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A Beginner's Guide to Landscape Photography (From One Amateur to Another)
If you're just starting out with taking pictures of nature's beauty, some beginner's tips from a fellow amateur may be helpful to you. Whether you are just having fun and enjoying the great outdoors or trying to develop as a photographer, there are some standard principles one must understand to achieve beautiful results. You don't need a $1.000 camera or special lenses - all you need is knowhow, and a little bit of passion.
Knowing your camera
Whether you have a birthday-party-point-and-clicker or an expensive, high end camera, knowing the basics about it is key to taking beautiful photos. Before shooting, get to know your camera and its functions. Read the user manual and learn about the different controls and experiment with them until you become familiar. It may seem overwhelming at first, but the extra time and effort spent will definitely be worth it. All cameras have an automatic mode, but others have manual settings for you to play with. Auto is easy, the camera does everything for you - you just point and shoot. However, adjusting different manual settings can really help you get that outstanding shot. There are a few different settings you'll want to learn about in manual mode:
• Aperture
A hole in the front of the lens that can be adjusted to let different amounts of light through when the shutter opens. Aperture is controlled by the F-stop.
• Shutter speed
How quickly the shutter opens. A faster shutter speed captures no movement, "freezing" the subject (such as a windblown branch). A slower speed lets you capture movement, such as flowing water or moving clouds, using blur. Shutter speed, combined with aperture, determines the photo's exposure, or how dark or light the photo will be.
• ISO speed
A measure of how fast the camera's digital "film" reacts to light. A low speed means that it reacts slower to light, and a high speed reacts faster. Different speeds are used for different lighting conditions. Generally, the lower the light, the faster speed you will want. Very high speeds are more prone to graininess.
Getting a little technical for you? Well, maybe just stick with automatic mode for now. There are, however, some features and settings you will want to take note of even when using auto. The first is knowing the difference between digital zoom and optical zoom. Your camera may have one or both of these modes. Optical zoom allows you to zoom in without losing quality, whereas with digital zoom your picture can become and muddy and pixelated as you zoom in.
For a good quality photo, I recommend avoiding using digital zoom altogether. The second setting you will want to consider is the image quality output settings, which can be adjusted in your camera's menu. I recommend putting these settings on high, or "fine" for all your photos. This will consume more space on your media card, but the quality is well worth it - especially if you plan on printing your photos.
Composition and the rule of thirds
A Beginner's Guide to Landscape Photography
Now that you know a bit more about your camera and its settings, there are some things you should know about composition, or how you arrange the elements in the photograph. A big mistake I see in amateur photographers is crookedness. When aiming the shot, always remember to keep the horizon line level and straight in your viewfinder. The second thing you'll want to remember is to avoid distracting objects in your photo, like telephone lines, trash, or other objects which can ruin the impact or distract the viewer from the focal point of the shot. Thirdly, it is a good idea for general landscape shooting to consider including elements from the foreground (near you), the middle, and the background (such as the sky or trees in the distance). This adds depth to your photo and creates the whole scene.
The key to getting a unique and eye-catching shot is to try different views and angles, such as getting low to the ground or up higher - to capture something in different ways than what most people see. The rule of thirds is an important principle when composing your shot as it adds visual interest and balance to a photo. The key is to imagine your divided into thirds horizontally and vertically, creating 9 equal parts, and aligning points of interest at the intersections of these lines. For example, a horizon line may sit at the line that divides the top two thirds in the composition. The sun may sit at the intersection of that dividing line, and the right or left vertical dividing line. I will provide a link to more info on this important visual concept at the end of the article.
Tips from one amateur to another
Over the time I've spent photographing the great outdoors, I've picked up a few general tips that I'd like to share. One very important thing to keep in mind when photographing is to keep a steady hand, especially when using a lower shutter speed or ISO speed (IE, low light conditions). Use a tripod if you have one. And because the human hand is naturally unsteady, I recommend taking several similar shots, in case the one you want ends up blurry. I suggest taking as many shots as possible to get the best one. The fewer shots you take, the less keepable photos you will end up with! Use many different angles and vantage points. For going places to photograph a sunset or sunrise, you may consider arriving 30 minutes to an hour early and staying 30 minutes to an hour late. Sometimes the best effects from these events can come when you least expect it!
Camera care
Always keep the lens clean and avoid touching it. If it becomes dirty or dusty, clean it gently with a soft, microfiber cloth - never your sleeve or a napkin, and never use chemicals. Be aware of your surroundings when photographing, and always use the wristband or neckband on the camera to avoid accidents. And last but not least, always remember to bring extra media cards and batteries, because you never know when you will need them!
The technical ins and outs of photography may seem a bit complex or overwhelming at first, but if you put a little time and effort familiarizing yourself with your camera and its settings, you will get the hang of it and be taking great quality photos sooner than you think. Even if you just rely on your camera's automatic mode, composition will be the "make-or-break" factor of your photo, so always remember to line up a good shot before you press that button. Best of luck with your future adventures in landscape photography!
A Beginner's Guide to Landscape Photography (From One Amateur to Another) | Victoria Knight | 5 |
Sweeteners: What You Really Need to Know About Them
Types, Uses and Risks of Sweeteners
The advice to avoid sugar is one that may people find rather hard to abide by. Let's face it: many of us have sweet tooth. So, someone advising you to stop taking it is probably wasting his saliva. A good number of the foods and drinks people consume raise their sugar intake up to 10 times higher than recommended levels. This, of course, puts their health at significant risk.
But there are other types of sweeteners that are said to offer better alternatives to regular sugar. What are the popular ones? Why are they used? And how safe are these?
About Sweeteners
A sweetener is any substance that gives a sweet taste. The term actually covers a variety of things. These include popular food items such as sugar, fruit syrup, maple syrup and corn syrup. However, these popular varieties aren’t often described as sweeteners, even though that’s what they are. They are caloric sweeteners.
Focus often tends to be on low or no calorie sweeteners whenever this term is used. People think more of sweeteners as sugar substitutes. These come with significantly lower energy. They offer what seems an appealing alternative to caloric sweeteners, most of which offer no nutritional value.
This latter group of sweeteners or sugar substitutes can come from nature or be produced synthetically. For this reason, there are natural sweeteners and artificial sweeteners. These are thought to offer some benefits to the body, unlike caloric sweeteners.
In this article, focus will be on sugar substitutes. Those are very likely what comes to your mind when sweeteners are mentioned. These are now used in many popular foods on the market. Examples include cereals, ice cream and diet sodas.
What this means is that many of the foods you consume probably contain sweeteners. For example, research showed that more than 66 percent of the people in the United States consumed beverages containing sugar substitutes in 2003-04.
Types of Sweeteners
There are many types of substances used as sugar substitutes. Major categories are high intensity sweeteners and sugar alcohols, also referred to as polyols. High intensity sweeteners, as their name suggests, are highly sweet – many times more so than sucrose or table sugar. Sugar alcohols are often not as sweet as sucrose.
Majority of sweeteners that are approved for use in foods are produced artificially. The following are the sugar substitutes that have the approval of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA).
This sweetener is believed to be roughly 600 times sweeter than sucrose. The chlorinated sugar comes from either sucrose or raffinose. Its manufacturing process involves using three chlorine atoms to replace three oxygen-hydrogen groups.
Only around 15 percent of sucralose is believed to be absorbed by the body. The rest is eliminated in an unchanged state. It was approved by the FDA is 1998. Splenda is a brand of the sugar substitute.
A rather accidental discovery, aspartame comes from the amino acids phenylalanine and aspartic acid. The revelation of the substance as a sweetener is traced to the work of James Schlatter. The researcher was trying to develop an ulcer medication when aspartame spilled on his finger. He noticed a sweet taste when he touched his hand to tongue.
The odorless crystalline powder is thought to be around 200 times sweeter than sugar. It has been the main focus of most research about sweeteners. The body metabolizes it into the original amino acids it comes from when consumed. Conditions that are rather acidic are best for the stability of aspartame. This explains why you will usually find it mostly in soft drinks.
Popular brands of aspartame include Equal and NutraSweet.
This has to be the oldest artificial sweetener. Saccharin was first synthesized in 1879. As in the case of aspartame, its discovery was also by accident. It was originally discovered by Remsen and Fahlberg using toluene derivatives. The substance is also made using phthalic anhydride, starting from 1950.
Saccharin is up to 500 times as sweet as sucrose. It usually produces a bitter aftertaste following consumption. Manufacturers get over this by adding other sweeteners. A popular brand is Sweet N' Low.
Acesulfame potassium (Ace-K)
Considered as sweet as aspartame, acelsulfame potassium is made of potassium salt which contains methylene chloride. It has a bit of bitter aftertaste, like saccharin. This is why it is often used in combination with other sweeteners, such as aspartame or sucralose. This makes it even sweeter.
You can find Ace-K in a variety of food products due to its ability to remain stable in slightly acidic or basic conditions. And unlike aspartame, it is able to withstand heat better. Popular brand names include Sunette and Sweet 'N Safe.
This is one of the newer sweeteners and one of the sweetest around. Using the aspartame formula as its basis, neotame is up to 13,000 times sweeter than common table sugar! The sweetener was approved by the European Union in 2011 and known as E961. It got FDA approval for general use back in 2002.
Neotame has similar chemical properties as aspartame. It features a combination of 3,3-dimethylbutil group and aspartic acid amino group. It is more stable than the other sweetener.
Neotame is a favorite of many food manufacturers. Its use significantly lowers cost of production. The sweetener boasts an impressive safety profile as well. It is a product of NutraSweet.
If you thought neotame sounded incredibly sweet, this one will definitely blow you away. Advantame, a product of the Japanese company Ajinomoto, is supposedly up to 20,000 sweeter than sucrose! It is the latest of the sweeteners approved by the FDA, with approval coming in 2014.
Advantame is made from aspartame and isovanillin. The Flavor and Extract Manufacturers Association classifies it as generally recognized as safe (GRAS).
Unlike all other sweeteners we have discussed so far, this comes from nature. Stevia is extracted from the stevia plant. Some sources describe it as zero calorie, while some others state it is low calorie. Its approval by the FDA is mainly because it comes from a natural source.
Stevia is said to have served as a natural sweetener for centuries in South America. Its popularity is rising in many countries because of its zero glycemic index and negligible calories. The Coca-Cola Company and PepsiCo are two major beverage manufacturers that have shown interest in the natural sweetener.
There are other sweeteners whose approval status depends on particular jurisdiction. An example is mogrosides, which is usually obtained from monk fruit. Although banned in the U.S., cyclamate is another synthetic sweetener that is available in some other countries, including Canada.
List of known natural or artificial sweeteners also include:
Certain colors are often used in North America to different sweetener packs. These include white for table sugar, blue for aspartame, yellow for sucralose, pink for saccharin and green for stevia.
Uses of Sweeteners in Foods
As noted previously, sweeteners are used in many foods that are available on the market today. Market analysts Mintel revealed that more than 3,900 food products using artificial sweeteners were introduced in the American market between 2000 and 2005. About 1,650 of those came in the year 2004 alone.
More and more manufacturers are shifting attention to sugar substitutes. A major reason for this are the health issues that researchers now associate common table sugar with. Notable among this problem is obesity, which is a precursor to more debilitating medical conditions. The thought is that sweeteners offer a better alternative.
In addition, an increasing number of manufacturers are taking interest in sweeteners because of cost considerations. For example, aspartame is the most popular artificial sugar substitute in the American food industry. This is mainly because its price has fallen considerably since the patent protecting it expired in 1992.
Cost effectiveness of low- or non-caloric sweeteners isn't just about requirement of lower amounts, compared to sugar. They also offer longer shelf life than sucrose.
How Sweeteners May be More Beneficial to Health than Sugar
One will only be stating the obvious saying sugar is getting increasingly demonized. This is why many think you are better off without it. We discuss below some of the considerations that might make sweeteners better if you wish to indulge your sweet tooth.
Dental care
Sugar substitutes are often more friendly to your teeth than sucrose. Sugars and carbohydrates attach to your tooth enamel. These provide food for bacteria to feed on, leading to rapid increase in their number. The microorganisms facilitate conversion of sugars into acids to bring about tooth decay.
Sweeteners do not produce these effects. Bacteria in your mouth are not able to ferment them. This makes it hard for these microorganisms to survive for long and ensures the health of your teeth.
The sugar alcohol xylitol is particularly popular for dental care. You can find it in many sugarless chewing gums. The sweetener protects your tooth enamel and prevents bacteria from sticking. This helps in guarding against plaque formation.
This condition is a serious health concern in modern society. It can contribute to a number of medical disorders, including cardiovascular disease and diabetes. Obesity results, in part, from excessive intake of calories. Sadly, that's what many foods most people eat these days have a lot of.
And of course, calories are mainly about the carbohydrates and sugars in food. Glucose and sucrose cause body fat and weight to increase. The former is worse at this. It has a high glycemic index.
On the other hand, sweeteners offer a better means of combating overweight and obesity. Their zero- or low-calorie quality makes them seem a great idea for those in need of help with these issues. They practically remove the need for having to eliminate foods than ordinarily require sugar. These substitutes make it possible to eat the same foods without loading on calories.
Reactive hypoglycemia and diabetes
Sweeteners are advised for patients with reactive hypoglycemia or diabetes. In the former case, the body releases too much insulin after taking in glucose. Blood sugar levels fall below that needed for efficient functioning as a result. The use of sugar substitutes may prevent this from happening.
It is widely known that sweeteners are best for individuals with diabetes or prediabetes. Research confirms this. Many of those who advise against the use of these substances agree to this benefit as well. They do not cause your blood sugar levels to surge at once as glucose or sucrose would. Those types that release energy get metabolized slowly thereby ensuring there is no significant surge in glucose levels.
Preliminary studies by the Oklahoma Medical Research Foundation show that aspartame can provide pain relief. The researchers think it may help with conditions such as osteoarthritis and multiple sclerosis.
Controversies and Concerns
While proponents argue for replacing sugar with sweeteners, some other people are quick to point to their shortcomings. There is ongoing debate over whether these substitutes are truly better than sugar. Controversies abound and concerns exist.
Body weight
There is no consensus about whether sweeteners can indeed be beneficial in driving weight loss. Those opposed to the idea say that they can, in fact, lead people to experience more weight gains.
Some experts argue that highly potent sugar substitutes can alter your taste. You may develop intense liking for foods sweeter than what you were already used to. Healthier foods such as fruits and vegetables could lose their appeal entirely. Addiction to sweet things makes you more likely to consume items that will make you obese or that are not great for your health.
Besides, sweeteners may give a false sense of insurance. They can make someone feel he or she is free to eat more because their calorie intake has reduced. This may be said to be the reason you can, for example, see someone order a calorie packed meal after having just taken a diet drink.
Metabolic disorder
Some researchers have shown that sweeteners may hamper metabolic function. A study that appeared in the journal Trends in Endocrinology and Metabolism noted that frequent consumption can lead to this. Another study found that consumption of drinks containing artificial sweeteners daily leads to higher risk of metabolic syndrome.
However, a 2015 review of study in Physiology & Behavior seems to refute these claims. It stated there was no evidence of non-caloric sweeteners causing metabolic disorders in human beings.
Some people think artificial sweeteners may cause cancer to develop. This thinking is no doubt not unconnected to rat tests that showed around the 1970s that the use of saccharin and cyclamate resulted in bladder cancer. Aspartame also has supposed links to the scary disease.
However, studies that the FDA recognized haven't confirmed this possibility. Researchers also observed in a 2015 systematic review that there was no clear evidence of relationship between the two. In addition, scientists have found that rats have a unique mechanism that causes cancer to develop from use.
Skin aging
It is also thought that sweeteners may make you age faster. But we can say this idea has more to do with the harmful effect of common table sugar. There is inflammatory response when blood sugar levels rise, whatever the cause.
The resulting rise in inflammatory substances in the body may speed up your aging clock. Inflammation in skin cells can cause you to develop acne or wrinkles. If you already have these skin health issues, they can become worse.
But accelerated aging doesn't seem like something you need to worry much about when it comes to sweeteners. The sugar substitutes are usually metabolized more efficiently in the body. This means they may not necessarily cause a spike in blood glucose levels.
You need to be aware that some people may be sensitive to sweeteners. This may cause them to experience symptoms such as migraine headaches, upset stomach and diarrhea. You may need to steer clear of these substances if you have irritable bowel syndrome (IBS).
Which Sweetener is the Best?
The common belief appears to be that stevia is the best sweetener, although it is not the most popular for food manufacturers. The idea here for those who think this way is that you can never go wrong with nature. Some even consider the whole thing rather unfair seeing the sugar substitute somewhat in the same light as artificial sweeteners.
The fact that stevia is completely pure organic makes it a dietitian favorite. It contains practically no calories. There appears to be no research at this time showing that it gives rise to toxicity in humans.
Talking about safety, neotame is another sweetener that seems to impress. It is the only artificial sugar substitutes that the Center for Science in the Public Interests rates as safe.
Are All Other Sweeteners Unsafe Then?
It might appear like we are stating that stevia and neotame are the only safe sweeteners. Not so. In spite of the raging controversies, it can be said that these sugar substitutes are safe when used with moderation.
Small doses were used in practically all studies that led to their approval. Before any sweetener can be approved for general use in foods and drinks, strict evaluation usually comes first.
Aspartame is one of the most divisive sweeteners out there, as regards safety. It is said to have a hand in a variety of medical conditions, including brain tumors and chronic fatigue syndrome. If these were the case, the FDA will probably not have granted approval.
Aside taking them in smaller amounts, you only need to ensure you don't have a special condition that sweeteners are not favorable to. People with a genetic condition called phenylkenoturia (PKU) should stay away from aspartame.
The U.S. National Cancer Institute declares that sweeteners do not cause cancer. This view is also shared by Cancer Research UK.
So, if you are looking for a healthier choice than sugar, sweeteners may be worth considering. They can help to promote better health and wellbeing, especially for diabetics and those having prediabetes. You mainly need to ensure you do not use them in excessive amounts or too frequently. You can speak with a health professional for guidance.
Sugar substitute - Wikipedia (https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sugar_substitute)
Artificial sweeteners: sugar-free, but at what cost? - Harvard Health Blog - Harvard Health Publications (https://www.health.harvard.edu/blog/artificial-sweeteners-sugar-free-but-at-what-cost-201207165030)
The 5 Worst Artificial Sweeteners - Dr. Axe (https://draxe.com/artificial-sweeteners/)
Sweeteners - Joy Bauer (www.joybauer.com/food-articles/sweeteners/)
5 Best and Worst Sweeteners: Your Dietitians’ Picks – Health Essentials from Cleveland Clinic (https://health.clevelandclinic.org/2016/09/5-best-and-worst-sweeteners-your-dietitians-picks/)
The Truth on Artificial Sweeteners (www.webmd.com/food-recipes/features/truth-artificial-sweeteners#)
Sweeteners: are they safe? - Live Well - NHS Choices (www.nhs.uk/Livewell/Goodfood/Pages/the-truth-about-artificial-sweeteners.aspx)
Neotame - Wikipedia (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Neotame)
Advantame - Wikipedia (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Advantame)
Your Skin on Sugar: How it Impacts the Aging Process - PerriconeMD (http://foreveryoung.perriconemd.com/skin-sugar-impacts-aging-process.html)
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ACNE is a chronic disease of the skin. It starts in preadolescence and, for some, lasts well into the 30s. There is an 80% inheritance factor from first degree relatives; these forms are more severe. The reasons for an increase in the number of adult women getting this disease are unknown; however, research is ongoing. We do have effective treatments now!
Acne consists of three different etiologies: INFECTION, INFLAMMATION, AND KERATINIZATION.
INFECTION: Predominantly Propionibacterium acnes bacteria and some staphylococcus aureus.
INFLAMMATION: Overwhelming predominance of sebum.
KERATINIZATION: Disturbed keratin content in the follicle.
There are three distinct zones on the skin with different causes of ACNE: The well-known T Zone, now considered the NT zone; the U zone; and the O zone. All areas distinct in their sebum concentration and inflammation. There is no association with foods, smoking, or sun exposure; however, one study has an association with the amount of dairy consumed. This is promising, but limited based on the number of the persons studied. (Sun exposure to inflamed skin can result in hyperpigmentation)
One subpopulation has seen an increased incidence of acne: Adult women. Statistically, these individuals’ only risk factors were associated with more stressors in their life. Of those, they only had a more severe case of the inflammation. Some medical and psychological diseases are associated with the presence of skin conditions; acne is just one example.
As more and more research is completed, we have found that inflammation is the leading problem with this and many other diseases. Many have been ruled out but there are many more to find.
Both topical and oral medications that target this process first will be the best long term plan. ONCE the inflammation is under control, then you can start to repair the damage. |
How Does Digital Radio Work?
headphones-iconDigital radio is one of the biggest improvements in broadcasting since the introduction of FM. Digital radio signal can be broadcasted for more than 35,000 kilometers (22,000 miles) with complete clarity and high quality sound. You will never get static interferences while listening to over 100 radio channels. The idea behind digital radio has appeared in 1992, when the United States Federal Communications Commission granted a spectrum of the S band (the 2.3 GHz frequency) for Digital Audio Radio Service. The license to broadcast in that band was allocated to Sirius digital Radio and XM digital Radio in 1997. Now there are three companies that provide digital radio in the world: Sirius and XM in Northern America and WorldSpace in Asia, Europe and Africa.
Each of these companies offer different broadcasting systems, since the radio signal of each is proprietary. This means that you will have to buy different hardware depending on your subscription to one of these companies. However, there are three components common to all digital radio services: the digitals, the ground repeaters and the radio receivers. |
Tuesday, 7 February 2017
Secrets Revealed About The UK's Biggest Onshore Wind Farm - Criminal Levels Of Environmental Impact!
The topography of the area is of a relatively flat plateau with occasional hills rising above the flatter plateau landmass, all of which is overlain with deep peat, in some places reaching down past 8 meters.
On top of this is found a mixture of plants that are specialised in living in the low nutrient peat environment and which give the area its distinctive appearance.
One further factor had to come into play for the peat to form of course - a high rainfall (oceanic) climate. This coupled with the underlying geology of Whitelee meant that blanket bog formed over the scarred hills.
No-one knows exactly when blanket bogs began to form but its accepted that it was somewhere between 6000 and 9000 years ago.
Whitelee Landscape
Utopia - Dystopia ???
Commenting on the official opening of Whitelee Wind Farm, Friends of the Earth's Executive Director Andy Atkins said it was "...an exciting step towards a greener future..."
3,200 MW Hinkley Point C [HPC] will operate at 90% capacity factor [cf]. 539 MW Whitelee has a cf of 27%. It needs 20 wind farms the size of Whitelee to generate the same amount of intermittent electricity in a year, as the 24/7 electricity delivered by HPC.
"...With the current windfarm covering 78 km²..."
20 x 78 km² = 1,560 km²
• A windfarm constructed sympathetically on peat can produce a positive CO2 return within 3 years of operation. If however the windfarm is poorly built, the CO2 payback can take 30 years - longer than the lifespan of the windfarm
• About 70% of the roads at Whitelee are built using floating road construction methods because of the deep and sometimes fluid peat
• 900 hectares of non-native conifer plantation was removed as part of the development of Phase-1 of the windfarm - around 2.25 million trees
• Deepest peat encountered was 7m. Average peat depth was 3.3m
• Approximately 850,000m3 of peat excavated and spread
At 7:29, a walk through Whitelee Windfarm and a description of peat removal.
"...No-one knows exactly when blanket bogs began to form but its accepted that it was somewhere between A6000 and 9000 years ago..."
6,000 to 9,000 years of carbon storage - then it's all released in an instant. And for what? To cut an *unknowable* amount of greenhouse gas emissions
*unknowable* - The calculation can only be modelled because of the impossibility of measuring the amount of methane released during construction, forest removal and peat bog excavation !
And that's not the end of the story. Whitelee's lifespan is stated as 20 years, but it will probably produce for 25 years, which is the norm [claimed by wind power bodies]. So the 20 wind farms would have to be built a 2nd and be 10 years into the 3rd build to deliver for 60 years. That's a factor of X2.4
That's 2.4 x 20 x 539 MW = 25,872 MW of installed capacity.
At £600 million for 539 MW:
25,872 MW Costs £28,800 million !!!!!!!
1 comment:
1. If they last that long. Even assuming they do, there's a lot of maintenance to be done that adds to the capex payments. So much for free wind. |
DPRR Database Explained
The history of the Roman Republic (c. 509 to 31 BCE) was shaped by a highly competitive aristocratic elite, which oversaw Rome's remarkable transformation from middling Italian city-state to ruler of a Mediterranean empire. The DPRR project seeks to enhance our understanding of the structure and dynamics of this elite through prosopographical study of its attested individuals, including its familial composition, office-holding patterns, internal hierarchies and property and wealth. This website allows visitors to search for information about the individuals, families, offices, dates and relationships contained in our database.
This page is still under construction; more information coming soon. |
Adolf Hitler Appointed Chancellor by Paul von Hindenburg Hot
Adolf Hitler Appointed Chancellor by Paul von Hindenburg
Adolf Hitler with President Paul von Hindenburg
Source: Deutsches Bundesarchiv
Adolf Hitler is appointed Chancellor of Germany by President Paul von Hindenburg. In celebration, SA members throughout German launch vicious assaults on communists. The Nazis, combined with the Nationalists, have just 247 Reichstag seats out of 583.
This isn't a majority and doesn't allow them to create a ruling government so the Hitler decides to gamble and seek new elections in which he hope the Nazis can achieve a majority.
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Today's Major Events
Bavaria's Cardinal von Faulhaber Tells Bishops Hitler is Definitely a Christian
Roman Emperors Forbid Anything Contrary to Catholicism
Birth of Philosopher Baruch de Spnoza
Main Fortess of Terezin Made into Ghetto Known as Theresienstadt
Adolf Hitler Timeline |
From the inception of an idea to the commercialization of a widget, NI’s unique platform-based approach to engineering and science applications has driven progress across a wide variety of industries. Central to this approach is LabVIEW, a development environment designed specifically to accelerate the productivity of engineers and scientists. With a graphical programming syntax that makes it simple to visualize, create, and code engineering systems, LabVIEW is unmatched in helping you reduce test times, deliver business insights based on collected data, and translate ideas into reality. LabVIEW is designed to interoperate with other software, whether alternative development approaches or open-source platforms, to ensure you can use all of the tools available to you. With an included software service program that provides phone and email support from degreed engineers, updates to the latest versions, and 24/7 access to online training, a purchase of LabVIEW includes everything you need for success.
What Is LabVIEW?
LabVIEW is an integrated development environment designed specifically for engineers and scientists. Native to LabVIEW is a graphical programming language (G) that uses a dataflow model instead of sequential lines of text code, empowering you to write functional code using a visual layout that resembles your thought process. This means you spend less time worrying about semicolons and syntax and more time solving the problems that matter.
Product Reviews |
A deadly Ebola outbreak in Africa is having a big impact on a family in Canmore.
Kayt and Stefan Mahon legally adopted Leo and Grace, who are twins, from an orphanage in Sierra Leone last February. However, the Ebola outbreak has crippled civil infrastructure and health-care systems, and the Sierra Leone government has not been able to provide the twins with the Sierra Leone passports they need to leave the country.
The Mahons say they are worried for the twins' health if they have to stay longer in Sierra Leone.
"The children themselves are quite safe from the virus, you know, but their health is in danger in so many ways because there's malaria, [hepatitis A], [hepatitis B], typhoid, breaking an arm, breaking a leg," said Stefan Mahon. "The effect of Ebola on the country has now crippled the medical system."
The Mahons say they are urgently appealing to the Canadian government to give their adopted twins citizenship so that they can get out of Sierra Leone.
Epidemic is international emergency, WHO says
Nearly 400 people are believed to have died of Ebola in Sierra Leone since the outbreak began in December 2013.
Earlier this month, the World Health Organization declared the outbreak an international public health emergency and called on the international community to provide support for the affected countries.
The WHO says the governments of Guinea, Liberia, Sierra Leone and Nigeria don't have the capacity to manage an outbreak of this size and complexity.
There are no licensed drugs or vaccines for the viral disease, which has a fatality rate of up to 90 per cent.
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Tongue Tied Baby: Symptoms and Effects
Header Image
Countless parents describe childbirth as the best day of their lives. But it's not uncommon for parents-to-be to worry about issues that can arise in their baby during the pregnancy or shortly after birth. One condition that might not be familiar to folks is ankyloglossia, more commonly referred to as a tongue tied baby.
What Is a Tongue Tie?
Tongue tie is when a baby's tongue suffers from a restricted range of motion due to a short, thick tissue band, according to the Mayo Clinic. Also known as a lingual frenulum, this band anchors the tip of the tongue to the floor of the mouth. It usually separates before birth and is more common in boys than girls. Why a baby can be tongue tied is mostly unknown, but the condition can occasionally be hereditary. Tongue tie may inhibit a child's ability to speak, eat and swallow. It also affects the breastfeeding process.
If you suspect you might have a tongue tied baby, look for the following symptoms:
• Difficulty sticking the tongue out beyond the lower teeth.
• Trouble moving the tongue side to side or raising the tongue to the upper teeth.
• A heart-shaped or notched tongue when it's stuck out.
Consult your baby's pediatrician if they have difficulty performing any of those functions.
Ankyloglossia and Breastfeeding
For new Moms who've had their hearts set on breastfeeding their new bundles of joy, an ankyloglossia diagnosis may be discouraging. According to, while a new Mom's milk comes in shortly after birth, the supply only replenishes due to a baby's sucking action. A baby's mouth needs to be able to open wide enough for the tongue to protrude far enough in order to house a large enough portion of the mother's breast to correctly allow the flow of milk.
A tongue tied baby can't open their mouth wide enough to correctly latch on to the breast. With an improper latch, breast milk won't be stimulated for release. The baby's mouth latches on to a nipple instead. This action causes pain and trauma to the nipple, which may result in cracking, bleeding or an infection.
Proper Infant Oral Care
There are so many changes and new routines to develop with the arrival of a baby. One of those is getting your newborn off on the right foot with proper infant oral care. Before that first tooth pops through, wipe your baby's gums with a soft cloth or a wet gauze pad before bed.
Once the little one starts teething, clean the new teeth with a Colgate My First toothbrush. It has extra soft bristles for gentle, yet effective cleaning, and the toothbrush head is specially sized for small children whose teeth are still developing.
Whether you have a tongue tied baby or not, their first dental visit will mark another milestone. You can use that as the foundation to teach them good habits regarding tooth care for when they get older. That means brushing at least twice each day, complemented with flossing and regular dental checkups.
How to care for your infant’s first teeth?
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What does duplicity mean?
Definitions for duplicityduˈplɪs ɪ ti, dyu-
Here are all the possible meanings and translations of the word duplicity.
Princeton's WordNet
1. fraudulence, duplicity(noun)
a fraudulent or duplicitous representation
2. duplicity, double-dealing(noun)
1. duplicity(Noun)
Intentional deceptiveness; double-dealing.
Webster Dictionary
1. Duplicity(noun)
doubleness; a twofold state
2. Duplicity(noun)
doubleness of heart or speech; insincerity; a sustained form of deception which consists in entertaining or pretending to entertain one of feelings, and acting as if influenced by another; bad faith
3. Duplicity(noun)
the use of two or more distinct allegations or answers, where one is sufficient
4. Duplicity(noun)
in indictments, the union of two incompatible offenses
1. Duplicity
Duplicity is a software suite that provides encrypted, digitally signed, versioned, remote backup of files requiring little of the remote server. Duplicity devises a scheme where the first archive is a complete backup and subsequent backups are only adding differences from the first backup. Chains consisting of a full backup and a series of incremental backups can be recovered to the point in time that any of the incremental steps were taken at. If any of the incremental backups are missing then the incremental backups following it cannot be reconstructed. It does this using GnuPG, librsync, tar, and rdiff. To transmit data to the backup repository it can use SSH/SCP/SFTP, local file access, rsync, FTP, Amazon S3 and Rackspace Cloud Files and others. Refer to it's man page for the constantly growing list of backends. Released under the terms of the GNU General Public License, Duplicity is free software. Duplicity works best under Unix-like operating systems, though it can be used with Windows under Cygwin. Currently duplicity supports deleted files, full Unix permissions, directories, and symbolic links, fifos, and device files, but not hard links.
1. Chaldean Numerology
The numerical value of duplicity in Chaldean Numerology is: 4
2. Pythagorean Numerology
The numerical value of duplicity in Pythagorean Numerology is: 2
Images & Illustrations of duplicity
1. duplicityduplicityduplicity
Translations for duplicity
From our Multilingual Translation Dictionary
• двуличие, двойственостBulgarian
• Doppelspiel, Doppelzüngigkeit, DuplizitätGerman
• διπροσωπίαGreek
• duplicidadSpanish
• kaksinaamaisuusFinnish
• duplicité, double jeuFrench
• 二枚舌, 二心Japanese
• двуличие, двуличность, двойственностьRussian
• düzenbazlık, ikiyüzlülükTurkish
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Wittenberg celebrates Luther's wedding
490 years ago, Protestant reformer Martin Luther married a nun who had escaped a monastery - breaking from the Roman Catholic Church. Each year Wittenberg organizes a festival, including a reenactment of the wedding.
From Friday, June 12, everything in Wittenberg will revolve around Martin Luther and his marriage to Katharina von Bora. The three-day festivities will be crowned by a moving wedding procession. As well as 2,000 costumed extras, a student and teacher from Wittenberg - the town in Saxony-Anhalt - will play the historic wedding couple. Tens of thousands of guests are expected to attend Luther's 'wedding'.
The old town will transform into a medieval spectacle with market stalls, entertainers and people in period costume - and artisans will be on hand with displays of products from Luther's time. Period knight games and parades will be offered to children and around the castle church musicians will perform historic music.
It was here where Martin Luther is said to have nailed his Ninety-Five Theses, on the reformation of Christianity, to the door in 1517. His work went on to change both the political and Christian worlds substantially. Eight years later, Luther married the escaped nun Katharina von Bora - 15 years his junior. With his marriage in 1525 he personally broke away from the Catholic Church. |
What is tropical medicine?
A branch of medicine that deals with the study of diseases which are more unique, wide spread and have proven to be difficult to control in tropical and sub-tropical regions is called Tropical medicine. Diseases like malaria, Ebola and Hookworm infections were considered as tropical diseases. Improvements in diet, sanitation, housing and personal hygiene is observed to have controlled or eliminated many of these tropical diseases. Patrick Manson, a British parasitologist was the father of Tropical medicine. He was the founder of London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine.
Go to Why Do We Fall ill Video
Patrick Manson was born on October 3rd 1844 at Oldmeldrum, a small town near Aberdeen, Scotland. His father John Manson was a manager of the local branch of British Linen Bank and his mother Elizabeth Livingstone Blaikie was a distant relative of David Livingstone who was a famous Christian- missionary explorer. Patrick Manson had one elder brother, one younger brother and four younger sisters. At the age of 5, he showed an excellent memory of remembering church sermons. He had a great passion in natural history, shooting, fishing, mechanics and carpentry in his childhood. Patrick Manson went to Gymnasium school in Aberdeen and later he continued his schooling at West End Academy. In the year 1859, he did apprenticeship as ironsmith under Blaike brothers, who were ironmasters. However, he had to discontinue since he was attacked by a type of tuberculosis (Pot’s disease of the spine). He entered the University of Aberdeen in the year 1860 and completed his medicine course by 1865. But by then he was only 19 years old and was considered underage for graduation, therefore he visited hospitals, medical schools and museums in London for some time. Finally when he was of appropriate age he formally graduated in October 1865 and was appointed as medical officer at Durham Lunatic Asylum. He worked at that asylum for about seven months. For the purpose of his thesis he performed 17 postmortem dissections on patients with psychiatric illness. In the year 1866 he received the degrees of Doctor of medicine, Doctor of Law and master of surgery.
David Manson who was the elder brother of Patrick Manson worked in medical service in Shanghai. David Manson was the inspiration behind Patrick Manson to join as medical officer in Customs Service of Formosa. He started his research work on tropical medicine while he was in Formosa (which is now called as Taiwan). His duty was to inspect the ships docked at the port and also to check their crew. He was exposed to a wide variety of tropical diseases while he attended Chinese patients in local missionary hospital. A combination of clinical skill, hand lens and good record work were his only research tool. After few years in Formosa he went to Amoy, on coastline of china. He worked there another 13 years.
He was the first person to discover that an insect can be a host to a developing parasite that is a cause of human disease. He carried out research work on filaria, a worm that causes elephantiasis. He spent most of his time in searching for filaria in the blood taken from the patients. Then he started analyzing the life cycle of filaria and discovered that the worms were active in the patient during the night and were absent during the day.
After his research work on filaria he came to a conclusion that the mosquito was the intermediate host of the filarial parasite. This discovery directly gave rise to mosquito-malarial theory. This theory suggests that mosquito is the carrier of agent that causes malaria. Ronald Ross, who approached Manson in London, proved this theory by describing the life cycle of malarial parasite inside a female mosquito.
Manson worked in Hong Kong from 1883 to 1889. During this period he founded Hong College of Medicine for Chinese students. This college had become the University of Hong Kong in the year 1911. In the year 1885 Manson had imported cows from his native Scotland to Hong Kong and established a dairy farm in Pok Fu Lam.
After earning considerable wealth through medical practice in South East Asia for 23 years, Manson moved back to London in 1889. He was qualified a member of Royal College of Physicians in the year 1890. In the year 1892 he became a physician at Seamen’s Hospital Society. In the same year he was appointed as lecturer for tropical diseases in St George’s Hospital. He was assigned as chief medical officer to the colonial office in July 1897. In the year 1912, Manson retired from the colonial office.
In the year 1876 Manson got married to Henrietta Isabella Thurbun. He had one daughter and three sons. His daughter married Philip Henry Bahr, who was Manson’s student at the London School of Tropical Medicine.
The Manson’s medal is presented by the Royal Society of Tropical Medicine once in every three years. Manson’s grandson, Dr. (Philip Edmund) Clinton Manson-Bahr was awarded this medal in the year 1995 for his work in tropical medicine.
Patrick Manson suffered with gout, during his service in China. His condition got worst with the age and he passed away on 9th of April, 1922.
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Introduction: Make a Two Part Reusable Mold Using Plaster
Picture of Make a Two Part Reusable Mold Using Plaster
Before I start, I'd like to note that this is my first instructable so please excuse any potential gaps in logic I made and some of the blurry pictures. I tried to take as many photos as possible and will explain the process as thoroughly as possible, but should you require additional help feel free to mention it in the comments below.
So What I've done here was develop a cheap way to create molds for various casting projects. Depending on what materials you already have available, the total cost for creating a single two part reusable mold will range from 0-25$.
The advantage of a two part mold over a one part (where molten material is poured into an open mold) is that much more structurally complicated objects can be duplicated in this way. To demonstrate the process for the instructable, I have chosen a sea shell since it is an object that cannot be duplicated with a one part mold system but is very streamlined - it lacks advanced features such as protrusions.
Plaster is an ideal material for this project as it is very malleable in its unhardened shape, and can withstand very high heat when dry. Therefore, finished molds will work for almost any casting material - I preferably like to create projects out of wax, tin, silver, and gold as these materials are very easy to work with. For this project, and for cost issues, I will make a casting in wax.
Step 1: Materials
Picture of Materials
The materials listed here can be easily interchanged with others of similar properties. Get creative! instead of buying what I listed here try to find alternative supplies
Materials needed for making the mold:
an object to duplicate - make sure it is something you can sacrifice in case of a screw-up :)
a generous amount of plaster of Paris
Hot glue, or any glue that can be easily removed when dry
Play doh or modeling clay, or any other material with the same consistency
Soap (to act as mold release) - there is also professional mold release spray that can be bought from eBay or amazon
paintbrush, or any tool to spread mold release
a plastic box, or four strips of plastic or other material that can be glued together to make a hollow box
portfolio paper cover, or a paper plate, or anything other than newspaper to serve as an overspill guard
Additional materials to make a wax based duplicate:
a large candle, or any excess wax
cooking pot and stove
boiling water
Step 2: Making the Mold Perimeter
Picture of Making the Mold Perimeter
Whatever perimeter you choose, make sure that it will be big enough to contain the object you chose to duplicate.
If you don't have a spare plastic box, try creating a perimeter out of strips of plastic - a good place to get those would be out of plastic packaging for products. Here I used an old GLAD brand food container.
The overall shape of the perimeter does not matter, as long as it is taller than the height of your object.
Cut out the bottom of the box and glue it to your overspill guard. I prefer to use only four small glue applications, one on each side, as it simplifies detaching the guard later.
Step 3: Play Doh Time!
Picture of Play Doh Time!
Use your Play Doh, or substitute material, and pack in down inside your perimeter. Then take your object and press it roughly halfway in the play dough. Make sure to cover any interior crevices before inserting your object (I glued up opening of the shell)
Note- push back the Play Doh so it will not engulf the object any more than half its height. Not doing so will greatly complicate removing the object later, and you will likely have to break either the mold or the object to make either usable.
Step 4: Protrusion and Lubrication
Picture of Protrusion and Lubrication
This step will detail the preparations before casting.
If your object does not have a flat base or is not touching the perimeter, it is important to create an artificial tube through which molten material can be poured once the plaster dries. I created mine by cutting and gluing four sections of a drinking straw and placing them at the top of the shell. As shown in the picture, it does not have to completely touch the edge. It is easy to break off whatever thin layer of plaster will accumulate there.
Using the end of the paintbrush, or a pencil, make indentations in the play doh. These will come up as bumps on one of the halves of the mold and will make for easy alignment of the two parts (think of two Lego bricks locking together).
Now spread a generous amount of soap all over the play doh, object, and sides of the perimeter. This will serve as a non stick layer and allow for easy removal.
Step 5: Pouring the First Half
Picture of Pouring the First Half
Mix your plaster to an even consistency with as little clumps as possible. Tap your mixing container repeatedly on a table or other hard surface to remove air bubbles - remember that air bubbles trapped around your object will distort the final shape and give it a tumorous look.
When pouring, pour only at one corner of the perimeter and let the plaster slide naturally over the object. Pouring directly over the object will heighten the chances of air bubbles forming in crucial areas.
Top off using as much plaster as possible without spilling.
Step 6: Pouring the Second Half
Picture of Pouring the Second Half
Detach the perimeter from the overspill guard, flip it upside down, and re glue.
Remove the play doh - be careful to not knead it back into its container before washing so it can be reused for later projects
give the mold and sides a generous coat of soap before pouring the plaster, using the same method as the first pour.
Step 7: Observe Your Creation
Picture of Observe Your Creation
Separate your two halves and remove your object.
If needed, break off the thin layer of plaster covering your pour-access tube.
This step concludes the mold making part of the instructable. From here, I will describe how to make a duplication using wax as a medium.
Make sure to wash out any remaining soap as it will distort the shape of your duplicates.
Step 8: Gather Materials for Wax
Picture of Gather Materials for Wax
Melt your wax inside the pot. If your candle has a wick, fish it out using a toothpick or Popsicle stick.
Tie your mold together with string or hold it together with rubber bands.
Boil your water in preparation for cleanup
Step 9: Pouring
Picture of Pouring
I did not take pictures of the actual pouring as I needed both hands for the procedure.
Place your mold over a spill guard, with the hole facing up.
My pot had a prebuilt spout in it which made pouring easier. If you do not have one, pour as carefully as possible. I highly suggest to not hold the mold while pouring to avoid an accidental spill over your fingers.
Wax shrinks in volume as it hardens- continue pouring and topping off the mold every few minutes until the reduction ceases.
I recommend letting the mold sit for at least 20 minutes to ensure that the wax has hardened.
Pour any excess wax into another container for future use.
After the wax hardens, pour boiling water over the mold to melt off any wax that spilled down the sides. Try to remove as much wax as possible from the half line as this will make separating the two halves a lot easier.
Unfortunately, my cast broke when I separated the two halves. Perhaps lubricating the insides will assist in preserving the duplication's integrity but I highly recommend against lubricating the mold when using mediums hotter than wax, such as silver. It's ok though, as I can always scrape out the wax and remelt it for another attempt.
Thanks for viewing my first instructable. Feel free to ask questions and add recommendations in the comments.
BurakkusutaZ (author)2017-11-04
Another thing that can be done is that on top of lubricating the object and finished first playdough half, you can press indentations into the playdough. The final mould halves will be even easier to keep precisely positioned when filling. One other note is that once you have mulitple wax castings, you can closely bridge them together via wax or foam rods that will act as channels for when you have it submerged in sand/clay for mass simultaneous lost wax castings all at once.
I am working on finishing my forge, and once I am ready I will take pics of the last part I described and the results.
BenB271 (author)2017-02-27
I did this with a wax indeed but didn't make two halves it's a destructive mold will the mold explode whe silver is poured in because of moisture?
electricaveman (author)BenB2712017-03-02
If you preheat the mold, this shouldn't be an issue. I'm not an expert on the subject but I've read that they preheat the plaster molds almost to the temperature of the molten metal to prevent thermal shock but the mold is also broken to get the part out. They were casting iron with the lost wax method of making the molds.
timtak (author)2016-04-17
I am not sure why you need playdough. Can't you just make the first half mold using plaster? I guess not but I am not sure why.
Also, as joemellin says, the need for a "spill guard" is unclear. Why not just use a tupperware (as you did) and keep the bottom intact, grease oil or soap it and prize the first half out of the still intact tupperware container?
The way I had envisioned is
1) fill a tupperware half full with plaster
2) Press in an object well greased.
3) (Thanks to you) Add some straws for pouring and some small objects around the half submerged object for the "lego-like" fit.
4) Wait till solid. Grease/oil/soap again and pour on another half of plaster.
I am not sure of the need for the playdough.
Rugnineteen (author)timtak2016-09-17
Quote "2) Press in an object well greased" You are suggesting placing the object directly into the wet plaster? This has issues depending on the object being cast. The most obvious issue is the object may just sink into the plaster and be impossible to remove without breaking and therefore ruining the mold. The play-doh is there to help control the mold line.
graymachine (author)2016-06-21
Hi, I'm going to ale a mold for a bronze casting and am torn about the medium to use. I am casting a finale, a pyramidal shape with a height of about 6 inches, as well as a base width of about 6 inches. I was originally going to cast it using sand, but this method seems far easier, all things considered. Do you think that this plaster method will work with that volume? I think I'll need to make it a three part mold to accommodate the void in it.
RobertH199 (author)2016-01-28
I really like your method of creating a seal around each half of the model with play doh. It's so much easier and quicker than trying to cut the shape of the model into a base board and sealing the gaps around the edges after.
For small models like that shell though, I would suggest using mold putty to create a mold. It's significantly quicker and easier than using plaster which has a tendency to break when de-molding, espiecally from objects with fine detail like that shell. Plus wax is delicate to begin with so fine detail won't survive a rigid mold being ripped off.
Also worth noting with wax is that it will crack with sudden temperature changes. In other words, don't put it in the freezer to dry quicker or it will fall apart when you take it out.
Gary J.O (author)2016-01-05
Thanks for the info. I am planning on doing my first pewter pour of a small art object. I have two questions. Is there a special kind of plaster I should use when pouring pewter? and also. Can I pour into a plaster multi-piece mold? Thanks. Gary O
shaddoty (author)2013-05-12
can this plaster take 480F
treymartin82 (author)shaddoty2015-12-07
It sure can. Once your plaster molds have dried overnight put them in your oven at about 100F after about 20 minutes turn it up to 250 for 15 minutes and work your way up to 400F. This takes all of the moisture out and then the mold can withstand temps up to 2200F.
armorlord (author)shaddoty2013-05-13
I use these plaster molds to cast molten silver and gold, which I use oxyacetylene to melt. Yes it can take extreme temperatures - just make sure to heat it gradually, preferably using an open flame torch. If you subject plaster to an extreme and sudden temperature change it will crack.
mcshannon (author)armorlord2015-06-09
This was my question, i was wanting a resueable molds that could hold upto at least zinc, but silver and gold even better.
Are you saying before melting my metal warm the mold? Then melt the metal and pour? I have been plan to do all heating with torch either propain or acetylene i have both.
armorlord (author)mcshannon2015-06-25
Before pouring your metal make sure your mold is properly heated. Otherwise the sudden heat shock will cause cracks. Depending on the mold complexity it may require sticking the whole torch inside the mold. With some practice you'll get the preheating concept right. Until then - pour over sand!
mm2187 (author)2015-10-05
Can you use plaster to fill the plaster mold once the mold is set?
brentonodon (author)mm21872015-11-12
If you are talking about making a plaster part using the plaster mold you can. You just need to use what's called potter's soap as a mold release agent. Mix some gooey potter's soap with water, brush it all over the mold, and cast your part. Best of luck with it! It's worked for me in the past.
cookies1 (author)2015-09-06
for information yours, both right you are - Yoda
afridave (author)2015-08-25
I use artists masking fluid as a release agent....on the plaster paris not on the item being works very very well....also i find coating the surfaces of the molds with polyester resin...which soaks into the plaster and hardens..i find this makes the molds a ittle stronger and more durable..
afridave (author)afridave2015-08-25
and...make sure you plaster molds are totally dry before attempting to pour moulten metal....i learned the hardway and got hot lead all over the place...a little went inside my asbestos glove and burned me badly....adding a little salt to plaster speed up drying...
ChrisJ25 (author)2015-06-25
One thing I would recommend when making the mold is to incorporate some kind of vent to allow air to escape as 'molten' material enters, to avoid air bubbles in the new finished item. We did something like this when I was in 8th grade and the vent(s) were required as we were pouring pewter.
joemellin (author)2014-09-04
Thanks for making this. The bit about the over spill guard is a bit confusing to me. It looks like from the picture of you glueing (because of the reflection) that you are glueing two boxes together, when it seems it is just a 4 sided box and basically making it so that you can switch which of the other 2 sides is inclosed.
I think a picture where you can tell it is being glued to something / no reflection would be a great help!
Thanks again for making this, I am gonna go get my mold on :)
mmiles12 (author)2014-07-25
FYI it's FYI
troopersmachine (author)2013-05-13
Excellent instructable, I am eager to give this method a try. Would you recommend using a mold release on the plaster when using metals instead of wax?
If you can find a temperature resistant mold release, It would definitely be a good idea.
For me, since I already built enough experience to make perfect molds without imperfections, I just use them as one timers. Cast in the metal, then break the mold. I find it easier to create a new mold than mess around with trying to preserve it in perfect shape, especially for complicated shapes.
Yeah, that's so true, when i do a one time cast, I make single-use molds, but when I make a mold that I want to cast several times in, I have to go with a 2 part, reusable mold. Another minus with single-use molds, if you poured the metal incorrectly into the mold, you can't cast it again, you just wasted: plaster, time, and metal, but with a reusable mold, if you messed up the metal pour once, you can always try again. I tend to make reusable molds for small casts like marbles, but for big intricate casts, I make single use molds, since I know I don't need more than one. Also, what metal do you usually use, I use pewter, zinc or lead, all of them have a minus though, zinc is nontoxic, strong, but it decreases in size greatly as it solidifies, leaving a bad cast, also, zinc is hard to melt on a stove, I prefer a propane torch on a crucible, it leaves the metal molten for long enough to pour cArefully. Pewter is nontoxic, safe, easy to melt, but its very soft and it easily is bent and pewter at times can be pricy. Lead is easy to melt, pretty much cheap, not too expensive, but it is very toxic and carcinogenic, resulting in a cast that you cannot play with to much with your hands. Sorry for long post, thAnks for reading, goodnight to you.
Peter Angel (author)2013-05-14
Nice instructable.
An important step is to wet the plaster mould with water than drain it before pouring in the hot wax - otherwise the hot wax will stick to the dry plaster.
framistan (author)2013-05-13
I once molded a chess pawn similar to your method. Fortunately, it was not valuable, because the "professional" mold release spray didn't work at all. My pawn was sealed halfway into the plaster like LUKE SKYWALKER in carbonite! I notice you used SOFTSOAP. I will try something like that next time.
About This Instructable
More by armorlord:Make a two part reusable mold using plaster
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VHF Channel 66
call sign, Lymington Harbour (office hours)
Section 2: Interpretation
2.1 In these Directions the following words and expressions shall have the following meanings:-
2.2 The term “board sailing” means the navigation or operation of a sailboard propelled by wind and windsurfing and kite surfing have a like meaning.
2.3 The term “the Byelaws” means the Lymington Harbour Byelaws.
2.4 The term ”the Commissioners” means the Lymington Harbour Commissioners.
2.5 The word “fairway” means the navigable channel within the harbour which is the regular course or track of vessels and which is marked by navigation marks and buoys as shown on the Admiralty chart
2.6 The term “fishing vessel” means any vessel fishing with nets, lines, trawls, or other fishing apparatus which restrict manoeuvrability.
2.7 The word “grounded” means an unintentional contact with the seabed, except for touching briefly so that no damage or obstruction to navigation is caused.
2.8 The term “the Harbour” means the part of the Lymington River or creek, within the area defined in Part 1 (article 3) of the Lymington Harbour Revision Order 2014
2.9 The term “the Harbour Master” means any person appointed as such by the Commissioners, and his deputies and assistants, and any other person or employee of the Commissioners for the time being authorised by the Commissioners to act, either generally or for a specific purpose, in the capacity of Harbour Master.
2.10 The term “the harbour premises” means the quays, piers, landing places, and all other works, lands and buildings for the time being vested in, or occupied or administered by, the Commissioners as part of their harbour undertaking.
2.11 The term “the level of high water” means the level of mean high water spring tides.
2.12 The term “the level of low water” means the level of mean low water spring tides.
2.13 The term “the Master” when used in connection with a vessel means any individual, whether the owner or not, having or taking command, charge or management of the vessel for the time being.
2.14 The word “mooring” includes any quay, buoy, pile, post, chain, pillar, pontoon or like apparatus or convenience provided or used for the mooring of vessels and includes any pier, bridge, roadway, slipway, or footway immediately adjacent and affording access thereto;
2.15 The term “mooring licence” means a licence granted by Lymington Harbour Commissioners authorising the right to use a mooring subject to compliance with the terms and conditions of the licence.
2.16 The term “the owner” includes any part-owner, charterer, agent or mortgagee in possession of the vessel or other person or persons entitled for the time being to possession of the vessel.
2.17 The word “parascending” means any activity wherein a person or persons are towed by or carried on a power driven vessel with the intention that the person or persons are towed or carried shall become airborne by virtue of their being harnessed to a kite, parachute, balloon, glider or similar apparatus.
2.18 The word “person” includes, where the context admits, companies or other entities.
2.19 The term “personal water craft” means any watercraft propelled by a water-jet engine or other mechanical means of propulsion and steered:-
(a) by means of a handlebar operated linkage system (with or without a rudder at the stern); or
(b) by the person or persons riding the craft using his or their body weight for the purpose; or
(c) by a combination of the methods referred to respectively in (a) and (b).
2.20 The term “power driven vessel” means any vessel which is driven wholly or partly by machinery.
2.21 The term “recreational swimming” means any swimming for recreational purposes but excludes swimming solely for the purpose of undertaking maintenance to a moored boat.
2.22 The term “sailing vessel” means any vessel under sail provided that propelling machinery, if fitted is not being used.
2.23 The term “small vessel” means any vessel of less than 20 metres in length.
2.24 The word “underway” when used in relation to a vessel means when it is not at anchor or moored or made fast to the shore or aground, and includes a vessel moving in the Harbour though its anchor is on the ground or seabed.
2.25 The term “underwater diving” means diving with the assistance of underwater breathing equipment including air cylinders and regulators.
2.26 The word “vessel” means a ship, boat, raft or water craft of any description and includes a non-displacement craft, personal watercraft or seaplane and any other thing constructed or adapted for floating on or being submersed in water (whether permanently or temporarily) and a hovercraft or any other amphibious vehicle, used or being capable of being used as a means of transportation on water.
2.27 The term “water skiing” means any activity wherein a person or persons are towed by a power driven vessel by virtue of them being harnessed to or holding on to a tow line, or being carried on an inflatable device or similar for the purpose of aquaplaning. |
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Battle of Vertieres 2017
Saturday, November 18, 2017
The Battle of Vertières, in Haitian Creole Batay Vètyè, was the last major battle of the Second War of Haitian Independence, and the final part of the Haitian Revolution under Jean Jacques Dessalines.
The Battle of Vertières (Northern Haiti) was against the powerful French army of Napoleon Bonaparte.
It was fought between Haitian slave populations and Napoleon's French expeditionary forces on 18 November 1803.
Vertières is situated just south of Cap-Haïtien in the Départment du Nord, Haiti.
By the end of October 1803, Haitian rebels slaves had already taken over all the territory from France.
Following this victory, Haiti's independence was officially proclaimed on 1 January 1804 became the first black republic in the world.
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Dendrobium species care – Different care for different Dendrobium species
Dendrobium is Asian and Australian genus, and also dwells on many Pacific Ocean islands. Dendrobium orchids grow naturally in diverse ecosystems – from warm rainforests to cold Himalayan mounts and dry Australian deserts. Given the fact that they live in so different biomes, Dendrobium is one of the most diverse orchid genera and because of it they are divided into different groups, according to their specific demands. They are divided to cold, intermediate and warm-growing, and they can also be divided to ones who need a cold dry rest period, and ones who do not need it.
The orchids that vendors sold are actually complex hybrids and some of this complex hybrids do not actually require such cold and dry dormancy, as they have some warm-group Dendrobiums in their pedigree. hybrids are much more easy to grow than species Dendrobiums, and within species, the warm group is easiest to grow.
Dendrobium nobile, Dendrobium phalaenopsis, and Dendrobium bigibbum are three popularly grown Dendrobium species which have been used extensively in hybridizing. These species and their hybrids are often added to collections without the grower being aware of their very different cultural requirements. We hope that a knowledge of the climatic conditions in the three habitats will help growers decide whether they can provide the conditions needed to grow and bloom these species and many of their hybrids.
A few general facts about the large and varied genus Dendrobium might help growers understand the difficulty in trying to apply generalizations to so many species. D. nobile was once used extensively in hybridizing with 77 hybrids registered in which it was a parent. The most commonly used parents in recent registrations, however, have been the Australian species D. phalaenopsis and the closely related D. bigibbum.
Cold Dendrobium species
Cold-growing species are Dendrobium wattii, Dendrobium wangliangii, Dendrobium vonroemeri, Dendrobium vexillarius, Dendrobium vannouhuysii, Dendrobium sutepense, Dendrobium sulphureum, Dendrobium subclausum, Dendrobium stellar, Dendrobium sinominutiflorum, Dendrobium sculptum, Dendrobium rupestre, Dendrobium putnamii, Dendrobium piranha, Dendrobium otaguroanum, Dendrobium cuthbertsonii. They cannot tolerate warmth for long periods of time and need to grow at cool all year round, as they are mostly mountain miniature to medium-sized species. The best way to grow them is mounting on slabs because at cool conditions roots are very prone to rotting. Mounting is the best way to keep roots of these Dendrobiums healthy.
Intermediate-temperature species
The second group is intermediate growing Dendrobiums, such as Dendrobium kingianum, Dendrobium nobile, Dendrobium crassifolium, Dendrobium crassicaule, Dendrobium amethystoglossum, Dendrobium gnomus, Dendrobium harveyanum, Dendrobium loddigesii, Dendrobium longicornu. All of them prefer intermediate temperature, half to full sun and moderate watering. Some representatives of this group need cold and dry dormancy to develop flower buds. For instance, popular Dendrobium nobile, Dendrobium kingianum and Dendrobium loddigesii produce keikis instead of flowers if not provided with cool temperatures , but they prefer intermediate temperatures when they are vegetating.
Warm Dendrobiums species
The third group is so called warm Dendrobiums – well known Dendrobium phalaenopsis, Dendrobium speciosum, Dendrobium spectabile, Dendrobium tangerinum, Dendrobium taurinum, Dendrobium transparens, Dendrobium truncatum, Dendrobium unicum need warm grow conditions. Some of them such as Dendrobium phalaenopsis and spectacular Dendrobium spectabile need year-round hot to warm temperatures, but deciduous Dendrobium unicum needs cold and dry rest in winter but warm temperatures at summer. Most warm species normally grow in pots, but Dendrobium unicum suits better to be mounted on a slab.
Klairvoyant orchids
Acriopsis (chandelier orchids)
Acriopsis liliifolia
Acriopsis liliifolia var liliifolia
The genus consists of 9 recognized species. The name ‘Acriopsis’ is derived because it resembles the shape of a locust.
They grow mainly in low, humid rainforests, sometimes ascending to medium altitudes. Their roots have specialised roots which grow from them up through the air and make branches which feed on litter and other debris.
Light Preference :
Semi-Shade (It is best grown under 70% light. )
Moderate shade and humidity as well as hot to warm conditions are required with a dry period when not growing and then ample water while in growth to have this epiphytic orchid bloom in the spring and summer on a basal
klairvoyant orchids
Dyakia hendersoniana sp
Dyakia hendersoniana
A genus of orchids. It contains only one species, Dyakia hendersoniana
Dyakia is a genus of orchids. It contains only one species, Dyakia hendersoniana, endemic to the Island of Borneo.
Light:- This plant prefers low to medium light. This plant also does well under artificial lights. Grow from 12 to 18 inches from fluorescent tubes.
Humidity:- 50% or higher is ideal. When growing on a slab, keep the humidity as high as possible.
Water:- This plant should be misted or watered every morning when growing on a slab. When growing in a pot, water as the mix approaches dryness
This plant flowers in the spring to summer months. Each flower stem produces about 15 to 30 miniature salmon pink flowers.
Repot this plant once a year in a net or clay pot using New Zealand sphagnum moss. These can be slab mounted as well.When growing on a slab, repotting is not necessary unless the slab develops a salt like coating on it.
Klairvoyant orchids
Trichoglottis (Trgl)
Trichoglottis Brachiata Sp.
Trichoglottis Brachiata
In this genus contains about 60 species found mostly in Southeast Asia (Indochina, Indonesia, Philippines, etc.) with a few species in China, the Indian Subcontinent, and various islands of the Pacific and Indian Oceans.
All the Trichoglottis grow well either in a bushhouse or outdoors, with broken sunlight and protection from direct hot sunlight. The climbers need something to clamber up, and can be kept manageable by cutting tops and replanting at the base of the support for a specimen clump.
Temperature :- Warm to intermediate.
Light:- no direct sun.
Humidity:- even moisture and high humidity. Constant air movement is also important.
Trichovanda Thai Velvet 'Meechai'
Trichovanda Thai Velvet ‘Meechai’
(cross of Trichoglottis brachiata x Vanda Kinzweiler)
klairvoyant orchids
Chiloschista Orchids
Chiloschista (Chsch) in the horticultural trade, is a genus of orchids, comprising 20 currently recognized species native to China, the Indian Subcontinent, Southeast Asia, New Guinea, Australia, Fiji and Micronesia.
Unlike the majority of orchids, they tend to be leafless or with only a few occasional leaves, being composed principally of aerial roots equipped with photosynthetic cells.
this genus is listed as a leafless epiphyte. In reality, however, some species produce leaves, although the leaves are caducous (shed at an early stage of development).
Because these plants have no leaves, the photosynthesis normally performed in the leaves is done in the roots. Therefore, the roots must be grown exposed to sunlight. Plants are usually mounted on small tree branches.
Temperature:- Minimum temperature(15-18C)
Light moderate shade (60-70%)
Water-Humidity: High humidity; while in active growth, plenty of water – allow to dry between waterings.
klairvoyant orchids
Best Fragrant orchids
1. Oncidium Sharry Baby
2) Cycnodes Wine Delight
3) Rhynchorides Bangkok Sunset.
4) The Sedirea japonica species
5) Rhynchostylis gigantea species
6) Oncidium Twinkle Fragrance Fantasy
7) Angranthes Grandalena
8) Brassavola nodosa
9) Miltoniopsis santanaei
10) Phalaenopsis violacea
klairvoyant orchids
cattley intermedia
cattleya intermedia
cattley intermedia var alba
cattleya intermedia var alba
cattleya intermedia Var Semi alba
cattleya intermedia Var Semi alba
C. intermedia var. coerulea
C. intermedia var. coerulea
Coerulea refers to bluish tones.
Cattleya intermedia var. aquinii also known as var. flamea
Cattleya intermedia var orlata
Cattleya intermedia var orlata
var orlata means flower lip’s trim or border also coloured
Sanguinea is a very dark red.
Werckhauserii striata is found in nature.
Klairvoyant orchids
Alba and semi-Alba
Example Dendrobium parishii
Dendrobium parishii
Dendrobium parishii (Normal Form has colour)
dendrobium parishii alba
Dendrobium parishii -Var alba
(refers to a plant lacking in coloring pigments, )
Den. parishii var. semi-alba.
Dendrobium parishii -Var Semi alba
Dendrobium parishii semi alba Black pearl
Dendrobium parishii Var semi alba “Black pearl”
seidenfadenia-mitrata ( Normal Form has colour )
seidenfadenia-mitrata var-alba
(refers to a plant lacking in coloring pigments, )
Klairvoyant orchids
Bulbophyllum phalaenopsis
Bulbophyllum phalaenopsis
Bulbophyllum phalaenopsis, a rare species has very wide Phalaenopsis-like leaves. The flowers are very unusual in that they are carrion scented and smell of rotting flesh. Fortunately you have to get fairly close to the flowers to catch the scent. This orchid is easy to grow and would be treated as a phalaenopsis for culture.
Low to medium as for Phalaenopsis. Bright diffused light is best. Too much light will cause an intense reddening of the foliage.
50% or higher is ideal.
Do not allow it to become completely dry between watering.
For more
Klairvoyant Orchids
The Most Expensive Orchid in the world
Paphiopedilum rothschildianum
Rothschild’s Slipper Orchid (species: Paphiopedilum rothschildianum) from Kinabalu Park (commonly known as the Gold of Kinabalu orchid). Also locally known as Sumazau Orchid, because the long sweeping side petals of flower look like the outspread arms of dancer of Sumazau, the most popular traditional dance of Sabah.
1) The Rothschild’s orchid is only native to Kinabalu National Park in Malaysia. This strain of the orchid species is scarce even there so it is protected by the government.
2) This specific species of orchid was not discovered until 1987 and the flower only grows on the slope of Mt. Kinabalu between 500 and 1,200 meters in altitude.
3)Since the plant is endangered and protected by the Malaysia government it is illegal to pick. The plant is only available from smugglers on the black market at a price of up to $5,000 per stolen stem.
4) The flower itself can take up to 15 years to take bloom. This is one reason they are so rare, and even at Kinabalu National Park in Malaysia they are extremely difficult to find.
5)It’s beautiful too!!
Klairvoyant orchids |
Welcome to 7th Grade iSTEM Science!
If you are looking for class notes or a presentation, please find them below.
Although you are in a S.T.E.M. class you will still be studying the same science content that is expected of all 7th grade students in Jefferson County. However, how you learn, how you express understanding and the pace of instruction will be different from other classes. You and your classmates will collaborate frequently to solve real world problems as you work through problem based units. Therefore, at times your coursework will look differently from your peers in other classes. This year you will be exploring a variety of science concepts within multiple science disciplines including Life Science, Earth Science, and Physical Science.
2017-2018 School Calendar |
Objects Float in Air
How To : Create floating objects and razorblade props
In this tutorial, we learn how to create floating objects and razorblade props. First off, take your object and some double sided tape. Then, place the tape on the object to make it look invisible. After this, tape it to the middle of the plexi-glass. Have someone else help yo ...more
How To : Make a cup float in mid air
Another winning video from the folks at videojug, watch and learn how to amaze your friends and make a cup float in mid air. Make a cup float in mid air. Click through to watch this video on videojug.com
How To : Make a ball float in the air
This video demonstrates Bernoulli's Principle which states that, “For an ideal fluid (low speed air is a good approximation), with no work being performed on the fluid, an increase in velocity occurs simultaneously with decrease in pressure or a change in the fluid's gravitati ...more
News : The Art of Simple Science
Roger Ebert : Why I HATE 3-D (And You Should, Too)
Chicago Sun Times movie critic Roger Ebert hates 3-D. And when I say hate, I really mean hate. Check out Ebert's excerpted nine points below via Newsweek. 1. IT'S THE WASTE OF A DIMENSION. Our minds use the principle of perspective to provide the third dimension. Adding one a ...more
How To : Build a blubberbot
How To : Filter data using MS Excel 2010's PivotTable slicer
This video shows how to make a quick pivot table data filtering by using Excel 2010's ‘Slicer’ functionality. ‘Slicer’ delivers enhanced visual filtering method to allow you to get the data you need more quickly. When selecting a cell in the pivot table you will find ‘Slicer’ ...more
How To : Fold and fly a tumblewing walkalong glider
The science-fiction author, Arthur C. Clarke, once said, "That any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic". Who would have thought that we could create a wave of air with a piece of cardboard, and fly a folded sheet of telephone book paper on the wave ...more
How To : Find the crate glitch in Wizard101 (11/11/09)
A cool glitch for Wizard101. The crate glitch. There are plenty of glitches in this game, but the crate glitch is one to look out for. Check this video out for a tutorial on how to find the crate glitch in Wizard101 (11/11/09). There are so many things you can do with the cra ...more
News : Levitation Contest
Hey Noobs! This isn't computer-related, but perhaps some of you are digital photography freaks. Check out our weekly challenge: Can You Float on Air Like Tokyo's Levitating Girl? All entries must be in by Monday, May 23rd, at 11:59pm PST. I encourage those in exotic location ...more
DIY Challenge : Potato Cannon
Here is my entry for this weeks giveaway Tuesdays. It is my home made potato cannon rev2. The next step is to spray paint it so the purple isn't showing and to fix the valve. It was originally all 1inch PVC pipe but i cut the chamber and barrel off and made it 2inch PVC for bi ...more
How To : Perform a quarter change magic trick
Learn how to perform the giant quarter change in this instructional video which takes you through this simple size changing coin magic trick step by step. You will need a a quarter and a prop giant quarter. Palming is an essential skill for many magic tricks, and creates the i ...more
How To : Install Windows in Your Classic VW Beetle Bug
How To : Perform the hummingbird magic trick
Need a new card trick? Learn how to magically make a card levitate above your hand and spin around in circles like a hummingbird. This trick takes a little set up time but the pay off will be well worth it. Float and spin a card in mid air and impress all onlookers. Perform th ...more
How To : Test eggs for freshness
It's easy to find out if your eggs can be scrambled, fried, or used in a recipe - or if they need to be tossed in the trash. Watch this video to learn how to test eggs for freshness. You Will Need * Cold water * A large bowl * And eggs Step 1. Prepare your testing bowl Fil ...more
News : Minecraft World's Ultimate Survival Guide, Part 1
Welcome to Minecraft World! Check out our advanced tutorials and come play on our free server. Note: As I thought of writing something like this, it sounded fairly simple. A one-stop guide for everything related to survival (survival mode, SMP) in Minecraft. But as I progress ...more
How To : Make a Stack of Different Colored Liquids
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News : Truly Insane Fire Animation
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How To : Get Rid of All that Space Junk
How about a laser? One that is strong enough to nudge debris out of earth orbit. That's what NASA contractor James Mason wants to do, and his lab simulations suggest that the idea is possible. Mason wants to use a 5kW ground-based laser and a ground-based 1.5 meter telescope t ...more
How To : Control your anger and temper
Getting angry makes you look weak, especially in an argument. Defuse your temper with these helpful tips. Controlling your anger requires a desire to understand its source, and to take action to tamp it down. Step 1: Count to 10 Declare a “time out” when you feel anger risi ...more
Do Not Try This at Home : Exploding Hydrogen Bubbles
Here at WonderHowTo, we love science. And of course, explosions. So, naturally we find Gray Matter's demonstration of fiery hydrogen bubbles pretty awesome. But the most interesting part is the reason behind the demonstration. Did you know the same gas that heats your house c ...more
News : Floating to Space
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How To : Make a balloon four leaf clover
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News : Three Days Without You Activity
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How To : Levitate bubbles using dry ice
Another of my Halloween demonstrations. This simple but amazing video explains how everyday bubbles can float on a magic layer of air. It all has to do with density of air and some dry ice.
How To : Build your own hovercraft
How a Hovercraft can be build.Brittany is demonstrating how to make a Hovercraft. Since hovercraft needs a base she is using plywood for it. She takes square plywood of 48*48 and finds out its center to cut plywood in circle. Don’t forget to wear safety goggle while cutting th ...more
How To : Conduct a magic floating boat science experiment
Check out this video tutorial to see how to conduct a magic floating boat science experiment. Two little mad scientists investigate Helium and Sulfer Hexafluoride. Rosie and Anna study Helium, a gas that is lighter than air, and Sulphur Hexafluorid (SF6), an inert gas that is ...more
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A lot of people rely on the date on the packaging to tell them when food has gone bad, even with eggs, but the "sell by" dates are often rather arbitrary, and do not correlate to expiration dates. If you've been tossing away your eggs based on the dates on your carton—you're w ...more
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How To : Create Beautiful Houses in Minecraft, Part 2
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E-learning could widen the social divide
April 28, 2000
Initiatives such as the e-university could further exclude students from the poorest backgrounds, a conference heard this week.
Leigh Keeble, a research fellow at the community informatics research and applications unit at the University of Teesside, said: "Merely putting a computer in every classroom and library won't narrow the gap between rich and poor. In fact, it may well widen the advantages and disadvantages faced by different sections of society and create a digital divide."
"Ideally, information technology should be inclusive but in reality, it is not," Dr Keeble said.
For example, middle-class professionals who are moving house use the internet to research school and health service league tables to ensure access to good facilities. These people would also have the easiest access to the online learning that the e-university aims to provide.
This week, the unit hosted a conference that examined how the growth of the internet can benefit the poor.
Sonia Liff of Warwick Business School, who spoke about community technology centres, said: "The digital divide isn't just about whether or not you have access, it's about whether you know the internet is there and what it can be used for. You can't put computers into any old place and expect people to use them.
"Putting information technology into libraries and schools effectively excludes the people who don't go there."
Dr Liff has studied the different approaches of community centres and cybercafes in attracting people who have not previously used the internet. She said: "Community centres have links to the community and can draw people in.
Cybercafes don't have the links, but they can make it easy for people to have a coffee and maybe use a computer."
But Dr Liff cautioned against imposing a single model. "Places that some people find appealing are terrifying to others," she said.
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Friday, 4 July 2008
7 British/American Spellings
Some British English and American English words have the same meaning and pronunciation but different spellings.
Here are seven common groups. If you are not sure about a spelling, it's best to look it up in a British or American dictionary as appropriate.
1. ogue/og
BrE: analogue, catalogue, dialogue
AmE: analog, catalog, dialog
2. our/or
BrE: colour, favourite, honour
AmE: color, favorite, honor
3. ence/ense
Bre: defence, licence
AmE: defense, license
4. s/z
AmE: analyze, criticize, organization
5. l/ll
BrE: enrolment, fulfil, skilful
AmE: enrollment, fulfill, skillful
6. re/er
BrE: centre, theatre, metre
AmE: center, theater, meter
7. miscellaneous
BrE: jewellery, programme, practise, pyjamas
AmE: jewelry, program, practice, pajamas
NB1: in BrE program is used when talking about computers
Source : englishclub
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Donnerstag, 17. April 2014
Shark Accidents
Sharks are not harmless. They are wild animals like lions or crocodiles. Accidents happen, but not that often. To put shark accidents at the center of attention in discussions, branding them as "trademarks" of sharks, is criminal and reflects a distorted picture of these animals.
The frequency of shark accidents has been increasing since the beginning of this century. From 2000 to 2004 there were 57 to 78 shark accidents per year worldwide recorded by the ISAF (International Shark Attack File) which occurred during nonprofessional water activities. Out of these accidents 4 to 11 were fatal. In 2004 there were 7 fatal accidents.
Yet shark accidents must be seen in direct relationship to the number of water activities pursued by humans. Each year billions of people bathe, swim, dive or surf in the ocean.
Compared with about 15 billion bathing, swimming and surfing events each year, 50 to 100 shark accidents are extremely few. Still, the number of unrecorded cases is higher because third world countries rarely inform about such shark accidents for image reasons. On the other hand, the ISAF even registers the most harmless of scratches as shark attacks, even though these are in reality only "shark contacts"
Top 10
Illustration: The 10 most dangerous shark species.
Several meaningful and less meaningful comparisons to shark accidents
• he likelihood of being involved in a shark accident is considerably smaller than winning the top prize in lottery.
• Between 1959 and 2003 1,857 people were struck and killed by lightening alone in the coastal states of the USA. In the same time frame there were 740 shark accidents, 22 of which were fatal.
• Probability of accidents in water sports activities (USA coastal states, 2000)
Number of water sports activities264,156,728
Deaths caused by drowning74
Shark accidents23
Deaths caused by shark accidents
Drowning1 case out of 3.5 millionen water sports activities
Shark accidents1 case out of 11.5 millionen water sports activities
Deaths caused by shark accidents0 out of 264.2 millionen water sports activities
• Alone in the USA and Canada approximately 40 people are killed each year by pigs – six times more than by sharks worldwide.
• In Australia the possibility of drowning is 20 times higher than being bitten by a shark.
• In the USA the probability is 16 times higher of being hit by lightning than being bitten by a shark.
• Around the world, considerably more people are killed by falling coconuts than are bitten by sharks.
• Alone in New York people are bitten 10 times more each year by other people than worldwide by sharks.
CARE about sharks, boycot shark fin soup! Its a fantastic animal.
doesn't this one look a little fake big?
Adopt a Great White Shark
Great White Shark
Great white sharks are found in most temperate waters throughout the world, and are most common around Australia, South Africa and Northern California. Their diet consists of warm-blooded mammals, primarily pinnipeds (seals and sea lions), but also whales, dolphins, fish and squid. Caught for their jaws, teeth, leather and fins, which collect high prices and are in demand worldwide, great white sharks also face the threat of accidental capture in fishing gear, and animals that survive are often killed for their body parts.
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Ray Bradbury, author of Martian Chronicles and Fahrenheit 451, was born August 22, 1920.
Though he’s been gone for a few years, we still celebrate this man who helped make science-fiction the respected genre it is today.
Many years ago, Ray Bradbury wrote the short story “The Veldt” with an intriguing kids’ bedroom in it. Before these were even invented in the real world, flat-screen TVs were embedded in the four walls of this bedroom so the children could have experiences and feel what was going on.
When the dad, George Hadley, steps into his children’s room one day, he sees two people on the screens. This is what he encounters in the walls’ African plains.
MIDDLE AND HIGH SCHOOL WRITING PROMPT: Celebrate author Ray Bradbury by reading a tense passage from "The Veldt" and then writing your own ending to the story. What are those children up to?
“Odorophonics” means a scent machine:
Notice the fantastic odors, sights, sounds, and other sensory information (“the prickling fur on your hand”) included in this description. You are in the room with George, feeling what he feels!
Now it’s your turn: What are those children up to? What are the lions going to do? What do you think happens next? Write the rest of the story. Include sensory imagery like Bradbury does so your readers will tingle with what George experiences.
Copyright © 2015 by Sharon Watson
Photo credit: lion by Vasilev Evgenil / morguefile.com
Teachers, connect with Sharon on Facebook or Pinterest!
Click here to drain some of the tension from your writing class
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Turner’s Tidbits
turners tidbits front
This is a picture of a train on the Coketon rails around 1900. The train was built in 1889 by Baldwin Locomotive Works. It was in a classification known as Consolidation because of the wheel arrangement. The train had a 2-8-0 arrangement. This means that there were two leading wheels on one axle and eight powered and coupled driving wheels on four axles and no trailing wheels. A side view would show one smaller wheel and four larger wheels. This wheel arrangement could move trains twice as heavy at half the cost. This particular train was sold for salvage in June 1916. Ideas or comments contact Tim Turner (304) 478-3389. |
Introduction - Domains and Hosting
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Revision as of 02:54, 5 December 2007 by DrByte (talk | contribs)
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Web Site Technology and Expiry Issues
Domain Name Registration
Inside a domain registration is contact information, and a pointer to the server where one actually finds the hosted website for the specified domain (via what's called the Name Server).
Contact information is used to confirm any requested changes to domain registration info, including change of registrar, and renewals.
If you're thinking of transferring your domain to a new Registrar, you need to:
• unlock the domain to allow Domain Transfer
• authorize the transfer by confirming the email sent to your domain's Administrative Contact
• pay the one-year-renewal fee (which buys you one more year after your current expiry date) to complete the transfer, based on the fee set by the registrar you're transferring to.
The Name Server
The Name Server is like a telephone directory. If I'm looking up someone's name, then I can find their phone number. The Name Server lets you look up the domain name, and it comes back with the address of the actual computer on the internet where your site is hosted...the IP address of the hosting server.
There is no cost associated with Name Servers, and the Name Server is usually managed by your hosting company.
Using this IP address, customers' browsers will actually end up talking to the hosting server while accessing your site.
The Hosting Server
The Hosting Server is the computer that actually holds your website's files/databases/images etc. You pay your Hosting Company for the use of their server and its resources, whether paid monthly or annually. Included in this fee is the charge for an allotted amount of bandwidth (quantity of data sent to customers while surfing your site) and storage space among other things.
When your hosting account expires, your hosting company will typically update your site's Name Server setting to point to a "Site Has Expired" page instead of your real account. They don't touch your hosting files. They just deny access to the real data.
SSL Certificates
When an SSL Certificate is purchased, it is issued to a particular domain name. Certificates are purchased in 1-year blocks. The certificate is installed on your Hosting Server and linked to your site so that your customers can shop with encryption protection when needed.
When SSL Certificates expire, your site is no longer able to offer encryption services without giving a warning to your customers that the certificate is expired. No real harm is done, but their shopping experience isn't protected.
SSL Certificates are an add-on to a hosting account, and are not directly tied to a hosting plan's expiry dates, etc. However, since hosting plans are usually purchased first, and SSL certificates are issued a few days later, it is quite common for a hosting plan to expire a couple days before an SSL certificate expires.
Certificates cannot be directly transferred to another host due to the public/private key generation systems. This is primarily to protect you against theft of identity or the certificate. To move an existing certificate to another server requires that the Issuer (whoever you bought the certificate from originally) re-issue the certificate tied to the new private/public key of your new hosting server, sometimes for a nominal re-issuance fee. Thus, it's simplest to issue certificates around the same time as switching hosting from one place to another. |
Ground wave digital Television Broadcasting
It is digital broadcasting begun by using UHF belt of the ground wave in the sphere of three large areas in December, 2003. At this time, a past, analog Television Broadcasting electric wave was left, and it became operation of a digital electric wave and both parties.
In the terrestrial digital broadcasting, a usual broadcasting a digital high-resolution and high sound quality can be done with the high-resolution and the high sound quality program of the digital Hi-Vision. Moreover, a useful latest information program for the interactive program, the senior citizen, and the handicapped person easily the welfare program and to live etc. are being offered.
Necessity for digital broadcasting
The spread of cellular phones etc. make the frequency of the electric wave insufficient around the mobile telecommunications field. Moreover, new service of the wireless Internet etc. appears one after another, and it has become a situation not to be able to answer the demand for a new electric wave.
When the analog broadcasting is digitalized, a lot of information can be sent by the same bandwidth. When the ground wave analog broadcasting is completely digitalized, about 1/3 of the present Television Broadcasting frequencies can be finally used for a new usage. In a word, the purpose is to use the frequency of the electric wave effectively.
Use frequency of terrestrial digital broadcasting
The use frequency of the terrestrial digital broadcasting is UHF belt. UHF says, "Ultra high frequency", and is a frequency band from 300MHz to 3GHz. Television Broadcasting is using everything from 470MHz to 770MHz in that, and the number from 13 channels to 62 channels is attached. The antenna for UHF is necessary for the reception of UHF.
The electric wave of the VHF belt used for ground wave analog Television Broadcasting is not used in the terrestrial digital broadcasting. As for the antenna of VHF, the frequencies were lower than UHF, and the antenna was more large-scale.
Advantageous point for digital broadcasting
Digital broadcasting becomes the high-resolution and high sound quality
The voice broadcasting of a high-definition television broadcasting and average CD in a past, analog terrestrial broadcasting without becomes possible. Moreover, it becomes difficult to receive the influence of the noise by digitalizing it. Such "Ghost" disappears though the image of the television became a double reflection in the analog broadcasting.
The multi of the program can be organized.
A lot of information can be sent at a time in case of digital broadcasting by the same width of the channel. Broadcasting a standard image quality it, it becomes possible to broadcast the program of three channels or less at the same time with one channel. The multi of the program can be organized with this.
The data broadcasting can be used.
Because the data broadcasting can be combined with the program, the broadcast captioning and the explanation broadcasting service can be done at the same time.
The electronic program guide can be used.
The electronic program guide is a function to display the program before one week from the day on the television screen like the television schedule in the newspaper. The watching reservation and the recording reservation can be easily done with the program schedule. The program of the confirmation of the content of the program and the genre that I want to see can be retrieved.
The one-segment broadcasting is possible.
Because the one-segment broadcasting can do a steady reception by using a digital characteristic while even moving, the broadcasting service for the movable body such as the car, trains, and buses and the broadcasting service for the cellular phone and the portable terminal are possible.
Drawback of digital broadcasting
Digital telecast is not only good. It might be bad. Even if analog Television Broadcasting can see barely when strength of the electric wave weakens, it is likely not to see it in digital broadcasting at all.
Moreover, the price gradually becomes cheap generally by development and the effect of mass production of special IC as for a digital television though there is a fault that the circuit becomes complex and the price is high. |
Silo Busting in AI Research
Artificial intelligence may seem like a computer science project, but if it’s going to successfully integrate with society, then social scientists must be more involved.
Developing an intelligent machine is not merely a problem of modifying algorithms in a lab. These machines must be aligned with human values, and this requires a deep understanding of ethics and the social consequences of deploying intelligent machines.
Getting people with a variety of backgrounds together seems logical enough in theory, but in practice, what happens when computer scientists, AI developers, economists, philosophers, and psychologists try to discuss AI issues? Do any of them even speak the same language?
Social scientists and computer scientists will come at AI problems from very different directions. And if they collaborate, everybody wins. Social scientists can learn about the complex tools and algorithms used in computer science labs, and computer scientists can become more attuned to the social and ethical implications of advanced AI.
Through transdisciplinary learning, both fields will be better equipped to handle the challenges of developing AI, and society as a whole will be safer.
Silo Busting
Too often, researchers focus on their narrow area of expertise, rarely reaching out to experts in other fields to solve common problems. AI is no different, with thick walls – sometimes literally – separating the social sciences from the computer sciences. This process of breaking down walls between research fields is often called silo-busting.
If AI researchers largely operate in silos, they may lose opportunities to learn from other perspectives and collaborate with potential colleagues. Scientists might miss gaps in their research or reproduce work already completed by others, because they were secluded away in their silo. This can significantly hamper the development of value-aligned AI.
To bust these silos, Wendell Wallach organized workshops to facilitate knowledge-sharing among leading computer and social scientists. Wallach, a consultant, ethicist, and scholar at Yale University’s Interdisciplinary Center for Bioethics, holds these workshops at The Hastings Center, where he is a senior advisor.
With co-chairs Gary Marchant, Stuart Russell, and Bart Selman, Wallach held the first workshop in April 2016. “The first workshop was very much about exposing people to what experts in all of these different fields were thinking about,” Wallach explains. “My intention was just to put all of these people in a room and hopefully they’d see that they weren’t all reinventing the wheel, and recognize that there were other people who were engaged in similar projects.”
The workshop intentionally brought together experts from a variety of viewpoints, including engineering ethics, philosophy, and resilience engineering, as well as participants from the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE), the Office of Naval Research, and the World Economic Forum (WEF). Wallach recounts, “some were very interested in how you implement sensitivity to moral considerations in AI computationally, and others were more interested in how AI changes the societal context.”
Other participants studied how the engineers of these systems may be susceptible to harmful cognitive biases and conflicts of interest, while still others focused on governance issues surrounding AI. Each of these viewpoints is necessary for developing beneficial AI, and The Hastings Center’s workshop gave participants the opportunity to learn from and teach each other.
But silo-busting is not easy. Wallach explains, “everybody has their own goals, their own projects, their own intentions, and it’s hard to hear someone say, ‘maybe you’re being a little naïve about this.’” When researchers operate exclusively in silos, “it’s almost impossible to understand how people outside of those silos did what they did,” he adds.
The intention of the first workshop was not to develop concrete strategies or proposals, but rather to open researchers’ minds to the broad challenges of developing AI with human values. “My suspicion is, the most valuable things that came out of this workshop would be hard to quantify,” Wallach clarifies. “It’s more like people’s minds were being stretched and opened. That was, for me, what this was primarily about.”
The workshop did yield some tangible results. For example, Marchant and Wallach introduced a pilot project for the international governance of AI, and nearly everyone at the workshop agreed to work on it. Since then, the IEEE, the International Committee of the Red Cross, the UN, the World Economic Forum, and other institutions have agreed to become active partners with The Hastings Center in building global infrastructure to ensure that AI and Robotics are beneficial.
This transdisciplinary cooperation is a promising sign that Wallach’s efforts are succeeding in strengthening the global response to AI challenges.
Value Alignment
Wallach and his co-chairs held a second workshop at the end of October. The participants were mostly scientists, but also included social theorists, a legal scholar, philosophers, and ethicists. The overall goal remained – to bust AI silos and facilitate transdisciplinary cooperation – but this workshop had a narrower focus.
“We made it more about value alignment and machine ethics,” he explains. “The tension in the room was between those who thought the problem [of value alignment] was imminently solvable and those who were deeply skeptical about solving the problem at all.”
In general, Wallach observed that “the social scientists and philosophers tend to overplay the difficulties [of creating AI with full value alignment] and computer scientists tend to underplay the difficulties.”
Wallach believes that while computer scientists will build the algorithms and utility functions for AI, they will need input from social scientists to ensure value alignment. “If a utility function represents 100,000 inputs, social theorists will help the AI researchers understand what those 100,000 inputs are,” he explains. “The AI researchers might be able to come up with 50,000-60,000 on their own, but they’re suddenly going to realize that people who have thought much more deeply about applied ethics are perhaps sensitive to things that they never considered.”
“I’m hoping that enough of [these researchers] learn each other’s language and how to communicate with each other, that they’ll recognize the value they can get from collaborating together,” he says. “I think I see evidence of that beginning to take place.”
Moving Forward
Developing value-aligned AI is a monumental task with existential risks. Experts from various perspectives must be willing to learn from each other and adapt their understanding of the issue.
In this spirit, The Hastings Center is leading the charge to bring the various AI silos together. After two successful events that resulted in promising partnerships, Wallach and his co-chairs will hold their third workshop in Spring 2018. And while these workshops are a small effort to facilitate transdisciplinary cooperation on AI, Wallach is hopeful.
“It’s a small group,” he admits, “but it’s people who are leaders in these various fields, so hopefully that permeates through the whole field, on both sides.”
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Imaginary Mountains (Laws of Sines and Cosines)
Sometimes when I try to follow my lesson plan trick of turning word problems into reality, I face the issue of not having an actual steamroller or orbiting satellite to play with. But with a little imagination I can fake it, and the students play along.
You are standing near a lake. From where you are standing it is 120 meters to one side of the lake and 140 meters to the other side. The angle between the sides of the lake from your vantage point is 94 degrees. Find the width of the lake.
You are on the ground trying to find out the highest point of a mountain. You find the angle you have to crane your neck at to look directly at the top of the mountain is 71 degrees. You walk forward 1000 meters and find the angle to the top of the mountain is now 83 degrees. How tall is the mountain?
Both are good enough problems with pre-manufactured numbers, but what if the students could do them with their own data? I don’t have any handy mountains or lakes to test on.
So we went out to the football bleachers and called the back wall a “lake” to do the first problem and a “mountain” to do the second. In reality the students could easily walk along the wall and get the measurement, but we were imagining a situation where that wasn’t possible, which was enough to convince students of a “real-life” purpose to the mathematics.
2 Responses
1. Nice post. I suggest you submit it to the Math Teachers at Play blog carnival. The deadline for this week’s carnival is tomorrow.
2. […] Imaginary Mountains (Laws of Sines and Cosines) […]
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Tuesday, February 26, 2013
What does it mean to be smart?
Everyone acquires new knowledge and builds new skills throughout their lives. But is it actually possible to improve your ability to learn or to raise your ceiling for achievement? The difference between the two mindsets is starkest when one faces a tough challenge or experiences failure. In the fixed mindset these situations are threatening, as they reflect one's personal limitations. In the growth mindset, frustration can be seen as transient circumstance, and even a failed effort can be a valuable mental workout.
For several years in graduate school, I beat myself up for perceived shortcomings: in particular, that my first paper took many months longer to analyze and write than I originally planned. My morale was bottoming out when I encountered the idea of mindset. I backed off the desire to make a rapid breakthrough and instead focused on steadily building myself into a better scientist. My work eventually was fruitful and earned broader recognition, but more importantly I learned to strive for success by my own standards.
I'm not claiming that an arbitrary set of personal goals and some elbow grease are the only requirements for professional success. Our colleagues' values and expectations are important too. During my final semester at UC Berkeley, I led a discussion with grad students and postdocs about abilities and attitudes that might characterize a "bright" astronomer or "good" scientist. We quickly brainstormed a list of over a dozen different skills, from "publishes frequently" to "connects apparently disparate ideas" to "collaboration and group management." The upshot is that success has many facets rather than a single mold, and that everyone can identify traits that they value and want to improve. However, a pitfall is to compare oneself to a "super-astronomer," a mythical person who possesses all the good qualities of various professional role models. When you combine a growth mindset with a realistic set of expectations, hard problems can push you forward rather than beating you down.
My peers at Berkeley had many thoughtful comments about different flavors of intelligence and grey areas between the two mindsets. They also wondered how departments and individual mentors could help support a growth mindset for graduate students. What are your thoughts?
Extra materials:
* PDF file of Berkeley discussion
* Article on mindsets in Asian vs. American elementary school classrooms. |
Condylactis giganteagiant Caribbean anenone
Geographic Range
Condylactis gigantea is commonly found in the Caribbean--most specifically the West Indies--and the western Atlantic, ranging from southern Florida through the Florida keys. They can be seen growing in lagoons or on inner reefs as either individuals or loose groups, but never as colonies.
(Meinkoth 1981, Pet Warehouse 2000)
The condy is usually found attached to hard objects in shallow water which experiences full-strength seawater most of the time. It is common around reefs in both "forereef" and lagoon areas as well as in turtle grass beds. The shape of the condy's body is related to the habitat in which it lives.
(Meinkoth 1981, Barnes 1987, Shick 1991)
Physical Description
The condy is approximately 6" (15 cm) high and 12" (30 cm) wide, making the disk diameter approximately 16" (40 cm) in nature. If captured, however, its disc is limited to a mere 4" (10 cm). The condy is a large, columnar animal. The condy can exibit a variety of colors: white, light blue, pink, organe, pale red, or light brown. The mouth is surrounded by 100 or more tentacles, each long and tapered with pink-, scarlet-, blue- or green-ringed tips. These tips are usually paler than the body itself. The basal disk is firmly attached to the substrate with the only "free-floating" portion being the tentacles.
(Meinkoth 1981, Pet Warehouse 2000, Willmer 1990)
The condy is a dioecious organism that is rarely hermaphroditic. There is no mode of asexual reproduction. Instead, the condy is a sexual species. Its primary mating season is spring, but it does have a tendancy to continue reproduction at a low level throughout the year.
The condy's pattern of development is oviparous and planktonic, meaning it has the advantage of a potentially wide dispersal of zygotes despite the cost of high mortality in the offspring. This is the most primitive and widespread pattern of development among sea anemones.
The egg diameter of a condy can range from 110 to 1000 micrometers, a relatively large egg size for members of its taxonomic order. But, being a large and solitary species, it must find a means of competing for space with massive corals. This interspecific competition may have selected for planktonic dispersal. When in competition with fellow anemones, it is suggested that large egg size was selected to maintain survival. This is all assuming, however, that reproduction produces large juveniles capable of agonistic behaviour after development.
Sperm is released by one condy which will fertilize another condy. The planula larva develops in the mesenterial chambers, getting its nutrients from yolk (meaning it is lecithotrophic). As the planula grow, they remains as ciliated balls with no tentacles. They are eventually released, unattached and free-swimming. Only after further development will the planula settle, attach, and form tentacles.
(Shick 1991, Barnes 1987)
• Parental Investment
• no parental involvement
When placed near other anemones, the condy tends to exhibit aggressive behavior. Using their cnidocysts as "weapons", the condy will fire upon "foreign" anemones to conserve its space on the ocean floor. The two individuals will fight, one advancing while the other withdraws, but both may suffer tissue damage. To avoid such confrontations, some spacial separation is left between indiviudals, leaving distinct "lines" on the ocean floor from one group to the next.
(Anemones 1990)
Food Habits
Condylactis gigantea feeds upon fish, mussels, shrimp, or other similar organisms. It will not, however, go near any natural predators, such as Red Leg Hermits.
Being a macrophagous carnivore, the condy will injest large prey such as adult sea urchins. With the low frequency of large prey available, it is suggested that the condy (like other anemones) is not selective about what it ingests but rather eats whatever prey it encounters.
Prey are paralyzed by the toxin-bearing nematocysts located on the tentacles. The prey is then carried to the mouth, which is opened by radial muscles in the mesentary. The prey is swallowed whole and digested extracellularly as well as intracellularly. More than 50% of the prey's nutrients are retained in the form of 15 individual amino acids.
When faced with starving conditions, the condy heavily relies on its lipid catabolism and the uptake of nitrate (or compounds with high levels of nitrate).
(Shick 1991, Barnes 1987)
Economic Importance for Humans: Positive
Condys are studied by neurobiologists. Being one of the simplest metazoans, sea anemones have a diffuse nerve net which is rather primitive in comparison to other organisms. However, the structure of the neural components of the nerve net are largely unknown. Tissues of the condy are being stained to examine neurofilaments, which should lead to insightful information concerning nervous tissues. Researchers hope that by studying the molecular properties of Condylactis gigantea, more information will lead to a greater understanding of the nervous and endocrine system of all animals.
(Dellacorte, et al 1994a, Dellacorte, et al 1994b)
Erica Silva (author), Southwestern University, Stephanie Fabritius (editor), Southwestern University.
Atlantic Ocean
World Map
the nearshore aquatic habitats near a coast, or shoreline.
native range
radial symmetry
December 25, 1996. "Anemones" (On-line). Accessed February 20, 2000 at
1998. "Condylactis Anemone: Condylactis Gigantea" (On-line). Accessed February 11, 2000 at
Barnes, .. 1987. Invertebrate Zoology. Philidelphia: Saunders College Publishing.
Dellacorte, .., .. Anderson, .. McClure, .. Kalinoski. 1994a. Neurofilament-like immunoreactivity in the sea anemone Condylactis gigantea. Biological Bulletin, 187 (2): 200-207.
Dellacorte, .., .. McClure, .. Kalinoski. 1994b. Identification of synaptophysin-like immunoreactivity in the sea anemone Condylactis gigantea. Biological Bulletin, 187 (3): 355-362.
Meinkoth, .. 1981. The Audubon Society Field Guide to North American Seashore Creatures. New York: Alfred A. Knopf, Inc.
Shick, .. 1991. A Functional Biology of Sea Anemones. London: Chapman & Hall.
Willmer, .. 1990. Invertebrate Relationships: Patterns in animal evolution. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. |
The Holinshed Project
Holinshed Project Home
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Compare 1577 edition: 1 2 In the fiftie & third yeare of king Henries reigne, there was such an excéeding great frost, Anno. Reg. 53. Thames frosen. beginning at saint Andrewes tide, and continuing till it was néere candlemasse, that the Thames from the bridge vpwards was so hard frosen, that men and beasts passed ouer on féet from Lambeth to Westminster, and so westward in diuerse places vp to Kingston. Also merchandize was brought from Sandwich and other places vnto London by land. For the ships by reason of the yce could not enter the Thames. ¶And about the feast of S. Uedast, which falleth on the 6 of Februarie, fell so great abundance of raine, that the Thames rose so high, as it had not doone at any time before, to remembrance of men then liuing; so that the cellars and vaults in London by the water side were drowned, and much merchandize marred & lost.
Compare 1577 edition: 1 2 3 4 5 About S. Georges day there was a parlement holden at London, Abington. A parlement holden at London. for the appeasing of a controuer|sie depending betwixt prince Edward the kings son and the earle of Glocester: at the which parlement were present almost all the prelats and péeres of the realme. At length they put the matter in compro|mise, into the hands of the king of Almaine, vnder|taking to be ordred by him high and low touching all controuersies: and likewise for the iournie to be made into the holie land, but the king of Almaine did little in the matter to any great effect. ¶ In the beginning of Lent the king gaue to his sonne prince Edward the rule of the citie of London, with all the reuenues and profits thereto belonging. After which gift, the said prince made sir Hugh Fitz Othon con|stable of the towre and custos of the citie of London. ¶ Upon the ninth day of Aprill, Edmund the kings sonne, surnamed Crouchbacke, married at West|minster Auelina the daughter of the earle of Au|marle. Prince Edward commanded the citizens of London to present vnto him six citizens,Prince Ed|ward appoi [...]|teth the ma [...] and shiriffes of London. of the which number he might nominate two shiriffes, and so ap|pointed William de Hadstocke and Anketill de Al|berne, which were sworne to be accomptants as their predecessours had beene.
Compare 1577 edition: 1 2 3 4 In those daies a new custome or toll was vsed to be paid, which prince Edward let to farme vnto cer|teine strangers, for the summe of twentie marks by yeare. Wherefore the citizens being gréeued there|with, bought it of him for two hundred marks. Also this yeare there was granted to the king towards his iournie by him purposed into the holie land, the twentith penie of euerie mans mooueable goods tho|roughout the realme of the laie fee,An aid gr [...]|ted to the king and of the spiritu|altie was granted by the assent of pope Gregorie the tenth, thrée dismes to be gathered within the terme of thrée yeares.The liberties of the citie confirmed. This yeare the kings sonne the lord Edward obteined a confirmation for the citie of London of the charter of the ancient liberties, so that the citizens did then choose vnto them a maior and two shiriffes, which shiriffes by vertue of the same charter, had their office to farme, in maner as before time was accustomed:The rent of the farme of the shiriffes of London increased. sauing that where they paid afore but thrée hundred and fiftie pounds, they paid now foure hundred and fiftie pounds. After which confirmation granted and passed vnder the kings broad seale, they chose for their maior Iohn Adrian, and for shiriffes Walter Potter and Iohn Tailor, the which were presented the 16 day of Iulie vnto the king at Westminster by his sonne prince Edward, and there admitted and sworne. Then was sir Hugh Fitz Othon discharged of the rule of the citie. The ci|tizens of their owne fréewill gaue vnto the king an hundred marks, and to his sonne prince Edward fiue hundred markes. Chron. Dun [...]. There was no great disorder at|tempted this yeare to the disquieting of the realme, sauing that certeine of the disherited gentlemen that belonged to the earle of Darbie, withdrew vn|to the forrest of the Peake in Darbishire, and there making their abode, spoiled and wasted the countries next adioining.
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One in Five Men Are 'Subfertile'
Scientists attribute declining sperm counts to a variety of environmental and lifestyle factors, including chemical exposure, hard drinking and unhealthy diets.
When it comes to conceiving a child, a man's got to do what a man's got to do. But researchers say a growing number of men are struggling to do just that.
Around the developed world, sperm counts have been dropping for decades, leaving at least one in five men ages 18 to 25 "subfertile," according to a study released last month by the European Science Foundation.
While prenatal women have long been urged by doctors to improve their lifestyle to aid fertility, it appears that men haven't been holding up their end of the baby-making bargain.
"The important impact of men's reproductive health on a couple's fertility is often overlooked," said report co-author Niels Skakkebaek, according to UPI. "While poor sperm may be part of the reason more couples are using in vitro fertilization, it may also be making those therapies less successful."
Environmental and lifestyle factors, including chemical exposure, hard drinking and unhealthy diets may be some things to consider, The Daily Beast reports.
Last summer, scientists observed a link between declining sperm counts and bisphenol A -- an organic compound also called BPA that can be found in some canned foods and hard plastic food containers.
It's not just the food containers that can be problematic.
A study published in August indicates that men with higher body mass indexes have lower sperm counts. Meanwhile, research in rats appears to indicate that obese fathers produce female offspring with " 'epigenetic' chemical tweaks to the genes" that could cause health problems similar to diabetes.
And it's not just how you live -- it's where you live.
Some experts say that men who live in cities have higher sperm quality than men who live in rural areas, where men are more likely to carry traces of pesticide metabolites. (That said, country men can take solace in another recent study that indicates that men from rural areas carry a bit more below the belt than their urban counterparts.)
Read more at The Daily Beast and
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Thursday, June 16, 2011
Youth Day
Today is Youth Day in South Africa. On this day in 1976 students in Soweto (Johannesburg) protested the mandate that their classes be conducted in the Afrikaans language. Many innocent children and teenagers lost their lives in the resulting battle called the Soweto Uprising.
Photo Source: Fair Use
This iconic picture of a fatally wounded 12-year-old boy named Hector Pieterson became known around the world. After firing teargas at the protesting students, police opened fire on the crowd, killing and wounding many. More than 500 people died and it is estimated that over 1,000 were wounded in the uprising.
Youth Day honors those that lost their lives in this stand against Apartheid.
For more information about Youth Day, Hector Pieterson and the Soweto Uprising visit these links:
1 comment:
1. Wow, that is pretty powerful. It's amazing...the differences in how government agencies deal with things. To just open fire on a crowd seems so crazy. I just wonder the mind set of people most of the time. |
Domain Name System enables website publication
After due registration of domain names under categories such as .com, .net, .org among others, it is essential that the particular website with the given domain name is visible to all human beings across the world on the world-wide-web platform. Hence, a system is required that can understand human readable names such as “” or “” through computer machines. DNS converts these domain names into IP addresses that any computer can read.
Importance of DNS
Domain name system serves as an address book for all domains, as reading the contents and files of any domain is not possible without connecting it to the web by using its IP address. Accordingly, DNS is like a dictionary that will provide computer IP address of the domain name, thus enabling connection of the relevant domain with internet. While the user puts the particular domain name such as “” in the browser address bar, the DNS resolves this address into the corresponding IP address responsible for the particular website. This enables the viewer to look at the contents of given site.
DNS is essential for publishing any website
Selecting DNS for fashion site
Working of DNS
As viewing any website involves conversion of domain names into machine readable computer addresses, there are certain steps involved in this process.
After sending an enquiry for such name, the concerned computer searches the DNS cache stored in that computer. However, the computer will require performing DNS query to find the relevant information from internet in case local computer does not have this. First step in this direction is to ask the DNS servers of related Internet Service Provider, as the concerned ISP will make a query to their recursive DNS servers to find the required information. This query will be replied if the relevant DNS is stored in the cache of ISP.
However, if ISP is not able to help, then root name servers can help. A Root Nameserver is a huge computer that can answer all queries about domain names, IP addresses and so on. There are thirteen root nameservers that direct any query to a machine which has the answer for such query.
Internet identifies every single DNS
Web of intricate DNS management
DNS and web hosts
To enable viewers looking at the given website, the site owner should ensure that DNS of relevant website is pointing at the ‘root nameservers’ of the concerned webhost. Hence, it is essential to link the relevant domain name with the nameservers of selected webhost. Once the account is opened with the webhost, the domain owner should log in and after locating the management section for DNS within the cPanel, the account holder should edit the name server records that ensures enabling of domain names pointing to the webhost’s nameservers. An example of any webhost nameservers is given below:
‘ns101.webhost’s domain name’ and ‘ns102.webhost’s domain name’ OR ‘’ and ‘’ (given only for the purpose of simplifying this example), for connecting to webhost’s server one and two.
The website of concerned domain will be published and coming live over the internet, 48 to 72 hours after the above process is completed. |
earth engineering
Looking into the new and blooming fields of ecological engineering and geoengineering. I'm interested in writing and sharing what is happening in the field and how we can use its advances to better already existing natural systems.
Take mom’s advice about high albedo crops
Remember in the summer when your mom used to tell you not to run on the black top barefoot? Or when she advised that you should wear a white t-shirt in 90 degree weather even though your favorite shirt was black?
Mom wasn’t just saying this because of folklore or because moms sometimes say things that don’t have any logic. She was using her knowledge of the albedo effect to protect your little temperature sensitive body.
What albedo means is the percentage of light (or incandescent electromagnetic radiation, which ever you prefer) reflected by a surface, usually a celestial body. But this knowledge of light reflection off different surfaces helps us in a lot of different situations.
We know that black absorbs more light and white reflects more light. That’s why the pads of our feet might get burned walking barefoot on a blacktop, no concrete and why it’s more comfortable to wear a white shirt rather than your fav black shirt in the heat.
Researchers at the University of Bristol are taking this age old mom logic and applying it to the field of geoengineering.
In the team’s 2009 study, Assessing the Benefits of Crop Albedo Bio-Engineering, they found that if farmers were able to switch their crops to higher albedo varieties then the planet could be globally cooled by one percent.
I know…that sounds really small and like a lot of work for farmers but the study states that this crop switch-a-roo could have a greater effect locally and regionally.
The high albedo crops would consist of different varieties of maize and wheat along with barley and millet.
Also, high albedo crops have additional benefits. These plants tend to have greater water efficiency and reduced leaf heating so overall, they could increase agricultural productivity.
Even though this study was written in 2009, large global geoengineering projects are something to consider. I picked this one in particular to write about because it seems more reasonable than mining moon dust or ocean sulfur enhancement.
With rapidly changing temperatures, farmers and crop growers may have to think back to what mom said and change up their system.
Where I got my info from:
The Give and Take Of Wetlands
(Part of the wetlands at Shaw Nature Reserve, where I spent my training.)
When I think of ecological engineering my mind automatically goes to a period of time when I was on my high school’s Envirothon team (extremely dorky, I know). As Envirothon members we explored various components of Missouri wildlife and nature and later tested our knowledge up against other teams in a competition.
My area of expertise was forestry but my best friend focused on aquatics. Since we were friends, we went to all of each others training sessions together so we wouldn’t have to be left alone with other strange Envirothon kids who were overly interested in Missouri’s aquatic and tree situation (thinking back on it now, we were just as weird and strange).
(Here’s proof of our dorkiness- part of my team during a wildlife training session hence the snake)
But by going to all of the training sessions for forestry and aquatics, I ended up learned a lot about wetland mitigation and restoration.
My friend who did the aquatics has long forgotten all of the random extensive knowledge he knew about indicator species in ponds and lakes and I barely can recall any facts about Missouri trees and my identification skills are on the down slope.
But! The information I learned about wetlands has really stuck with me for some unexplained reason and I still really enjoy looking into wetland projects and reading up on it.
Essentially what wetland mitigation is defined as is the creation or enhancement of wetlands to offset impacts of other systems.
Wetlands are recognized as an important factor in keeping ecosystems in tact. The EPA refers to wetlands as an “essential tool” to ensure the “health of America’s watershed.”
Wetlands have many more benefits than just being a nice fixture in nature. They fight the battle against flooding by absorbing overflow, store and filter storm water by absorbing excess nutrients, sediment, and other pollutants. They also replenish groundwater, and they harbor migrating birds along with being a home for a diverse number of species including some endangered species.
So wetland mitigation and restoration has become something that is very important for different communities and areas around the US, like Missouri where 87% of wetlands have been destroyed since the European settlers came.
In the United States a 50% loss of wetlands has occurred and currently 60,000 acres are lost annually.
The EPA actually has a policy called the No Net Loss policy that helps with wetland preservation. The policy’s purpose is to balance the amount of wetlands lost due to economic development by keeping the total acreage of wetlands in the US consistent with no increase of decrease.
For example, the Shaw Nature Reserve, where I originally learned about wetlands, two wetland ponds were built in 2005 to mitigate the damage done to a preexisting wetland when building a new sewer line.
The information on wetlands that I learned and my interest in wetlands in general have stuck with me since my days of environment because I really like the idea of this give and take cycle that wetland mitigation provides.
A lot of times we see natural areas destroyed when construction comes through, but with wetland reservation and mitigation there is a need to replace what was taken and there’s something to be said for that.
I wish that every time we took from an ecosystem would could make up our net loss but since wetlands are considered the most biologically diverse ecosystem and since they provide functions outside of just a pretty habitat, the No Net Loss policy is a good place to start.
Most of my information from this post came from The Shaw Nature Reserve’s website and the EPA’s website.
Cab driving local farmers could use drones…?
Last weekend I was riding in a cab with a driver that owned her own local farm.
This may seem strange, but I was in Wisconsin where the cab drivers are nothing of the likes of the sassy, non-talkative Chicago cab drivers.
She picked me up from downtown Madison to take me back to the Greyhound station about 20 minutes away and we got into a good flow of conversation. She asked my why I was visiting and I proceeded to tell her I was visiting a geology exhibit and I was writing a story about it and that I was a science journalism major.
This prompted her question of, “so what do you think about global warming?” I was apprehensive at first because I wasn’t sure if intelligent (maybe not-so-intelligent) discourse was appropriate to have with your cab driver…but I told her that I thought more needed to be done and it’s getting to the point where I’m slightly scared of what was to come if we keep up with our current actions. I was relieved when she agreed with me.
She asked what I thought needed to be done to which I started to explain to her that I was currently reading and writing about cutting down on consumption of ruminant meats such as cattle and sheep. This is when she told me that she owned her own farm with her husband on their small property.
“It’s not much and it’s really easy to take care of,” she told me. But she felt like she was doing her part by eating locally raised meat and produce. I applauded her and told her that I wished their was more like minded people like her around, then I got out of the cab.
On my Greyhound ride back to the city I started wondering why it was so “easy”‘ for her to own her own farm. I didn’t get the chance to ask her what she did or what type of technology she used or if it was all the work done by loving hands. So, I googled it. (note: I didn’t google her, I just googled things local farmers use to make their processes easier.)
I found an article about drones being used on local farms. Whenever I hear the word “drone” I automatically roll my eyes because I picture some future-esque transformer but the farm drone is actually pretty cool and just looks like more of a remote control helicopter than something Shia LaBeouf would be battling. The device has been nicknamed “Phantom” though…so still keeping it a little sci-fi.
(Image courtesy of Jessica Bourque —
What the “Phantom” drone does is count crops, locate tile lines and provide thermal images of livestock. Which in turn saves the local farmers a lot of money.
The drones cost 3,500 dollars each which might be little pricey for a local farmer who drives cabs on the side…but it’s definitely something that could revolutionize local farming practices.
The article notes that, “in about 20 minutes, a farmer can scout about 650 acres of farmland, a task that would take several hours by foot and cost $400 per hour by plane.”
The technology is not fully developed; there are still some privacy and trespassing issues with the Phantom that only allow it to go 400 feet in the air.
But finding this little gadget satisfied my curiosity on how local farmers make their life easier. I’m not sure if my cab driver would ever use something like this on her farm but it’s something that might be more widely used in years to come.
In the meantime, I’m sure she’ll stick to looking at her crops from the ground view and tracking her livestock with her naked eye.
Here’s a link to the original article-
And here’s a video from the drone’s eye view (it’s accompanied by a pretty magical soundtrack)-
What makes a Living Machine live?
In the interest of finding new research in the field of ecological engineering, I came across a project that is called Living Machine.
I admit, the the name itself is startling and made me think more of a robot that will somehow “accidentally” destroy a city rather than help out an ecosystem. In searching the internet for information about Living Machine, what I really wanted to find was an article someone had written about it. But what I found first was a press release from 2000 on the Oberlin College News Service’s website.
In brief, what Living Machine does is purify waste water by mimicking what nature has been doing for as long as the earth has been around. Living Machine honestly just looks like a row of plants that you would see in a greenhouse or maybe your grandmother’s garden. But what it does is far beyond anything Grandma’s green thumb can handle.
Water travels through plant beds in a tank-based system and is treated by “engineered ecologies” like microbes, plants, snails, and insects. The system is designed to treat up to 2,000 gallons of water daily and all of the water is reused on the site. That sounds pretty impressive to me.
John Todd, specialist in ecological design, designed Living Machine and has designed many more systems just like it called “Eco-Machines” (which by name is a little more inviting).
When I googled, “Eco-Machine” I was able to find out a lot more about what Todd does along with a couple articles written about his work. Eco-Machines have actually won awards and are there are dozens of them in 11 different countries.
I was pleased to find out that Eco-Machine is actually a bigger production than what I first imagined. What I first thought was just a small project in a greenhouse is actually something that’s stretched across 5 continents and helping a lot of people and companies get clean water in a completely natural way. |
Self Defence
The Choi Kwang Do system is based on the principles that its self-defense techniques should:
• Generate maximum force
• Be practical and easy to learn
• Enhance the individual’s health as they practice
• Develop reflexes and ability to respond against threats
• Develop mental as well as physical conditioning
Although we teach pragmatic, efficient self-defense techniques, students learn to focus first on how to avoid physical confrontation by calming an attacker if possible. Since Choi Kwang Do is a noble art, we prefer forgiveness and compassion to kicking and punching. If we can’t avoid a defense situation, we remain humble before responding, and never telegraph that we know martial arts by putting our hands up. We try to resolve the situation without striking a blow.If, however, we must protect ourselves, we know how to take sudden, confident action with our concealed Choi Kwang Do human weapons. Because our biomechanical techniques are very effective and powerful, they can stop an attacker but, again, we will only use them as a last resort. We don’t like to see people get hurt—that’s why we don’t support martial arts competitions. Choi Kwang Do teaches usable applications, quite unlike the kicks and punches seen in martial arts movies and demonstrations.
The basis of our system is using gross motor skills instead of fine motor skills, somewhat like firing at a general target (combat shooting) instead of a specific bull’s eye (target shooting). You see, when human beings are in threatening situations, their brain’s ability to control their body is significantly diminished because of the amount of stress hormones like epinephrine, noreinephrine and glucocorticoid that the adrenal glands release into the body. These hormones decrease the fine motor skills we use when aiming for precision, such as striking pressure points or dot-sized areas on an opponent. Choi Kwang Do understands this phenomenon, so our techniques employ only gross motor skills, which means that we hit larger, more general targets such as the face, body and legs.
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Morning glories need full sun, a support structure, and to be planted after all danger of frost is past to grow. Source.
Before planting:
1. Placement: Morning glories need at least 6-8 hours of sun daily and a support structure (lattice, fence, gazebo etc.) to allow young plants to climb.
2. Soil: Use well-drained soil, and avoid Nitrogen-rich fertilizers which produce more leaves and fewer flowers.
3. Remove any weeds/other garden debris from plant site.
4. Pick your species. Click here to view a list of 15 morning glory varieties and purchase seeds.
5. Nick pointed end with nail clipper and soak seeds in water for 12 hours prior to planting for increased germination rate.
When planting:
1. Plant outdoors in full sun, 1/2 inch deep in prepared soil, after the last frost and average daily temperature exceeds 65⁰F (18⁰C).
2. Plant 6-8 seeds per foot of space. After sprouting, thin seedlings to 12 in apart.
After planting:
1. Keep soil moist while germinating.
2. Seeds will germinate in 5-21 days.
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Wednesday, May 11, 2011
All elephants are small elephants
To: James D.
From: Geoffrey Klempner
Subject: All elephants are small elephants
Date: 15 May 2002 11:40
Dear Jim,
Thank you for your e-mail of 5 May, with your final essay for the Philosophy of Language, in response to the question:
'A one ounce elephant is a small elephant. Adding one ounce to a small elephant cannot make it not-small. Therefore, all elephants are small elephants.' - Give a logical analysis of this argument.
Well done for completing the program - I hope you enjoyed it. I will be sending a summary tutor's report and Pathways Certificate in due course.
The main problem here is seeing the problem.
It is a universally recognized principle of inference that if accept that the first member of a given series has property F, and if you also accept the conditional principle, that *if* that if any given member of the series has F *then* the next item in the series also has F, then you must accept that all items in the series have F. This is called the 'principle of mathematical induction', and forms the core of the logical analysis of Wang's paradox of the one ounce elephant.
Yet the conclusion, 'all elephants are small elephants' is false. So we have an apparently valid argument with a false conclusion - a paradox.
One extreme reaction would be to say, 'Who cares about logic?!' If we allow this reaction, then we would be saying in effect, that even if an argument leads from true premisses to a false conclusion, we are still fully entitled to believe that the argument is valid. But if leading from true premisses to a false conclusion is not sufficient to show that an argument is invalid, then nothing is! Every argument, even the most absurd, is valid. Few would embrace that conclusion.
But are the premisses true? No-one would deny that a one ounce elephant is a small elephant (as you correctly point out, this means 'small for an elephant' - some writers on Wang's paradox have focused on the fact that 'small' is an 'attributive adjective', requiring completion, 'small for an x', not realizing that many other vague predicates are not attributive adjectives).
What about the other premise? 'If an n ounce elephant is a small elephant, then an n+1 ounce elephant is a small elephant'. Here, there is some room to manoeuvre. As I remark in unit 13, the Oxford philosopher Timothy Williamson has argued that if we accept that statements like, 'Patsy is a small elephant', 'Betsy is not a small elephant' can express truths - in other words, if we accept that these statements have *truth conditions* - then it logically follows that there is, in fact, a precise cut-off point, even though we are necessarily ignorant of where this point is, where adding an ounce to an elephant turns a 'small' elephant into an elephant that is 'not small'.
Logically, this solution is impeccable. The solution also allows us to see how vague predicates can be useful (because we are ignorant of their precise truth conditions). The only problem is grasping how it could possibly be the case that for every size of elephant there is, in reality, a precise answer to the question whether it is 'small' or 'not small'.
My objection is that if we look at how a words 'small', 'elephant', or the phrase 'small elephant' are learned, there is no way we could explain how there can exist precise truth conditions for every statement about a 'small elephant'.
You say, 'in the case we are discussing we can as a society roughly agree as to whether or not an elephant is small or not', and later,' one must be pragmatic and objective in this situation and make an elephant part of the world and not an abstract thought.'
I think this is on the way to an acceptable response. Rough agreement cannot, as I have argued, deliver precise truth conditions. Yet elephants are part of the world, and not an abstract concept that we have invented. How do these two thoughts fit together?
Clearly we are dealing with something which we have, in a sense, 'invented', namely the concept 'small elephant'. Whereas one may suppose that the world in itself is something precise, the linguistic tools we have made for probing different aspects of the world serve a practical purpose.
In using language for a practical purpose, we are not always looking for precision. What we are looking for, however, is *agreement*. Ideally, we aim for complete agreement in the way we use vague terms, an agreement that matches imprecision for imprecision, uncertainty for uncertainty. Ideally, therefore, there ought to exist a cut-off point where adding an ounce to a small elephant makes it not small. This is not the same as saying that the cut-off point actually exists. The cut-off point is an ideal which can never be realized in practice because, as I remark at the end of unit 13, 'the smaller the differences between the objects of our judgements, the greater the effect of the differences between us.'
All the best, |
In Brief
A filmmaker from Toronto replaced his deteriorating eye with a custom designed camera that can record what he is looking at. This "Eyeborg" is just the beginning of human augmentation.
Meet the Eyeborg
While smartphone technology has already made many of us cyborg adjacent, there are some who are truly pioneering the world of the future. Take filmmaker Rob Spence of Toronto, for example. He lost his eye due to an unfortunate mishap involving his nine-year-old self, a pile of cow dung, and a shotgun. The gun kicked back after he fired it and severely damaged his eye.
While he did not lose all sight in the eye, he was declared legally blind. Years later, the eye began to physically deteriorate, prompting doctors to replace the eye. Instead of going for the traditional glass eye, Spence worked with a friend to build an eye camera. Spence’s eye can record up to 30 minutes of footage before the battery dies. The eye is not connected to the optic nerve so he cannot use it to see.
In preparation for the release of the video game sequel Deus Ex: Human Evolution, game developer Square Enix recruited the filmmaker to make a documentary of Spence interviewing other recipients of high-tech augmentation. He even included some of the eye camera footage in the doc.
The Age of Enhancement
While the word “cyborg” is still more closely aligned with science-fiction, more and more people are augmenting their bodies with technology. Many of these augmentations correct limitations, like this Star Wars inspired prosthetic arm, or these exoskeletons designed to give paralyzed people improved functionality. However, the next wave of available augmentations could focus on enhancing human capabilities, both physically and cognitively, beyond what is biologically possible. Tech wizards like Elon Musk and Bryan Johnson are working on systems that would integrate the human brain with computers, making the subject smarter.
However, each new capability could bring along specialized ethical concerns. For example, Elon Musk’s neural lace isn’t likely going to be cheap. Could giving those who can afford to purchase this technology access to higher levels of cognitive ability only lead to a massive widening of societal gaps? This and other ethical conundrums must be carefully considered as we quickly approach this Age of Enhancement. |
In a time when graphic designers focus on retro-saving Adobe files for compatibility and snapping 300dpi jpegs to electronically assisted gridlines, it’s hard to remember that people were setting type and creating compelling marketing material long before the invention of the computer. Briar Levit wants to remind you. Her new film, Graphic Means, delves into pre-computer graphic design and the people who made it happen. Here’s what she had to say about it…
I wanted to make Graphic Means in order to share the sense of pride that comes along with understanding your discipline’s history and development. It’s not a prerequisite to being a designer, but it certainly enriches your sense of belonging and respect for what you’re doing, and who came before you. I also wanted to try and understand what has changed and what has stayed the same in the culture of the studio workplace as a result of technological changes in methods. Many more hands used to touch a project in the production process, from designer, to typesetter, to photographer, to production designer. What were those relationships like? What did we lose when we gained the ability to pull all these elements together with just one person? What did we gain?
– Briar Levit
To learn more about the film visit |
Thermal Imaging Cameras and Temperature
I’m currently working on a project for a company to look at the heating behavior of certain materials and I ran into some fundamental misunderstanding of how thermal imaging cameras work from the company. Sounds like a great topic for a blog posting, if you ask me.
First off, thermal imaging cameras do not measure temperature. Of course, most temperature measurement tools don’t measure temperature directly either. A bulb thermometer, like those your mom used to stick under your tongue, measures the volume of a fluid such a mercury or alcohol which changes due to thermal expansion.
If you have a digital thermometer, it probably has a thermistor in it, which is a type of resistor whose resistance varies with temperature. The thermometer you stuck in your turkey for Thanksgiving most likely has a bimetallic strip inside it, which turns the needle on the temperature dial.
The bimetallic thermometer has two strips of different metals that are joined together. The metals expand at different rates when heated, causing the strip to curl as it heats up, thus turning the temperature needle.
Infrared thermometers use the same technology as infrared cameras. Both measure the infrared light emitted by an object. (Pet Peeve Alert: An infrared laser thermometer does not use a laser to measure temperature. The laser is just a guide so you know where the thermometer sensor is pointing). All objects emit some infrared light due to their temperature. This is referred to as black-body radiation (it’s called “black-body” because the light coming from a perfectly black object that doesn’t reflect any light would only be the black-body radiation).
The filament in an incandescent bulb is an example of a black-body (actually this is only an approximation, but it works for our purposes). The more you heat up the filament the brighter it gets. If you have any incandescent bulbs on a dimmer switch you can see this effect. The reason that these bulbs are so inefficient (and the reason they are so darn hot) is because they are dumping a lot of energy into the infrared part of the spectrum that our eyes can’t see. If you continued to heat the bulb up even higher you would eventually start to get some ultraviolet light as well (which isn’t so great). This is why halogen bulbs, which do get hotter than incandescent bulbs, have ultraviolet filters on them. For objects at typical human temperatures, the light emitted is in the infrared part of the spectrum.
The way the infrared camera works is that it converts the intensity of infrared radiation emitted by objects into an electric signal, which is converted into a colored pixel on the display. You should end up with something that looks like this:
Haunted Basement? Elmo and Joy hang out in IR
There is one slight problem with this image. Everything except Elmo and Joy (the glowing evil spirits that haunt my basement) are all at the same temperature as the room, but we can clearly see the boxes (can you spot the litter box?) and chair in the background. What gives? The reason we can see these objects, even though they have the same temperature is because they have different emissivities. This means that have different “brightnesses” in the infrared. Ironically, something that we see as black usually has a fairly high emissivity while something that is white to our eyes probably has a much lower emissivity and will appear “cooler” in the infrared than it really is. The type of material and the thickness of the material can also affect the infrared light emitted so a sample of wood, plastic, and metal, all at the same temperature would look different in the infrared part of the spectrum.
So the problem with using a thermal imaging camera (or any infrared thermometer) is that you need to know something about the surfaces you are looking at. To understand this point a little more clearly, take a look at the black-body radiation curve below. The camera detects the infrared light near one particular wavelength. In this graph here I’ve chosen the 2.0 μm wavelength (vertical line).
When the camera detects a particular intensity of radiation (say one of the points circled in red) it associates that intensity with a particular temperature curve. If the camera detected an intensity of 2.0 (in arbitrary units displayed on the graph) it would say “aha, that looks like it belongs to the 6000 K curve for a black-body” so it reports a temperature of 6000 K (roughly 5727° C). If the object the camera is looking at has a lower emissivity than the camera thinks (i.e. the object isn’t as bright in the infrared as its temperature would indicate) the actual temperature of the object would be much higher. To go back to our incandescent bulb, imagine we are trying to determine how hot the filament is by measuring the brightness of the filament. If the bulb is heavily frosted, the filament looks dimmer than it really is so we would think the filament is cooler than it actually is. To determine the real temperature of the filament we would need to know something about how much light is blocked by the frosted bulb. In infrared thermometry, the emissivity of the object takes the place of the amount of frosting on the bulb.
There is one other complication with measuring temperatures using an infrared camera. Many surfaces are highly reflective in the infrared, so the infrared radiation you detect may not be emitted by the surface, but may be a reflection from something else. Notice Elmo’s reflection in the floor under him in the picture below.
Elmo hiding from the dogs
The camera thinks the floor in front of Elmo is much hotter than it really is because of his infrared reflection. When you start making measurements of shiny metals, which have much lower emissivities (they tend to look much darker than their temperature would indicate) and higher reflectivities, and it becomes very difficult to accurately measure temperatures. The reflection of the room temperature camera appears much brighter than a very hot piece of metal.
The idea of using infrared thermometers brings up another pet peeve of mine. Students tend to think that tools that are more high-tech tend to be better than their lower-tech cousins. This isn’t true and frequently the lower-tech devices are better. To measure a temperature I’ll take a thermistor or thermocouple any day of the week. Now that isn’t to say that infrared thermometry isn’t a very cool and very powerful tool, but it has its place. A great use for infrared thermometry is situations where a thermistor wouldn’t withstand the heat, like in a kiln, or when measuring temperatures over larger areas, like trying to find heat leaks on the outside of a house. I’m sure there are many other uses I can’t think of. Here is my “take-away” message for you: choose the simplest tool possible that gets the job done right. Bells and whistles are cool (and believe me, this infrared camera is really cool), but more complicated tools come with a lot of built-in assumptions you might not be aware of.
Ellie takes a break from playing with her toy
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3 Responses to Thermal Imaging Cameras and Temperature
1. What is best for my back garden a chimenea or a patio heater what gives
the most warmth?
2. Matt Johnson says:
Really great and informative article! Thanks!
3. Fawziyah Khan says:
Thanks! This was really helpful. I am just about to shoot some images with this camera. 🙂
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Friction and Mu
1. May 20, 2014 #1
Is it possible to have friction between clothing and a giant rock equal to 833 N? The μ would equal 4.58. Isn't it too big?
2. jcsd
3. May 20, 2014 #2
User Avatar
Homework Helper
Why would the coefficient of friction need to be 4.58? Wouldn't it depend on how hard they're pressed together?
4. May 20, 2014 #3
Well this is for a physics project and a lot of it depends on guessing. We found friction to be 833 N, mass to be 85 kg, acceleration to be -2.14 m/s^2 because the cartoon characters are decelerating as they hit the wall. Will all of this μ(ma)= Friction, we found μ to be 4.58. We are just wondering if 4.58 would be too big for μ.
5. May 20, 2014 #4
User Avatar
Homework Helper
Oh, ok.
4.58 would be large but there's nothing in the laws of physics (as far as I know) that limits the coefficient of friction. I know at least that it can be greater than 1, so 4.58 isn't completely crazy.
Between clothing and a rock though, it would certainly be abnormal (but perhaps not impossible)
6. May 20, 2014 #5
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Homework Helper
Everyone one knows that 'cartoon characters' always present physics in a true and accurate manner.
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Cryptography for Mere Mortals #10
An occasional feature, Cryptography for Mere Mortals attempts to provide clear, accessible answers to questions about cryptography for those who are not cryptographers or mathematicians.
I promised that we were done with hashes, but there’s one more set of interesting and powerful uses for them that’s worth discussing: Message Digests (MDs), Message Authentication Codes (MACs*), and Hashed Message Authentication Codes (HMACs).
A Message Digest is just a hash of a message. MDs are useful to verify that the message was not accidentally damaged in transit. These were useful in the days of dialup and other technologies; with modern TCP/IP, not so much, although some websites will list an MD along with a download so that you can verify that you downloaded what you meant to get (the idea is that you’ll generate a hash after the download and manually verify it).
More interesting are MACs and HMACs. These are essentially the same thing in practice. A MAC takes a message plus a secret key (a password, if you will) and creates a token—a short piece of data, a “magic value”—from that. Since the two sides—the sender and receiver—are the only ones who know that key, a MAC provides both integrity (the message has not been altered since sending) and assurance (the sender is who we think it is).
A MAC need not use a hash function to generate the token (it could use an encryption algorithm, for example), but with the speed, ubiquity, and security of modern hash algorithms, typically hashes are the method of choice. And a MAC that uses a hash function is an HMAC.
So if you have a client that needs to send a transaction to a server, then instead of adding a login step with userid/password, you instead make it atomic, sending one request: the transaction plus an HMAC. That is, the contents of the transaction are hashed using the previously agreed-upon password as a salt, and sent along with the transaction as a kind of single-use password.
Since the server knows the password, it can take the contents of the transaction, hash them (again using that password as a salt), and thus authenticate the request.
Even if an attacker is somehow able to intercept the request, the request itself cannot be changed, nor can bogus requests be made: without the secret key, the attacker cannot create a new HMAC that the server will accept.
* Namespace overload: MAC in this context must not be confused with MAC as in “MAC address” (Media Access Control address—the hardware serial number of a network adapter) or Mac as in Apple Macintosh computer.
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Chapter 2 Home Next Chapter Previous Chapter Write Us
Chapter 2 Velocity
We will begin our study of physics with a study of motion.
Look around you, and you will find that almost everything is in motion: flying birds, running people, falling books, etc. We will analyze their motions and think about how fast the object moves and how far.
1. Distance and Displacement
2. Average Velocity and Instantaneous Velocity
3. Position-time Graph
4. Velocity-time Graph
5. Relative Motion
6. Chapter 2 Quiz
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Section 1. Distance and Displacement
Distance and displacement are different. When you traveled 50 km to the East and then 20 km to the West, the total distance you traveled is 70 km, but your displacement is 30 km East.
A picture explaining distance and displacement
In physics, we say that distance is a scalar and displacement is a vector. Scalar has a magnitude and vector has both a magnitude and a direction. Scalar is one dimensional and vector is two dimensional.
QUESTION: A car moved 50 km to the North. What is its displacement?
(e.g. "10 km East")
QUESTION: A car moved 20 km East and 70 km West. What is the distance?
Section Section 2. Average Velocity and Instantaneous Velocity
Velocity shows how fast an object is moving to which direction. Average velocity can be calculated by dividing displacement over time.
Formula for Velocity
For example, when a car moved 50 km in 2 hours, the average velocity is 25 km/h because 50 km divided by 2 h.
The instantaneous velocity shows the velocity of an object at one point. For example, when you are driving a car and its speedometer swings to 90 km/h, then the instantaneous velocity of the car is 90 km/h.
QUESTION: A car moved 20 km East and 60 km West in 2 hours. What is its average velocity?
QUESTION: How far will a car travel in 15 min at 20 m/s?
Section 3. Position-time Graph
A position-time graph simply shows the relationship between time and position. From the following data, for example,
time (s) 0 1 2 3 4 5
position (s) 0 20 50 130 150 200
You can draw the following graph:
A position-time graph
Your browser doesn't support Java. Please use a Java-enabled browser.
For math-crazy only: The tangent of a position-time graph represents velocity since
Formula to get velocity from a position-time graph
QUESTION: Answer the questions using the previous graph:
What is the average velocity during the first 2 seconds?
What is the average velocity of the whole trip?
Section 4. Velocity-time Graph
A velocity-time graph shows the relationship between velocity and time. For example, if a car moves at constant velocity of 5 m/s for 10 seconds, you can draw a velocity-time graph that looks like this:
A velocity-time graph
The area below the line represents the displacement the object traveled since it can be calculated by xy, or (time * velocity) which equals to displacement.
QUESTION: Calculate the distance traveled by the car.
Section Section 5. Relative Motion
When the car A is at 50 km/h and the car B is at 30 km/h at opposite direction, the velocity of the car A relative to the car B is 80 km/h.
QUESTION: If you are walking at constant velocity of 5 km/h and a car passed you by at the speed of 20 km/h from behind, what is the car's velocity from your viewpoint?
QUESTION: If you are running at constant velocity of 5 m/s, what is your relative velocity to Earth?
Section Section 6: Chapter 2 Quiz
Take the Chapter 2 Quiz to see how well you can do!
[Home] - [Ch1] - [Ch2] - [Ch3] - [Ch4] - [Ch5] - [Ch6] - [Ch7] |
On August 16, 1947, Lord Louis Mountbatten announced the Boundary Commission Award. The Chittagong Hill Tracts, a deeply forested, mountainous, area bordering Tripura, Mizoram and Myanmar, with a majority Buddhist population ( about 97 per cent), was awarded to Pakistan, with the logic that the area was inaccessible to India and would provide a rural hinterland to Chittagong. In 1962, the Pakistani government imposed further misery on the Chakmas by building the Kaptai dam. Approximately 40,000 Chakma tribals, who had lost their homes and farmland due to flooding, emigrated to India as refugees. India, facing its own war in 1962 on the north-eastern border, offered 2,902 Chakma refugee families resettlement in Arunachal Pradesh. By the 1980s, anti-immigrant stirs in nearby Assam, along with local fears about demographic change, led to defamatory notices appearing. Soon, houses started burning — in 1983 and 1995, 130 houses were burnt down in Papum Pare district of Arunachal Pradesh. Only in 1996, with the Supreme Court pushing the State government to protect the Chakmas, did the harassment decline. The long journey continued — only in September 2015, when the Supreme Court directed the Centre and State government to complete the process of citizenship, did the original 7,000 surviving Chakmas and Hajongs gain access to Indian citizenship. Despite opting for India during the Partition, the Chakmas were routinely ignored, then and now.
The Rohingyas, an ethnic group from the Rakhine state in Myanmar, are one of the most persecuted groups in the world. Over 13,000 Rohingya refugees are registered with theUnited Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) in India, with about 600-700 living in Kalindi Kunj, JJ Colony and Shaheen Bagh in Delhi. They live in thatched huts with plastic tarps and straw roofs in Nangli camp in Mewat district, Haryana. They have no access to safe water or sanitation, while any waste is simply thrown away into the streets. Open defacation is rife as sanitation is found lacking, while their children cannot register into schools due to lack of requisite documentation. Most men serve as daily wage labourers.
For a country that gained independence with a mass exchange of populations, India’s treatment of refugees has much to improve upon. India hosts over 2,00,000 refugees, victims of civil strife and war in Tibet,Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Pakistan, Afghanistanand Myanmar. Some refugees, the Tibetans who arrived between 1959 and 1962, were given adequate refuge in over 38 settlements,with all privileges provided to an Indian citizen excluding the right to vote). The Afghan refugees fleeing the civil war in the 1980s live in slums across Delhi with no legal status or formal documents to allow them to work or establish businesses in India.
Once granted refuge, India’s government tends to look the other way. Refugees from East Pakistan in 1947 were settled in Dandakaranya, Odisha, a forested region with a demographic tribal majority – with glaring cultural differences. The refugees, accustomed to plain and semi-aquatic agriculture, found it hard to farm in such rugged terrain. Ethnic clashes soon broke out over land distribution and assistance provided to refugees. After decades of penury, the refugees left for Marichjhapi Island in the Sunderbans. The State government responded with forcible eviction, economically blockading them and conducting police firing on a random basis. Similar fears of demographic change led to the expulsion of the Nepali-speaking population in Bhutan in the 1990s. Over 1,00,000 people made their way to Nepal, passing through India. Over 20,000 refugees continue to live in India, on the margins of society, with no legal status and no citizenship. They remain stateless.
India still remains a non-signatory to 1951 United Nations Refugee Convention and the1967 Protocol, which help define the legal obligation of states to protect refugees. Yet the legal situation of refugees remains nebulous, a situation anomalous to international standards. We simply do not have a national asylum policy.
It remains the duty of a state, especially one with a democratic ethos like India, to keep its doors open for people in distress. Any refugee,whose grant of asylum has been approved, should be given a formal recognition of his/her asylum status along with an identity document and a travel document. They should be able to apply for residence permits, and be able to choose their place of residence across India. Their documents must also enable them to seek employment in the private sector. Primary education, a powerful enabler, should be offered on no-charge basis in government schools, while primary healthcare services available to Indian citizens should be offered as well.
Policy instruments available to the government are ripe for an upgrade. Refugees have been accorded constitutional protection by the judiciary (National Human Rights Commission vs State of Arunachal Pradesh, 1996). In addition, the Supreme Court has held that the right to equality (Article 14) and right to life and personal liberty (Article 21) extends to refugees. The Foreigners Act (1946) and the Registration of Foreigners Act (1939) currently govern the entry and exit of all refugees, treating them as foreigners without due consideration of their special circumstances. India remains the only significant democracy without legislation specifically for refugees. A well-defined asylum law would establish a formal refuge granting process with suitable exclusions (war criminals, serious offenders,etc.) kept.
Simply announcing policies alone will not do. Social sensitisation remains key — institutions, private and public, should be encouraged to recognise UNHCR-issued refugee cards, in addition to foreign degrees or diplomas. Local municipal corporations should be asked to sensitise neighbourhood associations to accept refugees who can pay, along with conducting integration workshops for youth and women empowerment initiatives.
Our data on refugees remain significantly deficient, preventing analysis on refugee flow and their parlous existence. We hence fail on various counts associated with resettlement and rehabilitation, with many refugees remaining unregistered. Such paucity of data also leads to misrepresentation and exaggeration in national and local media. Outreach should be conducted through government welfare programmes and biometric initiatives like Aadhaar, in addition to a simpler registration process.
We need a system that enables the management of refugees with greater transparency and accountability, replacing one that offers arbitrary decision-making to a vulnerable, victimised, population. While the security interests of India must remain paramount, taking care of refugees in India is a moral duty for the state. |
The Atoms Are Not Coming To Get You
Radiation, Health, and the Environment
It is well known that ionizing radiation can kill and injure, and that radioactive substances can be poisonous. A dose of ten seivert (over the whole body, in a short time) to an adult human is considered infallibly lethal, and four to five sievert can be expected to cause death within thirty days in fifty percent of average adults, without medical treatment. Somewhat lower doses cause shattering diarrhea, temporary sterility, loss of hair, and a variety of other unpleasant symptoms, and elevate the lifetime risk of cancer, resulting in an overall shorter life expectancy. For exposures insufficient to cause erythema (sunburn), however, the case is far less clear.
One reason is that the world around us is naturally radioactive. Humans are constantly exposed to radiation from a variety of natural sources, and the biomedical significance of comparatively small artificial additions to this natural background is a nice question. Further, the damage done on a cellular scale by radiation is very much like the damage from many other causes, and the same natural mechanisms act to compensate for or repair it. Since variations in life expectancy and general health are influenced by a variety of factors, many of which are not known with any certainty, it is difficult to separate out the contribution of radiation.
An almost invariable human reaction to uncertainty and doubt is a shrill clamour that great dangers are concealed behind a facade of ignorance. The claims in this instance include a wide variety of illnesses, hereditary effects (which have not been observed in the descendants of atomic bomb survivors), and even an insidious loss of fertility among humans, animals, and plants, all from quite low doses. The startling vivacity of wildlife in the “exclusion zone” around Chernobyl should be sufficient to lay that idea to rest.
There is good evidence that the incidence of certain brain tumours is related to the use of X-rays in the treatment of childhood ringworm. And yet, it is a remarkable antidote to hysteria to realize that even doses calculated to make the hair fall out ― as much as 1.5 Gy ; one paper by a practitioner complains of sloppiness on the part of some colleagues, leading to definite symptoms of radiation sickness ― and applied directly over the brain during an especially vulnerable stage of life engender such effects only after the lapse of decades, and then only in a small fraction of the exposed population. The official position of the Health Physics Society, the professional organization for those who work directly with human exposure to ionizing radiation, is that there is insufficient clear evidence of any harm at low dose rates to make meaningful statements.
Conversely, the uncertainty concerning the degree of harm from low-dose radiation has led some to propose that it may have healthful effects, perhaps by stimulating the body’s natural repair mechanisms. (Aerobic exercise has just such an effect, and at high levels it produces very definite damage.) Just as people who subscribe to an exaggerated idea of the dangers of radiation tend to be strong opponents of atomic power, those who believe in “radiation hormesis” tend to be advocates. It is, however, by no means necessary to accept this hypothesis in order to conclude that the good of atomic power outweighs the actual or potential harm.
Atomic Power and Radiation
There is a common, but erroneous, idea that atomic power is a major contributor to radiation exposure. The assumption is a natural one. After all, atomic power plants use radioactive uranium for fuel, generate enormous radiation fluxes in operation, and create brand new radionuclides in the form of fission and activation products. For just this reason, standards for radiation exposures and releases in the nuclear industry are set on what is termed an ALARA basis, “as low as reasonably achievable”. In fact, however, the great energy content of nuclear fuels means that only a little material is involved, in comparison to other industries which handle radioactive substances ; and, in anything like normal circumstances, power reactors and related facilities are tightly sealed, so that very little material escapes.
To the contrary, it is not difficult to show that the use of atomic power reduces the radioactivity of the Earth (though the effect is small, since most of the planet’s radioactive content is far below the crust, where humans can’t get at it). The fission process, in effect, takes the energy which would drive a decay chain billions of years long, and releases it in moments. Long-lived radioactive nuclei are destroyed, and short-lived ones are created ; after three hundred years, the fission products are less radioactive than the ore mined to produce the fuel they came from.
The personnel of atomic plants are scrupulous in documenting discharges of radioactivity to the environment. So, for instance, we read of one release of 330 kBq, equivalent to perhaps ten domestic smoke detectors (which are not treated as radioactive waste requiring separate disposal), or the magazines in a small library. If not entirely convinced of the wisdom of ALARA, one might question whether the cost of reducing the release to this low level was commensurate with the benefit. Regardless, the result is that radiation exposure from the nuclear industry is better quantified and better publicized than exposure from other sources.
When we compare atomic power to its most direct competitors, we get quite a surprise. According to studies done at Oak Ridge National Laboratory, in the course of ordinary operations, workers in coal-burning power plants are exposed to between ten and one hundred times as much radiation, per kilowatt-hour sent out, as their counterparts in atomic plants. Given that coal is mined in great quantities, and moved long distances, and that the waste products of coal burning are often discharged right into the air and the waterways, it would not be surprising if general population exposure followed the same pattern.
Suppose, then, that burning coal results in thirty times as much radiation exposure to humans as fissioning atoms, for an equivalent amount of primary energy. According to the International Energy Agency, in 2011, coal (including peat) accounted for 28.8% of world primary energy production, and nuclear fission 5.1%. So, in that case, the radiation dose to the average person from coal energy was 170 times his dose from nuclear energy. Not to belabour the point, but replacing all coal with fission would result in a decrease of human radiation exposure from the energy industry equal to 164 times the current world total from atomic power.
Even in case of a major accident, radioactive releases from atomic power plants are not as consequential as they might seem. The Chernobyl meltdown of 1986 resulted in severe exposures to plant personnel and the ‘liquidators’ sent in to put out the fire ― some of them died of radiation poisoning. From the standpoint of global human exposure, however, it was not very significant.
How can we say that? Consider for a moment the industry of mining and processing phosphate rock for agricultural fertilizer. Nobody would characterize this prosaic and necessary activity as belonging to the nuclear industry, or the field of radiation work. Yet it accounts for a large total radiation dose every year, because of a quirk of chemistry, by which minerals rich in phosphorus tend to concentrate uranium as well, with its daughter products. (In fact uranium has sometimes been produced as a by-product of phosphates.) Annual world human exposure to radioactives from the phosphate industry is estimated at 12μSv per person, or about 60 kSv in the mid-1980s ; total world human exposure (for all time) from Chernobyl, at 600 kSv, or ten years of phosphate production.
The American homeowner receives more radiation in an afternoon fertilizing his lawn, thanks to phosphates and potassium, than from all sources (including accidents) related to atomic power in a year. This, by the way, helps illustrate the problematical notion of ‘collective dose’. It should be clear that there is no meaningful equivalence between a dose of 10 Sv to one person, and a dose of 1 μSv (tiny in comparison to the natural background) to each of ten million.
A related concept to ALARA is ‘walk-away safety’. Nobody expects a fertilizer plant or an oil refinery to shut itself down safely if the plant workers suddenly leave in the middle of normal operations, even though ― on the basis of the evidence ― accidents at such facilities are far more likely to cause death and injury to personnel and the public. But exactly that has been touted as an advantage of certain new reactor designs. The bare possibility of such a thing is a testimony to the safety of atomic power.
Atomic Power and Human Welfare
The real question is not, what harm might atomic power do? but, what good can it do? And the answer comes back, “much”. Scarcely another human activity is subjected to a demand that it justify itself in terms of non-harmfulness. More than thirty thousand people are killed each year in automobile collisions, in the United States alone ― do we demand that people stop driving, until cars can be made perfectly safe? No! As a society, we think nothing of the annual one chance in ten thousand of dying on the road (let alone the radiation exposure from medical X-rays associated with injury accidents), when compared to the convenience of hopping in the car. The widespread use of atomic power brings with it no such risk, and its potential benefits are enormous.
Around the world, every year, thousands of people die in the process of mining coal. That is not ‘predicted excess cancer fatalities’, or some such faceless statistical measure. It is individual men and boys, women and girls, with names and families, who are crushed, or suffocated, or burned ― who go down into the pits and never come forth alive. And that leaves out all those who are crippled by injuries, or by the dust in their lungs. That we allow this to go on, when it need not, is deeply immoral. Uranium mining is not a pleasant business either ; mining never is, but the quantity of fuel required (especially with breeder reactors) to meet the needs of the world is so much less that the human and environmental costs cannot help but be less. Indeed, given that uranium and thorium can be recovered in large quantities as secondary products (even from coal waste), the required scale of mining activities is minuscule.
Atomic power can even help, however modestly, with that problem of traffic safety. In the United States, great tonnages of coal are moved every day by rail, one way from mines to power plants, a thousand kilometers or more in some cases, and the cars go back empty. (We are beginning to see a similar movement of oil.) This slow, low-value cargo burdens the rail system and contributes to poor on-time performance. Consequently, shippers often prefer to send goods by truck instead of train. And trucks, by virtue of their large size and long reaction time, contribute disproportionately to wrecks, traffic congestion, and wear and tear on the roadways.
Quite aside from these negative benefits, atomic power has its unique contributions to make. Smoke detectors, made with americium-241 obtained from power-reactor spent fuel, save numerous lives annually. In the field of medicine, vital diagnostic and theraputic procedures depend on artificial radioisotopes such as technetium-99m and iodine-131. Radioactive tracers and gages are crucial to industrial automation, and to safety inspections of everything from boilers to bridges. Space missions to the outer planets would be infeasible without isotopic heat and power sources.
More broadly, the fact that atomic power plants require very little fuel has important consequences. Even in wealthy countries, isolated communities are often dependent on diesel generators for electricity, tying them to costly and sometimes undependable fuel-oil shipments, restricting their development options, and exacerbating the trend of flight from the countryside. In poorer countries, where the need is dire, any kind of access to power outside the principal cities is uncertain, and too expensive for constructive employment. But one charge of nuclear fuel can deliver megawatts for decades ; indeed, the US Navy intends to simply decommission the new Virginia-class submarines after thirty-five years, rather than refuel them. Atomic ‘package plants’ could bring the full benefit of electrification (and, in many cases, plentiful heat) to remote districts without the complication of long power lines or other problematic infrastructure.
Likewise, even before breeder reactors enter the picture, a large power plant or even an entire country can easily stockpile fuel for years ahead. It was for this reason that the members of the European Coal and Steel Community resolved to emphasize the development of atomic power in the aftermath of the Suez crisis. They recognized that uranium and thorium represented a source of energy capable of substituting for fossil fuels, which could not effectively be embargoed after the fashion of oil. At the present day, we might add, ‘or shut off like gas’.
Radiation a Factor of Safety
Radioactivity is very easily detected. That it cannot ordinarily be discerned by the senses adds to the mystery and fear with which it is regarded. Nevertheless, remarkably simple instruments can not only establish the presence of radiation, but distinguish particular radionuclides in concentrations of parts per billion or less (certainly small enough to be innocuous), and trace them back to their sources. And, of course, there are only a few score significant radioactive species, as opposed to thousands upon thousands of potentially harmful chemicals.
Potent chemical fuels, although capable of releasing far less energy than nuclear fuels, are immsensely dangerous, both because of their potential for uncontrolled reaction, and because they are hard to track down. Nuclear fuels, which can only react under conditions which require careful arranging, provide an unmistakable signature of their presence. As a result, ordinary private citizens can conduct monitoring for their own satisfaction, which is well-nigh impossible where radioinert substances are concerned. Indeed, one of the ways chemical pollution has been tracked is by a naturally-occurring radioactive signature. Because of the singular detectibility of radiation, a dangerous condition at an atomic power facility is almost certain to be identified and corrected as soon as it appears.
Atomic Power To The People! |
Wednesday, September 1, 2010
1.1 Background and Objectives
Remote controls are being applied to a variety of devices nowadays. From television remote to remote controlled robots, we can see their applications on the rise. Due to the increasing complexity of lifestyle in this generation, people are looking for products that are accurate, reliable and easy to use. They also want control of lots of devices with some simple systems. In such cases, remote controlling provides the answer.
A variety of remote control configurations are available for controlling devices. Some of them include the IR remote and radio signal based remote. Besides being able to control other devices, people also want to control their household loads using simple systems. In such situations, tele-remote systems can be used. Telephone circuits always gain interest, because telephones are everywhere and quite often there are old telephone sets lying around somewhere. Those telephones can be used for many interesting experiments including the tele-remote.
Tele-remote control, like any other remote control systems, is used for controlling loads and devices with a simple control setup. But unlike other remote control systems which have a limited range space of functionality, tele-remote can be used from anywhere. It overcomes the problem of range and thus, a user of this system can control the loads from any place provided with a telephone connection
1.2 Basic Concept of Tele-remote
The basis of tele-remote system is the DTMF signals of telephone which are used as control signals to control loads. DTMF, better known as touch-tone, is a system of signal tones used in telecommunications. DTMF is actually the signal to the phone company that we generate when we press an ordinary telephone's touch keys.
Different types of signals are available on the telephone terminals based on the mode of operation. When the telephone is in the idle state (on hook), certain level of DC voltage is present. When the telephone is ringing, about 80V rms AC voltage appears on the line. When conversing over the telephone (off hook), a lower level of DC voltage with a small current (0.1mA) is present. And finally, when the keys are pressed from the telephone keypad, the internal circuitry of the telephone generates DTMF signals. These DTMF signals are basically superposed sine waves of different types, each corresponding to the different keys of the telephone keypad. They are the unique tones we hear when we press any telephone keys.
Each signal being unique to the key associated with it is used in the tele-remote system to control and identify the load associated with it. Thus, in the tele-remote system, whenever a key is pressed, the load is controlled based on the DTMF signal of the key transmitted to the receiver end. With DTMF, each key we press on our phone generates two tones of specific frequencies. So that a voice can't imitate the tones, one tone is generated from a high-frequency group of tones and the other from a low frequency group.
The following are the objectives of this project:
1. To get acquainted with the various telephone parameters
2. To develop a tele-remote circuit capable of controlling loads
3. To get basic knowledge of the digital circuit used for remote controlling.
4. To reinforce the theoretical understanding and gain experience with circuit devices and construction.
Wednesday, March 24, 2010
Sawtooth wave generator
Sawtooth wave generators using opamp are very common. But the disadvantage is that it requires a bipolar power supply.
A sawtooth wave generator can be built using a simple 555 timer IC and a transistor as shown in the circuit diagram.
The working of the circuit can be explained as follows:
The part of the circuit consisting of the capacitor C, transistor,zener diode and the resistors form a constant current source to charge the capacitor. Initially assume the capacitor is fully discharged. The voltage across it is zero and hence the internal comparators inside the 555 connected to pin 2 causes the 555's output to go high and the internal transistor of 555 shorting the capacitor C to ground opens and the capacitor starts charging to the supply voltage. As it charges, when its voltage increases above 2/3rd the supply voltage, the 555's output goes low, and shorts the C to ground, thus discharging it. Again the 555's output goes high when the voltage across C decreases below 1/3rd supply. Hence the capacitor charges and discharges between 2/3rd and 1/3rd supply.
Note that the output is taken across the capacitor. The 1N4001 diode makes the voltage across the capacitor go to ground level (almost).
The frequency of the circuit is given by:
f = (Vcc-2.7)/(R*C*Vpp)
Vcc= Supply voltage.
Vpp= Peak to peak voltage of the output required.
Choose proper R,C,Vpp and Vcc values to get the required 'f' value. |
“h (September 2012)”
Editor’s Note: No one can attempt to write about Gaza and be unaware that it is a topic of great sensitivity. In writing what follows, I have attempted to be as neutral as possible. All comments posted on this website are moderated and I do not propose to allow comments that do not restrict themselves to a discussion of the Marillion song Gaza, or which attack individuals to be posted. This is not the appropriate place to have a wider discussion about the issues of Palestine and Israel.
The Gaza strip is a region of Palestine 360 km2 (139 sq miles) in area. It is 51 km (32 mi) in length along its border with Israel to the east and 11 km (6.8 mi) along its border with Egypt to the south. Together with the West Bank, it makes up the disputed modern state of Palestine.
The history of modern Palestine is complicated, rooted back into the late Ottoman period. In response to increasing anti-Semitism in Eastern Europe, Jews began migrating back into the Eastern Mediterranean region then known as southern Syria, then under the control of the Ottoman Empire. By the end of the 19th century, Jewish settlers, including many fleeing a hostile Russia and attracted by the emerging sense of Jewish national identity, had created sizable settlements and institutions in what is now modern Israel.
In World War 1, the majority of these Jews supported Germany since it opposed their enemy, Russia. The British, however, made overtures to the middle eastern Jewish community in order to help secure the support of the US Jewish lobby for a US entry into the war. They also (wrongly) believed that the nascent Jewish state had power over the Germany-allied Ottoman empire that had invaded British-controlled Egypt in order to try and capture the strategically-important Suez Canal. In 1917, the British made a public statement of their commitment to a Jewish homeland in Palestine, the Balfour Declaration. In the post-war carve up of the Ottoman Empire by the French and the British, the British ensured that Palestine fell under its control.
In 1920, Gaza became part of the British Mandate of Palestine. Bolstered by the Balfour Agreement, many more Jews started to arrive in the region and settle. Despite their increasing numbers, the Arabs still vastly outnumbered the Jews and were increasingly unhappy with Britain’s refusal to allow majority rule due to the commitment to a Jewish homeland. The arrival of nearly 40,000 Jews fleeing the rise of Nazism brought tensions to breaking point. Anti-Jewish riots by the Arabs in late 1933 were suppressed by the British. The rising tensions with the Jews, further fueled by Nazi propaganda eventually resulted in a three year Arab uprising commencing in 1936. Initially mainly political in nature, the uprising soon became violent, targeting British forces and being suppressed by force and collective punishment. The effect of the uprising would have serious consequences, with the emergence of the first Zionist paramilitary and intelligence organisations being directly attributable to the uprising. It also saw the exile of the main Arab leader of the time, 14,000 Arabs injured and 5,000 dead. Several hundred Jews were killed. Most pertinently, it resulted in the creation of the first exclusively Jewish region in Galilee.
During the period of the uprising, the number of Jews fleeing persecution in Europe became so large that no country was prepared to accept them, and the British, wary of inflaming the Arabs further, refused further Jewish immigration.
The effect of the Second World War and the Holocaust was that 95% of surviving European Jews expressed a desire to move to Palestine. Britain, near bankrupted by the war, was dependent on Arab oil and the new Labour government was politically unwilling to commit to a Jewish state despite its support for the policy for many years. It maintained the zero immigration position of the immediate pre-war years, causing the Zionists, who had supported Britain during WWII, to engage in guerrilla war against the British and to encourage illegal immigration.
An escalation of tensions, particularly in the face of further European pogroms, culminated in the 1946 bombing of the King David Hotel, the headquarters of the British Military, with the loss of 92 lives. The British response to the situation, which included the questioning of 120,000 people, 20% of the Jewish population in Palestine, was strongly criticised by the US, which delayed the payment of war loans. Britain referred the problem to the newly formed United Nations and proposed to end its mandate and control of the region. The UN proposed and approved (though rejected by all Arab members) a two state system, with the disputed city of Jerusalem administered by an international trustee system. Britain was also required to allow Jewish immigration, but concerned for its relationships with the oil-producing Arab nations, it failed to implement the recommendations, allowing the mandate to expire. In the run up to the expiration of the mandate, it became clear that the Jewish authorities had designs on the Transjordan region and the Negev.
Palestine and Israel 1946-2012
After the expiration of the mandate, tensions between the Arabs and the Jews was high. The Palestinians anticipated that the Jews would attempt consolidation of their territory and brought in outside assistance to resist. Despite early gains by the Arabs, the Jews eventually gained the upper hand, gaining significant territory from the Arabs, who became refugees. In May 1948, the State of Israel was declared.
The new state was immediately recognised by America and Russia. The Arab League of Egypt, Transjordan, Syria, Lebanon and Iraq launched an attack on Israel, starting the first Arab-Israeli war. Again, initial gains were by the Arab forces, but gradually, swelled by increasing number of new arrivals from Europe, many of whom were WWII veterans, and arms supplied despite an international ban, the Israeli forces succeeded in defeating the nations against them and eventually signed armistice agreements.
After the 1948 Arab-Israeli war, Gaza was administered by Egypt until it was captured by Israel during the Six-Day War in 1967 and was placed under Israeli military command. In the late 1980s, the First Intifada occurred, an uprising in response to a series of escalating incidents involving the oppression and death of Palestinians (in total, over the four years of the Intifada, the Israeli Defense Forces killed an estimated 1,162-1,204 Palestinians while Palestinians killed 100 Israeli civilians and 60 IDF personnel and injured more than 1,400 Israeli civilians and 1,700 soldiers. Non-fatal Palestinian casualties are difficult to calculate for sure, but Save the Children, estimated 7% of all Palestinians under 18 years of age suffered injuries from shootings, beatings, or tear gas during the first two years of the conflict.
The Oslo Peace Accord was signed in 1993 and accordingly, in the late 1990s, Israel transferred responsibility for security and civilian administration to the Palestinian Authority for Palestinian areas in Gaza and the West Bank. The Palestinian Authority, under the leadership of Yasser Arafat was marred by corruption allegations.
There are many significant factors that contribute to the instability in the region. Arguably the single most inflammatory factor is the status of Jerusalem, particularly the Temple Mount, regarded as an important religious shrine for both Jews and Muslims. The Mount is controlled as a religious site by the Palestinians but the area is Israel. A right to free worship is maintained by both sides. A provocative visit by the Israeli premier Ariel Sharon to the Temple Mount in September 2000 resulted in stone-throwing Palestinians attacking the police and being repulsed by tear gas and rubber bullets leading to the Second Intifada, which was characterised by atrocities by both sides. A particular feature in the later period of the Second Intifada was the use of suicide bombers against Israeli civilians.
A “road map for peace”, drawn up by the US, EU, UN and Russia was presented in 2003. It proposed a full peace settlement could be in place by 2005, with two states Israel and a democratic Palestine. The death of long term Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat in 2004 was followed by the election of Fatah leader Mamoud Abbas as the leader of the Palestinian Authority. Israel unilaterally withdrew its settlers and soldiers within the Gaza Strip, although it continued to control access, airspace and borders.
The subsequent election saw the more militant HAMAS in Palestinian Legislative Council elections in 2006, but unable to form a government in partnership with Fateh, leading to internal tensions with violent clashes between the two sides. HAMAS has remained in control of Gaza and Fateh in control of the West Bank ever since. In 2014, a significant conflict broke out after the kidnap and murder of three Israeli youths by HAMAS. The resulting conflict left over 2,000 Palestinians dead, a quarter of them children. More than five times as many were wounded, and nearly half a million were displaced. 66 Israeli soldiers, 5 Israeli civilians (including one child) and one Thai civilian were killed and over 450 IDF soldiers and 261 Israeli civilians were injured.
Gaza is one of the most densely populated places in the world. It has the 13th highest population growth rate in the world (2014 figures) and a median age of just 18 years. Together with the West Bank, it has the 16th highest unemployment rate in the world, largely as a result of Israeli restrictions on movement and trade imposed
Of the 1,816,379 (July 2014 est.) population, 1.2 million are recognised as refugees by the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA). UNRWA defines refugees as “persons whose normal place of residence was Palestine during the period 1 June 1946 to 15 May 1948, and who lost both home and means of livelihood as a result of the 1948 conflict”.
"Outside the pitiless sun bleaches the broken streets"
Rosalinde pointed out that the phrase "Pitiless sun" is from the 1919 poem The Second Coming by WB Yeats. It can be found in his 1920 collection Michael Robartes and the Dancer (as can Easter 1916).
“You ask for trouble if you stray too close to the wall”
Picture Credit: Lora Lucero
The Israel-Gaza barrier is a border barrier built by Israel in stages from 1994-2005. Originally designed to cover the area between the Gaza Strip and Israel, later extensions covered the border between Gaza and Egypt. The majority of the crossing points are for cargo. Only one point, located in the north of the Strip, allows for the movement of people. In theory it is capable of handling 45,000 people daily, though it normally handles about one percent of that.
The wall is, for the most part, actually a substantial fence, made of wire. There are wide buffer zones either side of the fence and Israel maintains a series of manned posts and sensors to prevent anyone crossing at unauthorised points.
Israelis regard the barrier as a security to stop the movement of arms into the territory and to control the movement of people to prevent security incidents, citing its success in preventing suicide bombers getting into Israel. Palestinians regard it as a blockade on trade and free movement.
There is a proper wall constructed around the other Palestinian territory, the West Bank, frequently encroaching on the internationally agreed border between the two regions.
‘For every rocket fired the drones come back’
Israeli forces have used Unarmed Aerial Vehicles, or drones, for reconnaissance and attack in the Gaza strip for many years – back as far as the 1970s - although there is no official acknowledgement that they have been deployed.
Drones with attack capabilities are frequently used for targeted assassinations or roof knocking (a small explosion is made on the roof of a building intended for demolition. The knock is supposed to give inhabitants the time to get out of the building).
Many observers have declared the near constant buzzing of drones is designed to cause a permanent state of heightened tension. Many youngsters have been diagnosed with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder as a consequence of the drones.
For further information, Drone Wars UK has an excellent summary of Israeli use of drones.
‘For thirteen years the roads have all been closed’
The Gaza strip has been blockaded continuously since 2007, after Hamas came to power, along with the imposition of sanctions by Israel and the Quartet countries (US, EU, UN and Russia). The Quartet refused to provide aid to the Hamas-led Palestinian Authority with the exception of some emergency humanitarian aid. Israel restricted movement within the Palestinian territories and of goods moving in and out, and withholding of tax revenues collected by Israel for the Palestinian Authority. Egypt also supported the blockade, stating that to not do so would grant legitimacy to Hamas and undermine the supposedly united Palestinian National Authority.
The conditions for the lifting of sanctions were:
• Renunciation of violence.
• Recognition of Israel by the Hamas government (as the PLO had done).
• Acceptance of previous agreements between Israel and the Palestinian National Authority.
Some lifting of restrictions occurred in 2010, but many of the restrictions placed by Israel have been criticised by the international community as representing collective punishment and a significant cause of Gaza’s humanitarian situation.
‘They build houses on our farms’
For many years, the Israeli state pursued a policy of allowing armed settlers to build settlements on land that belonged to Palestinians. The settlements are held to be illegal by the international community. Settlements in Gaza stopped in 2005 after Israel unilaterally withdrew from the region. It still maintains settlements in the West Bank and the Golan Heights.
‘I had no idea what martyrdom meant Until my older brother…’
Some Islamist teachings say that those that die in the pursuit of jihad (a word which properly has a much wider connotation than just the association with violence) will become martyrs and receive entry to paradise. The families of those that die will receive money and will also be promised guaranteed entry to heaven upon death.
‘You sow the wind, you reap the whirlwind, it is said’
Originally from the Old Testament book of Hosea 8:7: "they have sown the wind, and they shall reap the whirlwind". This line refers to an Israel that had defied God’s commandments and which was idolatrous. It essentially says that that if you sow your grain in the air, you bear responsibility for the resultant lack of crops.
‘It's like a nightmare rose up slouching towards Bethlehem’
This line is also derived from Yeats' The Second Coming. Using a imagery drawn from the Bible in respect of the Apocalypse and the second coming of Christ, it is an allegory about the the atmosphere of post-Great War Europe. The poem concludes with the stanza in question, which proposes that the age that arose with the birth of Christ is coming to an end and a new, more terrifying age is rising up to replace it:
The darkness drops again; but now I know
That twenty centuries of stony sleep
Were vexed to nightmare by a rocking cradle,
And what rough beast, its hour come round at last,
Slouches towards Bethlehem to be born?
‘from this small strip of land’
1. Thanks for your explanations and helpful background information on Gaza, Fraser. Would it be an idea to have the lyrics printed on the same page as the explanation? Regarding Gaza, the phrase "pitiless sun", which is unusual enough, can also be found in Yeats's The Second Coming. Take care.
1. Thank you for the additional info, Rosalinde; I will include that on the page. If you'd like me to include your surname, please let me know.
I've not included the lyrics in full as I don't have permission to do so, although I've never formally asked. Perhaps I'll run that past Lucy.
Thanks for your comments.
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Deglamorizing war and the life of soldiers, as Lydia Sigourney does in “The Farmer and Soldier,” was a major theme in early 19th-century works for children; this story had, in fact, been published as a chapbook in 1844 (The Farmer and Soldier. Greenfield: A. Phelps, 1844). A number of pieces by Sigourney were published in The Youth’s Companion.
“The Farmer and Soldier,” by Lydia H. Sigourney (from The Youth’s Companion, February 12, 1846; pp. 161-162)
It was a cold evening in winter. A lamp cast its cheerful ray from the window of a small farm-house, in one of the villages of New England. A fire was burning brightly on the hearth, and two brothers sat near it. Several school-books lay by them on the table, from which they had been studying their lessons for the next day. Their parents had retired to rest, and the boys were conversing earnestly. The youngest who was about thirteen, said—
“John,—I mean to be a soldier.”
“Why so, James!”
“I have been reading the life of Alexander of Macedon, and also a good deal about Napoleon Bonaparte. I think they were the greatest men that ever lived. There is nothing in this world like the glory of the warrior.”
“It does not seem to me glorious, to do so much harm. To destroy multitudes of innocent men, and to make such mourning in families, and so much poverty and misery in the world,—is more cruel than glorious.”
“O, but then, John, to be so honored, and to have so many soldiers under your command, and the fame of such mighty victories, what glory is there, to be compared with this!”
“James, our good minister told us in his sermon last Sunday, that the end of life was the test of its goodness. Now Alexander that you call the Great, got intoxicated, and died like a madman, and Napoleon was imprisoned on a desolate island, like a chained wild beast, for the world to gaze and wonder at. It was as necessary that he should be confined, as that a ferocious monster should be put in a cage.”
“John, your ideas are very limited. You are not capable of admiring heroes. You are just fit to be a farmer. I dare say that to break a pair of steers is your highest ambition,—and to spend your days in ploughing and reaping, would be glory enough for you.”
The voice of their father was now heard calling, “boys, go to bed.” So ended their conversation for that night.
Fifteen years passed away, and the same season again returned. From the same window a bright lamp gleamed, and on the same hearth was a cheerful fire. The building seemed unaltered, but among its inmates there were changes. The parents who had then retired to rest, had now laid down in the deeper sleep of the grave. They were pious, and among the little circle of their native village, their memory was held in sweet remembrance.
In the same chairs which they used to occupy, were seated the oldest son and his wife. A babe lay in the cradle, and two other little ones breathed sweetly from their trundle-bed, in the quiet sleep of childhood.
A blast, with snow, came against the casement. “I always think,” said John, [“]a great deal about my poor brother, at this season of the year, and especially in stormy nights. But it is now so many years since we have heard from him, and his way of life exposed him to so much danger, that I fear we have strong reason to believe him dead.”
“What a pity,” replied the wife, “that he would be a soldier.”
A faint knocking was heard at the door. It was opened, and a man entered wearily, and leaning upon crutches. His clothes were thin and tattered, and his countenance haggard. They reached him a chair, and he sank into it. He gazed earnestly on each of their faces, then on the sleeping children; and then on every article of furniture, as on some recollected friend. Stretching out his withered arms, he said in a tone scarcely audible, “brother—brother.” The sound of that voice opened the tender remembrances of many years. They hastened to welcome the wanderer, and to mingle their tears with his.
“Brother,—sister, I have come home to you to die.”
He was too much exhausted to converse, and they exerted themselves to prepare him fitting nourishment, and to make him comfortable for the night. The next morning he was unable to rise. They sat by his bed, and soothed his worn heart with kindness, and told him the simple narrative of all that had befallen them in their quiet abode.
“Among all my troubles,” said he, “and I have had many, none has so bowed me down, as my sin in leaving home without the knowledge of my parents, to become a soldier, when I knew it was against their will. I have felt the pain of wounds, but there is nothing like the sting of conscience. When I have lain perishing with hunger, and parching with thirst, a prisoner in the enemy’s hands, the image of my home, and of my ingratitude, would be with me when I lay down, and when I rose up. I would think I saw my mother bending tenderly over me, as she used to do, when I only had a headache, and my father with the Bible in his hand, out of which he read to us in the evening, before his prayer, but when I have stretched out my hands to say, “Father, I am no more worthy to be called thy son,” I would awake, and it was all a dream. But there would still be the memory of my disobedience, and how bitterly have I wept to think that the child of so many peaceful precepts had become a man of blood.”
His brother hastened to assure him of the perfect forgiveness of his parents, and that daily and nightly he was mentioned in their supplications at the family altar, as their loved, and absent, and erring one.
“Yes, and those prayers followed me. But for them, I should have been a reprobate. They plucked me as a brand from the burning, when I thought myself forsaken both of God and man.”
As his strength permitted, he told them the story of his wanderings and sufferings. He had been in battles by sea and by land. He had heard the deep ocean echo with the thunder of war, and seen the earth drink in the strange, red shower, from mangled and palpitating bosoms. He had stood in the martial lists of Europe, and jeoparded his life for a foreign power, and had pursued, in his own land, the hunted Indian, flying at midnight, from his flaming hut. He had gone with the bravest, where danger thickened, and had sought in every place for the glory of war, but had found only misery.
“That glory, which dazzled me in my days of boyhood, and which I supposed was always the reward of the brave, continually eluded me. It was reserved for the successful leaders of armies. They alone are the heroes, while the poor soldiers, by whose toil the victories are won, endure the hardships, that others may reap the fame. Yet how light is all the boasted glory, which was ever obtained by the greatest commander, compared with the good that he forfeits, and the sorrow that he inflicts in order to obtain it.
“Sometimes, when we were ready for battle, and just before we rushed into it, I have felt a fearful shuddering, an inexpressible horror at the thought of butchering my fellow creatures. But, in the heat of contest, such feelings vanished, and the madness and desperation of a demon possessed me. I cared neither for heaven nor hell.
“You, who dwell in the midst of the influences of mercy, and shrink to give pain even to an animal, can hardly imagine what hardness of heart comes with the life of a soldier, deeds of cruelty are always before him, and he heeds neither the sufferings of the starving infant, nor the groans of its dying mother.
“Of my own varieties of pain I will not speak. Yet when I have lain on the field of battle, unable to move from among the feet of trampling horses; when my wounds stiffened in the chilly night air, and no man cared for my soul, I have thought it was no more than just, since my own hand had dealt the same violence, to others, perhaps
p. 162
inflicted even keener anguish than that which was appointed me.
“But the greatest evil of a soldier’s life is not the hardships to which he is exposed, or the wounds he may sustain, but the sin with which he is surrounded, and made familiar. Oaths, imprecations, and contempt for every thing sacred, are the elements of his trade. All the sweet and holy influences of the Sabbath, and the precepts of the gospel impressed upon his childhood, are swept away. But in this hardened career, though I exerted myself to appear bold and courageous, my heard constantly misgave me. God grant that it may be purified by repentance and by the atonement of a Redeemer, before I am summoned to the dread bar of judgment.”
His friends flattered themselves, that by medical skill and nursing, he might be eventually restored to health. But he said,
“It can never be. My vital energies are wasted. Even now, death standeth at my right hand. When I entered this peaceful valley, and my swollen limbs tottered, and began to fail, I prayed to my God, O give them strength but a little longer, and hold thou me up till I reach the home where I was born, that I may die there, and be buried by the side of my father and my mother, and I will ask no more.”
The sick and penitent soldier labored hard for the hope of salvation. He felt that there was much to be changed in his soul, ere it could be fitted for the holy enjoyments of a realm of purity and peace. He prayed, and wept, and studied the Scriptures, and conversed with good men.
“Brother,” he would say, “you have been a man of peace. In the quiet occupations of husbandry, you have served God, and loved your neighbor. You have been merciful to the animal creation. You have taken the fleece, and saved the sheep alive. But I have wantonly defaced the image of God, and stopped that breath, which I never can restore. You have taken the honey, and preserved the laboring bee. But I have destroyed man and his habitation,—burned the hive, and spilled the honey on the ground. You cannot imagine how bitter is the warfare in my soul with the “Prince of the power of the air,” the spirit that ruleth in the children of disobedience.”
He declined rapidly. Death came on with hasty strides. Laying his cold hand upon the head of the eldest little boy, who had been much around his bed in his sickness, he said, “Dear John, never be a soldier. Sister, brother, you have been as angels of mercy to me. The blessings of the God of peace abide with you, and upon your house.”
The venerable minister, who had instructed his childhood, and laid his parents in the grave, and had oft-times visited him in his affliction, stood by his side, as he went down into the valley of the shadow of death.
“My son, look unto the Lamb of God.”
“Yes, father, there is a fulness in him for me, the chief of sinners.”
There was a short and solemn pause. Then he added, “Yet, let no one sin against light and against love.”
The white-haired man of God lifted up his fervent prayer for the departing soul. He commended it to the boundless riches of divine grace, and besought for it an easy passage to that world where there is no sin, neither sorrow, nor crying.
He ceased, and the eyes of the dying man had closed. There was no gasping, or heaving of the breast, and they thought that the breath had quitted the clay. They were about to speak of him as having passed where all tears are wiped away. But there was a faint sigh, and the pale lips slowly moved. Bowing down they caught the whisper of his last words, “Jesus, thou whose last gift was peace, take a sinner unto Thee.”—Protestant Telegraph.
Copyright 1999-2017, Pat Pflieger
To “Nineteenth-Century American Children & What They Read
To “Voices from 19th-Century America
Some works for adults, 1800-1872
Talk to me. |
Wednesday, July 25, 2007
Hungry Black Holes
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Anonymous Dc said...
just found this, love your style. Has planetary formation been simulated by computer ie. Gravitational attraction of random matter/gas vs with a
baby blackhole seed? possible big time difference in age to adulthood?
8:20 AM
Blogger L. Riofrio said...
Thanks dc, I was in Washington just last week. Planetary formation has been simulated, but unless gas particles have the mass of mountains they simply will not stick together. Simulations also can not explain why Earth and Venus have circular orbits, which is an additional mystery. Tiny Black Holes explain all this and the quick formation of planets too.
8:24 AM
Anonymous dc said...
tiny black holes! gm=tc^3, cosmology is simply inspiring... (even in MN:)
9:35 AM
Blogger Stephen said...
So Venus, which has much less of a magnetic field doesn't have a black hole at it's center. So one can say that Earth sized planets can certainly form without any small black hole aid.
Or is this a mischaracterization?
Ten years ago, i didn't believe in anti-gravity. Now: dark energy is replusive. Yet it will take a bit more evidence to swallow tiny black holes inside planets. Or do i mean tiny planets swallowing black holes?
1:15 PM
Blogger L. Riofrio said...
Actually Venus probably has a Black Hole, which explains why it has vulcanism. There is little magnetic field because the Black Hole does not rotate. That helps explain they mystery of Venus' angular momentum, why it appears to spin backwards.
Stephen, you may have been right all along about anti-gravity. I recommend that you not buy stock in "dark energy." Even if DE existed, it would be too diffuse in Space to have any conceivable use.
5:25 PM
Blogger DaVinci said...
I have often wondered how space dust gathering together could produce enough mass to have an effect upon fast moving particles via gravity to ever form anything more than a cosmic dust bunny. A small singularity makes more sense.
4:10 AM
Anonymous dc said...
With more now 'thinking of a prince'... if we have a "personal" blackhole, what's going on near it? how frequently? whats detectable? It apparently is 'manageable', and even somewhat friendly!
5:17 PM
Blogger L. Riofrio said...
Black Holes are friends. A typical mini-hole has mass of 10^11 kg. If you were standing one meter from it the gravitational pull would be only 2/3 what you feel at Earth's surface. Detecting them would be difficult unless you were extremely near. Many could be orbiting within our solar system right now
8:47 PM
Anonymous mp4 to mp3 converter said...
This was fascinating to read. As for me space secrets are the most captivating and exciting mysteries ever in the world. I can't get enough of them Thank you so much for your post!
11:05 PM
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These are the words that were (reportedly) spoken by Captain John Parker to the 77 militiamen who had gathered on Lexington Green on the morning of April 19th, 1775.
The weather that morning was described as "fair, windy and cold".
Militia units and Minutemen had been gathering since the early hours of the morning when riders Paul Revere, William Dawes and Samuel Prescott spread word of the British expedition leaving Boston to seize the colonists' stores of weapons and powder.
What would happen over the course of the next few hours would change the world forever. |
Using a firewall in ubuntu or linux is recommended even though many would argue that it is not necessary. Ubuntu is distributed with 'Uncomplicated Firewall' or 'UFW' for short.
By default UFW is disabled, so you need to enable it and then provide rules for it to work.
Setting up your firewall is easily done from the command line using a teminal.
Below is a basic set of rules and instructions for setting up your firewall.
These rules will allow browsing the internet and email.
You can enable or disable UFW at anytime, and use any program as normal, using the commands :
sudo ufw enable
sudo ufw disable
Setting Up Your Firewall
You can simply copy and paste the following commands one by one in to a terminal.
Enable the firewall
sudo ufw enable
Set default rules
sudo ufw default deny incoming && sudo ufw default deny outgoing
Add outbound TCP rules
sudo ufw allow out 25,53,80,110,443/tcp
Allow outbound UDP rules
sudo ufw allow out 53,67,68/udp
Restart UFW
sudo ufw disable && sudo ufw enable
Identify Ports that Programs Use
Many programs will display which ports they use in the options menu or on their website.
If this is not the case you can use the following method.
If a program you wish to use will no longer work, such as streaming music using Totem Movie Player, it is probably being blocked by the firewall, so you need to find which port it is using and allow that port so it can access the internet.
Close down Movie player any other programs which may be using the network.
Then open a terminal and disable the firewall
sudo ufw disable
Then start the Totem Movie Player again and run the following command to Identify which ports it is using
sudo netstat -anp --tcp
You should see the program name on the right, and the port that the program is using will be listed under 'foreign address' after the colon ':' see the following example – Totem is using port 8200 (as highlighted in bold).
tcp 122332 0 ESTABLISHED 4915/totem
so we would then add the rule using the following command
sudo ufw allow out 8200/tcp
you should see confirmation that the rules has been added,
then close Totem Movie Player, and enable the firewall
sudo ufw enable
finally open Totem Movie Player again and try streaming music, assuming all went well UFW will allow it to connect to the internet and it will work fine. If it is not working follow the above steps again as you may need to allow additional ports. For example Totem Movie player also uses port 8052 for music streaming.
Existing Rules
To view a list of the rules you have created for the firewall use the following command
sudo ufw status numbered
To delete an existing rule, such as our Movie player rule above use 'delete' as follows
sudo ufw delete allow out 8200/tcp
Useful Links
Ubuntu Community Documentation - UFW
Wikipedia - List of TCP and UDP Port Numbers
Ubuntu Forums - Creating a Firewall for Your Ubuntu Desktop
© Copyright Fernhill Linux Project 2014 |
How to Prevent This to Happen
This type of problem is more common than most people imagine. The thing is most people only discover that their PC are infested with some kind of animal when the computer becomes defective and the technician – or the user – opens it. In some cases, animals may burn internal parts of the computer – especially the power source. We have already heard several reports of computers that smelled like something was burning and when the technician opened them, the cause was some small animal inside the power source.
There is a very simple way to reduce the likelihood of having animals live inside your PC: all you have to do is to close the unused slots at the back of the case, which are located in front of the motherboard slots. Note that in the personal computer with hornet problem form the picture there are two open slots, which were probably where the hornets entered.
In other words, all you have to do is to close those slots with the appropriate metallic parts that come with the case. In case you no longer have those metallic covers, you may ask for them to any friend who assembles and services PCs. Technicians usually have tons of those metallic covers and they will certainty donate you some for a good cause.
The other holes at the back part of the case should be considered with caution. All cases have – where the power source is – a hole through which the hot air leaves the computer. Additionally, several cases have small holes for air circulation. Those holes should not be covered, else you will create another problem in your computer, namely overheating. Therefore, you should only cover the holes that should not be open, bearing in mind the holes for air circulation should remain open.
If you find any animals in your computer, you should hire a specialized pet control company, because if there are animals inside your computer, it is very likely that there are more animals in the place where the computer is (your house or office), posing risk to your health, besides the risk of having those animals make other electronic equipment their homes, which could cause significant material losses.
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Buddhism In Kerala
Tamil Sangam-works like Manimekhalai indicate that there were Buddhists in Tamil Nadu and that the Buddhist missionaries were active in spreading their religion. According to the Sangam tradition, there was a famous Buddhist chatty a (temple) at Vanchi (Karur) and a Palli Bana Perumal became a Buddhist.
The Cheras were originally Mundas, many of whom were Buddhists even before their arrival in Tamil Nadu. It was they as well as the Buddhist missionaries from the Maurya Empire that brought the religion of Buddha to the South. They were distinctly a powerful minority in Tamil Nadu and were subjected to per-secution by the Brahmin Counsellors of the Dravidian Hindu Kings during the ascendancy of Brahminical Hinduism in the South. Aalavaipathikam records that around 640 A.D., Sambanda Murti, a Brahmin, won over the Pandya royal family and caused the massacre of 8,000 Buddhist monks in Madurai; Buddhist nuns were reportedly made into devadasis and relocated in the Hindu temple precincts. The persecution and eventual exodus of Buddhists from Tamil Nadu to Kerala in the seventh century was occasioned by the fall of the Buddhist Kalabhras at the hands of the Pandyas.
Buddhism has left its impact on Kerala. The images and tall rathas (cars) used in temple processions, and utsavams (fairs) are said to be Buddhist legacies. The Ayurvedic system of medical treatment is also a gift of Buddhism. Buddhists opened schools [in pallikudam and ezhuthupally. Pally is the Buddhist term for school) near their monasteries. Kerala temples show traces of Buddhist art and architecture. Amarasimha, the author of the popular Sanskrit text-book used in Kerala schools until recently, was a Buddhist. Kumaran Asan, the great Kerala poet, was influenced by the great Buddhist religion and wrote the famou, Buddhist poems: Karuna. Chandala Bhikshuki, and Sri Buddha Charitam. |
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Explore the way in which Westall and Dickens create suspense and mystery in the two ghost stories,
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Explore the way in which Westall and Dickens create suspense and mystery in the two ghost stories, "The Call" and "The Signalman". The two ghost stories "The Call" written by Robert Westall and "The Signalman" written by Charles Dickens, both create suspense and mystery to engage the reader's attention. "The Call" is narrated by a person who did not experience the events of the story but heard it from other people, and he also knew the characters. In contrast "The Signalman" is narrated by one of the characters in the story, and is therefore in first person. The ghost story genre has had enduring popularity over the past few centuries. It can even be found as far back as the Elizabethan era, where Shakespeare used ghosts as characters in his plays. For example in Macbeth, the ghost of Banquo comes back to haunt Macbeth. This genre has been so popular because the phenomenon of the supernatural cannot be explained and it ignites a fear in many of us. This was more so when the subject of ghosts were fairly new in literature, around the time when Dickens wrote "The Signalman", and therefore the story would have been quite different for readers. ...read more.
Before the first call both Meg and Geoff are happy and jolly because of it being Christmas Eve," It was just happiness", but after the call, the cold monotone of the woman spreads into Meg and Geoff, "Meg put the phone down wearily, and suddenly shivered". In the signalman, the first sign of problems arise right at the start, where he asks the question "Halloa Below! There!"-there is no answer by the signalman, even though he is isolated and by himself, he should of easily heard the call but instead stares down the train line, "..But instead of looking up where I stood....he stared down the line". This scene is an eerie one as the atmosphere is also spooky created by lack of light and cold temperature. Another early sign is where the signalman explains that he is "Troubled" to the narrator. The plot development in the call arises after every call; they get more and more detailed and also the inevitability of her death is stressed and cemented by the lone woman." Geoff heard the line go dead again. He thought Meg looked like a corpse herself" the characters get more and more scared because after the first call they were assured by Tom Brett(the loyal duty-director) ...read more.
reader asking little questions, on the other hand the signalman does not resolve very well and most readers will want more of an explanation to the story. Another difference is that there is a good introduction to the call with the narrator explaining the situation at the Samaritans and how the story came about, in complete contrast the signalman dives straight into the tale with the words 'Halloa Below! There!'. The Call was written more than a century after the signalman, and you cans see this by the way Westall tries to enhance the integrity of his story to a much more sceptical reader. By reading the Signalman it is apparent that Dickens is trying to portray a message to the reader using this story. He was worried about the affect new technology like trains would have upon the public and so stresses in this story the danger of trains. On the issue of which story I prefer personally, I would have to say I preferred the call. This is probably so because that the story is written for the modern person and also the fact that the Signalman is a hard story to understand does not suit the modern reader. Vikash Sharma ...read more.
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The signalman seems relieved to be able to tell someone of his problems, the reader would want to find out if the stranger could do anything to help him. Not being able to help he leaves and tells the signalman, he would try and 'meet him again tomorrow.'
This technique can be paralleled with that used in modern day horror movies where there can be a jolt in the movie just to build up suspense and pressure in the audience. The narrator then 'descends' down to talk with the signalman.
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1. Discuss how suspense is created in the ghost story &quot;The Signalman&quot; by Charles Dickens
Dickens doesn't stop there with his description of the signalman: ".... Saturnine Face...." This gives us the impression of evil and of gloom these descriptive adjectives add great suspense to the story. The narrator, as the story progress realises that the signalman is very intelligent.
2. Describe the ways Dickens creates mystery and suspense in 'The Signalman'.
Dickens states "not" in capital letters to emphasise that there was no sound. Also, he returns with an "inexplicable air" upon him, which the narrator is unable to define. The job may be having a negative effect on the man.
"Three" is the magic number when it comes to ghost stories, in "A Christmas Carol" scrooge is visited by three ghosts, in "Macbeth", Macbeth is told his prophecies by three evil witches.
2. Discuss the way Bronte and Dickens create mystery in their short stories 'Napoleon &amp; ...
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Well, I’m Not So Sure
29 May
This poem is a series of 12 haiku poems that are strung together in a series to tell a story. According to Dictionary.com, a haiku is a major form of Japanese verse, written in 17 syllables divided into 3 lines of 5, 7, and 5 syllables, and employing highly evocative allusions and comparisons, often on the subject of nature or one of the seasons; or a poem written in this form. This poem introduces the reader to Agnoticism. According to Wikipedia, in some senses, agnosticism is a stance about the difference between belief and knowledge, rather than about any specific claim or belief. In the popular sense, an agnostic is someone who neither believes nor disbelieves there is a God, whereas an atheist disbelieves in God. In the strict sense, however, agnosticism is the view that human reason is incapable of providing sufficient rational grounds to justify knowledge of whether God exists or does not. Within agnosticism there are agnostic atheists (who do not believe any deity exists, but do not deny it as a possibility) and agnostic theists (who believe a God exists but do not claim to know that).
This poem has 12 verses – 12 haiku tied together to tell a story/present a message.
“Well, I’m not so sure”
© 2011, Tyrone Turner
All rights reserved
Take modern science.
Dismiss things you can’t confirm.
Think critically.
Historic events
are recorded and leave things –
artifacts and graves.
Fairy tales amuse
and at times frighten children.
They just are not true.
Fear is a very
crippling and controlling tool.
Ask politicians.
The Catholic faith.
Rome’s Emperor, Constantine,
is the true father.
Moses had to go
to a mountain by himself
to get commandments.
Muhammad went to
a cave alone to receive
the Holy Qur’an.
Alone by himself
did Joseph Smith have the Book
of Mormon revealed.
Why were all of these
men alone with none to see
their event happen?
Isn’t that quite odd?
Should not truth be apparent?
Not a mystery.
Ask questions, beloved.
Be like a child and ask “Why?”
A child shall lead them.
Do you think that your
religion is the truth, friend?
Well, I’m not so sure.
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Academic Tone
Home » People » Karl Sherlock » Tone Handbook » Academic Tone » Shortcuts and Diction
Shortcuts and Diction
Contractions •
Abbreviations •
Symbols •
Textese •
"Street" Spelling •
Cliches •
Slang and Vulgarity •
Contracted and Combinative Verbs •
Hyperbole and Mitigated Hyperbole •
Have you ever met someone who was working just a little too hard to be your friend? They show up at your door with a case of beer and a mix CD, and two hours into your buzz and your laughter, they casually ask you if you'll lend them $600.00 to cover their rent. We learn to be suspicious of people's hidden agendas, especially when they move too fast to ingratiate themselves to us. Such is the case with academic writing. Since taking one's time to be precise and detailed is highly valued among academic readers, anything that seems to cut corners is distrusted. Similarly, using a language that respects the subject matter and showcases the intellectual merit of your writing pulls much more weight than bringing your friendly personality to bear in your writing style. Consequently, anything that seems to celebrate a colloquial voice instead of a refined, sophisticated voice is suspect. "Why," we ask, "would this writer need to be friends with us through this writing? What's wrong with the content that would make these ploys necessary?
For that reason, it's easy to break down the concept of shortcutting into two main categories: abridgments, such as abbreviations; and, figurative and informal diction, such as cliches.
To "abridge" means to shorten, as in an abridged or unabridged dictionary. Unnecessary abridgment of words and phrases in academic writing are considered imprecise, colloquial, and shiftless. They're like slackers among intelligentsia. This isn't to say you will never have good reason to use an abridgment in your academic writing, nor that they don't have their place in other kinds of writing. As a style of writing, however, they are not compatible with the demands of academic prose. Abridgments include the following:
Abbreviations, Initials and Acronyms
Unless your audience clearly expects them, most abbreviations and acronyms should be eschewed altogether, including some familiar ones:
etc. ("etcetera" and "et ceteras" are not preferred, either)
Jan., Feb., Mar., and so on
min., sec., hrs., and so on
dys., wks., mos., yrs.
w/o, w/
Some initials have become so standard that to spell them out would seem stranger than using their initials and acronyms. The following are examples, and there are many others, proving that this "rule" has a lot of grey area to it. You'll have to determine on a case-by-case basis whether or not it's allowed:
a.m. / p.m. (always lower case)
m.p.h., k.p.h.
Whether you're handwriting an essay in class, or you're composing it outside of the class, note-taking symbols are forbidden from all college writing, especially academic writing. Some are fairly obvious and straightforward:
plus signs or ampersands (+ or &) to substitute for the word "and" ("+" used along with numerical data is entirely different, though)
"at" symbols (@)
number signs or hashtags (#)
equal signs (=) instead of the word "means"
percent signs (%) instead of writing the word "percent" (unless, as with plus symbols, numerical data are being presented in a series or illustration)
Like some abbreviations and acronyms, other symbols are simply expected and customary, and it would be strange to spell them out instead of using their symbols. You'll have to decide this on a case-by-case basis, depending on what field you're writing about or who your readers are:
°C, °F, °K
mGs; mSv
$, £, ¢, and other money symbols
When you use uncommon symbols, however, it's protocol to spell them out in parentheses the first time, which then becomes a frame of reference for the readers thereafter:
mSv (millisieverts of radiation)
During the 1980s, the fad of the vanity license plate got people thinking about how they could reduce language to letters and numbers that phonetically implied larger phrases: "LUV2BM3" or "L-EV-8R," and such. Today, the fad has undergone a reinvention because of the technology of texting, and it has since crept into other social networking arenas, such as Facebook and Twitter, both of which are directly connected to texting these days. At least in the 1980s the language of a license plate couldn't follow you into the task of writing a research paper. Today, however, we communicate messages by text to ourselves for every reason, including while we're in the task of writing a research paper. Sitting in the middle of the library at 3:30 in the afternoon, you'll see a good many people are perambulating their thumbs across their phones to convey notes and messages. And, whether any of these actually crop up in their writing is immaterial; the practice of texting has become so entwined with their motive to write, that their writing in other contexts absentmindedly falls back on the language of texting.
Regardless of whether or not you feel Textese is a legitimate discourse style, it is, in its very origination, considered a shorthand that, like other kinds of shortcuts, should never, ever be used in academic writing. For one thing, it intentionally scuttles the rules of spelling, and for another, it intentionally avoids words of sophistication. However, more important than either of these is that it's a dumbed-down phonetically based second language that competes with your higher verbal skills for memory and neural real estate in your brain. And, when teachers say, "Bad writing corrupts good," they mean this in earnest: the phenomenon of Textese has insidious effects. Those of you who are traditionally bilingual know of what I speak: when you converse with others who are bilingual, a hybrid of two languages begins to spill out of your mouth, and nobody questions it. When you can't think of what a word is in one language, you pick it out of the lexicon of the other. When it's easier to use a foreign word or expression, your brain doesn't wait to figure it out; it just uses it. Such is the case with Textese: because there are, literally, thousands of text messaging shortcuts, learning to text has become a rudimentary second language, not unlike secretarial shorthand. And, it's simple enough to allow the bi-lingual line between Textese and formal usage to blur.
At this point, you're probably saying to yourself, "He's being overly cautious and paranoid. We already know we can't 'text' in our research papers." However, it's not so much that students can't be trusted to recognize when they're using Textese in their formal writing. Rather, it's a concern about whether or not they care that it turns up at all. Students forgive themselves of the sin of Textese quite readily, and more and more it's simply passed over in the proofreading and editing stage of revision (assuming there's a proofreading and editing stage) as something "the professor can figure out." If your instructors start grading your essays with emoticons instead of letter grades, you'd probably launch a protest—I hope, anyway. ;D
Once again, not making your readers do the work of interpreting your writing and ideas is one of the cardinal rules of academic tone. Intellect isn't something you should be trying to insinuate in your writing. That's the purview of poetry and narrative, not expository writing. Rather, intellect should be clearly and directly articulated.
"Street" Spelling
Similar to the influence of Textese on ordinary writing is the language of hip-hop. It's ostensibly a street vernacular, but the popularity of hip-hop music has encouraged people who grew up far from the urban "street" environments to adopt it as their own, and many a young person has contrived his or her voice to sound edgy and "street."
In academic writing, however, we must divest ourselves of our vernacular identities, and hip-hop is one of those identities. Unfortunately, hip-hop, in making the translation to lyrics that end up being published, has led to some interesting, if not altogether confounding, breaks from spelling rules that later find their way into college writing. (The usage does as well, but I will not take that up here.) These spelling permutations quite often are abridgments—shortened or simplified versions of words—but they aren't all that new or original, to be honest. I remember scouring the lyrics page of Prince's Purple Rain album back in 1984 and thinking, "Somebody get this guy a pocket Spelling Dictionary!" Song titles like "I Would Die 4 U" and "Take Me With U" seemed unnecessarily altered. Okay, I was an English grad student; I didn't get it at the time. I'm more sympathetic to it now, but not in academic writing. The argument is fairly plain: if you can contrive a "street" voice in the way you intentionally misspell words on the page, then you can also contrive an academic voice in the way you don't misspell words on the page. You know the type of words I mean, too. Some are very familiar:
musta, must of
Others, though, are a little more forced:
dawg, or dogg
playa (meaning "player")
fa real
contracted form using an apostrophe: bustin'; mackin'; hatin'; what ev'; etc.
off da hook
ya hurrd
You may think hip-hop language is "phresh" but, in college, me and my peeps do it old school. Yes, you're allowed to roll your eyes at that last statement, since it proves my point: when I try to sound hip-hop, it sounds corny and false, because of the context. When your college writing (not you, but your writing) sounds hip-hop, it comes across just as false and out of place. I don't discourage the playfulness with language that has lead to some of these intentional "street" misspellings. In academic writing, however, playfulness with language should be a matter of wit and sophisticated use of vocabulary, not spelling. That's simply one of the expectations of your academic audience, and it's no more elitist or stuck-up than demanding that you change the spellings of words in the manner shown above. You wouldn't ordinarily speak to your grandparents, your minister, or your college professor in the language of hip-hop, so you can assume the same demands are made on you in the language of academic writing: one changes vocabulary and voice according to the situation, and this is one of those situations.
"Figurative" is a word used to describe anything that is a "figure of speech," such as idioms, expressions, cliches, slang, and certain language conventions. "Diction" is specifically about the words one chooses. (That's why a book of words with definitions is called a "dictionary.") "Informal diction," then, refers to language choices that are typical of informal relationships or situations.
Because academic prose is largely expository writing, not creative writing, figurative diction has a limited role in how intellectual ideas are put across. In the last sentence I just wrote, the phrase "put across" suggests a figure of speech, but at the same time it uses an informal convention, known as a "phrasal verb." In essence, this is what makes figurative and informal diction inconsistent with the expository and precise language of academic tone. Let's look at this usage more carefully:
A cliche is a turn of phrase, an idiom, or an expression that at one time was creative and original but which has since come to be used as a shorthand. When people use cliches, they no longer cognize the figurative aspects of it. It's like that beautiful plate or bowl you throw your keys into when you come home at night: you initially chose it because it was attractive, but over time you recognize it only for its utilitarian purpose. So it is with cliches: they start out beautiful but gradually become just a shorthand with ordinary meanings. Take the expression, "blue in the face": "I tried telling him not to take the job until I was blue in the face." Originally, "blue in the face" was an analogy to apoplexy and suffocation: expending so much breath that, like a choking victim, one begins to turn blue. Now, however, no one really considers the analogy; it's there as a subtext, of course, but when you hear the phrase you think only "futility": "I tried to convince him not to take the job until it was clear that it would be futile to continue." The appeal of holding onto "blue in the face" instead of "until it was clear that it would be futile to continue" is the cliche's brevity: it lets you communicate a complex and abstract emotion using a simple root metaphor. Academic writing, however, is not the place to do that sort of figurative writing. The complex, abstract and intellectual ideas of academic writing deserve the careful, literal, and precise language that expository writing delivers.
Understanding cliches and avoiding cliches, however, are very different endeavors. Our everyday use of the English language is positively steeped in cliches. If anything, our "folk" language—our dialect, if you like—depends on us learning these root metaphors in order to communicate with the masses as quickly and efficiently as possible, which is, once again, incongruous to the goals of academic writing. By no means do I suggest here that academic writing should be wordy and highfalutin, either. "Precise" and "concise" are closely related concepts, and academic readers appreciate economy of language as much as good style. Furthermore, the aptly placed cliche can be rhetorically effective in formal discourse.
However, dependency on cliches is altogether a different matter, and college writers struggle just as much as professional writers to translate their colloquial lexicon of cliches into a formal vocabulary tailored to their academic writing. One of the obvious reasons for this is that the original contexts for many cliches have since become obsolete, just as the derivation of ordinary words have long since become irrelevant. Consider the phrase "a pig in a poke." Firstly, do you know what it means? If you don't, then you're an excellent reason not to use cliches in your own writing: a fair number of your readers won't know what they mean, because many cliches are culturally or regionally determined. "Pig in a poke" means, "taking a chance"; "a risk or gamble." It's a quaint and bucolic reference to giving away a prize pig in a county fair contest or carnival game. A "poke" here doesn't mean "to jab with a finger," but rather is a kind of fabric container, such as a burlap sac— the very thing that a piglet would be put into. We don't use the word "poke" in this sense anymore, but we do commonly use the word that means a "little poke": a poke-ette, or "pocket." Okay, so that was a long explanation needed to reeducate you on the derivation of a dodgy cliche, but it illustrates why it's so darned difficult to extract our formal vocabulary from our common one: we've allowed cliches to insinuate themselves into our lexicon and become like real words, rather than stand in for them the way pronouns stand in for nouns.
Cliches are too numerous to list comprehensively, but a useful list is available in “Cliches” and will give you some idea of just how much they populate our daily speech in English. In the meantime, consider the following cliches students specifically use in academic writing because they think these formalize their tone:
all in all
in conclusion,
in society today
needless to say,
since time immemorial,
so to speak,
to an end
with all due respect
without further ado
Again, not every cliche is forbidden or inappropriate, but a pattern of cliches stands out in academic writing as an abrogation of your responsibility to use language with precision and transparency.
Slang and Vulgarity
The origin of the word "slang" isn't definitively known, but it's probably a combination of "secret" and "language," suggesting a sort of folk jargon permitting furtive discussions in public places. Little of modern slang, however, seems bent on secrecy. If anything, it’s all about the ostentation. I’m fascinated by a businessman who can confidently shout “Booyah!” or a woman in a skort who can say “Yeah, baby!” like she means it. I’d love to know where these people get their swagger, and why others who use slang in public end up sounding as insincere as a third grader reciting Latin. I knew from an early age there were public places where language like this could impress ordinary folk. My best friend, Greg, earned money smashing beer bottles in the basement of his brother Norb’s pub (short for "publica house" or "publican's house") right up the street, so I used to poke in to say hi quite a lot. Customers seemed right at home there coarse language and a lot of Schlitz beer, something my mother described as “very common.” This rather goes to the heart of the matter: the customs and speech of pub-goers are permitted, and even expected, to be “vulgar” at times because the local tavern celebrates the "commonness" of ordinary folks like you and me.
I don't intend here for the word "vulgar" to sound judgmental, either. The word "vulgarity" is derived from the Latin vulgaris, meaning "common"—as in "the common people." If you're familiar with biblical exegesis, you've probably run across a related word, "Vulgate," which refers to a book translated into the "common tongue." In fact, the noun "vulgate" means "common or informal speech." What constitutes slang and vulgarity, then, is a matter of what’s commonly acceptable from one group to the next and from one public arena to the next, because all depends on what's commonly acceptable and what isn't. For example, is it vulgar to say, "The room was hotter than hell"? Would sensitive readers blush at "The waiter was a bitchy man with a fake tan"? Is it slang to say, "Most movie-goers are not down with people talking out loud during a film"? It's difficult sometimes to draw the line between regular speech and slang, or between regular cliches and vulgarities. However, if you give some thought to whether or not you’re trying to fit in with “the common folk” instead of more erudite readers, you can be pretty sure your language has taken a turn for the vulgar. Here’s some “common” usage typical of that voice; notice how many of these don’t have to be coarse language in order to be vulgar in tone:
chill out
In the context of academic tone, the problem with this next group of phrases is not only that they’re considered vulgar, but also that they’re informal cliches. And, while it may be acceptable from time to time to include ordinary cliches in your writing for rhetorical effect, you should treat informal cliches as lingua non grata at all times in academic writing.
a lot alike
act like an assh*le
bring the kiddies
call the cops
get a handle on things
deal with his sh*t
folks at home
be sucked into doing it
going solo
okay by me
piss-poor quality
tap that ass
Contracted and Combinative Verbs
Any speechwriter will tell you, contractions are the simplest way to relax your tone and make people comfortable with you. Contractions are the shortened and combined form of two or more words (often involving a verb): can't, won't, isn't, wasn't, didn't, don't, couldn't, wouldn't, shouldn't, would've, could've, should've, mustn't, they'll, I'm, it's, she's, he's, you'll, and so on. Some contractions have since become accepted spellings, such as o' clock (no one anymore tells time by saying "of the clock" or "on the clock"), but most contractions can be reconstituted into their full forms quite easily: cannot; will not; is not; would have; they will; I am; it is; and so on.
Contractions offer the simplest rule to remember in all of academic tone: do not use them! When you're finished drafting your academic essay, simply perform a search for the apostrophic endings of typical contractions: 't; 'd; 'll; 've; 'm; 's* (an apostrophe + an "s" is also possessive, so you'll have to handle that one more carefully than the others).
Combinative verbs are also called "phrasal verbs," and these are more difficult to resolve than contractions. Phrasal verbs are single verbs worded as combinations of verb + prepositions: going down; phoning up; going out; looking up; starting out; finishing up; hooking up; stressing out; bearing down; opening up; checking in; following through; slipping under; run across; rush on out; and so on.
There's a bad joke we used to tell when I was in high school that reminds me about the rules of phrasal verbs:
An arrogant and classist well-to-do couple (a woman and her companion) are traveling by car from their home in The Hamptons to a resort in Florida. They stop in a small coastal town in South Carolina to have a bite to eat. Their young waitress, like the other town folk, is a salt-of-the-earth type who is friendly and eager to meet out-of-towners. She dreams of hobnobbing with the upper class, and she notices their elegant accent and says, "Welcome. I noticed you ain't from around here. If you don't mind me asking, where're y'all from?"
The woman snobbishly refuses to raise her gaze from her menu and replies, "Young lady, I do mind, but if you must know, I shall at least tell you that where we live, people are educated enough not to put prepositions at the end of a sentence."
The restaurant falls into a hush, and the waitress is embarrassed by her own lack of education and social graces. She thinks for a moment, then says, "I beg your pardon. I am so very pleased to meet you. Where are y'all from, bitch?"
It's a silly joke, but it serves to remind us that different environments let us be more relaxed about our grammar (and our cuss words!), while others pressure us to be more stringent. Academic writing definitely falls into the latter.
Not all phrasal verbs are simple to resolve without torturing a sentence into a correct style of complex subordinate clauses, nouns clauses and relative clauses. For example, which of the following is actually clearer:
Instructors should never put up with vulgarity in the classroom.
Vulgarity in the classroom is up that with which instructors should never put.
Vulgarity in the classroom is that with which instructors should never put up.
Obviously, the second version makes no sense because the phrasal verb "put up with" cannot be divided so easily. Does that make the third version, therefore, the right choice for formal writing? No. The verb "put up with" is, itself, inappropriate for the tone. An academic writer will choose one single verb of greater precision to replace a phrasal verb of imprecision:
Instructors should never tolerate vulgarity in the classroom.
And so it should go for every phrasal verb in academic writing.
Hyperbole and Mitigated Hyperboles (See "USAGE: HYPERBOLES")
Last Updated: 11/04/2016
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You Are At: AllSands Home > History > Objects > Native American dreamcatchers
You see them everywhere. Hanging in cars, your friends’ living rooms, every craft show you attend. Each school year elementary and high school classes across the country make them. They are standard on almost every camp counselor’s list of crafts to do. What are they?
Dreamcatchers have so many legends attached to them; it is almost impossible to decide what is fact or fiction. While many Native American tribes make them today for sale throughout various outlets, the Ojibway, or Ojibwe, are believed to be the true ancestral makers of these fascinating objects.
Ojibway legend tells of a time when all their people lived in a place called Turtle Island. When the land became too small to hold all their people the tribe dispersed to other lands, to the four winds. Asibikaashi, Spider Woman, had to find a way to help Wanabozhoo, Sun, travel far enough to be with all their people. Thus, together they created the suncatcher, known today as the Dreamcatchers. Asibikaashi spun a web, as spiders’ do, to catch Wanabozhoo’s rays. By doing this, the sun could be carried everywhere, even where her light could not reach. Through time, mothers and grandmothers took over the task, making small ones and attaching them to each newborn’s cradleboard. No matter where that child would travel, this would accompany him or her. In this way, the sun would be carried everywhere, continuing to light and give warmth to all the members of the original tribe.
Repeatedly throughout many of the different legends a central story has formed. The web hung on a cradleboard or by a bed, ‘catching’ dreams. As the dreams travel through the web, good dreams are permitted to pass through and flow to the feather's tip, to the owner of the web. Bad dreams become so lost among the maze, that when the morning sun comes up, still lost in the web, they are destroyed by the strongest of the early morning light.
Each part of the Dreamcatcher has an important role in the legends. The circle shape represents the circle of life itself. When each of us is born, we come from the earth, travel our whole life throughout the earth, and upon our death, are returned once again from the earth we were born from, thus completing a ‘circle’ of life. The web represents the roads we all travel throughout a lifetime as an infant, child, adult, and finally elder. Traditionally, the web was colored red to represent the ‘blood’ of life. The feather is a sign of breath. No one can survive without air thus; the feather was a reminder that along with sun, air is also needed to sustain life.
Dreamcatchers are made of many different materials. Central to all is a ring, the material for the web itself, and a feather. The ring today can be anything from a manufactured wood or metal ring, to a more traditional willow branch. Willow is a sign of strength. The webs themselves can be imitation sinew, yarn, and even craft-wire. Traditionally, the inner web was strung of nettle-stalk twine colored red with bloodroot or red yarn if available. Feathers would have been selected according to what was available. If there were a choice, the feathers of the bird that was believed to be the stronger one would be chosen.
Today, Dreamcatchers not only hang by beds, but also appear everywhere, in every form imaginable. Necklaces and earrings are common. Small ones hang on purses and key-chains. Their image adorns posters and signs, note-cards and book covers. Cross-stitch patterns, quilt covers, clothing designs, and rubber stamps. Some companies have taken this all one step further and have the image as their trademark. It has become a universal symbol of good luck.
Whatever legend you believe to be the true one, the Dreamcatcher has been around for thousands of years and does not appear to be going anywhere. |
We were built to feel good. So says science.
Some people (CYNICS!) would argue that humans are naturally negative — that emotions like hostility, jealousy and despair are the essence of the human experience. And they’d point to history as evidence (we haven’t exactly spent the last 200,000 years in the throes of collective euphoria).
But feeling bad feels bad. And feeling good feels good. That can’t be an evolutionary accident.
Stress kills. So says science. It causes the deterioration of all our biological goodies, from brain to gums to heart. It elevates cortisol, adrenaline and glucose levels, leads to inflammation, gastrointestinal problems and blood vessel malfunction. It makes us more susceptible to illness and can even accelerate the growth of cancer. Not to mention the horrendous effects on our long-term mental health. It’s bad news.
So doesn’t it make sense that positive emotions would achieve the opposite effect? Welp, they do. Feel-good feelings affect our brains and bodies in all kinds of lovely ways, including increasing our awareness, attention, and memory, boosting our immune system and reducing risk for all kinds of illnesses. Optimists live longer, happier lives. This, we know.
Seems pretty obvious that Mother Nature intended for us to feel good. The fact that positive feels are so advantageous for our bodies and minds seems to me an infallible argument that happiness is (supposed to be) our natural state of being.
According to Psychology Today, “Being focused on negative thoughts effectively saps the brain of its positive forcefulness, slows it down, and can go as far as dimming your brain’s ability to function, even creating depression. On the flip side, thinking positive, happy, hopeful, optimistic, joyful thoughts decreases cortisol and produces serotonin, which creates a sense of well-being. This helps your brain function at peak capacity.”
But we can’t ignore the glaring fact that bad thoughts and feelings persist. Quite strenuously. Why? If good feelings are so, well, good, why do so many of us feel so bad so much of the time?
The H word: habit. Our brains are built to be habitual, and they become (essentially) addicted to negative thought patterns.
The basic biology is this: our brain’s neurons are specialized cells that conduct electrical impulses. Neurons talk to each other via neurotransmitters, and when faced with the same stimuli over and over again, groups of neurons become BFFs, forming neuronal pathways. They then activate together as a circuit and over time, increase their power, efficiency and connection. Hence, the strength and durability of bad habits and negative thoughts.
The best news ever is, our brains are under our control thanks to a little thing called neuroplasticity. We can break the cycle of pessimism, bad feelings and negativity. It just takes work. Admittedly, a lot of work.
If the idea of retraining your brain feels overwhelming, just start small. Milk your good thoughts and feelings. When a positive emotion bubbles up from your inner being, fuel that fire. Keep it going as long as you can. Do whatever it takes to stay happy — even if it means looking at puppy pics for six hours. Because feeling good is ALWAYS a good idea, and your brain will totally take the hint.
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6 Recently Discovered Facts About Neanderthals
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We first discovered the remains of a Neanderthal in 1829. Almost two centuries later, we’re still uncovering the secrets of our distant relatives. For example, did you know Neanderthals—or rather, Homo neanderthalensis—didn’t have a chin? They were also much stronger than humans, with large arms great for hunting or combat. New findings are turning the traditional perception of Neanderthals as dumb, barbaric beasts upside down, suggesting they weren’t so different from us after all. Here, a few recent discoveries.
1. Neanderthals mated with early humans
Researchers long suspected this to be true, considering the genetic similarities between Neanderthals and modern Europeans and Asians, but they lacked the evidence to prove it. In a new study published in Genetics, they now say the evidence is undeniable thanks to statistical modeling.
Researchers think there are two possible scenarios for these genetic similarities. Scenario #1: Modern humans and Neanderthals both have roots in a shared common African ancestor, and some humans—the ones that eventually became today’s Eurasians—evolved in relative isolation, therefore maintaining a lot of the genetic makeup shared by their Neanderthal cousins. Scenario #2: Humans and Neanderthals mated and produced offspring in Europe and Asia.
In their own words, they “did a bunch of math” to compare the statistical likelihood of each scenario and found that "a model that involves interbreeding is much more likely than a model where there was sustained substructure in Africa," according to evolutionary biologist Laurent Frantz, the study’s co-author.
And if statistical evidence isn’t enough to convince you, the remains of a human/Neanderthal hybrid were discovered in northern Italy.
2. The genes we inherited from Neanderthals are linked to modern ailments
One’s likelihood for having Crohn’s disease, lupus, and type 2 diabetes can all be traced back to genetic variants inherited from Neanderthals, as can your potential for becoming a smoker, according to a January 2014 study from the Harvard Medical School. Also, the offspring of humans and Neanderthals came with genetic mutations in the X chromosome. Some East Asians may have reduced fertility as a result.
3. They weren’t intellectually inferior to humans
Conventional wisdom holds that Neanderthals died out after we Homo sapiens came along because our superior intellect, technology, and mad hunting skills gave us the advantage. Survival of the fittest (or, smartest), right? Not so much. Thanks to a recent study in the scientific journal PLOS ONE, we now know that “the conventional view of Neanderthals is not true,” says Paola Villa, one of the study’s authors (she also curates the University of Colorado Museum of Natural History).
On the contrary, evidence suggests they were excellent planners and hunters, and worked expertly in groups. And remember, we aren’t comparing Neanderthals to modern humans, but to the very earliest Homo sapiens. Researchers think this is where the misconception stemmed from. “It would be like comparing the performance of Model T Fords, widely used in America and Europe in the early part of the last century, to the performance of a modern-day Ferrari and [concluding] that Henry Ford was cognitively inferior to Enzo Ferrari,” Villa explains.
So, what did kill the Neanderthals? Well, researchers haven’t quite nailed that one down yet, but they suspect it could be connected to genetic problems linked to inbreeding.
4. Neanderthal children may have gone to school
Accompanying the theory that these guys weren’t so dumb after all, researchers think Neanderthal parents educated their young. OK, maybe they couldn’t do arithmetic, but they could make tools. At several sites, researchers have discovered perfectly assembled tools alongside less advanced versions of the same objects, suggesting children were honing their tool-making skills thanks to some lessons from more experienced crafters.
5. They buried their dead
Like us, our not-so-dim-witted evolutionary relatives seemed to honor their lost loved ones with burial ceremonies. Researchers landed on this conclusion after studying the remains of several Neanderthals found in a cave at La Chapelle-aux-Saints, in southwestern France. The remains showed no sign of disturbance from animals or external elements, suggesting they were covered quickly and intentionally. “While we cannot know if this practice was part of a ritual or merely pragmatic,” said Dr. William Rendu, a researcher at New York’s Center for International Research in the Humanities and Social Sciences, “the discovery reduces the behavioral distance between them and us.”
6. They could speak
It all comes down to a little bone called the hyoid. Located in the neck near the thyroid, the hyoid supports your tongue and helps you talk. Apes, our closest living relatives, don’t have this bone. But Neanderthals did. Archaeologists discovered it in 1989, and last year, thanks to a 3-D computer model, demonstrated how the bone might have served the Neanderthals. While it doesn’t look exactly like the hyoid in your own jaw, it could have served a similar function, allowing Neanderthals to form a language. "Many would argue that our capacity for speech and language is among the most fundamental of characteristics that make us human,” Stephen Wroe, a faculty member at the University of New England in Australia, told the BBC. “If Neanderthals also had language then they were truly human, too.”
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Karrah Kobus/NPG Records via Getty Images
Pop Culture
5 Killer Pieces of Rock History Up for Auction Now (Including Prince’s Guitar)
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Karrah Kobus/NPG Records via Getty Images
If you’ve ever wanted to own a piece of rock history, now is the time. A whole host of cool music memorabilia from the 20th century is going up for sale through Julien’s Auctions in Los Angeles as part of its “Icons and Idols” sale. If you’ve got the dough, you can nab everything from leather chairs from Graceland to a shirt worn by Jimi Hendrix to never-before-available prints that Joni Mitchell signed and gave to her friends. Here are five highlights from the auction:
Elvis’s nunchucks
Courtesy Julien's Auctions
Elvis’s karate skills sometimes get a bad rap, but the King earned his first black belt in 1960, and went on to become a seventh-degree black belt before opening his own studio in 1974. You can cherish a piece of his martial arts legacy in the form of his nunchaku. One was broken during his training, but the other is still in ready-to-use shape. (But please don’t use it.) It seems Elvis wasn’t super convinced of his own karate skills, though, because he also supposedly carried a police baton (which you can also buy) for his personal protection.
A blue guitar used by Prince
Courtesy Julien's Auctions
Prince’s blue Cloud guitar, estimated to be worth between $60,000 and $80,000, appeared on stage with him in the late ’80s and early ’90s. The custom guitar was made just for Prince by Cloud’s luthier (as in, guitar maker) Andy Beech. The artist first sold it at a 1994 auction to benefit relief efforts for the L.A. area’s devastating Northridge earthquake.
Kurt Cobain wearing a cheerleader outfit in the pages of Rolling Stone
Courtesy Julien's Auctions
The Nirvana frontman wore the bright-yellow cheerleader’s uniform from his alma mater, J.M. Weatherwax High School in Aberdeen, Washington, during a photo shoot for a January 1994 issue of Rolling Stone, released just a few months before his death.
A white glove covered in rhinestones
Courtesy Julien's Auctions
A young Michael Jackson wore this bejeweled right-hand glove on his 1981 Triumph Tour, one of the first of many single gloves he would don over the course of his career. Unlike later incarnations, this one isn’t a custom-made glove with hand-sewn crystals, but a regular glove topped with a layer of rhinestones cut into the shape of the glove and sewn on top.
The auction house is also selling a pair of jeans the star wore to his 2003 birthday party, as well as other clothes he wore for music videos and performances.
A piece of wood in a frame under a picture of The Beatles
Courtesy Julien's Auctions
You can’t walk the halls of Abbey Road Studios, but you can pretend. First sold in 1986, the piece of wood in this frame reportedly came from Studio Two, a recording space that hosted not only The Beatles (pictured), but Pink Floyd, Stevie Wonder, Eric Clapton, and others.
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Wellcome Images // CC BY 4.0
5 Dubious Historical Antidotes for Poison (and What Actually Works)
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An artificial bezoar stone from Goa, India
Wellcome Images // CC BY 4.0
When it comes to their health, humans will believe just about anything. In this extract from the new book Quackery: A Brief History of the Worst Ways to Cure Everything, authors Lydia Kang, MD, and Nate Pedersen discuss some of the more questionable ways people once tried to protect themselves from poison—whether or not the methods actually worked.
Poison is everywhere. Naturally or unnaturally, it can be in the soil (arsenic), in the air (carbon monoxide), in your drinks (lead), and in your food (cyanide). With so much danger around, it’s no wonder humans have obsessed over finding a universal antidote—the one thing that could save us from all toxins. Imagine you’re a medieval prince about to inherit the throne. Chances are, there are a lot of power-hungry wannabes waiting in the wings. A little arsenic or hemlock might be your best friend or your worst nightmare. Just in case, best have an antidote on standby.
For millennia, a certain amount of magical thinking was employed when arming oneself against poison because science was inconveniently slow to catch up. So grab your handy unicorn horn and a bezoar, and let’s take a look.
Bezoars have been used for centuries as antidotes to poisons. A bezoar is solid mass of undigested food, plant fibers, or hair found in the digestive tracts of animals, including deer, porcupines, fish, and, yes, humans. Anyone with a cat is familiar with the less-cool feline version: hairballs.
Bezoars and other stone-like items created by animals often had a good story behind them. Legends told of deer that would eat poisonous snakes and become immune or cry tears that solidified into poison-curing stones. First-century Arabic author al-Birumi claimed bezoars could protect against one poison called “the snot of Satan,” which we hope never ever to encounter. By the 12th century, when Europe became plagued with, uh, plagues, the bezoar crept into pharmacopeias as panaceas and alexipharmics (poison antidotes).
Bezoars were a seductive notion for the rich and royal, who were at risk of assassination. The stones were often enclosed in bejeweled gold for display or worn as amulets. Indian bezoars, in particular, were sought for life-threatening fevers, poisonous bites, bleeding, jaundice, and melancholy. Consumers were also known to scrape off a bit of bezoar and add it to their drinks for heart health and kidney stones. These tonics were sometimes adulterated with toxic mercury or antimony, which caused vomiting and diarrhea, making buyers think they were effective.
But were they? One team of researchers soaked bezoars in an arsenic-laced solution and found that the stones absorbed the arsenic or that the poison was neutralized. Hard to say if it worked well enough to cure a fatal dose. Ambroise Paré, one of the preeminent French physicians of the 16th century, was also a doubter. The king’s cook, who’d been stealing silver, was given the choice between hanging or being Paré’s lab rat. He chose the latter. After the cook consumed poison, Paré looked on as a bezoar was stuffed down his throat. Six hours later, he died wracked with pain. Perhaps he chose ... poorly?
This antidote was named after Mithridates VI, the king of Pontus and Armenia Minor. Born in 134 BCE, he pretty much invented the phrase “what doesn’t kill you makes you stronger” by consuming poisons daily to prevent his own assassination. His royal home was stocked with stingray spines, toxic mushrooms, scorpions, mineral poisons, and a poisonous plant–filled garden. He was so unpoisonable that after his son took over his kingdom and he faced execution, he couldn’t even commit suicide by poison! He begged a guard to stab him to death. (It worked.)
Though the king’s actual recipe for the antidote is nowhere to be found, versions began to circulate after his death, and they became synonymous with the king himself. Compounds with lengthy and expensive ingredient lists prevailed, including iris, cardamom, anise, frankincense, myrrh, ginger, and saffron. In the first century, Pliny the Elder snarkily remarked, “The Mithridatic antidote is composed of fifty-four ingredients ... Which of the gods, in the name of Truth, fixed these absurd proportions? ... It is plainly a showy parade of the art, and a colossal boast of science.”
Showy or not, people would take the extensive mix of herbs, pound them together with honey, and eat a nut-sized portion to cure themselves. At least it endowed them with expensive-smelling breath.
An apothecary shop sign in the shape of a unicorn
An ivory pharmacy sign in the shape of a unicorn's head
Wellcome Images // CC BY 4.0
Unicorn horns have been considered a part of antidote legend since the mythical beast galloped into literature around 300 BCE. For centuries afterward, real earthly beasts would sacrifice their lives and their horns to slake our thirst for the miraculous, nonexistent animal, including rhinoceroses, narwhals, and oryx. Even fossilized ammonites were used. It was believed that drinking vessels made of such horns might neutralize poisons, and wounds could be cured by holding them close by. In the 16th century, Mary, Queen of Scots reportedly used a unicorn horn to protect her from poisoning. Too bad it didn’t prevent her beheading.
Pearls have long been thought to be powerful antidotes. A beautiful, rare gem created by the homely oyster, a pearl is born out of annoyance (the mollusk secretes iridescent nacre to cover an irritant, like a parasite or grain of sand). Pretty as they are, they’re about as useful as the chalky antacid tablets on your bedside table; both are chiefly made of calcium carbonate. Good for a stomachache after some spicy food, but not exactly miraculous.
Pearl powder has been used in traditional Chinese medicine to treat a variety of diseases, and Ayurvedic physicians used it as an antidote in the Middle Ages. It was also reported to make people immortal. An old Taoist recipe recommended taking a long pearl and soaking it in malt, “serpent’s gall,” honeycomb, and pumice stone. When softened, it would be pulled like taffy and cut into bite-sized pieces to eat, and voilà! You would suddenly no longer need food to stay alive. Cleopatra famously drank down a large and costly pearl dissolved in wine vinegar, though in that case she wasn’t avoiding poison. She didn’t want to lose a bet with Antony—which might have fatally injured her pride.
Albarello vase for theriac, Italy, 1641
A vase for theriac, Italy, 1641
Wellcome Images // CC BY 4.0
Theriac was an herbal concoction created in the first century by Emperor Nero’s physician, Andromachus, who was reported to have Mithridates’s secret notes. It was a mashed formula of about 70 ingredients, including cinnamon, opium, rose, iris, lavender, and acacia in a honey base. In the 12th century, theriac made in Venice was branded as particularly special, and Venetian treacle (derived from a Middle English translation of theriac) became a hot commodity. Its public, dramatic production often attracted curious crowds.
By the 18th century, cheaper golden syrup was substituted for honey. As treacle began to lose its luster as a treatment, its definition as an herbal remedy disappeared from common vernacular. But the sweet syrup remained. Which is why when we think of treacle, we think of treacle tarts, not a fancy means of saving ourselves from a deathly poisoning.
Thankfully, science has brought us a wide range of antidotes for many items we shouldn’t be exposed to in dangerous quantities, if at all. N-acetylcysteine, fondly referred to as NAC by doctors, saves us from acetaminophen overdoses. Ethanol can treat antifreeze poisoning. Atropine, ironically one of the main components of plants in the toxic nightshade family (such as mandrake), can treat poisoning from some dangerous fertilizers and chemical nerve agents used as weapons. For years, poisonings were treated with emetics, though it turns out that plain old carbon—in the form of activated charcoal—can adsorb poisons (the poisons stick to the surface of the charcoal) in the digestive system before they’re dissolved and digested by the body.
As long as the natural world and its humans keep making things to kill us off, we’ll keep developing methods to not die untimely deaths.
We’ll just leave the fancy hairballs off the list.
The cover of the book Quackery: A Brief History of the Worst Ways to Cure Everything
Workman Publishing
Excerpt from Quackery: A Brief History of the Worst Ways to Cure Everything by Lydia Kang, MD and Nate Pedersen/Workman Publishing. Used with permission.
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What is Cost Benefit Analysis?
What is cost benefit analysis: Understanding the simple cost-benefit logic for decision making in business
Business managers and executives make decisions every day. Sometimes those decisions can be both irrational and rational. Every decision has an impact on your business. It doesn’t matter how small it is because it will impact your business some way or the other. It is quite necessary to calculate the benefits and cost of certain decisions before you make them.
cost benefit analysis
What is cost benefit analysis?
What you can use to help make life easier for you is to practice cost-benefit analysis. Cost-benefit analysis is when you analyze the cost and benefits of different options to make proper business decisions. These decisions can stem from upcoming projects, product launch, marketing etc.
In the business community, a strategy like this will help to shed off some of the uncertainty that comes with certain projects. It can be used anytime within a certain project whether at the beginning, middle and end. It’s all up to your preferences.
There are 5 basic steps you need to take when performing cost-benefit analysis:
Identify options
The first step you have to take is to identify all the options that are on the table when making a decision. Look at the problems you are currently facing in a certain situation. You can then list out all the possible options that you could take to solve it.
Evaluate the impacts of each option
You are then going to evaluate and discuss how impactful each option can be if it is chosen. You are next going to measure the different options and choose the best ones you think can have the most impact.
Measure the cost and benefit
After you have finished with those two steps. You are now going to measure the cost and benefits of each of the best options you have chosen. It would be great if you could trim that list down to 3-5 options. This will make it much easier to compare and choose the best option for the last step.
Compare and choose
You are now going to compare and choose the best option. Make sure that the option saves cost and have the biggest upside benefit to your organization.
The steps shown above will help you to choose which is the best option to pursue. Calculating the cost is quite easier than the benefits.
With the cost you can calculate labor, tools and equipment etc. and then speculate the project ROI or return on investment.
When it comes on to measuring the benefits, it’s highly speculative because so many things can happen. What you can do is to manage and track the project’s process to ensure that it goes according to plan. If it doesn’t go according to plan, that’s okay because you can always tweak it as you go along. To try and eliminate some of the risk that comes with each decision. You can implement risk management techniques and strategies to keep certain processes under control.
You can also use cost benefit analysis templates and learn more about cost benefit analysis tools.
This will also blend in well with the cost-benefit analysis structure as well. Overall, cost-benefit analysis can be a useful tool you can use to make business decisions before taking on certain projects. It helps to reduce the uncertainty that always comes with decisions. It also helps to put everything into perspective. So you can make the right decision that can benefit your business.
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Freitag, 28. August 2009
Caves and the dream of long term records
Within the Alps, long term climate records, ranging to the last or even to the penultimate interglacial are exceptionally rare. We are simply lacking sediments of these periods - sediments of interglacial's were systematically eroded by the (re)advance of glaciers, lay hidden under younger sediments (mostly postglacial alluvional river deposits) or are simply not yet recognised.
In cave systems we are not (so) affected by the destructive power of glaciers, so there maybe can be found sediments ranging much deeper in time, with a record much completer then in the outside world.
Speleothem growth depends strongly from temperature and water chemistry, and water in liquid form depends strongly by temperature of the environment outside the cave. During a cold period, water will be trapped in form of ice on the surface, and water percolation in the underground will be very restricted or completely missing - the speleothem will stop to growth. During warming, and melting of ice, again water is available, and the speleothem goes on growing. So just the presence of speleothems can provide a first clue to reconstruct past climates. But even better - the isotopic composition of the precipitation changes with the amount of water trapped in ice shields - so measuring the relationship between the two oxygen isotopes (the "light" 16O and the "heavy" 18O) in the- from the water deposited - carbonates, can give a direct information's of extend of ice shields, and so climate, during the past. And the carbon isotopes 13C and 12C, also found in the carbonate, give hinds on vegetation and soil cover of the catchment area of the cave. Plants assimilate preferred the lighter isotope - a high values of delta13C indicate low or even negligible input of soil-derived organic carbon into the dripwater.
Spannagel cave is a large high altitude (entrance to the cave 2.531m, extending down in two main branches to ca. 2.200m a.s.l.) cave network with approximately 10km of length in the Zillertal Alps of Austria.
The "Hintertux glacier" with the morain of the last highstand (1850). The entrance of the Spannagel caves - and also the Spannagel hut- lies on the upper end of the left morain.
It is the largest out of a series of more than 30 caves that developed within the Jurassic marble that covers the "Zentralgneiss" - the tectonic uplifted gneiss core of the "Tauern window", and is itself overlie by the phengitic gneisses.
The area above the cave today is ice free, but it was covered partially by the Hintertux glacier until 1850, and covered entirely by up to 250 thick ice during the past glacial. U/Th dates in the cave showed that deposition of the speleothems occurred repeatedly during the past few hundred thousand years, and is still ongoing, thanks of the constant temperature (1-2°C) in the cave slightly over the freezing point of water.
A stalagmite in the cave, composed of dense, columnar calcite, apparently grew without significant interruption for ca. 50 ka, albeit at a very slow rate, during the penultimate interglacial. The oxygen isotope record shows three prominent maxima, representing three warm phases, separated by a long earlier and a shorter later cold period. The mid points of the transitions into the three warm phases occurred at 240 ± 3 (correlated subsequently with the MarineIsotopicStadium 7.5), 215 ± 2 (MIS 7.3) and 200 ± 3 ka (MIS 7.1) and the end of the interglacial (MIS 7/6 transition) was dated to 190 ± 3 ka.
During full glacial periods no speleothem growth could be found.
During the transition of interglacial to glacial conditions the sudden drop of the isotopes values suggest a cooling, but speleothems growth continues. Comparing the curve of the oxygen isotopes with the carbon isotopes shows a remarkable pattern - both curves appear very similar, relatively high delta18O values indicating warm atmospheric conditions coincide with high delta13C values. This suggests very little if any vegetation at this cave during the warm periods, and so less favourable conditions than today - were at least a thin soil developed.
The later interglacial (MIS 5), and also the Holocene show data with higher values of delta18O, and a low delta13C value during the "high stand" of oxygen - high temperature and thick soil and vegetation cover.
Continuous stable isotope record of speleothem growth during the Marine Isotope Stage 7 at the high-alpine Spannagel Cave, Central Alps. SPÖTL et al. (2008): Spannagel Cave, Austria MIS 7 Speleothem Stable Isotope Data. Age is given in kyr BP, isotope ratio per mil VPDB).
Relatively high (reaching -8 to -9 0/00) delta18O values indicating warm atmospheric conditions, these values during the observed interglacial coincide with relative high delta13C values (>2 0/00). The 13C isotope derives mostly of anorganic sources (p.e. dissolving limestone), so high values are sign of lacking vegetation or organic rich soil cover. During "cold periods" complete lack of soil and vegetation produces the high peak between 230-220kyrs.
These facts let conclude that the penultimate interglacial posess three major climatic phases, with warmer periods separated by cooler periods. On average this interglacial was less warmer then the last interglacial or the Holocene in this altitude, with consequent lower equilibrium lines for glaciers. The catchment area of the Spannagel cave must be covered by ice, but the ongoing growths of speleothems demonstrate the presence of water - this implies warm based conditions beneath the ice. Only during full glacial conditions no speleothem deposit occurred.
SPÖTL, C.; MANGINI, A.; BURNS, S.J., FRANK, N. & PAVUZA, R. (2002): Speleothems from the high-alpine Spannagel cave, Zillertal Alps (Austria). In (ed.) SASOWSKY & MYLROIE: Studies of Cave Sediments: Physical and Chemical Records of Paleoclimate
SPÖTL et al.(2006): The last and the Penultimate Interglacial as Recorded by Speleothems From a Climatically Sensitive High-Elevation Cave Site in the Alps. In SIROCKO, F. et al. (ed): The climate of past interglacial. Developments in Quaternary Science 7.
VOLLWEILER, N.; MANGINI, A.; SPÖTL, C.; SCHOLZ, D. & MÜHLINGHAUS, C. (2009: Stalagmites from Spannagel cave (Austria) and holocene climate. Geophysical Research Abstracts. Vol.11
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Eco-tourism: How do we define it?
The term is being used more and more as the awareness of the planet to all things environmental increases. Terms like sustainable tourism and nature based tourism can confuse things but Eco-Tourism attempts to include a number of aspects.
To define Eco-Tourism, it must include the following aspects:
• Is nature or heritage based
• Acts in sustainable way and attempts to help their clients to minimise the impact of their visit
• Benefits the indigenous community
• Has an interpretive dimension
• Education
If we break these points down, firstly we would look at the fact that it focuses on either natural wonders or human created wonders. We are not looking at adventure based activities like Bungy jumping or hang gliding or rafting. We don't need to isolate any of these activities from Eco-Tourism as they may incorporate some other aspects like interpretation and environmental education; an example is a guide giving environmental interpretation as you head down the river. They also may run their vehicles on biofuel and not do heli-rafting for environmental reasons.
We do not want to be too academic about defining Eco-Tourism, when considering how a business or in fact individuals behave in an environmental sense, we need to look at attitudes that are in that workplace are systems set up to minimise impact on the planet. This can also include the education included in the activity, for example, a pre-trip briefing may include detailing what your business expects of you when you are out in the environment such as waste disposal and toileting. ( ) Another way we can help our clients to minimise their impact is to either provide a carbon offset scheme like planting trees or provide them with the opportunity to pay a little extra for someone else to plant a tree for them ( ). You can also involve your clients in conserving the area you are actually visiting with involvement in pest control such as stoat and possum trap checking and weed pulling (this also falls under the banner of conservation tourism)
A business that is truly Eco-Tourism will not be owned by a large foreign corporate entity and all the profits therefore go offshore. In some cases it is possible for it to be owned offshore because many small developing countries do not have the financial resources to invest in setting a new enterprise up but there must be a definite benefit to the local economy and to individuals within it. They must be paid fairly, be treated well and there must not be a detrimental effect on the local environment. The classic example of a community gaining financial benefit in the short term and environmental damage in the long term is mining in a place like Papua New Guinea.
Indigenous views and wellbeing being taken into account is also paramount for a business to be truly Eco-Tourism and adherence to local protocol shows respect and acknowledgement of their long term association with the area. In New Zealand it is great to be able to enjoy the Maori ways and to learn a lot about the country's history, it is a truly rich culture which many overseas visitors find fascinating.
The interpretive dimension of a trip is like the value added component. It is a nice thing to go for a walk in a beautiful area but to have it brought to life with stories and information is where the clients can gain a real affinity with a location. The stories can be laced with fun, fact and even a little fantasy (as long as your clients know you are joking). There are many techniques to be used and there is no "one size fits all" as you need to go with your personality as a host / guide. Techniques like using props, humour, stories to back up your claims and engagement of your audience are all good tools to have in your toolbox.
Education is one aspect that we should all engage in when addressing our clients. This means educating them and being open to being educated yourself. Your clients will often be from all over the world and they may be well educated and well-travelled. Therefore, they have something to offer as you do. Having an attitude of appreciation of others experiences and then sharing your own means the experience becomes a positive cultural exchange. You of course will need to keep their input under control as other clients may not want to hear about Montana or Cornwall so you need to focus on where you are and sharing the knowledge and stories of your location.
Overall there are many types of emerging tourism enterprises and they are all interlinked. For the sake of putting something in a box then this I hope helps to compartmentalise Eco-Tourism but it is not necessary to get too tied up with the small details, the real world does not work like that.
Author: Geoff Button |
Symptom: Atrial Fibrillation (AFib)
Symptoms of atrial fibrillation occur when the upper chambers of the heart (atria) beat in a disorganized fashion. Atrial fibrillation is a type of arrhythmia. Characteristic symptoms include shortness of breath, palpitations, and lightheadedness. In some cases, chest pain can be an associated symptom, particularly if there is also cardiovascular disease present. (Chest pain or pressure warrants urgent medical evaluation.) Other symptoms of atrial fibrillation are fatigue, confusion, and a reduced tolerance for exercise.
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Signs and Symptoms
Welcome to WebHealthNetwork an online symptom search and symptom directory. Here you can find what is the symptom Atrial Fibrillation (AFib) and what does it mean, you can also check what illnesses and diseases this symptom relates to. |
Into Java - Part XIV
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Into Java / Part
By Simon Gronlund
Into Java, Part 14
Streams are imporant data structures to know of. Not long after the first computers were powered on, directly controlled by switches, terminals cabled to the machines were introduced. Over time, keyboards of many different kinds surfaced and needed to be plugged into the computer, and devices like video screens also needed connections. Today we use files on disks or other media, networks, radio links and quite a few more techniques to receive or send information.
Every time we use some kind of data stream, it is simply a sequence of bytes or characters. Basically any kind of stream is handled the same way, there is no big difference between streaming audio data and a text file stream, except that the text file is locally stored and the audio may spring from a live concert somewhere.
The four basic stream classes in Java effectively shield you from the exact mechanism of how a stream is read or written, mainly because the actual functions differ for source and target types. The most important thing to us is that we can read or write to a stream.
That hiding of the low level implementation is not only convenient to us, it also gives the low level guys and girls the freedom to change their implementation, as long as the interface, the API, is untouched. Also, new technology can be offered without any need to change our application.
We will however look at what a basic stream is and what we can do with it. Then we will add the convenience classes of Java to the stream and make use of a few such classes. Both input and output streams in Java have a veritable zoo of different add-on classes to pick from.
Further we will use some data structures. Unlike the many data structures added to Java 2, streams have been integral since Java version 1. Finally we will learn another term, abstract, and what that implies and means.
A stream is a sequence of bytes or characters. Input streams are read from and output streams are written to. Historically 8-bit bytes are used, but today the 16-bit Unicode characters are becoming more popular and hence Java offers special classes for handling these characters transparently to the programmer.
Consider a pipe providing one byte, either from time to time as from a keyboard that is used infrequently, or at a high speed from reading a locally stored file. In both cases, there is only one byte at a time provided, you have to remove it to give room for the next one. That is what the most basic stream looks like, which leads us to the InputStream. The OutputStream is the exact opposite, a pipe that can take one byte at a time, but we will come to that class in a moment.
InputStream and Reader
As both the byte streams (InputStream) and the character streams (Reader) provide almost the same functionality, I discuss them together. Later we will see how the two groups differ in usage. A basic input stream provides these methods:
void close() // abstract in Reader
void mark()
int read() // abstract in InputStream
int read(char[] buf)
int read(char[] buf, int offset, int length) // abstract in Reader
void reset()
void skip(long n)
A method may not be implemented in a specific class and then be declared abstract, as
</font>public abstract int read()
That makes the entire class abstract. In fact such a class is more of a framework, and in some aspects it is close to an interface. But where interfaces only declare the methods to be used, an abstract class may have one or several methods that in fact are implemented, and some that are not.
Abstract classes cannot be instantiated, thus they are always subclassed and the subclass(es) then implement the missing method bodies as they want to. This is quite close to overriding methods, only this time implementation is most certainly needed. Such classes may also act as a label on certain available streams so that we know what we can expect from them.
Why is this? It is obvious when looking at the differences between data streams and text streams, one is using byte and the other char, which leads to two different implementations.
Still, any non abstract subclass of InputStream and Reader, has the methods mentioned!
In addition to these there are a few methods that differ between the classes. The most important methods are the read methods, the basic one returning an int (I presume an int is chosen since Reader may return an int in the range of 0 to 65535 (0x00-0xffff), or -1 if the end of the stream is found), and the other ones filling a provided char array with characters one at a time.
reset() is used to start over from the place mark() was used to put kind of a "book-mark", if the stream provides "book-marks". We may also skip(long n) bytes or characters if we want to. When finished reading the stream we close() it so the system resources will be returned.
These methods differ in InputStream and Reader only in the former processing bytes and the latter characters. The characters are represented internally within your Java application in Unicode format, but externally the encoding depends on the underlying system and the actual stream processed.
Now an observation: read is a rather dumb method, it will sit and wait at the end of the input stream for more data. At least until an IOException arrives. Hence, if you read from a stream, your application will freeze if the stream stops for a while, as a stream over the Internet may do. Later we will see how to take care of that.
OutputStream and Writer
As input streams had their common methods the output streams do as well where x is byte or char respectively:
void close() // abstract in Writer
void flush() // abstract in Writer
void write(int x) // abstract in OutputStream
void write(x[] x)
void write(x[] x, int off, int len) // abstract in Writer
void write(String str) // Writer only
void write(String str, int off, int len) // Writer only
The write(...) methods are self-explanatory, as is close() . flush() tells the system to write the data right away, if buffering is used.
Three pipes from the System class are always available,, System.out and System.err. The former two we have used, especially System.out. is an InputStream while the latter two are of the OutputStream type.
However, not all of the methods mentioned so far are implemented, see the abstract box. All these methods will be implemented by the classes we wrap these basic streams up in. Hence we may consider these basic stream classes a plain pipe, and we have to wrap it up in convenience classes if we do not want to do a lot of tiresome coding ourselves.
Convenience classes
Below is a table of most of the IO-classes. Remember that a subclass also has the properties of its superclass(es). That is for example, BufferedInputStream is a FilterInputStream, that is an InputStream, that is an Object. Hence you may for example use an InputStream reference from somewhere. And from that abstract object we may make ourselves an InputStreamReader that is a Reader so we can make a BufferedReader.
I have colored the base IO classes so it can be easily seen where they may be used in constructors.
Class names
(byte[] buf)
(File), (String)
(), (PipedOutputStream)
(), (int size)
(File), (String)
(), (OutputStream)
(), (PipedInputStream)
(char[] buf)
abstract (Reader)
(File), (String)
(), (PipedWriter)
(), (int initialSize)
abstract (Writer)
(File), (String)
(), (PipedReader)
(OutputStream), (Writer)
(), (int initialSize)
(File), (String)
Let us start with File, a handy object that represents either a file path and file name, or only a path to a directory. Its implementation differs from one operating system to another, as the Unix path separator / is represented with \ on an OS/2 machine. To play safe, we use the File.separator static variable when writing paths. File is constructed with only a file name, a complete path, or a path as one string and the file name as another string. The instantiated object can now answer many questions, such as canRead(), canWrite(), exists(), isDirectory(), etc. Hence, if you have to create a file yourself, it may be a good idea to instantiate a File object.
Since read() can only read one data packet a time, sitting in a loop until maybe the end-of-line (EOL) character arrives, it seems convenient to use classes that have methods like readLine(). BufferedReader and LineNumberReader have such methods, thus when reading text files, one of these two classes is most often used, mainly the BufferedReader. We used such a reader in Into Java 4 and No 5 and we will use BufferedReader today too.
Word frequency counter
We will make ourselves an application that can count how many times each of the words of any provided text files are used. Hence we need to read a text file. We will use a data structure that can help us find equal words and we will write the result to a file.
A speedy data structure that provides a way to tell the difference between objects is Hashtable, two equal words will produce the same hash code, and we may use containsKey(Object key) to find out if a word is used more than once. But where do we store the hits since a String cannot hold hits? It looks like we have to make ourselves a helper class that holds one word and a counter. Let us start with that one.
Since that helper class is to be used in a Hashtable it must implement hashCode and equals. On the other hand, since we work with String objects, we may use the methods of that class and we will just do a call-back to the String class' methods on each of the methods mentioned. (If we use Java 2 and would like to get a sorted output, we must implement the java.lang.Comparable interface, and that has only one method to implement, compareTo(Object other). That is because the static Collections.sort() method demands that the objects to be sorted support that interface.)
Having this helper class we may continue with the WordCounter class. We will settle for a tiny terminal window version, although it could be increased into a GUI application, using this class as an invisible engine. The class we are making shall have a Hashtable, hence we must import the java.util package. We must also import to get the file readers.
I think I have mentioned that there are system dependent characters and line.separator is one. A way to support system independence in Java is to use the variables available through the System.getProperty method. There is a list of such variables near that method in the Java API. The first line of main makes it valid.
The next task is to get the filename from the input argument, we must assure ourselves that there is a parameter to read, else we notify the user and quit automatically. Once we have a valid input, we instantiate an object of the WordCount class type, passing the input argument as a parameter to the constructor. So far we know that we have a valid argument from the user, but wait, didn't we use throws IOException the last time we worked with file reading?
This time we instantiate a handle to the file we want to access even though we are not yet certain if there is a file to read from. Fortunately File is an abstract handle to a file and does not need a file, hence we may create ourselves a file handle to use. The next step is to ask the handle if the file exists, and if not, tell the user and exit.
A small note, last time I mentioned briefly that using primes as the starting value for Hashtable gives better results. I will not argue further on that but please note that I looked one up and am using that prime, 2671, and that will be used for a while. Naturally, if you would like to count a huge file, you will need to increase this to a much bigger prime.
So far you may compile without error and try the error messages. Nothing else will work since we have not done anything to the count method.
We chose to have the count method public, thus it may be used by GUI apps. (To do this, you would instantiate an object with the file name as parameter and call count. Unfortunately I will not make it quite that easy, you will have to change some lines to redirect the output to a text area.) Now we need a try/catch block since readLine may go weird, and if so, an error message needs to be printed. This time we use the System.err that is the standard pipe to print error messages to. At this point it is still equal to System.out, but it might very well be redirected to a log file or any other stream.
We use the File handle to make a FileReader, which is used to make a BufferedReader, a convenience class that has some useful methods like readLine, which are preferred to the low level methods of FileReader. Next, we start reading the file line by line as long as there are more lines to read. Please, note the parentheses in the while clause.
Every line read is sent to processLine which simply wraps a StringTokenizer around the line. This useful piece of code is located in java.util and gives you tokens delimited by blanks, or any other whitespace, if you do not specify your own delimiters. As long as the line has more tokens (words) the while loop continues. Finally we close the file, although this time it is not strictly needed since we are only playing with it, in the future you might be working on networks where you should be more polite.
Recall that a Hashtable needs two things, a key to map from, and the value to store. They need not be the same thing, as in this case. We use the words as keys to the table, but we store the Word instances made out of the actual tokens.
We use the token as a key and want to know if it is already stored in the table, if so we increment the word count. Else we make a new Word instance, use the token as key and put the object as value in the table. In the end, the file will be read and all the words put into the table and counted.
Now we will continue with the "more code to come" part. What to do with the output? I have made two versions available, one for Java version 2 (that is Java 1.2 and above) and the one actually used here for the prior versions. If you use a later flavor of Java, please remove the appropriate lines and make a few changes to the code as explained, both in this class and in the Word class where implements Comparable must be visible.
This time we get ourselves an Enumeration, that is an abstraction of any data structure that is enumerable. This interface has two methods, public boolean hasMoreElements() and public Object nextElement() that operate on the underlying structure.
Using such interfaces hides the actual data structure and you may conveniently change from a Vector to an ArrayList (Java 1.2) without too much work. For example, there is not a single line to be changed in the while loop, Enumeration still works.
The very next thing is to get ourselves an output filename. We use a StringBuffer which does not cause any overhead to the JVM (as concatenating and mixing with Strings do) and it has many useful methods. Since we do not know if we can lengthen the filename (maybe you use 8+3 FAT) we alter the first two characters. Another option would be to change the file extension, if we know there is one.
Another try/catch block encompasses a new FileWriter that is set to not append to an existing file if there is one. For example, if you have a log file that is added to once in a while, you instantiate a FileWriter object with boolean true, and it will append to the end of the existing log file.
The while loop is mainly self explanatory due to the narrative method names. Please note how convenient the toString method may be from time to time. toString is not only a good debugging method, it can serve our purposes this time as well. It does not provide splendid output but it is speedily implemented <grin>.
Finally the output file is closed and the count method is finished. Compile and go for it. Optionally you may add a
System.out.println("The table size is: " + table.size());
to the method and you will see how close to the prime we got.
This time we used a speedy data structure that is good for quick input and lookup. The object was to count words, and we expected to find a lot of duplicates and in fact, we were not interested in a sorted structure. At least not from the beginning. Hashtable is very good for such tasks. Java 2 offers a method to sort our data structures as well.
The put and lookup (containsKey) do not depend on the size of the table, the time is constant with increasing sizes.
Further we found that is was not hard to get a list of the contents, we used an Enumeration and found a nice interface, having only two methods.
We have touched on the useful File class, a handle to a file, existing or not. Instances from File may be used with some other classes, as we did.
BufferedReader encapsulating a FileReader showed itself to contain many useful methods. Reading a stream always follows the same pattern:
• open the stream
• read some data
• process the data
• repeat until no more data is available
• close the stream
Finally we used FileWriter to print the results, and as with input streams, the output streams follow the same procedure:
• open the stream
• write some data
• repeat until finished
• close the stream
Next time we will continue with streams and look into Exceptions. We have used the try/catch mechanism before but there is more to say about that. Exception handling is one of the bigger strengths of Java and using them in a good, sensible way may makes your apps reliable and robust.
I must also announce that I have to make this column much shorter in the future, mostly because my time is limited and I do not have unlimited strength. Still I will try to do my best, and I hope you enjoy future installments. |
The Bronze Age Collapse
November 2nd, 2012
Towards the end of the second millennium BCE (that is, around 1200 BCE), two things happened that changed everything. The first was the development of a new kind of rigging called “brailing line”. Prior to that, sails were rectangular and hung down from a yard (a long horizontal wooden pole tied to the mast) and attached to a boom (a second horizontal pole tied to the base of the mast). Sailors could raise the yard to make sail or lower it in countervailing winds. They could rotate the sail horizontally to get somewhat better response to wind that wasn’t coming from directly behind, but they didn’t get a lot of benefit from this.
Brailing was a system of ropes stretching down from the yard; each rope could be individually tightened or loosened, giving the sailors greater flexibility in shaping or tilting the sail. This in turn permitted better performance in winds that weren’t coming from directly behind. The resulting improvement wasn’t revolutionary, but it certainly helped.
At roughly the same time, a catastrophe descended upon the entire Middle East. A horde of invading barbarians swept over the area. They destroyed the Hittite Empire, wiped out the Mycenaeans on Greece and Crete, obliterated the major trading center of Ugarit (near the corner of the Mediterranean where Turkey meets Syria) and otherwise behaved in a generally discourteous way. The Egyptians just barely repelled their invasion. This wasn’t just a single invasion; apparently the Sea Peoples sailed all over the Eastern Mediterranean, killing, burning, and looting everywhere. Think of them as the Vikings of the Bronze Age.
There’s plenty of scholarly controversy about exactly what happened and how it happened. It seems that the process was extended over many decades; instead of massive armies and navies sweeping through the land and sea, conquering everything in sight, it was more likely a matter of nomadic raiders in huge numbers subjecting civilized peoples to constant destructive raiding that eventually brought everything tumbling down.
These people basically destroyed much of civilization. Their depredations weakened Egypt, and may have been responsible for the Pharaoh letting go a tribe of griping dissidents called Hebrews. Populations declined precipitously, especially in the Aegean area.
One factor that seems significant to me is the naval superiority of these people. The Egyptians were able to trap and destroy a Sea Peoples fleet in one notable battle, but for the most part, the Sea Peoples seemed to have been able to come and go as they pleased, suggesting that they possessed superior naval technology. Brailed rigging might have been part of it.
The Sea Peoples wiped the slate clean. Civilization was decimated; the population in the Aegean plummeted. This set the stage for the most remarkable and momentous series of developments in human history: the rise of Greek civilization.
Addendum, April 26th, 2014: this explanation of the Bronze Age Collapse has been rendered obsolete by a book I just reviewed: 1177 BC: The Year Civilization Collapsed, by Eric H. Cline. However, the end results are unchanged.
Map | Index | Bibliography | Sources |
choleric (adj.)
mid-14c., colrik, "bilious of temperament or complexion," from Old French colerique, from Late Latin cholericus, from Greek kholerikos, from Greek kholera "a type of disease characterized by diarrhea, supposedly caused by bile," from khole "gall, bile," so called for its color, related to khloazein "to be green," khloros "pale green, greenish-yellow," from PIE root *ghel- (2) "to shine," with derivatives denoting "green, yellow," and thus "bile, gall." Meaning "easily angered, hot-tempered" is from 1580s (from the supposed effect of excess choler); that of "pertaining to cholera" is from 1834. |
24 Jul
Shakespeare’s Legacy
As much as I’m an advocate for the arts, there were many years that I was afraid of Shakespeare. All those thous and thees freaked me out. I had to choose between vocal and acting for my high school major, and I confess, part of my decision was based on the fact that I was afraid of having to do a monologue by the Bard.
I used to produce for a local theatre company, and we were getting ready to do Hamlet. I joked, “it’s just Shakespeare.” My director said, “yes, it is just Shakespeare.”
That production of Hamlet opened my eyes to what Shakespeare was all about: the human condition. Shakespeare’s work is about love, fear, greed, insecurity, lust, ambition, and the rest of the most passionate emotions that make us human and, if we’re lucky, humane.
Since we all feel most of these emotions, or at least encounter them, why is it important for students to study Shakespeare? The key to emotion is not being able to recognize them, but how to manage them.
Most of the characters in Shakespeare’s plays get it wrong, but that doesn’t mean that there are no lessons learned. It could be a great springboard for conversations on what different choices could’ve been made. It could be an opportunity to talk about priorities: if Richard III really gives up his kingdom for a horse, then doesn’t he lose the kingdom?
As I went to a high school for the arts, our civics teachers used our passion for the arts to back up the history of the artist’s time. I don’t think it’s a coincidence that I am almost as passionate about politics as I am about the arts: I learned through the works of the likes of Shakespeare how politics played into the human condition for everyone from the top down.
Still, how does one get through to students not passionate about the arts why Shakespeare is important? Well, how many current artists still use Shakespeare as their inspiration? If one examines most current films and music, there are correlations to the Bard. There are still Romeos and Juliets, and shrews, and tortured sons trying to atone the sins of their father. They are everywhere. Students just need guidance in finding the connections.
The language of Shakespeare may have morphed into the language that we call English today, but it’s still there. The origins are still there because the human condition and the challenges of the human emotions have not changed. Shakespeare is alive and well…and, hopefully, still living in our classrooms as well as our theaters. |
Why Burning Scrap Materials Reclaims the Precious Metals They Contain
Burning or exposure to extremely high heat offers one of the most effective ways to separate precious metals from surrounding scrap. There’s a very simple reason why…
Image of poison skull and crossbones on yellow hand for blog post about how not to poison yourself recycling precious metals. Credit: iJacky/iStock.
Gold, silver, platinum and other precious metals do not burn. When scrap that contains them is reduced to ash by burning, precious metals are typically left behind and can be easily identified and recycled.
This happens during two common processes that precious metal recycling companies use to extract gold:
Note that this principle doesn’t work as cleanly when piles of black sand or other non-combustible materials are exposed to high heat. However, extreme high temperatures can cause small particles of gold and other precious metals to “glob” and bind together, where they can be more easily separated from surrounding materials and reclaimed.
Why Burning Is Best Left to a Qualified Precious Metals Smelting Company
You could try to perform those operations yourself by burning old electronic components or other metal-bearing materials at home or – preferably – in an outdoor setting where poisonous fumes are released into the air. But we cannot state strongly enough that by doing so, you can poison yourself and release noxious gases into the atmosphere.
So if you have old electronic scrap or other material that could contain gold, silver or other precious metals, call Specialty Metals Smelters and Refiners at 800-426-2344 and let us safely test and process what you have. We use only the most modern and environmentally responsible techniques, so what’s the point of making yourself and family sick by burning scrap? The safest course, by far, is to give us a call today.
Related Posts
Can You Extract Gold from Black Sand?
Why Recycling Precious Metals Should Be Done by Professionals
How Are Precious Metals Recovered from Electronic Scrap?
Complicated Precious Metal Recycling Problems Made Easy |
US Inspect US Inspect
Water Quality At Home
What's on tap? And we're not talking about at your local bar, we're talking about your home water tap. Do you know the quality of your drinking water? August is National Water Quality Month. Below are some basics from the EPA about water quality at home and how to make sure your tap is tops! See their website for more info.
Water QualityQ: How can I find out if my tap water is safe?
A: Because of water's different sources and the different ways in which water is treated, the taste and quality of drinking water varies from place to place. Over 90 percent of water systems meet EPA's standards for tap water quality.
The best source of specific information about your drinking water is your water supplier. (We will talk about private wells in another post). Water suppliers that serve the same people year-round are required to send their customers an annual water quality report (sometimes called a consumer confidence report). Contact your water supplier to get a copy or see if your report is posted on-line.
Q. How will I know if my water isn't safe to drink?
A: Your water supplier must notify you by newspaper, mail, radio, TV, or hand-delivery if your water doesn't meet EPA or state standards or if there is a waterborne disease emergency. The notice will describe any precautions you need to take, such as boiling your water.
Follow the advice of your water supplier if you ever receive such a notice. The most common drinking water emergency is contamination by disease-causing germs. Boiling your water for one minute will kill these germs. You can also use common household bleach or iodine to disinfect your drinking water at home in an emergency, such as a flood.
See EPA's emergency disinfection fact sheet for specific directions on how to disinfect your drinking water in an emergency.
Q. Who's at risk?
A: Even minor levels of water contaminants can pose a health threat to those with severely compromised autoimmune systems. These include the following:
* People undergoing chemo-therapy
* People who have had organ transplants
* People with HIV/AIDS
* The elderly
* People with other auto-immune disorders
* Infants
It’s important that people in these categories consult with and obtain guidance from a medical professional familiar with their particular condition and then pay special attention to water quality.
Q. What are drinking water quality reports?
A. Water suppliers must deliver to their customers annual drinking water quality reports (or consumer confidence reports). These reports will tell consumers what contaminants have been detected in their drinking water, how these detection levels compare to drinking water standards, and where their water comes from.
The reports must be provided annually before July 1, and, in most cases, are mailed directly to customers' homes.
Contact your water supplier to get a copy of your report, or see if your report is posted on-line.
Q. How can I get my water tested?
After you've read this report, you may wish to test for specific contaminants (such as lead) that can vary from house to house, or any other contaminant you're concerned about. You may call your state certification officer to get a list of certified laboratories in your state. Depending on how many contaminants you test for, a water test can cost from $15 to hundreds of dollars. |
Animation Timeline 32,985 BC: Cave Painting
One of the Earliest forms of animation recorded within History, the first recorded Cave painting is said to be at least 35,000 years old and is believed originate from Africa. This is consider animation due to the fact that it is not only one of the very first recorded art pieces in history but is also tells a story with more then one image e.g. bulls been recorded on the walls of caves to show which direction they where herded by prehistoric man.
This video explains the history of the earliest recorded cave painting.
Cave Paintings Documentary
Cave Paintings Imagery
This form of animation is used for several century’s until we started to develop a more sophisticated means of communication that involved both words and means of animation.
The reason why this is one the history of animation is due to the fact that it is one of man kinds earliest forms of communication and was the starting point of mankind’s art, what I mean by that is this early form of communication is an art form that uses simple imagery to show what one person wants to another so the image above shows the size of one of the buffalo a group of cave men hunted.
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Aral Sea Has Lost 90 Percent Water In Last 50 Years
Both scientists found evidence that each year the Aral Sea watershed lost an average of 12 to 14 cubic kilometers of water, equivalent to the size of Lake Mead per year. This amount ranges from half times the rate of total loss of the Aral Sea water, 24 cubic kilometers. This suggests that half water is lost in the Aral Sea completely gone from the watershed due to evaporation or excessive water consumption in agriculture, but lost half of water coming from the upstream watershed.
More specifically the volume of water currently in the middle of the Aral Sea watershed, almost all agricultural land is currently ongoing. The volume of water continued to rise over the last four years, they believe that some the increase came from improved water conservation although some conservation efforts are considered inefficient.
Decreased rainfall analysis from a satellite using NASA’s Tropical Rainfall Measuring Mission, precipitation changes already occurred since 2002. While the two scientists compared the data since 1980, they found no signs of reduced rainfall on the watershed for 30 years. Rainfall is expected to shift near the Aral Sea and scientists may have misled previous studies that consider the existence of an overall deterioration in the rain.
Aral Sea Has Lost 90 Percent Water In Last 50 Years.
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Peter Worley | Thought Adventure 41: Here and Elsewhere – thinking about migration and identity
P4C and the curriculum
There is a popular approach to doing philosophy with children that involves presenting a stimulus (often a picture book), having the children formulate questions, gathering and sorting the questions and then having the children vote on a question to discuss. There can be great value in this student-centred approach to discussions, however it can make doing P4C in the curriculum more difficult. The reason for this is that, according to the principles of a standard P4C Community of Inquiry in the UK, the children significantly determine the direction of the discussion. So, if you’ve chosen the picture book Elmer by David McKee because you want the class to explore the notion of ‘difference’, there is always the danger that the children will focus on a completely different theme with the question that they vote on or that they naturally move towards during the discussion, such as the theme of ‘celebration’. In these cases, if you wanted to pursue your intended theme you would have to do some expert engineering to bring students back on track, therefore jeopardising their autonomy. And even if the question they choose does have some relation to the intended theme, it may not do so in the relevant way for a good fit with the curriculum. One response is to reject the idea of doing ‘P4C for curriculum fit’, but the reality is that many teachers would prefer P4C to fit with their curriculum. One very good reason for advocating ‘curriculum fit’ in P4C is because there is a danger that teachers will abandon it if they don’t see it directly relating to the curriculum or if they can’t integrate P4C into the curriculum. A P4C session designed for curriculum fit can ‘fit’ in a broader way or in a narrower way. Both of these have a place.
Screenshot 2015-11-17 17.20.45
My new book 40 Lessons to get Children Thinking: Philosophical Thought Adventures across the Curriculum provides new sessions for philosophical enquiry that have some curriculum fit. Sometimes the fit is broad, so ‘The Incredible Shrinking Machine’ allows children to explore what they think about ‘the microcosm’. This has a fit with many topics in the curriculum such as dissolving, microscopes or evaporation. (Incidentally, one of the key misconceptions in these areas for primary-aged children is to think that because something can’t be seen it therefore doesn’t exist; this could significantly feed into how well children understand a topic like evaporation.) In other instances the fit is narrower. The session ‘Is This a Poem?’ asks the children to think more specifically about what exactly a poem is and ‘The Hypothesis Box’ is sharply focused on how one tests a hypothesis. Appendix 5 (page 171) describes a model for creating enquiries around the curriculum and I’d like to share a session (not in the book!) that a teacher and I devised using this model following a request from two teachers for something on ‘migration’. The key insight came from the brainstorming part of the procedure, and, interestingly, from that part that asks one to think of ‘what X is not’. The concept of a holiday (contrasting with migration) provided the key insight for this session’s development. I’ve seen this session successfully delivered by teachers and I’ve also run it myself.
So, if you wanted to do something around the curriculum topic of ‘migration’, you could run a standard P4C Community of Inquiry using something like the painting The Last of England by Ford Madox Brown as a stimulus, crossing your fingers that the children fix upon a migration-related question.
Or, you could run the following, more sharply focused session.
(This is formatted in the same way as the ‘Thought Adventures’ in the book)
Thought Adventure 41!
Here and Elsewhere – thinking about migration and identity
This is not only a curriculum topic (at the time of writing), it is also a topical topic, and, in my experience in schools in South East London, one that has special significance for the children I have run this session with, many of them being immigrants – or the children of immigrants – themselves.
Equipment and preparation needed: a whiteboard and pens
Subject links: Geography, migration
Key controversies: When, if ever, does your national identity change? Can it ever be the case that, in a way, one is X-ian and, in a way, one is Y-ian? What makes you X-ian?
Key concepts and vocabulary: migration, immigration, culture, blood, ancestors, DNA
Key Facilitation Skill: Anchoring – this is the technique of asking a simple but central (usually grammatically closed) question that you keep coming back to in order to help keep things focused and to encourage contributors to construct arguments (with premises and a conclusion). In this case, the question may be: ‘So would you be Herian or Elsewherian?’ Keep coming back to these, or similar questions over and over again, but always remember to ‘open it up’ if necessary, usually with ‘Why?’, ‘What do you mean by…?’, ‘Can you say more about that?’ or ‘Can you give an example?’
Begin by saying the following to the class:
Say: There are two countries: a country called ‘Here’ and another called ‘Elsewhere’ [feel free to rename these]. You are from Here. You were born there and have lived there your whole life. This year you are going on your first holiday to Elsewhere. In Elsewhere they do things differently from how things are done in Here.
Do: Draw a simple diagram showing two countries and label them ‘Here’ and ‘Elsewhere’. Write ‘You are…’ above Here and draw an arrow pointing to Here.
A long holiday
Start question: When you go on holiday are you still Herian or do you become Elsewherian?
What if you went on holiday for…
1. 6 weeks?
2. 1 year?
3. 2 years?
4. 5 years?
And so on…
Nested questions:
• Would you ever become Elsewherian?
• If so, how long would you need to be in Elsewhere before you became Elsewherian?
• What is it that makes you X-ian (Herian, Elsewherian, English, Jamaican and so on)?
• What is national identity?
• Can national identity change?
War, famine, disease, natural disaster
Say: While you are on holiday in Elsewhere something terrible happens back home in Here: there’s a terrible war in one part, there’s no food in another, a virulent disease is ravaging the country and there’s been an awful earthquake! This means that you and your family cannot go back to Here. You have to stay in Elsewhere.
Task Question: Are you Herian or Elsewherian?
Main nested questions:
• At what point, if at all, would you become Elsewherian?
• What, if anything, would make you Elsewherian?
Extension activity: When in Elsewhere…
Say: At the beginning, I said that in Elsewhere they do things differently to how things are done in Here. Here are some of the ways that they do things differently:
• In Here they celebrate birthdays but in Elsewhere they don’t.
• In Here they drive on the left hand side of the road and in Elsewhere they drive on the right.
• Elsewherians speak a different language.
• Elsewherians eat insects like we eat prawns.
• In Here everyone is educated but in Elsewhere only the girls are university educated; the boys are trained only for the workplace.
Start question: What do you think about these different practices? Do you agree with them?
Nested Questions:
• Should you follow these different practices while in Elsewhere?
• They feel very strange to you now. Will they ever feel normal?
Extension Activity: Turning the tables
Do: You could have the class imagine that they are from Elsewhere: they are Elsewherian, born and bred. Use this ‘turning of the tables’ to see if it impacts on their views and/or to engender different but related discussions around migration.
The Philosophy Foundation website: In another class? – Thinking about classes, sets and vagueness
Thoughtings: From Me To You
The Philosophy Shop: Metaphysics: Identity
The If Machine: Republic Island
Once Upon an If: Sindbad and The Pit
The If Odyssey: The Battle (The Ciconians) and Dinner Guests (The Laestrygonians)
2 thoughts on “Peter Worley | Thought Adventure 41: Here and Elsewhere – thinking about migration and identity
1. Pete,
Thank you. I, as a secondary teacher often have to move away from the traditional P4C model. Whilst I have level 2 training and all my team have level 1, we are constrained by the curriculum. If I’m doing a p4c on war, I need to do something on war. It can’t be on love or friendship – however much I value the method, it doesn’t always fit. Ideas like this are invigorating for P4c. Looking forward to buying the book.
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Water behaves differently in different soils and climates—so the more you know, the better you can decide how and when to do it.
The time of day to water is controversial, with vociferous champions for both morning and evening watering. We like to take a more situation-specific approach.
Thumb spinach monoppa brighterWatering will cool the soil, not just because the water is cooler, but by evaporation. So, in the spring, when nights are cold, and it is important to let the soil warm up as much as possible, we like to water early in the day. That gives the soil all day to warm in the sun, and allows it to start the night as warm as possible.
Thumb backlit cornLater, when the sun's heat is a threat as well as a boon, we switch to evening watering, giving the plants the water they need to grow during the night when they are not heat-stressed. If the weather is brutally hot, we will water during the hottest part of the day. Some water will be lost to evaporation, but by evaporating, it forms as little pocket of cooler, moister air to refresh the plants. And it cools and moistens the tender roots.
We do not generally water the plants themselves, but the soil underneath. Water can be a cooling, cleansing, and refreshing shower for plants—they are used to rain, after all. But there are situations where it is best to keep water off of the leaves:
• When the sun is high and hot, water on the leaves—especially smooth leaves, like pepper plants--can act like a lens and actually cook areas underneath the droplets.
• If you live in an area affected by fungal diseases such as rust, or late blight, avoid wetting the leaves, which can spread fungal disease
• If temperatures are right for powdery mildew, avoid evening watering; water in the mornings instead so the leaves and soil have all day to dry.
Thumb scarecrowWe recommend mulch as well. Not only does it retain moisture in the soil, and add organic matter, it prevents disease. It works like this: Studies (and our experience) show that fungal diseases, and even some pests, arrive on the plant with soil splashed up from the surface by water droplets. Even with a good watering wand, the drops of water from your hose have a lot of force: they compact the soil after constant impact, and they also cause drops to splash up on the bottom leaves. Commercial tomato growers sometimes remove the bottom leaves to avoid this. Mulch cushions the impact and holds the soil particles, so you get less compaction, less erosion, and less disease from splashback.
For our July tipsheet on hot-weather gardening, please click here.
This is the first part of a longer article on watering. To read the entire piece, which goes on to talk about soil types and drip irrigation, Click HERE.
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This work by Bountiful Gardens is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License. |
John’s Corner :: Where does my electricity come from?
In the last post, I explained that the largest part of your electric bill – up to 75% – pays for the generating plants and the fuel used to produce electricity and that the most common fuels used were coal, natural gas and uranium.
Most electricity is produced by converting coal, natural gas or uranium to heat water to steam, which is then used to power equipment called a “turbine-generator.” These turbine-generators produce electricity.
Electric generating stations are designed and operated to meet differing needs. Some plants are designed to operate around the clock to meet the 24 hour-per-day demand for electricity. These baseload plants are usually fueled by coal or uranium.
Other plants are designed to operate mainly during the daytime hours when the use of electricity increases as people wake up and go to work or school. These plants often use coal or natural gas. A third type of plant is designed to operate during the “peak” demand periods – usually hot summer days when the demand for electricity soars to meet home and office air conditioning needs. These “peaking” plants often burn natural gas, but some use fuel oil.
The electricity generated is delivered to customers through a network of wires. This network has two components. The first is the high voltage transmission system, large wires on tall towers, which carry large volumes of electricity long distances to the distribution system, the second component of the delivery network. The distribution system delivers electricity to individual homes and businesses.
(The distinction between transmission and distribution will become important once the discussion turns to current issues.)
More recently environmental and customer concerns have led to the enactment of State laws requiring that an increasing amount of our energy come from “renewable” resources such as wind and sunlight. Wind and solar resources have a number of advantages; however, they only run when the wind is blowing or the sun is shining. There are many consequences of adding large amounts of renewable energy sources to the traditional mix of fuels. We will explore this exciting topic in future posts.
In the next post I will explain some of the physical “laws” governing the transmission and distribution of electricity.
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These cars were looked at and marketed as the new direction for the motor industry to go. The video below was first shown in a theatre in May 21st, 1948. They used the aircraft industry for new materials and aerodynamic principles which led to these cars being able to reach speeds in excess of 100 mph. These cars also took a new look on form as the moved away from big bulky bruisers of that time like the cadillac’s and chevrolets.
Were these manufactures completely out of line with their theories? No they were not because if you look at the super car market of today they use a lot of these principles to create magnificent cars that still use a lot of technology which is sourced from the aircraft industry as well as F1. For example the Koenigsegg CCXR has a Carbon fibre with aluminium honeycomb chassis and integrated fuel tanks for optimal weight distribution and safety. Similar to what is found in the wing of a plane.
Koenigsegg CCXR |
What Does Consent Really Mean? by Pete Wallis, Joseph Wilkins, Thalia Wallis
What Does Consent Really Mean?Summary: “Consent is not the absence of ‘NO’, it is an enthusiastic YES!!”
While seemingly straightforward, Tia and Bryony hadn’t considered this subject too seriously until it comes up in conversation with their friends and they realise just how important it is.
Following the sexual assault of a classmate, a group of teenage girls find themselves discussing the term consent, what it actually means for them in their current relationships, and how they act and make decisions with peer influence. Joined by their male friends who offer another perspective, this rich graphic novel uncovers the need for more informed conversations with young people around consent and healthy relationships. Accompanying the graphics are sexual health resources for students and teachers, which make this a perfect tool for broaching the subject with teens.
You can read it on my goodreads!
Received from Netgalley in exchange of honest review.
While this can be a pretty good teaching tool to teach middle and high school students about consent, I feel like it should be the only thing that teachers should used. The reason why I give it a 4. 5 instead of a five cause it felt like skimmed telling guys that they should consent to things as well. The majority of the book spend telling girls they should consent to things which is nothing wrong with that all but it’s a two way street. Some guys can be uncomfortable with doing things with their girls ( or guys) would could be pressuring them to things as well. It just needed to be shone in more ” it can happen both ways” light. All in all It was pretty good.
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Expert Answers
emilyknight7 eNotes educator| Certified Educator
The novel The Outsiders has a number of different themes. One example is class conflict keeps the status quo. This is seen throughout the book, as Greasers and Socs battle one another every chance they get, from Ponyboy nearly getting jumped on his walk home from the movie theater to the final rumble that will supposedly settle things once and for all. It's only when these economic class divisions are put aside, like when Cherry and Pony befriend one another, that there is any real chance of things changing.
Another theme could be honor and bravery take many forms. Ponyboy sees that both Johnny and Dally are honorable and brave, real examples for old-fashioned Southern gentlemen. Still, the two boys couldn't be more different. Johnny died a child-saving hero and Dally a rotten hoodlum. Still, in examining their lives and deaths, Ponyboy shows how honor and bravery can be demonstrated in vastly different ways. |
08:55am Thursday 19 October 2017
Typhoid Fever – A race against time
Salmonella-infected cells (macrophages in blue, monocytes in turquoise). Dead Salmonella (only yellow), surviving Salmonella (yellow and red). (Illustration: University of Basel)
Typhoid fever is a bacterial infection caused by the pathogen Salmonella. The infected host’s immune system detects Salmonella and activates immune cells such as neutrophils and monocytes. These cells infiltrate the infected tissue and enclose the infection to form an abscess. Although most Salmonella bacteria are readily killed by this immune reaction, Dirk Bumann’s group has demonstrated that some escape from the abscess and thus ensure their survival.
Salmonella uses immune cells
Once outside the abscess, the Salmonella bacteria are attacked by other immune cells, the so-called macrophages that produce a less effective immune response. “Salmonella have developed a range of defense strategies to resist macrophage attacks. Many Salmonella are thus able to survive and even to replicate in macrophages,” explains Neil Burton, one of the two first authors. With time, abscesses form around the new infection foci but again some Salmonella bacteria can manage to escape. “This drives the whole infection process further and makes typhoid fever particularly insidious,” says Nura Schürmann, also a first author of the publication.
A battle on many fronts
The whole disease process is a race between Salmonella and the immune system of the infected organism, in which the battle is fought on many fronts. In this process many Salmonella bacteria are killed and others survive to spread the infection. It is the net balance of the outcomes of these individual Salmonella and immune cell encounters which in the end determines the course of the illness.
Typhoid fever is a life-threatening infection in countries with poor hygiene. Each year, more than 20 million people are infected with this disease. The illness is transmitted by ingesting food or water contaminated with this bacterium. Once inside the intestine, Salmonella crosses the gut mucosa and spreads to other organs such as the spleen and liver. Growing antibiotic resistance makes this illness increasingly difficult to cure.
Understanding what factors enable Salmonella to win many encounters with host cells might provide new strategies in the treatment of typhoid fever. Similar heterogeneous encounters likely determine the fights between the host and many other pathogens. Findings of this study may thus be relevant for a wide range of infectious diseases.
Original Citation
Neil A. Burton, Nura Schürmann, Olivier Casse, Anne K. Steeb, Beatrice Claudi, Janine Zankl, Alexander Schmidt, Dirk Bumann
Disparate Impact of Oxidative Host Defenses Determines the Fate of Salmonella during Systemic Infection in Mice
Cell Host & Microbe, Volume 15, Issue 1, 72-83, 15 January 2014 | doi: 10.1016/j.chom.2013.12.006
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The dangerous appeal of the modern slavery paradigm
Endorsing the modern slavery bill, even by seeking to include additional protections within it, supports rather than challenges the use of criminal justice frameworks to address ‘modern slavery.’
How can we explain the appeal of the campaign to end modern slavery? At the rhetorical and emotional level it is self-evident. Slavery conjures up images of cruelty and horrific violations of human rights. The term ‘modern slavery’ resonates with older forms of slavery such as chattel slavery in the United States, which was depicted so vividly in the celebrated 2013 movie Twelve Years a Slave. It also echoes with the campaigns against the ‘white slave trade’, the term used to describe forced prostitution at the turn of the 20th century in the United States, where the White-Slave Traffic Act was passed in 1910. This act, better known as the Mann Act, was the original anti-trafficking law since it made it a crime to transport any woman or girl in interstate commerce or foreign commerce for the purpose of prostitution or debauchery. Thus, modern slavery also evokes images of women and children who are victims of sexual exploitation.
The appeal of the term modern slavery is precisely its over-determination; it encompasses a broad range of exploitive practices from traditional understandings of slavery and forced labour to human trafficking and prostitution. As such, it is a cause around which disparate groups, individuals, and states can mobilise; Anti-Slavery International, Liberty, Walk Free, the Pope, the UK Coalition Government, and the Obama administration all support the eradication of modern slavery. No one is ‘for’ modern slavery.
Moreover, the goal of many groups is to stretch the meaning of modern slavery to include an even broader range of exploitative practices, especially those where employment and migration intersect. Increasingly, labour exploitation is a focus for anti-slavery advocates, fueled in part by the International Labour Organization’s work to publicise the extent of forced labour. The aim is also to expand the arsenal for combatting modern slavery to include criminal law, human rights, labour standards and business regulation approaches.
In light of the growing consensus around the modern slavery paradigm, it is crucial to raise a caution about the downside of this approach, which is most visible in the current debate over the Modern Slavery Bill. Introduced in the UK House of Parliament last year, the Bill is nearing the final stages to become law. It defines modern slavery to encompass slavery, servitude, forced and compulsory labour. The emphasis is on ‘traffickers and slave drivers’ who coerce, deceive and force individuals against their will into a life of abuse, servitude and inhumane treatment. An Anti-Slavery Commissioner has been appointed, and the strategy for combatting modern slavery builds upon the government’s approach to organised crime and counter terrorism. The government’s Modern Slavery Strategy, which it introduced to accompany its new legislation, makes it clear that the focus is primarily, although not exclusively, on people who are trafficked across borders.
Instead of objecting to an approach to combatting modern slavery that is deeply embedded in a criminal law and border control framework, critics of the government’s bill have sought to graft measures that would address the problem of tied-visas for migrant domestic workers and supply chains on to it. Thus, they hope to expand both the meaning of modern slavery and the ways of addressing it. The problem with this strategy is that it reinforces, rather than challenges, an approach that emphasises the criminal law and border controls at the expense of labour standards and business regulation. The human rights of exploited workers are brought under the gravitational sway of an agenda that strengthens the government’s powers to control and punish at the same time as it closes borders.
As the Modern Slavery Bill has gone through the legislative process, a concerted effort has been mounted to persuade the Coalition government to reintroduce the right of domestic workers who enter the UK on an Overseas Domestic Workers Visa—which permits them to reside within the UK for six months while working within the private household of a non-British resident admitted under another visa category or a returning UK expatriate—to change employers. The government revoked this right from migrant domestic workers in April 2012. Advocacy groups such as Kalayaan, supported by the Labour Party and the majority of members of the House of Lords, have argued—on this website on March 16 and March 24, as well as elsewhere—that the right to change employers be reinstated because the visa tying domestic workers to their employer creates conditions that are ripe for modern slavery to occur.
However, the UK government has been adamant in its refusal to allow migrant domestic workers to change employers. Its only concession, added on 17 March 2015, is to grant a migrant domestic worker who has been the victim of modern slavery six months’ leave to stay and work in the UK. Moreover, in announcing this concession, the minister responsible for modern slavery and organised Crime, Karen Bradley, spurned the suggestion made by Member of the Opposition that the UK government ratify the ILO convention on the rights of domestic workers. The minister’s reply perfectly captures the government’s approach to labour exploitation:
It is important to strike the right balance between protecting vulnerable workers and ensuring that aspects of employment law which can carry criminal sanction are not extended to private households. Ratifying the convention would require the imposition of unnecessarily onerous obligations on, for example, people employing home helps or personal carers, and would be neither practical nor proportionate.
Given that the government is quite willing to use criminal law to combat ‘slave drivers’ who employ domestic workers in conditions of domestic servitude within their homes, it appears that what it is opposed to is strengthening employment law and employment rights for the growing legions of workers whose place of work is someone else’s home.
The government’s Modern Slavery Strategy also pulls other regulatory approaches into the criminal law orbit. In April 2014, the Gangmasters Licensing Authority (GLA), which regulates and investigates labour exploitation in a limited range of sectors, was moved from the Department for Business Innovation & Skills to the Home Office. This change shifted the GLA’s orientation from enforcing labour standards to tackling irregular migration and combatting organised crime. In that year the number of investigations and prosecutions under the GLA fell dramatically. The only gesture in the Modern Slavery Bill towards an approach to tackling business practices that cultivate labour exploitation is the imposition of annual duty of disclosure on businesses over the steps they have taken to ensure their supply chains are slavery free. The government prefers light touch regulation that takes the form of providing information that will enable customers, campaigners and shareholders to hold big businesses to account instead of imposing licensing requirements or enforcing labour legislation.
The problem with the modern slavery paradigm is that it is difficult, if not impossible, to dislodge it from the technologies of legal governance, criminal law and border controls, that are mobilised in its cause. These technologies tend to target marginal players rather than tackle the social processes that normalise exploitation.
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Bellerbys Economics - Mr Stephenson
Wednesday, April 26, 2006
Go watch TV!
It's not often that I direct my students to watch television. TV in the UK has declined dramatically since the 1970s and is now little more than a procession of reality, gardening and lifestyle programmes presented by an eager array of vacuous young media studies graduates.
However, this Saturday, Channel 4 are presenting just about the best thing they've done in five years - and it's surely just a coincidence that the government is discussing the new budget for Channel 4 next week(!) - it's a movie documentary called 'A World Without Water' - that's on at 7.35pm on Saturday, April 29th - don't miss it!
People are finally beginning to realise that the world is running short of water - and there are many economics issues surrounding this problem - this documentary will be a goldmine for those of you currently revising module 3.
Is water a basic human right which should be provided as a public good? If so, why have so many countries - including the UK - recently privatised their water companies?
How does water differ from food as a commodity? Food is a private good and yet traditionally water is a public good? If having to work to find money to pay for food is an economic driver, than why shouldn't water be the same?
But what do you do if people cannot pay their water bills?
And how can you avoid the development of local water monopolies?
How can an industry like this be regulated?
How can we encourage investment - or even maintenance - when the price is regulated and companies can only make a profit by reducing their expenditure on investment or on labour - as in the UK?
Do we need a world water authority to manage supplies to hotspots such as the Middle East and East Africa (where there is on this very day a drought and people are dying)?
You can see how important this topic is - go and think about it.
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Prambanan Temple Beautiful in the World
Prambanan Temple
Candi Rara or Lara Jonggrang Jonggrang located in Prambanan is the largest Hindu temple complex in Indonesia. This temple is situated on the island of Java, about 20 km east of Yogyakarta, 40 km west of Surakarta and 120 km south of Semarang, just on the border between the provinces of Central Java and Yogyakarta. Rara Jonggrang temple Prambanan located in the village whose territory is divided between the districts of Sleman and Klaten.
This temple was built in about the year 850 AD by one of these two men, namely: Rakai Pikatan, the second king of Mataram dynasty I or Balitung Maha Sambu, during Sanjaya dynasty. Not long after being built, the temple was abandoned and deteriorating.
In 1733, this temple was found by the CA. Lons a Dutch national, then in 1855 Jan Willem IJzerman start to clean and move some rocks and soil from the chambers of the temple. some time later Isaac Groneman perform large-scale demolition and temple stones were piled haphazardly along the River Opak. In 1902-1903, Theodoor van Erp keep parts are prone to collapse. In the years 1918-1926, followed by the Bureau of Archeological (Oudheidkundige Dienst) under PJ Perquin in a more methodical and systematic, as known to his predecessors did the removal and demolition of thousands of stone without thinking of the restoration effort kembali.Pada De Haan in 1926 continued until his death in 1930. In 1931 was replaced by Ir. V.R. van Romondt up in 1942 and later handed over leadership to the son of Indonesia's renovation and continued until 1993 .
Many parts of the temple are renovated, using new stone, because many of the original stones were stolen or reused elsewhere. A temple will only be restored when at least 75% of the original stone is still there. Therefore, many small temples are not rebuilt and only visible foundations only.
Now, this temple is a protected site by UNESCO since 1991. Among other things this means that the complex is shielded and has a special status, eg also in situations of war.
Three main temple called Trisakti and presented to the hyang Trimurti: Shiva Batara the Destroyer, Vishnu the Preserver and Batara Batara Brahma the Creator.
Shiva temple in the middle, contains four rooms, one room in every direction of the wind. While the former contains a statue of Shiva Batara as high as three meters, the other three statues contain a smaller size, the statue of Durga, Shiva Batara sakti or wife, Agastya, his teacher, and Ganesha, his son.
Durga is also known as Rara or Lara / Loro Jongrang (slender virgin) by the locals. For details see the article Loro Jonggrang.
Two other temples dedicated to Vishnu Batara, facing to the north and the other Batara dedicated to Brahma, who is facing south. In addition there are several other small temples dedicated to the calf Nandini, vehicle Batara Shiva, the Goose, vehicle Batara Brahma, and the Garuda, Vishnu Batara vehicle.
Then relief around the edge twenty temples depict the epic Ramayana. The version described here is different from Kakawin Old Javanese Ramayana, but similar to the Ramayana story passed down through oral tradition. Besides the temple complex is surrounded by more than 250 temples of different sizes and are called ancillary. Inside the temple complex of Prambanan there are also museums that store historical objects, including stone god Shiva Linga, the emblem kesuburun.
On the wall of the balustrade of the temple of Shiva and Brahma temples carved reliefs of the Ramayana story, while on the fence steps carved reliefs Krisnayana Vishnu temple. Shiva temple entrance from the east turn left you will find the story of Ramayana reliefs clockwise, the next story continued relief in the temple of Brahma.
Prambanan temple is known as a Dutchman named kembai CALons visited Java in 1733 and reported on the existence of temple ruins overgrown with shrubs. The first attempt to save time by IJzerman Prambanan Temple in 1885 by cleaning the cubicles of the ruins of stone temples. In 1902 just started a job coaching, led by Van Erp for the Shiva temple, Vishnu temple and Brahma temple. Attention to Prambanan temple continues to grow. In 1933 successfully arranged trial Brahma and Vishnu temple. After experiencing a variety of obstacles, on December 23, 1953 Shiva temple completely refurbished. Brahma temple began in 1978 restored and inaugurated in 1987. Vishnu started refurbished in 1982 and was completed in 1991. Subsequent restoration activities carried out on three ancillary temples that are in front of the temple of Shiva, Vishnu and Brahma temples besarta 4 color and 4 corner temples / peg.
Prambanan temple complex built by Wamca Kings (Dynasty) Sanjaya in the 9th century. Prambanan is the enshrinement in the main temple complex facing east, with the overall shape resembles a mound at 47 feet tall puppet. Hinduism knows Tri Murti of Brahma as the Creator, Lord Vishnu as the Preserver, Lord Shiva as the Destroyer. The main chamber of the main temple of Lord Shiva is occupied as the Supreme Deity so it can be concluded Prambanan temple is Shiva. Or Shiva Prambanan temple is also often referred to as the temple of Loro Jonggrang related to the legend that tells of a virgin who Jonggrang or a tall girl, the daughter of King Boko, who built his empire on the hill south of the temple complex of Prambanan.
The edge is limited by the balustrade of the temple, which is decorated with reliefs of Ramayana can be enjoyed when we berperadaksina (walk around the temple with cansi center is always on the right of us) through the alley. The story continues on the balustrade of Brahma temple located on the left (south) of the main temple. Being on the balustrade of Vishnu temple is located on the right (north) of the main temple, carved reliefs depicting the story Kresnadipayana childhood story of King Krishna as an incarnation of Lord Vishnu in combating keangkaramurkaan who want sweeping the world.
Booth overlooking the main temple to the north contains Parung Durga, the consort of Lord Shiva, but generally people call it a statue of Roro Jonggrang, which according to legend, the stone statues before the living body of a beautiful princess, who was condemned by the knights Bondowoso, to complement its ability to create a thousand statues in one night.
The temple of Brahma and Vishnu temples each have one room that is occupied by statues of the gods in question.
The third front of the temple of the god Trimurti that there are three temples containing the vehicle (vehicle) is the third god. The third temple has now been restored and the only temple in the middle (in front of Shiva temple) which still contains a statue of a bull named Nandi, vehicle of Lord Shiva.
Statue of geese as a vehicle of Brahma and Vishnu statues eagle as a vehicle which is expected before filling chambers of the temple is located in front of the second temple deity has now been restored.
Sixth temple represent two groups facing each other, located on a page of a square, with sides 110 feet long.
Inside the pages are still standing other temples, the temple is 2 pieces clamp with a height of 16 meters facing each other, that a stand on the north and the other standing in the south, 4 color and 4 temples temples sedut.
Pages in Hindu society which is considered as the most sacred page, located in the middle of the central courtyard which has 222 meters, and at first contain ancillary temples of 224 pieces in rows around the page in 3 nautical
Prambanan Hindu Temple Beautiful in the World
Prambanan is incredibly beautiful building built in the 10th century during the reign of two kings, Rakai Rakai Pikatan and Balitung. Rose as high as 47 feet (5 meters higher than Borobudur temple), the foundation of this temple has fulfilled the desire to show Hindu triumph in Java Island. This temple is located 17 kilometers from the city center, in the middle of the area that is now a beautiful park.
There is a legend that Javanese people always tell about this temple. Once, a man named Roro Jonggrang Bondowoso love. Because of his love, Jonggrang asked Bondowoso make 1000 temples with statues in one night. The request was nearly fulfilled Jonggrang asked the villagers to pound rice and make a big fire that created an atmosphere like the morning. Bondowoso who only completed 999 statues cursed into a statue to Jonggrang-1000 because he felt cheated.
Prambanan temple has three main temples in the primary yard, namely Vishnu, Brahma, and Shiva. These three temples are symbols of Trimurti in Hindu belief. The third temple was facing to the east. Each main temple has accompanying temple facing to the west, namely Nandini for Shiva, Swan to Brahma, and Garuda for Vishnu. In addition, there are two temples wedge, 4 temples color, and 4 corner temples. In the second had 224 temples.
Entering Shiva temple located in the middle and the highest building, you will find a room 4. One main room with a statue of Shiva, while the other 3 chambers each containing a statue of Durga (Shiva's wife), Agastya (Shiva's teacher), and Ganesha (the son of Shiva). Durga is mentioned as a statue of Roro Jonggrang described in the legend above.
In the Vishnu temple is located in the north of the temple of Shiva, you will only find one room with a statue of Vishnu. Brahma temple, which lies south of Shiva temple, you will only find one room with a statue of Brahma.
Quite attractive accompanying temple is Garuda temple located near the Vishnu temple. This temple keeps a story of half-bird called Garuda. Garuda is a mythical bird in Hindu mythology who was gold, white face, red wings, beak and wings like eagles. Estimated, figure is Hindu adaptation of Bennu figure (meaning 'sunrise' or 'shining', associated with the god Re) in ancient Egyptian mythology or Phoenix in Greek mythology. Garuda succeeded in saving his mother from the curse of Aruna (Garuda's brother who was born handicapped) by stealing Tirta Amrita (holy water of the gods).
Ability to save that which is admired by many people until now and are used for various purposes. Indonesia uses the symbol of the state. That said, the emblem of Garuda Pancasila creator for inspiration in this temple. Other countries also use it to sign the country is Thailand, with the same reason but different form adaptation and appearance. In Thailand, Garuda is known as Krut or Pha Krut.
Prambanan also has panels of relief describing the story of Ramayana. According to experts, the relief is similar to the Ramayana story is revealed through oral tradition. Another interesting relief is Kalpataru tree that the Hindu religion is considered as a tree of life, sustainability and environmental compatibility. At the Prambanan reliefs depicted Kalpataru trees flanking the lion. The existence of this tree makes experts consider that the people of the 9th century had wisdom to manage its environment.
Just like the figure of Garuda, Kalpataru is now also used for various purposes. In Indonesia, Kalpataru became a symbol of Environment (Walhi). In fact, some scientists in Bali to develop the concept of Tri Hita Karana for environmental conservation by seeing Kalpataru relief in this temple. Tree of life can also be found in the mountains that used to open the puppet arts. A proof that the relief panels in Prambanan has worldwide.
If careful, you can also see various birds relief, this time a real bird. Bird reliefs at Prambanan are so natural that biologists can identify to genus level. One was relief of Yellow-crested Cockatoo (Cacatua sulphurea) that invites questions. Why, the bird was actually just there Masakambing Island, an island in the Java Sea. Then, whether the type that was once widely available in Yogyakarta? Please find out yourself. Because, until now no single person who could solve the mystery.
In ancient times the island of Java, especially in the area stand two pieces Prambanan Hindu kingdom is the kingdom of Pengging and Kraton Boko. Pengging kingdom is a fertile and prosperous work led by a wise and prudent king named King Damar Moyo and had a son, a man named Raden Bondowoso.
Kraton Boko is in territory Pengging kingdom ruled by a cruel king and insolence which no ordinary man but the intangible tangible huge giant who likes to eat human flesh, named Prabu Boko. However, Prabu Boko had a beautiful daughter and lovely tub of Khayangan angel named Princess Loro Jonggrang.
King Boko also have a tangible giant named duke duke Gupolo. King Boko wanted to rebel and want to master Pengging kingdom, then he and the duke of Gupolo gather strength and gather equipped by training young men to be soldiers and asked for people's property for the stock.
Having considered sufficient preparation, Prabu Boko and then departed to the kingdom Pengging soldiers to revolt. Then was war in the Kingdom Pengging between the soldiers and the soldiers Pengging lawyer Boko Palace.
Many of the casualties on both sides and the people Pengging be suffering because of war, many people hunger and poverty.
Knowing his people suffering and many casualties of soldiers who died, the King of Damar Moyo sent his son Prince Bondowoso go to war against King Boko and terjadilan a very fierce war between the Prince Bondowoso against King Boko. Because the miracle Raden Bondowoso Prabu Boko then be destroyed. Seeing the king died, the duke of Gupolo escape. Raden Bondowoso pursue Patih Gupolo to Kraton Boko.
After arriving at Kraton Boko, Patih Gupolo reported on Princess Loro Jonggrang that his father had been killed on the battlefield, killed by a knight named Raden Pengging Bondowoso. Princess Loro Jonggrang wept, sad heart because his father had been killed on the battlefield.
Then cometh Raden Bondowoso at Kraton Boko and was troubled, Raden Bondowoso saw Princess Loro Jonggrang is beautiful, then he wants to marry Princess Loro Jonggrang as his wife.
However Princess Loro Jonggrang not want dipersunting Raden Bondowoso because he had killed his father. To reject the proposal Raden Bondowoso, then Princess Loro Jonggrang have finesse. Princess Loro Jonggrang manu dipersunting Raden Bondowoso as long as he could grant the two requests Princess Loro Jonggrang. The first request, Princess Loro Jonggrang asked for Jalatunda wells while the second request, Princess Loro Jonggrang asked for 1000 temples in one night.
Raden Bondowoso undertakes second daughter of the request. Immediately Raden Bondowoso make a well Jalatunda and after so he called Princess Loro Jonggrang to see the well.
Then Princess Loro Jonggrang sent Raden Bondowoso into the wells. After Raden Bondowoso into the wells, Princess Loro Jonggrang ruling duke of wells and Raden Gupolo hoard was buried Bondowoso stone in the well. Princess Loro Jonggrang and Patih Gupolo assume that Raden Bondowoso has died at the well but in the well Bondowoso Raden was not dead then he meditated to get out of the wells and Raden Bondowoso out of the well safely.
Raden Bondowoso Princess Loro Jonggrang met with furious that has accumulated itself in the well. But because beauty Princess Loro Jonggrang Raden Bondowoso anger subsided.
Then Princess Loro Jonggrang bill promises a second request to the Prince Bondowoso to make 1000 temples in one night. Bondowoso Raden then immediately ordered the genie to make the temple but the Princess Loro Jonggrang want to frustrate Prince Bondowoso make the temple. He ordered the girls to pound and burning straw to look bright for the sign of the morning had arrived and the cock was crowing interchangeably.
Hear the cock crowing and people pound rice and visible light in the east then the genie stop making temples. Jin reported on Prince Bondowoso that genie can not continue to make less of the temple since morning had arrived. But the hunch Raden Bondowoso am not yet arrived. Then it was called Princess Loro Jonggrang temple and was told to calculate the sums are 999 temples, lived an unfinished temple.
So Princess Loro Jonggrang not want dipersunting Raden Bondowoso. Because the deceived and tricked the Prince Bondowoso once wrath and curse Princess Loro Jonggrang "Hi Loro temple Jonggrang genapnya less one and one thousand thou art". So bizarre Princess Loro Jonggrang it turned into a statue of stone sculpture.
And until now the statue of Loro Jonggrang statues still exist at Prambanan and Raden Bondowoso condemned the girls around Prambanan be a virgin kasep (spinster) for helping Princess Loro Jonggrang.
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Saturday, January 14, 2012
Cell phone
The common components found on all phones are:
Several phone series have been introduced to address a given market segment, such as the RIM BlackBerry focusing on enterprise/corporate customer email needs; the SonyEricsson Walkman series of musicphones and Cybershot series of cameraphones; the Nokia Nseries of multimedia phones, the Palm Pre the HTC Dream and the Apple iPhone.
• Mobile telephony also facilitates activism and public journalism being explored by Reuters and Yahoo and small independent news companies such as Jasmine News in Sri Lanka.
• In Mali and other African countries, people travel from village to village to let friends and relatives know about weddings, births and other events, which is avoided if the villages are within mobile phone coverage areas. In many African countries, mobile phone coverage is greater than land line penetration, so most people own a mobile phone. In the smaller villages without electricity, phones are recharged using a solar panel or motorcycle battery.
• The TV industry has recently started using mobile phones to drive live TV viewing through mobile apps, advertising, social tv, and mobile TV. 86% of Americans use their mobile phone while watching TV.
• In parts of the world, mobile phone sharing is common. It is prevalent in urban India, as families and groups of friends often share one or more mobiles among their members. There are obvious economic benefits, but often familial customs and traditional gender roles play a part. For example, in Burkina Faso, it is not uncommon for a village to have access to only one mobile phone. The phone is typically owned by a person who is not natively from the village, such as a teacher or missionary, but it is expected that other members of the village are allowed to use the cell phone to make necessary calls. |
The saxophone is a musical instrument wind (or aerophone) belonging to the family of the woods. It was patented in 1846 by Adolphe Sax, Belgium.
It should not be confused with the saxhorn, the family of brass, developed, too, by Adolphe Sax.
The instrument consists of three parts welded or glued made brass: conical body, the cylinder head and the flag. Keys (numbering 19 to 22 depending on the family) control the opening and closing of the side holes drilled on the body. The higher end of the body is extended horizontally by the jar (removable), which covers the tip (ebonite or metal), equipped with a single reed attached with a ligature.
The sound of the saxophone is produced with a beak and a reed (usually reed, but can also be made of synthetic material). It is the vibration of the reed on the mouthpiece facet of the issue that will sound for by the vibration of the column of air contained in the body of the instrument.
Although metal, the saxophone historically belongs to the family of wood by its sound operation for the production notes. However, it is seen as part of the brass ensemble in popular music such as rock, pop music, rythm'n blues, soul where it is associated with trumpets and trombones (instruments mouth).
Moreover, as it tends to be closer to the sound of strings (this is stipulated in the patent saxophone), we can anecdotiquement be a "missing link" uniting strings, woodwind, brass and percussion (thanks to the sounds slappés).
The saxophone is consistent with the other instruments vary slightly by the deflection of the beak (thanks to the modular cork around the tip jar) when the sound is too low, driving the beak, when it is too high, it draws the mouthpiece. It presents some similarities with the clarinet (including soprano), which is different in its pierces conical rather than cylindrical. It is this last feature that allows it to be an instrument octaviant (while quintoie clarinet): the very purpose of Sax imagined when his new instrument.
The family of saxophones
The family of saxophones designed by Adolphe Sax included 14 sizes. Only 7 are still used today:
* Bass saxophone rare, in E flat
* Bass saxophone fairly rare, in B flat
* The baritone saxophone in E flat
* The tenor saxophone in B flat
* The alto saxophone in E flat
* The soprano saxophone in B flat
* Sopranino saxophone fairly rare, in E flat
There are however a few relics sometimes sets in C and F would initially by Adolphe Sax in addition to the series in B flat and E flat:
* C-saxophone mélody in C, but not transposing tenor, very rare today
* The mezzo-soprano saxophone extremely rare in F
* Few sopranos in C.
B. Eppelsheim has been very active in recent years and has produced several instruments which have contributed a lot to saxophonists, especially those interested in extreme registers:
* Tubax, developed in 1999. Their drills closer in fact different instruments, closer sarrussophones actually provided a single reed):
1. The sub-bass saxophone in B flat.
2. The tubax in E flat.
* Saxophone sopranissimo rare, in B flat, an instrument developed by 2002, sometimes called "soprillo"
The most common are the soprano, alto, tenor and baritone. They make up the saxophone quartet. In saxophone quartets, the soprano is sometimes replaced by a second alto.
Most current saxophones are the so-called transposers, ie that the note played on the instrument does not match played on the piano. For example when playing an alto saxophone do, the note sounds like a piano in E flat.
Sax had designed two sets of saxophones: a first whose instruments were granted in C or F, was intended to symphony orchestras, the second set (the one we know today) was given in B-flat and E-flat and was to serve for military bands. However, the orchestral musicians who shunned instruments Sax, as they were many opportunities in the newly reformed military music, the instruments in C or F gradually fell into disuse: they are no longer manufactured after 1930 by the main factors saxophone.
The saxophone has three registers: severe acute medium and over a range of two octaves and a fifth. In many current and contemporary music, it also uses the on-acute whose scores are obtained from special fingerings for a harmonic ringing.
Through his invention late, and even though composers as Bizet and Ravel have recognized its merits and have sometimes used, the saxophone is a pretty marginal in classical music and is rarely represented in symphony orchestras. However, it remains unquestionably a major instrument of jazz and contemporary music has made it one of his favorite instruments since the 1980's, as a soloist in small ensembles.
History of the bill saxophone
The Belgian Antoine Joseph Sax, said Adolphe Sax (1814-1894), sought tirelessly to improve the musical instruments, especially the wind instruments, and he has improved the accuracy, quality of the sound as well as the ease of Thursday (he filed 33 patents).
The very first saxophone built by Sax in Paris in 1842, was a baritone saxophone in F. This first ever saxophone exhibited all the characteristics of current saxophone: metal tube to pierce cônique, reed mouthpiece and simple system key Boehm, but he still had the general shape of a ophicléide.
In 1844, the saxophone is exposed for the first time at the Industrial Exhibition in Paris. On 3 February this year, Berlioz, a great friend of Sax, runs at a concert his sacred choral song that includes the saxophone. In December, the saxophone made his orchestral debut at the Paris Conservatoire in the opera by Georges Kastner, The Last King of Judah.
On March 21, 1846, Sax files its patent for a "system of wind instruments called Saxophones" which includes eight instruments. The complete reorganization of regimental music and the adoption by the French army in 1845, instruments of his own invention (saxhorns, saxophones, saxotrombas) Sax placed in a monopoly position for the supply of these instruments.
A patent to expire in 1866 Sax. The Company Millereau then patented the saxophone-Millereau, who has a key to F # bifoquer. In 1881, Sax is expanding its original patent: it lengthens the flag to include a B-flat and the serious, and also extends upward by adding F # and soil with a key fourth octave .
Between 1886 and 1887, the Association of Workers invents the key to trill do for the right hand, the system of half hole for the first fingers of the hand, the adjustment ring agreement and the dual-key; improves soil Articulating that the key to soil can be maintained while any finger of the right hand is used, improves F # Bifurcated and adds a B-flat major. Lecomte invent in 1888 the key octave simple and rolls for the model mid b-C low.
The company Adolphe Sax & Co. was acquired by the company Selmer H. & Co. in 1928 (the first model 22 Selmer saxophone was born in 1921). Since then, the company has participated in Selmer improvements in the manufacture of saxophones, and it led to conquer the American market and to establish itself in Europe. The other former factors saxophones (Buffet-Crampon, Millereau, Gautrot, Couesnon) present in the late nineteenth century, were gradually replaced by international brands: Adler, Huller (Germany), and Yamaha Yanagisawa (Japan).
Overview repertoire of the nineteenth century
After his invention dating from the early 1840, the saxophone soon emerged in the orchestra and especially in the opera partitions, which could be explained by the Director of the music scene held him by Adolphe Sax even (a sort of military music used in major scenes) at the Paris Opera.
After the anthem or sacred song and sanctity of Berlioz's oratorio The Last King of Judah Kastner, works performed for the first time in 1844 and 1845, includes the saxophone Halévy's opera The wandering Jew (made in 1852), L'Africaine created in 1865, Ambroise Thomas in Hamlet (1868) and Frances in Rimini (1882), Bizet's Arlésienne (1873), Delibes in Sylvia (1876), in Massenet's Le Roi de Lahore (1877) Herodias (1881 ) and Werther (1886), Saint-Saëns in Henry VIII (1883), in Fervaal Indy (1895), and so on.
But the cabal derived from Sax was too strong, and the instrument, with few exceptions, found it difficult to penetrate among orchestras. In fact, the only area where Sax managed to impose its new instruments was that of military bands, in the midst of reform under the leadership of the aide-de-camp of the Emperor Napoleon III, Marie-Theodor Rumigny, who admired the work of Sax. But at the discretion of the many political upheavals of the time, and pardons or disgrâces enjoyed by the inventor, the saxophones were imposed in turn, banned or tolerated within this music (hence periods of pomp and bankruptcies known by the company Sax).
The most desirable time was undoubtedly that between 1857 and 1870, Sax was appointed professor at the Military College attached to CNSMD Paris. There will train dozens of talented instrumentalists, which essaimeront within the various musics of the army. And he would write by his friends and colleagues in different parts contest, saxophone ensembles that make the joys of Parisian music lovers for several years. He published himself these pieces signed Jean-Baptiste Singelée, Jean-Baptiste Arban, Jules Demersseman, Jean-Baptiste-Victor Mohr or Jerome Savari. But this exclusive military use of the instrument was not only beneficial effects in terms of image. Today, you can trace the conventional wisdom against the saxophone to classical musicians of this period.
The coup de grace was the outbreak of war in 1870, which saw the Military College empty of his students, recalled under the flags of their respective regiments. It was then permanently closed and all efforts were useless Sax: the saxophone had to wait until the opening of a class to Marcel Mule in 1942 for further recognition french official circles. What followed a period of decline that could have been fatal if the relay was not taken in North America by Elise Hall, who developed the first saxophone solo repertoire, and then by jazz musicians who apprivoisèrent gradually new instrument until it became the icon symbolic of their music as we know it today.
The explosion of popular saxophone
In 1906, the quartet of Tom Brown was in its infancy with the Ringling Brothers circus in the United States. The original musicians were multi-instrumentalists in the style shows Minstrels very popular overseas, but in 1914, the total becomes the Brown Brothers Saxophone Sextet. With a repertoire ranging from Verdi (Rigoletto Sextet) to the first draft of "jass" (That Moanin 'Saxophone Rag, Smiles and Chuckles), they had a huge popular success with music, tours and music hall even musicals mounted for them.
In 1917, Rudy Wiedoeft and Frisco Jass Band also had great success with its participation in the comedy-musical Canary Cottage, where despite the presence of stars like Eddie Cantor, saxophonist was clearly the attraction of the evening . After this success, registrations Wiedoeft met a very wide audience.
The American public, very fond of this new instrument relatively easy to learn, launches fashion saxophone with magazines such as Sax-O-Trix and The Saxophone Journal. It requires the presence of saxophones in the orchestras of varieties, an opinion that was not shared by the proponents of the style New Orleans, but which quickly became de rigueur due to popular demand. During this period, there are even orchestras composed entirely of saxophone who act as bands during popular in American cities.
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Introducing Cat to Dog
All these steps to Introducing Cat to Dog are important and they need to be done in order. It's easier to introduce a dog to a cat who has never been threatened by a dog because the cat will interact with the dog more quickly, but this works for existing situations once the cat realizes it's safe. Some cats are easier to work with than others as well.
You do not want your dog to believe that you are possessing the cat- the dog must feel that he or she possesses the cat. Otherwise, the dog can see the cat as something to try to steal away from its owner, especially if there is any question of the owner being the pack "alpha".
During the learning process, the dog must never be allowedintoducing cat to dog to chase the cat(s) or to play games that put it in prey drive while the cat is present. If this isn't done, the process will not work. Work with one dog at a time if possible.
• The owner of the dog must become the alpha dog in the household. The dog has to realize that it is not alpha and must take its cues from the human pack members as to who it accepts. The owner needs to have established a level of control without creating a robo-dog.
• When the dog is introduced to the household, the cats are shut away in another room. This is also true if you are introducing a cat into a household with dogs. There are no exceptions at all. Especially don't carry a cat in your arms if a dog is loose. This can be dangerous for cat, dog and human. A child should never ever carry a cat or small animal in its arms around a loose dog.
• When the cats are allowed out freely to roam without human supervision, the dog must be outside or where it cannot see the cat. It cannot be inside in a crate where it can see and/or bark or lunge at the cat without correction. This is vital and the entire process will not work if this isn't done properly.
• Shut the dog in its crate and allow the cat(s) out hopsmall_cedar_cat_house_townhouseefully to walk past the dog crate. If the dog barks or lunges within the crate, the dog is verbally corrected. Make sure that the cats are in another room behind a closed door before letting the dog have its time out of the crate. I'm not talking about keeping the dog in the crate all the time, it's more keeping the cats in another room most of the time. The dog is crated while the cats are out, and then let out of the crate for most of the time. This may take several days or weeks to accomplish. It depends on how quickly the cat comes around to the dog's crate area (which should be with the family).
• Do not comfort, pet or fuss over the cats where the dog can see it from his crate. Especially don't do this after the dog has barked or lunged at the cat. Correct only the dog. This is because you do not want the dog to see the cat as your possession.
• Accustom the dog to a muzzle while it is hanging out in its crate. It will be muzzled when it goes to the vet or is groomed (even if we don't see it, it happens), so this way the dog is used to a muzzle. Leave it on for 10 - 15 minutes at a time if it isn't hot. If it's hot, the dog must not be muzzled because it can't pant. The muzzle is only a temporary tool. But the muzzle must be used for the cat's sake.
• After 10-14 days where the dog does not bark or lunge at the cat and the cat is comfortable walking around the crate, it's show time!
• Put a prong collar with a six foot leash on the dog. Don't forget to put the muzzle on the dog. I think a prong works better than a choke with less chance of injury to the dog in this situation. Have the dog in a sit-stay next to you with most of the slack out of the leash and let the cat walk through the room and up to the dog if it wishes (this is why you have the dog muzzled). If the dog makes an aggressive move towards the cat, it must be corrected strongly with both your voice and the collar. This is important - the correction must be physically very strong - not a nag. (PS: not many dogs need to be corrected at all).
• Do not correct the dog for sniffing at the cat. Sniffing is very good and is to be encouraged. Attention barking is also okay. The dog will feel any nervousness or tension of the owner via the leash and feed off of it, so it's important to be calm. That's also why the muzzle is on the dog - the owner knows the cat is safe no matter what. Do this for about 5-10 minutes at first, then put the dog or cat away. Try to be observant to end the session while both dog and cat are doing well. You can spin out the time until its an hour or so.
• Each time the dog first sees the cat, it gets a food treat. Cat = a cookie. If the dog is showing too much interest in the cat (like scenting for it), distract the dog by giving it something else to do, like a sit or heel with praise for doing what you've told it to do rather than automatically giving it a cookie. You can't reward the dog for not chasing the cat but you can reward it for doing something you've asked of it.
• There is no playing ball, running or chasing about the house, either by dogs, cats or humans while the dog and cat are out together. This is because care needs to be taken to see that the dog doesn't go into prey drive. This needs to continue throughout this entire process.
• Supervise the interaction and after 7-10 days where the dog has not had to be corrected, the prong and leash control can be eliminated. Even if you never had to correct the dog, it's important to wait 7-10 days. Leave on the muzzle. The dog and cat are not left unsupervised. If the dog chases the cat during this period, it's back to item #8.
• After about four-six weeks where the owner has not observed any prey drive in the dog towards its cat, it is time to do without the muzzle. Interaction should still be supervised and the two animals never left alone unless there is a place for the cat to go to safety. If you've got a dog who is possessive about food, obviously you don't let the cat near when the dog is eating. Since cat food is very unhealthy for dogs, the cat's food should not be where the dog can reach it.
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In 6502 assembly, an instruction is a single command to be executed by the processor. Instructions always include an opcode, and usually contain an operand.
In the example below, STA is the opcode, $10 is the operand, and the two combined is the instruction.
0001:85 10 STA $10 ; Stores the accumulator into memory location $10.
This example with RTS only has an opcode, but no operand. Even still, it is an instruction.
0001:4D RTS ; Return to calling subroutine. |
Thursday, January 19
Toddler Learning Games-Fun with Dominos
My family has always loved playing games together; including dominoes.
My mother tells everyone "I taught the girls to count by 5's playing dominoes!"
She's telling the truth!
Homeschooling in our house was pretty fun. :)
Benjamin LOVES it when he gets to play with an "adult" or "big kid" item.
(What kid doesn't? It's just more fun than their toys, right?)
So, I've been using his interest in our dominoes for some learning games.
We have the double-twelve set with different colors, so there's lots of opportunity for learning with these. While he isn't old enough to count by fives yet... he can practice matching up the identical sides, learning the unusual color names, and counting the dots.
Of course, I let him stack them, line them up, and build things with them as well. Our "learning sessions" are usually no longer than a couple of minutes. Then I go do a chore and let him "freestyle" it for 5 minutes or so. :)
I think it's great to give kids access to ALMOST everything.
(Not all the time, and not anything dangerous...)
But a kid's interest is always peaked when you show them something
"off limits".
Explain it to them, and let them touch it a minute.
You have their attention and it's a fantastic teaching moment!
Let your toddler stir the pancake mix and watch you fry an egg. Let them put their own clothes in their drawer. Let them play with the dominoes. Let them TRY to sweep the floor.
If you're gonna teach them about table manners- bring out the fine china for a special dinner.
You know, the dishes that are for "special people"?
After all, who is truly more special than your little ones? |
What does kenneth clark mean?
Definitions for kenneth clark
Here are all the possible meanings and translations of the word kenneth clark.
Princeton's WordNet
1. Clark, Kenneth Clark, Kenneth Bancroft Clark(noun)
United States psychologist (born in Panama) whose research persuaded the Supreme Court that segregated schools were discriminatory (1914-2005)
1. Kenneth Clark
Kenneth McKenzie Clark, Baron Clark, OM, CH, KCB, FBA was a British author, museum director, broadcaster, and one of the best-known art historians of his generation, writing a series of books that appealed to a wide public, while remaining serious contributions to scholarship. In 1969, he achieved an international popular presence as the writer, producer, and presenter of the BBC Television series, Civilisation, which pioneered a style of television documentary series combining a personalized narration by a leading expert with lavish photography and shooting on location.
1. Chaldean Numerology
The numerical value of kenneth clark in Chaldean Numerology is: 6
2. Pythagorean Numerology
The numerical value of kenneth clark in Pythagorean Numerology is: 5
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USS Porcupine II
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Porcupine II IX-126
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Porcupine II
(IX-126: dp. 3,665, 1. 441'6"; b. 57', dr. 27'9", s. 11 k.;
cpl. 79; a. 1 5", 1 3", 8 20mm.; T. ~ET1-S-C3)
The second Porcupine (IX-126), a station tanker, was laid down 11 October 1943 as Leif Ericson (MCE Hull 1930) by the Delta Shipbuilding Corp., New Orleans, La.; named Porcupine 23 October, launched 24 November accepted by the Navy 29 December; and commissioned the next day, Lt. Daniel M. Paul in command
After shakedown in the Gulf of Mexico, the new Liberty tanker was assigned mobile oil storage duties with the Service Force, Pactfic Fleet. Transiting the Panama Canal, she arrived Noumea, New Caledonia 28 March and commenced fuel storage and transportation operations in the area of Noumea, Langemak Bay, and Milne Bay, New Guinea; and Seeadler Harbor, Manus, Admiralty Islands.
By the end of November she was at Hollandia, New Guinea, and during the last days of 1944 she was a unit of resupply convoy "Uncle plus 15,' which formed off Dulag, the Philippines, 27 December and steamed up Leyte Gulf for Mindoro. The one hundred vessels of the convoy, under the command of Captain J. B. McLean, were screened by nine destroyers.
From 0330, 28 December, when the convoy entered Surigao Strait, until it returned to Leyte, it was either under air attack, or hostile aircraft were held on its radars. With sunrise came the report that weather at Leyte was so foul that no Combat Air Patrol (CAP) could come out. Thus no air cover was available until after noon. But the weather was altogether too fair in the waters plowed bY the convoy.
At 1012 two groups of three planes each from Cebu attacked. One aircraft was immediately splashed, and another, which attempted to crash aviation-gasoline laden Porcupine, overshot its target and splashed into the sea. Liberty ships William Sharon and John Burke were less fortunate. Both were crashed, and Burke went down with a mighty explosion. Sharon's superstructure was a mass of flame. Firefighters from Wilson (DD-408) finally extinguished the fires, and salvage tug Grapple (ARS 7) towed Sharon back to Leyte. 'l'hus Mindoro never received Sharon's cargo of TNT, fuel, trucks, rations, and beer.
An evening air raid resulted in the loss of LST-760. The next day saw Leyte still blacked in, but Mindoro responded generously to Captain McLean's requests for air cover, and the convoy suffered nO damage 29 December. The ships arrived Mangarin Bay 30 December at 0710.
Captain McLean was eager to offload his ships and head back to Leyte before dark. Until 1540 events ran smoothly, but then five Vals broke through and made a suicide attack. Within two minutes destroyers Gansevoort (DD-608) and Pringle (DD-477), tender Orestes (AGP-10), and Porcupine were hit.
Porcupine was hit off White Beach by a low flyer which came in off her port bow. She opened fire with all guns, but was unable to divert the attacking Val from its course. The kamikaze released a bomb over Porcupine's main deck and crashed in after it. Seven Porcupine sailors died and eight were wounded. Fuel tanks ruptured; the engine room flooded and the plane's engine passed through the ship's hull, tearing a large hole beneath her water line.
Gansevoort, surviving her hit, was towed toward the PT base at Caminavit Point and anchored in 15 fathoms of water. She was soon ordered to blow off Porcupine's stern in order to prevent flames from reaching the aviation gasoline. One of the destroyer's torpedoes slammed into Porcupine but the flames were not stemmed. The aviation gasoline ignited, and Porcupine burned to the water line. She was struck from the Navy List 19 January 1945. |
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Preservation of Venezuelan leader's body not easy
Only the Venezuelan officials who have promised to preserve Hugo Chavez and display his body "for eternity" inside a glass tomb know exactly how they're going to do it.
But if they were to follow procedures that are used in the United States, the technique might be rather simple: repeat embalming.
So what does that mean exactly? You might want to put down your sandwich before you read on.
In the U.S., most embalmers use a machine that injects fluid laced with chemicals, principally formaldehyde, into an artery of the body, while the majority of the blood is emptied from a vein. Often a chemical known as a humectant is added, which "helps to fill out the body, some of the hollow spaces, and adds a degree of moisture," Fountain said.
Just to be safe, Venezuelan officials could take an extra precautionary step and make a face mask, using Chavez's real face to form a mold that could be placed over the flesh in the future "and keep it looking more like he did when he died," Fountain said.
"The difference when one wants to preserve a body for a long time is that the doctors apply more-concentrated amounts of the chemicals," Jaramillo said. "It is a much slower process and must be done very carefully. ... Indefinite preservation really doesn't exist. ... It requires periodic maintenance. ... But no embalming stops decomposition; it only slows it," he said.
Ideally, a body would be embalmed "the very day or next morning, rather than three or five or six days down the road," Fountain said. "But it's not impossible. I have embalmed bodies that have been refrigerated for six months."
Confronted with such a never-ending and unsavory task, why do countries such as Russia, China, Vietnam, and now Venezuela, go to such lengths to preserve their leaders' remains?
"The decision to embalm Chavez is an attempt to include him in a pantheon of communist deities," said Nina Tumarkin, a professor of history at Wellesley College and the author of "Lenin Lives! The Lenin Cult in Soviet Russia."
Other socialist or communist leaders embalmed after dying include Russian dictator Josef Stalin, though his body was later removed, and North Korea's father-and-son leaders Kim Il Sung and Kim Jong Il. But it was the famous display of Soviet founder Lenin in Moscow's Red Square in 1924 that inspired the custom among left-leaning leaders.
For two decades, the corpse was secretly moved around Argentina and then buried in an unmarked grave in Italy. Meanwhile several wax and fiberglass decoy corpses were sent out around the world. The real corpse remained in Rome until it was delivered to Peron's home in 1971 while he was in exile in Spain.
Permanently staving off decomposition is no easy job.
"The results were shocking. Mao's face was round as a ball, and his neck was now the width of his head," Li Zhisui wrote in "The Private Life of Chairman Mao," published outside China 18 years after Mao's death.
Luis Andres Henao reported this story from Santiago, Chile, and Lisa J. Adams reported from Mexico City. Associated Press writer Charles Hutzler in Beijing contributed to this report.
Luis Andres Henao on Twitter:
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Posts Tagged ‘equal rights’
You swing like a boy.
Profiling and stereotyping–we are all guilty of it in some way or another whether we realize it or not.
For example, the other day my husband had taken my son (6 y/o) to his fall ball baseball practice. Apparently, my son’s hitting was not too great. My husband proceeded to tell him that he was swinging the bat like a girl.
Now, if you are female then you are thinking the same thing right now that I thought when my loving husband told me that he said that.
“Hold up…wait a minute…you told him what?” (Those were my exact words and I bet that is similar to what you are thinking in your mind right now. Some men out there wondering what is the big deal…like my hubby was after he told me what he told our son.)
My loving hubby demonstrated the swing that our son was performing and again said that he was swinging like a girl.
I told him that a girl can swing a bat just as well as any boy can and that I have seen some pretty wimpy swings in the boys little league over the years. When you say that he is swinging like a girl that is putting all girls in the category of being inferior to all boys because they can’t swing a bat as well as a boy can. It is a put down to all girls–period. Anytime you tell a boy that he is swinging like a girl or running like a girl or whatever like a girl; that is putting girls down. That kind of reasoning and teaching is wrong. It is teaching our son that girls are not as good as boys and that boys are better because they have superior skills.
He didn’t get it.
But I do.
Oh, he understands what I am saying but he doesn’t think that telling our son that he swings like a girl is going to cause him to grow up thinking that girls are inferior to him because he is male.
If you don’t believe me when I say that it is a put down to all girls when you say that a boy swings like a girl, runs like a girl, hits like a girl, or throws like a girl, then I suggest you watch one of my all time favorite movie—The Sandlot. The Sandlot 2 is a good one, too.
Here is an exchange that occurs between kids in the movie, The Sandlot.
[the Sandlot Kids and their arch-rivals come face-to-face]
Phillips: It’s easy when you play with rejects and a fat kid, Rodriguez.
Benny: Shut your mouth, Phillips!
Ham Porter: What’d you say, crap face?
Phillips: You shouldn’t be allowed to touch a baseball. Except for Rodriguez, you’re all an insult to the game.
Ham Porter: Come on! We’ll take you on, right here! Right now! Come on!
Sandlot Kids: Yeah!
Phillips: We play on a real diamond, Porter. You ain’t good enough to lick the dirt off our cleats.
Ham Porter: Watch it, jerk!
Phillips: Shut up, idiot!
Ham Porter: Moron!
Phillips: Scab eater!
Ham Porter: Butt sniffer!
Phillips: Pus licker!
Ham Porter: Fart smeller!
Bertram: [sniffs] Ahh.
Phillips: You eat dog crap for breakfast, geek!
Ham Porter: You mix your Wheaties with your mama’s toe jam!
Sandlot Kids: Yeah!
Phillips: You bob for apples in the toilet! And you like it!
Ham Porter: You play ball like a giiirrrrrrrrl!
[entire group stands in shocked silence]
Phillips: What did you say?
Ham Porter: You heard me.
Oh, it is a classic. I find it interesting that there are all these different insults being slung back and forth and the one insult that is so shocking, so insulting, so unforgivable is that “You play ball like a giiirrrrrrrrl!” Playing ball like a girl is worse than not being good enough to lick the dirt off cleats, worse than being called a jerk, idiot, or moron. It is worse than being called a scab eater, butt sniffer, pus licker, or fart smeller. It is worse than a geek eating dog crap for breakfast, mixing Wheaties with your mama’s toe jam, or bobbing for apples in the toilet…and liking it.
The worse insult that you can sling to any little boy on the baseball field is that they play ball like a girl.
My point is that without even realizing it, my husband was passing along stereotypical thoughts and impressions to my son. My husband is not sexist, but that is how stereotypes, racial biases, and profiling are impressed upon us and our children—subtly, unknowingly, and for the most part, innocently. Of course, there are exceptions because I know that there are plenty of racists, misogynists, misandrists, and a whole lot of other hater-ists out there in the world.
Anyway, people need to think critically. I shouldn’t assume every man thinks that he is superior to me because I am a woman. My husband shouldn’t assume that a girl’s swing is inferior to any boy’s swing. Somehow, telling my daughter that she swings like a boy just wouldn’t have the same effect as saying to my son that he swings like a girl.
Now, this story is leading you up to something else that I have been pondering about the last couple of days. It has to do with stereotyping and profiling. I can’t go into all the different cases of stereotyping and profiling because that would take forever, so I will go with the story that is in the news right now—Professor Gates vs. Sgt. Crowley, with a little interference from President Obama on the side.
Every police officer out there is not racist. Not every African-American is a criminal. After doing some research, I believe that the entire incident between Professor Gates and Sgt. Crowley is unfortunate and unhelpful toward healing race relations in our country. I think that Sgt. Crowley was doing his job, while Professor Gates was upset that he was being questioned about his right to be in his own home. Any person would have been upset if they were tired from a trip and just wanted to get home and were being questioned by the police because someone was concerned enough to call 911 and report a possible break in.
I would like to think that in retrospect that the Professor is pleased to know that people in his community care enough about each other to step up and make that call.
Will this cause people to become wary of calling 911 and getting involved because they do not want to have their motives questioned or be called a racist? Will this cause people to not give eyewitness accounts because they do not want to describe race or seen as racially profiling? Will this cause police officers to pause before acting or questioning someone because they would not want to be labeled as showing a racial bias? Will this cause police officers from doing their jobs to protect and serve our communities because they do not want to be accused of being racist?
Was it really necessary for President Obama to speak about this case?
Oh, and what signal does sitting around having a beer to solve a problem send to all those folks in AA that are trying to overcome the urge to drink when faced with a problem?
Mary Wollstonecraft is my hero; however, I am resigning my position as a feminist.
I understand wanting to be equal and that is why Mary Wollstonecraft is one of my all time favorite people.
What confuses me is that The National Organization for Women, which is supposed to be for all women’s rights, are definitely not for every woman.
They certainly do not represent me. Since I am a woman, I am allowed to say that.
I do not consider myself to be a feminist, because feminism doesn’t mean what it was supposed to mean for women in this country.
For one thing, just because Sonia Sotomayor is a woman does not mean that I think that she needs to be appointed to the Supreme Court.
It certainly does not change my mind about it just because she is Hispanic. It doesn’t make me racist either. I just think that a person should be hired for any job based on their previous job performance and based on their own merits. Which is a position that I thought anyone who is supposed to be for equality in the workforce would be for, not against. Quite frankly, if I was Sonia Sotomayor, I would be highly offended that people believed the only thing that got her where she is today is because she is Hispanic and she is female.
Once again, women are being judged by their anatomy, or lack thereof.
Sarah Palin. There are some women that hate her. There are a lot that love her. Even some love to hate her. If you don’t like her because of a political stance that she has, then that is much more admirable than to hate her because she doesn’t fit into her idea of what a feminist should act.
I can respect an argument against her because of a difference in opinions as far as policy is concerned. You may not like her because she is an avid hunter and she fishes. That is fine. I have a good friend that doesn’t like her because of the aerial hunting that she supports. I don’t know that much about Alaska and the hunting situation there, but I know that it is brutal territory and I am going to research that before I form an opinion about it.
If you don’t like her because she teaches abstinence and her daughter got pregnant as a teenager, then that is ridiculous. I don’t know about you, but I know that I would not want to be judged by my children’s actions. I certainly would not have wanted my parents to be judged by mine.
I don’t understand the problem with Sarah Palin choosing to have her son despite the fact that he has Down’s Syndrome. If she had chosen to have an abortion, then she would have been ok? If her daughter had not had her baby, then Sarah would have been ok? Again, it just sounds ridiculous to me that she is being judged by what her 17 year old daughter did or didn’t do.
Let’s move on away from Sonia and Sarah and how one would advance the rights of women and one would apparently squash them.
It is ok to trample on the rights of others, just so long as you have the right to do anything? How can anyone claim to be for equality and trample on the rights of any group just because they don’t belong to your group? It is ok to take the rights away from one group so that you can advance your rights? One group I am discussing is unborn babies. I would bet that there are people that care more about the rights of unborn animals than they do about unborn human babies. Unborn babies die because women have somehow forgotten how to use birth control.
I can empathize with the woman that wants an abortion because she was forced into an act that created a life that she otherwise would not have created. It is more difficult for me to empathize with any woman that was just plain careless with her body and doesn’t want to deal with the consequences. I am pretty sure that most people know what causes pregnancy and most know how to prevent it. It is not that difficult to protect yourself and if you can’t remember to take a pill every day or to stop long enough to say ‘do you have a condom?’ then perhaps you need to consider not allowing yourself to be placed in the situation that could cause you to get pregnant in the first place. If you are not mature enough to do what has to be done, then you are obviously not mature enough to be having sex in the first place. Just don’t go there.
It is like I tell my 14 year old son—It is my job as his parent to not allow him to be placed in situations that could lead to compromising positions (no pun intended) until he is old enough to be able to resist the urge. Problem with that philosophy is that my husband hasn’t even reached that point yet. I will have to fine tune my reasoning behind not allowing my son to go anywhere that could be a potential temptation as he gets older. With all that said, I am merely expressing that I am for pro-responsibility. I want my to raise my children to be responsible—whether it is choosing abstinence (which is what I hope) or whether they choose to act responsibly by using protection (preferably a condom—because pregnancy is not the only thing to be worried about).
If that responsibility is thrust upon you literally by a man that doesn’t care whether you say no or not, then I believe that it is entirely one of those situations that fall under the health of the mother. Some women are just not strong enough to deal with having the responsibility of raising a baby that was conceived by force; however, some do. I believe that the health and well being of the mother includes psychological and physical.
I just think that the true feminist at the beginning of the feminist movement did not want to emasculate men and I do not believe that they wanted to be seen as cold hearted women that were men haters. I think that they truly set out to create equality where there wasn’t any.
Now, the feminist movement is more like a club for man-haters and misogynistic women. |
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Tag Archives: ivory idol
What Occurred on Submarine U-29 in H.P. Lovecraft’s “The Temple”
“The Temple” artwork by David Saavedra
Once the crew of Submarine U-29 are in possession of the piece of ivory carved into the image of a youth’s head with a laurel crown in H.P. Lovecraft’s “The Temple,” strange things start to happen. These strange events include increased nervousness, weakness, forgetfulness and laziness among the crew.
The crew also experienced bad dreams and some appeared to become physically ill. Several of the crew started to have hallucinations, observing bloating bodies out of the undersea portholes. According to the affected crew, many of these bodies were victims who died in the ships that the German submarine sunk in past battles.
Days later, several of the crew who were ill became violently insane; others were not violent but were constantly raving about the young man who was watching them. Men started to disappear and it was thought they committed suicide. Since no bodies were found, it was assumed that they jumped “overboard” but no details regarding this are provided. After these suicides, many of the crew continued to be ill but there were no further disturbances. However, after the explosion of the engine room, the insanity and associated violence among the crew increased resulting in the Lieutenant-Commander killing some of them. Remaining crew members killed themselves, eventually leaving the Lieutenant-Commander by himself. So, what was the cause of the mass hysteria and illness that eventually led to the death of the crew of Submarine U-29?
Tight conditions in a submarine
A crew of men and women in a confined space such as a submarine would be very susceptible to communicable diseases, particularly those air borne in nature. Indeed, respiratory illnesses can be particularly problematic for submarine crews. It is interesting to note that based on data collected by the US Navy, in general overall incidences of medical problems / injuries tend to be higher on surface vessels than submarines (from a US Navy study from 1989; http://www.dtic.mil/dtic/tr/fulltext/u2/a211258.pdf). However, some of the more common afflictions associated with long submarine runs include post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and during situations of war such disorders can develop into life-threatening or disturbing conditions (www.beinghealthy.tv).
In the situation of the Submarine U-29 several or many of the crew may have been on the verge of suffering from PTSD even before they found the idol. We do not know how long the crew was on the sea when they found the little ivory idol of the youth crowned with laurels. However, finding this strange idol coupled with the seemingly supernatural event of the body of the dead sailor swimming away, may have triggered PTSD, eroding the “iron will” of the crew in spite of what the Lieutenant-Commander stated. Thus, the idol itself may not to be blame for the situations on the submarine but may well have triggered them. With each murder or suicide, the symptoms of PTSD among the crew would have only increased and spread. Thus, the first hypothesis to explain the incidences on U-29 is PTSD, which was triggered by finding the strange little idol by a crew already exhausted from being on the ocean during war for an extended period of time. However, an alternative hypothesis is that the idol itself may have had a pathogenic organism on it that could infect humans.
The abundance and diversity of viruses in the ocean is incredibly high – each milliliter of ocean water contains several million virus particles. Many ocean viruses cause diseases in marine mammals. Phocid distemper virus is a morbillivirus of Arctic phocid seals that has killed thousands of harbor seals in Europe. Similar viruses kill dolphins and other cetaceans. Many other viruses infect marine mammals and even cause disease in humans, including adenoviruses, herpesviruses, parvoviruses, and caliciviruses (http://www.virology.ws/2009/03/20/the-abundant-and-diverse-viruses-of-the-seas/). For example, in 2013 over 1,000 migrating bottlenose dolphins died from a measles-like virus along the East Coast of the U.S. (https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/virus-kills-over-1000-bottlenose-dolphins/). Indeed, the strange behavior of the dolphins, following the submarine deep into the ocean through the course of the tale, may have been symptoms of the virus affecting the dolphins’ brain. Thus, it is possible that some type of unknown virus was brought on-board U-29 with the biological agent either being on the small ivory idol or on the dead sailor that was clinging to the submarine?
6c8669088-130819-dolphin-deaths-230p_nbcnews-ux-2880-1000 Dolphin deaths along the East Coast of the US due to a virus
Morbillivirus_294-Measles The structure of the morbillivirus, a measles-like virus responsible for the death of dolphins
In conclusion, while finding the strange little idol seems to have produced supernatural occurrences in “The Temple,” it is absolutely possible that the situation was the result of PTSD and/or an unknown biological agent that could exist in the deep ocean. Also, I you want to get a feel for what it would be like on a submarine during war, I strongly suggest the excellent movie “Das Boot.” Next time we will conclude our discussion of H. P. Lovecraft’s “The Temple” by reviewing what the Lieutenant-Commander encountered when he actually entered the Temple. Thank you – Fred.
DasBootcast Submarine crew from the film “Das Boot” |
The art of being Tuareg: Sahara nomads in a modern world
The Tuareg, who once controlled the caravan trade routes across the Sahara, are semi nomadic, pastoralist people of North-African Berber origin. The actual total population of Tuaregs amounts to approximately 5,2 million. The Tuareg have been predominantly Muslim since the 16th century. They combine Sunni Islam (specifically the Maliki Madhhab, popular in North and West Africa) with certain pre-Islamic animistic beliefs, including spirits of nature (Kel Asuf) and such syncretic beliefs as divination through means of the Qur’an.
The Tuareg adopted camel nomadism along with its distinctive form of social organization from camel-herding Arabs about two thousand years ago, when the camel was introduced to the Sahara from Arabia. They are grouped into independent federations and live in Southern Algeria, Southwestern Libya, Mali and Niger and in fewer numbers in Burkina Faso, Nigeria and Southern Morocco. Although the Tuareg are minorities in the countries they presently inhabit, their cultural unity is far-reaching.
Tuareg society is stratified and includes a noble class, tributary groups, and marginal classes made up by religious leaders and artist/smiths called ‘inadan.’ Their economy is based on breeding livestock, agriculture and trade. They speak Tamasheq, a language related to other North-African nomadic peoples, as well as French, and they read and write using a script called ’Tifinar’, which is related to ancient Libya. They are sometimes referred to as “people of the veil” or “the blue people of the Sahara” in reference to the indigo turbans worn by men, which stain their skin and define their identity.
The twentieth century saw profound changes in the Tuareg way of life: the end of French colonial rule and the creation of new countries with established borders; devastating, repeated droughts that decimated herds of livestock; and political marginalization and rebellions. Their social organization and economy have been substantially transformed, and today most Tuareg have given up their nomadic lifestyle, settling instead in villages and towns.
1 Response to “The art of being Tuareg: Sahara nomads in a modern world”
1. April 1, 2011 at 1:51 am
Fantastic blues in the last two photos–the vibrant blues against the sand.
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Why Do Muscle Twitches Occur?
author image Judy Bruen
Why Do Muscle Twitches Occur?
Muscle twitches are often short-lived. Photo Credit Jupiterimages/Photos.com/Getty Images
Muscular twitches, also known as fasciculations, are typically harmless, common and short-lived. Time is typically the solution to minor muscle twitches--most resolve themselves within a couple of days. Rarely, muscular twitches are symptomatic of a medical disorder and require medical attention and intervention.
Muscle twitches often occur in the thumbs.
Muscle twitches often occur in the thumbs.
The central nervous system (CNS) serves as the body's communication center. CNS motor neurons form motor units, which are each responsible for single or group muscular movement. Motor units activate muscle fibers that vary in size (the motor unit for eyes is responsible for a small amount of fibers while leg muscles can contain thousands of fibers). Motor units signal muscular relaxation and contraction. Muscular twitches occur when the motor unit signals the muscle to make repetitive and uncontrollable contractions.
Causes of Harmless Muscle Twitches
High caffeine intake can cause muscle twitches.
High caffeine intake can cause muscle twitches.
Muscle twitches are usually minor and don't interfere with daily living. Harmless twitches typically occur in the eyelids, calves, thumbs and legs. Excessive caffeine intake, anxiety and inefficient amounts of sleep can cause muscle twitches. Muscular fatigue or injury because of exercise can contribute to muscle twitches. Diuretics, estrogen supplements and corticosteroids can all cause muscle twitches.
Muscle Twitches and Medical Concerns
If muscle twitches don't stop after a few days and continue to reappear over time, they may be indicative of a nervous system disorder, such as ALS or Lou Gehrig's disease. Persistent muscle twitches are sometimes symptoms of muscular myopathies, fibromyalgia, muscular dystrophy and nerve damage. Doctors perform screenings and may use MRIs, electromyograms and blood tests to determine if the twitches are related to a medical condition.
Tingling, numbness and muscular spasms are common symptoms of muscle twitches. When symptoms occur, immediate stretching or using the muscles (walking, lifting) can help alleviate the twitching.
Prevention and Treatment
Yoga, meditation and breathing techniques may help prevent and stop muscle twitches that are caused by anxiety. Caffeine reduction will alleviate muscle twitches associated high caffeine intake. Talk to your doctor if muscle twitches are a side effect of medication to determine if other medications or modifications can be made to prevent future twitches. Muscle twitches associated with a medical condition might lessen with treatment of the greater condition.
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Calculating Your Carbon Footprint
| 11/12/2008 12:35:33 PM
Tags: carbon dioxide emissions, carbon footprint, carbon dioxode emissions calculator, carbon dioxide,
We filled out this worksheet in my environmental studies class today, and I thought I’d share with everyone. It’s a way to roughly calculate your carbon footprint and think about things you can do to reduce your personal emissions.
If nothing else, I think it’s great that schools are encouraging students to at least think about areas in our lives that contribute to carbon emissions and ways we can adopt more sustainable, conservative practices to mitigate some of the effects of these emissions.
The Facts
• Sixty percent of man-made contributions to global warming comes from carbon dioxide emissions; 75 percent of which comes from burning fossil fuels.
• Worldwide, each person emits an average of 1 ton carbon dioxide each year.
• The average American emits 20 tons each year.
The Calculations
Note: If math isn’t your thing, try the online carbon calculators provided by the following organizations: EPA, Climate Crisis and SafeClimate.
Car emissions
Estimate the average miles you drive each year and your car’s average miles per gallon. The worksheet says to use 20 mpg if you’re not sure, but dividing the number of miles shown on your gage when it’s about empty by the total number of gallons in your fuel tank should get your pretty close. (For example, I know I need to fill up my Ford Focus when I get around 280 miles for my 12 gallon tank, so my car’s mpg is about 23).
Here’s the formula:
9/11/2013 5:23:01 AM
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Saturday, April 4, 2009
Ethics and Health
Ethics and Health
Here we are dealing with two entities ethics and health. One is a tangible and obvious thing health, the other rather abstract, ethics. Whenever we talk of these two terms together What comes to our mind or rings in our ears? And why?
What comes to our mind is that personally every individual must ensure to take good care of his health without abusing it and ethically equally ensure health care of others or adopt ethical ways and means in dealing with health governance. Why? because we as a civilized society must take the responsibility of ensuring primarily a sound physical health care and equally the psychological well being of every individual in our surrounding.
Without getting into the quagmire of jargon studded specifics let us analyze what is ethics? And what is ethical behavior? And how does it play a part in health care industry with all the players involved in it starting from the patient to the paramedical force to doctors to insurance agents etc .
What is ethics?
Ethics refers to values and principles that define behavior as right, wrong, moral and proper. Such values and principles provide a means of evaluation and decision making based on those evaluation to choose among the several available, obvious and probable and competing options
There are too many relative terminologies here that defy logical uniformity and universal applicability and hence it is very difficult to frame any type of policy or regulation which can answer all the above mentioned aspects namely what constitutes as right, wrong, moral , proper in all societies. However, the value and principles can be broadly based on following categories:- psychological, sociological, cultural, political, economic environmental, physical , technological, philosophical and scientific. But there must not be any unjustifiable presumption that principles and values are amenable to homogenization, there must not be the wrong approach of generalizing the particular and particularizing the general, then we must also avoid using statistical data as a tool for vindicating certain principles or values.
The very values and principles can be categorized but cannot be homogenized because it varies from society to society, one place to another , one religious group to another and so on. So health care and administration issues, however well intended they may be, have to take into consideration the socio psycho cultural milieu where they are being addressed to. For example if you do not inform the kith and kin about a health problem in India it is an offense whereas in USA you do not have the right to inform without the consent of the patient. Abortion in certain places is a crime whereas it is almost a daily sport in certain places.
So like morality, ethical values do differ from environment to environment, descent, common adaptation etc. So also even the genetic and biological make of the physic of individuals. Therefore ethics and health is rather environment specific issue. There have been several cases where different populations were immune to certain diseases because of their unique genetic make up whereas some others where more susceptible to certain disorders again because of their unique genetic make up. Just to site two examples some African tribes have been said to have certain genes which make them immune to blood cancer similarly there are certain ethnic group in India for whom certain anesthetic drugs when injected lead to their death.
However as mentioned earlier it is equally imperative that there exists some system or rule or law that is applicable and that can regulate and ensure that ethically proper health care is in place. It involves a collective display of all those things that govern social behavior in general like customs, traditions, ethics, law, religio morality etc
There are therefore various steps involved in implementing ethical health care basically and broadly they are for steps in Ethical Healthcare Decision Making.
They are :-Assessment, Plan, Evaluation and Implementation.
Assessment involves visioning, mentoring, monitoring, solution focused critical thinking, self awareness, system and practice review.
Plan involves facilitation, enabling health care teams’ research or development plan learning pathways.
Evaluation involves risk management, environment friendly practice, learning in and through practice, building block for practice.
Implementation involves communication, support of all involved in implementation and interdisciplinary sharing expertise.
The advantage of this classification is it minimizes the problems involved in making ethical choices between equally undesirable alternative courses of action, the consequent valid judgments about action and resource allocation based on the clarity of the steps involved. Process is also faster when we can choose the best actions to meet a desired goal from among the several mutually exclusive choices which are always popping up.
But all these must work on some basic premises like patient and his well being have an important value which must be respected and enhanced by all participants in health care decisions.
Thus ethical health is a very complex issue, it will be further complicated if we try to operate it based on any typical western homogenized universal applications. On the contrary it will be easily carried out if we adapt an environment specific approach and execute it.
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Sunday, September 23, 2007
National Hispanic Month
Am I the last person to find out that September 15 marked the first day of National Hispanic Heritage Month? Or are others out there as clueless as I? I happened to notice the small print on the calendar at my son's school and came home to investigate.
Sure enough, since 1988, September 15 - October 16 has been officially National Hispanic Month (or Latino Heritage Month, depending on who you're talking to), designated as such because five different Latin American countries -- Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras and Nicaragua -- received their independence on September 15. And Mexico, coincidentally, celebrates their independence on September 16th!
Now here at the Meltingpot, we're all about celebrating diversity, so I am truly appalled that I didn't have a clue that Hispanic Month was happening. And I am willing to bet that I'm not the only one. Why is that? There are now officially like 35 million Hispanic people living in the United States and counting. This celebratory month (which was a week long celebration for 20 years before the U.S. government upped it to a whole month) has been an official celebration for more than three decades so why aren't there commercials on TV? Where are the PBS specials? Where are the books about great Latino/as in history being released to coincide with the big month? In other words, why isn't Latino History Month as big as Black History Month? Even National Poetry Month seems to get more play than Latino History Month.
And don't get me wrong, I know that in other parts of the country where there is a larger population of Hispanic people, there is surely a greater awareness, but still, I think there is at the very least a need for a greater PR campaign for this very important month.
But don't take my word for it. Check out On their website they not only explain the importance of Hispanic Heritage month, but they also offer some great ideas and lesson plans to help celebrate this oft neglected piece of American history.
Happy Hispanic Heritage Month!
1 comment:
Natasha said...
Hey Lori-
You have got to make perma-links to each of your posts to I can link them (not just your general page). I'm loving your new stuff.
I have this calendar that happens to list holidays in multiple religions and countries. It says September 28th is 'Native American Day'--I'm looking into that.
Keep up the good work, |
Separation Anxiety treatment
Treatment of separation anxiety disorder in children
The separation anxiety disorder treatment is a prevalent problem affecting children and adults alike. It is characterized by fear and worry when anticipating separation. They become nervous and anxious over the things happening around them. Children in particular are severely affected by separation from their parents, caregivers or when they move to a new environment.
What can you do to help the child who is affected? Treatment may not necessary involve medication. The following are the dos and don’ts when handing a child for separation anxiety disorder treatment.
The dos
The first thing you should do is to help the child concentrate on the things they love. If they are in a new day care, join them in the fun. They will soon start enjoying their new environment.
The child should be helped to settle in their new environment. The first day at the school may be very stressing to the child. Do not be in a hurry to leave until the child is comfortable.
Promising the child that you will come back for them after school reassures them that you are not leaving for good. This is part of the treatment of separation anxiety disorder and as you can see, but you really don’t have to give drugs to treat it.
Allow the child to focus on the good things that will happen as opposed to the bad things. For instance, you can help the child to imagine seeing you coming for them in the evening after school as opposed to imagining you not coming back.
There are some things that you should not do as treatment of separation anxiety disorder. For one, you should not encourage bad behaviour such as staying at home when they show no interest in going to school. This will confirm that their fears are justified and will in fact reinforce their justification for refusal to go to school.
Sudden and unexpected change of plans work against the goodwill is not encourage as the child may not be emotionally prepared for the changes. Such surprises offsets their emotions and hence the onset of anxiety.
It is wrong for you to allow the child to focus on the bad things which could happen if you are away from them. They only worsen as most things happen at the emotional level. The anticipation of bad things is just as bad as the things actually happening.
Punishing the child is not really treatment of separation anxiety disorder since it does not help improve the child. Punishing the child because of their apparent fear of separation is not justified at all .The child is not able to associate the punishment with the behaviour.
In conclusion, you do not have to take the child to hospital when they display the anxiety issues. All that is needed is understanding and love as they outgrow the developmental stages. The only time you should be concerned is when they refuse to outgrow this problem.
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Saturday, January 14, 2012
Ideal Body Weight and Body Mass Index Health Indicators
Nutritional Imbalance is becoming a huge problem nowadays as more and more people are getting obese, although some are on the other hand, malnourished. It is very important to keep track of one's weight in assessing one's nutritional status. There are many methods taken into account in assessing one's nutritional status and these are: IBW or Ideal Body Weight, BMI or Body Mass Index health indicator, Dual-Energy X-Ray Absorptiometry or DEXA and BIA or bioelectrical impedance analysis. However, among all the parameters mentioned, this article shall provide focus on the most commonly used ones such as the IBW and BMI.
According to Kozier, author of Fundamentals of Nursing book, Ideal Body Weight or IBW refers to the optimal weight recommended for optimal health. Standard charts are made as reference to this or a health care provider can calculate a person's Ideal Body Weight by using the Rule of 5 for women and the Rule of 6 for men. To get the ideal body weight of a female, for each 5 feet in her height, a weight of 100 lbs is given, then 5 is added per inch over 5 feet. Then 10% is added or subtracted depending on the body-frame size of the female. For example, Anna's height is 5'3" and she has a small body-frame size. For the 5 feet, the health care provider gives a value of 100 lbs, then plus 15 because of the 3 inches over the 5 feet. So that makes the weight 115. Since Anna's body-frame size is small, the health care provider must subtract 10% from 115. 11.5 is subtracted from 115, which makes it 103.5. Therefore, the Ideal Body Weight of Anna for her height should be 103.5 lbs. There is a different formula used for males, which is the rule of 6. For each 5 feet, it is equivalent to 106 lbs and for each inch over 5 feet, 6 lbs is added. The 10% addition or minus is also applied. On the other hand, a more widely used formula for assessing nutritional health is the Body Mass Index health indicator. And unlike IBW, BMI is much more simpler and the formula used is applicable for both males and females.
The Body Mass Index health indicator is also used as a parameter and is rather more convenient. According to the same aforementioned author, the Body Mass Index is an indicator of changes in body fat stores and whether a person's weight is appropriate for height, and may provide a useful estimate of malnutrition. To calculate for the Body Mass Index, the health practitioner, who usually is the nurse takes the height of an individual in meters and his or her weight in kilograms. The standard formula for BMI: the person's weight in kilograms is divided by the person's height in meters squared. For instance, if May's weight is 72 kilograms and height is 1.7 meters (1.7x1.7 = 2.89 m2), her BMI is 24.9 because 72 Kg is divided by 2.88 m2, After taking the BMI, the value is compared against a set of standards to determine if the person is underweight, normal, overweight, or obese. |
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