that they’ll all come in and we’re gonna be hopping and skipping on the -completely free – playground is the most atrociously stupid modern thought I have ever heard.
• Kim Lane
So tell me why this ban does NOT include Saudi Arabians? After all VIRTUALLY EVERY SINGLE TERROSIST PILOT ON 9/11 CAME FROM SAUDI ARABIA.
• Andrew
It should have. As well as Egypt, Pakistan and Afghanistan. certainly one of the shortcomings of the policy
• Frederick Hazard
We know that you have the right to voice your opinions and beliefs, but it you who must do your homework. I am a Native American, yes the people who this land belonged to, and fed your starving ancestors. You are the beneficiary of the grace and kindness of Americans, who allowed your ancestors into our country. As we know the suffering my people endured, destroyed most of the world we new as our home, for more than 25,000 years. Despite what we endured, we fought in your wars and protected your freedom, having started none of them. With some of your ancestors, also came the sick, murderous, ideology of bigotry and hate.
Through all this, we still believe in the rights and freedom from oppression for all people, and welcome them to our land. So I ask you, please stop spreading the same bigotry and ignorant fear, that continues to infect the minds of too many, and help others to gain the same freedom given to yours!
• Marci Royal Huggins
“People who know nothing about the United States refugee program seem to think that refugee visas are handed out like candy. They do not understand the multiple levels of security clearances refugees must make it through and the years it often takes to do so. They do not know that refugees do not get to decide which country invites them to resettle. Trump is working to turn a humanitarian program into a partisan divide with one side bolstered by fear and bigotry.”
Written by someone who helps resettle refugees in the US and who is very near and dear to me.
• Caryn Adams Livingston
Matt, I learned your name for the first time in 2012 at Big Break in Panama City Beach, FL when you addressed all of us Cru students! Lots of respect for you and your opinions. So glad I read this article when my friend shared it today.
• mattmikalatos
Thanks so much, Caryn. I appreciate your kind words and the flashback to Big Break!
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• MiamiJax
There’s a difference here, though: none of these folks had come from a place where people were sawing the heads off of human beings.
We won’t be “shamed” or “guilted” into some false moral imperative on this. This time, it’s a not only a war for civilization, but for self-preservation as well.
Those folks in Syria have to have some sort of buy-in. Right now, there’s no rudder and no gauge for us to determine who and what is coming.
But one thing is clear: we won’t allow the kinds of people to be allowed here as have been allowed in Europe where rapes, assaults, and murders have spiked due to them being guilted into their settling there.
• mattmikalatos
Um… I mean, it’s not like the Nazis were handing out foot massages.
• MiamiJax
If need be, I can find you some LiveLeak URLs showing video of ISIS terrorists sawing the heads off of human beings, destroying works thousands of years old, and present some crime statistics of how people are being raped and assaulted in the Scandinavian countries who were shame days into taking these animals into their nations as they let the sovereignty slip away to the EU and Merkel’s twisted vision for Europe.
No, we won’t allow it here. We will fight those who would make us weak.
• mattmikalatos
Just for clarity’s sake: are you suggesting the Nazis were not involved in genocidal violence against the Jewish people?
• MiamiJax
W-H-A-T in the world are you talking about?! Are you even responding to the correct thread? Get a grip.
• mattmikalatos
I’m just wondering whether you believe the Holocaust happened. It’s a simple enough question.
• MiamiJax
It’s a silly question. Of course it happened. For the three people in the world who deny it and actually believe it, we cannot help them. 😉
• mattmikalatos
I’m sure that’s true!
• mattmikalatos
So I guess your argument is that these refugees are in GREATER need of our help because extremist Muslims are more frightening and violent than Nazis? Okay. I can get on board with that. How many refugees should we take?
• MiamiJax
You are misreading. Go back and re-read for context. What makes it our station to be susceptible to the kinds of people who could be resettled here and cause us harm? Where is there a mandate for that to be the case? That’s simply not intelligent. That is the difference in his case.
• mattmikalatos
Ah. So you are aware that misreading something and saying something completely off topic is not helpful. Great. Why don’t you go read the post again and then start over.
• MiamiJax
Context has been lost. I’ve seen your other posts; you’re clearly on some sort of mission that has made a one-track pattern of thinking in your mind – and I have found, no good can come of speaking to such a person. Good day.
• mattmikalatos
Well seeing as how my previous post was a comic about a frog and a bunny I guess I can see your point.
• Courtney Pope
I’m lucky to work with immigrants and refugees on a daily basis. I hear echoes of their stories in the stories of those on the St. Louis that you shared here. I’m haunted by the words of one of my clients who was facing an asylum application a few months ago and contemplating his fate if the application was denied. “Go back to my country?” he said incredulously. “How? The only thing that is waiting for me there is the grave.” And this isn’t hyperbole: dozens of his peers have been killed in this past year, and he continues to receive death threats.
Grateful that many – including many in the church, including you – are working to be on a different side of history this time.
• Jesse Weaver
I’m all for helping refugees but we must be mindful of Muslim’s and their Sharia law, much of Europe is becoming increasingly Muslim , with Sharia law killing women in effect in places, and no go zones where non Muslim’s can go,
Very much at odds with our freedoms in USA but liberals don’t see that,
All that being said I still don’t know what the solution is , I could never turn needy refugees away, pray!!, give , give!!
• Kara
Thank you for a great post.
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Not a Machiavellian
by Giuseppe Prezzolini, translated by Gioconda Savini
Farrar, Straus & Giroux, 372 pp., $8.50
Born in 1469 of an aristocratic but impoverished Florentine family, Niccolo Machiavelli saw in his youth the brilliance of Florence under the benevolent despotism of the Medici. He seems to have been unaffected by the Neoplatonic revival, for his formation was that of a purely Latin humanist, and the two passions of his life were for politics and history, inextricably mingled. When the Medici were expelled, the change to a republican government fostered such interests, for the intense political discussions which went on in liberated Florence drew constantly on examples from ancient history. Machiavelli gained his early political experience as a secretary to the Florentine republic; on the return of the Medici he was imprisoned and tortured, though soon released. He retired to his small estate where, in great poverty, he mused on what had happened, asking why the Romans had succeeded in building a great republic and empire whereas Florence and all Italy were going down into ruin. The result of these questionings was The Prince and the Discourses on Livy.
Describing in a letter his life at this time, Machiavelli says that he escapes from this hard world when he enters his study; there he puts on better garments to converse with ancient authors, and loses himself in delight. So might Petrarch have described the solace which he found among the classics. But there was a basic difference between Machiavelli’s approach to the ancient examples and that of Petrarch and the humanist historians. In the earlier humanist tradition, as in the Middle Ages, the stories about the great men of antiquity had been used as images of virtues and vices, teaching ethics by their examples. Machiavelli seeks to learn from them political counsels; he writes his commentaries on Livy, comparing ancient with modern events “so that those who read what I have to say may the more easily draw those practical lessons which one should seek to obtain from the study of history.”
MACHIAVELLI BELIEVED that history always repeats itself, and tried to draw up maxims for political conduct in given sets of circumstances from the analysis of similar circumstances in the past. It may be questioned whether he was as much a “realist” as his great contemporary, Guicciardini, who dealt with each situation as a new problem, not soluble by rules, and who criticized Machiavelli’s maxims. There is moreover a strong poetic and imaginative streak in Machiavelli, which is hardly consonant with pure realism. This streak comes out in one of his favorite themes, the virtù of the Roman people. He uses this word in a Latin sense, not translatable as “virtue,” to include confidence or morale, efficiency and strength of character, even the “virtue” of loyalty when used for the Roman attitude to the state or the army. The Romans possessed virtù longer than any other people; hence they lasted longer and triumphed longer over fortune. Thus intangible elements enter into Machiavelli’s view of history, and no very clear answer can be given to the…
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Question: Leases introduced in Chapter 19 This data table includes the
Leases (introduced in Chapter 19) This data table includes the annual prices of 223 commercial leases. All of these leases provide office space in a Midwestern city in the United States. In previous exercises, we estimated the variable costs (costs that increase with the size of the lease) and fixed costs (those present regardless of the size of the property) using a regression of the cost per square foot on the reciprocal of the number of square feet. The intercept estimates the variable costs and the slope estimates the marginal cost. Some of these leases cover space in the downtown area, whereas others are located in the suburbs. The variable Location identifes these two categories.
(a) Create a scatterplot of the cost per square foot of the lease on the reciprocal of the square feet of the lease. Do you see a difference in the relation- ship between cost per square foot and 1/Sq Fit for the two locations? Use color-coding or different symbols to distinguish the data for the two locations.
(b) Based on your visual impression formed in part
(a), fit an appropriate regression model that describes the fixed and variable costs for these leases. Use a dummy marginal coded as 1 for leases in the city and 0 for suburban leases.
(c) Does the estimated multiple regression fit in part
(b) Meet the conditions for the MRM?
(d) Interpret the estimated coefficients from the equation fit in part (b), if it is OK to do so. If not, indicate why not.
(e) Would it be appropriate to use the estimated standard errors shown in the output of your regression estimated in part (b) to set confidence intervals for the estimated intercept and slopes? Explain.
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. 24/7 Space News .
Better climate predictions within grasp
by Staff Writers
London, UK (SPX) Apr 15, 2014
The TRUTHS proposal (and its US sister CLARREO) has been around for some time but a relatively high price tag meant it previously struggled to secure funding. Thanks to a new approach developed over the past year, and technological advances, it was possible to reduce the complexity of the TRUTHS mission whilst still achieving the accuracy of data needed.
The proposed TRUTHS (Traceable Radiometry Underpinning Terrestrial- and Helio- Studies) mission would see a satellite launched which can make very high accuracy measurements of key indicators of climate change to test and constrain the forecasts of climate models- providing the unequivocal evidence to oblige global consensus action on adoption of appropriate mitigation strategies. The project is being lead by the National Physical Laboratory.
The satellite would have a factor of ten better accuracy than current satellites, and also be able to calibrate and upgrade the performance of other Earth Observation satellites in space. This would significantly improve our understanding of climate change. It would also improve the quality and value of information from Earth observation data in general, leading to improved weather forecasting, food production and monitoring the health of forests- natural sinks of carbon.
Recognising its importance, the UK's space agency through its Centre for Earth Observation Instrumentation and Space Technology (CEOI-ST) has stepped in to support the project. Having funded the updated approach to the mission, it has now announced additional funding to develop a more detailed design of the instrumentation- allowing more accurate costing and help to identify international partners to form a potential bilateral mission.
Greater accuracy is necessary for climate model forecasts to be trusted. The predicted degree of global warming is based on how models treat factors such as cloud cover and height, aerosols and water vapour in the air. This requires detection of very small trends - eg a 1% change in high cloud cover per decade which using current instruments would take at least 30 years.
The TRUTHS mission would reduce the time to get a clear picture of the impact of climate change to nearly one third (~12 yrs). Background noise from natural variability makes measurements over periods shorter than 12 years unreliable, even if we could measure with greater accuracy. So TRUTHS represents the best climate monitoring we can ever achieve.
An economic study in 2013 suggests the improved confidence in the evidence from such a mission could mean a global economic saving of $5 to $30 trillion in averted damages through better mitigation and adaptation policies which reflect the realities of climate change. The urgency is reinforced by an international report 'strategy towards an architecture for climate monitoring from space' which, has the TRUTHS mission at its heart.
A secondary objective of the mission would enable better monitoring of the health of crops and forests, which would help to mitigate and adapt to the impacts of climate change and reduce world food shortages, whilst supporting sustained commercial growth, underpinning investments in future carbon markets and providing risk management for the insurance and energy sectors.
Dr Nigel Fox, Head of Earth Observation and Climate at NPL, who is leading the project said: "The recent IPCC findings make scary reading. But whilst we are pretty certain about man-made climate change, we don't really know what the effects will be or how quickly they will happen. If governments are to make decisions significantly constraining carbon emissions or major investments like spending money on a new Thames Barrier or relocating entire populations, we need to be pretty sure we are doing the right thing at the right time. Until we know this, it will be all too easy for governments to procrastinate until it's too late."
"As climate predictions look increasingly frightening, the world is waking up to the need to know exactly what will happen so we can plan and respond properly. In addition to the next stage of funding from CEOI-ST, the Chinese Government have started to seriously look at building a satellite using the concepts developed for the TRUTHS proposal. All being well, TRUTHS - or something like it - could be in orbit within 3-5 years and we can finally move from what the impact of climate change might be to what it will be".
Related Links
Centre for Carbon Measurement
The Air We Breathe at TerraDaily.com
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Europe Geography
Geographically Europe is a part of the larger landmass known as Eurasia. The continent begins at the Ural Mountains in Russia, which define Europe's eastern boundary with Asia. The southeast boundary with Asia isn't universally defined. Either the Ural or Emba rivers can serve as possible boundaries. The boundary continues with the Caspian Sea, and either the Kuma and Manych rivers or the Caucasus mountains as possibilities, and on to the Black Sea; the Bosporus, the Sea of Marmara, and the Dardanelles conclude the Asian boundary. The Mediterranean Sea to the south separates Europe from Africa. The western boundary is the Atlantic Ocean, but Iceland, much farther away than the nearest points of Africa and Asia, is also included in Europe. There is ongoing debate on where the geographical centre of Europe is.
In practice, the borders of Europe are often drawn with greater regard to political, economic, and other cultural considerations. This has led to there being several different Europes that are not always identical in size, including or excluding countries according to the definition of Europe used.
The idea of the European continent is not held across all cultures. Some non-European geographical texts refer to the continent of Eurasia, or to the European peninsula, given that Europe is not surrounded by sea and is, in any case, much more a cultural than a geographically definable area. In the past concepts such as Christendom were deemed more important.
In another usage, Europe is increasingly being used as a short-form for the European Union (EU) and its members, currently consisting of 25 member states. A number of other European countries are negotiating for membership, and several more are expected to begin negotiations in the future (see Enlargement of the European Union).
Sources: University World and Wikipedia |
Jacques Cousteau, turning science fiction into reality
Two years before the first spacewalk by Alexei Leonov, in an era when science fiction movies filled theaters with films like "Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea" or "Amphibian Man", Jacques Cousteau was placing in the Red Sea an underwater city where 10 oceanauts would live for a month, experiencing the effects of underwater pressure and lack of natural light on their own body.
It was 1963 when Cousteau's team anchored Conshelf II in the seabed. Conshelf II was composed of a couple of underwater installations aimed to explore the human limits and broaden the knowledge of life in the ocean. This facilities, which required the work of 25 divers, miles of wiring and 2 tons of cement to secure the base on the reef, consisted of two laboratories, the first placed 32 feet deep and with room for up to 5 and the second placed at 98 feet deep designed to study two divers living for a week at great depths.
Conshelf II Map
Conshelf II laboratories in Rumi Sha'aab reef, Sudan, with the Calypso ship on the surface
The main laboratory had large windows and was shaped like a starfish. It was the area where meetings were held, daily life took place, medical examinations to oceanauts were made and became the biology lab... all while the occupants smoked incessantly, not in vain we are talking about the 60´s ... The teams had phones to be able to talk to the Calypso and the deep laboratory and it was also connected by TV circuits with the surface. It had gauges for gas control, a kitchen and access to the sea. Another structure was used as a hangar for two submarines. The people from Conshelf II received supplies of air, water, food, energy and all other essentials for life (even a hairdresser) from the surface by another team at the legendary Calypso ship.
Oceanauts in Conshelf II
Oceanauts playing chess at Conshelf II
Conshelf II was the second step of an experiment launched one year earlier, Conshelf I. This installation, called "Diogenes", was placed at 32 feet deep by Cousteau's team off the coast of Marseille (France). There, two oceanauts immersed for periods of 5 hours a day for a week. The two oceanauts were examined by medical teams and later, given the success and viability of the project, the experiment secured funding for the next expedition in the Red Sea.
This expedition was funded in part by the French petrochemical industry who, along with Jacques Cousteau, hoped Conshelf II was the beginning of a series of self-sufficient undersea facilities and colonies scattered throughout the world that would serve to explore, but also exploit, submarine resources. The experiments would be useful to the petrochemical industry, who wanted to know the limits of human beings working at these depths in search of raw materials ... and to Cousteau who wanted to used it to develop research on marine life in an environment as privileged as Shaab Rumi (Sudan) was.
Oceanauts in an anti´shark cage
Oceanautas placed cages placed 167 feet deep to closely study sharks
Conshelf II taught us that man can live perfectly under high water pressures for long periods of time, but despite having the physical and mental ability to do so, human beings are not meant to exist in a world without sun. In fact oceanauts in Conshelf II had to receive a 10-minute session of UV rays every day.
Conshelf II developed techniques that are currently used by NASA in zero gravity training sessions, it exhaustively studied shark behavior, with experiments using underwater cages located within 167 feet deep, and developed new technologies such as the underwater scooters (so popular today among many divers) that were used for the first time in this expedition in the Red Sea. In the field of marine biology Cousteau's team took important steps by discovering categorizing dozens of new species, bringing many new specimens to the aquarium in Nice. They also conducted several investigations on Red Sea fauna like in the case of the giant parrotfish. This expedition also marked a turning point in underwater filming, by obtaining microscopic plankton images never seen before and also reached down and took underwater images in a journey up to 1,000 feet in a submarine, something that no one had ever achieved.
Conshelf III
Conshelf III, the end of the adventure
Years later Cousteau publicly regretted having worked with the petrochemical industry in this project, who were more interested in exploiting the seabed at any price that in knowing more about marine life and its conservation. Still, Cousteau's dream of having these facilities spread in different oceans in order to study the limits of human beings under the sea, but above all to lay the foundations for a huge overall underwater research project to learn to conserve marine life, didn't stop with Conshelf II. After the success of Conshelf II, in an attempt to continue with the adventure, Cousteau developed a third version that would serve to continue testing the limits of the human being underwater. In 1965, near Nice, Conshelf III was born.
Oceanautas en Conshelf II
At 330 feet deep Cousteau's team placed a room that housed six oceanauts who lived together for three weeks, putting the final touch to the great adventure of Conshelf.
Unfortunately, Cousteau's goal of installing undersea bases in all of the oceans was not finally achieved and today there is only one permanent submarine base, called "Aquarius", located in the Florida Keys at 65feet deep, which is owned by the NOAA (National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration) that is dedicated to the study of coral, fish and aquatic plants.
Conshelf II today
Today you can visit the remains of Conshelf II through liveaboards operating in Sudan. This gives us the opportunity to enter in a small bit of marine history through the station's hangar, enjoy the enormous biodiversity of the Red Sea in one of the less dived areas and try to imagine what life was like for these brave pioneers.
World without sun
Le mond sans soleil
"A world without sun" poster
The Conshelf II experiment was documented in the film "World Without Sun", directed by Jacques Cousteau himself, that won an Oscar award to the best documentary. You can see the whole movie embedded below.
The film was released in 1964 and received overwhelmingly positive reviews. Although the film was also the subject of some critics because of "fake" footage, as some scenes were recorded in studio. It also demonstrated an innovative approach in the field of underwater filming by mixing reality and science fiction, such as the use of the gray metallic suits by the oceanauts (even the name itself reminds underwater explorers if science fiction books and movies), the use of the underwater scooters or the final scenes when the submersible reaches 1,000 feet.
Jacques Cousteau also demonstrated courage by using comedy resources in a documentary, such as when the barber Antonio Lopez enters the underwater lab, the scene of oceanauts snoring or by adding a parrot to the team, more likely to appear in a pirates film than in a documentary.
Until "World Without Sun" was released the general public never saw such quality in underwater photography, with the critics praising the magical bright flashes, the amazing fauna that appears in the film and the surrealist compositions of animals never before seen in a theater such as the crinoids.
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Most Americans expect the next great earthquake in the United States to come on the west coast. But what if it strikes right down the middle of the country instead? The New Madrid fault zone is six times larger than the San Andreas fault zone in California and it covers portions of Illinois, Indiana, Ohio, Missouri, Arkansas, Kentucky, Tennessee and Mississippi. Back in 1811 and 1812, a series of absolutely devastating earthquakes along the New Madrid fault zone opened very deep fissures in the ground, caused the Mississippi River to run backwards in some places, and were reportedly felt as far away as Washington D.C. and Boston. They were the strongest earthquakes ever recorded east of the Rocky Mountains, and scientists tell us that it is only a matter of time before we experience similar quakes. In fact, the U.S. Geological Survey has admitted that the New Madrid fault zone has the “potential for larger and more powerful quakes than previously thought," and the number of significant earthquakes in the middle part of the country has more than quintupled in recent years. Someday, perhaps without any warning, an absolutely massive earthquake will strike the New Madrid fault. Thousands of Americans will die, tens of thousands of structures will be completely destroyed, and millions of people will find themselves homeless.
Unlike on the west coast, buildings within the New Madrid fault zone are typically not constructed to withstand major earthquakes. If we were to see the type of earthquake that we saw a little over two centuries ago, it would be a disaster unlike anything that any of us have ever known. The following comes from WKRN, and it describes what those earthquakes back in 1811 and 1812 were like…
Can you believe that in the winter of 1811-1812 a series of earthquakes in northwest Tennessee shook the ground so hard that church bells rang on the East Coast and sidewalks cracked in Washington D.C?
The sitting president, James Madison, was even awakened in the middle of the night by the shaking of the White House.
In Tennessee, and surrounding states, the early settlers and Native American Indians were terrified by the shaking. Large fissures opened up in the ground, and some witnessed the Mississippi River appearing to flow backwards.
It is believed that those quakes shook an area ten times larger than that impacted by the 7.8 San Francisco earthquake of 1906. Some of the giant cracks that opened up in the ground were up to five miles long, and the stench of fire and brimstone hung in the air for months afterwards.
Fortunately, the middle of the country was not heavily populated in 1811 and 1812, so the overall amount of damage was not that great. The following comes from
Needless to say, if such a disaster happened today the damage would be absolutely catastrophic.
This is something that government officials have studied, and their conclusions are rather sobering
Do you remember how traumatized people were when a few thousand Americans were killed on 9/11?
Well, how would the country react to a disaster that killed 100,000 Americans instantly?
A few years ago, the federal government held a major five day simulation known as “National Level Exercise 11″ that attempted to portray what a major New Madrid earthquake would look like…
Could you imagine what that would mean for our nation?
In addition to the human toll, financial markets would completely collapse, key infrastructure throughout the region would be totally destroyed, and transportation on and across the Mississippi River would be brought to a standstill. According to international insurance giant Swiss Re, if the 1811 and 1812 New Madrid earthquakes were to happen today, the economic losses alone would be in the hundreds of billions of dollars
It is also important to remember that there are 15 nuclear reactors along the New Madrid fault zone.
If a major earthquake did hit the area, we could be looking at Fukushima times 15.
Scientists tell us that there is a very deep “scar” in the earth in this region that makes the New Madrid fault zone “mechanically weaker than much of the rest of North America." The following comes from Wikipedia
The faults responsible for the New Madrid Seismic Zone are embedded in a subsurface geological feature known as the Reelfoot Rift that formed during the breakup of thesupercontinent Rodinia in the Neoproterozoic Era(about 750 million years ago). The resulting rift systemfailed to split the continent, but has remained as anaulacogen (a scar or zone of weakness) deep underground, and its ancient faults appear to have made the Earth’s crust in the New Madrid area mechanically weaker than much of the rest of North America.
I believe that a major New Madrid earthquake is coming. That is one of the reasons why I included such an earthquake in my novel. Those that choose to live in that region are literally sitting on top of a ticking time bomb, and at some point it is going to blow.
Of course I wouldn’t want to be living on the west coast right now either. The shaking of our planet continues to intensify, and this is going to cause great tragedies in the United States during the years ahead.
The warning signs are all around us. In 2015, the state of Oklahoma shattered their all-time record for earthquakes in a single year, and volcanoes that were thought to be totally dormant are now erupting again all over the planet.
A great shaking is coming to America very soon.
I hope that you are ready.
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Mind Reading: Six Easy Ways To Do It • GOSTICA
Mind Reading: Six Easy Ways To Do It
mind reading
Many people believe that reading someone’s mind, is nothing but a kind of control mechanism. If you can figure out the next move of the person that we have in front of us, you can manipulate it or anticipate his actions in the future.
In fact, if we think about and look at the bright side, reading the mind of someone else can allow to help you understand his point of view, to go and interact on a deeper level.
Here are 6 ways to read the mind of a person, in a simple way
1) Body language
Body language is another clear signal of what someone is thinking. If his forehead is wrinkled the individual is stressed. How is it positioned? Is he sitting or standing? What is his your position?
2) Observe his breathingconscious-breathing-fear-tense-pain-cycle
How is his breathing? If someone breathes through the base of his spine it means that it is relaxed. If his breathing is shallow he is in a state of stress. If you want to know the mental state of a person, observe his breathing.
If his breathing is fast means that the subject probably is nervous, it means he does not want you to know something. The person may be very shy or anxious, or may hide information. If someone has a relaxed breath, his mental state is calm, which usually means that what he says is true.
3) Read his eyes
The eyes are often detectors. Studies have shown that when you think intensively, the pupils dilate. Interestingly, when the brain is overloaded pupils are extremely dilated. If while talking to a person, her pupils widen, but later, they shrink, meaning it is not really interested in what you’re saying. If on the contrary, remain dilated, it means that it is very interested in you and your words.
4) Listen to his tone. Not words, his tonetone of voice
The tone of voice can mean everything. The speed in which he articulates the words. Slow is calm, fast is nervous. The words are not as important as the energy that feeds them. This does not need to be explained, because you know what it means a certain tone of voice. But sometimes we have to really tune in and listen for understanding.
5) Spend time with that person
If you really want to know what are the thoughts of a person, spend time with him. Spend an afternoon in his company and you will learn a lot.
When you spend time with someone, it will become easier to understand how that person reacts to certain situations.
It is for this reason that the parents get surprised, claiming to not notice before their child does something wrong. “Everything was normal,” they might say. This usually indicates that the father was not spending enough time with the baby.
Other times in a relationship, even after years you can not understand what the person has in his head. This can create stress in a relationship because it is difficult to know how to act when you do not know what our companion / or friend is thinking or how he feels.
6) Make sure that the other person is not absorbing your energy
Everything depends on you. If you get close to a nervous situation, your partner will reflect that tension. If, however, you approach a situation in a relaxed state, you will be able to absorb the energy of other people and recognize who’s in front for what it really is, do not guess.
It is very important to note that we all have the opportunity to ask how someone feels. Beyond the classical and little felt circumstance sentence: “How’s it going”, he tries to dig a little ‘deeper. Maybe you can try to read his mind and ask a more specific question, such as: “Do you feel relaxed and in a good mood?”
Self-awareness is crucial when trying to be more aware of others around us. If you are not aware and centered on yourself, you will never be able to read the mind of another person.
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Tuesday, January 22, 2008
Tu Bishbat
(Ashk:Tu Bishvat)
Even though Tu Bi'shbat (the 15th of the month of Shebat) is one of the days of the Shobabeem when fasting is prescribed, nevertheless, no Ta'anith (fasting) is permitted on this day since it is the Rosh Hashana (New Year) of the trees.
This is the time of year, in the Land of Israel, when most of the rains have already fallen and the new fruits start to ripen (Hanita - in Hebrew). Those fruits which ripened before Tu Bishbat are considered as belonging to the prior year for the purposes of Ma'aser (tithes) and those which begin to ripen after this date, belong to the next..
It is a good custom to increase the number of fruits one eats, and to sing songs and praises concerning them - as is laid out in the tiqqun. It is known that, in Qabbalistic terms, by saying the blessings on fruits we cause the continuation of the abundance above (Shefa' 'Elyon) and the angel in charge of that particular fruit receives this abundance in order to cause the fruit to grow once again.
There are supposed to be thirty (30) types of fruit:
10 (from 'Olam Habbereeah) which have no pit and no peel, but are eaten the way they are.
* Grapes
* Figs
* Apples
* Ethrogh (Citron)
* Lemon
* Pears
* Quince
* Raspberries
* Blueberries
* Carob
10 (from 'Olam Hayeseera) which have pits inside.
* Olives
* Dates
* Cherries
* Jujubes
* Peaches
* Plums
* Apricots
* Morels
* Medlars
* Azaroles
10 (from 'Olam Ha'aseeya) which have a peel.
* Pomegranates
* Walnuts
* Almonds
* Chestnuts
* Hazelnuts
* Coconuts
* Capers
* Pine nuts
* Pistahios
* Pecans
When eating these fruits, there is an opinion that one should have in mind (the Kawwanah) that through eating them we are making a Tiqqun (reparation) for the Sin of Adam, who sinned by eating the forbidden fruit. In truth, we should have this Kawwanah all year round, but on Tu Bishbat it is all the more appropriate.
While partaking of the fruits, one should read the portions from the Torah, Nebee-eem (Prophets), Kethubeem and the Holy Zohar that have been compiled for this evening, as can be found in the booklet Peri 'Es Hadar.
The drinking of Red and white wines is also prescribed.
Our great sage, Hakham Yoseph Hayyim, 'a"h, states that the Saddiqim (righteous) are likened to a tree (Saddiq Kattamar Yifrah) and that the wicked are likened to grass (Bifrowah Resha'im Kemo 'Eseb). Just like grass has no roots, so too the wicked have no roots or foundation and even a small wind can uproot them.
The righteous, on the other hand, have deep roots like the palm tree, making it virtually impossible to uproot. And even when they leave this world their ways and teachings will remain and continue to flourish through their children and students.
The Jewish people are likened to the vine. Just as the vine is weak and soft (when compared to other trees), but its fruit which can be used both for eating and drinking is excellent, so too the Children of Israel, even though we may be soft and weak, our Torah and Miswoth bear fruit.
Taken from the writings of Hakham Ya'aqob Menashe.
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[Youth] How to Make Decisions
Have you ever noticed that it is really hard to make a decision sometimes? There might be two really good choices to chose from and you just have no idea what to do? You call a friend and ask for their opinion and then you still try to decide what’s going to be best for you.
Check out these steps to the decison making process to learn how you make decisions:
1. Define the problem. You typically need to make a decision because you have a problem to solve.
What is the goal you hope to acheive when you reach a solution? Example: Problem: I really need an outfit for this graudation party. Solution: I will find something that looks good on me and is appropriate for the occasion.
2. Think about your other possibilities. You are stuck making a decision because you have multiple choices. Think about all the alternatives to the problem.
3. Evaluate your choices. Ask yourself is this choice in line with what I’m trying to accomplish with my life? If your answer is no, don’t do it. If your answer is yes, write it down until you’ve been able to narrow down your top choices.
4. Choose. Choose the best option that is in line with the problem. Make sure your choice makes you feel comfortable and makes sense after you’ve evaluated all of your choices.
5. Do it. Whatever your choice is, act on it!
There is nothing wrong with taking your time in making decisions. We are a result of the decisions we make so decision making is a huge part of who we are. It’s nothing to take lightly but it is something to take seriously, master, and utilize everyday.
Question: What is a big decision you had to make today?
Three Ways to Achieve Success IMMEDIATELY
1. Define your own success.
What steps can we take today to build our youth for the future? What jobs are we qualifying them for? What relationships are we helping them establish? What goals are we helping them reach? What gaps are we creating bridges for them to cross? There are many facets of youth’s life’s we have yet to reach. Take your gifting and connect with a young person today!
Letter To Your Younger Self Project
handwritingIf you knew better you’d do better, right? That’s what our young people deal with everyday. They make mistakes or carry regrets because they simply didn’t know better or they didn’t understand the consequences of their actions.
They didn’t have the luxury of having people share honest truths about their experiences. Sometimes people are ashamed of sharing their experiences for fear of being judged but it’s critical for our young people to know that there are situations they might find themselves in, that there are people who’ve been in them before, and there is another side!
They need to know that there are overcomers and that everyone’s story isn’t clean and perfect. They need genuine, authentic, transparent, honest individuals who are willing to help infiltrate their minds with stories of resilience and strength.
There are sometimes that we wish we could go back and tell our younger selves what we know now to save ourselves from making poor choices or to have made a better choice. I decided to create the “Letter to Your Younger Self Project” to collect letters from people who have sat down and been very intentional about giving quality advice to themselves and compiling them into a book. So here’s what I need for you to do.
Take about 5-10 minutes and go to a quiet place. Take out a blank sheet of paper or take out your tablet or laptop and write a letter to your younger self. Write to the “you” that was rebellious, invincible, stubborn, and independent. (You know the “you” I’m talking about). Think back to the most challenging times in your life and share what it was like in that moment for you. What were you thinking and feeling? How did you come to your final decision? What was it like when you overcame that challenge?
Our youth need to hear your story! Once you’ve completed your letter please email to regina@reginacoley.com. If your letter is selected you will need to sign a release waiver to be included in the book.
I look forward to reading your letters and I thank you in advance for your commitment to empowering the lives of today’s youth.
Luke 6:42
4 Ways To Make A Simple Transition Into Adulthood
Courtesy of Can Stock Photo
Courtesy of Can Stock Photo
Moving from high school into college or independence can be both an exciting and stressful time. Sure you can’t wait to finally be on your own but you may be trying to figure out how you’re going to do it all by yourself.
1. Decide on your career path. There are many adults who get to college and choose a major only to find out they have no interest in what they’ve been studying. Making such a critical choice at such a young age is difficult because what you like now will change over time. To assist you in making the right decision check out Career One Stop: Skills Profiler.
2. Choose a good college. College is the place where you’ll make lifelong friends, possibly find your spouse, begin your career, and learn more about yourself. With all that pressure wouldn’t you want to attend the best college possible that meets your needs? The number one thing you should look for is will Career Services help you find a job once you’re ready to graduate. I would hate for you to complete an educational program with the goal of securing employment only to receive not help in the end. When you visit your campus, make sure to visit their offices.
3. Find and keep a mentor. Transitions are moments of discovery and challenge. Having a mentor that can assist you through the process will help to keep you focused and on track so you won’t lose your way. I would recommend my Youth Mentoring Program
4. Brush up on your skills. The US Department of Labor created a very nice curriculum which includes videos and PDF downloads entitled Soft Skills to Pay the Bills-Mastering Soft Skills for Workplace Success. I would suggest visiting their site and working through the curriculum to ensure you’re in tip top shape!
7 Money Strategies to Improve Your Financial Future [Youth Edition]
Luke 16:10
Managing finances is not a simple task. It requires building the right skills and learning and exercising the right principles. It’s important to learn these principles with your first job (which may not be paying all that much) so when you do receive an increase you’ll have the know how to manage it well.
1. Spend less than you earn. If you spend it all, you have nothing; plain and simple.
2. Open a savings account. It is important to have a savings account with money that you add to monthly in case of an emergency. They will happen to you and it’s best to prepare the funds now.
3. Cut expenses until you earn additional income. There is always something you can go without whether it’s reducing your cell phone, cable, or utility bill. Find out
4. Create Income. You are creative, talented, and smart and there is something you can share with others to create an additional stream of income. Can you do hair? Babysit? Make beats? Do it!
5. Invest in stocks. Let your money make you money. Read books, follow blogs, but learn everything you can about investing your money.
6. Create a spending plan. Don’t just be frivolous with your money. As soon as you find out how much you’re expecting, sit and plan out how it needs to be spent.
7. Handle those credit cards wisely. The best advice I received is don’t borrow from your future to pay for today. It’s good to develop credit if you can manage it but it’s not wise to max out your credit cards for clothes, fast food, and hanging out.
Question: What’s the #1 tip you’ve heard about managing money?
Let me know below…
The Power of Being
The Power of Being
Courtesy of Can Stock
You have to “be” before you can “do”, and you have to “do” before you can “have”. -Zig Ziglar
I was reviewing some notes from a conference I attended 4 years ago and I came across this quote from Zig Ziglar whom I had the pleasure of hearing speak before he passed away. There was something about it that resonates with me this week in the power of “being”.
He says that we must first “be”. What does that mean exactly? It means that we must first make a decision as to who it is that we are becoming. Who are we growing into? Who are we transforming or turning into? What are we made of? What has God designed us to be? It means that we must develop self-awareness. Self Awareness is having a clear perception of your personality, including strengths, weaknesses, thoughts, beliefs, motivation, and emotions.
3 Key Elements to Living A Higher Standard
Romans 12:2 NIV
When I share my most challenging times in life, I realize that it was a result of losing my standards. I’ve always had a high regard for living ethically and doing what’s right, but there came a time when I no longer cared and I wanted to just live freely like everyone else.
What helped me most in “getting back on track” was remembering the high standards in my life and going back to them. I realized that my attitude towards myself and my life had to change for my life to change. I needed a renewing of my mind. |
Samstag, 12. September 2009
Lac du Bouchet
How Florian correctly answered, the WoGE was the maar lake of Bouchet and it´s very long stratigraphic sequence.
Located in the south eastern part of the French Massif Central, the volcanic region of Velay contains numerous maar craters. Pollen analysis has been carried out on lake sediment sequences obtained from three of these craters - Lac du Bouchet, Ribains and Praclaux. The presence of thick trachytic tephra layer has enabled correlations between the sequences. This has led to the reconstruction of a long continental sequence from 450ka ago to the present.
The attribution of the sequence to the last five climatic cycles is based on an apparently continuous succession of warm and cold phases, which correlates with the marine oxygen isotopic record. Tephra layers in the organic deposits of Lac du Bouchet provided Ar40/Ar39 dates with an average of 275ka - after this considerations the Lac du Bouchet temperate phase is correlated to the Marine Isotopic Stadium 7.
Lac du Bouchet (44°55´N, 3°47`E, 1.200m altitude) is a 28m deep lake, and has been the subject of numerous geological and biological studies. It yielded a sediment sequence extending from about 325ka to the present.
The Bouchet sequence can be subdivided by the amount of pollen taxa in three interstadials, which shows a classical succession of tree species, from cold tolerant at the beginning, to warm climate species, to again cold tolerant trees.
The proposed chronostratigraphy for the Velay maar sites (after REILLE et al. 2000, modified).
The Bouchet I interstadial is characterised by the presence of great quantities of Carpinus pollen, other thermophile taxa like Abies and Fagus are rare, or like Taxus complete missing. The Carpinus forest was probably the dominant vegetation everywhere in Velay at that time.
The Carpinus forest was then replaced directly by a Pinus forest, the latter marking the end of the interstadial and maybe a sudden cooling.
The Bouchet II interstadial shows similarities with the fist: again a Carpinus forest develops, but this time other trees like Ulmus, Corylus, Abies, Fagus and Picea must be also been present with significant numbers. As usual, the intestadial ends with a Pinus forest.
The third interstadial - Bouchet III, differs in significant taxa appearance and significance from the earlier two interstadials. Alnus viridis, today absent in the Massif Central region, but found as pioneer species in the timberline of the Alps, plays a mayor role in the first phase of the interstadial. This tree is then replaced by Ulmus, Quercus and Corylus, an Oak forest occasionally coexisting with a Picea forest develops. Carpinus this time doesn't form a forest of its own.
The establishment of tree taxa depends not only by the climatic conditions, but also from the distance of an investigated site from the glacial refugia of the species, and the capability of this species to spread. This maybe can explain the differences between the forest developments in the three interstadials.
The site of the ancient (with sediments filled) maar of Praclaux, in the vicinity of the Lac du Bouchet, today a quiet pasture.
REILLE, M.; BEAULIEU DE J.L.; SVOBODA, H.; ANDRIEU-PONEL, V. & GOEURY, C. (2000): Pollen analytical biostratigraphy of the last five climatic cycles from a long continental sequence from the Velay region (Massif Central, France). Journal of Quaternary Science (7): 665-685
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Unemployment is very high, because of the disruptions caused by the end of communist rule, followed by the conflict of 1999 and the struggle for independence thus the economy is dependent on foreign aid and remittances sent from Diaspora.
Kosovo’s population is composed of Kosovo Albanian (92%), Kosovo Serbs 4%, and other minorities such as Bosnians, Gorani, Turks, Roma, Ashkali, and Egyptians (4%) . The Albanian, Serbian, Bosnian, Turkish, and other languages are spoken. The main religions are Islam, the Orthodox church, and the Roman Catholic church.
Administratively, Kosovo is divided into 38 municipalities. The United Nations, through its Interim Administration Mission in Kosovo (UNMIK), and its Agencies and Programmes, including UNDP, is present in Kosovo on the basis of the United Nations Security Council Resolution 1244 (1999) which provides the mandate for its operation.
A decade after the conflict, Kosovo has reached a critical juncture. The next few years could establish Kosovo firmly on the road to a stable and prosperous future, in which its far-reaching development aspirations are fulfilled. However, its population still faces an uphill struggle to escape the corrosive socio-economic impact of decades of neglect, mismanagement and discrimination.
Security has been re-established by and large, and NATO’s KFOR troops are therefore able to maintain a relatively light footprint. However reconciliation at a community level remains a challenge, but there are indications that in many places it has nevertheless taken recognizable root outpacing higher-level political resolution. Although tensions remain palpable between Kosovo-Albanians and Kosovo-Serbs in a limited number of areas (particularly in Mitrovicë/Mitrovica region/Northern part), they are mostly local in their impact and do not affect broader progress.
Kosovo’s authorities and enterprising communities, including Kosovans in the diaspora, were able to kick-start an economic recovery in the years following the 1999 conflict. Growth of GDP peaked at 5.4 percent in 2008, after the immediate post-conflict surge and is rising again, at 4.3 percent, following the 2009 global economic crisis. However Kosovo’s economy is still a problem and poses a greatest threat to long-term stability. Unemployment stands at 40.7% for men and 56.4% for women.
Human Development Index increased marginally from 0.678 in 2007 to 0.700 in 2010, and 0.714 in 2012; however it is still the lowest in region and Europe. While Kosovo’s economy faces many fundamental challenges, the energy and potential of Kosovo’s young work-ready population are significant economic assets.
Improvement in the welfare, transition to market economy, achievements in democracy.
Young educated people, Stabilisation Assosciacion Agreement with EU, acces to IMF, WB and EBRD funds and instruments. Recent qualification for the Millenium Challenge Corporation Compact.
Poverty, including extreme poverty still standing over 10%, inbalance of trade, high unemployment, heavy reliance on remittances. |
Britain Express > Heritage Traveller > What is a crannog?
What is a crannog?
Posted: 2011-03-18
What is a crannog?
If you've ever seen the word 'crannog' on a OS map, you might have wondered what it signified. I've watched enough Time Team episodes to have a very hazy idea that a crannog was some sort of inhabited man-made island, usually joined to the mainland by a causeway. But that's where my knowledge ended. Until today.
I just ran across a neat little article on the history of crannnogs in Scotland, with a focus on the Inner Hebrides. The website is, appropriately enough,, and its the work of Mark Holley, an American researcher with a Ph.D. in Underwater Archaeology from Edinburgh University.
Here are some of the key points of Holley's history of crannogs article:
• Most crannogs are circular or oval
• Materials used include stone, wood, or whatever people could find locally
• Crannogs were used as housing sites until well into the 17th century
• There are two main types, with a solid base, or raised on stilts like a dock
Crannogs have been used for habitation longer than any other form of Scottish dwelling, from the Neolithic period (4000-2000 BCE). So until you excavate a crannog it is impossible to tell whether it is incredibly ancient, or a few hundred years old. But excavations can reveal a lot, partly due to the fact that the cold water of Scottish lochs is such a good storage environment. Organic matter such as seeds, wood, and plant fibre can be remarkably well preserved. But that's nothing; a recent 'dig' on a crannog site turned up a butter dish with butter still in it!
As I was about to post this article I ran across another brief explanation entitled 'What is a crannog', by the Scottish Crannog Centre (see Resources below)
I'll keep a close eye out for partly used butter dishes next time I see a crannog marked on my OS map!
Image of Westferry crannog is © Thomas Nugent, used by permission under the Creative Commons license
Resources: (click on the Introduction link)
Scottish Crannog Centre - Kenmore, near Aberfeldy
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IN times long past, when leaders of the community were unable to explain the presence of outstanding features in the countryside, they claimed that several very prominent conical hills and other features were the work of giants or even the Devil.
These include Blakey Topping, near the Hole of Horcum (itself the focus of such a legend), as well as Roseberry Topping between Great Ayton and Guisborough, and Freeborough Hill that stands beside the Whitby-Guisborough road.
Blakey Topping was said to be the work of the Devil when he scooped out the earth to create the Hole of Horcum between Pickering and Whitby. He tossed it across the moors to become Blakey Topping.
He must have been a mighty giant because it was also said that some of the earth and rocks he removed to create the Hole of Horcum were thrown even further away to become both Roseberry Topping and Freeborough Hill, themselves associated with various legends. Those massive earth-moving actions led to the Hole of Horcum being known as the Devil’s Punchbowl. In truth, the Hole of Horcum is probably the result of moorland streams over the ages carrying away loose earth.
A contrary tale tells us that it was in fact the giant Wade who scooped the earth away to create the Hole of Horcum because he needed the soil to conquer his enemies by smothering them with it.
Yet another tale says that Wade used the earth and rocks from the Hole of Horcum to help his construction of the Giant’s Causeway that was built across the moors above Goathland. We know it as the Roman Road but many of our ancestors had no real knowledge of their early history, so they created their own. Amazing works by giants seemed to fill the gaps and offered an explanation for apparently impossible acts.
Not surprisingly, some of those landscape features have developed their own legends or folk lore. For example, although Roseberry Topping is little more than 1,000ft high (320 metres) it has long been regarded as the highest peak in Yorkshire, but this is not the case. Quite simply, it appears to be the highest due to its prominent location.
It was purchased by the National Trust in 1985 but stands on the borders of two counties – North Yorkshire and Cleveland. The boundary runs directly across the summit and the ascent to the summit is very popular and not particularly demanding – and offers splendid views.
So what does the word "topping" signify? It appears in the names of both Roseberry Topping and Blakey Topping and is generally thought to come from an old English word "top" meaning summit or hilltop, which in turn may have originated in a Danish word "toppen" – a peak or summit..
Of greater interest is the prefix Roseberry. How did this famous hill come to be called Roseberry Topping? In fact, in the 12th century, it was known as Othenesburg., Ohtenburg or Othenburg. Later, this became Ouesberg and then, in the 16th century, Ouesbery. In Viking times, it may have been called Odinsberg in honour of the god Odin, the Scandinavian equivalent of Woden.
One theory is that “Roseberry” may derive from an Old English word, now obsolete – it was "rosland", which indicated a heathery area or open moorland. There is an equivalent in Welsh – "rhos" – which also refers to heather or moorland. The story of Roseberry Topping appears to have no links with Rosedale, a name which also suggests heather and moorland.
The topping has links with the explorer Captain James Cook whose father’s Airyholme Farm stood on its southern slope. The young James worked that farm and was educated in nearby Great Ayton. On the summit was the Odinsberg Spring or Roseberry Well, whose waters were said to be curative, especially for rheumatism and eye disorders.
There is a sad legend where a baby prince, son of the royal family of Northumberland, died in that well. King Osmund and his queen had longed for a child without success but eventually, their baby, Prince Oswy, was born, but royal advisers said the child would die by drowning before he was two years old.
As the mountain known as Odinsberg was within their kingdom at that time, the king and queen decided to take baby Oswy to the highest mountain in the land, a place where no water would flow. They could sleep in an old hermitage and take their own food, then remain there until the child was safe on his second birthday.
But as the heat of the day and their general weariness overtook them, they fell asleep and baby Prince Oswy toddled off and fell into a pool of water at the Odinsberg Spring near the summit. He drowned and no amount of resuscitation could revive him. King Osmund buried his queen and his son in a monastery at Tivotdale.
At that point, the village changed its name to Oswy-by-his-mother-lay – we now call it Osmotherley. Hardly true, but a good story!
I could not find any further legend linked to Blakey Topping but Freeborough Hill has its own rumours. It is said to be the grave of hundreds of soldiers and war horses from past conflicts. It is also one of several places where King Arthur and his Knights of the Round Table are said to lie asleep in a cavern deep within the hill. They are waiting until England needs them to protect us from tyranny.
The names of locations are always of interest and Bilsdale is no exception. One might think that the dale’s links with William (Bill) the Conqueror have produced a name beginning with Bil – but not so.
It is probably derived from Bild’s Valley, the prefix Bils appearing in other locations across England, e.g. Bildeston, Bilsthorpe and Bilstone.
However, the dale will never forget the passage of William the Conqueror and his army down Bilsdale in a severe snowstorm. They were returning to York from Teesside but the storm was so ferocious that William and six of his mounted escort were separated from the others.
William and his six companions spent the night seeking them, shouting and cursing in a foreign language (French) and this terrified the local people. They all went into hiding until the matter was resolved but the experience lived on in sayings such as “Cussing like Billy Norman” or “Billy Norman kept hissen warm by cussing”. However, there was a stream known as Willelmsbec, now William Beck, which may honour him.
But I like the tale of the Conqueror asking the way from a local farmer while speaking in French. The farmer did not understand and shook his head. William called him "espec d’idiot" whereupon the farmer replied: “Aye, mebbe so, but Ah’m not lost.” |
What does john the evangelist mean?
Definitions for john the evangelist
Here are all the possible meanings and translations of the word john the evangelist.
Princeton's WordNet
1. John, Saint John, St. John, Saint John the Apostle, St. John the Apostle, John the Evangelist, John the Divine(noun)
1. John the Evangelist
John the Evangelist is the conventional name for the author of the Gospel of John. Traditionally he has been identified with the author of the other Johannine works in the New Testament—the three Epistles of John and the Book of Revelation, written by a John of Patmos—as well as with John the Apostle and the Beloved Disciple mentioned in the Gospel of John. However, at least some of these connections have been debated since about 200. The Gospel of John refers to an unnamed "Beloved Disciple" of Jesus who bore witness to the gospel's message. The composer of the Gospel of John seemed interested in maintaining the internal anonymity of the author's identity. The apostle John was a historical figure, one of the "pillars" of the Jerusalem church after Jesus' death. Some scholars believe that John was martyred along with his brother, although many other scholars doubt this. Harris believes that the tradition that John lived to old age in Ephesus developed in the late 2nd century, although the tradition does appear in the last chapter of the gospel, though this debatable tradition assumes that John the Evangelist, John the Apostle, the Beloved Disciple mentioned in John 21 and sometimes also John the Presbyter are the same person. By the late 2nd century, the tradition was held by most Christians.
1. Chaldean Numerology
The numerical value of john the evangelist in Chaldean Numerology is: 5
2. Pythagorean Numerology
The numerical value of john the evangelist in Pythagorean Numerology is: 5
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English versionDeutsche Version
1939 – 1944, 12 Robert Stolz Straße
Ida B., a Jew, flees from Ukraine and works as a housekeeper for an SS-Sturmbannführer under an alias. In 1944 she is arrested and deported to Auschwitz.
As a Jew Ida B. fled from Ukraine in order to escape being murdered by the Nazis. Using a false name the young woman volunteered for “work duty” in the Reich and was sent to Transit Camp 39 in Bindermichl in Linz.
Ida B. worked as a housekeeper for an SS-Sturmbannführer in Froschberg where she was well treated. Later she was assigned to the Employment Office as typist, initially in Transit Camp 39 and then in the Hermann Göring Works. Her employers did not notice that she was very well educated for a Ukrainian farmer’s daughter. The other forced labourers quickly realised that something was wrong. The suspicion was aired a number of times that she was Jewish.
In 1944 Ida B. was arrested by the Gestapo and, with help of photographs which were sent to her native city, identified as Jewish and deported to Auschwitz. She was probably able to survive Auschwitz because of her relatively good physical condition compared with the Jews from the ghettos and her knowledge of languages.
After the liberation of the camp Ida B. lived in Poland but had to flee due to ever increasing anti-Semitism. In 1948 she emigrated to Israel. In August 1983 Ida B. returned to Linz for the first time and visited places from her past. |
First Posted: Aug 26, 2013 05:11 PM EDT
(Photo : Wikipedia)
A Mexico City-based seismologist has predicted an earthquake of devastating magnitude in that city that could potentially occur before December.
According to Mexican Engineer Gabriel Curiel Flores, an earthquake of at least 8 points in the Richter scale is slated to occur before year's end in accordance to a theory he has developed off of records of past seismic activity which predicts future tectonic plate movements.
Curiel Flores runs a website called in which he posts the basis of his predictions and explains a theory he developed which he has called "Theory Of Gravitational Forces." According to Flores, the theory helped him accurately predict the earthquake that shook Japan in March.
The theory, which has yet to be peer reviewed and approved by other members of the scientific community, states that earthquakes and other tectonic movements are in fact events that can be predicted and prepared for before they actually occur. Longstanding scientific consensus is that earthquakes are complex events that stem from a number of variable occurrences along earth's tectonic plates and therefore are too complex to predict accurately.
Flores' website has gone viral in Mexico among Twitter users due to a recent surge in earthquake activity that included a 4.5 magnitude movement which took place today. Some users have embraced the theory while others question the scientific validity of it.
In his website, Flores usually addresses his posts directly to Mexican President Enrique Peña Nieto in an open letter format urging him to take action against what he believes is an imminent disaster that would devastate a city that he claims is "largely unprepared" for an earthquake of a severe magnitude. His claim stems from the fact that several central neighborhoods in Mexico City still host old buildings, which are seen as having poor structural support and that could be in danger in a severe earthquake scenario.
Flores states that he has already met with senior level officials of several government offices that are already aware of his theory but have yet to act upon it. He has also approached the Geological Society of America who redirected him towards submitting his paper to the peer-reviewed publication GSA Today.
Mexico City is no stranger to large magnitude earthquakes. In September 1985, a 8.1 magnitude earthquake stuck Mexico City to devastating effects. The death toll from that event was estimated at around 10,000 casualties.
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OSdata.com: programming text book
exploiting labor
This subchapter looks at exploiting labor as part of a series on ethics in computer programming. This is part of a free downloadable college textbook on computer programming.
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exploiting labor
Is it ethical to do computer programming work that directly or indirectly involves exploiting cheap or slave labor?
An obvious example is the computer component of the American college football Bowl Championship Series (BCS). Programmers participating in the determination of the BCS directly make their living off the backs of unpaid student-athletes. While coaches, college presidents, athletic directors, and others make millions of dollars a year, the student-athletes aren’t even paid the federal minimum wage.
The current computer polls used in the BCS rankings are Anderson & Hester, Richard Billingsley, Colley Matrix, Kenneth Massey, Jeff Sagarin, and Peter Wolfe.
Of these six, only Wes Colley of the Colley Matrix makes his formula open to the public. The five others hide their formulas in secret. Because of Colley’s transparency, BCS expert Jerry Palm was able to announce a mistake in the final BCS poll in 2010. On December 6, 2010, the day after the final BCS poll of the year was released, Palm identified a mistake that caused Boise State to move to number 10 ahead of Lousiian State University at number 11.
In the not to distant past (2004) the Associated Press (AP) pulled its poll out of the BCS system in protest against the inherent unethical nature of the system.
I present you with the actual arguments of a man who actively supports the current system: William Homer “Bill” Plaschke of the Los Angeles Times and ESPN. I do not intend to belittle the man or his beliefs, even though I strongly disagree.
The major claim in favor of this system is that it preserves the integrity and beauty of college football.
This is an appeal to emotion rather than an appeal to reason.
William Homer “Bill” Plaschke of the Los Angeles Times argues “But the beauty of college athletics lies directly in this paradox, a nation drawn to the idea of professional games played by amateurs, millions cheering for superstars in letter sweaters, inspiration bathed in innocence. If you pay the players, that aura is gone, and with it, a sports experience that is singularly passionate and uniquely American.”
This approach violates the basic ethical principle: “People are to be loved, and things are to be used. Immoraltiy occurs when things [televised football games] are loved and people [unpaid college athletes] are used.” (author unknown)
You may recall similar arguments to those used by Bill Plaschke in favor of refusing to pay college athletes the federal minimum wage were also used in favor of human slavery in the antebellum era.
John C. Calhoun’s 1837 Speech in the U.S. Senate and James Henry Hammond’s 1858 Mudsill Speech articulated the claim that human slavery benefited the enslaved, the free, and society as a whole.
The claim is that the landless poor are inherently transient and easily manipulated and therefore pose the the greatest threat to destabalize the economy and society.
Bill Plaschke of the Los Angeles Times asserts “Paying college players is an inherently bad idea”.
W. T Stace wrote in The Concept of Morals “That which was evil now was evil then. If slavery is morally wicked today, it was morally wicked among the ancient Athenians, notwithstanding that their greatest men accepted it as a necessary condition of human society. Their opinion did not make slavery a moral good for them. It only showed that they were, in spite of their otherwise noble conceptions, ignorant of what is truly right and good in this matter.”
U.S. Senator and Governor James Henry Hammond explained that there must be and always will be a poor class that the rich exploit.
Christians claim that the Chiristain deity Jesus stated “Leave her alone…You always have the poor with you, but you do not always have me.” (Matthew 26:11, similar passage in Mark 14:7 and John 12:8) Also from the Jewish Torah “There will always be poor people in the land.” (Deuteronomy 15:11).
Hammond referred to the lowest class as the mudsill that supports the foundation of the building (the middle class and the rich).
Hammond claimed that the natural tendency of non-whites to do menial work enabled the upper class whites to move civilization forward and that therefore any granting of basic human rights to the mudsill was counter the the good of society as a whole.
The problem of the supposed inabilities of the mudsill or landless poor was solved by human enslavement, removing them from the political process. This non-citizen status was strongly affirmed by the U.S. Supreme Court’s most famous decision, the 1857 case of Dred Scott v. Sanford, 60 U.S. 393 (1857), which asserted the legal principle that African people imported into the U.S. and their descendants, whether or not they were slaves, were denied any rights under the U.S. Constitution and could never be U.S. citizens.
The Court further pointed out that granting basic human rights to the landless poor (such as granting student-athletes the same right to collect the minimum wage that is granted to most American workers, with such obvious exceptions as legal alien Hispanic agricultural guest workers) would have dire consequences: “It would give to persons of the negro race, …the right to enter every other State whenever they pleased, …the full liberty of speech in public and in private upon all subjects upon which its own citizens might speak; to hold public meetings upon political affairs, and to keep and carry arms wherever they went.”
Remember that even in professional sports, where the players are paid, they still do not have the fundamental freedom of speech to speak out against injustice by the rich owners and the management that works for the rich owners (including the commissioners and referees).
The U.S. Supreme Court has never revoked or overruled the Dred Scott decision.
Another argument in favor of exploiting these student-athletes is the claim that their scholarships are their pay.
Bill Plaschke of the Los Angeles Times states “First, the kids are already paid. It’s called a scholarship. In some cases, that’s a salary of more than $50,000 a year.”
I am the worst person to ask for financial advice, but my understanding is that scholarships are not income if the recipient is a candidate for a degree at an accredited school (with complex IRS rules).
The IRS states on its website: “A scholarship generally is an amount paid for the benefit of a student at an educational institution to aid in the pursuit of studies. The student may be in either a graduate or an undergraduate program. … If you are a candidate for a degree, you generally can exclude from income that part of the grant used for: Tuition and fees required for enrollment or attendance, or Fees, books, supplies, and equipment required for your courses.”
Further, the system of “pay” advocated by Bill Plaschke of the Los Angeles Times is different than that used for all other scholarship students
The vast majority of colleges and universities (if not all, other than the for-profit schools) give preference for paid employment to students on scholarships. Years ago I worked as a lab aide to help other students on their computer class assignments. I was paid the then federal minimum wage. All other student lab aides (on scholarship or not) were also paid the federal minimum wage. The cost or value of a scholarship was not deducted from the pay.
While students on non-athletic scholarships are afforded the opportunity to earn money with student jobs, student-athletes don’t have this opportunity because of the large time commitment required in preparing for televised games. Ironically the televised games bring the schools huge sums of cash while the normal student jobs, such as the aforementioned labortory aides, don’t produce any direct income (although they may result in higher retention and therefore more federal income).
Note that athletic scholarships are not the only scholarships that are for something other than pure academic excellence. All colleges and universities other than for-profit schools have scholarships based strictly on financial need. And most colleges and universities have scholarships for other non-academic talents, such as dance, music, sculpture, theatre, painting, and other arts.
I might add that the tuition charged by a university is artificially inflated. Almost nobody pays the full list price. The full list price is a manipulated number used to maximize the income from government sources. As the federal government keeps raising its college aid, the tuitions keep artificially jumpring, hundreds of percentage points ahead of all other costs of living and with absolutely no bearing or relationship to the actual cost of the college education.
The $50,000 cited by Plaschke is a completely artificial number and has no real meaning.
Harvard University no longer charges undergraduate students any tuition. The tuition is zero dollars.
Pat Brown, the father of new California governor Jerry Brown, intended that the University of California and California State University systems have no tuition of any kind. The intent was that the education be provided for free because of the great public interest in having a well educated citizenry.
Bill Plaschke of the Los Angeles Times goes on to claim that paying college athletes (just the male football and basketball players) would result in a draft “This would mean the end of recruiting, the end of high school stars choosing their college. With so much money being thrown around to so many athletes, the schools would eventually halt the madness the way Major League Baseball finally did. Welcome to the 2014 College Football Draft.”
This is an example of a “straw man” argument.
The idea of a straw man argument is to belittle other beliefs by making up fake arguments and then easily showing the absurdity of those fake arguments. The straw men are not the actual arguments of other beliefs, but are made to sound as if they might be. The straw men are chosen because the arguments are easy to disprove, like blowing over a man of straw.
Bill Plaschke’s argument about a college draft is clearly a straw man. I have never previously heard anyone use this argument. Bill Plaschke writes as if he came up with the idea on his own (although he doesn’t actually state the idea is original to him).
But, for the moment, let’s assume this is a real argument.
Of course, not all schools offer the same courses or have the exact same professors. While it is true that many college athletes choose their schools for purely athletic reasons, many chose their schools for the specific scholastic programs they offer. Seems to me that even a student-athlete has the right to apply to the school of his or her choice rather than having high paid administrators draft them and tell them where they are allowed to study, just as if they were owned animals or human slaves.
Bill Plaschke of the Los Angeles Times states “Colleges should not play [sic] players. Colleges cannot pay players. To do so would hurt the very athletes supposedly being helped, devaluing intercollegiate sports until they’re not worth the paper that a freshman linebacker’s contract is printed upon.”
With all due respect to Bill Plaschke (who is paid a bunch of money and therefore inherently more valuable to society than I am), his arguments are in the same category as those who claimed that human slavery was vital to the best interests of Black Americans, because the black Americans supposedly were unable to think for themselves and needed a white owner to preserve the slave’s welfare.
This same argument appeared in support of the British Empire. The claim was made that Britain not only had a right to maintain a world wide empire through force of arms, but had a moral obligation to do so.
The Victorian claim was that non-whites were inherently inferior races and that the white man had a duty to the Christian God to take care of the non-whites
The obvious reply of the time was, “What about Imhotep and K’ung Fu-Tze (or K’ung Fu-Tzu)?”
K’ung Fu-Tze was one of the most, if not the most, famous philosophers of all time and was Chinese, a supposed lesser race. The Victorian solution was to rename him as Confucius, so that he would sound like he was Greek rather than Chinese.
Imhotep was the single most influential human being in all of human history. he was the chief architect of the first successful true pyramid in ancient Egypt, as well inventor of trigonometry, discoverer of pi (π), creator of the scientific method, first proponent of the idea that mathematics can model all of the physical universe, inventor of the idea of medical triage, and founder of the bureacracies and other systems necessary for the creation of the first nation in human history.
Imhotep was simply written out of Western history classes. References to him were deemed “legendary” or “mythic” and discounted.
The accomplishments of other great Egyptians were subverted by falsely claiming that the Egyptians were whites. Look at the statues and artwork. The ancient Egyptians are clearly and unambigiously black Africans until the Persian invasion (and subsequent Greek, Roman, and Arabic invasions).
In my opinion, Bill Plaschke is just as wrong to deny student athletes a fair living wage (or at least the federal minimum wage) as those who claimed that black African slaves should be denied basic human rights.
And, in my opinion, the programmers who participate in the BCS standings are active participants in a system designed to exploit the labor of the poor, especially those of black African descent.
What is your opinion? Will you write software that takes advantage of low income student athletes?
Should there be consequences for those who support this exploitation of labor? Tostitos supports the Fiesta Bowl. Discover supports the Orange Bowl. Citi supports the Rose Bowl. Allstate supports the Sugar Bowl. If you find their support offensive you have the options of boycotting their products and services or writing a letter of protest to their corporate offices.
A more obvious example of unethical exploitation of the poor (reported by investigative reporter Edwin Black) would be IBM having built, supplied, and maintained the tabulating machines essential for the Nazi Holocause (the murder of at least three million Jews, 1-1/2 million Gypsies, nearly a million homosexuals, and many others).
How were the Nazis able to so quickly identify the Jews, Gypsies, and others? How were the Nazis able to so efficiently gather, transport, enslave, and murder the Holocaust victims?
The answer is technology: IBM’s Hollerinth cards and the machines for punching and reading them.
Throughout World War II, IBM had legal permission from the U.S. government to build, sell, and maintain the machinery used in the Holocaust. IBM’s machines made the Holocaust technically feasible.
Jews, Gypsies, homosexuals, and others were enslaved in concentration camps and forced to be slave labor on behalf of the Nazi dream of world domination.
There is no difference of kind between the BCS’s exploitation of student labor and the Nazi’s exploitation of Jewish and Gypsy slave labor. The only difference is the degree. Clearly the Holocaust is much more severe, but it is not of a different kind or a separate ethical question.
Keith Olbermann reported after the November 2, 2010, U.S. election that IBM had donated millions of dollars to the U.S. Chamber of Commerce to be used for campaigns of politicians who supported the outsourcing of American jobs.
The idea behind outsourcing is that a business can avoid U.S. minimum wage laws (as well as other labor laws and environmental protection laws) by moving jobs to poor areas of the world, such as China, India, and Indonesia.
And it has been clearly established in American courts that American multinational companies have engaged in slave labor in several foreign nations. That is, they have had the active cooperation of the local military to capture and enslave workers and force them at gun point and with application of severe physical torture to make some of the products that are sold in the U.S.
Even if you discount the examples of human slavery as rare, the whole point of outsourcing is to avoid paying American workers the federal minimum wage and to avoid other American labor and environmental laws and regulations.
There is the basic philosophical question about whether or not low income workers deserve the minimum wage (or a higher living wage).
One argument against the minimum wage is that it is unfair to new workers who could supposedly more easily obtain entry level jobs if they could accept lower pay. This was the primary argument in favor of child labor, which has since been outlawed in the U.S. (over the Supreme Court’s famous objections).
Another major argument against the minimum wage is that only the owners have any risk and therefore only the owners deserve money. The claim is that when workers lose their job that they don’t face any hardship, such as losing their home and ending up homeless, while owners who lose their businesses might have their credit ruined. Of course, we saw after the 1929 stock market crash (leading to the Great Depression) that many of the bankrupted millionaires and billionaires quickly returned to riches while the general population suffere through more than a decade of extreme financial hardship.
And while we’re on the subject of risk, consider the risk to the health of student-athletes playing contact sports such as football. Most experience painful injuries, some of which cause pain for life, and some experience serious injuries including paralysis.
Even in non-contact sports, we have the example of Hank Gathers dying on a basketball court on March 4, 1990. Because he viewed success as an unpaid student-athlete as essential for getting his family out of poverty, Gathers took great risks with his heart and ended up paying for his college’s finacnial success with his life.
At what point is the computer programmer responsible for the effects of his or her work on society as a whole?
Is it ethical for a computer programmer to participate in the BCS series and make personal profit off literally thousands of unpaid workers?
Is it ethical for a computer programmer to write software for a business that outsources work to nations that use slave labor or underpay workers?
Is it ethical for a computer programmer to write software that is used to commit crimes against humanity?
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Question: The DeBourgh Manufacturing Company was founded in 1909 as a
The DeBourgh Manufacturing Company was founded in 1909 as a metal-fabricating company in Minnesota by the four Berg brothers. In the 1980s, the company ran into hard times, as did the rest of the metal-fabricating industry. Among the problems that DeBourgh faced were declining sales, deteriorating labor relations, and increasing costs. Labor unions had resisted cost-cutting measures. Losses were piling up in the heavy job-shop fabrication division, which was the largest of the company’s three divisions. A division that made pedestrian steel bridges closed in 1990. The remaining company division, producer of All-American lockers, had to move to a lower-cost environment.
In 1990, with the company’s survival at stake, the firm made a risky decision and moved everything from its high-cost location in Minnesota to a lower-cost area in La Junta, Colorado. Eighty semitrailer trucks were used to move equipment and inventory 1000 miles at a cost of $1.2 million. The company was relocated to a building in La Junta that had stood vacant for three years. Only 10 of the Minnesota workers transferred with the company, which quickly hired and trained 80 more workers in La Junta. By moving to La Junta, the company was able to go nonunion. DeBourgh also faced a financial crisis. A bank that had been loaning the company money for 35 years would no longer do so. In addition, a costly severance package was worked out with Minnesota workers to keep production going during the move.
An internal stock-purchase “earn-out” was arranged between company president Steven C. Berg and his three aunts, who were the other principal owners. The roof of the building that was to be the new home of DeBourgh Manufacturing in La Junta was badly in need of repair. During the first few weeks of production, heavy rains fell on the area and production was all but halted. However, DeBourgh was able to overcome these obstacles. One year later, locker sales achieved record-high sales levels each month. The company is now more profitable than ever, with sales topping $6 million. Much credit has been given to the positive spirit of teamwork fostered among its approximately 80 employees. Emphasis shifted to employee involvement in decision making, quality, teamwork, employee participation in compensation action, and shared profits. In addition, DeBourgh became a more socially responsible company by doing more for the town in which it is located and by using paints that are more environmentally friendly.
1. After its move in 1990 to La Junta, Colorado, and its new initiatives, the DeBourgh Manufacturing Company began an upward climb of record sales. Suppose the figures shown here are the DeBourgh monthly sales figures from January 2005 through December 2013 (in $1000s). Are any trends evident in the data? Does DeBourgh have a seasonal component to its sales? Shown after the sales figures is Minitab output from a decomposition analysis of the sales figures using 12-month seasonality. Next an Excel graph displays the data with a trend line. Examine the data, the output, and any additional analysis you feel is helpful, and write a short report on DeBourgh sales. Include a discussion of the general direction of sales and any seasonal tendencies that might be occurring.
2. Suppose DeBourgh accountants computed a per-unit cost of lockers for each year since 2000, as reported here. Use techniques in this chapter to analyze the data. Forecast the per-unit labor costs through the year 2013. Use smoothing techniques, moving averages, trend analysis, and any others that seem appropriate. Calculate the error of the forecasts and determine which forecasting method seems to do the best job of minimizing error. Study the data and explain the behavior of the per-unit labor cost since 2000. Think about the company history and objectives since2000.
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Parabolic Framework
The Kilden Concert Hall may not appear to be a typical parabolic surface, but each of the wood strips on the underside of this cantilevered roof. Each piece of wood starts at the same point on the roof and then connects to a point on a curve near the ground floor, also called a ruled surface.
The performing arts center presents a stunning experience for transitioning the audience between the riverside and a dramatic atmosphere of the three theaters. When looking at the seamless transition of the wood panels from inside to out at the window seen above, the glass extends beyond our site. In this detail the wood engulfs any suggestion of structure, yet the roof stays suspended in space as a surreal gesture.
These magic moments in architecture show the rigor of the design process. I attempted to understand this connection and the process that made this detail work so seamlessly. From studying ALA Architect’s sections and photos, I discovered the roof structure is a cantilever that suspends the ruled wood ceiling with an intricate framework of steel. This system is them masked by a perfectly smooth and seemingly parallel wood boards. But the simplistic look only occurs because of meticulous parametric modeling and a CNC router.
In my own study model I discovered the importance of the angular sides of each set of wood pieces that keep the boards parallel as the extremity of their curvature changes. In this study I realized the glass is structurally supported by the 16″ vertical mullions, a system completely separate from the roof cantilevered wood slat ceiling. The challenges of creating a curve from straight boards is apparent in the gaps between the straight slats in my model seen below. My physical investigations unveiled the true challenges of two structural systems meeting at such a clean point. Several angles dictate the cuts of each individual wooden slat. As these elements twist more, their angles become more sever. Then at the window these elements are cut at their ends parallel to the pane of glass. To accommodate the changing angles of the wood slats over such a long distance, the roof seams to be divided into segments to simplify the production process. Sometimes to understand these systems it helps to look at a precedent. Felix Candela’s work (seen below) used wood boards (forming ruled surfaces) to make hyperbolic parabolic forms out of concrete structures. The interesting difference is that Candela’s work is structurally significant and allowed him to span at least 40 feet of space with only a few inches of rebar and concrete. In the ALA project, any structure is discretely hidden behind the wooden ceiling. There is an inspiring aspect to each application. Each surface’s curvature is contradicting conventional applications of these materials. This nature, whether or not we recognize it, will fascinate us and encourage us to inquire further and better understand the structure that causes these phenomena.
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Ratios are a fancy way of saying chance, here’s an example:
I have 1 six sided dice and I need a six to win the tournament. What is my chance in winning or losing if I need to get a six with the dice?
The chance of me getting a six is a one in six chance because there are six numbers on the dice and there is one six, so that is 1 in 6 chance that I will roll any number from 1-6. ⅙ is the fraction or 16.5%
You would use probability in gambling, and also insurance like say when you have had your full driver's licence for 10-15 year then the probability of you crashing is about 20%-30% that you won't crash because you have had your driver's licence for a longer time. If you have had your licence for 1 year, so if that is the case then you would have a 40-50% chance of crashing which means that you will have less insurance cover. So that is the explanation of probability and remember maths is everywhere.
Another way to do some maths with probability is transfer decimals( 0.25) into a fraction and a percentage which would be ¼ as a fraction and 25% is the percentage. |
Karl Marx Is Dead—And So Is Dialectical Materialism (for the most part)
Nietzsche famously said, “God is dead.” His great intellectual forebear, Karl Marx, was born on this date in 1818, just five years after Søren Kierkegaard, who has the same birthday. Marx is perhaps the best-known atheist of the 19th century. He grew up in a German-Jewish home. But it is said that he converted to Lutheranism when he was only six years old. Either it didn’t take, or it didn’t last.
Karl Marx (1818-1883)
Karl Marx (1818-1883)
He was a militant atheist during his college years at Bonn and Berlin. He was drawn to a group called “the Young Hegelians.” A major figure of this group was Ludwig Feuerbach, who influenced Marx and probably inspired much of the atheist element in Marx’s “dialectical materialism.” For Feuerbach, God is nothing more than a projection of the human imagination. Religion is but a dream. And it is a dream with a mixed reputation. It expresses the guilt and remorse characteristic of the human condition, and then pretends to offer a solution. Humans find it pretty hard to escape this fantasy, since it serves a useful purpose.
Marx extended the motif, calling religion “the opiate of the people.” More drug than dream. The corrective he envisioned would replace the need for a beneficent transcendent being with a social arrangement that would ensure tranquility and economic stability. His dialectical materialism provided the metaphysical framework for his communist utopianism. As materialist, he asserted that all is matter, including the human person. But his materialism affirms an evolutionary history that leads dialectically to utopian finality, where society progresses from “each according to his ability, to each according to his need.” The path to this ideal condition would be painful but necessary. It would be mediated by revolution.
Sadly, this much of the Marxist vision has been realized; but its glorious outcome has been more nightmare than dream. Neither Marx nor Feuerbach offered any real arguments against the existence of God. Instead, they embrace the nonexistence of God as a kind of article of faith. They imagined that all who believe in God do so without objective warrant. But pervasive belief in God must be explained—and got rid of—somehow. Thus they offered psychological and sociological explanations for religious belief. This created space for Marx’s theoretical speculations, which gained surprising traction in his day. His dialectical materialism is mostly a thing of the past. Communism has been exposed as a vicious means for dictatorship rather than equality. But the attitude persists that religion is a private matter that tends rather to debase humanity than to realize humanity’s highest aspirations.
This is a powerful catalyst for secularism. If religion is ungrounded, the most it can offer is private solace. But the heart grows restless with solace that has no objective ground. And so humanity turns to substitutes, seeking always to make a better life without God. It matters not whether God is dead—as Nietzsche proclaimed. What matters is whether the heart appropriates what reason supports. Our need for spiritual solutions to pervasive problems is some evidence that spiritual solutions do exist. But that possibility can only be taken seriously if evidence for religious truth is considered fairly and objectively. No path to a better world is worth trying if it doesn’t start there.
As I noted in a previous post for today, Søren Kiekegaard sought to awaken recognition of these facts about humanity and spiritual values. Too bad Marx didn’t listen to Kiekegaard.
About Doug Geivett
6 Responses to Karl Marx Is Dead—And So Is Dialectical Materialism (for the most part)
1. Nathan Doney says:
And thank you for taking the time to respond.
2. Nathan Doney says:
“The man who famously said, “God is dead,” was born on this date in 1818, just five years after Søren Kierkegaard, who has the same birthday. Karl Marx is perhaps the best-known atheist of the 19th century.”
Nietzsche’s birthday is October 15th, 1844. You attribute “God is dead” to someone born on Karl Marx’s birthday. I know you said you would fix it, but that seems like more than just leaving out a few words.
3. Doug Geivett says:
Hello, Nathan. Thanks for your interest in my post. If you read down into my post, you’ll see that I attribute this aphorism to Nietzsche. My opening line was meant to set Nietzsche’s remark in a context, noting his relation to his intellectual forebear, Karl Marx. The entry goes on to note that this strain of atheism began, more or less, with Feuerbach. I played with different ways to begin the post and garbled the first sentence, which leaves out a couple of key words. Before I repair the lead, I want to give you an opportunity to re-read the post so you’ll know what I mean. I’ll fix the lead to include the bit I inadvertantly left out. Thanks, again, for drawing attention to this solecism.
4. Nathan Doney says:
“God is dead” was written by Nietzsche, not Marx. How did you not know this?
5. Nathan says:
I didn’t read past the first paragraph. “God is dead” was written by Nietzche, not Marx. How could you not know this?
6. Greg Logan says:
Marx is not entirely wrong – I see much of the evangelical god as a projection of human needs or ideological tradition. Tough for any of any of us to keep this idol out of the house.
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The Air You Breathe at Work May Be Slowing You Down
The Air You Breathe at Work May Be Slowing You Down
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It’s well known that sitting at a desk all day isn’t a great idea. Now it turns out that, in most offices, breathing isn’t either. Especially if you work in a building where you can’t open a window, the air around you could be a drag on productivity, decreasing your decision-making skills by 50 percent or more.
The culprit is carbon dioxide, according to a series of studies since 2012. The most recent research, led by Joseph Allen, who teaches at Harvard’s T.H. Chan School of Public Health, analyzed the performance of knowledge workers, including engineers, programmers, creative marketing professionals and managers. For several hours each day, unbeknownst to those employees, the researchers raised and lowered the amount of carbon dioxide in the air, and then tested everyone on nine different kinds of cognitive ability, like responding to a crisis, strategic thinking and applying their knowledge to a practical task.
The higher the concentration of CO2, the lower the test scores. Even allowing for uncontrolled factors such as diet, previous night sleep quality and mood, employees’ overall sharpness fell by an average of 15 percent when CO2 levels reached “moderate” levels of about 945 parts per million (ppm). In modern office buildings, designed to maximize energy efficiency by letting in as little outside air as possible, CO2 levels around 1,000 ppm are common.
However, mainly because until recently carbon dioxide was thought to be harmless, the buildup of CO2 is often even higher. That’s not good. At 1,400 ppm, for instance, the test subjects’ performance dropped by 50 percent on average, and in some cases by much more. When they were breathing well-ventilated air, with roughly the same low CO2 content as in a “green” building, the employees were 172 percent better at applying knowledge to a problem, and 97 percent more effective at responding to a crisis.
Curious about the air where you work? Allen notes that there are lots of consumer-friendly carbon dioxide detectors on the market, adding that the research found that people performed best at CO2 levels of 500 to 600 ppm. If your office has more than that, he says, “I would recommend talking with your facilities manager and your employer” about adjusting the ventilation system.
“It’s never a bad idea to get up from your desk for a walk and some fresh air,” Allen adds, “especially if there’s some green space nearby.” If it seems to you that you do your best thinking when you’re hiking, biking or just sitting around under a tree, you’re probably right, he says, since “outdoor CO2 concentrations are approximately 400 parts per million.” |
noun, Printing.
a slab, formerly of stone but now usually of metal, on which pages of type or plates are imposed and on which type correcting in the page is done.
(printing) a flat hard surface upon which pages printed from hot metal are imposed
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• Imposition
[im-puh-zish-uh n] /ˌɪm pəˈzɪʃ ən/ noun 1. the laying on of something as a burden or obligation. 2. something , as a burden or duty; an unusual or extraordinarily burdensome requirement or task. 3. the act of by or as if by authority. 4. an instance of upon a person: He did the favor but […]
• Impossibility
[im-pos-uh-bil-i-tee, im-pos-] /ɪmˌpɒs əˈbɪl ɪ ti, ˌɪm pɒs-/ noun, plural impossibilities for 2. 1. condition or quality of being . 2. something . /ɪmˌpɒsəˈbɪlɪtɪ; ˌɪmpɒs-/ noun (pl) -ties 1. the state or quality of being impossible 2. something that is impossible n. late 14c., “quality of being impossible,” from impossible + -ity; perhaps from or […]
• Impossible
[im-pos-uh-buh l] /ɪmˈpɒs ə bəl/ adjective 1. not possible; unable to be, exist, happen, etc. 2. unable to be done, performed, effected, etc.: an impossible assignment. 3. incapable of being true, as a rumor. 4. not to be done, endured, etc., with any degree of reason or propriety: an impossible situation. 5. utterly impracticable: an […]
• Impossible figure
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What Sectors Benefit from Traffic Lights?
Thursday 27th, April 2017 / 03:20 Written by +
One of the first traffic safety rules that are usually taught to little kids are the different colours of the traffic light and their meaning. They have become part of the universal language people across different cultures share and understand. Wherever you go, red means stop, yellow means prepare, and green means go. Well, except for Japan.
It is the traffic lights’ rather simple look and way of operating what makes them so good at conveying the message. But even though they have a simple design, they are actually complex systems that consist of a control computer, poles and light lanterns for the red-yellow-green signals, detectors that send information to the computer about the traffic condition, plus an additional web of cables, power supplies and leads. All these parts have to function properly as one unit at all times, but also communicate with the surrounding traffic lights via underground sensors in order to prevent any possible traffic jams or accidents.
The traffic light is made of a strong and non-corrosive material, which is able to withstand the elements, and durable LED light bulbs that have a long lifespan. The full name of these devices is traffic control signals and they dictate the traffic flow, making the streets safe for pedestrians and cyclists, as well as preventing car accidents. These signs are of huge importance for the proper functioning of large and busy cities where everyone is always in a rush. Therefore, they are always placed at a prominent spot as to be noticed by all traffic participants.
However, traffic lights are not reserved for the city streets only – the private sector can benefit from them as well. All businesses that involve vehicles coming in and out can increase their productivity and make their operating much faster by implementing these control systems. For instance, parking lots implement them to signal drivers that there is available space to park or that the lot has reached its full capacity.
Furthermore, they are also used to help make underground mines safer. There’s nothing that can be done to prevent tremors and accidents caused by the forces of nature, but vehicle-related accidents which used to be a common problem in the past are greatly reduced thanks to the various clever uses of traffic lights.
The efficient operation of large construction sites also heavily depends on a system of traffic lights and ramps. Because a large number of vehicles are operating at the same time in different parts of the site, there’s a need to manage traffic movement so that there are no road blocks and delays. But there’s also a high foot traffic, which when combined with large and heavy construction machines, can be very dangerous. If there’s no system to signal caution, this could easily result in accidents.
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Monthly Archive for: ‘November, 2013’
While sports and energy drinks often advertise that they provide nutritional benefits and can improve your athletic performance, these drinks can have devastating consequences for oral health. Hygienists should be aware of the effects and educate their patients about the destruction of tooth surfaces and promote healthy behaviors.
Sports and energy drinks contain large amounts of caffeine and carbs combined with a low pH they have the potential to cause dental caries (cavities) as well as raise the risk of weight gain due to high caloric content. The hygienist can ask the question if these drinks are being used as part of the patients diet then educate on the side effects and made aware of alternative choices.
Best advice hygienists and dental staff can offer is to refrain from consuming these drinks. Plain water is the best re-hydrator in people who exercise. Good rule of thumb is to consume 1 to 2 cups of water for every 15 minutes of activity. |
Thursday, February 09, 2017
The Signal Beacon In Your Pocket
Yesterday's experiment listening to nearby gas and water meters got me thinking about tapping into other devices that emit radio signals. One such tiny device is the clicker on my car's key fob. This is more technically known as a Remote Keyless System, and operates on the well known frequency of 315Mhz.
Visualizing these signals is almost trivial. I kicked off SDR Touch, tuned it to 315Mhz and pressed the clicker. Here's a screencast showing the result:
As you can see, clicking the key fob causes a noticeable burst of activity.
So now what?
Capturing this data is easy enough, and analyzing it shouldn't be too difficult either. Here's someone who did just this. And once you've analyzed it, it seems like it would be simple to write some code to detect this signal and take action. I can imagine a Raspberry Pi + SDR Dongle sitting around waiting for my key fob clicks.
It also doesn't take much imagination to see nefarious uses of both capturing and re-sending these key less entry signals. But I'll leave those exploits to others.
I can imagine a more MacGyver'y type hack where your key fob is turned into a signal beacon. It plays the role transmitter, while SDR Touch is the receiver. Let's say you wanted to signal someone in the next room. If your accomplice has SDR Touch open, then a simple press of your car's remote is all it would take to send them a message. Just agree ahead of time on what the pattern of bursts mean, and you're all set. Think 007 on the very cheap.
Finally, it's worth noting that these short range, 315Mhz transceivers are actually dirt cheap. Consider this one on sale on Amazon for $5.00. I could imagine swapping out the foot pedal in my last project with one of these transceivers. Then I could have a key fob clicker that controlled emacs. How cool would that be?!
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Counterfeit Foods
Many of the foods we eat may be fake. This is especially true for high demand foods like olive oil, honey and certain fish. Investigative journalism has revealed that counterfeit foods have been infiltrating the global marketplace for years. Because of the increasing cost of food production and in some cases declining supply of raw materials, large-scale food producers are able to profit while substituting artificial ingredients for the authentic product and offering consumers a constant supply chain of cheap food.
Very few regulations are in place to trace the origins of counterfeit foods. Why are some foods more prone to counterfeit? What happens as we become more removed from the production of our food, the ecology and the real costs of our food? What is our perception of ‘authentic’ food and ‘fake’ food? Can we tell if we are eating counterfeit foods? What does this say about the future of food?
This food experiment is designed to question the food that we eat and not take for granted truth in advertising, packaging, or even government regulations. All participants were be served an identical looking preparation of: codfish cakes with extra virgin olive oil aioli, and Irish honey. However, some of the dishes will be prepared with counterfeit ingredients and some with authentic ingredients. Who can tell if they are eating counterfeit foods?
This experiment was performed at the Science Gallery in Dublin as part of the exhibition Edible: Taste of Things to Come.
Dublin, 2012 |
The issue
Issues related to textile production, consumption, and waste is gaining significant momentum in Canada and beyond. The average person throws away 37 kilograms of textiles annually, and 95 per cent of the clothes North Americans throw away into landfills each year could be reused (reworn) or recycled. The majority of used clothing and other textile materials collected and not reused or repurposed in North America are sent offshore, oftentimes with limited information provided on management at their final disposition.
RCO and Value Village have partnered on a new education and action initiative that will raise awareness on the importance of textiles reuse (rewear) and recycling. During Earth Week 2017 we will challenge Ontario secondary school students (and their community) to collect as much used textiles as possible – along the way we’ll help them learn more about the environmental impacts of clothing production and consumption, as well as their role in our transition toward a circular and more sustainable economy.
Textiles Waste: The Facts
Avoid the need to use an item or materials in the first place. Benefit: nothing to manage, dispose of, or recycle.
Give an item or materials another use, preferably in its current form and purpose. Benefit: increase the value of the materials, prolong its life to avoid producing new material, and delay its management after use.
Process to transform or convert existing product or material into a new product or material. Benefit: Avoids or delays disposal, extends lifecycle of product or material, avoids or delays needing new materials or resources, and often reduces energy and water use during production
Donation (to a non-profit organization):
Form of reuse the extends the life of a product or materials in its current form. Delays disposal and recycling, and avoids productions inputs (materials and resources).
Rethink/Smart Consumption:
Making principle purchases to buy what is needed. When purchasing it considers the entire lifecycle of a product or material when acquiring it: how it was designed and produced; what materials were used; what responsibility is the producer/retailer taking for the product; what are the options when I no longer want the product (can it be donated to a non-profit organization, reused, or recycled). |
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Mind Sculpture: "This trembling web"
The brain and beyond
Robertson: Yes, I think that's a real danger. We know as a fact that some people are harmed by psychotherapies. Certainly from memory research we know that every time we access a memory, for instance of a famous film star, the effect is long term inhibition of other film stars in a similar category. This is the superstar phenomenon. The more times you access a particular member of a category, the harder it is to access and remember the competitors and, as a result of this, things that you access a lot will spring to mind spontaneously a lot. So if you have a category concerned with childhood or past experiences, and if you are encouraged to ruminate and access particular memories repeatedly, then not only are you making it more likely that these memories will spring to mind, but you are also reducing the probability of accessing other memories which might have less negative effects on mood.
Griffin: And perhaps that's why empirical research shows that when people are depressed they give a much more negative version of their childhood than they do when they are out of depression.
Robertson: Ah yes, the mood state. There's a phenomenon that I'm sure you know about, called state-dependent learning, which means that people are more likely to access memories if the state is re-invoked with which these memories are associated. So if you had traumatic experiences in your youth and you were depressed and anxious for a time as a result of them, these memories are the ones likely to be accessed if you become depressed and anxious again in later life. And the more you access them, the more likely you are to access them, so it's a vicious circle of positive feedback. I've little doubt that people are at risk from any therapy that focuses on ruminating on the past.
Griffin: And that kind of therapy is still widespread. There was a research study done, involving most of the GP practices in Oxfordshire, which compared those which had a large amount of counselling input, those which had a moderate amount and those which had a very small amount. The finding was that the higher the counselling input, the higher the prescription rates of antidepressant medication.
Robertson: Very interesting. There was a famous randomised study done in the United States during the 1930s with children in deprived neighbourhoods who were at high risk of delinquency and other things. They set up a counsellor support system for children in the treatment group, involving home visits, getting the children to go out to programmes and trying to enrich their impoverished environment. The control group had none of this. The children were followed up for years, and 25 to 30 years later there was an incredible difference between the two groups in terms of imprisonment, alcoholism, delinquency. But it was in favour of the control group!
Griffin: My goodness!
Robertson: The control group did far better. And the interpretation of the study was to question the psychological effects of being seen as someone whose family cannot cope and who is in need of this paternalistic input. What are the consequences of being labelled in such a way? So I think one should not lightly refer someone to a professional for counselling or therapy! Obviously, there are certain cultural contexts. In New York in the 1980s, if you didn't have your therapist, who were you? But a lot of children are being referred for counselling and psychological assessment these days and you have to wonder what the consequences of that are.
Griffin: And not just for the people going in for counselling. One of the things that we have reservations about is the fact that most counsellors trained in Britain are required themselves to have long term personal counselling.
Robertson: Yes.
Griffin: I recently heard a professor of psychology boast that his trainee counsellors had to have 450 hours of personal counselling. Now if that personal counselling takes the form of rehearsing what went wrong in their lives, the counselling is resculpting their brains and their own mindsets. And both I and other colleagues have had a number of trainee counsellors come to us who weren't emotionally unbalanced prior to the onset of this form of long term counselling but, in the process of their counselling training, became emotionally disturbed.
Robertson: I can believe that. I have to say that I and others have noticed a change in the personality of friends or acquaintances who have gone into long term psychoanalytical therapy for training purposes. It may be that spending so much time introspecting about yourself may take away some of the idiosyncrasies from the personality that one presents to the outside world. Too much introspection, I think, can have negative effects.
Griffin: Indeed, if you look at almost all cases of emotional disturbance that one comes across clinically, whether it's clinical depression or people who are highly anxious, what they have in common is a very high level of emotionally arousing introspection.
Robertson: Exactly.
Griffin: And they seem to get better when they switch to an external focus and start connecting with reality and generating positive life experiences.
Robertson: Yes. One of the studies of depression treatment that I've been most impressed with recently is the one by John Teasedale and his colleagues in Cambridge, which was published in the Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology last year. They used mindfulness meditation training for people with a history of depression who were in remission and achieved a statistically significant reduced level of relapse. The people were trained to develop a certain detachment from the thoughts and emotions associated with downward spiral into depression by learning to control their attention and not allow themselves to be dragged down into their highly habitual, almost hard-wired processing system. That's an example, I think, of the therapeutic use of attention.
Griffin: And of course it's an approach that's been used for thousands of years in the traditional psychologies of the East, where they talk about stepping back into more objective awareness.
Robertson: And to me, in the context of what we were talking about earlier, that is almost the antithesis of the ruminative replaying of traumatic events.
Griffin: Yes it is.
Robertson: It's teaching people to maintain a broad focus of attention in the presence of these thoughts and thereby helping break some of the synaptic connections between these memories and the usual cognitive processes that follow on from them.
Griffin: The nice thing about the study you mentioned is that it shows there is not just one route for achieving that therapeutic effect. Cognitive therapy achieves it by teaching people to dispute the emotionally arousing negative thinking that's going on and here we're getting the same benefit using a different method. When you get similar effects from two different theoretical approaches it often suggests that there's a more fundamental underlying pattern there. Most of the major inputs into cognitive therapy, for example, were formulated 40 or 50 years ago and it seems to me that it doesn't accurately reflect the neurophysiology of the brain as we understand it today.
Robertson: Absolutely true.
Griffin: For example, there is much more awareness now that a lot of data processing is done at a subconscious level, through the sensory and limbic systems, before it ever reaches consciousness, which receives only a very small, selected output from that. If data is first of all processed at a subconscious level, surely that would indicate that emotions can arise prior to the thought, which is rather the opposite of what cognitive therapy implies.
Robertson: Yes, cognitive therapy's theoretical model is that faulty cognitions cause emotional distortion, yet if you treat depression pharmacalogically, people come out of it. So it seems that the causality might be the other way — that thoughts change in line with the mood changing. But that again is the problem of Cartesian duality. It is the bi-directionality of the physiology and the cognitive systems that we have to be thinking about.
Griffin: And again, developing your point that it might be the other way around, the more emotionally aroused we get, the more the limbic system is in control, and then the more polarised and simplified our thought processes become, so we go into more black and white thinking. All forms of distortion which the cognitive therapists have identified can be classified as forms of polarised or black and white thinking. And that's the sort of distortion we would expect from emotional arousal because it's relating to a part of the brain that thinks in 'either/or' terms: am I going to run away or am I going to fight? It is the neocortex which is able to paint in the thousands of shades of grey between the extreme poles. So if people are emotionally aroused we might expect them to have distorted thought processes.
Robertson: Yes, exactly. One consequence of high arousal is a considerable narrowing of the focus of attention to the stimulae which are causing the anxiety. These may be internal or external. Our working memory systems have very limited capacity, and homing attention in on the threat stimulae uses up that capacity. Which means that there isn't the cognitive room to engage in more sophisticated non-black and white thinking. So I completely agree with what you've said.
Griffin: A crude example of that might be where a student goes in to write their finals and they are so tense that their mind just blanks.
Robertson: That's right, particularly if the type of learning that they have engaged in a night or two before has been last minute rote learning as opposed to more reflective learning, in which information has been encoded into their existing knowledge structures more gradually over the previous two weeks. If the information has been encoded in a deep form by relating it to existing knowledge structures, then that knowledge is going to be much more easily accessed in spite of the anxiety-filled working memory system.
So there might be an interaction between the type of learning and the type of anxiety and it may be that the anxiety partly comes because the type of learning that is done on a shallow level at the last minute is much more unstable and harder to access. And that might cause more anxiety and a vicious cycle again.
Griffin: So some good advice implied there for any readers studying for exams in the near future!
Robertson: Yes, that's right! It is true also, I guess, of handling stressful situations. If people are well practised and well rehearsed in coping strategies suited to a range of situations, then the more these have been applied in different situations, the better able people will be to deploy them in a given stressful situation.
Griffin: I understand that. I think this idea of sculpting our brains by the way we focus attention is an exceptionally fruitful way of understanding mind/body connections. You mention attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) in your book and the massive increase now in children, particularly, apparently, in boys. Do you have any thoughts on what might be going on there? Or what we might do about it and why it's arising?
Robertson: Yes. I do some work in attention deficit disorder and I take quite a biological approach to it, in the sense that there is no doubt a small percentage of children, as you say mainly boys, whose brains seem a bit different. But there is a much larger percentage who show similar patterns of behaviour — problems of attention, problems of impulse control, etc — but whose brains probably aren't all that much different. There's no doubt that one of the things we learn from our parents and schools is how to attend and how to deploy our own attention — you know, what to look at and how to keep looking. We're told, "Be patient", or "just wait and you'll see it". In this way we're learning to avoid our brain’s predominant tendency to seek novelty. If children are brought up in an atmosphere where parents don't have time to interact with them playing a game, or reading, or even when watching television, then a very important input is missing in the sculpting of the attention systems of the brain.
Griffin: Do you think there's a critical period for that?
Robertson: We know that the frontal lobes of the brain aren't fully in place until the late teens; the synaptic pruning isn't complete. But there's a hugely greater degree of plasticity up until age seven. All the wiring is in place by age seven, but there's still a lot of things happening at a decreasingly accelerating curve until the late teens. So to that extent I think, yes, that the earlier effects will be the more potent.
Griffin: And do you feel that there's more that psychological input from parents and others could contribute to reduce the incidence of ADHD, rather than go the route of treating it massively with Ritalin, as in the United States?
Robertson: Yes, I've no doubt that appropriate, consistent interactions by interested, loving adults who give priority to their interactions with their children and who provide appropriate structure would cause a considerable reduction in the number of diagnosed ADHD children.
Griffin: Your concept of how we can continually develop and nourish the human brain through the types of input we give it also has particular ramifications for elderly people and people who are isolated. If brains, to function optimally, need certain forms of stimulation, it is important to help such people in a way that encourages their brains to stay healthy. Are there any suggestions that you might give to those of our readers who are working with the elderly and people who are isolated?
Robertson: There is a very interesting set of studies done by Gordon Winocur and his colleagues in Toronto. They found that in Canada people often move into semi-sheltered care not because they actually need it at that time but because they anticipate having difficulties with, say, the bad weather in winter and things like that. The researchers found that on average, in these people, you can plot a decline in cognitive function as measured by standardised neuropsychological tests, compared to that in people who stay in their own homes, coping albeit with some difficulty.
They found that the critical psychological variable in those who opted for the semi-sheltered accommodation was a sense of control. Those who had a tendency to perceive themselves as victims of external forces as opposed to having a more internally driven role in their own lives were the ones who were much more likely to show this cognitive decline. So, in terms of people who are looking after elderly people, the British government's policy of trying to keep people as much as possible in their homes and providing supports for them is absolutely the right one from this perspective.
I think, if there is one single critical variable, it is ensuring or fostering a sense of control on the part of the elderly person, even in a tiny way. There was one study by Ellen Langer at Yale claiming that just giving people in an elderly residential home the duty of keeping a certain plant watered had significant effects on the residents' survival and quality of life. And I'd lay money on it that, when you give control like that, what you are doing is forcing activation of the systems in the brain that make plans and monitor and form intentions — namely, the frontal lobes.
Griffin: And presumably there are also implications from the findings in your book for what people should do as they get elderly. Perhaps, for instance, the idea that we've had for so long of retiring early is not such a brilliant one?
Robertson: Ooh, retirement is a terrible thing, unless you are retiring for something. If you are retiring, saying "It's all getting too much for me and I just want to put my feet up", then I think you'd have to be careful or at least you'd have to make plans to be doing something else. I guess in Britain something like 40 per cent of all people over 55 are no longer working — it may not be quite that but it is some enormous number, one of the biggest in Europe — so there are a lot of people who in a sense are stopping work extremely early in their lives. If I had to retire early, I wouldn't call it retirement even to myself. I'd call it my new career. Now that career might not involve money, it might not involve traditional career ideas. It might be that my new career will be walking or exploring or writing or gardening. I think you have to represent it to yourself as something positive.
Griffin: And whatever it is presumably needs to involve mental stimulation. The brain has to be continually resculpting to stay flexible, needing new learnings, new education, new life experiences ...
Robertson: Well, we already know by studying older people's brains as they try and remember that, if they are given faces to remember, they will show less activity in the left frontal lobe than younger people. Now that may be because there's some structural change in the connectivity of that part of the brain, meaning there can be less activity. But it may also mean, and there's some evidence for this, that they are less used to engaging in the act of learning that as younger people we are forced to do, by necessity, all the time. So we do our training when we're young, in school, at university or during an apprenticeship, but then there's a tendency for us to say, "Ah! That's me trained now. I'll get into a job and I will practise this skill." Increasingly we run off well rehearsed routines and we're not learning in the way we had to learn as students.
In my job now, I don't do many statistical analyses on the computers, I don't run many experiments. I'm in a mainly supervisory role, so there are a whole set of cognitive skills that I'm no longer using. There is some evidence that not all but a proportion of age-related cognitive deficits is attributable to the fact that we are not engaging in the learning that we had to do when we were younger. You can't write off all age-related deficits like that, but a proportion is due to being out of the habit of learning new things. And, you know, I think that's one reason you can see judges who are mentally acute at age 68 or 70. Partly it is that they tend to be very intelligent people in the first place, but it may also partly be that they are forced to use their reasoning and memory capacities constantly to their full limits, because every case they hear is different.
Griffin: Then we'll leave that there! Before we draw our conversation to a close I want to come back to counselling. We feel that there is a need to reground psychotherapy and counselling in an awareness of the various levels within which we operate as human beings. For example, we are biological creatures as well as sociological creatures, and sources of information germane to the practice of counselling can come variously from biology, physiology, sociology, anthropology, social psychology and so on. We have to be willing to look at psychotherapy in a more holistic way and also in a more objective way. So we must look at evidence, and move past old ideologies to look for what's actually working.
Robertson: I wish you well because I think that's a brilliant enterprise. I am dismayed at how counselling and psychotherapy practice in many areas has become wilfully divorced from evidence and science, to the extent of becoming self perpetuating cults in some cases. I'm just delighted to hear that there's a movement like this and I don't think there's any alternative to what you're proposing.
Griffin: You yourself, of course, are an example of what we're talking about because you are both a clinical psychologist and a neuropsychologist, actively investigating in both these very strongly connected but often differently perceived domains of activity.
Robertson: Absolutely. I would love to see the curricula and the British Psychological Society regulations about the operating of counselling psychology degrees revised completely in accord with the principles you've just outlined because I've agreed with almost everything you've said today, and particularly the fact that no one has a right to pick and choose a theory as a matter of personal preference and then offer it as a service to someone when there is a possibility that that service might do harm, as you've pointed out. We have to progress towards evidence based practice and get away from cults and ideologies, I really couldn't agree more.
"Human Givens Journal" Volume 7 - No. 3: 2000
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If the USA and China become Economic and Technological peers then military parity will evolve over the next decade or two
The USA had a decades long cold war against the Soviet Union. The USA was always more than 1.6 times as large economically compared to the Soviet Union.
In 1961, a new redenominated Soviet ruble was issued. It maintained exchange parity with the Pound Sterling until the dissolution of the USSR in 1991. After a new leadership, headed by Leonid Brezhnev, had come to power, attempts were made to revitalize the economy through economic reform. Starting in 1965, enterprises and organizations were made to rely on economic methods of profitable production, rather than follow orders from the state administration. By 1970, the Soviet economy had reached its zenith and was estimated at about 60 percent of the size of the USA in terms of the estimated commodities (like steel and coal). In 1989, the official GDP of the Soviet Union was $2,500 Billion while the GDP of the United States was $4,862 Billion
The USA was the stronger country but the Soviets were competitive with US military technology.
The collapse of the Soviet Union and the US introduction of precision weapons enabled the US to have a vast military dominance from 1990 to today.
Any leads will be temporary and copied by the other.
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Chemistry AS - Chapter 06 - Alkanes
Revision cards for Chapter 6 - Alkanes
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Alkanes are saturated hydrocarbons. They contain carbon-carbon and carbon-hydrogen single bonds. They are among the least reactive organic compounds.
They are used as fuels and lubricants and as starting materials for other compounds. They are very important for industry. The main source of alkanes is crude oil.
General formula: CnH2n+2 . Hydrocarbons may be unbranched chains, branched chains or rings.
Unbranched chains: Eg. Pentane C5H12
Unbranced chains are often called "straight chains" but the C-C-C angle is 109.5. They aren't actually straight. In an unbranched alkane, each carbon atom has two hydrogen atoms except the end carbons which have three.
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Branched chains: eg. methylbutane, an isomer of pentane (C5H12)
Ring alkanes: general formula is CnH2n because the end hydrogens are not required.
Alkanes are named from the root which tells us how many carbon atoms there are and the suffix, -ane, denoting an alkane.
When naming a branched chain, find the longest unbranched chain. This gives the root name. Then name the branches/side chains (methyl-, ethyl-, propyl- etc.) Then add numbers to say which carbon atoms the side chains are attached to.
Methane, ethane and propane have no isomers but after that, the number of possible isomers increase with the number of carbons in the alkane. Eg. butane has 2 isomers, pentane has 3.
Number of isomers rises rapidly with chain length. Decane has 75 and C30H62 has over 4 billion.
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Alkanes are almost non-polar because the electronegativities of carbon and hydrogen are very similar. As a result, the only intermolecular forces between their molecules are weak van der Waals forces. Larger the molecule, stronger the van der Waals forces.
This increasing intermolecular force is why boiling points of alkanes increases as chain length increases. Shorter chains are gases at room temperature. Pentane is a liquid with a boiling point of 309K. At 18 carbons, alkanes are solid at room temperature.
Alkanes with branched chains have lower melting points than straight chain alkanes with the same number of carbon atoms. This is because they cannot pack together as closely as unbranched chains and so the van der Waals forces are not so effective.
Alkanes are insoluble in water as water molecules are held by hydrogen bonds which are stronger than van der Waal's forces.
Alkanes are unreactive but do burn in oxygen.
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Fractional Distillation of Crude Oil
Crude oil is at present the world's main source of organic chemicals. It's a fossil fuel, formed million of years ago from the breakdown of plant and animal remains at high pressures and temperatures deep below the Earth's surface. It is not renewable as it originated millions of years ago.
Crude oil is a mixture of mostly alkanes, both unbranched and branched. Crude oil contains small amounds of other compounds dissolved in it. These come from the original plants and animals the oil was formed from. Example: sulfur.
When sulfur is burned, sulfur dioxide is produced which is one of the causes of acid rain. Sulfur dioxide reacts with oxygen high in the atmosphere to form sulfur trioxide which reacts with water in the atmosphere to form sulfuric acid.
To convert crude oil into useful products, we need to separate the mixture. We do this by heating it and collecting the fractions that boil over different ranges of temperatures.
Each fraction is a mixture of hydrocarbons of similar chain length and therefore similar properties.
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Fractional Distillation of Crude Oil
The process is called fractional distillation and is done in a fractionating tower.
• Crude oil is heated in a furnace
• Mixture of liquid and vapour passes into a tower that is cooler at the top than at the bottom.
• Vapours pass up the tower via a series of trays containing bubble caps until they arrive at a tray that is sufficiently cool (lower temp. than their boiling point). They condense into a liquid.
• Mixture of liquids is piped off.
• Shorter chain hydrocarbons condense in trays nearer to the top of the tower where it is cooler as they have lower boiling points.
• The thick residue that collects at the base of the tower is called tar or bitumen. It can be used for road surfacing but as the supply often exceeds demand, this fraction is often further processed to give more valuable products.
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Fractional Distillation of Crude Oil
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Industrial Cracking
The naptha fraction is in huge demand for petrol and other chemicals. Longer chain fractions are not as useful and therefore of lower value economically.
Most crude oil has more of the longer chain fractions than is wanted and not enough of the naptha fraction.
Therefore, to meet the demand for the shorter chain hydrocarbons, many of the longer chain fractions are broken into shorter lengths (cracked). Produces two results:
• Shorter, more useful chains are produced, especially petrol.
• Some of the products are alkenes, more reactive than alkanes.
Alkenes are used as chemical feedstock (supply industries with the starting materials to make different materials). They are converted into a huge range of compounds including polymers, paints and drugs. Most important alkene is ethene which is the starting material for polyethene.
Alkanes are very unreactive and harsh conditions are required to break them down. There are a number of ways to carry out cracking.
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Industrial Cracking
Thermal Cracking: Heating alkanes to a high temperature (700K-1200K) under high pressure (700kPa).
Carbon-Carbon bonds break so that one electron from the pair in the covalent bond goes to each carbon atom.
Initially, two shorter chains are produced each ending in a carbon atom with an unpaired electron. These fragments are called free radicals.
Free radicals are highly reactive intermediates and react in a number of ways to form a variety of shorter chain molecules.
As there are not enough hydrogen atoms to produce two alkanes, one of the new chains must have a carbon-carbon double bond, therefore an alkene is made.
Any number of C-C bonds may break and the chain does not necessarily break in the middle. Hydrogen may also be produced. Thermal decomposition usually produces a high proportion of alkenes. To avoid too much decomposition, alkanes are kept in same conditions for just one second.
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Industrial Cracking
Catalytic Cracking: Takes place at a lower temperature (720K) and lower pressure (more atmospheric) using a zeolite catalyst which consists of silicon dioxide and aluminium oxide.
Zeolites have a honeycomb structure with enormous surface area. They are acidic. This form of cracking is used to produce motor fuels.
Products are mostly branched alkanes, cycloalkanes and aromatic compounds.
The products obtained from cracking are separated by fractional distillation.
To test for a carbon-carbon double bond, the product must decolourise bromine solution.
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Combustion of Alkanes
Alkanes are quite unreactive, however, they do burn and will react with halogens under suitable conditions.
Shorter chain alkanes burn completely in a plentiful supply of oxygen to give carbon dioxide and water.
These combustions give out heat. They have a large negative enthalpy of combustion and the more carbons present, the greater the heat output. For this reason, they are important as fuels.
Examples of alkane fuels include:
• methane (North Sea gas)
• propane (camping gas)
• butane (Calor gas)
• petrol (mixture of hydrocarbons of chain length C8)
• paraffin (mixture of hydrocarbons of chain lengths C10 to C18)
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Combustion of Alkanes
In a limited supply of oxygen, the poisonous gas carbon monoxide, CO, is formed. This is called incomplete combustion. With even less oxygen, soot is formed (carbon). This usually occurs with longer chain hydrocarbons as they require more oxygen to burn compared with shorter chains.
All hydrocarbon based fuels which are derived from crude oil may produce polluting products when they burn. Include:
• Carbon Monoxide - CO
• Nitrogen Oxides - NO, NO2, N2O4, produced when there is enough energy for N2 and O2 to combine in the air. This happens in petrol engines at the high temperatures present, when the sparks ignite the fuel. Oxides may react with water vapour and oxygen to form nitric acid. Contributes to acid rain and photochemical smog.
• Sulfur Dioxide - SO2 - another contributor to acid rain. Produced from the sulfur-containing impurities in crude oil. The oxide combines with water vapour and oxygen to form sulphuric acid.
• Carbon particles - AKA particulates, can cause cancer and exacerbate asthma.
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Combustion of Alkanes
• Carbon dioxide - CO2 - greenhouse gas. Always produced when hydrocarbons burn. CO2 is necessary in the atmosphere by its level is rising.
• Water vapour - also a greenhouse gas.
Power stations burn coal or natural gas to produce electricity. Some chimneys use calcium oxide or limestone to absorb sulfur dioxide. This produces gypsum which is used as a plaster. This is called flue gas desulfurisation.
The internal combustion engine produces most of the pollutants. All new cars with petrol engines are equipped with catalytic converters. These reduce the output of carbon monoxide, nitrogen oxides and unburnt hydrocarbons in the exhaust gas mixture.
The catalytic converter is a honeycomb (large surface area) made of ceramic material coated with platinum and rhodium metals. These are catalysts.
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Combustion of Alkanes
As polluting gases pass over the catalyst, they react with each other to form less harmful products.
2CO + 2NO --> N2 + CO2
hydrocarbons + nitrogen oxide ---> nitrogen + carbon dioxide + water
Reactions take place on the surface of the catalyst, on the layer of platinum and rhodium metals.
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Combustion of Alkanes
Greenhouses become very warm as visible rays from the sun pass through the glass and instead of escaping, they are being absorbed and re-radiated as infra-red energy (heat). It has a longer wavelength and cannot pass back out through the glass.
Carbon dioxide acts like glass. It traps infra-red radiation so the Earth's atmosphere heats up. This is important for life as without CO2 and other greenhouse gases, Earth would be too cold to sustain life.
Since the industrial revolution, level of these gases in the atmosphere has increased. Gradually, the Earth's temperature has been rising too. Scientists believe the rise in CO2 in the atmosphere is the cause of this.
The concentration of water vapour, the most abundant greenhouse gas tends to stay roughly the same because of equilibrium that exists between water vapour and the liquid. However, if the temperature of the atmosphere rises, there will be more vapour in the air, resulting in more greenhouse warming. Could cause more clouds to form.
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What I Learned From Sherlock
Photo taken by Atanas Chankov
Photo taken by Atanas Chankov
Many eagerly awaited the return of “Sherlock” last week. And as usual, it didn’t disappoint. I watch very little television, but this is one show that captured my interest from the very first episode. Sherlock’s brilliance and ability to solve mysteries always amazes me. But it was a scene in which his sidekick, Watson, rebukes him for not knowing that the Earth rotates around the Sun, that is easily my favorite.
Watson: But it’s the solar system!
Sherlock: Oh H$%! What does that matter?! So we go around the sun. If we went around the Moon…or round and round the garden like a teddy bear it wouldn’t make any difference! All that matters to me is the work! Without that my brain rots.
While I realize that this is simply a scene from a fictional character, I think we can learn much from Sherlock’s tirade. Yes, what Watson says is true. And the fact that someone as brilliant as Sherlock was unaware of this basic astronomy is surprising.
But let’s step back for a moment. What if we, like Sherlock, didn’t know that the Earth rotated around the Sun. Would it matter? Really?
I am not lobbying for the elimination of a rudimentary knowledge of the world in which we live. On the other hand, I do believe that we are taxing our children’s brains by requiring them to memorize a lot of stuff. Stuff that shows up on multiple choice tests and quizzes and then is never needed again. But it takes up space and as Sherlock mentioned above, causes brains to rot.
How much time do we allow for students to create, explore, fail, experiment and daydream? Because this is where the magic happens. But if their brains are exhausted from memorizing, storing and regurgitating, how much do they have left? Very little I imagine.
So what can we do about this? I believe there are three things we can start tomorrow.
Eliminate Memorizing
It’s not that we shouldn’t expect our students to store stuff in their brain. We just need to go about it differently. Information should enter and latch onto the brain through assimilation. comparison and application. The days of cramming dates and formulas and lists and rules into our students’ brains need to be gone. Instead, let them enter the brain on their own. When they are ready. When they are needed. If they are needed.
Allow For Periods of Nothing
While I have no research to back this up, I believe that our students are exposed to more external stimulation than ever before. The ability to multitask is seen as a strength by many. We make checklists and have calendars so that a moment does not go unused. The problem is that this leaves no time for the brain to rest. And be clear. Once again, I realize that Sherlock is a fictional character. But if you have ever watched him in action, you know that he does his best thinking when everyone is still and quiet. Let’s try to carve out some of this for our students. For ourselves.
Assign Thought-Worthy Tasks
Once we have succeeded in creating the time and the space for our students to create and problem solve, then we must give them tools and tasks that allow them to use the newfound brain space. Simply having them fill in a worksheet or color in some bubbles is not acceptable. Doing this would be like handing a child a pack of 64 crayons and a Post It note. The odds are they would only use one or two of the crayons. We want to provide them the opportunity to use the whole pack. And maybe even the sharpener on the back! They need a sheet of poster paper and room to spread out.
Let’s make it our mission to see that our students’ brains are used for what they were designed to do. Create and design and experiment and…
Antoine de Saint-Exupery, The Little Prince
The quotes from Sherlock were found at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HuIMmwJbnco
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Archive | January 2016
Today’s ancestry and history lesson sponsored by the Gaunt family!
blanche of lancaster and katherine swynford
joan beaufort
blanche of lancaster
Children of Katherine and John of Gaunt:
Geoffrey_Chaucer_(17th_century portrait
Chaucer_Duchess blanche of lancaster
Chaucer_Duchess blanche of lancaster
mistress of the monarchy by alison weir
history of royal marriages and the monarchy by alison wier
A woman’s worth is in her… hands and her mind
As we read and view history now, there is much emphasis, attention and focus on the battles, the conquests and wars. We watch the historical docudramas and fantasies play out in books, movies and the small screen, and we make much of those warriors and their great or not so great feats. We give great attention, admiration and acclaim to those women throughout history who were involved in the battles- real or imagined. We are generally presented with an image of women of great beauty, tremendous courage or spirit, or we get a portrayal that puts the woman as down trodden, abused and of worthless status. Women are seldom depicted, portrayed or given attention/acclaim for the other status or contributions which the majority of them back them actually held or made.
Anglo Saxon women stitch their way into history
Aelle and judith
We typically assume that a woman’s worth or value was set in stone. We have this impression that it was tied to the status she was born into, to her physical attributes, and to her ability to breed. In some ways, yes it was tied to those things, but there were other ways that she could be deemed of great value or asset to her family, her household, her village or her kingdom. These abilities would not necessarily bring her great fame or recognition in future generations but they would ensure that she survived and more important for us in those future generations, her family survived to create a next generation that probably benefited from her untold, unknown contributions.
I am not going to downplay the fact that a woman’s life was difficult in the past, no matter what rank or status she was. Then again, a man’s life was no less difficult during those times. Nobody had a truly easy time of it back then. What I want to talk about today though, is the thought or idea that there were ways for a woman to achieve some status, some value and some degree of upward mobility in those early medieval or dark ages. Ways that were not dependent upon her family status or wealth, her appearance, her fighting ability/ spirit or her breeding capacity… because realistically, looks faded quickly in those times and they would have faded in some direct proportion to her success at breeding! In order to make it through those times and create a next generation, every survivor whether man, woman or child had to have some fighting spirit to a certain extent so that asset that we deem so noble and great now would have been viewed in a context of the woman’s value being based not on her fighting spirit or ability but just on the fact that she was not weak of body or mind. Her breeding ability would not be apparent at first appraisal or trade negotiation but would be more based on her family history of breeding and on her health.
rollo and gisla
Of course for the wealthy noble families, a woman’s worth was directly based on her family’s wealth, bloodlines and connections to power bases. Her appearance had little to do with her value and neither did her fighting spirit other than she should have enough spirit in her to fight to survive and to keep her household intact and alive in event of a siege when her spouse was off fighting elsewhere. Every woman should have that attribute.
What I am looking at are those other attributes, abilities, talents or that a woman could use to her advantage whether she be high ranking nobility, a mid level family member of some noble household, low born serf, or even a slave child. No, I am not going to touch on that one “profession” or “skill” that women have used to their advantage probably since the beginning of time! I will leave that for some other discussion. There were any number of other ways and skills that a female could use to her benefit and advantage throughout time. Most of those abilities were learned skills that also involved some innate or gifted by God talent. These skills, as I’ve already mentioned, would not give them great fame or recognition other than in their personal sphere of influence. They were however, most often extremely necessary skills that would ensure the survival of the entire community in which they lived. These women possessed skills in areas that we give little thought or credit to now. They were the midwives, the healers, the cooks, the dairy maids, the spinners and weavers of cloth, and the needle workers. Every woman was expected to have some fundamental knowledge and ability of these skills, even those most noble and Royal women. These were skills essential to keeping a household or community alive and then of thriving and prospering. A woman who was talented or gifted in any of these skills was deemed of some high status or value to her community and as such was rewarded well for her skills so that she would remain within that community. These women were often well known through out their local areas and regions. Their skills were prized and their families, their Lords or owners and those above them would usually make effort to ensure that the women were well compensated or cared for, well treated, healthy and loyal to their benefactors. Much as a man might be prized or valued for his fighting abilities, his horsemanship, his metal working, woodworking or seamanship, these women were looked at as valued commodities. Their value was tied to their skill or their ability in a certain area that had nothing to do with Noble lineage, appearance or breeding capacity. Yet, while the men with certain skills could go on to make names and recognition for themselves, be rewarded with monetary wealth, land grants or positions that would eventually bring them to Noble status, the women were largely forgotten and became just a backdrop for the fabric and tapestry of history that they helped to create. They might become wives of those men, they might gain entry to some Noble status by being a part of a much coveted inner circle of women but for the most part their names, their lives and their contributions are long forgotten and generally passed off as unimportant in the great events of history. We will never know who they were, but we can see remnants and reminders of those unknown women, those untold stories even today as we view some of what they created and left as their communal identity.
siggy tries to help Lagertha
The women that I want to give credit to and shed some light on are those women who so often receive little or no attention acclaim for their contributions. These are those women who, so early in history, picked up a needle and thread, and began to not just clothe the rest of us but to leave a piece of themselves and their story in everything they sewed. These are the women we give no thought to, that are relegated to the backdrop of history. These women and their creations in that hidden, protected and shrouded space of a women’s bower solar, or even the confines of a nunnery are considered or deemed of little interest or importance in a story. Their creations, their accomplishments and their life’s work are portrayed as insignificant, mundane, and of no real consequence or value… after all it was just women’s work? It was often just women’s work, skill and efforts that kept an injured bleeding man alive after an accident or a battle. Caring for the wounded was part of a woman’s work and quite often, a woman who had great skill with a needle would be called upon to stitch up wounds as well.
medieval women sewing 3
I want to look a bit at those unknown women, the history of their skill or art and give you a perspective on how such a talent might have allowed even the lowest born or captured slave girl an opportunity to rise above her circumstances. I am not going to delve into the entire history of sewing or stitching here. I want to put into some perspective or relation to the early medieval history of the Viking era and forward from that. The reason I put it in relation to the Viking era is that the type of stitching that the Anglo-Saxon women became so recognized and renowned for is their embroidery skills that may have had origins in early Danish needle work. I put it in relation to slave girls because many of the girls who were taken and sold into slavery by early Viking raiders were children of farmsteads and villages of many various places. They were not necessarily the poorest, untrained or unskilled lowest forms of humanity that we would imagine or picture them as. Girl children were generally taught the basics of stitchery from their earliest years and would have carried that knowledge or skill with them where ever they went in the future. Many children were sold as household slaves to families that could afford that luxury and not all of them were sorely abused but actually valued as some sort of asset by the household. Slaves were a costly investment, a valuable asset, and it would make little sense to abuse them and completely destroy their value. Even in the early Saxon times of England, slavery was a somewhat common circumstance.
Take for example, young Uhtred and his friend Brida… they were initially slave children but became part of the family…
Uhtred with his medallion
Brida, however, was not a girl who showed much interest or talent in stitchery!
brida's humor
Rather than seeing the often worst case scenario of a slave child (I am in no way advocating or promoting slavery in any way!) Try to see the possibility or scenario in which a child sold or captured into a slave situation is not quite so misused or abused but becomes in some way, a part of that household- granted a lowest member but still, a valuable working asset to it… Imagine a girl child who has some rudimentary knowledge or skill and displays some interest and talent in that said skill. The art of stitchery was not one which everyone had skill, talent or patience for. It also took a great deal of time and many hands involved to create any finished product. A child who displayed any skill or talent for it would immediately rise in value to the person or family they were attached to. Any small girl slave who showed such talent would probably be looked on favorably, treated well and further trained in this art. In this way, depending on her skill and talent, she might eventually be rewarded for her services and her loyalty to the household. This young girl who started as slave in the household or community might feasibly be rewarded with her freedom and become a valued member of the larger community. She had a God given gift or talent that she used to her benefit and advantage, improving her circumstances. Perhaps she then married a skilled member of the community whose ability or skill was also valued. Her needle skills would have moved her to a status that allowed or enabled her to be worthy of such a man within that society and as such a valued couple, their children would be of better circumstance or status. They train their children in their skills and the children also inherit their talents, which makes them even more valuable in this system of society… and within a few generations, any slave status is for the most part forgotten other than in some dark family history or in some reference to lowly beginnings leading to good fortunes. Future generations might use these beginnings in order to make themselves look better to those might have some cause to rebel against them or resent their present status. It might be used also as a reminder to family members not to forget their own more humble beginnings when relating to the serfs, peasants or slaves now under them.
judith trying to remain calm
I mentioned earlier the connection between the Anglo-Saxon needle work and art and that of Scandinavia. The history of needle work goes back to the earliest beginnings of time and every culture or society had knowledge and skill of it. From those earliest beginnings of just sewing a seam together to create a functional piece of clothing became an art form that even those earliest of people used to decorate and embellish their clothing. The basics of those hand sewn stitches have remained unchanged to this day. The art of embroidery has been found worldwide and several early examples have been found. Works in China have been dated to the Warring States period (5th-3rd century BC). In a garment from Migration period Sweden, roughly 300–700 AD, the edges of bands of trimming are reinforced with running stitch, back stitch, stem stitch, tailor’s buttonhole stitch, and whipstitching, but it is uncertain whether this work simply reinforced the seams or should be interpreted as decorative embroidery. It is during the mid 9th century with the intermixing of Scandinavian or Viking culture and the Anglo-Saxon culture that we see the beginnings of the needle work art that the Anglo-Saxons would become so recognized for. The Anglo-Saxons may have had already begun this process and progress in the artwork but it after the arrival of the Scandinavians that we see tangible evidence of their work. It was probably during these times too that the variations in stitching from Scandinavia, Francia and other places all began to merge together in the sewing rooms of once more isolated English kingdoms. It was during this time period that the women of Anglo-Saxon England- the ones who did the majority of any sewing back in this time- began to be more exposed to so many other variations of patterns, materials, textiles and threads of other far off places and cultures. The Vikings brought with them all of those other varied exposures to the world and when they began to settle in Anglo-Saxon, so did all of those cultural experiences.
I am going to focus on the needle art of embroidery here, which is what the Anglo-Saxons became most renowned for.Normally we tend to think of embroidery as smaller stitched designs on clothing, pillows, towels. We don’t envision this work on a large wall hanging scale. When we think of large scale designs and stitching we think of tapestries. There is a difference between the tapestry art and the hand sewn needle work known as embroidery. The term tapestry generally refers to weaving on a loom and is most often thought of in terms of heavier wall hangings or rugs. The tapestry did not reach a level of high point, widespread availability or use in Europe until about the 13th century. Prior to this, the wall hangings would have been the hand stitched embroidered creations that women would work together on as a group, often requiring years to complete.
During these dark daunting early centuries that were filled with fear, bloodshed, battle, death and destruction all around them, women would take solace or possibly find some sort of peace in one activity that allowed them to escape for a time into a realm of another place… one where they could create their own world. In a world so controlled and dominated by men, this activity became one of the few things that they could have complete control over. The women took a necessary, mundane chore of sewing and turned it into a creative art form that we remain in awe of to this day. When we look at examples left of their work today, we seldom think of the process that went into their creations back then. We seldom give thought to the conditions they worked in to create these pieces of art that often they considered as just an adornment or embellishment to add some color or variety to their otherwise plain and similar garments.
judith and her cross 2
judith's cross to bear
judith’s cross to bear
This type of hand stitching required a great deal of skill as well as keen eyesight, fine motor abilities, hand to eye coordination, extreme patience along with such abilities as being able to differentiate between colors and patterns. In addition to these skills, there must be one involved who was talented and skilled at drawing out a pattern with a piece of charcoal on to a piece of material because that is where the entire process began. Before a woman or group of them could begin the stitching process, the background material had to be prepared for them. In our current day, we can easily find almost any pattern and transfer it to a background. In their day, the transfer process was just as involved and detailed as the sewing process. It required a finely skilled and talented artist to draw out the idea with the charcoal which was then sewn over and expanded upon by the sewers.
If the woman in charge of the project, or whose idea the project was could not draw, and most of them could not- just as most of can not now- she would have to find someone who could put her idea or concept on cloth for her. This would take some of the control out of her hands and put her at a slight disadvantage but she could generally regain artistic control once the initial pattern or design was set for her. If it was a small project such embellishing a personal gown or a tunic, she could and would most likely work on it alone. If were something larger, say a wall hanging, bed covering or draperies, it would probably be worked on by a group of women. Often these larger projects would be a group involvement from beginning to end. The women would decide together what image or design they wanted to create, they would all be included in overseeing the drawing of the design and they would stitch it as a group effort… much like in future generations women would work on a quilt together. These group projects might be designed for a wall of a great hall that they were all familiar with as visitors or residents. It could be a done as a special gift from the group of women in honor of a Wedding, or some other celebration or commemoration, or in many cases it might be created as a gift or donation to the Church. Of the few remaining pieces of work, the majority are church finery or vestments.
There was another crucial requirement and note of importance as well… the cost involved in the materials. The materials, threads and needles were dearly expensive back then. Great caution and care were taken to ensure that none of these items would be wasted, misused or otherwise damaged by one who was not proven to be capable, experienced or talented in this skill. Most any woman, be she lowly peasant serf woman, warrior shieldmaiden, or common farm wife could sew a basic seam together, manage to mend a rip or tear, or even place a few simple decorative stitches upon a garment but few women had the time, the skill or creative talent to do much more than that.
vikings_gallery_1_3-P lagertha vikings_gallery_1_5-P lagertha and daughter gyda and lagertha
Imagine for a few moments, one of your favorite small screen shieldmaidens, Lagertha of Vikings Saga… Look at her and her family. When she was a young farm wife and Mother, she managed to adequately clothe them all but realistically she did not have time to spend on decorating their garments lavishly, nor did she probably have the creative skill necessary or the keen interest in it. She accomplished the basics and that was about it.
lagertha caught in middle of father and son
lagertha caught in middle of father and son
lagertha and her shieldmaidens
In more recent years, she has spent most of her time in warrior mode but she does show that she appreciates the finery of much more intricately and well detailed sewing. Somewhere in Hedeby, in England or in Francia, there have been women involved in the hand stitching of her dresses. Those women have most probably been well compensated in some way for their efforts. If they did not receive some benefit or reward for this time consuming work, they most likely would not continue to do it. You will never know anything about these women but when you see their work, you will appreciate it and remark upon it’s quality and fineness. What is important for you to keep in mind when you look around you in the various settings of the time is that every single piece of clothing, every wall hanging, table cover, blanket or drapery hanging was sewn by hand!
silence as judith tries to find courage to tell aethelwulf her condition
silence as judith tries to find courage to tell aethelwulf her condition
in wessex judith has given birth to a son
Another example would be the Lady Judith and the ladies of her small court… Judith may have some skill, talent and inclination towards this activity but it is highly doubtful that she has time to devote towards this effort, what with other responsibilities she might have. What Judith would do is have this group of ladies in her service devote time to these endeavors. In choosing her ladies, she would of course first have to choose women of high rank and noble status but should she come across a young girl or woman with exceptional skill but not status, she could always find ways to fit such a talented one into her circle- even if it is on the edge of it and all of the household members know that the woman is there only for her skills. For the woman to be included in any way would be a step up for her, one that if she has any common sense or reasoning at all, she will understand the benefits and advantages of. This young woman may have begun her life in the village and found ways to display her innate talent in the decoration of her own clothes, those of her family. Seeing her talent, neighbors and others in the village might have bartered or traded with her to adorn their garments as well… her skills would eventually come to the notice of those of importance and thus she would gain the entry or footing within or around the nobility for herself and her family. Will she ever reach far enough up to attain some form of noble status? Probably not, but she will have raised her family to another level up, achieved some added level of comfort and security for them so she has proven her worth and value just by that accomplishment.
ragnar's christian conversion is marched through the streets of paris for all to see and celebrate
my lady judith you have been found guilty of adultery
During the 800s the Church was becoming a much more powerful force to be reckoned within England, people were becoming increasingly devout and the Church would take advantage of this religious devotion. Noblewomen would begin to concentrate much of their creative talents in the needle work art to show their religious devotion to the Church. The women would spend vast amounts of time and energy on creating master pieces of hand stitched artwork for the adornment of the Church, and it’s priests. These gifts were not just donations to show the family’s devotion. It is during this time that the quality and skills of these devout Anglo-Saxon women began to be recognized throughout the Church’s broad sphere of influence. The Church and Priests praised these works, appreciated them and set a great deal of worth or value on them. The families- the women were well aware of the value and would use the gifts as bargaining tools to garner favor with the Priests. A donation of such a finely worked altar cloth, wall hanging or even clothing item to the Priest or Bishop could go a long way in being pardoned or forgiven for some transgression or in a favor/request being approved.
A great many women during this time also sought solace and sanctuary within the Church’s cloistered walls. As the wars and battles took over their lands and their lives, many women found refuge in the cloistered and protected walls of the Nunneries and Convents. Some of course were sent there as punishments by husbands or families.
Other young girls were given to the Church by their families as a show of the family’s devotion or patronage of the Church. And, yet other young girls and women sought out the sanctuary willingly for varying reasons ranging from true devotion and commitment to having no where else to go. If one had no where else to go, the Church was usually willing to take them in, provide for them and hopefully train them for a life devoted to God’s calling. Many of these young women were taught the needle work skills and if they showed talent for it, they would continue their training in the art. The most talented of these women would go on to spend their lives devoted not so much to the Church but more in some devotion to their craft, their art. These women benefited from the seclusion of the Church sanctuary that allowed and enabled them to completely focus on their creativity without having to concern themselves with outside distractions such as husbands or breeding a new generation. They were still faced with the battles that would often end up taking place within their confines, the destruction and decimation that took place all around them, but in many ways they were safer and better off within the holy walls than they would have been outside of them.
You might ask or wonder how the women who resided within the cloistered walls of a nunnery, devoted their lives to God and to their art form would be considered of value or worth to their family’s future. Granted, these women would not have been responsible for creating a next generation but often times they were directly responsible for a next generation benefiting from their efforts or contributions. Within these holy walls, these women were often looked upon with great favor and praise from those in higher levels of power such as Bishops and Cardinals. Their talents were highly valued and they often rose in status or position of their own type of power within the constraints of the convent. As a result of their talents and creations, their order or Nunnery would rise in acclaim and fame… the women may not have needed or desired any material wealth or gain, but they might find themselves in positions to ask for some boon or favor for family outside those walls. These women were not above or beyond bartering, bargaining and negotiating for rewards that might help their families… in fact they were often quite good at it. In some ways it was expected of them by their families- it was part of the reason for giving a child to God. This child was often given to the Church with some expectation that the child would rise in status there and become the family’s inside connection to the Church’s power base. During the early medieval times, the women of the Nunneries were a power base that was extremely important and influential.
During the dangerous centuries, the consecrated life became identified more exclusively with monasticism. Nuns and monks clustered in large houses organized according to a variety of rules that emphasized discipline and routine. The day was divided into segments for sleeping, eating together, performing manual labor, and always, chanting the office in a perennial outpouring of praise to God. Women responded in great numbers to the attraction of this life. They planted new communities on the frontiers of the Christian world, contributing to the process of converting barbarian tribes.
Queens and noble women who inherited great wealth, and could, according to the laws of the Germanic peoples, deploy that wealth as they saw fit, established houses for as many as two hundred women. Managing land and legally presiding over the inhabitants, these great abbesses were intrinsic components of the new feudal ruling class. They sent troops to war, held court, and enjoyed all the rights of noble men. Each monastery stood autonomous (though increasingly these became standardized under the Benedictine Rule). From the sixth through the tenth centuries, abbesses generally came from local ruling families, and they educated young women and helped to preserve the intellectual heritage of the ancient world. The original literary work of some of these nuns survives, most notably the histories, poetry, and drama of Hroswitha, a tenth-century Saxon nun whose learning may even have extended to some knowledge of Greek.
Sewing for a household or a community was time consuming chore that required a number of women and hands to complete the task. Those who owned large landholdings were responsible for a great many people under them. Part of this responsibility including feeding and clothing all of those workers that were part of the extended household or holding. A responsible Lord would provide sets of basic clothing for his underlings at least once a year. The way one’s workers looked directly reflected on the Lord… a poorly clothed or fed worker showed a lacking on the part of the Lord. If you were to visit a holding where the workers were dirty, poorly dressed and fed, and thus unhappy, you would take notice of that and remember it… If you were of equal or higher standing, you might not be inclined to visit this holding again and you might also be somewhat less than favorable in your dealings with this land holder. If one of these poor workers were for some reason leave this holding (could you blame them?) and end up seeking service at your holding, you might take them in and use them to your advantage- in finding out more about what is going on at that place.
Because the chore of sewing was such a major effort and undertaking, entire rooms or floor of a residence might be set aside for it’s purpose. This space may have been in close proximity to the Lady’s personal chambers or even connected to it. It did need to be a space of good lighting though and as much as possible would have been situated with windows to help with the lighting.
1400660855p23crypt-c-jigsawdesign-publishingandpetersmith medieval sewing room
A kind of hierarchy also developed within this domain of women. Less skilled or capable women would be assigned more menial tasks as cutting and sewing basic garments for the underlings- although at times, every woman would participate in this task in order to get it done in time to hand out the garments. Women with a bit more skill were allowed involvement in sewing for higher ranking family members and such… and finally the most skilled and talented women would form the most highly prized and coveted inner group that did the fine stitching under the direct supervision of the Lady or Matron of the holding. Even if such a woman was not so talented in this area, she was still in charge and although she did not have talent, she would have a keen eye for the finished product and it’s quality. She might appoint one of her ladies that were more talented in the art to be her supervisor in this area. We have already discussed how a young girl or woman might gain entry to this rather hidden space. Once she gained her entry based on her talent and hand skills, she must also be intelligent enough to maneuver her way through this hierarchy of women. She would not be well accepted, and she would find resentments against her from some of these women. This inner circle was a highly coveted place to be because it put them in close proximity and ear of the Lady. They could use this position to influence the Lady and possibly her husband. If they could gain much favor with the Lady, they could reap added benefits for their own families. No matter how talented a young woman was, she would not go far or succeed in this space if she did not have some wits about her! This inner sewing sanctuary was far more than just women sewing- it was about women vying for their own power and it probably would have been just as dangerous in that secluded sanctuary as it was out on the battle field. At least on the battle field, the fighting was out in the open and you could determine your enemies… in this women’s battle field, the enemies could be well hidden and disguised as your friend- a friend who might be willing to stab you in the back if it meant favor or advantage for her over you. Make no mistake, a woman intent on power can be far more of a threat than a man with a sword!
We have looked at the history, the importance, the Church’s involvement in this art form and I hope that I have shown how a woman’s innate God gifted talent for this handiwork or craft of stitchery could be considered as her worth or value. I think that I have shown too, that besides her talent or skill, she must also have a keen intelligent and creative mind in order to use this skill or talent to her advantage and benefit. Without the fortitude to think ahead, think on her feet, use the common sense and reasoning that God also gave her, this woman’s talent means little or nothing. It would take the talent and the keen mind working together for a woman to use this gift as her value, her worth and move her family upwards to some better position in life.
I have also mentioned the fact that while these women will ever remain unknown and most of their accomplishment are long destroyed and forgotten about, there are still remnants and reminders of their creative talents with us today. These unknown women were the creators of such historically important works as this…
This piece of embroidered stitching is one of the most important remnants left to us. It is the Bayeux Tapestry which details the events of William the Conqueror and the battle of Hasting.
bayeux tapestry bayeux tapestry2 bayeux tapestry7
There is a great deal of mystery and controversy over it’s origins and creation but there is a general consensus that it was made in England and created in the Anglo-Saxon tradition. Some theories and trains of thought propose that is was commissioned by Bishop Odo.
Scholarly analysis in the 20th century concluded it was probably commissioned by William’s half-brother, Bishop Odo, who, after the Conquest, became Earl of Kent and, when William was absent in Normandy, regent of England.
The reasons for the Odo commission theory include: 1) three of the bishop’s followers mentioned in the Domesday Book appear on the tapestry; 2) it was found in Bayeux Cathedral, built by Odo; and 3) it may have been commissioned at the same time as the cathedral’s construction in the 1070s, possibly completed by 1077 in time for display on the cathedral’s dedication.
Assuming Odo commissioned the tapestry, it was probably designed and constructed in England by Anglo-Saxon artists (Odo’s main power base being by then in Kent); the Latin text contains hints of Anglo-Saxon; other embroideries originate from England at this time; and the vegetable dyes can be found in cloth traditionally woven there. Howard B. Clarke has proposed that the designer of the tapestry was Scolland, the abbot of St Augustine’s Abbey in Canterbury, because of his previous position as head of the scriptorium at Mont Saint-Michel (famed for its illumination), his travels to Trajan’s Column, and his connections to Wadard and Vital, two individuals identified in the tapestry. The actual physical work of stitching was most likely undertaken by female seamsters. Anglo-Saxon needlework of the more detailed type known as Opus Anglicanum was famous across Europe. It was perhaps commissioned for display in the hall of his palace and then bequeathed to the cathedral he built, following the pattern of the documented but lost hanging of Byrhtnoth.
Another thought or speculation is that King Edward’s wife Edith of Wessex had some involvement in it’s creation. After the events at Hastings, Edith was the sole remaining senior member of the Godwin family to survive the Norman conquest on English soil, the sons of Harold having fled to Ireland. She remained alive until 1075 and lived in seclusion but was paid all due respect by William. She died at Winchester on 18 December 1075. Matthew Parisrecords a tradition that her death brought an end to an illness from which she had been suffering at some length. She was buried together with her husband in Westminster Abbey and her funeral was arranged by William. The northern author of the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle, Manuscript D, reports:
Edith the Lady died seven nights before Christmas in Winchester, she was King Edward’s wife, and the king had her brought to Westminster with great honour and laid her near King Edward, her lord.
Edith was brought up at Wilton Abbey. She was an educated woman who spoke several languages, skills she probably acquired at Wilton. She remained attached to it, and in later years rebuilt its church. Her niece, Gunhild of Wessex, would also be educated at Wilton.
Some of the mysteries surrounding the tapestry would point to the idea or thought that Edith could have had some connection to it’s creation. First of all, Edith maintained close connections to the Church and it’s power base throughout her life. She was well known as a pious and devout woman loyal to the Church and it’s leaders. She probably did have some connection or knowing of Bishop Odo and perhaps this creation was a sort of co-sponsored project. Harold is shown as brave and his soldiers are not belittled. Throughout, William is described as “dux” (duke) whereas Harold, also called dux up to his coronation, is subsequently called “rex” (king). The fact that the narrative extensively covers Harold’s activities in Normandy (in 1064) indicates that the intention was to show a strong relationship between that expedition and the Norman Conquest starting two years later. It is for this reason that the tapestry is generally seen by modern scholars as an apologia for the Norman Conquest. Certainly no one was going to come out and renounce William’s actions, not even the Church was willing to do that. But, this project or creation could have been seen or meant in an underlying way to make some appeasement for the events.
Edith would have maintained some strong connections and influences with the various convents and may have been responsible for setting up and arranging for the stitchery do be done at certain selected ones. This would have been looked at as a great favor and honor to a convent selected to do such work. Only convents with the most skilled and talented sewers would have been selected for this honor.
The artistic context of the work could also lead back to Edith. Edith was a child of some Danish heritage and would have most likely learned some Danish variations of stitchery during her youth. Many of the Convents made use of these variations as well, showing the Danish influences in Anglo-Saxon sewing. Tapestry fragments have been found in Scandinavia dating from the ninth century and it is thought that Norman and Anglo-Saxon embroidery developed from this sort of work. Examples are to be found in the grave goods of the Oseberg ship and the Överhogdal tapestries.
On a final note to this discussion, I just want to leave you with some examples of what these Anglo-Saxon women locked away in their bowers and their nunneries were responsible for eventually creating. Opus Anglicanum or English work is fine needlework of Medieval England done for ecclesiastical or secular use on clothing, hangings or other textiles, often using gold and silver threads on rich velvet or linen grounds. Such English embroidery was in great demand across Europe, particularly from the late 12th to mid-14th centuries and was a luxury product often used for diplomatic gifts. Their beginning of the art form in the 800s culminated in the more famous stitched master pieces of later years.
Some earliest remains of Anglo-Saxon needle work during 8th and 9th centuries
Anglo -Saxon Embroidery - A Fragment of the Maaseik
Anglo -Saxon Embroidery – A Fragment of the Maaseik
An example of Viking era needle work in 10th century. The original clothing items were found in the Mammen graves.
The so called Mammen finds date from the late 10th Century. The main find was the grave of what appears to be a high ranking man. He was dressed in several layers of woollen fabric (2/1 twill), most of which was decorated in some way.
The fragments contained several motifs worked in stem stitch. It is impossible to tell the original colours of the fabrics and the threads used to embroider them, as they are all now a dark brown colour (altered by elements in the soil in which they were found). However, it is possible that they were once brightly coloured.
mammen_full_outfit Viking example of Viking stitchery in 10th century
mammen_full_outfit Viking example of Viking stitchery in 10th century
opus anglicanum
opus anglicanum
anglo-saxon examples of needle work
anglo-saxon examples of needle work
This example shows the use of beadwork within the needle art
medieval stitchery with beadwork
This is an example of the needle work art as it progressed into the later 13th and 14th centuries.
Butlerbowden_cope later example of opus anglicum about 1330
Butlerbowden_cope later example of opus anglicum about 1330
Finally, this is an example of the size of some of the creations and present day efforts to maintain and repair the works as much as possible without interfering with the original design.
After reading all of this, I only hope that you come to have a better appreciation and understanding of the idea that a Woman’s worth and value could indeed be in her hands and her mind!
Björn Ironside the Viking Ideal
Excellent article on Bjorn Ironsides!
The Daily Beagle
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From Rollo and Poppa to the De Senlis family
Poppa of Bayeux
Poppa of Bayeux
Pepin de Peronne, son of Bernard, King of Italy
Died after 846
His children included:
• Herbert II Count of Vermandois, died in 943
• Bernard Count of Senlis, adherent of Hugh the Great
• Poppa who married Rolf, Count of Rouen
The De Senlis connection
Simon de Senlis
Simon DeSenlis
Simon 1st De Liz Church of the Holy Sepulchre
Holy Sepulchre 1 Holy_Sepulchre_Cambridge 2 Northampton-Holy Sepulchre
BIRTH 1018 Senlis, Oise, Picardy, France
DEATH 1080 Senlis, Normandy, France
800px-Northampton_Castle_Bastion 800px-Postern_Gate_of_Northampton_Castle_2013 Northampton_Castle_Postern
Senlis ruins
Senlis ruins
Senlis Cathedral
Senlis Cathedral
Another version gives Simon a somewhat different parentage and ancestry.
Spouses / Children:
• Hubert de Senlis, canon of Notre-Dame de Paris
Landri of Senlis, knight, lord of Chantilly Ermenonville
• Married:
• Died: Between 1070 and 1080
Marriage Information:
Landry married Ermengarde.
map of ancient france
Senlis on map with Rouen and Paris
Roland's role in the story
and here again we have a long pause on Roland
and here again we have a long pause on Roland
roland, a man to keep an eye on in the future
roland, a man to keep an eye on in the future
Roland's story
Tracing my past back to Rollo!
credit to @teamStanden for the photos of Rollo!
rollo season4
Rollo and Uhtred
the winter mantle2
Judith of Lens
Judith of Lens
Maude of Huntington
Maude of Huntington
Adelaide of Normandy
Adelaide of Normandy
Waltheof of Northumbria
Waltheof of Northumbria
Relationship to me
34th great-grandfather
son of William I Longsword of Normandy 2nd Duke of Normandy
Richard (The Good) Normandy II (963 – 1026)
son of Richard (The Fearless) of Normandy I
Robert I of Normandy (1000 – 1035)
son of Richard (The Good) Normandy II
Adelaide Normandy (1027 – 1090)
daughter of Robert I of Normandy
Judith of Lens (1054 – 1086)
daughter of Adelaide Normandy
Simon III de Senlis (1138 – 1184)
son of Simon II Earl of Huntington De St Liz
Simon de Senlis (1181 – 1250)
son of Sir Simon IV Huntingdon DeSaintElizabeth DeSenlis St Liz*
William DeSaintElizabeth DeSenlis (1246 – 1286)
son of Simon De Saint Elizabeth de Senlis
Sir William St . Elizabeth Senlis (1274 – 1313)
son of William DeSaintElizabeth DeSenlis
Lady Alice De St Elizabeth (1300 – 1374)
daughter of Sir William St . Elizabeth Senlis
Richard Woodville De Wydeville (1385 – 1441)
son of Isabel “Lady of Swanbourne” de Lyons Godard
Joan Maud Wydville (1410 – 1462)
daughter of Richard Woodville De Wydeville
William Hathaway (1470 – )
Robert Hathaway (1500 – 1545)
son of William Hathaway
Joan Hathaway (1536 – 1584)
daughter of Robert Hathaway
William Workman (1568 – 1628)
son of Joan Hathaway
John Workman (1590 – 1640)
son of William Workman
John William Workman (1600 – 1647)
son of John Workman
Dirck Jans Woertman (1630 – 1694)
son of John William Workman
Jan Derick Woertman (1665 – 1712)
son of Dirck Jans Woertman
Abraham Woertman Workman (1709 – 1736)
son of Jan Derick Woertman
William P Workman (1746 – 1836)
son of Abraham Woertman Workman
Amos Workman (1764 – 1844)
son of William P Workman
William Workman (1819 – 1906)
son of Isaac A. Workman
Charles W. Workman (1862 – 1956)
son of William Workman
Ward Harlan Workman (1924 – 1994)
son of Clarence Bertrand Workman
Judith Ann Workman
You are the daughter of Ward Harlan Workman
the warriors staying behind with rollo for the winter
assassination of William Longsword
assassination of William Longsword
Sproata, concubine of William I of Normandy
Sproata, concubine of William I of Normandy
Richard the fearless
Richard the fearless
Gunnora wife of Richard the fearless
Gunnora wife of Richard the fearless
statue of Poppa
statue of Poppa
Poppa of Bayeux
Poppa of Bayeux
gerloc Adeila of normandy
Dukes of Aquetaine
Dukes of Aquetaine
Picture Name Father Birth Marriage Became queen Ceased to be queen spouse
1 April 1204
Rollo and Gisela from dictionary of heroes
• Ermentrude
• Frederuna
• Adelaide
• Gisela, wife of Rollo (existence doubtful)
• Rotrude
• Hildegarde
gisla is still a young girl wanting her own way
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long non-coding RNA
Long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) are >200 nucleotide long RNA molecules that do not code for proteins. According to the latest version of LNCipedia, at least 3 times more human lncRNA genes have been identified compared to protein coding mRNAs, and this numbers continues to grow. LncRNAs function through a myriad of mechanisms and have various important roles, most of which involve regulation of gene expression. As such, lncRNAs are crucial for normal development and involved in human diseases, including cancer.
lncRNAs in cancer
Increasing evidence suggests an important role for lncRNA deregulation in cancer development and progression. Prominent examples include the recently discovered lncRNAs HOTAIR, MALAT1, NEAT1 and SAMMSON. Unlike mRNAs, lncRNAs have remarkable cell type-specific expression, making them excellent candidates for developing safe selective treatments with minimal side effects.
RNA-targeting therapies
Developing drugs against protein targets has proven to be an inefficient process. The USA FDA-approved small-molecule drugs currently on the market target only 285 proteins. In contrast, any RNA molecule in the transcriptome can in principle be therapeutically inhibited using nucleic acid-based drugs, using for instance antisense or RNA interference technology. The newest generation of such nucleic acid-based drugs are self-delivering, obviating the need for a delivery vehicle to cross cell membranes in the body and bypassing a major challenge in targeted drug development. Once inside the cell, these drugs typically display high target-specificity, being able to distinguish a single nucleotide mismatch. Compared to small molecules, rational drug development using nucleic acid-based drugs has a much faster development track.
Biogazelle’s platform
Biogazelle has proprietary data and knowledge to prioritize candidate therapeutic RNA targets in liver, colon and lung cancer. Thousands of nucleic-acid based compounds directed against hundreds of lncRNA targets are currently being evaluated in large-scale in vitro screenings, followed by pre-clinical animal model studies. Biogazelle has experience with various antisense and RNAi technologies (including cEt-, MOE-, 2’O-Me- and LNA-modified antisense oligonucleotides and sd-rxRNAs) to modulate RNA expression. |
Describe the nature of the love each character displays in "the parable of the prodical son" both at the beginning and the end of the story
Asked on by kh0120
1 Answer | Add Yours
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lynnebh | High School Teacher | (Level 3) Senior Educator
Posted on
In this parable from Luke 15, there are three characters: a father, an older son, and a younger son. The younger son is wild at heart and asks his father to give him his part of the family inheritance now, while the father is still alive. He does not want to wait for his father to die to get his money. He shows that he is immature and does not love his father.
The father, though, loves his son so much, that he agrees to his demands. This is a big deal because in these ancient times, people didn’t have cash hanging around the house or in the bank. In order to give his younger son the inheritance, the father would have had to sell off land, livestock, etc., thereby putting the rest of the family in jeopardy because the rest of the family still had to live.
The younger son goes off, spends the money on wild living, strong drink and women, and winds up with nothing left. He is forced to get a job as a swineherd, which is despicable to the Jews because pigs were considered unclean. The younger son realizes that his father’s servants are better off than he is, so he decides to go back to his father and ask to be treated as a servant.
However, when the father sees him in the distance, he picks up his robe and runs to meet the younger son, again showing incredible love, because this act would not be considered something a family patriarch would do. The father embraces the younger son and orders the fatted calf to be killed for a huge celebration.
Meanwhile, back at the ranch, the older son is seething. He tells his father that he is angry because he stayed working for the father all his life, and he is the one that deserves to be treated well, not the younger good-for-nothing brother. The father has great love for the older son as well, though, and tells him “all I have is yours” because you are always with me. The older son does not show much love towards his father and no love towards his brother.
The father in the parable is God. The two sons represent two types of men: the older son represents those people who are legalistic and think they can earn God’s love by obeying rules. The younger son represents those people that think they can live any way they want because God shows grace and love to us and will forgive us “70 times 7.” Both sons are alienated from God in different ways. But both sons are loved by God, who loves us unconditionally. The father's love, as God's love, is the same at the beginning and end of the parable. God's love is constant. What good news!
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Meaning of dress code
dress' code"
Pronunciation: [key]
1. a set of rules specifying the garb or type of clothing to be worn by a group or by people under specific circumstances: a military dress code; The restaurant's dress code requires men to wear jackets and ties at dinner.
See also: |
verb in·spis·sate \in-ˈspi-ˌsāt, ˈin(t)-spə-ˌsāt\
Definition of inspissate
1. transitive verb
2. : to make thick or thicker
play \ˌin(t)-spə-ˈsā-shən, (ˌ)in-ˌspi-ˈsā-\ noun
play \in-ˈspi-ˌsā-tər, ˈin(t)-spə-ˌsā-\ noun
inspissate was our Word of the Day on 08/31/2012. Hear the podcast!
Did You Know?
Inspissate is ultimately derived from Latin spissus ("slow, dense") and is related to Greek spidnos ("compact") and Lithuanian "spisti" ("to form a swarm"). When it appeared in English in the 17th century, "inspissate" suggested a literal thickening. Francis Bacon, for example, wrote in 1626 that "Sugar doth inspissate the Spirits of the Wine, and maketh them not so easie to resolue into Vapour." Eventually "inspissate" was also used metaphorically. Clive Bell once wrote of "parties of school children and factory girls inspissating the gloom of the museum atmosphere." There is also an adjective inspissate, meaning "thickened in consistency or "made thick, heavy, or intense," but that word is used even less frequently than the somewhat rare verb.
Origin and Etymology of inspissate
Late Latin inspissatus, past participle of inspissare, from Latin in- + spissus slow, dense; akin to Greek spidnos compact, Lithuanian spisti to form a swarm
First Known Use: 1626
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to criticize severely
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Basic question about Momentum
1. Jun 16, 2007 #1
hi guys, i got a question about momentum, shouldn't be hard but im not quite sure how to solve, plz help me~~
A pile driver of mass 600kg moving vertically downwards with a speed of 20m/s strikes the top of a vertical pile of mass 6000kg without rebounding. the pile is driven 12cm into the ground by the blow.Calculate(i)the initial velocity of the pile, assuming conservation of momentum during the initial impact;(ii)the work done by ground resistance in stopping the pile.
actually i've already got the answer for(i), if not wrong,it's momentum = 12000J and initial-v = 1.82m/s,the question is how to do (ii)~
cheers guys
2. jcsd
3. Jun 16, 2007 #2
To find the acceleration, how about :
The momentum for the most part is right(it should be 11946J) as well as the velocity.
Last edited: Jun 16, 2007
4. Jun 16, 2007 #3
yeah, but how about the question(ii)?
5. Jun 16, 2007 #4
In order to find the work done by the ground you must find the force that the ground exerts on the pile. So if you solve for a then you can get F=(6600kg)a. So it exert a force of F on the ground, then the ground must be exerting a force of -F on the pile(Newtons third law).
You now have the force and can use:
[tex] W=\int F ds[/tex] this simplfies to [tex]W=F\Delta x[/tex] since the force is constant
Last edited: Jun 16, 2007
Similar Discussions: Basic question about Momentum |
Tough Tuber
When Cyclamen Falls Apart, Then Shows Signs
Of Life, It`s Time To Repot
August 21, 1988|By Elvin McDonald, King Features Syndicate.
Q-Several months ago, I bought a miniature cyclamen that was covered with flowers. After a few weeks it sort of fizzled. The small tuber at soil level seemed firm; so I turned the pot on its side outdoors under a shrub to rest. Now I notice new leaves. Does it need repotting; if so, what is the procedure? A-Cyclamen brought to bloom in a greenhouse that is airy, cool and sunny- bright often go to pieces when brought into a room that is warm and dry. They are also sensitive to overwatering, which leads to root and stem rot. Because the tuber in question is sending up new growth, it apparently still qualifies to be called a cyclamen.
Late summer is the time to repot cyclamen tubers that have been resting. If the soil is dry, moisten first, then crumble it from the roots.
Prepare fresh potting mix by combining two parts peat moss to one each of all-purpose potting soil and clean, sharp sand. Or use a prepared soilless planting medium such as Pro-Mix or Baccto Professional. Cyclamen do best when the roots have both air and moisture, needs easily met by introducing generous amounts of humus, such as peat moss or well-rotted oak leaf mold, and sand or perlite.
Reset the cyclamen tuber in the same pot as before and at the same level, which is to say with the top half above ground. Firm the soil and water well. Set to grow in bright diffused light where temperatures range between 60 and 80 degrees.
If there is one key to success with cyclamen it is water. During the season of active growth, usually late summer through the following spring, it is a mistake to leave the pot standing in a saucer of water or to let the soil become dry enough to wilt the leaves. Recent research findings have shown that best results occur in moderate temperatures-58 to 72 degrees-and by growing on the dry side.
Today`s recently developed miniature cyclamen are generally better suited as flowering house plants than the older, larger types. Some of the minis are sweetly perfumed and offer all the growing pleasures of more popular species such as African violet, begonia and geranium.
In my garden, aphids or plant lice often attack emerging cyclamen leaves. They are easily controlled, however, by washing away the insects under a stream of water or by dipping in a solution of insecticidal soap and water.
Q-I have an 11-year-old snake plant that has twice produced a spike of white flowers so fragrant they can be smelled upon entering the room. Is this unusual?
A-Snake plant, or sansevieria, belongs to the agave family and blooms occasionally when cultivated in pots indoors. Like most plants, flowering is encouraged by providing adequate light, moisture, warmth and nutrients. A sansevieria that is starved for light or water is not likely to bloom. However, one that is encouraged to grow actively for several months, then kept cooler and drier than usual for a season, is likely to flower soon after a new season of active growth is encouraged by keeping wetter and warmer.
Q-I have been growing a date palm in an east window for several years. It is now about 4 feet tall. Lately the fronds have taken on a yellowish or grayish appearance, and some of the tips have turned brown. What is wrong, and can this palm be saved?
A-Judging by the size, you probably have a miniature or pygmy date palm, Phoenix roebelenii. Its condition indicates the presence of tiny red spider-mites, which live on the leaf undersides and suck the vital juices, resulting in the yellow or gray discoloration. Brown tips suggest the palm is allowed to become too dry between waterings, possibly in combination with an excess of salts in the soil from the use of chemical fertilizer.
Can this palm be saved? Yes, in all likelihood. There is no more effective treatment against spider-mites on a palm than to patiently wash the leaf undersides in a solution of insecticidal soap and water, then rinse well with clean water. Repeat the treatment at weekly intervals until complete health has been restored.
Meanwhile, clip off any brown tips. If you find a crusting of fertilizer salts around the pot rim and perhaps around the bottom of the pot, there are two possible approaches. One is to remove and clean the pot, then to flush the growing medium by watering several times with clean water. The other is to crumble away most of the old growing medium and replace with a fresh mixture, such as equal parts soil, sand and peat moss.
Q-I have two large urns outdoors that are filled with asparagus ferns. They are too big to keep in the house through winter, but because I will need several small ones for cemetery planting next spring, would it be possible to grow them from the thick white bulbs or roots that fill the soil? |
Cities of India
bodhgaya, buddha, buddhismBodhgaya is the place where the historical Buddha became enlightened some 2500 years ago. It is currently a place of pilgrimage for people interested in Buddhism.Bodhgaya is one of the sacred places for the Buddhists as well as for the Hindus. Here under the Bodhi Tree, Gautama attained supreme knowledge to become Budhha, the `Enlighted One'.
"The Buddha once lived here" Lord Buddha the gentle colossus who founded the first universal religion of the world, worked and lived much of his life in Bihar though he was born in Kapilavastu, now in Nepal. Most of the major events of his life, like enlightenment and last sermon happened in Bihar. Significantly. the state’s name originated from ’Vihara’ meaning Buddhist and Jain monasteries, which abounded in Bihar. Though the Buddha was born as a Sakya prince in the Terai foothills of the Himalayas, Buddhism as a religion was really born in Bihar and evolved here through his preaching and the example of his lifestyle of great simplicity, renunciation and empathy for everything living. Perhaps the present day life of trauma and tension reminds us of the other alternative that was always available to us, the Buddha’s way of life, gentle and simple.
Several centuries after Buddha’s passing away, the Maurya emperor Ashoka (234-198 BC) contributed tremendously towards the revival, consolidation and spread of the original religion. It is the monasteries Ashoka built for the Buddhist monks and the pillars erected to commemorate innumerable historical sites associated with the Buddha’s life, mostly intact to this day, that helped scholars and pilgrims alike to trace the life events and preachings of a truly extraordinary man. The Buddha attained enlightenment in Bodhgaya, under the Bodhi tree, 10 km from Gaya. the ancient Hindu pilgrimage centre. The tree from the original sapling still stands in the temple premises. It is the most important Buddhist pilgrimage centre as Buddhisrn was born here.
The magnificent Mahabodhi temple in Bodhgaya is an architectural amalgamation of many centuries cultures and many heritages that came to pay their homage here. The temple definitely has architecture of the Gupta and later ages, inscriptions describing visits of pilgrims from Sri Lanka, Myanmar and China between 7th and 10th century AD. It is perhaps still the same temple Hiuen Tsang visited in 7th century.
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Scientists soon to test Albert Einstein's speed of light theory
If the inflation theory is true, it would preserve Albert Einstein's theory that light speed is constant, as well as other physics laws known today.
According to Einstein, the speed of light remains constant and hence space and time could be different in different situations and conditions.
Several scientists have tested the speed of light with their own method and found it to be constant in vacuum - 299,792,458 meters per second. If their theory is tested, it would mean that basically everything that has been achieved or assumed in the physics field could be doubted hereafter. A group of scientists though is challenging this theory of Einstein.
"If true, it would mean that the laws of nature were not always the same as they are today", he said.
One of the oddest things about our universe is that it has some fundamental constants. His theory has stood for over a century and scientists community have accepted it. Einstein's theory could be challenged by a new theory if it's proved true. The speed of light is maximum in the vacuum and nothing can move faster than the speed of light.
One of the originators of this theory, Professor João Magueijo, who works at the Faculty of Natural Sciences, Department of Physics, Imperial College, London, UK, working with Dr Niayesh Afshordi, from the Perimeter Institute for Theoretical Physics, Waterloo, Ontario, Canada, has made a prediction which he says could be used to test his theory's validity.
Professor Magueijo said: "The theory, which we first proposed in the late-1990s, has now reached a maturity point - it has produced a testable prediction".
Einstein has said that the speed of light is constant.
Some researchers believe that the speed of light could be higher in the early stages of the universe. When the universe has expanded enough, this speed also dropped so as to compensate for this expansion.
More news: No. 5 Baylor rolls past No. 18 DePaul, 104-72
The more mainstream theory on the speed of light is inflation, which tries to solve the horizon problem by stating that the early universe had evened out in its infancy and then expanded suddenly. But the inflation theory doesn't sit well with many physicists, mainly because nobody can explain why inflation started and why it stopped. "Inflation' suggests that the early universe went through a phase of mega-fast expansion, considerably faster than the universe's rate of expansion today".
That's where Magueijo had begun wondering whether the speed of light is variable - he was looking for another way to solve the horizon problem.
This month, a paper published in Physical Review D [Arxiv] challenges this view. It includes a testable mechanism to his hypothesis.
If light speed varies, it would suggest that there was a much higher speed of light during the time of the early universe, which allowed faraway edges to connect as expansion ensued.
This can be tested by measuring cosmic microwave background radiation, or a mock-up of the early universe that can still be measured in present-day. The theory is that the CMB should show if the speed of light and the speed of gravity is modified as the temperature of the universe change.
The value they predict, called the spectral index, which describes the density ripples in the universe, is 0.96478.
Magueijo and Afshordi have a predicted CMB value of 0.96478, which is a similar, but not identical figure to the recent reading of 0.968.
Magueijo and Afshordi are not alone in rethinking relativity.
What if measurements of the spectral index don't match Magueijo's and Afshordi's prediction?
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Friday, July 24, 2015
{Book Review} Gifted, Bullied, Resilient: A Brief Guide for Smart Families by Pamela Price
Children who are different are an easy target for bullying. A boy who is sensitive, a girl who is good at math, a girl with a physical impediment, or a boy with behavioral challenges - anything that sets a child apart from expected "norms" - these children become targets for teasing and worse.
Gifted children are frequently targets, because they are so frequently different from their age-mates. They don't have the same interests, and they are avid and intense in their study of what does interest them. They are sensitive, emotionally intense, and don't fit in.
I wish I could say that we haven't had any experience with bullying, but sadly that is not the case. The Kidlet was bullied by a teacher - one who should have understood the uniqueness of gifted children, but who was so frustrated by him that she resorted to publicly humiliating him, isolating him, and making sure that every adult at that school saw not a joyous, exuberant learner but a social misfit who needed to be corralled and controlled. He was sent home from school at least once a week, and spent much of his school hours sitting in the hall outside his classroom with only a dictionary to keep him occupied. As his parents we were accused of poor parenting, not being supportive of the school environment, and inhibiting his learning. Our suggestions went unheeded.
He was in first grade.
Our seven year old child - who had loved to learn, was an autodidact in all things math and science, reading, and social studies - shut down and refused to do anything. By the end of that school year, he was convinced that he was bad at math (the kid who taught himself algebra in kindergarten!), and that writing was painful and hopeless. He was no longer happy and carefree - he had become anxious, socially withdrawn, and awkward. It took five years and the freedom of homeschooling to bring back his love of learning. It took finishing calculus by the age of 14 and discovering what his age-mates were doing in math to realize for himself the truth in what we'd been saying to him all along - that he is really good at math. Nine years later, we're still working on making writing an activity that is not characterized by a PTSD-like, anxiety-ridden response.
I wish I'd had Pamela Price's new book, Gifted, Bullied, Resilient: A Brief Guide for Smart Families, back then. Price has woven personal stories, in-depth research, and helpful tools together in this short and beautifully-written guidebook. She addresses the gifted kids being bullied, when the gifted child is the bully, adult-on-child bullying, and special circumstances of dealing with bullying and twice-exceptional children. She focuses on how you - the parent, teacher, or other adult - can help (hint: resilience is in the title!), and shines hope into what can feel like a hopeless situation. She provides links to resources - most of them free - for educators, administrators, and parents to help in the classroom or in social situations where bullying is occurring.
I wish we'd had this book back then, because it would have given me a framework in which to address the situation and to help my child build resilience and self-assurance in the midst of it all. But I'm so glad that Price has written this book, and that parents have access to it now. Buy it. Read it.
(I should note that Pamela Price is a personal friend of mine, and that I did receive a free copy of this book for review purposes. But I also bought a copy of my own - because it's THAT GOOD!)
Wednesday, April 1, 2015
What I'm Saying...
Sunday, February 1, 2015
What the Super Bowl Can Teach Us about Homeschooling
Today is Super Bowl XLIX, when the Seattle Seahawks defend their National Champions title against the New England Patriots. Yes, this is a post about football. But it's also a post about finding your groove.
When Pete Carroll was hired to coach the Seahawks out of USC in 2010, there were detractors who said he couldn't make it in the NFL as a coach. He'd been fired from the Patriots before, and hadn't had much success on this level. Lots of success with USC, though, and Seattle was happy to have him.
Recruiting class of 2012... in their second Super Bowl in a row.
The first couple of seasons with the Seahawks were tough, as Carroll began implementing his plan, but the mostly-losing team began to win a few games, and that was encouragement enough. But they needed a quarterback. Badly. So in 2012, Carroll drafted Russell Wilson in the 3rd round out of Wisconsin. The media went crazy, giving the Seahawks an "F" on draft day for a class that included now-starters Wilson, Bruce Irvin, and Bobby Wagner. And I quote:
Today, the class of 2012 (including Jermaine Kearse - 2014 NFC Championship winning touchdown scorer, who wasn't even drafted but came out of University of Washington that year) is going to their second Super Bowl in a row. All thanks to their coach.
Now, I'm a big football fan, but I'm not one of those people who studies all the coaching moves and such. But the thing I keep hearing from the Seattle Seahawks themselves is that they love working for Carroll because he lets them work their strengths. He doesn't try to mold them to his system, but he allows each player to play his own game, for the good of them all. He coaches them to be family, brothers, united for a single goal. And he lets them be the professionals they are. He works them hard, doesn't allow them to let up on areas that are not as strong. If there is one thing to which you could put down the success of this team, it is this: Carroll allows each player to find his groove.
It's working.
And this is what I loved about homeschooling - instead of trying to force my son to fit a system that wasn't working for him, we were able to allow him to work his strengths as we supported the areas that needed growth. We could do this by being creative with curriculum - in his strengths we just gave him the opportunities and let him fly; but in his weaker areas, we were able to create assignments that would blend into his interests and give him the opportunity to learn and grow. He also had opportunities to learn life skills that he couldn't at school - doing laundry, cooking, and cleaning. And he was able to "be socialized" (if that's even a thing) in a way that was appropriate for his learning and ability - with people of all ages.
Whatever the result of Super Bowl XLIX, Pete Carroll and the Seahawks have done something amazing these last few years (and Seattle fans hope for many more to come!).
And whatever my child decides to do in the future, I know that homeschooling him has helped him get there. It has given us the opportunity to allow him to fly in his strength areas, while being supported in his weaker areas.
Friday, November 21, 2014
It Gets Better
I seem to keep saying this to parents of younger gifted kids: It gets better.
When the Teenlet was younger I felt all alone, adrift in the midst of the chaos of a highly asynchronous, twice-exceptional, and drastically misunderstood child. We were all frustrated - he because he wasn't getting his learning needs met and didn't have any true peers, and dad and I because he was hard to parent. HARD to parent. The emotional outbursts, the anger and frustration over schoolwork, housework, even just asking him to pick up something he'd left on the floor was potentially a land mine. His anger went from 0 to 10 in a millisecond. At that time, he would describe his emotions as a smoldering volcano which was ready to blow at any moment, and uncontrollable.
All of that changed at about 12-1/2 years old. The combination of an excellent therapist and puberty kicking in has made such a huge difference in how we all function. Let me tell you about some of the most dramatic changes we've seen:
• Growth. Physical growth. My scraping-the-bottom-of-the-5th-percentile (height and weight) child, in one year, went from barely-5th to 50th percentile. That makes mom happy, doctors happy, and child happy not to be the teeny one any more. And he gets treated like the age that he is, not like a child. It doesn't quite make up for the intellectual difference between himself and his peers, but he's more welcomed into older groups because he doesn't look like a 3rd grader.
• He can tolerate boredom better now. WOAH! Boredom has been his worst enemy throughout his childhood - causing classroom troubles, home boil-overs, and friendship disasters. This makes such a huge difference in how he can engage with others in every aspect of life. He can play with a friend doing something that isn't his favorite, because he can tolerate being bored for the sake of his friend. He can sit in a classroom where he knows everything already and not make a scene or start distracting the other students. He has figured out how to entertain himself even when his usual entertainments are inaccessible.
• Speaking of school, he is (finally) getting straight As. My non-performer is performing - because he wants to! Executive function skills have kicked in and he has been doing a fantastic job of doing his homework (without any prompting from me), and conscientiously following through on required tasks for school. This year he is taking two classes at a local public high school (Biology - so he can get a lab, but this is the class he knows more than the teacher does, because it's his specialty, and he's already taken AP Bio at home; and Freshman English for continued writing support), and three classes in a dual-enrollment program at DigiPen Institute of Technology. I'm not homeschooling any longer because I don't need to. He's doing it all himself.
• I figure we got through the terrible teens when he was ten - at that age he was pushing all the intellectual and physical boundaries he could at the same time he was emotionally quite infantile. We are seeing nothing in the teens that we haven't already dealt with, and because we've been consistent from day one in how we deal with things, he already knows the boundaries. I'm not suggesting that we're not in for a testosterone-driven ride as he hits older adolescence, but so far the consistency of our parenting has carried us through the few little rough patches that we've hit in the past 2-1/2 years. He's been challenging his parents' beliefs since he was 8, so he doesn't have a lot more to do there, and emotionally he's been far more stable as a teenager than he ever was as a child. If the job of the adolescent is to figure out who they are apart from their parents, he's been doing that for a while.
• He's learning to be self-assertive. One of his biggest challenges has always been to communicate to non-parent adults (or even parental adults when he's in a state of overwhelm) what he needs. The ability to say to a teacher, "I need some quiet space" or, "I don't know when this assignment is due" has been, until just this year, elusive. But this year he is doing all the communicating with his teachers, and I hardly have to be involved at all. He is able to advocate for himself when it's needed, and reliably follows through on homework, passing information to his teachers and coaches as it's needed, and is basically functioning as his own person. We're still here for him if he needs us, but he hasn't needed us to advocate for him at all in the past year.
• Because we were able to homeschool for some of his crucial pre-teen years, he has learned some adult responsibility and survival skills. He does his own laundry (has done for 3-4 years), packs his own lunches, or makes them if he's home at lunch time, he gets himself up, dressed, and fed. He feeds the cat every day. He is helpful around the house when he notices something is needed (taking the garbage out without being asked, carrying in groceries from the car, etc.).
The Teenlet turns 15 in less than a month, and to quote someone who knows him well, "He's not that little kid who is so much smarter than everyone else any more. He's 15 - he's there!"
He's not perfect - nor is our relationship. But I really like the relationship we have now.
So this is my word to all the parents of younger kids who are going through hell right now: it gets better. I never thought we'd get here, but I always hoped we would by the time he turned 30. He's only half that, and I'm so proud of the young man he has become and is becoming.
Monday, October 20, 2014
Gifted Kids Become Gifted Adults
When a gifted kid grows up, they are still gifted.
That means we have a lot of gifted adults out there - parents, grandparents, young adults, elderly adults. And while we may learn to cope with our over-excitabilities, they don't go away. And I'm pretty convinced that asynchrony doesn't ever fully even out, either (see the former sentence).
I, like my son, have all five OEs. Very strongly. And I am a multipotentialite, which means I am gifted in many ways. I have said to people, "I'm good at many things, but great at nothing." Over the years, I've also told people that I'm a generalist, rather than a specialist, though as I get older I find that I do have some areas of preference to which I naturally migrate.
With my own OEs, I find that I continually have to monitor how I am coping. I get overwhelmed easily with a lot of sensory input, so I must manage my environment. I love learning new things, so I tend to jump from interest to interest quickly, making the work of completing tasks and staying engaged a challenge. Movement is my friend, helping me think more clearly and stay focused. My imagination has morphed from childhood fantasies to turning my interpretation of events into a reality of its own, which isn't a healthy response, so I try to adjust my imagination to more positive uses.
And then there is emotional OE. After all these years, you'd think I would learn. But yet, here I am, still emotional as anything. I can't go to a funeral without crying, even if I never knew the deceased - the weight of everyone's emotions in the room gets overwhelming. I have to intentionally tone down the reactive nature of my emotional OE, but if someone catches me off guard, it slips. It's all or nothing with me emotionally, it seems, though I work hard to keep it all balanced and in check.
And, as I mentioned before. I'm pretty sure that my own asynchrony - though far better than it was as a child - is still a factor. There are times I can see myself responding like a four year old and can't stop it. Most of the time, it's an internal-only reaction (that's the adult part), but I mess up regularly enough to keep me humble. There are times when my hands - so adept and quick at certain tasks like typing or playing the piano - feel like they are fumbling along completely inept at simple things like using scissors or a needle. I'm still a child in an adult body.
People ask me how I can understand my son so well. The reason is because I recognize what is going on with him, because it would be the same for me. It still is the same for me, though I have more control over my environment and how I express what's going on inside of me.
I might have grown up, but I'm still gifted.
This post is part of a blog hop hosted by the Gifted Homeschoolers Forum. To read more great blogs on this topic, see hop on over to the link here. |
YueyangWade-Giles romanization Yüeh-yang, formerly (until 1911) Yüeh-chou, Pinyin Yueyang, or 1913) Yuezhoucity in , northern Hunan sheng (province), southeast-central China. The city It is situated on the east bank of the outlet from the Tung-t’ing Dongting Lake into the Yangtze River (Chang Jiang), some 5 miles (8 km) from the outlet’s confluence with the Yangtze. Its port on the Yangtze is known as Ch’eng-ling-chiChenglingji. The city is built on a high bluff well above high-water level, in a good defensive position.
It was a fortified place called Pa-ch’iu in Han times (206 BCAD 220), and on the partition of China in AD 221 a major military stronghold was built there and named Pa-ling; it was converted into a civil county before 260Known as Ximi under the Chu state during the Spring and Autumn (Chunqiu) and the Warring States (Zhanguo) periods (770–476 BCE and 475–221 BCE, respectively), it was a fortified military stronghold called Baqiu during the Three Kingdoms (Sanguo) period (220–280 CE); a county named Baling was set up there in 280. In 439 it was made a commandery, and in 589, after 528 it became a prefecture named Yueyang, whence its present name. After the reunification of China by the Sui dynasty (581–618), it became the prefecture of Yüeh-chou, which name it retained until 1911Yuezhou in 591, retaining that name until 1913. Under the Sung Song dynasty (960–1279) it was heavily fortified, with walls some 4 miles (6.4 km) in circumference, and became the seat of the military prefecture of Yüeh-yang, whence its present name. In 1368 the Ming dynasty promoted it to the Yüeh-yang status of superior prefecture. During the Taiping Rebellion (1850–64), its capture by the rebels in 1852 was an important stage in their advance up the Yangtze River valley to NankingNanjing, while its recapture in 1854 secured the control of the central government over the middle Yangtze basin. At After the time of the foundation of the Chinese republic in 1911, it became a county in 1913, taking the name Yüeh-yang Yueyang in place of its former county name, Pa-lingBaling, even though it continued to be referred to as Yüeh-chou. Yüeh-yang Yuezhou. Yueyang briefly held municipal status in 1961–62.(1960–62), and it became a county-level city in 1975. It was merged with Yueyang prefecture in 1986 to become a prefecture-level city.
The city was opened to foreign trade in 1898 (as compensation by the Ch’ing Qing dynasty [1644–1911/12] for the rejection of a British loan), and a foreign settlement and commercial establishments were set up at the river port of Ch’eng-ling-chiChenglingji. The railway from Han-k’ou to Canton passes through Yüeh-yangthe Hankou in Hubei province (now a district of Wuhan) to Guangzhou (Canton; Guangdong province) passes through Yueyang, connecting it to Han-k’ou and Ch’ang-shaalso to Changsha, the provincial capital. Although planned as early as 1898, the section from Han-k’ou to Ch’ang-sha Hankou to Changsha was completed only in 1917, and the final connection to Canton Guangdong only in 1936. Yüeh-yang has a large domestic trade and is a That railway is now part of the main north-south trunk line extending from Beijing to Guangzhou.
In addition to its rail connections, Yueyang is a collecting and transshipment point for water traffic using the Tung-t’ing Dongting Lake, the Hsiang River Xiang River (which flows north into the lake) and its tributaries, and other waterways and lakes in northern Hunan and nearby parts of Hubei and Jiangxi provinces. It exports cotton, grain, beans, and ramie fibre, but its most important trade is in timber. Vast rafts of timber are floated down the waterways to Yüeh-yang, whence Yueyang, and from there it is either shipped on down the Yangtze or else shipped transported elsewhere by rail. The city has little industry but has a medium-sized thermal generating station. Pop. (1990) 302,800.A major expressway from Beijing to Zhuzhou (southeast of Changsha) passes through the area via a bridge over a portion of Dongting Lake. Petrochemicals, pharmaceuticals, building materials, paper, and textiles are now the main industrial products of the city. Other industries include food processing and the production of feed grains.
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Bowl Instrument-Circle Instrument
Chakra Yantra-Kapali Yantra
These instruments display the complete structure of the sky and the movement of the stars around the Earth.
CHAKRA YANTRA--Circle Instrument
This instrument consists of a circular ring mounted between two pillars. The circle rotates between the two pillars at an angle parallel to the Earth's polar axis. Mounted on the ring at the center is a movable bar that is used to point to the desired celestial object in the sky. In a larger example of this instrument, the movable bar would be a sighting tube.
The circle is marked for degrees of declination. A plate located at the southern base of the circle is marked for hour angles.1 By moving the circle so that the shadow of the circle becomes a straight line, the time of day can be ascertained. By rotating the bar until the light of the Sun shines directly down it and its shadow is minimum, the declination of the Sun can be determined.
1 The east--west angle of the Sun with relation to one's position on Earth. Solar noon is when the Sun is directly overhead. Solar time differs from local standard time depending on one's location in the time zone, daylight savings, and whether the Earth is nearer to or farther away from the Sun (due to its elliptical orbit).
KAPALI YANTRA--Bowl Instrument
In the same location as the Chakra Yantras are the Kapali Yantras, which consist of two separate bowls. The Western Kapali (the one with the post in its center) is a solid bowl representing a reflection of the dome of the sky. The horizontal ring on the top edge of the bowl represents the horizon. The bowl contains lines relating to different coordinate systems of the celestial sphere. It can determine altitude, azimuth, the local solar time of day, the summer and winter solstice, the spring and autumn equinox, and the rising zodiac sign of the Sun.
The Eastern Kapali is a solid bowl that displays the celestial sphere in a rotated position to illustrate the full path of the Sun over the course of a year.
Observing the Chakra and Kapali Yantras locates the silent witnessing value of Pure Consciousness from the point value of one's individual awareness. In a very natural way, the unbounded wholeness of Pure Consciousness becomes more acutely and intelligently expressed in one's awareness even while the point value remains in the awareness. Silence is located from the point of activity; the uninvolved holistic value of Pure Consciousness is located from activity.
Observing these yantras establishes the silent witnessing quality of the unmanifest unbounded value of Pure Consciousness in one's individual awareness along with activity. The Chakra Yantras enliven Pure Knowledge in one's awareness, and the Kapali Yantras enliven the organizing power of Pure Knowledge. The Åtmå (Self) becomes established on the specificity of the Veda.
On a physiological level, observing the Chakra and Kapali Yantras is said to enliven the cerebral cortex, which is responsible for integrating and unifying our conscious experience.
Yantra (Instrument) Pages
Ram Yantra Misra Yantra
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©2001 Maharishi Vedic Observatory. All rights reserved. |
Gustave Courbet
Gustave Courbet
French painter Gustave Courbet shocked 19th century audiences with his realistic works of art that often depicted ordinary people in natural settings.
Gustave Courbet was born on June 10, 1819, in Ornans, France. By the 1850s, Courbet was known as a bold new artist in the Realist school, and he shocked critics and the public with his large-scale paintings showing scenes of everyday rural life. Involvement with the Paris Commune of 1871 meant that Courbet spent the last years of his life in exile in Switzerland, where he died on December 31, 1877.
Early Life and Artistic Training
Jean-Désiré-Gustave Courbet, better known as Gustave Courbet, was born on June 10, 1819, in Ornans, a small town in France’s Franche-Comté region. He was the oldest of four children of Eléonor-Régis Courbet, a prosperous farmer and landowner, and Sylvie Courbet.
At the age of 14, Courbet began taking lessons in painting with a local artist called "père" Baud. In 1837, Courbet relocated to Besançon, where he continued to learn about art. He next proceeded to Paris, a move that allowed him to make visits to the Louvre and copy works by artists such as Rembrandt, Peter Paul Rubens, Caravaggio and Francisco de Zurbarán.
In this early stage of his artistic career, Courbet painted a number of self-portraits, including “The Desperate Man” (1841) and “Self-Portrait with a Black Dog” (1842). The latter was accepted into the Salon of 1844, a prestigious, state-sponsored annual exhibition held in Paris.
A Pioneer of Realist Painting
In 1848, Courbet had a professional breakthrough when ten of his paintings were accepted into the Paris Salon. Being awarded a second-class gold medal the following year meant he was no longer required to submit his paintings to a jury in order for them to be exhibited at the Salon (this special status lasted until a rule change in 1857).
As Courbet established himself in his profession, he also courted controversy through his work. In the Parisian art world of the mid-1800s, the paintings that received the most respect and praise were large scenes of subjects from history, mythology or the Bible. Courbet worked on large canvases, but he chose to depict incidents from the everyday world of the French countryside, such as “The Stone-Breakers,” a scene of two anonymous manual laborers (1849).
Courbet’s “A Burial at Ornans” (1849-50) depicted a funeral in his rural hometown; it puzzled and upset viewers at the Salon of 1851 due to its depiction of ordinary country people on a monumental scale. As France and other European countries had recently been racked by workers’ revolts during the upheavals of 1848, Courbet’s art was also perceived as having a strong political message.
Fame and Notoriety
In 1854-55, Courbet painted a large autobiographical work entitled “The Painter’s Studio: A Real Allegory Summing Up a Seven-Year Phase of My Artistic Life.” This nearly 20-foot canvas shows Courbet working at his easel while surrounded by individuals—real and symbolic—who had influenced his life and career (the figures include Courbet's friends Charles Baudelaire and Pierre-Joseph Proudhon). When this painting was rejected by the jury of 1855's Exposition Universelle, Courbet responded by installing it in a show of his own works he held in a nearby pavilion.
Courbet also continued to provoke his audiences by pushing the boundaries of propriety in his art. “Young Women on the Banks of the Seine” (1856) shows two women in disarrayed clothing reclining informally on a riverbank—it shocked many viewers, though the painting was praised by some critics. “The Woman with a Parrot” (1866), a female nude, received a similar reaction.
During the 1860s, which were productive years for Courbet, he also painted less controversial hunting scenes, still lifes and landscapes. In general, his art was met with steady sales and continued acclaim.
Political Beliefs
Courbet was a lifelong republican whose realistic style of painting and choice of subjects from everyday life corresponded with his political beliefs. After Napoleon III’s rule collapsed in 1870, Courbet supported the republican Paris Commune. But when the Commune came to an end in 1871, he was soon arrested for being involved in the destruction of the Vendôme Column, a symbol of the Napoleonic regime.
Final Years
Courbet accepted the initial punishment meted out to him for the column's destruction: six months in prison and a small fine. In 1873, being held responsible for the costs of reinstalling the column prompted him to move to Switzerland.
While living in exile, Courbet had little money and began drinking heavily, though he managed to produce some landscapes and portraits. On December 31, 1877, Courbet died at the age of 58 in La Tour-de-Peilz, Switzerland.
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Powering Cars with Cleaner-Burning Rewewable Fuels
written by: Shane Burley•edited by: Lamar Stonecypher•updated: 10/19/2009
Words like biodeisel and ethanol are green buzzwords, but how important is it for them or other types of renewable fuels to replace gasoline? Here's why renewable fuels are important for our future and how they're being used today to power cars.
• slide 1 of 6
Why Renewable Fuels Needs to Replace Gasoline
The U.S., as a nation spread over an expansive landscape, has been based around travel on a constant basis. Unlike smaller nations like those found in the European Union the U.S. often has larger spans of space that people must cross within an average day. Because the nation is so large during development there appeared to be little need to consolidate living and working areas to make everything much closer. Because of this people got used to traveling mentionable distances to and from all engagements and settings. More than this, the nation encompasses the land and cultural ratio of several average sized nations, allowing it to be enormous and for travel amongst these far territories a common practice. This in conjunction with the individualism that marks U.S. commercial life has set individual transportation apparatus as the primary way of getting around, as opposed to more communal forms of transportation. With the number of commercial and public vehicles on the roads, as well as those filling our waterways and over head sky, the emissions from their gas-powered combustion engines is a global problem. The search for renewable fuels, possibly even cleaner-burning fuels, is on and many contestants are out there.
• slide 2 of 6
How Many Gas Cars Are There?
Gathering estimates on the number of gasoline powered vehicles within a specified region is difficult at best. There are very few public records available to see how many registered private and public automobiles there are within the U.S., not to mention aircraft and sea fairing operations. Certain numbers have the 2003 number for vehicles on American roads at 204,000,000, yet there are some that mark the statistic as high as 230,000,000. The last available numbers for global vehicle registration was in 1996 where there was about 485,954,000 cars, and 185,404,000 trucks and buses. The total was then clocked at 671,358,000. This is direct contrast to the 1900 assessment of only 4,192 transportation machines. (A Look at Statistics) It is much more difficult to get comparative statistics for airplanes and similar type vehicles, especially those used for large scale shipping and distribution.
• slide 3 of 6
How Biodiesel Has Been Helping
If combustion engines are still the avenue that car manufacturers and everyday consumers prefer then the alternatives are regulated to cleaner and more available fuels to burn. One of the most used and advertised recently is biodeisel, a fuel which you can alter your car to consume. Biodiesel is a fuel that is developed from common, renewable resources like vegetable oil. What happens is that through a process called transesterification the glycerin in removed from the oils leaving behind the glycerin and another substance called methyl esters. That second by product of the process is the Biodeisel that is then used in your vehicle. The advantages of Biodiesel range from cutting costs to preserving the environment for toxic emissions. Pure Biodeisel, which is bodies that is not part of a blend with a traditional fuel, reduces carbon dioxide emissions by 75% over regular diesel. More than this, Biodiesel can be used in conventional diesel engines with little or no conversion needed. What we have with this energy source is the recycling of waste products used in food preparation and creating a safe and relatively clean combustible fuel.
• slide 4 of 6
Mixing Ethanol and Gas into E10 and E85
Ethanol is another alternative fuel that has actually been used for quite some time in certain vehicles. Ethanol, like Biodiesel, is produced from renewable resources conventionally used for food. It is a type of pure, or grain, alcohol that is cheaply produced from cash crops like corn. Seldom is Ethanol used purely for fuel, but combined with regular gasoline. Doing this lowers the cost of the fuel over all and lowers the carbon emissions, like Biodiesel. The two most common combinations of this is E10, which is 10% Ethanol and 90% gas, and E85, which is 85% Ethanol and 15% gas. Cars that are designed to handle both Ethanol and gasoline are called "Flexible Fuel Vehicles", and are usually marked on their body.
• slide 5 of 6
Methanol Use is Limited
Methanol, which is an extremely similar compound to Ethanol, is also sometimes used as an alternative fuel to gasoline within combustion engines. It is only used on a limited basis because of poisonous qualities, yet it is less flammable than gasoline. It is a wood alcohol and is commonly also used for an antifreeze, solvent, and additive for certain Ethanol mixes.
• slide 6 of 6
Not Clean Enough
The fact is that none of these fuels are as clean as is needed for society to return to environmental morality. Electric engines in conjunction with renewable, green power generation sources should be the main focus for all energy technology developers. |
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Can e-voting increase electoral participation?
Others Article - Institutions23-03-2011 - 15:42
Voting by internet. E-voting in Estonia. The Baltic State is the first country in the 27-member EU to allow voting online. Voting by internet. E-voting in Estonia. The Baltic State is the first country in the 27-member EU to allow voting online.
Considering the falling participation rate in EP elections, efforts to increase it and get Europeans involved in European policy are crucial . One way forward may be e-voting, especially among young voters who can do it between watching YouTube videos and checking Facebook. The Parliament's Science and Technology Options Assessment board (STOA) held a hearing on on the pros and cons of e-voting on 17 March.
As Parliament's Silvana Koch-Mehrin Vice President put it: "How we can involve citizens is important from a European point of view "
Bernd Beckert from the Fraunhofer Institute for Systems and Innovation Research presented the pros and cons to MEPs, saying "we already have e-commerce, e-education, e-administration - why shouldn't we also elect our parliaments over internet?"
He said by offering e-voting, young people could be motivated to take part in elections they would otherwise ignore.
He said that E-voting is the final step in the process of an IT-based modernisation of the entire administrative process and could reduce costs.
However, he also said that e-voting is not the same as e-commerce - it's an essential part of democracy and if there's anything that potentially threatens the core values of it, like flawed elections, it must be avoided.
He also raised concerns about transparency as voters cannot be sure that the vote is being transmitted, voters cannot verify if their vote is correctly stored and counted.
He also warned that there are many potential security flaws.
Estonia - the most prominent example
In Estonia e-voting was introduced in 2005 and has been used for national as well as EP elections. It works using a digital signature card and two PIN numbers.
The percentage of e-votes cast has increased from 2% of all votes cast in 2005 to 5.4% in 2007, 15% in 2009 and reached 24.3% in 2011.
Participants agreed that the effect of e-voting on voter participation remains unclear. "With e-voting you can vote where ever you are, whenever you want - we don't have evidence but this must increase participation," said Prof. Rüdiger Grimm (University of Koblenz, IT risk management).
Prof. Barbara Simons (IT security expert, formerly IBM Research, US) was sceptical: "It is not the time yet and in my opinion it would be a mistake." She referred to security issues like hacking and stealing the elections: "How can we be sure that the voter PC is not being controlled? Vote rigging in voters' computers is easier than money theft in online banking - the virus will be voting, not the voter."
A participant noted that postal voting can also be risky. Mr Grimm added: "I disagree with Barbara that the whole procedure cannot be safe - it can."
The STOA project on e-voting is part of a larger project on e-democracy
REF. : 20110321STO15986
Updated: ( 27-04-2011 - 11:53) |
Toxic Metal Found in Kids' Jewelry Very Dangerous
Dr. Aimin Chen of the University of Cincinnati's medical school also has studied how cadmium affects young brains. While lead is the heavy metal most associated with harming cognitive development, Chen has concluded that cadmium lowers IQ even more than lead — though cadmium isn't harming the average American child because the typical exposure is not as large as lead.
Scientists don't know how much cadmium it takes to kill a child. The only child's death attributed to cadmium that AP found was a nearly 3-year-old boy from Toronto. According to a case study published in 1994, an autopsy showed his brain had swollen; the researchers concluded his exposure came from items around his home such as paint pigments, batteries or cadmium-electroplated utensils. |
How salmonella contaminates salads
• Deborah Condon
Scientists have discovered how Salmonella bacteria can cause food poisoning by attaching to salad leaves.
According to the team, food poisoning from Salmonella and E.coli is often associated with eating contaminated beef or chicken products, as the pathogens live in the guts of cows, and the guts and egg ducts of chickens. Contamination of meat can then occur during the slaughtering process.
However the UK team noted that some recent outbreaks of food poisoning have been associated with contaminated salad or vegetable products, particularly pre-bagged salads. For example, in 2007 a Salmonella outbreak in the UK was traced back to imported basil, while in 2006, an E. coli outbreak in the USA was traced to contaminated pre-packed baby spinach.
The research team from London and Birmingham uncovered the mechanism used by one particular form of Salmonella – called Salmonella enterica serovar Senftenberg – to infect salad leaves, causing a health risk to the people who eat them.
They found that some of the bacteria use the long stringy appendages they normally use to help them ‘swim’ and move about, to attach themselves to salad leaves and other vegetables, resulting in contamination and potential health risk.
To test this observation, they genetically engineered salmonella without flagella in the lab and found that they could not attach themselves to the leaves and the salad remained uncontaminated.
“Discovering that the flagella play a key role in Salmonella's ability to contaminate salad leaves gives us a better understanding then ever before of how this contamination process occurs. Once we understand it, we can begin to work on ways of fighting it,” explained lead researcher, Prof Gadi Frankel of Imperial College London.
The next step will involve looking at the extent to which different types of salad leaves are affected by salmonella. Professor Frankel explained that some types of leaves are less susceptible to salmonella contamination than others.
While acknowledging that only a minority of Salmonella cases are linked to salads, Prof Frankel insisted that these numbers are likely to increase in the coming years.
“This is why it's important to get a head start with understanding how contamination
occurs now,” he added.
Details of these findings were presented at a meeting of the the International Committee on Food Microbiology and Hygiene in Aberdeen.
Nickname: to be used for all future posts. |
Thanks to the sterling efforts of Sylvia NasarRon Howard, and Russell Crowe, many people are aware that John Nash, the Princeton mathematician who was killed over the weekend in a car crash on the New Jersey Turnpike, lived a remarkable life. It included early academic stardom, decades of struggling with schizophrenia, and, in 1994, a shared Nobel Memorial Prize in Economic Sciences. But outside the field of economics, Nash’s contribution to game theory, for which he was awarded the Nobel, remains rather less well understood.
Although it is often used in economics, game theory can be applied to any venue where people, or other decision makers, interact strategically and follow rules-based behavior. The setting could be nuclear negotiations, such as the ones currently taking place between Iran and the great powers. It could be a product market, in which a number of firms compete for business. Or it could be a political campaign, in which various candidates try to outdo each other. The word “strategically” is important, because the various players, in choosing from a variety of possible moves, take account of one another’s actions, or likely actions. And the phrase “rules-based” means that the players are acting purposefully and seeking to maximize their own advantages, rather than behaving passively, or randomly.
On one level, Nash’s contribution to game theory was highly mathematical, and, ultimately, somewhat trivial. That is how his intellectual rival at Princeton, John von Neumann, reputedly described it back in 1949, anyway, and he had a point. In co-authoring the 1944 magnum opus “Theory of Games and Economic Behavior,” von Neumann had virtually invented a new subject, complete with its own language. Nash, in diverting from his studies in pure mathematics to this nascent field, showed that in a certain class of games a certain set of outcomes exists: those outcomes are now called “Nash equilibria.”
Many of Nash’s fellow mathematicians were more impressed by his work in algebraic geometry. Over time, though, the game-theoretical methods he pioneered became widely used in the social sciences, and especially in economics. Indeed, in a 2004 article for the National Academy of Sciences that reviewed the genesis and development of Nash-based game theory, the economists Charles Holt and Alvin Roth noted, “Students in economics classes today probably hear John Nash’s name as much as or more than that of any economist.”
To understand why that is, you need to know a bit about the history of economics. Before game theory was invented, economists had a workable account of the dynamics of competitive markets with many buyers and sellers, such as the markets for grain and other commodities. This was the theory of supply and demand, which Alfred Marshall and others developed. Economists also had a workable theory of how the economy as a whole operates: Keynesian economics. But in studying the dynamics of industries where a handful of businesses compete against one another, or how corporations respond to regulation, or how bidders in an auction decide how much to bid, they hadn’t made much progress.
Enter von Neumann and his co-author, Oskar Morgenstern, who provided an intellectual framework for analyzing such situations: game theory. But despite the monumental nature of their achievement, von Neumann and Morgenstern succeeded in showing that definitive solutions, or “equilibria,” existed for only a fairly narrow category of interactions: so-called zero-sum games, in which one person’s gain is another person’s loss. (Poker is a zero-sum game; so is coin tossing.) Often in real-world situations, though, such as how to divide a market among a few competitors, there is a positive economic surplus to be divided: the question is who gets what, and that depends on which actions (or “strategies”) are adopted.
This is where Nash came in. He started out by defining a particular solution to games—one marked by the fact that each player is making out the best he or she (or it) possibly can, given the strategies being employed by all of the other players. Then, applying a deep-mathematical theory that had been developed earlier by the Dutch mathematician L. E. J. Brouwer, Nash demonstrated that such an equilibrium exists in any game with a finite number of players and a finite number of moves to choose from.
It was this derivation that von Neumann dismissed as trivial: analytically, Brouwer’s “fixed point theorem” did much of the work for Nash. But the lasting importance of Nash’s contribution wasn’t the existence proof, it was the idea of a “Nash equilibrium,” or, as it is sometimes called, a best-response equilibrium. Over time, this concept would become almost as familiar in economics textbooks as supply-and-demand curves.
The reason is its broad applicability, which extends well beyond economics. Take, for example, the problem of deciding which side of the road to drive on—a question that clearly involves trying to figure out what everybody else will do. If you are living in the United States, where custom and law dictate using the right lane, sticking to that lane is a Nash equilibrium: it gives you the best chance of getting to your destination in one piece. And since the same logic applies to everybody else, the “stay on the right” solution is pretty stable.
Like the intersection of a supply curve and a demand curve, the concept of a Nash equilibrium appeared to pick out a distinct point where things would inevitably end up. Indeed, once you grasped the idea, it was hard to see how an outcome that wasn’t a Nash equilibrium could be sustained for very long in the absence of coercion or misinformation. If there were a better response available, such as driving down the median or zigzagging from left to right, at least some of the players would eventually adopt it. And that would mean that the original solution wasn’t a stable solution at all.
In the nineteen-sixties, seventies, and eighties, economic theorists worked on extending Nash’s approach. At the same time, however, it became clear that his concept of equilibrium has some serious drawbacks that limit its usefulness. To start with, there is often more than one best-response equilibrium, and, in some cases, there is a very large (or even infinite) number of them. For a methodology that is designed to pick out particular solutions, this non-uniqueness property is a serious problem, especially since there is usually no obvious way of deciding which Nash equilibrium will end up being selected.
To return to the driving example, a moment’s reflection should persuade you that driving on the left can also be a best-response equilibrium. In the United Kingdom and many other countries, it’s the one that has been adopted and enshrined into law. But why do Americans drive on the right and Brits on the left? And if we were starting out from scratch, which convention would be adopted: left or right? Nash, and the many economists who have followed in his footsteps over the past sixty-five years, can’t necessarily provide an answer.
This is just one of the drawbacks of Nash’s approach. Another problem is that game theory is mentally taxing. In many games, including some that initially seem pretty simple, finding the Nash equilibria can be very difficult, at least for ordinary mortals. And when the rules of the game aren’t clear, or when some information is hidden, or when the passage of time is introduced into the analysis, even seasoned game theorists sometimes have a hard time figuring things out. To be sure, various refinements of the Nash equilibrium can be called upon to deal with some of these complications, and there are also refinements of the refinements—but they are even more complicated.
The long and the short of it is that if the purpose of economic theories is to predict which of many possible outcomes will occur, Nash’s methodology often isn’t much help—a point acknowledged by David Kreps, an economic theorist at Stanford, back in 1990. But asking any theory in the social sciences to correctly predict the future is a very demanding requirement. And asking that it accomplish this task across a wide range of areas, such as the ones to which Nash’s approach has been applied, is surely too much.
That’s partly because Nash-influenced game theory isn’t actually a testable scientific theory at all. It is an intellectual tool—a way of organizing our thoughts systematically, applying them in a consistent manner, and ruling out errors. Like Marshallian supply-and-demand analysis or Bayesian statistics, it can be applied to many different problems, and its utility depends on the particular context. But while appealing to the Nash criteria doesn’t necessarily give the correct answer, it often rules out a lot of implausible ones, and it usually helps pin down the logic of the situation.
For these reasons, studying game theory, and learning how to recognize a Nash equilibrium, are highly worthwhile exercises. Once you learn the basics, it is amazing how broadly they can be applied. (Much of the advanced stuff can be safely skipped.) For example, in writing a book about the economics of the financial crisis and trying to figure out why so many people on Wall Street and elsewhere did things that ultimately blew up in their faces, I relied heavily on the Prisoner’s Dilemma, a simple game involving a particular type of Nash equilibrium that shows how certain incentive schemes can promote self-destructive behavior.
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Issac Newton - Once upon a time a little boy named Isaac Newton was sitting under an apple tree ( Little boy Newton walking upto an apple tree and sits down). He was very tired and wanted to rest for a while (Same character looking tired closes his eyes, while one apple on top of his head wiggles slightly) . Suddenly an apple fell on his head (That wiggly apple falls on his head ). Ouchh !!! said Newton. His head hurt (Newton looking up and rubbing his head). Isaac was a little upset (expression of being cross with the tree) and wished the apple would have fallen up on the clouds and not down on him (the same apple softly landing on fluffy cloud) . Rubbing his head lightly (rubs his head looking up towards the apple with a cross expression) , he fell asleep in the gentle breeze of the tree (slips down a little from the sitting position to a half lying down position, folds his arms, with the same upset look on his face, closes his eyes and gently the upset look turns to a soothing, peaceful and sound asleep look, but not a smiling happy look. Grass and flowers gently swaying in the breeze.). When he woke up, his head was feeling much better (he slowly half opens his eyes).
But the whole incidence made him think, as to why the apple fell down and not fly up in the air (Newton sitting in his room on his study table chair, with folded right hand on his right cheek with a look as if he's in deep thought- shown by very slow blinking and a long gaze, looking out of the window of his room). This thought bothered him for many many days (Newton lying on his bed and thinking, staring on the ceiling and an book upside down on his chest, while the scenery outside his window changes from green grass and flowers to all white snow. The changing scenery will have to be a little obvious and the movement of flowers in wind and falling snow should attract the child's attention). Isaac observed that everything that he would throw in the air would eventually come down (Newton...
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Visit Switzerland
Confoederatio Helvetica, The Swiss Confederation, or simply – Switzerland, is located in Western Europe, bordered by France, Germany, Austria, Italy and Liechtenstein. It consists of twenty-six cantons. The Canton of Bern is the center of the country’s federal authorities.
A large part of the Swiss territory is occupied by the Alps. Most of the population lives in the Plateau area, and this is where the major cities are located, including Geneva and Zurich.
Switzerland is known for its neutrality. The country hasn’t been involved in an armed conflict since 1815. Still, foreign policy of Switzerland is very active. Many important international organizations have headquarters in Switzerland, including the United Nations. Switzerland is one of the founding members of EFTA (European Free Trade Association). However, the country is neither an EU member, nor the member of the European Economic Area.
Switzerland is a very rich country. According to 2010 surveys, wealth per adult in Switzerland was higher than in all other countries of the world. Geneva and Zurich are among the world’s best places to live (they also belong to the group of the most expensive cities).
Switzerland has three cultural and linguistic regions: Italian, French and German. The nation is not based on a common linguistic or ethnic identity. However, Swiss citizens share the same historical background and the same values (democracy, federalism and neutrality).
Tourism is a well-developed industry sector. Some of the most popular tourist destinations in Europe are located in Switzerland. Some of the resorts are created specially for tourists who like winter sports (snowboarding, skiing, mountaineering, etc.), but there are also many tourist spots that can be visited all year round.
Interesting Facts about Switzerland
• The highest (and probably the most beautiful) part of the Alps is located in Switzerland.
• Yodeling comes from “jodeln”, the German word for “uttering the syllable Yo”. It started as a form of communication between farmers who lived in the mountains.
• When you are in Switzerland, you are always close to a river or lake, no matter which part of the country you’re in.
• The tallest peak in Switzerland is Dufourspitze, at 4.634 m.
• There is no lake named “Geneva”. The real name of Lake Geneva is Lake Leman.
• Switzerland’s territory is three times smaller than the territory of the New York State.
• Many tourists will confirm that the water in the Swiss lakes and streams is so clean that you can actually keep your mouth open while swimming.
• Some mountain villages have an extraordinary tradition of playing the game known as “Cow Bingo”. The game is played on the field, divided into numbered squares. Participants bet on one or more squares. Then, they let a cow walk around the field and wait until the cow picks a square to “do her business” there. The participant who bet on that square is the winner. The game can last for hours!
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#LTEWS #TCPOptimization Someone recently asked me about TCP optimization and what it really was and why it was important for today’s networks. I have previously written a blog post about how TCP optimization can improve the delivery of content to the consumer. Now, let’s go into a little detail as to why we need TCP optimization and how it works.
As you can see in the graphic, traffic on the internet is growing at a phenomenal rate and we do not expect the rate to slow down anytime soon. Second, we see that the percentage of traffic that is being encrypted is continuing to increase as well.
The issue of encryption is a key point to discuss. Today, service providers use a variety of methods to improve the delivery of content. They have video optimization solutions that adjust the compression rate to decrease the volume of traffic while still maintaining the visual quality for various devices. They use caching technologies to store content that is accessed repeatedly to improve response times and reduce the redundant fetching of data. They implement compression algorithms to reduce the volume of non-optimized content such as text and images.
The problem with these technologies is two-fold. First, the technologies only work for certain types of traffic that they can understand and improve. Second, when the traffic is encrypted, none of these technologies work. The ability to adjust the content requires the ability to see and manipulate this content. Thus, when application providers and consumers encrypt the traffic, all the content-based optimization technologies break.
TCP optimization works by improving the TCP protocol stack. This does not require content inspection and can be done on any TCP traffic, which accounts for over 95% of the traffic on the Internet. The TCP protocol can be improved because it was developed in the 1970s when networks looked and behaved very differently than they do now.
There are buffers, timers, and parameters that are utilized within the TCP protocol. For example, when a packet is lost or delayed, certain timers force the packet to be resent. TCP optimization utilizes algorithms that leverage the ability to tune these variables and more based on the characteristics of the networks today.
TCP optimization can use packet loss algorithms like TCP Reno. They can also use bandwidth estimating algorithms such as TCP Westwood(+). Latency can be a factor in the tuning, so the TCP Vegas algorithm was developed. The ideal TCP optimization solutions will use all of these algorithms and other methods to provide the most efficient and reliable delivery mechanism for TCP traffic.
When we look at the networks of the mobile network providers, we see two distinct network profiles. On the Internet side of the network, we see very low latency, low jitter, minimal congestion, and essentially no packet loss. On the other hand, on the wireless radio side of the network where the consumer devices reside, there is high latency, higher congestion, and some packet loss can actually be considered normal.
The TCP optimization solution sits as a TCP proxy in between the two networks, usually on the S/Gi network between the PGW and the Internet. As a TCP proxy, the solution has the ability to tune the TCP characteristics of each side of the connection independently. This tuning, using public and proprietary algorithms can improve the delivery of content. TCP optimization reduces the latency and jitter of the traffic and improves the overall speed of the delivery of the information.
As congestion increases, the benefits of TCP optimization also increase. It has been shown that this technology can improve a typical consumer’s download speeds over 243%. The benefits start to become obvious when one looks at the performance benefits and the cost savings by extending the capabilities of the service provider’s core network.
For further information, I strongly recommend that you read the TCP Optimization Reference Architecture to learn more. |
99 Red Triangles
June 1, 2012 at 10:02 pm | Posted in Content Area Literacy | 3 Comments
(By Jessica D’Agostino)
How many triangles can you draw on a white board … fifteen, twenty, or even one hundred? Will this be enough to convince your students that every triangle on that board has an interior angle sum of 180 degrees? This would be great if every student thought, if one hundred triangles have an interior angle sum of 180 degrees, then all triangles will have an interior angle sum of 180 degrees. However, what about the student that raises their hand and says “what about the one hundred and one triangles; how do we know it will have an interior angle sum of 180 degrees?” In this scenario, the teacher has a huge problem! The teacher cannot fit one more triangle on the board, and showing a proof of Euclid’s interior angle theorem is just too complicated for a middle school student. It is here when technology becomes necessary. Through tools like Geogebra, a free mathematical program that allows the user to make an unlimited number of geometrical figures, students can create an infinite number of different triangles. This gives students the freedom to explore on their own the interior angle sum of a triangle; where they will find the interior sum of the infinite amount of triangles is 180 degrees.
Today’s students are growing up in a world where everything is done with technology. They are naturally equipped with the skills and understanding of new developments in technology, where most of today’s teachers are not. I believe this is where the controversy of using technology in the classroom lies. Many teachers do not understand or do not wish to understand the ever changing technology. However, this may be the key to reaching every student. Sir Ken Robinson, in a video by the RSA Animate group, tells us students today are living in the most stimulated time in history. Their attention is being pulled by computers, TVs, video games, and other technology, but we are punishing them for not being able to pay attention. The students are being punished for focusing on their technologies, rather than on the lectures being given by teacher. However, why would the student want to focus on lecture, when they respond so much better to technology? It is here where the struggle between students and teachers lies. In every aspect of each student’s life they have access to technology, except at school. By adding technology to our classrooms, we may be able to reach students on their own level just like they can be reached outside of the classroom. This then requires our teachers to be familiar with technology and the ways it can be affectively used in the classroom.
One area where technology may be useful is in content area literature. Since there is no way to guarantee every student reads at the same level, the textbook is not always an appropriate resource. Textbooks cater to one reading level, however, through technology teachers can use computers and the internet to find additional resources to cater to many different reading levels. Additionally, since textbook companies like Holt McDougal offer online support for their textbooks, students can now use their textbooks on their own time and receive help outside the classroom in the form of additional practice problems, additional lecture time, and practice quizzes. Without this technology, students are restricted to reading the textbooks and the limited number of practice problems at the end of each chapter.
It is apparent that technology can help students in many areas of our classroom, but does this mean our teachers will adapt to the ever-changing technological world and stay current with their students? Will teachers see technology as a greater distraction? Finally, will the gap between student focus on technology and student focus on lecture become even greater without teachers adapting to the current technological trends?
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1. I agree completely with what you are saying here Jess. I believe technologies such as geogebra help the students visualize what are they learning. Another great technology for students is Wolfram alpha. Here the students can type in any math problem and the computer will spit the answer back to them. The great part about this technology isn’t that the students get the answer right away but it breaks down every step and shows the kids how to do the problem. This is a great way for students to learn and analyze a problem step by step and see how to arrive at the right answer. Another great technology students can use for math is Maple 12.
Maple is a commercial computer algebra system where students can learn to write code and have the computer do the work for them. This can be important for students to show them that complex math problems are not always done by hand. Computers and technology are a growing part in the world and mathematicians use these thing to their advantage. Both of these technologies can be used as forms of literacy because it gets the students looking at math in a real world setting. Literacy isn’t just reading it is being able to interpret information which is why these are both great items for literacy in a mathematics classroom.
2. I also agree with Jessica in that teachers need to be up-to-date on technologies that today’s students use throughout their lives, except, of course, in school, and that to engage students, they need to be able to incorporate these into their everyday curricula.
What better way to practice literacy than to use these new forms of communication to incentivize students to improve their literacy skills by writing better, reading without struggling, and communicating more effectively in general. Encouraging students to text complete sentences instead of emoticons and shorthand letter combinations is a first step. Using tweets and short texts as “note-taking” may also be an effective skill that students can adapt to easily. (Charlotte Gray, QuickTag)
However, this technique is fraught with drawbacks. “Although text messaging may seem like an opportunity for socially anxious children to reach out, is it really helpful for them to hide behind the comfort of a cell phone? Children need to learn how to communicate with each other face to face in order to master the skills necessary to surviving in todays world. Even if children are socially anxious, they should not hide from whatever it is that is causing them anxiety, like face to face communication.” (Piester, Wood, and Bell)
Using other forms of technology to incorporate literacy into the classroom can be difficult, but the innovative energetic teacher can find sites like Geogebra in which students must read to understand.
3. Just what exactly really stimulated u to write “99 Red Triangles | Developing Literacy
in MST”? I reallyreally enjoyed the blog post!
Thanks for the post ,Nigel
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Security Communications: Lessons from the National Weather Service
Security communicators can learn some lessons from national disaster communication. Motherboard interviewed Eli Jacks, chief of the National Weather Service’s Fire and Public Weather Services branch in The National Weather Service Wants You to Be Scared of This Blizzard, and Jacks shared many important elements of their communication strategy.
“We want people to notice and take action.”
This is a key goal of the NWS, and clear action items are necessary to fulfill this goal.
“the average person doesn’t always know how to interpret the warnings and think it’s like some of our other ones.”
Communicating the appropriate level of risk is a key challenge, because it helps people decide whether taking action is a high priority for them.
“Overhyping this potential storm and having it underwhelm is less of a risk than not adequately warning people.”
The NWS also must make this intentional choice when communicating because storms can cause death, injury, and massive power outages. It is better for people to overprepare and be unaffected than underprepare and die.
“It’s almost less important that we actually get the call perfectly right than the public responds to it and perceives it as being dangerous.”
Alongside overhyping a storm, the NWS chooses to focus on getting a message out rather than making it perfect. Storms are time-sensitive, and it is often most important to get the message out, and fast.
“better targeting our messaging so that we’re reserving dire warnings for when they’re really going to occur.”
Since weather is all about forecasting, this is perhaps a natural future goal of the NWS. Overhyping a storm is okay once in awhile, but accurate predictions are vital to get people to trust and consistently take action when they should.
To distill these lessons, there are three main challenges when communicating threats, whether they are security vulnerabilities that threaten cyber security or weather patterns that threaten people’s lives.
1. Get people’s attention. It’s important to reach as many as possible who might be threatened by a weather pattern, just like the first step in helping people stay safe in the face of a security vulnerability is getting the attention of those who are affected and need to take action. The urgency of a message (if the weather system is growing in power, or if criminals are actively exploiting a severe vulnerability) is key to assess when your message needs to reach a lot of people.
2. Write accurate and easy-to-understand calls to action.
• Use clear language to accurately express the severity of the situation. The more accurate your communications, the more you will be seen as a trustworthy and reliable source.
• Avoid histrionics when writing calls to action, but don’t be too conservative when describing the risk. Help people understand the severity of the situation by including risk factors. For example, you would be more at risk during a hurricane if you live near the coast or in a flood-prone region. Similarly, you would be more at risk for heartbleed if you reuse passwords across accounts and websites.
• Make it clear what people can do to protect themselves and prepare for future threats.
3. Avoid alert fatigue. If you notify people too often about dangerous weather patterns (or security vulnerabilities) that in the end, don’t turn out to have much of a noticeable effect, you may lose the trust of your audience, or they may lose the energy to react properly in the face of constant security (or weather) threats.
The first challenge, attention-getting, helps explain why so many serious security vulnerabilities are communicated to the public with catchy names, dedicated websites, and even logos. Names, websites, and logos make it easier to get the attention of an affected audience and the media. As message targeting improves, this challenge may be simpler to address.
The second challenge is the most difficult to address. Security communications exist solely to drive remediation of security vulnerabilities. Whether people must patch systems, take them offline, or implement a workaround, that information must be shared as quickly, accurately, widely, and simply as possible. Not easy to do.
Higher-profile security vulnerabilities also help provide a risk gauge for future vulnerabilities, easing the effect of the third challenge, alert fatigue. While the quantity of alerts is still important to monitor and restrain when possible, providing a risk factor (even a relative one based on higher-profile vulnerabilities) makes it easier to process the severity of a security issue.
Names for security vulnerabilities are valuable when addressing the three primary security communication challenges above, but naming carries risks that you must be aware of when communicating.
• Naming something gives it power. A name is a lot easier to track than an archaic set of technical terms or a string of letters and numbers. For example, the FREAK attack, has both a scary (and thus memorable) name and is much easier to remember than “Factoring RSA Export Keys,” the more technical description of the vulnerability. CVE identifiers are necessary, but not easily to remember.
• Names encourage media attention. This can lead to more attention than a vulnerability warrants, and overblown fear. Because of this, it’s important to gauge the severity and the impact of a security vulnerability before naming it. Any awareness is usually better than none when it comes to computer security, but avoiding alert fatigue is key.
• Names must be intentionally chosen. What you choose to name something is important, because if the words in the name are frightening (like FREAK), they will provoke a different reaction than you might want or need. A name should prompt recognition and response, rather than fear and panic.
Whether you are the protecting the nation from severe weather patterns or alerting your community to security vulnerabilities in your product, the National Weather Service provides a good model for effective threat communication. It’s difficult, but possible with careful consideration of the challenges and risks involved. |
Pest Resistance In Plant Science Biology Essay
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There are several features has been improved in plants either by themselves (evolution) or humankind to ensure they can become suitable as crop plant. The examples of features include pest resistance, cold resistance, nutrition addition and salt tolerance. Improvement can be making via selective breeding by farmers, genetic engineering and evolution. Selective breeding is a traditional way and has been practiced since many years ago till now. It can be done by crossing the good, quality of plants and only the best progeny will be selected for the next crossing. This process is continuous to ensure that the features are well-improved. It takes long period to observe the results as the farmers should wait the progeny to growth. Next, genetic engineering is a modern way to improve the features of plant. It is extension of traditional plant breeding and can be created using recombinant DNA technology in a lab by inserting desirable trait into the plant. The effects on the plant can be seen in short period, but the researcher still arguing about the long-term effects. Lastly, the other way of improvement is evolution of the plant which is affected by environment. The plants always try to adapt themselves into the environment and pass on the favorable genes to the next offspring. Only plant which has favorable trait can survive better and produce large amount of offspring compared to the others plants within same species.
First of all, the feature that has been upgrade is pest resistance. There is researcher found that, there is estimation state that seven percent or 40 million tons of corns are unmarketable due to insect damage (Novartis, 2000) and the yield cotton had decreased over a quarter billion dollars because of problem associated to the pest (6). Pest resistance helps the plant to avoid insect damage such as European Corn Borer (ECB) in corn plant and pest like tobacco budworms, cotton bollworms, and pink bollworms in cotton plant (6). It can be done by inserting Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt) gene in the plant via genetic engineering method. Bt is lethal to insect larvae and results the corn enables to produce its own pesticide (Whitman, D.B, 2000). Bt plays it role by rupture the intestine of pest and related organism when it is ingested, and this damages the cell membrane and stopping the larva in tracks. The pest normally dies within two to three days (Smith, 2010). Introduction of Bt genes helps a lot as the plants have longer season protection, minimize the use of insecticide which may preventing algae blooming in meantime.
Next, low temperature is a major environmental stress for plants and commonly the plants which grow in this condition have evolved and undergo adaption. They has a built-in non-toxic version which allows cells to "super cool" at freezing point and even when ice forming within some plants, they still enables to survive ice crystal damage. In same time, the researchers also create cold resistance as a way to ensure them surviving better as crop plant. The scientist applies the knowledge of genetic engineering to produce cold resistance plant in tobacco. The scientist have introduce chloroplast [omega)-3 fatty acid desaturase gene (the fad7 gene) isolated from Arabidopsis thaliana. (7) As consequence, the young seedling or vegetative shoot tips can be stored at extreme temperature for a long period without facing any problems like losing vigor or high mortality. The tobaccos also can growth well after long exposure to cold acclimation and producing the leaves green and healthy. In contrast, the plant without this feature may exhibit leaf damage, loss of turgidity, shoot collapse and even death (8). Hence, cold weather is not an obstacle for the plant to growth well as the plants have adapted themselves to cold environment and cold tolerance feature has been created.
Lastly, the effort of humankind in improving the feature not only limited to create the plant survives better, but also increases the quality of the nutrition too. As example, soil oil is very useful in food industries. Unfortunately, soy oil requires hydrogenation to increase its stability and this will forming trans fatty acids which is associated to coronary health risk. The researcher has developed healthier oil by modifying fatty acids of oilseed via breeding. Their aim is to replace hydrogenated oil within the oil remain stable but excluding trans fat. Then, the researcher also uses genetic engineering so that the soy oil contain greater stability and flexibility in food application and contain less 20% saturated fat than traditional soybean. In addition, there is also nutrition improvement in tomato. The scientist have expressed gene from snapdragon sin tomato to grow purple tomatoes high in health-protecting anthocyanins using biotechnology tool. As result, there are many advantages can be derive in "2 in 1 fruit" (tomato + snapdragon ƒ tomato) such as against certain cancer, age-related degenerative disease, anti-inflammatory activity, hinder obesity and many more.
As conclusion, there are many improvement has been make in plant to develop the plants become suitable as crop plants via selective breeding, genetic engineering and evolution. Nowadays, genetic engineering is preferable for human to improve the features as it give many advantages and the result can be observe in short time. However, the impact of this method has been debated all around the world. It gives many advantages to plant and people, however people are worrying either it can give negative effects such as allergicity in human, genes transferred to non-target organisms and the probability of insect to develop rapidly resistance to certain insecticides. Improvements the features in plants are vital in either way to make them suitable as crop plants and arise the quality of yield. Hence, people should always find the way to improve it continuously so that many more advantages can be discovered while the bad impact can be minimized or avoided. |
Short facts about The Human Body - FamousWhy
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Short facts about The Human Body AIDS: acquired immunodeficiency syndrome, a very serious condition resulting from infection with HIV, a virus that attacks the immune system. This virus weakens the body's defences so it succumbs easily to other infections.
Allergy: a condition in which the body responds to harmless substances like pollen or dust as if they were dangerous invaders, causing sneezing, itching or rashes.
Axon: the long fibre which is produced from a neurone, along which nerve impulses are passed.
Carbohydrate: a substance containing carbon, hydrogen and oxygen in the form of
sugar, starch or cellulose.The majority of carbohydrates are produced by plants and are obtained from our food.
Cell: the smallest unit of life. Our bodies are built from billions of tiny cells.
Cerebrum: the outer surfac e of the largest part of the brain, where the processes of 'thinking'and 'memory'take place. The cerebrum is deeply wrinkled to increase its surface area.
Chromosomes: the tiny threads of genetic material that are inside each cell, which contain the blueprints for making a complete human being.
CNS: central nervous system, namely the brain and spinal cord.
Collagen: a tough, springy material that helps to make up tendons and ligaments, and which also strengthens the skin.
Dementia: a mental deterioration, with a variety of causes. Alzheimer's disease is a very severe form of dementia.
Diabetes: condition in which the body is not able to properly process sugar in the blood. It can be caused by the failure of the pancreas gland to make enough of the hormone insulin.
Dialysis: the process used to remove waste products from the blood when the
kidneys are not working effectively.
DNA: deoxyribonucleic acid, the substance used to code all of our genetic makeup.
Enzyme: a substance produced in the body that causes a chemical reaction to occur.
Excretion: the elimination of waste from the body, mostly via the urine.
Fibre: an indigestible material found in plant foods, which is important for maintaining the health of the gut.
Foetus: the developing child in a womb, three months after being conceived. At this stage it possesses almost all the features it will have when it is born, but is still very small in size.
Gene: an area on the thread of a chromosome which is responsible for a specific feature of a person, such as eye or hair colour. We have millions of genes.
Gland: a collection of cells that secrete a substance such as as a hormone or enzyme.
Hormone: a chemical messenger that is normally carried in the blood/switching' organs on or off.
Immune system: a network of lymph vessels and defensive cells and processes that spread throughout the body, protecting it from attack by microbes and the effects of dangerous substances.
Keratin: the hard horny material that is found in fingernails, hair and skin cells.
Lymphocite: white blood cells that form part of the immune system, fighting infection and destroying invading microbes.
Melanin: a dark pigment that colours the skin. Its function is to protect the skin from the burning effect of ultraviolet radiation from the Sun.
Mitochondria: Tiny granules in each cell which are responsible for the release of the energy to power the cell.
Mutation: a change in the genes that is passed on to the offspring.
Neurone: a nerve cell responsible for conducting nerve impulses.
Protein: a complex chemical substance which forms the bulk of our muscles, as well as many other tissues. Protein is obtained from our food, and after digestion, it is reassembled into different proteins needed by the body.
Receptor: a tiny structure attached to a nerve fibre, where an outside stimulus such as light, is converted into a nerve impulse.
Reflex: an automatic movement, often in response to a pain. If you burn your finger, a reflex pulls it away from the hot object before the brain has noticed the pain.
Synapse: the point where a nerve impulse jumps between two neurones, so the message continues along a nerve.
Vitamin: an important food substance which is needed in small amounts to assist in vital chemical reactions. Most vitamins are obtained from our food.
Tags: vitamin, receptor, protein, dna, diabetes
Category: Education - ( Education Archive)
Date Added: 04 January '12
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Ensiform cartilage
ensiform cartilage n.
See xiphoid process.
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[en-sahyn; Military en-suh n] /ˈɛn saɪn; Military ˈɛn sən/ noun 1. a flag or banner, as a military or naval standard used to indicate nationality. 2. a badge of office or authority, as heraldic arms. 3. a sign, token, or emblem: the dove, an ensign of peace. 4. U.S. Navy and Coast Guard. the lowest […]
• Ensign-staff
noun 1. a staff at the stern of a vessel at which the ensign is flown.
• Ensilage
[en-suh-lij] /ˈɛn sə lɪdʒ/ noun 1. the preservation of green fodder in a silo or pit. 2. fodder preserved. verb (used with object), ensilaged, ensilaging. 3. . /ˈɛnsɪlɪdʒ/ noun 1. the process of ensiling green fodder 2. a less common name for silage
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Documenting the American South Logo
oral histories of the American South
Excerpt from Oral History Interview with Harriette Arnow, April, 1976. Interview G-0006. Southern Oral History Program Collection (#4007) See Entire Interview >>
Economic disparities in a small southern community
Here, Arnow offers an anecdote about living in Burnside, Kentucky. Vividly describing Burnside as a small community where everybody knew everybody else, Arnow explains her growing awareness of economic disparities. According to Arnow, it was difficult for her to determine differences in socioeconomic status based on appearance and it was not until she saw a man picking up bits of coal next to the train tracks that she began to realize that community members experienced varying levels of material comfort. Her description offers an intriguing portrait of life in a small southern community.
Citing this Excerpt
Full Text of the Excerpt
So by the time you finished high school, as you say, most of the people were going on to college. But in the first grade, when there were fifty of you, it sounds more like there were very poor children and also rich children.
There were some with well-to-do parents.
Were there children who didn't have shoes? I mean, for example, you were talking about when Grandmother Denney was there and you'd have really pretty dresses and things. Could you see a big difference in how the children were dressed?
I don't recall noticing much difference in the first and second grades, but I did notice it later, and I did notice that some dropped out in the winter. I thought for many years we were of the poorest because our mother complained a lot about how little money we had, even though Papa worked. He made what other men made, I think, and he received some money from his oil rights, which, when oil was high as during World War I amounted to quite a lot. Then as a tool dresser, he made higher wages. I hadn't noticed any difference, because everybody came to school starched and ironed, and we dressed a good deal alike. The well-to-do children you couldn't have told-or to my causal eye; I never studied it-perhaps you could have seen differences in dress. But one day I'd been sent on an errand to the store. We were on the hill, and down in the lower town near the rivers were most of the stores, other businesses, and lumber mills. In the upper town most of the people lived, and we were higher on the hill. And as I crossed the railway tracks, between the upper and lower town, I saw a man with a sack on his shoulder, bending over and picking up small pieces of coal. South of us there were coal mines, and the coal cars were always passing. Later I asked Papa, "Why would anybody be picking up those little bits of coal fallen from passing coal cars? Why didn't they burn wood?" I couldn't imagine anybody being without wood. We had about thirty acres of land. Most of it was in cut-over timber, so there was always plenty of wood. Papa said maybe the man didn't have any wood, and I said, "Well, what does he pick up coal for?" "Well, he doesn't have any money to buy it." And I couldn't imagine that, any more than I could imagine anyone being hungry. I don't know. Of course, we didn't have much money, but we had our own vegetable garden and milk cows and this and that. Practically everybody in town had a vegetable garden. Many of them kept cows. They'd stable them at night and drive them out to pasture next day. In warm weather the cows weren't kept in the stables overnight; they just wandered around the town and slept where they wished.
And I've heard many funny stories of boys, sometimes young men going out to see their best girls, coming home, and stumbling over cows. The street lights in our town were few and far between and very dim. Quite a place was Burnside. Everybody knew you, and you knew everybody. |
Welcome to
Grandpa Pencil's
Australian Colonial
Gold In New South Wales
'Gold In New South Wales' is drawn from an article in The Illustrated Sydney News: 21st January 1871
It was 1851 that the discovery of gold took place in the colony of New South Wales, a short period after the precious metal had been found in California.
As may be conceived the finding of this new and valuable mineral resource revolutionised society.
All classes were infected with the mania, and young and old, rich and poor, thought and talked of nothing but the diggings.
Of course this excitement soon found a level, and those who had, at first news, set off to the diggings, a large proportion soon discovered that digging for gold was not their vocation.
They returned to their shops and their counting-offices, and left the hard work to the labourer, the runaway seaman, the reckless spendthrift, the determined, the desperate, who all beheld in the gold-fields a possible means of easily acquiring wealth which some sought for independence, others that they might renew the debaucheries which had been their social ruin.
Out of this incongruous congregation of men, the large class now known as the mining class was created.
As time went on and the calling resolved itself into a permanent occupation, and less excitement of gambling attached to it, the rascals and ne'er-do-wells, who had taken to it, dropped away from the old fields and sought those new rushes where surface working generally preludes the deeper sinking.
These form the class which is now the first to rush to a new field, scrape it off its surface gold, and then, too lazy to seek further by deep sinking, denounce the rush as a 'shicer'.
Of those who are only the loafers among gold diggers we will have nothing further to say.
We desire to represent the genuine gold-digger both in his successful and unsuccessful aspect; or, as he would probably express it, "as he appears after making a pile," and again, "when down on his luck."
These are two very common extremes incident to his occupation.
Just as the successful gambler is usually he who stakes his money, without care or forethought, so the unfortunate is usually he who expends much time and thought on the calculation of that mysterious science known as the doctrine of chances.
At any rate, it is a firm belief with your digger, that while some are born to good luck, others are fated to bad; and the two classes are common on every alluvial diggings, for your genuine digger is no quartz crusher, who is one of more stable character, and who calls to his aid more resources of engineering science than the other would have the patience to engage.
The gold-digger may be of any class - a labourer or a gentleman, a sailor or a University prizeman, a Cornish miner or an ex-cornet of dragoons; but whoever he may have been, and however he may have fallen by folly or vice, he usually carries with him courage, endurance, perseverance, and hope.
He is usually a broad-shouldered, deep-chested fellow, with a large head and brow, clear eyes, bronzed cheeks, and flowing beard.
He has a deep voice, and can sing a merry song and laugh merrily at a joke.
For the most part he is fond of good liquor, or failing good liquor any kind, so that it be strong enough.
Then, when this is in his head and fires his brain, he is good humoured or quarrelsome according to his kind.
But under all aspects, and in all positions of success or non-success, he is the representative of a sturdy, plucky, hard-working class of men - men who, when they settle down, and this they are doing more and more each year, become a valuable population.
Like sailors, diggers, when they take to farming, make the best tillers of the soil of any.
But the successful digger rarely cares to settle down.
He has made his pile, and the spirit moves him to spend it, and this he will do very much as the ideas of enjoyment which his former condition of life may have given him, prompt him to.
In the good times when nuggets were as plentiful as gooseberries, so to speak, and when the vulgar folly of eating five pound notes as sandwiches actually did occur, not once or twice, but dozens of times; when change of a sovereign was a thing unheard of; when, in short, everybody, more or less, made an ass of himself, the digger came out in grand style.
Coming down to Sydney here with a thousand pounds or two in his pocket, he never stopped drinking, driving in cabs, treating his whilom sweetheart to all kinds of absurd finery, and indulging in every description of course and idiotic revelry.
Nor indeed was this confined to those whose former associations were not of a character to educate them to bear prosperity.
Even educated men, bitten by the low madness which inspired the digging class, gave way to similar extravagances.
It was Saturnalia of folly for a short period.
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Wednesday, August 05, 2009
Language may shape thoughts
Sharon Begley has this nice Newsweek article about Stanford professor Lera Boroditsky's research on how language might shape thoughts. Some examples: the gender of nouns in different languages seem to affect perceptions of the entity associated with the noun; people have a better memory for colors if there are distinct names for different shades; speakers of a language with different words for two concepts often have an easier time distinguishing between them.
From a previous blog post, you might have seen that I am very interested in this sort of thing but don't have much background.
Also, I love Sharon Begley.
1 comment:
Brian Burg said...
This is pop linguistics at best. See Sapir-Whorf Hypothesis (Linguistic relativity) for some background.
As a cheap and possibly broken analogy, consider the parallel with programming languages and Turing completeness. Most languages are turing-complete, but the elegance in expressing some turing machine computations certainly differs.
The wikipedia article has a summary of how 'linguistic relativity' is currently viewed in academia. |
There’s more to memory than the brain: Psychologists run clever experiments, make trivial claims, take gullible internet by storm
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The online media are drawn to any “scientific” claims about the internet’s influence on our nature as humans like flies to a pile of excrement. Sadly, in this metaphor, only the flies are figurative. The latest heap of manure to instigate an annoying buzzing cloud of commentary from Wired to the BBC, is an article by Sparrow et al. claiming to show that because there are search engines, we don’t have to remember as much as before. Most notably, if we know that some information can be easily retrieved, we remember where it can be obtained instead of what it is. As Wired reports:
“A study of 46 college students found lower rates of recall on newly-learned facts when students thought those facts were saved on a computer for later recovery.”
Sparrow et al. designed a bunch of experiments that “prove” this claim. Thus, they holler, the internet changes how we remember. This was echoed by literally hundreds of headlines (Google claims over 600). Here’s a sample:
• Google Effect: Changes to our Brains
• Search engines like Google ‘changing the way human memory works’
• Search engines change how memory works
• Google Is Destroying Our Memories, Scientists Find
• It pays to remember, search engines ruining our memory
• Google rewiring the way we remember, study says
• Has Google turned your memory to mush?
• Internet search engines cause poor memory, scientists claim
• Researchers: Search Engines Supplanting Our Memory
• Google changing way brain remembers information
Many of these headlines are from “reputable” publications and they can be summarized by three words: Bullshit! Bullshit! Bullshit!
All they had to do is read this part of the abstract to understand that nothing like the stuff they blather about follows from the study:
But they were not helped by Science whose publication of these results is more of a self-serving stunt than a serious attempt to further knowledge. The title of the original “Google Effects on Memory” is all but designed to generate bat-shit crazy headlines. If the title were to be truthful, it would have to be “Google has no more effects on memory than a paper and pen or a friend.” Even the Science Magazine report on the study entitled “Searching for the Google Effect on People’s Memory” concludes it “doesn’t directly answer that question”. In fact, it says that the internet is filling in the role of “transactive memory” which describes the fact that we rely on people to remember things. Which means it has no impact on our brains at all. It just magnifies the transactive effects already in existence.
Any claim about a special effect of Google on any kind of memory can be debunked in two words: “shopping list”! All Sparrow at al. discovered is that the internet has changed us as much as a stub of a pencil and a grubby piece of paper. Meaning, not at all.
Some headlines cottoned onto this but they are few and far between:
• Search Engine “Memory Loss” in Fact a Sign of Smart Behavior
• Search Engines Ruin Our Memory, Make Us Smarter
Sparrow, the lead author of the study, when interviewed by Wired said: “It’s very similar to how we use people in our lives, The internet is really just an interface with a lot of other people.”
In other words, What the internet has changed is the deployment of strategies we have always used for managing our memory. Sparrow et al. use an old term “transactive memory” to describe this but that’s needed only because cognitive psychology’s view of memory has been so limited. Memory is not just about storage and retrieval. Like all of our cognition it is tied in with a whole host of strategies (sometimes lumped together under the heading of metacognition) that have a transactive and social dimension.
Let’s take the example of mobile phones. About 15 years ago I remembered about 4 phone numbers (home, work, mother, friend). Now, I remember none. They’re all stored in my mobile phone. What’s happened? I changed my strategy of information storage and retrieval because of the technology available. Was this a radical change? No, because I needed a lot more number so I carried a little booklet where I kept the rest of the numbers. So the mobile phone freed my memory of four items. Big deal! Arguably, these four items have a huge potential transactional impact. They mean that if my mobile phone is dead or lost, I cannot call the people most likely to be able to offer assistance. But how often does that happen? It hasn’t happened to me yet in an emergency. And in an non-emergency I have many backups. At any rate, in the past I was much more likely to be caught up in an emergency where I couldn’t find a phone at all. So the change has been fairly minimal.
But what’s more interesting here is that I didn’t realize this change until I heard someone talk about it. This transactional change is a topic of conversation, it is not just something that happened, it is part of common knowledge (and common knowledge only becomes common because of a lot of people talk about it to a lot of other people).
The same goes for the claims made by Sparrow et al. The strategies used to maintain access to factual knowledge have changed with the technology available. But they didn’t just change, people have been talking about this change. “Just Google it” is a part of daily conversation. In his podcasts, Leo Laporte has often talked about how his approach to remembering has changed with the advent of Google. One early strategy for remembering websites has been the Bookmark. People have made significant collections of bookmarks to sites, not unlike rollodexes of old. But about five or so years ago Google got a lot better at finding the right sites, so bookmarks went away. Personally, now that Chrome syncs bookmarks so seemlessly, I’ve started using them again. Wow, change in technology, facilitates a change in strategy. Sparrow et al. should do some research on this. Since I started using the Internet when it was still spelled with a capital “I”, I still remember urls of key websites: Google, Yahoo, Gmail, BBC, my own, etc. But there are people who don’t. I’ve personally observed a highly intelligent CEO of a company to type “Google” in the Bing search box in Internet Explorer. And a few years ago, after a university changed its portal, I was soothing an angry professor, who complained that the link to Google was removed from the page that automatically came up on his computer. He never learned how to get there any other way because he didn’t need to. Now he does. We acquire strategies to deal with information as we need them.
Before the availability of writing (and even after), there were a whole lot of strategies available for remembering things. These were part of the cultural conversation as much as the internet is today. Some of these strategies became part of religious ritual. Some of them are a part of a trickster’s arsenal – Joshua Foer describes some in Moonwalking with Einstein. Many are part of the art of “study skills” many people talk about.
All that Sparrow et al. demonstrated is that when some of these strategies are deployed, it has a small effect on recall. This is not a bad thing to know but it’s not in any way worth over 600 media stories about it. To evaluate this much reduced claim we would have to carefully examine their research methodology and the underlying assumptions which is not what this post is about. It’s about the mistreatment of research results by media hungry academics.
I don’t begrudge Sparrow et al. their 15 minutes of fame. I’m not surprised, dismayed or even disappointed at the link greed of the journalistic herd who fell over themselves to uncritically spread this research fluff. Also, many of the actual articles were quite balanced about the findings but how much of that balance will survive the effect of a mendatiously bombastic headline is anybody’s guess. So all in all it’s business as usual in the popularization of “science” in the “media”. Bohannon, J. (2011). Searching for the Google Effect on People’s Memory Science, 333 (6040), 277-277 DOI: 10.1126/science.333.6040.277
Sparrow, B., Liu, J., & Wegner, D. (2011). Google Effects on Memory: Cognitive Consequences of Having Information at Our Fingertips Science DOI: 10.1126/science.1207745
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The Importance of Being Earnest Quiz | Eight Week Quiz D
Buy The Importance of Being Earnest Lesson Plans
Name: _________________________ Period: ___________________
Multiple Choice Questions
1. What type of sandwich does Algernon take from Lane?
(a) Jam
(b) Tuna
(c) Cucumber
(d) Cheese
2. What is Miss Prism's first name?
(a) Laetitia
(b) Christabel
(c) Eleanor
(d) Samanth
3. What does Cecily do with the scissors?
(a) Scare off Algernon's advances
(b) Prune a bush while Algernon eats
(c) Cut a rose for Algernon
(d) Cut a thread from the hem of her skirts
4. Where do Cecily and Gwendolen depart to when they leave the men?
(a) The hills
(b) The garden
(c) The drawing room
(d) London
5. What does Miss Prism recommend to Chasuble?
(a) That they not walk together anymore
(b) That he take up learning German
(c) That he marry
(d) That he refrain from dairy
Short Answer Questions
1. Where does Algernon suggest dining instead of the Savoy?
2. Why will Cecily not allow Algernon to read her diary?
3. Which of the following is not a condition that Jack and Algernon consider to kill Ernest?
4. What aspect of humanity is Jack sick of?
5. What does Chasuble claim was the reference in his unintentionally romantic comment to Miss Prism?
(see the answer key)
This section contains 196 words
(approx. 1 page at 300 words per page)
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What does HIVE mean?
Definitions for HIVEhaɪv
Here are all the possible meanings and translations of the word HIVE.
Princeton's WordNet
1. hive(noun)
a teeming multitude
2. beehive, hive(noun)
a man-made receptacle that houses a swarm of bees
3. beehive, hive(verb)
a structure that provides a natural habitation for bees; as in a hollow tree
4. hive(verb)
store, like bees
"bees hive honey and pollen"; "He hived lots of information"
5. hive(verb)
move together in a hive or as if in a hive
"The bee swarms are hiving"
6. hive(verb)
gather into a hive
"The beekeeper hived the swarm"
1. hive(Noun)
A structure for housing a swarm of honeybees.
2. hive(Noun)
The bees of one hive; a swarm of bees.
3. hive(Noun)
A place swarming with busy occupants; a crowd.
4. hive(Noun)
A section of the registry.
5. hive(Verb)
To enter or possess a hive.
6. hive(Verb)
To form a hive-like entity.
7. hive(Verb)
To collect into a hive.
8. hive(Verb)
To store in a hive or similarly.
9. Origin: From hyfe, from hyf, from hūfiz (compare Dutch huif ‘beehive’, Danish dialect huv ‘ship's hull’), from kuhₓp- ‘water vessel’ (compare Latin cupa ‘tub, vat’, Ancient Greek κύπη ‘gap, hole’, κύπελλον ‘beaker’, Sanskrit ‘cave’), from ‘to bend, curve’. The computing term was chosen as an in-joke relating to bees; see .
Webster Dictionary
1. Hive(noun)
2. Hive(noun)
the bees of one hive; a swarm of bees
3. Hive(noun)
a place swarming with busy occupants; a crowd
4. Hive(verb)
5. Hive(verb)
6. Hive(verb)
to take shelter or lodgings together; to reside in a collective body
7. Origin: [OE. hive, huve, AS. hfe.]
1. HIVE
HIVE is an abstract game programming library. It is designed to be simple and easy to understand. As of now, it is only for Microsoft Windows and C/C++.
Chambers 20th Century Dictionary
1. Hive
hīv, n. a place where bees live and store up honey, whether artificial or natural: a swarm of bees in a box or basket: any busy company.—v.t. to collect into a hive: to lay up in store.—v.i. to take shelter together: to reside in a body.—ns. Hive′-bee, the common honey-bee; Hiv′er; Hive′-nest, a large nest built and occupied by several pairs of birds in common. [A.S. hýf.]
1. Chaldean Numerology
The numerical value of HIVE in Chaldean Numerology is: 8
2. Pythagorean Numerology
The numerical value of HIVE in Pythagorean Numerology is: 8
Sample Sentences & Example Usage
1. Mike Connor:
If you find a hive, leave it alone.
2. George Lucas:
3. Siddha Nagarjuna:
He who does not attempt to make peace When small discords arise, Is like the bee's hive which leaks drops of honey Soon, the whole hive collapses.
4. Mike Connor:
Our crews were told that a couple kids had been stung but there were so many bees they couldn't get inside the home, basically they just started putting foam on the front of the house. It wasn't a hive, they were swarming.
5. Albert E. Cliffe:
We get new ideas from God every hour of our day when we put our trust in Him -- but we have to follow that inspiration up with perspiration -- we have to work to prove our faith. Remember that the bee that hangs around the hive never gets any honey.
Images & Illustrations of HIVE
Translations for HIVE
From our Multilingual Translation Dictionary
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Urology Services
The lithotripsy machine generates waves of turbulence or pressure in the air. These can be passed through the body and will shatter urinary stones into tiny fragments that can easily be passed in the urine.
A lithotripsy procedure may be necessary to treat a stone or group of stones in your urinary tract.
These stones may lie in the kidney or in the tube (ureter) that brings the urine from the kidney to the bladder. Stones are made from various materials that crystallise out of solution. They start as tiny grains and grow to become visible on the x-ray and cause you symptoms, such as pain, infection or blood in the urine.
You can get more details about lithotripsy at the Newcastle Urology website.
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Montgolfier, 1783 – Invention Of The Hot-air Balloon – Wills’s Aviation #2
Montgolfièr hot-air balloon
Montgolfièr hot-air balloon
History Behind The Card: Montgolfier, 1783 – Invention of the hot-air balloon
Card #2 of 50, W.D.& H.O Wills, Aviation series 1910
• Joseph Michel Montgolfièr, August 26, 1740 in Annonay, France – June 26, 1810, Balaruc-les-Bains, France;
• Jacques Étienne Montgolfièr, January 6, 1745, Annonay, Ardèche, France – August 2, 1799 in Neuchâtel, Switzerland.
Inventors of the first practical balloon, the Montgolfièr brothers first publicly demonstrated the hot air flight on June 4, 1783 in the marketplace at Annonay, France.
As paper mill owners, the brothers were trying to float bags made of paper and fabric, though it is acknowledged that Joseph was the one to first come up with the air. After holding a flame near the opening at the bottom, the bag filled with hot air causing it to float up.
Joseph Montgolfier
Joseph Montgolfier
The brothers believed that they had actually discovered a new type of gas contained within the burning smoke—which they called Montgolfièr gas—that caused the balloon to rise, but in actuality it was plain old air that became more buoyant due to heating.
Wills Aviation Card #2 Reverse Seeing the possibilities, the Montgolfièr’s manufactured a larger balloon—henceforth known as a Montgolfière-style of balloon—that was made of paper lined with silk and demonstrated it on June 4, 1783 flying for 2-kilometers (1.2-miles) for 10 minutes and at an estimated height of 2,000-meters (6,562-feet).
The interior of the balloon held nearly 780-cubic meters (28,000-cubic feet). The balloon itself was constructed of four pieces—a dome and three lateral bands) and held shut via 1,800 buttons, and had a reinforced fishing net covering the outer part of the balloon.
A fire was lit on the ground, and the hot air filled the balloon. For this flight, the fire remained on the ground while the balloon itself rocketed up to an estimated 1.8 kilometers (6,000 feet) and then drifted for about 1.6 kilometers (one mile) before the air in the balloon cooled lowering it to the ground safely.
Man had conquered the air.
Montgolfiere hot-air balloon rises into the air at Versailles, France on September 19, 1783 carrying a sheep, rooster and duck.
On September 19, 1783 in Versailles, France, a Montgolfière balloon carried aloft in a wicker basket cage a sheep, duck and rooster for an eight-minute tethered trip in front of the French King Louis XVI, Marie Antoinette and the rest of the French aristocracy. Why these three animals? It was believed that the sheep was similar in physiology to a human, the duck was a control animal to check effects from the aircraft, and the rooster as an additional control because it was a bird that did not normally fly at high altitudes—as there was concern that the high altitude could affect humans. It turns out they were correct, but at higher altitudes.
This was done to see if balloon flight would be safe for human flight – and since the animals all landed safely – point proven. Incidentally, these animals are the first three aerial passengers in history.
Jacques Montgolfier
Jacques Montgolfier
October 15 of that year Jean-Francois Pilatre de Rozier and Francois Laurent d’Arlandes became the first people to fly in a Montgolfièr balloon over Versailles. They flew alone in the free-flight, untethered balloon for 25 minutes at a height of 910 meters (3,000 feet) above Paris. Although there was more than enough fire/fuel to fly at least four times as long, the fabric of the balloon was being scorched by the flame, and the crew smartly brought the Montgolfièr balloon down safely outside the city.
Thanks to their success, in December of 1983, King Louis XVI elevated the Montgolfièr brother’s father Pierre to the nobility and bestowed the honorary name of ‘de Montgolfièr’.
In later versions of the Montgolfière balloons, fires were carried beneath the envelope, and the fire was continually stoked to keep the balloons aloft.
An interesting fact regarding fuel for the fire was that everything and anything was used, from damp straw to rotten meat, to old boots. Mmmm. Smell the fresh air up there.
I should also note, that a few months before the Montgolfière balloon success, a Mr. Charles, a professor of Natural Philosophy, had released a hydrogen gas-filled balloon from the Champs de Mars in Paris, France.
While no passengers were aboard, some 100,000 people are estimated to have watch it rise and drift nearly 24 kilometers (15 miles) before landing near the Village of Gonesse.
For the folks not expecting such an apparition, it looked as though the Moon had fallen to the Earth, while others thought it was a monster bird from another planet – perhaps one of the earliest cases of a UFO (unidentified flying object).
Here’s an account of what happened after it landed near Gonesse:
“A small crowd gains courage from numbers, and for an hour approaches by gradual steps, hoping, meanwhile, the monster will take flight. Eventually, one bolder than the rest takes his gun, stalks carefully within range, fires and witnesses the monster shrink, and so gives a shout of triumph causing the crowd to rush in with flails and pitchforks. When one tears what he thinks is the monster’s skin, it causes a poisonous stench (the hydrogen gas!), causing the mob to retire. Shame, no doubt, now urges them on, and they tie the monster to a horses tail, causing it to gallop across the countryside tearing it to shreds.”
By December 1, 1783, Charles made a flight of 43.4 kilometers (27 miles) in his now improved gas-filled balloon. The gas was now contained within a sealed bag, released when necessary through a valve providing lift. These balloons were called the Charlières and with the Montgolfière were soon spreading across Europe.
The Wills’s Aviation card fails to denote that there are actually two Montgolfièr brothers. According to the card, a fire was placed inside the balloon to help it maintain its flight – and was probably done right from the first flight. It is not mentioned if either of the Montgolfièr brothers actually flew in their invention.
Because there is no Wills card denoting the exploits of Professor Charles, I have taken the liberty to add that in here.
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Types of Pearl & Pearl Origin
There are many different types of pearl, some rarer than others, before we start differentiating between them lets first understand how pearls are born.
Different Types of Pearl
In other words the creation of a pearl is caused by the protective reaction of an oyster or mussel to the accidental or deliberate introduction of a foreign body into its organism. This reaction starts by the mollusc covering the intruder with epithelial cells which will form a pearl sac around the intruder, which in turn deposit concentric layers of nacre that surround the offending object and slowly form the pearl, layer by layer. If the mollusc does not react in this way it will die. To understand further the origins of pearl formation please refer to this link on What makes a pearl... A PEARL
Different types of Natural Pearl
Extract from a speech delivered by Christianne Douglas to the Gemmological Association of London, on the 22nd April 1998.
ON THE EXTERIOR THERE IS NO DIFFERENCE BETWEEN A NATURAL PEARL AND A CULTURED PEARL. The difference arises from the fact that a natural pearl is formed accidentally and without any human intervention, while a cultured pearl is started by the introduction of an irritant by man, after which the process is continued solely by the metabolism of the living mollusc.
A Classification of the different types of pearl which are easily found are listed below with their position in relation to all other pearls.
Different types of Natural pearl and Cultured pearl
The term natural pearl implies that it is formed accidentally without any human intervention.
Natural Pearls Classification
La Peregrina Natural Pearls worn by Elizabeth Taylor
Occur when a piece of shell, coral, bone or a large piece of grit hooks into the flesh of the oyster, it breaks the surface of the epithelial cells and carries with it epithelial or nacre producing cells. The oyster tries to expel the intruder but if it is unable to dislodge the irritant this foreign body will start the formation of a pearl. A grain of sand is hardly ever involved in the production of a natural pearl as the oyster lives in sand and can easily expel it. Elisabeth Strack an eminent pearl specialist of our day discovered another way in which a natural pearl can be formed, refer to the diagram shown, if the epithelial cells covering of the mantle is broken and these crucial nacre making cells travel as a group into the mantle, this in turn will form a pearl sac and a natural pearl will be born.
Epithelial Cells in the Mantle Elisabeth Strack
The most famous exponent of seawater natural pearls is La Peregrina a drop shape natural pearl which was discovered in the Americas, it was given by Phillip II of Spain to Mary Tudor as a wedding gift. On her death it returned to Spain and was taken to France. Prince Louis Napoleon sold it to the marquis of Abercorn in 1837, the marquis’s son, drilled La Peregrina and recorded its exact weight, 10.192 grams [ over 50 carats in weight]. When, in 1969, Elizabeth Taylor bought a pearl reputed to be the Peregrina for $37,000, its authenticity was challenged. However, due to the exact record of its weight being kept, experts were able to confirm that it was indeed the famous pearl. It was recently sold again by Christies Auction House, for 10 million dollars plus saleroom fees! Goes to show what celebrity status can do for a pearl combined with a market hungry for status.
Natural Oyster Blister Pearls
Can be started by a parasite like a crab that settles in the shell, a worm that drills through the oyster shell and dies, or larva that obstructs a duct within the shell becomes infected and is then covered with the epithelial cells that protect the mollusc. These pearls have a flat surface on one side because they have been grown on the inside of the shell.
Natural Oyster seed pearls
Are 2mm or less in diameter. In this category we also find dust pearls which, as the name implies, are tiny and are considered too small for jewellery use.
Is a natural pearl which occurs within a cultured oyster host i.e. in a cultured pearl farm, or when the graft and nucleus in a cultured pearl fail to attach to each other; the oyster rejects the nucleus and the graft tissue forms a pearl sac and secretes nacre layers. The term Keshi in Japanese means seed, these pearls are almost always baroque in shape. Although a Keshi could well be a natural pearl in composition, it must always be described as Keshi, because it grows in a cultured oyster.
Natural Freshwater Pearls
The term natural freshwater pearl implies that the freshwater pearl is formed accidentally without any human intervention in a pearl bearing mussel or mulette. Famous natural pearls have come from Scottish, European and American rivers; like the Queen Pearl and the Abernethy Pearl.
Natural Freshwater pearls
Are formed when a small stone or a calcareous concretion lodges in the pearl bearing mussel and starts the formation of a pearl; these pearls have rounded surfaces although they can be of many different shapes. Their colours can be among others white, soft pink, mauve, heather, brown and pale grey.
Natural freshwater blister pearls
Have a flat surface on one side of the pearl and are accidentally formed in a pearl bearing mussel.
natural freshwater seed pearls
Are 2mm in diameter or less and have occurred accidentally in a pearl bearing mussel.
The term cultured pearl implies that a technician implants into a pearl bearing mollusc an irritant which must include a graft made from epithelial cells found in the mantle tissue of a donor mollusc. The graft forms a pearl sac and within this sac the mollusc will secrete layers of nacre to cover the irritant. It is important to bear in mind that after the irritant has been introduced the process is continued solely by the metabolism of the living mollusc. The pearl farmer has no control over what these pearl bearing molluscs will produce in size, shape, colour, or even whether they will produce a pearl at all. Each pearl is truly individual.
Cultured Pearl Classification
Different types of cultured pearls
Begin when a technician implants into the pearl bearing oyster a nucleus made of mother of pearl or resin with an epithelial cell graft that has come from the mantle tissue of a donor oyster. The graft covers the nucleus forming a pearl sac which is rather like a placenta; this sac secretes layers of nacre to cover the nucleus that it is enveloping, layer by layer eventually forming a pearl, the nucleus turns freely within the pearl sac. Because these pearls have a nucleus as an irritant they are termed nucleated. Cultured oyster pearls are normally harvested in the colder months when the nacre layers are thinner and hence the lustre will usually be at its best. Generally each oyster produces only one pearl, which means the oysters are looked after very carefully in a farm; predators like starfish are kept at bay, each oyster is checked and scrubbed at least three times a year.
Success ratio of pearl cultivation
The following diagram gives an idea of the success rate of oyster pearl cultivation, Out of 1000 cultured oyster hosts:
• 50% die or eject nucleus.
• 25% produce pearls of marketable quality.
• 20% are rejected pearls.
• Only 5 % produce top quality pearls.
Cultured South Sea Pearls
Are mainly 9-16mm in diameter although they can be well over 20mm; the nucleus is a mother of pearl bead and the nacre can start from 1mm and is usually 2.5mm thick. South Sea pearls are produced in White lipped, Silver lipped and Gold lipped oysters that inhabit the waters of Australia, New Guinea, the Philippines, Indonesia and Burma. The Shell hosts can be as large as 12 inches across and produce pearls whose nacre is coloured according to the mother of pearl coloration of its hosts shell, so white and silver lipped oysters birth pearls that are mainly white in colour with a range of overtones from silver to pale pink, whereas gold lipped oysters will create pearls that go from a light gold hue to a deep orange gold hue.
Cultured Tahitian pearls
Are mainly 8-18mm in diameter although they can grow to 21mm. The nucleus is a resin or mother of pearl bead. The nacre thickness of a cultured Tahitian pearl starts at .9mm and usually has a 2.5mm nacre thickness. They grow in the Black lipped oyster which produces black pigment and are found in the surrounding area of the archipelago of French Polynesia, Panama and Mexico. Their colours are naturally dark and range from grey to black and peacock green to aubergine; however, they can sometimes be very light in colour from white to yellow and pink all of which have grey overtones.
Cultured oyster blister pearl
Range in size from 4-10mm. These pearls have been cultured on the inside of the shell and consequently have a small flat area where they were attached to the shell. Please refer to the diagram below. Blister pearls are mainly used for earrings and brooches.
Blister pearl production
Cultured Mabe pearl or composite pearl
Composite Pearls are normally found in sizes from 11mm to 17mm. Mabe pearls are cultivated by attaching a mother of pearl half sphere to the shell itself. Nacre is built up on to this half sphere which is later cut out of the shell, the original dome shaper is removed, the fragile empty half sphere is cleaned with diluted hydrochloric acid, then filled in with resin and a mother of pearl half bead and stopper. The amount of interference by man that goes into strengthening the Mabe pearl gives rise to its other description of Composite pearl. The nacre layers in a Mabe pearl are horizontal as in mother of pearl and not concentric as in a true pearl . See Diagram below, Mabe pearls are used for earrings and brooches or pins.
Mabe Pearl or Composite pearl production
Akoya Pearl strands
Range in size from 3mm to 10mm and on rare occasions can be 10.5mm in diameter. Akoya pearls start life when a technician implants a spherical resin or mother of pearl nucleus into the pearl bearing oyster alongside an epithelial cell graft that has come from the mantle tissue of a donor oyster. The graft forms a pearl sac around the resin or mother of pearl implant within which layers of nacre are secreted to cover the nucleus. Akoya pearl bearing oysters must be three years old before they are able to host a pearl successfully and their life expectancy is only seven years. Mikimoto, who was the first to cultivate pearls extensively, recommended that the irritant should be left in the host oyster for three years. At present the accepted time is 1 ½ years, which results in a good 0.5mm coating as seen in the halved pearl pictured on the left. Sadly economic pressures mean that in some cases the irritant is left in the oyster for only six months leaving a nacre coat so thin that the pearl blinks when rolled on a flat white surface, allowing us to see the mother of pearl bead within.
The nacre of Akoya pearl bearing oysters is naturally found in shades of pale bluish grey, hence the pearls from these oysters are normally born in pale blue, deep blue or pale blue/grey colours. Although these colours are rarely found for sale in the market, this is due to the fact that for decades Akoya pearls have been bleached and /or pinked to render them the pale colours that we have grown used to seeing. Bear in mind that the first cultured Akoya pearls were considered “fake natural pearls” and had to imitate as best they could the colours normally found in natural pearls which ranged from white with pink overtones to pale gold pearls. Cultured Akoya pearls nowadays are generally found in all shades of white from very pure white through pale pink to golden tones.
cultured keshi pearl strands
Is a natural pearl which occurs within a cultured oyster host i.e. in a cultured pearl farm, or when the graft and nucleus in a cultured pearl fail to attach to each other, the oyster rejects the nucleus but retains the graft tissue which forms a pearl sac, the graft tissue begins secreting nacre layers to form a pearl. These pearls are almost always baroque in shape. Although a Keshi could well be a natural pearl in composition, it must always be described as Keshi because it grows in a cultured oyster.
Cultured oyster Seed pearls
They are 2mm in diameter or less and have grown in a cultured pearl bearing oyster.
Are produced in a mussel as opposed to an oyster. The production of nacre is triggered by the insertion of a piece of mantle tissue that contains epithelial cells from a donor mussel; the graft forms a pearl sac which in turn starts the nacre production. These pearls in general have no bead as a nucleus and are therefore termed non-nucleated. When we x-ray a freshwater pearl it shows solid nacre layers and a very small empty cavity at the centre. This cavity originally held the irritant piece of mantle, which has by Freshwater cultured pearls otherwise known as Biwa pearls or Sankaku Pearlsnow dried up, decomposed and disappeared. In recent years some cultured freshwater pearls that have a nucleus have come onto the market, they are termed potato pearls. To form these almost rounds freshwater pearls they farmers have harvested the pearls halfway through their growth term, the harvested pearl is placed in a tumbling machine to render it spherical, then this rounded freshwater pearl nucleus is re-inserted into the mussel which accepts this pearl bead as its own production and proceeds to coat this rounded pearl with more layers of nacre in a almost spherical shape, very akin to a new potato shape, hence their very unflattering commercial name of potato pearl..
Freshwater pearls are found under the thick mantle of both sides of the shell and not in the main body of the mussel; it’s creation is therefore less intrusive to the creature. Some mussels live to be over a hundred years old as in Scotland; the mussels most widely used today for culturing purposes have a life expectancy of 30 years, they await their third birthday before they can host pearl production and are then able to produce up to three generations of pearls before being discarded at the age of 18. Their shells are returned to the water to provide calcium for future generations.
The size of freshwater pearls is purely determined by the amount of time that the pearls spend in the water; the longer they stay in the water the bigger the pearl will become. Each mussel can produce up to 10 to 40 pearls each generation; during the harvest all pearls are removed from the pearl sac leaving the sac in place and able to heal itself and produce future generations. The main producer of cultured freshwater pearls is China, as it has the technology to produce and improve pearls and labour costs are very low.
Cultured lake pearls also known as biwa pearls or Sankaku pearls
These pearls, cultured in the Kurasu mussel, are shaped like a grain of rice with a surface of wrinkled appearance. They were extensively cultured in China and flooded the market in the 1980’s. Otherwise known as Rice Crispy pearls, they were normally found in white or cream shades, but at one point they were dyed in bright, sometimes almost fluorescent, colours.
Cultured freshwater seed pearls
Also known as BIWA PEARLS were first cultured in Lake Biwa, Japan, in the 1930’s. Their size depends on how long the pearl has been growing in the water. The characteristic smooth skin and deep lustre of Biwa pearls makes them instantly appealing to the eye. They come in a variety of rich natural colours that range from white through cream to apricot, from heather or mauve to pale pink and from brown/copper to pale grey. Biwa pearls come in a variety of shapes as the irritant is a piece of tissue that can be cut into several different forms; they range from long strips, to round flat beads, from oval pearls to fantastic shapes that look like crosses, dogs and mythical dragons. Recently it has been possible to find almost perfectly round spheres; it is also possible to find these pearls in a variety of dark shades, having been treated or dyed in such a way that the colour is permanent.
Are found alongside other freshwater pearls in cultured freshwater mussels and are 2mm or less in diameter.
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Heat and temperature
1. Feb 8, 2004 #1
I'm stuck on a few problems that I was assigned for homework. Not sure if someone can help me with these...
1) Blood can carry excess energy from the interior to the surface of the body, where the energy is dispersed in a number of ways. While a person is exercising, 0.645 kg of blood flows to the surface of the body and releases 1860 J of energy. The blood arriving at the surface has the temperature of the body interior, 37.3 °C. Assuming that blood has the same specific heat capacity as water, determine the temperature in degrees Celsius of the blood that leaves the surface and returns to the interior.
2) If the price of electrical energy is 0.174 dollars per kilo-watt hour, what is the dollar cost of using electrical energy to heat the water in a swimming pool (13.3 m x 11.3 m x 1.93 m) from 11.3 to 26.9 °C?
I know that the amount of heat needed to heat the water is 2.3x10^7 J and that one kilowatt per hour = 3.60x10^6 J. Which means that the number of kilowatthours of energy used to heat the water is 6.4 kwH. Just not sure what equation to use for the size of the swimming pool and the temp difference
3) When resting, a person has a metabolic rate of about 2.34 x 105 joules per hour. The person is submerged neck-deep into a tub containing 1.81 x 103 kg of water at 26.8 °C. If the heat from the person goes only into the water, find the water temperature in degrees Celsius after half an hour.
2. jcsd
3. Feb 8, 2004 #2
Ahhhh forget number 2...I think I know where I went wrong there. Copied down the wrong numbers.
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Cool Art Therapy Intervention #1 is not really a technique or method, but the essence of what makes art therapists different from other helping professionals who use art as form of treatment. It's called the "third hand" and to me, it's art therapy's version of mindfulness, insight and empathy. By definition, it's an overarching way of thinking about intervention that describes how art therapists apply their artistic competence and imagination in service of others.
Edith Kramer, a renowned US art therapist, artist and author, is credited with coining the term "third hand," an idea central to her approach to art as therapy. To Kramer, art therapy's purpose is to enable the individual to create visual images that eloquently and truthfully communicate experience, and to the best of the person's abilities. Kramer's stance echoes psychoanalyst Theodore Reik's Listening with the Third Ear, a treatise describing how psychotherapists intuitively use their own unconscious minds to decipher and understand their clients.
While it might seem that a "third eye" for seeing the metaphors, symbols, and meta-messages in art expressions would be enough, the practice of art therapy goes much deeper. An effective art therapist must have a command of the third hand to enhance a client's creativity without being intrusive, imposing one's own style or artistic values, and misinterpreting meanings found in images. Ultimately, the responses of the therapist to a client's process of art making reflects and supports that client's worldview, creative potential, and ability to use art for reparation and recovery.
Here's an explanation of third hand intervention in its simplest form. When working with a child client, I might develop a drawing for the child to finish as a way of establishing a relationship or communication. In another situation, I might save a child's clay figure from falling apart by showing the child how to reinforce the legs or armature. Sometimes an art therapist literally becomes the hands for an individual; an adult with a debilitating medical illness may need me to help cut and arrange photos for a collage. Other times, I might make art during the session along side a client if it is therapeutically helpful or I might even communicate something non-verbally through an art expression rather than use words.
Most importantly, an art therapist's third hand perceives and capitalizes on appropriate metaphors via art-based interventions to help clients. I am reminded of a couples art therapy session facilitated by art therapist and family therapist Shirley Riley, a master of therapeutic metaphor via imagery. The couple came to Riley for help with their marriage; they had decided that their age difference was insurmountable because the wife was eight years older than the husband. In response, Riley went along with their belief, but also asked that they each bring a copy of their birth certificates to the next session. At that point she suggested that they cut up the copies and colloboratively create a collage incorporating the pieces. In brief, the couple realized that they could not change the age gap, but the process of cutting up the certificates and making a collage together from the pieces gave them a new vision for what worked in their relationship rather than what could not be changed. It was the perfect "third hand" metaphor to get them to re-story their relationship and recommit to their marriage.
Edith Kramer
Edith Kramer
To me, what Kramer calls the "third hand" in art therapy echoes what physician and neuroscience guru Dan Siegel speaks of as "mindsight," a capacity for insight (knowing what one feels) and empathy (knowing what others feel). Trauma expert Bruce Perry uses the term "attunement," the ability to be able to read the non-verbal communication and rhythms of others. In other words, it is perceiving not only what individuals say, but also attending to eye signals, facial gestures, tone of voice, and even breathing rate; in art therapy, it also means attending to the content of images and creative process. If this all sounds incredibly intuitive, to some extent it is; on the other hand, it is the mindful focus essential to achieving the magical moments of success in any form of therapy.
As I said at the start of the Top Ten Coolest Art Therapy Interventions, all helping professionals know that no one intervention can be applied to all clients or all situations. That is the daily challenge of our work, to use our third hand, mindsight, empathy, attunement or whatever you choose to call it to facilitate change, insight, and well-being in those we encounter. And "third hands" down (pun intended), it's definitely the "coolest" part of my work as an art therapist.
© 2010 Cathy Malchiodi, PhD, LPCC, LPAT
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Wheat yellow (stripe) rust caused by Puccinia striiformis f. sp. tritici (PST) is one of the most devastating diseases of wheat worldwide. To design effective breeding strategies that maximize the potential for durable disease resistance it is important to understand the molecular basis of PST pathogenicity. In particular, the characterisation of the(More)
Nuclei of arbuscular endomycorrhizal fungi have been described as highly diverse due to their asexual nature and absence of a single cell stage with only one nucleus. This has raised fundamental questions concerning speciation, selection and transmission of the genetic make-up to next generations. Although this concept has become textbook knowledge, it is(More)
Rust fungi are obligate biotrophic pathogens that cause considerable damage on crop plants. Puccinia graminis f. sp. tritici, the causal agent of wheat stem rust, and Melampsora larici-populina, the poplar leaf rust pathogen, have strong deleterious impacts on wheat and poplar wood production, respectively. Filamentous pathogens such as rust fungi secrete(More)
Rust fungi cause serious yield reductions on crops, including wheat, barley, soybean, coffee, and represent real threats to global food security. Of these fungi, the flax rust pathogen Melampsora lini has been developed most extensively over the past 80 years as a model to understand the molecular mechanisms that underpin pathogenesis. During infection, M.(More)
Every plant is closely associated with a variety of living organisms. Therefore, deciphering how plants interact with mutualistic and parasitic organisms is essential for a comprehensive understanding of the biology of plants. The field of plant-biotic interactions has recently coalesced around an integrated model. Major classes of molecular players both(More)
Emerging and re-emerging pathogens imperil public health and global food security. Responding to these threats requires improved surveillance and diagnostic systems. Despite their potential, genomic tools have not been readily applied to emerging or re-emerging plant pathogens such as the wheat yellow (stripe) rust pathogen Puccinia striiformis f. sp.(More)
Ash dieback is a devastating fungal disease of ash trees that has swept across Europe and recently reached the UK. This emergent pathogen has received little study in the past and its effect threatens to overwhelm the ash population. In response to this we have produced some initial genomics datasets and taken the unusual step of releasing them to the(More)
Parasite effector proteins target various host cell compartments to alter host processes and promote infection. How effectors cross membrane-rich interfaces to reach these compartments is a major question in effector biology. Growing evidence suggests that effectors use molecular mimicry to subvert host cell machinery for protein sorting. We recently(More)
In 2013, in response to an epidemic of ash dieback disease in England the previous year, we launched a Facebook-based game called Fraxinus to enable non-scientists to contribute to genomics studies of the pathogen that causes the disease and the ash trees that are devastated by it. Over a period of 51 weeks players were able to match computational(More)
Understanding how plants and pathogens modulate gene expression during the host-pathogen interaction is key to uncovering the molecular mechanisms that regulate disease progression. Recent advances in sequencing technologies have provided new opportunities to decode the complexity of such interactions. In this study, we used an RNA-based sequencing approach(More) |
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April 19, 2017: China has a serious problem in Tibet with altitude sickness among its troops and has had to bring in large quantities of special equipment to deal with it. This is mainly about coping when a lot more troops are brought in for an emergency like a major rebellion among the ethnic Tibetans or, more likely, a buildup for an invasion of adjacent Indian territory that is at a lower altitude. That means the Indian troops defending don’t have to worry about altitude sickness but the invading Chinese do, at least until the Chinese get down from the highlands.
To help Chinese troops cope troops new units arriving in Tibet will be able to rely on 165 oxygen generation stations, eight hyperbaric oxygen chambers (for dealing with severe cases), 12 mobile (on trucks) oxygen supply systems, nearly 5,000 small oxygen generators and nearly 7,000 oxygen cylinders that can be distributed as needed and refilled. Troops in the field will have access to a few minutes of oxygen as needed and for troops at bases bedside oxygen masks can also be provided. The Chinese Army is testing the distribution and use of all this equipment as troops arrive from the lowlands for training exercises in Tibet.
Altitude sickness occurs when people who grew up near sea level (most of the world's population) move to altitudes greater than 2,100 meters (7,000 feet). Below that, the air contains 21 percent oxygen. Above that, the percentage of oxygen declines, and that produces shortness of breath, disorientation, nosebleeds, nausea, dehydration, difficulty sleeping and eating, headaches and, if you stay up there long enough, chronic and long term disability. The average altitude of Tibet is 4,100 meters (14,000 feet).
What hurts you the most is the lower air pressure at higher altitudes, which means your lungs transport less oxygen to your blood. Most people can adapt, sort of. Some can't. But the Tibetans have evolved to deal with it. The majority of Chinese soldiers coming to the Tibetan highlands (which is most of Tibet) require a few days, or weeks, to acclimate. But they are still susceptible to altitude sickness if they exert themselves, especially for extended periods. This makes the troops much less effective. If a lot of troops are brought in and promptly sent into action there will be more troops suffering from altitude sickness.
Researchers recently discovered that most Tibetans evolved in the last 3-6,000 years to deal with this problem. It appears that the most of the people moving to, and staying in, highland Tibet, where those with the rare genes that made them resistant to altitude sickness. These people became the dominant population in Tibet, mainly because they were healthier at high altitudes. Nearly all Tibetans have this gene (which controls how their red blood cells operate, to maintain sufficient oxygen levels) while very few lowland Chinese do.
For nearly a decade now the Chinese military has been spending a lot of time, effort and money trying to solve this problem. Currently, most of the troops in the Chinese Chengdu Military Region are in the eastern, lowland half. In the western portion (Tibet), they station the 52nd and 53d Mountain Brigades, and struggle to keep these 5,000 troops fit for duty. If there's an emergency, as there was in 2008, the nearby 13th and 14th Group Armies can send troops from their lowland bases. Over 20 percent of these troops will be hampered by altitude sickness once they reach the highlands, and commanders are trained to deal with that. The new oxygen equipment program is designed to deal with that.
By 2010 Chinese troops operating at the highest altitudes (4,500 meters, on the Indian border) had access to exercise rooms (one of 1,000 square meters and another of 3,000 square meters) that are supplied with an oxygen enriched atmosphere. Troops exercising in these rooms increase the oxygen in the blood, and are much less likely to get hit with a case of altitude sickness. Thus the troops can stay in shape without getting sick. For border patrols at high altitudes, troops usually carry oxygen bottles and breathing masks.
So far, the Chinese have only been able to limit the attrition from altitude sickness, not eliminate it especially when it involves a lot of troops arriving for an emergency.
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Custom Feed - The BioLogos Forum;tags-topics=59,100&tags-format=82&sort_by=newest&utm_source=RSS_Feed&utm_medium=RSS&utm_campaign=RSS_Syndication This is a custom feed of BioLogos resources. Make a new feed at en Copyright 2014 BioLogos 2014-12-20T23:21:30-08:00 Custom Feed - The BioLogos Forum;tags-topics=59,100&tags-format=82&sort_by=newest&utm_source=RSS_Feed&utm_medium=RSS&utm_campaign=RSS_Syndication How was the Genesis account of creation interpreted before Darwin?;utm_medium=RSS&utm_campaign=RSS_Syndication;utm_medium=RSS&utm_campaign=RSS_Syndication Given the stark difference between evolution and six-day creation, many people assume that Darwin’s theory shook the foundations of the Christian faith. In truth, the literal six-day interpretation of Genesis 1-2 was not the only perspective held by Christians prior to modern science. St. Augustine (354-430), John Calvin (1509-1564), John Wesley (1703-1791), and others supported the idea of Accommodation. In the Accommodation view, Genesis 1-2 was written in a simple allegorical fashion to make it easy for people of that time to understand. In fact, Augustine suggested that the 6 days of Genesis 1 describe a single day of creation. St. Thomas Aquinas (1225-1274) argued that God did not create things in their final state, but created them to have potential to develop as he intended. The views of these and other Christian leaders are consistent with God creating life by means of evolution. Introduction
Early Christian Thought
Later Christian Thought
Augustine offers this advice:
Tue, 14 Apr 2009 22:06:03 -0700
The First Christian Response to Origin of Species in America
Early Theological Concerns with Evolution
Rise of Young Earth Creationism
Wed, 11 Mar 2009 16:24:42 -0700
The BioLogos view holds that both Scripture and modern science reveal God’s truth, and that these truths are not in competition with one another. While there are varying views within the BioLogos community of how to reconcile the truths of science and Scripture on particular issues (for example with regards to a historical Adam1), we believe that the Bible is the divinely inspired and authoritative Word of God. BioLogos accepts the modern scientific consensus on the age of the earth and common ancestry, including the common ancestry of humans.
Because the term evolution is sometimes associated with atheism, a better term for the belief in a God who chose to create the world by way of evolution is BioLogos. BioLogos comes from the Greek words bios (life) and logos (word), referring to John 1:1: “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.”
Intelligent Design
Contrary to some interpretations, Intelligent Design, or ID, makes no specific theological claims. Instead, proponents of ID argue that “certain features of the universe and of living things are best explained by an intelligent cause, not an undirected process such as natural selection,"2 and that the existence of this intelligent cause is a testable scientific hypothesis. Furthermore, ID theorists attempt to show that intelligent causation is the best explanation for certain phenomena such as irreducibly complex systems (e.g. bacterial flagella) and the complex specified information in DNA.
Those who hold the BioLogos view also believe in intelligent causation. The universe and all that is in it has been created and is being sustained by God:
…in [Christ] all things in heaven and earth were created, things visible and invisible…all things were created through him and by him. He himself is before all things, and in him all things hold together. (Col 1:16,17 NRSV).
BioLogos differs from the ID movement in that we have no discomfort with mainstream science. Natural selection as described by Charles Darwin is not contrary to theism. Similarly, we are content to let modern evolutionary biology inform us about the mechanisms of creation with the full realization that all that has happened occurs through God’s activity. We celebrate creation as fully God’s. We marvel at its beauty and are in awe that we have the privilege of experiencing it.
To summarize, BioLogos differs from the ID movement in three respects:
1. We are skeptical about the ability of biological science to prove the existence of an Intelligent Designer (whom we take to be the God of the Bible), while ID advocates are confident.
2. We find unconvincing those attempts by ID theorists to scientifically confirm God’s activity in natural history, while ID theorists believe they have sufficiently demonstrated it.
3. We see no biblical reason to view natural processes (including natural selection) as having removed God from the process of creation. It is all God’s and it is all intelligently designed. Those in the ID movement for the most part reject some or all of the major conclusions of evolutionary theory.
BioLogos affirms that the earth and the universe were created. Creationism, however, generally refers to the belief that life on earth is a result of a direct flurry of supernatural intervention in a manner that is concordant with a highly literal view of Genesis 1-3. There are two main varieties of Creationists, those who believe the earth is young and those who believe it is old.
Young Earth Creationists (YECs) hold that the earth is between 6,000 and 10,000 years old, a figure derived from the genealogies presented in the Bible. YECs believe the most faithful way to read Scripture is through the lens of a literal six-day creation as presented in the first chapter of Genesis, and they further believe that a literal worldwide flood as depicted in Genesis 6-9 is responsible for geological features of the earth and the fossil record. YECs also reject the common ancestry of all species, believing that life was created as it presently appears by supernatural action. They view “macro-evolution” (as distinct from within-kind or within-species “micro-evolution”) as incompatible with Scripture and some even argue that it is a direct threat to Christianity.
BioLogos disagrees with the YEC viewpoint. This view rejects the discoveries of almost every modern scientific discipline to arrive at its conclusions and overlooks the revelation of God’s work in creation as uncovered by science. We also maintain that the YEC viewpoint stems from a particular interpretation of Genesis that ignores the rich cultural and theological context in which it was written.
Old Earth Creationists (OECs) accept that the earth and universe are billions of years old, but maintain that these findings are in concordance with a literal reading of the first chapters of Genesis (often by interpreting the days of creation as long periods of time, or by understanding large gaps between the days of creation). OECs hold that modern science tightly corresponds with biblical accounts and assume that God included modern scientific ideas in the Bible, sometimes through secret language that would have been lost on the original audiences. OECs do not accept macro-evolution and the common ancestry of all life forms.
BioLogos disagrees with the OEC viewpoint. While accepting the scientific consensus for an old earth, this view rejects the findings of modern genetics, paleontology, developmental biology, evolutionary biology and many other biological sub-disciplines that make little sense apart from macro-evolution and common ancestry. Furthermore, we believe that God chose to reveal himself within the worldview, culture, and language of the biblical authors.
Where Christians Agree
Despite these differences, all Christians agree that the God of the Bible is the creator of the heavens and the earth. We agree on the authority of the Bible, even though we disagree on the best interpretation of particular passages. We agree that God is continually active in his sovereign governance of the universe, even though we disagree on how much God acts through natural law versus miracles. We are unified in our rejection of evolutionism, even though we use different strategies to counteract it (some reject the science of evolution, while BioLogos rejects the atheistic spin put on the science). We agree on the fundamentals of our faith: that all people have sinned and that salvation comes only through the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. We agree that the God of our salvation is the same God we see in the wonders of his creation. Whether we ponder the intricacy of DNA, the beauty of a dolphin, or the vastness of the Milky Way, we can lift our hearts together in praise to the divine Artist who made it all.
Mon, 23 Feb 2009 19:15:19 -0800 |
Memory Alpha
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Revision as of 17:07, December 3, 2012 by Renegade54 (Talk | contribs)
Barzan Wormhole
Alpha Quadrant aperture of the Barzan wormhole (2366)
Barzan Wormhole in the Delta Quadrant
Delta Quadrant aperture of the Barzan wormhole (2373)
A wormhole is a "tunnel" connecting two separate points in space-time. It consists of two apertures in space-time connected by a conduit outside normal space, through subspace. Since this conduit is shorter than the distance between the two points in normal space, it allows rapid travel between the two points.
If a wormhole is large and stable enough, a starship (or other traveler) could travel through it. A wormhole could also connect two different points in time as well. As wormholes collapse, they become smaller and are known as micro-wormholes. (VOY: "Eye of the Needle")
Before knowing where the Harry Kim wormhole ended, Tuvok stated that there was a 75% chance that it didn't lead to the Alpha Quadrant. It may thus be concluded that wormholes never leave the Milky Way, or that the location of a wormhole's terminus can be readily determined within the galaxy but not more precisely. (VOY: "Eye of the Needle")
Natural wormholes
Artificial wormholes
Bajoran wormhole
The Bajoran wormhole
Artificial wormhole
An artificial wormhole opened in 2372
USS Enterprise caught in artificial wormhole
Wormhole distortion
Warp engine imbalances have also been known to create wormholes, as happened to the USS Enterprise in 2273. While attempting to intercept an unknown alien en route to Earth, Captain Kirk ordered warp drive utilized before proper simulations had been completed, causing the Enterprise to become trapped in a wormhole for a brief period of time. (Star Trek: The Motion Picture)
The apparent dissimilarity between the wormhole featured in Star Trek: The Motion Picture and other wormholes featured in subsequent episodes was somewhat explained in VOY: "Counterpoint" as Torat claims that the term "wormhole" is a layman's term that covers any number of phenomena.
List of wormholes
See also
External link
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Scientists: Alien Genes in Human DNA & Extraterrestrial Abilities to Modify DNA
I. Scientists Found Extraterrestrial Genes in Human DNA; II. Russian Scientists: Extraterrestrial A...
I. Scientists Found Extraterrestrial Genes in Human DNA;
II. Russian Scientists: Extraterrestrial Abilities to Modify DNA;
Very likely in an apparent rush, the "extraterrestrial programmers" may have cut down drastically on big code and delivered basic program intended for Earth." Professor Chang is only one of many scientists and other researchers who have discovered extraterrestrial origins to Humanity.
Human Genome Project Discovery Implications associated with "Human-looking Extraterrestrials"
The implications of these scientific finds would reinforce claims by other scientists and observers of having contact with 'off-world' human looking extraterrestrials.
The 'off-world' human looking extraterrestrial have been claimed to have provided some of the genetic material for human evolution, and that many of these extraterrestrials have allowed some of their personnel to incarnate as 'star seeds' on Earth in human families.
These "star seeds", "star children" or "star people" are described by Brad and Francie Steiger as individuals whose 'souls' were formally incarnated on the worlds of other star systems and then traveled to Earth and decided to incarnate here in order to "boost" the spiritual evolutionary development of humanity.
Most of humanity would consider this group of extraterrestrials to be 'benevolent' as described by 'contactees' such as George Adamski, Orfeo Angelucci, George Van Tassell, Howard Menger, Paul Villa, Billy Meier and Alex Collier who each explain the nature of their voluntary interactions with these human looking extraterrestrials.
These "contactees" often provide physical evidence in the form of photographs, film and/or witnesses of their contacts with extraterrestrial races. The most extensively documented and researched contactee is Eduard 'Billy' Meier who provided much physical evidence for investigators.
Representations concerning 'Ancient astronauts'
Indeed, 'ancient astronaut' writers believe that a race of intelligent extraterrestrial beings visited and/or colonized Earth in the remote past, whereupon they upgraded the primitive hominid Homo Erectus by means of genetic engineering to create the human race as we know it: Homo Sapiens.
Homo sapiens is thus regarded as a hybrid being, incorporating a mix of terrestrial genes from Homo erectus and extraterrestrial genes from an ascribed "race of the gods". Prior to the modern age of space travel and genetics, this theory for the origins of humankind could not have been conceived. And even now, in the 21st century, there are many people who would regard it as science fiction.
Representation by academics from "Exopolitics" groups
Dr. Micheal E. Salla is one of the founders of an Exopolitics movement which seeks an open and informed dialogue on, and with, Extraterrestrials, toward the affirmation of "global democracy" and the quality-of-living of humankind as socially responsible beings in the Universe. Dr. Salla indicates that "There are an extensive number of extraterrestrial races known [by various research institutions and agencies] to be currently interacting with Earth and the human population.
During his professional academic career, he was best known for organizing a series of citizen diplomacy initiatives for the East Timor conflict funded by U.S. Institute of Peace and the Ford Foundation. He is also the Founder of the Exopolitics Institute ; and Chief Editor of the 'Exopolitics Journal' and Convener of the "Extraterrestrial Civilizations and World Peace Conference."
In a 1998 interview, Clifford Stone, a retired U.S. army Sergeant who served in the U.S. Army for 22 years and allegedly participated in operations to retrieve crashed extraterrestrial ships and extraterrestrial biological entities (EBE's), revealed there were a variety of extraterrestrial races known [by various institutions and agencies]".
Dr. Salla further elaborates that "The most compelling testimonies on the different extraterrestrial races comes from 'whistleblowers' such as Sergeant Stone; and also 'contactees' who have had direct physical contact with extraterrestrials and communicated with them."
Dr. Salla further notes that Master Sergeant Bob Dean had a twenty seven year distinguished career in very senior areas of the military indicates that among the know extraterrestrials one group "looked so much like us they could sit next to you on a plane or in a restaurant and you'd never know the difference."
Apparently "Human extraterrestrial races can easily integrate with human society in the manner described by Dean and others where they can be indistinguishable from the rest of humanity." Dr. Salla corroborates.
According to Alex Collier who claims to be a "contactee", "a variety of extraterrestrial races have provided genetic material for the 'human experiment'. " Alex Collier indicates that "Earth humans" are "a product of extraterrestrial genetic manipulation, and are possessors of a vast gene pool consisting of many different racial memory banks, also consisting of at least 22 different races."
Alex Collier further claims that constituents of "Human ETs" seek to "ensure that global humanity evolves in a responsible way without endangering both itself and the greater galactic community of which it is part. " Exopolitics groups and independent contactees also indicate that constituents of "Human ETs" seek to "uplift human consciousness and to promote the unity of religion."
Alex Colliers alleged contact with ETs suggest that fundamentalist messages in from Christianity to Judaism to Islam, and other institutionalized religions, as well as outright apparent 'cult' groups, have been specifically placed by "hostile elements" to manipulate and control humankind.
Jesus, who many groups allege was a "Human ET" sought to inspire the social consciousness of humankind toward unity, and not to create a "Christian religion", with its sexually repressive as well as homophobic undertones, which also have been used for the execution of racism, and to legitimate atrocities like the 'slave trade'.
As far as the "saviour scenario" is concerned, for example, Alex Collier was allegedly told by ETs that it has been put into our belief systems to "disempower us." The saviour scenario within the dogma of institutionalized religions legitimate the creation of an elite-driven oppressive power structure who appoint themselves as "judgers of morality".
The alleged efforts of socially progressive Human ETs to inspire the affirmation of the quality-of-living of 'Earth Humans' through spiritual and other "emissaries", have been undermined by the efforts of "capitalists" to exploit such alleged initiatives in the pursuit of an oppressive agenda of greed and fascistic power.
Constituents of Human ETs allegedly seek to "help humanity find freedom from oppressive structures through education and consciousness raising."
Allegations of "Human ET" encounters on Earth
In Dr. Salla's article "Extraterrestrials Among Us" published in October 2006, he alleges that, "There is startling evidence from a number of independent sources that 'human looking' extraterrestrial visitors have integrated with and lived in major population centres up until recently, and this is known by a select number of institutions.
George Adamski was the first to write about extraterrestrials secretly living among the human population. In his second non-fiction book describing his extraterrestrial contact experiences, "Inside the Flying Saucers", Adamski discussed how human looking extraterrestrials had established a presence among the human population." They apparently looked so much like us", Dr. Salla notes "that they could get jobs, lived in neighbourhoods, drove cars, and could blend in easily with the human population."
Dr. Salla further notes that "Adamski wrote about how they contacted him to set up meetings that led to his famous flights aboard extraterrestrial vehicles." But as Dr. Salla explains "While controversy over Adamski's contact experiences and his credibility continues, Adamski's UFO sightings and contacts with extraterrestrials were supported by an impressive collection of witnesses, photographs and films that a number of independent investigators concluded were not hoaxes."
Finally, Dr. Salla in "Extraterrestrials Among Us" examines the official testimony of a number of whistleblowers concerning knowledge that extraterrestrials live among ordinary Earth-bound individuals.
Contact Testimonies of 'Extraterrestrials Among Us'
Adamski's famous "Desert Center" meeting with an extraterrestrial emerging from a 'scout ship' on November 20, 1952 was apparently seen by six witnesses who signed affidavits confirming Adamski's version of events in his subsequent book, The Flying Saucers have Landed (1953). In fact, four of the witnesses immediately reported what had happened to a nearby newspaper, the Phoenix Gazette,that published a story on November 24 featuring photos and sketches.
The Desert Center encounter was among those of Adamski's claims regarding extraterrestrial contact that, according to UFO researcher Timothy Good, were "accurately reported," and "sensible and verifiable", as footnotes by Dr. Salla. Given the clear supporting evidence supporting Adamski's first meeting with an extraterrestrial traveling in a scout craft, it is worth examining closely his alleged subsequent meetings with extraterrestrials living on Earth.
In the first chapter of Inside the Flying Saucers, Dr. Salla re-visits Adamski's testimony of his meeting with two extraterrestrials while he was sitting in the lobby of a Los Angeles Hotel on February 18, 1953.
I felt no urge to ask where they proposed to take me, nor did it seem odd that they had volunteered no information. An attendant brought the car around, and the younger man slid into the driver's seat, motioning me to get in beside him. Our other companion also sat with us on the front seat.
Dr. Salla indicates in "Extraterrestrials Among Us", that Adamski further reveals:
In addition to seeking to learn about human values and civilization, it appears that "Human ET" visitors were conducting a low key education effort to promote awareness of their presence to a limited number of individual 'contactees'.
These "Human extraterrestrial visitors" have been represented has often having as very attractive physical characteristics, with "Human extraterrestrial females" being described as among the most beautiful women that male observers have witnessed.
Extraterrestrials living among us appear to be operating in a manner similar to a "celestial peace corps" where they try to blend in. They presumably wish to learn about Earth culture and behaviour; and to, perhaps, assist in passing on information to selected individuals.
Representation on Earth Humans relative to "non-Earthbound" humans:
Alex Collier alleges that "The first time I walked on to one of their ships [Human ETs] , a bunch of their children started to run away from me. They knew that I was from Earth."
"We have a very bad reputation," Alex Collier indicates, "because we are the only human race in the galaxy that kills itself, that turns on itself. We are the only race [human] that allows itself to live in poverty. We are the only ones who allow members of our race to starve. We are the only ones that allow members of the race to be homeless.
We are the only race that would sell itself into slavery. I don't like the reflection they give me of us. It's not that they are judging. They just don't understand why we do it. If anyone's got an answer for it, I'm open. Yes, we've been manipulated by belief systems, but why do we believe these belief systems?"
According to testimony by Alex Collier in associated with alleged ET contacts, Earth Humans "are the only race of human beings which oppresses and kills itself."
By John Stokes, agoracosmopolitan.com;
II. Russian 'Human Genome Project' Discovers Extraterrestrial Abilities to Modify DNA Through a "Biological Internet"
"Experiencers" who manifest unusual languages, such as Rochelle (see the video Expressions of ET Contact: A Communication and Healing Blueprint?) call these ‘soul languages’. Rochelle vocalises them when doing energy work and healing. Healing with sound and frequencies takes on a new meaning in this context.
It could mean that Rochelle and others like her may well intuitively be able to change or reprogram DNA though such frequencies while healing. We already know that our subconscious is affected by subliminal frequencies and hypnosis, and the Russian research may have given us a scientific explanation why such techniques work so well.
The question is whether the specific frequencies of these languages are designed to affect or reprogram our human DNA? This may well give us grounds for reviewing ancient texts in regards to our origins. The Russian DNA research article coincidentally mentions the changes in our children in terms of group consciousness.
They comment that ‘if humans with full individuality would regain group consciousness they would have a godlike power to create, alter and shape things on Earth and humanity is collectively moving towards a group consciousness of a new kind.’
They state that ‘fifty percent of children will become a problem as soon as they go to school, since the system lumps everyone together and demands adjustment. But the individuality of today’s children is so strong that they refuse this adjustment and resist giving up their idiosyncrasies. … At the same time more and more clairvoyant children are being born. Something in those children is striving more towards group consciousness of a new kind and it can no longer be suppressed.’
Are the Russian researchers in fact referring to what is now called the ADD (attention deficit disorder) child? Unfortunately, because there is no funded global research it’s hard to gain accurate statistics. But, if the process of labelling children as ADD is an indicator of this phenomenon, then we are indeed evolving at an astounding rate.
The global perspective and more pieces fit the puzzle: Science, anthropology, theology, archaeology and the kids. This short article entitled ‘Learning to communicate with extraterrestrials: young children in India-China Himalaya use strange sign language’ appeared on the website of India Daily (29 Jan 2005) by a staff reporter:
‘In the deep region of Himalayas, people are reporting strange behaviours in children. The children are using sign languages which are unknown to their families and anyone around. Many of the children draw pictures of triangular objects flying in the sky. Many of them do not know what they saw and how they learnt these sign languages. Some in the region of Aksai Chin believe that these children regularly communicate with the extraterrestrials who are only visible to these children and communicate via telepathy.
The children learn the sign language to communicate back to these beings. According to UFO research materials, some Mexican children also manifest similar behaviour, when many in the area reported for a long time UFO sightings. … According to some teachers in the schools in that area, young children are extra agile and extra talented these days.
Their problem solving skills have increased and they are much more disciplined. They continually use a strange sign language among themselves. However they cannot teach this language to adults! The locals in the area believe UFOs have been visiting the area for thousands of years. It stopped for a while and now it has started again.’ (See: www.indiadaily.com)
Families have contacted me from all over the globe, not only from Australia, Europe, North and South America, but Asia and Russia, and all describe children advanced from the norm in psychological and physical development and with exceptional psychic abilities.
In Mexico City these same "New Humans" have begun to emerge, and it is said that over 1000 children are able to ‘see’ with various parts of their bodies. In some countries, government agencies interested in such children are actively researching the phenomenon. China has a program for investigating children with similar abilities, which is taken very seriously by the Chinese Government in Beijing.
The book China’s Super Psychics by Paul Dong and Thomas Raffill describes children with exceptional human functioning (EHF) who display similar patterns to Indigo or Starchildren. They, too, are very psychic and intuitive, for example some have the ability to open flower buds by thought alone.
And like the Mexican children, many have shown an ability to see with other parts of their bodies. They display telekinetic abilities as well as other fascinating multi-dimensional skills, such as sensing another’s thoughts (telepathy). It has also been reported that the Chinese government has observed these children changing the human DNA molecule in a petri dish before cameras and scientific equipment to record this supposedly impossible feat.
We have no evidence to prove that these abilities are the result of extraterrestrial interventions. But, given the fact that the Chinese government is very secretive, this may well be something they do not feel ready to share. However, I am told that the Chinese are extremely interested in the UFO phenomenon and take it very seriously.
More pieces of the puzzle
Although I can’t cover all my research in this article, I can give the reader some points to ponder. The late Francis Crick, Nobel Prize winner, co-discoverer of the shape of the DNA molecule and author of Life Itself, made the astounding claim ‘that an advanced civilisation transported the seeds of life in a spacecraft’!
One wonders what led him to such an incredible conclusion. References in religious and biblical texts certainly raise questions as to our real origins. Anthropology still can’t explain how we changed or morphed so dramatically from Neanderthal to Homo sapiens and the missing link has not been discovered or explanations given on how the developmental gap was bridged. Biblical scholar, Zecheria Sitchin, author of the Earth Chronicles suggests such answers could lie in ancient religious texts, such as the Bible.
According to Sitchen, the Bible is a condensed rendering of ancient Sumerian and Akkadian texts. From his research he believes that Homo sapiens was a "genetic upgrade" of existing hominids which was undertaken by extraterrestrial beings called the Nephilim who came to Earth 450,000 years ago.
Indigenous tribes worldwide have within their oral history that they are visited by sky beings and are being genetically upgraded. The Dogan tribe (African Mali Tribe) call the star visitors the Nummo, an alien species which came from Sirius and genetically upgraded humans when they came to Earth. The Aborigines of Australia also talk of the sky beings Wandjina, who made them and gave them laws to live by.
For those who seek to explore, there are many such anomalies in archaeological, anthropological, religious and spiritual texts that must guide the thinking person to question what we are educated to believe in terms of our origins and genetic heritage. But, the most compelling evidence comes from the testimony of children, many of them not old enough to read. It’s information so profound one has to wonder how and where they obtained it.
Mike Oram ("experiencer") resides in the United Kingdom. He told me that he was only 4 years old when he told his mother that there was no such thing as death. His mother disagreed, but Mike said ‘the Universe goes on for eternity and it’s not true that we no longer play a part in the Universe. We come back.’ ‘I was too young to know the word reincarnation’, he said.
‘I then shocked her by saying “You are not my real parents, my parents are in space, and something of incredible importance will happen in this planet and it will affect all levels of consciousness, it will not happen in your life time but it will in mine.” My poor mother never forgot that conversation’ (Mike Oram).
Colin Wilson in Alien Dawn (1998) wrote that not long before Andrija Puharich’s death he asked him what he was working on. ‘Paranormal children’, he said: ‘You wouldn’t believe how many of these kids are out there, they seem to be at genius level. I know dozens, and there are probably thousands.’ Wilson concludes, ‘And this, I suspect is the beginning of the change that the UFOs are working on’ (p.309).
Unfortunately many such phenomena are only recognised through a particular discipline’s limited field of study, and this sadly narrows the perspective. There is no doubt that, for some, the extraterrestrial hypothesis is a hard one to swallow. But even if (for now) we interpret this data from a desire to understand why we may be evolving so rapidly, as this research suggests, we need to be open to all possibilities.
Even if the puzzle is just perceived as another way of understanding ourselves, the question remains that, if we are evolving at an accelerated rate than cannot be explained in normal evolutionary terms, how and why is it happening?
Are "starchildren", "New Humans", Indigos and smart kids, etc., one and the same phenomenon? If they are, then the extraterrestrial hypothesis makes more sense. After all, it is ludicrous for the thinking person to believe we are the only intelligent life in the universe, given the vastness of space. And it is logical to believe that some of those other life forms may have evolved sufficiently to be able to visit us, even if how they travel here may be beyond our current scientific understanding.
The hypothesis of extraterrestrial reality is not only possible but also probable and explains many anomalies in our origins, our mythology and religions. Certainly, if what experiencers and indigenous people tell us is true, we have a very intimate and on-going relationship with the visitors, in addition to a common gene pool. This would certainly explain their continuing interest and participation in our evolutionary development.
The primitive and aggressive nature of Homo sapiens, armed with technology to destroy not only each other but our beautiful planet, may well be why these ET ancestors have decided to accelerate humanity’s evolutionary upgrade program.
A "New Human" with multi-level awareness of our cosmic connection to all that is, may well be the only way we will finally appreciate what we have, change our behaviour, and grow up to take full responsibility for ourselves and this beautiful planet.
The starchildren could be an integral part of this wake up call and it may be that through them we are being led to an understanding of this profound connection.
‘Human beings are here to remember themselves, with conscious awareness and with complete understanding of their innate connection to the Universe.’ — T. Taylor.
If quantum theory is correct, science can’t disagree that we are indeed connected to everything, including our extraterrestrial visitors! ‘To them we are the aliens!’ — Jess, (8 years old, Western Australia). What can I say: ‘Out of the mouths of babes!’
By Mary Rodwell;
About author: Mary Rodwell, RN, former nurse and midwife. Counsellor and hypnotherapist, metaphysician. Principal of ACERN (Australian Close Encounter Resource Network), Perth, Western Australia. Author of Awakening: How Extraterrestrial Contact Can Transform Your Life (2002). Producer of EBE award winning documentaries: Expressions of ET Contact: A Visual Blueprint? (2000) and Expressions of ET Contact: A Communication and Healing Blueprint? (2004).
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Post a Comment
1. Great, indepth and detailed article!!! I just stumbled on this by chance but was very glad I did! You should provide a link to Professor Chang's project or the Genome one. I would love to follow this up.
Thanks for sharing this information...
2. I read Adamski's book when I was a child. I have always had the 'feeling' that there is truth in what he says. I watch Ancient Aliens and am more and more conviced that it is true. They are among us and have great influence on our daily lives, even though many or oblivious to it.
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Proceedings of the Nutrition Society
Session: Health effects of whole grains
Why whole grains are protective: biological mechanisms
Joanne Slavina1 c1
a1 Department of Food Science and Nutrition, University of Minnesota, 1334 Eckles Avenue, St Paul, MN 55108, USA
Epidemiological studies find that whole-grain intake is protective against cancer, cardiovascular disease, diabetes and obesity. Potential mechanisms for this protection are diverse since whole grains are rich in nutrients and phytochemicals. First, whole grains are concentrated sources of dietary fibre, resistant starch and oligosaccharides, carbohydrates that escape digestion in the small intestine and are fermented in the gut, producing short-chain fatty acids (SCFA). SCFA lower colonic pH, serve as an energy source for the colonocytes and may alter blood lipids. These improvements in the gut environment may provide immune protection beyond the gut. Second, whole grains are rich in antioxidants, including trace minerals and phenolic compounds, and these compounds have been linked to disease prevention. Additionally, whole grains mediate insulin and glucose responses. Although lower glycaemic load and glycaemic index have been linked to diabetes and obesity, risk of cancers such as colon and breast cancer have also been linked to high intake of readily-available carbohydrate. Finally, whole grains contain many other compounds that may protect against chronic disease. These compunds include phytate, phyto-oestrogens such as lignan, plant stanols and sterols, and vitamins and minerals. As a consequence of the traditional models of conducting nutrition studies on isolated nutrients, few studies exist on the biological effects of increased whole-grain intake. The few whole-grain feeding studies that are available show improvements in biomarkers with whole-grain consumption, such as weight loss, blood lipid improvement and antioxidant protection.
c1 Corresponding author: Dr Joanne Slavin, fax +1 612 625 5272, |
The Myth that the US will Soon Become an Oil Exporter
There are several reasons for confusion. One is the fact that excess refinery capacity can lead to the ability to export both gasoline and diesel, even though the United States continues to import large amounts of crude oil. Another is that tight oil (extracted through “fracking”) is growing from a small base, but can’t necessarily ramp up very far, very quickly. Another source of confusion is with respect to how different types of liquids should be combined for comparison purposes.
In this post, I would like to explain why the idea that the US is about to become a net oil exporter is simply a myth.
1. On what basis does the US Energy Information Administration (EIA) make forecasts of oil and other energy supplies?
When the EIA makes forecasts of oil and other supplies, as in its recently issued Annual Energy Outlook, Early Release 2012, it looks at future consumption and future supplies in terms of the amount of energy supplied in Btus. In doing this calculation, oil is combined with natural gas liquids. Biofuels (which in the case of the US are almost entirely corn ethanol) are treated separately, as part of “renewables”.
It seems to me that the EIA’s approach is about the only reasonable way of making comparisons, since it is energy value, and not volume (barrels-of-oil per day), that is important. Furthermore, if we are talking about oil imports and exports, we want to know about oil, perhaps including natural gas liquids (which are sort of like oil) by itself. Biofuels are a separate issue.
2. Where are we now, relative to being an oil exporter?
On a Btu basis, the US imported 58% of the oil it consumed in 2011. This percentage is down from a high of 67% in 2005 and 2006, but it is still very high.
Figure 1. US oil imports as a percentage of the oil consumed in the US - calculated using EIA Btu amounts for oil and natural gas liquids.
If the US wants to become an oil exporter, it must first get its imports down from 58% to 0%, and then ramp up production by enough to have oil to export as well.
3. What does the US Energy Information Administration (EIA) forecast regarding oil imports/exports?
In EIA’s Annual Energy Outlook 2012 Early Release, EIA gives the following forecast to 2035. (2010 and prior data are actual amounts.)
Figure 2. Comparison of forecast oil production (AEO Figure 12) and forecast oil consumption (AEO Figure 8), based on EIA's AEO 2012 Early Release.
We can use the forecast in Figure 2 to create a graph similar to Figure 1, but with the EIA’s forecast included. Such a graph is shown as Figure 3 below.
Figure 3. AEO 2012 Forecast of Percentage of Oil Btus Imported
This graph indicates that while percentage of oil imported will drop a little (from 58% down to about 50% or 51%), the United States will not become an oil exporter before 2035.
4. How about if we make our own forecast regarding when we will become a net oil exporter, based on how consumption and production have been trending recently?
Yes, we can do this. I do this in Figure 4, below.
Figure 4. US oil production and consumption, based on recent trends. Historical data form EIA. Trends selected by author.
Based on this approach, if the US could keep up the current trend, we would become an oil exporter in 2028, which is 16 years from now. This result is better than the EIA’s forecast, but is still a long ways away.
5. Isn’t the production of tight oil, obtained by “fracking,” doing very well?
Yes, it is. According to the EIA’s This Week in Petroleum, a graph of tight oil production by play is as shown in Figure 5, below. Tight oil is the oil that is typically extracted by horizontal drilling and hydraulic fracturing. It comes from shale and other very-low-permeability rocks.
Figure 5. Tight oil production by play, from the EIA's publication, "This Week in Petroleum," March 14, 2012.
This graphic indicates that tight oil provided about 850,000 barrels a day of oil, as of November 2011. The United States consumes a little under 19 million barrels a day–lets say 18.5 million barrels a day. The 850,000 barrels a day of tight oil amounts to a little less than 5% of the 18.5 million barrels a day we consume, so is only a small fraction of what we use today.
If we look at a graph of recent US crude oil production by area, this is what it looks like:
Bakken tight oil is in North Dakota, which corresponds to the purple area in Figure 6 above. The Eagle Ford play (as well as some of the smaller plays) are in Texas, which is shown in red. At the same time these two sources of production increased, deepwater production decreased, so the total increase in US crude oil production was less than the increase in tight oil production.
We have a long-term problem with declining oil production on older fields (illustrated in Figure 6), so we can expect that such declines will continue. As a result, whatever new production we gain from tight oil or other new sources is likely to be offset by declines elsewhere. It is only to the extent that new production is greater than these declines that overall US production will rise.
6. Can’t we just keep ramping up the tight oil production, by drilling more?
We can probably ramp up production by drilling some more wells, but at some point we start running into limits of suitable horizontal drilling rigs and of trained workers.
Figure 7. EIA exhibit of rig counts by orientation, based on Baker-Hughes data. Exhibit from This Week in Petroleum, March 14, 2012.
The figure above shows that there has been a big shift in use of drilling rigs from gas to oil. Current Baker Hughes data shows that as of April 13, 2012, 32% of drilling rigs (vertical and horizontal combined) were gas and 68% were oil. At some point not too far in the future, we end up being maxed out on how many horizontal drilling rigs can reasonably be transferred from gas to oil. More horizontal drilling rigs can be built, but this takes time and investment capital.
One characteristic of wells in tight formations is that production starts out very high, and then drops off quickly. Because of this, it is necessary to keep drilling new wells, or total production in an area is likely to drop off very quickly. New fracking techniques may help make the drop-off problem less severe, but it is hard to imagine that it will go away completely. If we want production to keep rising, this means that we are likely to need more and more horizontal drilling rigs, more and more fracking equipment, and more and more capital. These considerations help put a lid on how quickly and how high production can be ramped up.
7. How much tight oil does the EIA forecast can be extracted?
Figure 8. The brown layer on top represents the EIA's forecast of future tight oil production. Graph by EIA, from AEO 2012.
The EIA forecasts that tight oil will max out at 1,325,000 barrels a day in 2030. The EIA does not have a good track record of foreseeing changes before they happen, and the chart above shows production already at 850,000 barrels a day. Suppose the US really produces five times as much as the EIA forecasts, or 6,625,000 barrels a day. This increase will still not be enough to cause the US to become a net oil exporter, especially if other sources of oil continue to decline. (This is not to say that I think that production can really be ramped up this much. We would likely run into a number of bottlenecks before reaching this volume–drilling rigs, workers, fracking equipment, capital, etc.)
8. Haven’t we been reading about exporting gasoline and other oil products recently? Does’t that mean we are becoming a net oil exporter?
Yes, indeed, we are exporting gasoline and other oil products to a greater extent than we have in the past. But we continue to import crude oil, so, on balance, we are still a net oil importer.1
What has happened is that we have continued to add to our refinery capacity:
Figure 9. Operable crude oil refinery capacity. Chart by EIA.
At the same time, we have reduced our own need for gasoline and other products. One of the ways we have done this is by ramping up corn ethanol production. We are now producing so much ethanol that we are exporting some of it (Figure 10, below).
Figure 10. US Biofuels (nearly all ethanol) production and consumption, based on EIA data.
The other way consumption has been reduced by reducing the miles driven per capita (Figure 11, below).
Figure 11. US miles driven per capita, calculated by dividing Federal Highway Administration estimates of vehicle miles traveled (both cars and trucks) by US population.
The peak year for vehicle miles traveled per person was the year ended January 2006. (All of the data in the chart is for years ended January 20xx.) Since then, per capita vehicle miles driven have dropped each year, and are now 7.2% below their peak.
Total miles driven for the entire US population has also dropped. The peak year for total vehicle miles driven was the year ended January, 2008.
There may be other changes that affected oil use, but I don’t have data for them. For example, transferring heavy industry offshore would tend to reduce oil use; an increase in average miles per gallon for vehicles on the road would also tend to reduce oil use.
The net effect of all of the changes is that US oil consumption is down significantly since its high point in 2005. Figure 12, below, shows an enlarged view of recent oil consumption.
Figure 12. Recent US oil consumption, in Btus. Amounts graphed are the same as are shown in Figure 4 above.
A comparison of Figures 9 and 12 shows that refinery capacity was increasing at the same time that US oil consumption was decreasing. If we have more refinery space than we need, refiners can import crude oil, refine it, and sell the products as exports. That is pretty much what has been happening recently.
A few things have happened in the past few years that have made US refinery capacity especially attractive:
1. The US has a good supply of “complex” refineries that can process heavy sour crude oil. There is relatively more heavy sour crude being produced now, than previously, raising demand for these refineries.
2. The US has a low price for natural gas, compared to the rest of the world. Natural gas is used in refining heavy, sour crude oil, so our cost of refining has been relatively lower than other locations with similar facilities.
3. The amount of sulfur that is permitted in diesel and other fuel is being regulated in the US and elsewhere, to control pollution. If a country wants to have at least some fuel that meets international regulations, it now needs to find a refinery with complex capacity to remove the sulphur from its crude oil. Many countries do not have such refineries of their own. For example, Mexico sends us oil to refine, and we send oil products back to Mexico.
9. Why do I keep reading so much about “barrels of liquids,” when talking about US oil supply?
The US government likes to talk about “barrels of liquids” because comparisons with other countries are more favorable on this basis than they are using Btus, or considering crude oil only. If we look at a breakdown of US “liquids” production through 2011, this is what we see:
Figure 13. US oil and other liquids production, based on EIA data.
I noted above that US oil consumption is approximately 18.5 million barrels a day. If liquids production is about 10 million barrels a day (shown in Figure 13 above), then a comparison of production on this basis would leave a shortfall of “only” a little more than 8 million barrels a day. So even on this basis, we are still a long way from being a net oil exporter.
The problem in making a comparison on a volume (barrels-per-day) basis is that very dissimilar liquids are being combined. Both NGPLs (natural gas plant liquids) and “other liquids” (mostly ethanol) have only 60% to 70% of the energy content of crude oil. It is doubtful that “refinery gain” adds much energy content at all. The EIA has made adjustments for differences in energy values in its calculations on a Btu basis.
For those interested in finding data on a Btu basis, the Total Energy section of EIA reports gives data on this basis. They are also available (with a lag) in International Energy Statistics.
1. It is easy to confuse “net oil exporter” with “net oil product exporter”. We can think of net oil exports as the combination of the following four items:
a. Crude oil imports
b. Crude oil exports (virtually zero in the case of the US)
c. Oil product imports (like gasoline and diesel)
d. Oil product exports (like gasoline and diesel)
Net product exports reflect only the combination of Items c and d, omitting consideration of Items a and b.
In 2011, the US became a net oil product exporter. This means that when Items c and d were combined (in other words, omitting consideration of crude oil imports), we exported more oil products than we imported. This situation can happen very easily, if we are importing a lot of crude oil, and have excess refinery capacity.
About Gail Tverberg
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50 Responses to The Myth that the US will Soon Become an Oil Exporter
1. Andrew in the Bay says:
But…Obama said we would. Are you saying that Obama can be untruthful?
2. Stu Kautsch says:
Aha! You always include something that I did not know, and usually make a connection that I did not make. For this I thank you.
This essay, the connection was the cheap natural gas and the refinement of heavier petroleum. What I did not *know* was that the US has the refineries to take advantage of the connection; I’ll have to do some googling.
Of course, this does not mean that one of these is close to my house (NJ). In our part of the country, we’re losing refineries, not gaining them.
• The complex refineries handling heavy oil are in the Midwest and on the Gulf Coast, as I understand the situation. They can buy heavy, sour oil cheaply. When they upgrade it, the cost of the products is still less than that of products that use expensive light sweet oil from Europe or Africa. Refineries on the East Coast are buying high price light sweet oil, and the price of the products they make is too expensive to compete. This is why they are going bankrupt. These refineries may reduce the amount of excess refinery space we have.
• Stu Kautsch says:
Gail, thanks for passing this along. It’s very illuminating, and means that petroleum product pricing (and cost structure) has more of a practical link with natural gas pricing than I thought (in the U.S., anyway).
Of course, most of us are convinced that gas prices will increase over the next couple of years (the rig count is falling almost every week), so the heavy/sour refineries will have to pass their increased costs along to us then. Whew. If we hit $4 this year, we’ll get $5 by the end of 2014.
• sponia says:
Would that be the reason why the pipeline from the Canada Tar Sands to Gulf coast refineries is such an issue?
• The immediate reason the pipelines from the Canadian Tar Sands to the Gulf coast refineries is such an issue is because, as it is, there is a “back-up,” not just of the Canadian tar sands oil, but of a lot of other oil in the Midwest, because of lack of pipeline capacity to the Gulf Coast. Refineries are able to pay less for the oil, and as a result, we pay less for the gasoline and diesel made from the oil (and Midwest refineries make a higher profit margin, and East Coast refineries go bankrupt). The producers of the various types of oil affected have been very unhappy about the situation–they want more money for their oil. Some changes are being made in the very near term, that should fix the situation. I will need to look up the exact details, but one pipeline is being made to flow southward, instead of northward, from Cushing, OK to the Gulf, and there are other changes as well. This should help oil producers of various kinds get more money for their oil, but it will likely raise costs to the consumer.
There is another issue as well. Canada in the next several years plans to raise the production from the tar sands, and more pipelines, either to export to China, or to send to the US for refining, are needed. The “green” movement is very opposed to a US pipeline being built, and has made a “cause” out of this. They somehow believe that the oil will be left in the ground if they are successful. One issue is that the CO2 impact of the tar sands oil is near the upper end of the range with respect to oil that is being extracted around the world–but still is far better than coal. Bill McKiben has said that building the pipeline is game over for climate. I don’t think building the pipeline makes much difference with respect to whether the tar sands oil will be extracted and used. The ramp up in extraction will be fairly slow regardless.
3. Bicycle Dave says:
Hi Gail,
I’m confused about chart 4 – are you actually suggesting that the US might become an net oil exporter in 16 years? Or is this chart just an exercise extending current trends without any other real world considerations?
Your figure 13 which shows the difference between 18.5 consumption and 10 production makes it hard to understand how these two would meet to qualify the US for net oil exports. I gather from your other comments that you doubt the US will ever be a net exported unless the US economy nearly collapses – and they you would have to ask who else in the world would still be importing oil? If the US tanks, is China still going to be booming?
• Regarding Chart 4, I am not really suggesting that the US might become a net oil exporter in 16 years (but stranger things are possible, if the US economy collapses). I am more showing that we would have to sustain current trends an awfully long time for things to work out.
Regarding Figure 13, and what the future will bring, there are a lot of mysteries. I have a hard time seeing how we will maintain shipping oil around the world, unless financial systems and international trade work well. I suppose that some continued bilateral trade is possible–say between China and the US, or Saudi Arabia and the US.
4. Leo Smith says:
You always come up with something interesting.
Since I am in the UK, I have no comment beyond ‘thank you’ to make
So thank you.!
• In the case of this post, someone wrote me an e-mail, asking questions related to this topic. I had been aware of the topic previously, but that moved me in the direction of writing a post on the subject.
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7. jamesneo says:
If the US economy really collapse i highly doubt the capital will be there to ramp up the expensive process for the tight oil unless US become a third world country that has sold all its land and oil companies to other countries that might have some excess capital. This is especially so if US lost its reserve currency status as any attempt to print money to fund any such extraction will lead to a highly inflationary environment which will hinder the process to raise capital to sustain such endeavors. Moreover, its is likely a significant amount of the oil will become uneconomic to extract and sell in the world market.
• It seems like the one thing that might help is if somehow the developers of tight oil could make enough money early on from projects that they could fund development costs of future projects. This is traditionally how oil and gas development has been done, but with new types of extraction with very high front-end expenses (and low EROI), this becomes less possible. So I am afraid you may be right.
8. La Curée says:
Agreed Gail the last graph on this blog shows how the US’s new status as an oil exporter may be due to a reduction in the spending power of the labouring masses.
Analogous to the tax increases in Europe.
When it came to negotiating the inflationary environment a debased cost of living index combined with leaving the gold standard left the poor at a greater disadvantage than the managerial class.
Possibly as they tend to own a greater proportion of inflation benefiting or resistant goods like shares or property combined with a better education.
What do you think?,_Nearly_50_Below_1973.
• I think fewer vehicle miles driven, which is related to lower spending power of the masses is part of what is reducing consumption. We are not a true exporter though–just exporting oil products, like gasoline and diesel, because we have excess refinery capacity.
• La Curée says:
Yes, a sign of the times the US as a service economy for more efficient manufacturers.
• Don Stewart says:
‘lower spending power of the masses is part of what is reducing consumption’
What do you think about the article in Energy Bulletin today about young people driving less out of both necessity and preference?
My own observation in a college town is that: overall traffic is down and there is less congestion which, ironically, permits much more aggressive driving. The aggressive drivers may tend to be middle aged–I can’t really say. A friend has a daughter who is a junior in high school who is in no hurry at all to get a driver’s license. I work with a 25 year old who rides a moped–sometimes for pretty considerable distances. Things are changing…Don Stewart
• Of my three adult children, only one drives. One lives in Boston, on a bus line, and practically next door to where she works. The other has Asperger’s syndrome, and has never been able to drive. He lives with my husband and me, and works (as a programmer) nearby. He walks to the grocery store and many places.
Low salaries no doubt enter into quite a few of these decisions. If you are not making a lot of money, it is a lot easier to make ends meet without a car.
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11. So the government says that Fracking is safe – we should believe the government on this sort of important stuff.. right? fracking
12. Nicolai Mathiasen says:
Hi Dear Gail.
Thanks for this article – you are a hero in my worldview for doing these fantastic articles-
I was wondering if it would be possible to overlay the % of exploited resources on the bakken and similar resources on the graph showing the extraction from the same?
I.e. The figure 2 graph could be more interesting if it also showed how many % of the resource that has/are been/being exploited to reach the current production level – show on the same graph to ease the connection between the two.
• I don’t think we really know the percentage of the resource that has been extracted. In all of these areas, there is a huge, huge quantity of oil theoretically available. Improvements in technology allow us to get a few percent of this oil out, but this percent may increase with improved technology. If technological improvements occur, sites that would not be economical for drilling with last year’s technology might be economical with this year’s technology, or next year’s technology. (There are a lot of estimates in this, however. All of the estimates might involve wishful thinking.) I am more optimistic that oil can be economically extracted than dry natural gas using fracking, because oil is a lot more expensive resource to begin with.
13. james(migloo)graham says:
Gail thank you for this Time magazine also recently did a peice on oil April 9th. 2012 “cheap oil may be gone forever.”
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15. DepressedNorwegian says:
I’m in Norway. I’ve known of peak oil for many years, but recently perused the web in more detail regarding our prospects for a post-hydrocarbon society.
I wasn’t even aware that Norway passed its peak already in 2001, and we’re now only producing 2/3 (2 million bopd instead of 3). The decline has been stark, but it seems to be idiosyncractic for the North Sea.
Anyway, being 23 and a soon-to-be graduate of Computer Science has left me utterly depressed. I’ve been depressed for many of the years prior to when peak oil and the actual uses of oil were made aware to me, but this has been the final straw that may undo me (maybe it’ll be good for the planet).
There’s no future for my profession, and I wish dearly I had ventured into something useful, like carpentry or farming. We’re only 50% self-sufficient in Norway. At current depletion and discovery rates, we may be net importers again in a mere 10 years (supposing anyone has something to offer the market and us).
What’s the point? If I try to read up on farming, survival skills and the like, it may postpone my death by a year. Getting into mortgages at the moment seems dicey, especially since Norway’s housing bubble may very well burst soon. And kids? No way. No way am I bringing anyone into this world that may.
Fellow Norwegians are unbeknownst to this issue by and large. Maybe some 0,1% are aware of the perils of this and the following decades. Nobody wants to listen either, and I feel lost in my culture. Enjoy the $2/litre gasoline while it lasts I say, “you may look back and remember it as good times”, but all I get is startled, angry comments.
Wish I had been aware sooner, I can’t make any impact to furthering my life at this point.
(Seems like I used the contact form, disregard it, Gail)
• La Curée says:
Never say die, Norwegian blue.
Death is coming for us all you have to do is try to delay him, forget about angst.
We are a bit of a self selecting group, others realise but prefer to keep their head down as a survival strategy.
You will find like minded people on the web.
Just remember everyone has an agenda and some of them work for the US government.
‘Reg: If you want to join the People’s Front of Judea, you have to really hate the Romans.
Brian: I do!
Reg: Oh yeah, how much?
Brian: A lot!
Reg: Right, you’re in.’
Reg: Right, you’re in.
• My ancestry is Norwegian, as you may guess from the name Tverberg. Norway was having trouble feeding its population back in the early 1900s when my grandparents came to this country. Fossil fuels helped cover up the overshoot problem for a while, but the problem will be coming back, and this time there is no “new world” to migrate to.
I am not sure computer science is all that bad choice right now. My husband teaches computer science, and I have two sons who are programmers. As long as things hold together, computer science seems at least as good as average as a profession. Norway, with its oil, is doing better than a lot of countries. It at least has something to trade for food, for the next few years. It also has a lot of hydroelectric power.
I think we are all pretty much in the same boat long term, regardless choice of profession. Even farmers are not necessarily that much better off, partly because today’s techniques are less likely to work in the future, and partly because there will be enough hungry non-farmers who are envious. Our problem is that we have overshot the carrying capacity of the world.
For now, we can enjoy what we have. We can help make life more pleasant for family members and friends. We can educate ourselves. I am in a location where it is possible to plant a few trees that will provide nuts and fruit, so I am doing that.
I don’t think very many people anywhere really are aware of the issues, or want to talk about them. If there were something that we could do that would really fix the situation, it would make more sense to educate everyone and demand that everyone work on fixing it. But it is not clear that we really can fix the situation. I don’t think that lots of wind turbines, or higher carbon taxes, or lots of electric cars will solve our problems.
So it seems to me that we need to do the best we can with the time we have. Perhaps things will really turn out better than we think, or the timing will be delayed. I think we need to go on living our lives, regardless.
• Hej says:
The really sad part for Norway is that you are converting hard assets (oil) to paper store of value (shares, bonds, etc.) that will probably be worthless soon. If I was Norway I would IMMEDIATELY stop extracting and force/help the citizens to transition (with the help of the soon to be worthless paper money) to a more sustainable lifestyle (reduce garbage collection, impose HUGE taxes on any transportation using finite resources etc.)
16. David Harney says:
I suspect that the recent Time Magazine article on oil is a pretty good predictor of how things will play out for the next decade or so. We will employ every means possible to dig up every type of FF that will keep BAU running – regardless of the environmental cost or the degradation of our quality of life. We are a car culture and nothing else matters as long as we can put gas in the tank.
I know that many in the PO community have discounted GW because they felt that the supply of oil would be exhausted before the GHG concentration was critical. I never agreed with that POV. I see our predicament as Peak Everything caused primarily by human population overshoot. It is totally uncertain as to what factor (or combination) will precipitate varying degrees of collapse in various parts of the planet. It may be rising seas and violent storms; it might be a pandemic; it might be financial in nature; it might be war over resources; it might be something else. It might happen in a decade or several decades. What is pretty easy to predict is that our current paradigm of population increase combined with our car culture (and related consumption) is unsustainable. It is also pretty easy to predict that humans will not collectively craft and execute a plan to prevent collapse. Perhaps the collapse will be a “Slow Descent”, a “Long Emergency”, or something much more violent and sudden. What is almost certain is that the end of this century will not feature a happy home for 10+ billion humans with DuPont providing Better “Things for Better Living…Through Chemistry.” (or their later slogan “The miracles of science”.)
• Justin Nigh says:
I agree with your summary. Our recently elected state Premier has been quoted as saying we will continue to drive vehicles if it means “burning carpets and tires” to do so. It’s this viewpoint of continuing BAU by whatever means necessary without any consideration for adjusting behaviour that has caused me to abandon all hope for any resolution to the looming crises. The arrogance and cockiness of our culture will probably be it’s undoing.
• If we look forward 100 or 200 years, I am pretty sure you are right. Maybe it is just as well that we don’t know exactly how we get there.
17. jamesneo says:
Hi David Harney, i agree with your viewpoint completely as we are at the point whereby the three factors of peak resources(oil first then coal or gas), peak debt and climate catastrophe( peak food and peak land) are racing against each other to see who will win the race. Because this three are also linked trying to solve one might aggravate the other two similar to the scenarios in LTG whereby only if we try to tackle all three problems together can we at least has a greater chance to muddle through. Unfortunately most people do not have the solution to tackle all three together and some even suggested causing one of them to “save the other”, for example purposely accelerating peak oil or economic collapse to prevent climate catastrophe which will be counterproductive. My view is that probably 2030-2040 will be the final nail in the coffin with one or two of them arriving in the 2020s if nothing is done to at least mitigate some of the effects by the end of this decade.
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19. pjc says:
I’m not sure why you would look at just the US and not include Canada.
The Canadien and American economies are pretty closely intertwined.
American + Canadien oil self sufficiency appears likely within 5 years or so.
Of course, this all ignores coal, which the US is starting to export in significant quantities.
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21. Ed Boyle says:
c and d, right got it. They had me a little ocnfused in the press with their blather although I knew it was impossible as USA uses so much. Hype as usual. Thanks for the simple explanation of complicated matters.
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24. I like this gem from Rockmann. Could it be expanded into a dedicated post at OFW or TOD?
• Thanks!Interesting post. I know it is the little guys that produce the natural gas. I expect it is also the little guys producing oil in the Bakken and in Eagle Ford. I would have to think about what I could add to what he is saying. The US is indeed doing well, in both oil and natural gas. If the rest of the world were doing anywhere near as well, we would not have energy problems (perhaps CO2 problems, but that is the tradeoff). Also, problems trying how to match natural gas uses to availability, and to keep adding to infrastructure.There are a lot of things I don’t understand–for example, how economic can it be to build natural gas pipelines, where there is only a bit of natural gas per well, and it may only be produced for few years before depletion sets in?
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26. Reblogged this on Worthington Sawtelle LLC and commented:
Another terrific article by Gail.
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Recently viewed: Home > Apoptosis detection by FACS
Document: Apoptosis detection by FACS | Last modified: October 11, 2005
Detection Of Cell Viability And/Or Apoptosis By Flow Cytometry (FACS)
SP, September 2005
Viability, apoptosis, necrosis, death
Viable cells are cells that when allowed to continue beyond the timepoint of examination will stay alive. Besides live and healthy cells, cells in early stages of apoptosis may be considered viable as early apoptosis is believed to be reversible if the conditions inducing apoptosis are removed. Conditions inducing apoptosis include withdrawal of or exposure to certain factors (e.g., withdrawal of NGF, or exposure to TNF-α). These conditions are presented in vivo 'normally' (e.g., during maturation of lymphocytes) or 'abnormally' (e.g., during viral infections), or in vitro with our choice (e.g., addition of campotheticin chemical to cell culture) or with us unaware of or ineffective against them (e.g., lack of growth factors during handling).
Apoptosis ultimately leads to death and this can take from some minutes to many hours. The early stages of apoptosis are characterized by changes to mitochondrial membrane potential and cell membrane asymmetry (but not increased cell permeability). Later stages are characterized by DNA fragmentation and loss of cell membrane permeability. In general, apoptotic cells shrink (and can break up into smaller apoptotic bodies) and have characteristic nuclear changes that are visible under an electron microscope.
Necrosis, unlike apoptosis, is not a step-wise, controlled phenomenon. It is caused by physical disruption of the cell by physical (e.g., heat) or chemical (e.g., low pH) means, microbial toxins (e.g., by causing increased cell permeability), etc. Early necrotic cells have relatively-normal looking nuclei but their cell membranes (and organellar membranes) are fragmented. With time, organellar (including nuclear) disruption takes place and the cells generally swell, eventually bursting (and releasing inflammation inducers). Apoptotic cells in the last stages can necrose too.
Cytometric characteristics of non-viable cells
A sample of cells being examined by flow cytometry (e.g., for expression of a certain antigen) will have some non-viable cells (arising because of apoptosis and/or necrosis - see above for reasons). Unless one is specifically measuring apoptosis, these non-viable cells should be excluded from examination by gating. This is because, for example, they may non-specifically bind a fluorescent secondary antibody, the antigen being detected may have been degraded, etc.
Non-viable cells tend to have reduced FSC (can be high in case of swollen necrotic cells) but higher SSC values. Because of membrane permeability increases, DNA (and depending on the reagent, RNA too) of dead cells, necrosing cells and cells in late apoptosis will bind reagents such as propidium iodide (PI; MW 668) and 7-actinomycin D (7-AAD; MW 1270) to fluoresce more.
Because of loss of cell membrane asymmetry (for example, leading to the exposure of phosphatidylserine because of its increased presence on the outer leaflet), dead cells, necrosing cells and cells in early stages of apoptosis can be detected by binding of annexin V (a phosphatidylserine-recognizing protein).
As apoptosis involves induction of caspases, it can also be detected flow-cytometrically using fluorogenic caspase substrates or anti-caspase antibodies. Loss of mitochondrial membrane potential can be detected with reagents such as JC-1 that is lipophilic and upon exposure to negative mitochondrial potential (of healthy cells) reversibly aggregates.
A note on annexin V
Positive annexin V binding but lack of staining with PI (or 7-AAD) can thus be used to discriminate early apoptosis from late apoptosis and necrosis. However, it should be kept in mind that increase presence of phosphatidylserine on cell membrane (thus, increased annexin V binding) can occur because of other 'physiological' reasons (e.g., upon exposure to galectins).
Similarly, increased permeability to PI can be a result not of necrosis or apoptosis but of something else (e.g., exposure to galectins).
Staining cells with PI or 7-AAD for flow cytometry
PI fluorescence is detected in the FL2 or FL3 channels of the cytometer. High values indicate non-viability. 7-AAD is detected in the FL3 channel. High values indicate non-viability.
7-AAD is more permeable than PI; so, over time more cells will stain with 7-AAD than PI, and apoptosing cells will stain with 7-AAD earlier than with PI.
7-AAD solution at 1 mg/ml is prepared by dissolving 1 mg in 50 ul methanol and then diluting the solution with 950 ul PBS. Store at 4°C protected from light - can be used for atleast 6 months.
PI is used at 2-5 ug/ml and 7-AAD at 5-10 ug/ml final concentrations. A few seconds of incubation is enough in case of PI, whereas for 7-AAD, 10 minutes at RT or upto 30 minutes on ice is the typical duration of incubation.
Hoechst 33342
The HO342 or Hoechst 33342 dye, unlike PI, is non-polar and diffuses readily into cells (alive or non-viable) and binds AT-rich DNA regions. However, viable cells retain it more, and thus stain stronger. It is used at 1-5 ug/ml final concentration. Cells are incubated for 20-30 min at 37 deg. Fluorescence, detected in FL1, requires a UV laser, however.
1. Cells exposed to fixatives, detergents and hypotonic solutions will stain more with PI or 7-AAD.
2. Cells exposed longer to PI or 7-AAD will stain more.
3. A cell population being studied may not represent the true population, and thus may show less incidence of apoptosis than is true. E.g., when harvesting adherent cells, floating cells (usually apoptotic), may have been discarded. Similarly, apoptotic cells may be lost during other procedures such as low-speed centrifugation because of smaller size. |
California Facts and Trivia
1. California's Mount Whitney measures as the highest peak in the lower 48 states. Its most famous climb is Mount Whitney Trail to the 14,495 feet summit. Wilderness permits are required.
3. More turkeys are raised in California than in any other state in the United States.
8. An animal called the riparian brush rabbit calls Caswell Memorial State Park (near Manteca) its home. Endemic only to the state's park system, the critter lives in approximately 255 acres stretching along the area's once-vast hardwood forest.
12. Located in Sacramento, the California State Railroad Museum is the largest museum of its kind in North America.
14. California Caverns claims the distinction of being the most extensive system of caverns and passageways in the Mother Lode region of the state.
15. Totaling nearly three million acres, San Bernardino County is the largest county in the country.
16. On Catalina Island in 1926, American author Zane Grey built a pueblo-style home on the hillside overlooking Avalon Bay. He spent much of his later life in Avalon. The home is now a hotel.
17. Klamath Basin National Wildlife Refuge contains the largest winter population of bald eagles in the continental United States.
18. Author Richard Dana (1851-1882) wrote the novel "Two Years Before the Mast." He inspired the name for the beach community of Dana Point.
19. In Atwater the Castle Air Museum has the largest display of military aircraft in the state.
20. The Country Store in Baker has sold more winning California State Lottery tickets than any outlet in the state.
22. The Iron Door Saloon in Groveland claims to be the oldest drinking establishment in the state. It was constructed in 1852.
23. The Hollywood Bowl is the world's largest outdoor amphitheater.
25. Death Valley is recognized as the hottest, driest place in the United States. It isn't uncommon for the summer temperatures to reach more than 115 degrees.
26. The first motion picture theater opened in Los Angeles on April 2, 1902.
28. San Francisco Bay is considered the world's largest landlocked harbor.
29. Sequoia National Park contains the largest living tree. Its trunk is 102 feet in circumference.
30. Yorba Linda is home to the Richard Nixon Library.
31. The Coachella Valley is nicknamed The Date Capital of the world and The Playground of Presidents.
32. One out of every eight United States residents lives in California.
33. California is the first state to ever reach a trillion dollar economy in gross state product.
34. California has the largest economy in the states of the union.
36. Los Angeles is ranked the fourth largest economy in the United States compared to other states.
37. Simi Valley is the home of the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library and Museum.
38. It is estimated there are approximately 500,000 detectable seismic tremors in California annually.
39. During his engagement at the Fillmore West in San Francisco, Otis Redding stayed on a houseboat in Sausalito. While there he wrote his last song and greatest hit: "The Dock of the Bay."
40. The state motto is Eureka!, a Greek word translated "I have found it!" The motto was adopted in 1849 and alludes to the discovery of gold in the Sierra Nevada.
42. There are more than 300,000 tons of grapes grown in California annually.
43. California produces more than 17 million gallons of wine each year.
44. The redwood is the official state tree. Some of the giant redwoods in Sequoia National Park are more than 2,000 years old.
45. The California poppy is the official state flower. The California grizzly bear (Ursus californicus) is the official state animal.
46. California holds two of the top ten most populous cities: Los Angeles and San Diego.
47. Fresno proclaims itself the Raisin Capital of the World.
49. Castroville is known as the Artichoke Capital of the World. In 1947 a young woman named Norma Jean was crowned Castroville's first Artichoke Queen. She went on to become actress Marilyn Monroe.
50. California's Proposition 215 (1996) was the first statewide medical marijuana initiative to pass in the USA - keeping attorneys busy for years. |
Organ donation benefits us all
Normally I wouldn't write columns in back-to-back issues, because the task of writing an editorial each week can be a heavy enough burden in and of itself.
However, when a miracle happens, the whole world should know about it, especially when it involves the saving of a young life.
As many of ya'll know, my niece Latasha Evans has spent the past few months in Children's Hospital in Seattle waiting for a heart transplant, and honestly the odds weren't exactly in her favor.
The roller coaster ride of the past few agonizing months ended early Wednesday morning, when a heart was found for her allowing her a second chance at life to be a kid instead of being stuck in the hospital for an eternity.
That wouldn't have been possible without the decision of her donor family to make organ donation a priority.
Every time someone gets their driver's license renewed they have the choice of signing up to be an organ donor, but unfortunately many people miss that opportunity.
According to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Health Resources and Services Administration website, each day, about 77 people receive organ transplants. However, 19 people die each day waiting for transplants that can't take place because of the shortage of donated organs.
Anyone regardless of their age can donate their age, as it depends on a person's physical condition, according to the website.
Everything from hearts to intestines, skin to bone and corneas can be donated.
The Lions International have made great strides in cornea transplants, and other researchers have done likewise in other transplant areas, but there is still work to be done.
For minorities the organ donation shortage is even more acute than it is for non-minority groups.
According to the website, some diseases of the kidney, heart, lung, pancreas and liver are found more frequently in racial and ethnic minority populations than in the general population. For example, African Americans, Asians and Pacific Islanders, and Hispanics are three times more likely than Whites to suffer from end-stage renal disease. Native Americans are four times more likely than Whites to suffer from diabetes. Some of these diseases are best treated through transplantation and others can only be treated through transplantation.
Patients are less likely to reject an organ if it is donated by an individual who is genetically similar. People are usually more genetically similar to others of their own ethnicity than to people of other ethnicities. The more minority donors there are, the greater the likelihood that minority patients will find an organ that matches their tissue type.
Fortunately for Latasha some family made the tough decision and chose to give the gift of hope to others in their time of despair and grief. I know it wasn't an easy decision, but I want to thank them on behalf of our entire family.
Maybe some day we'll get to meet them and personally thank them for their generosity and kindness, but until then I urge each and every person who reads this column to do the right thing and be an organ donor.
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